Wanderlove Part 20

Liliana had heard the name repeated by various members of the tribe whose camp they currently inhabited. It was just a simple name, but she was well aware of the underlying connotations attached to it. Unfortunately for the Constantin brothers, that name meant many things.

It said that they were abandoners, for one. If that wasn't bad enough, it said that they were Royal abandoners. That name also meant that they were traitors- the very worst kind of traitors.

They were...murderers.

Liliana wondered why other gypsies chose to follow the Constantins. Granted, she hadn't seen that many caravans or tents, so there probably weren't very many people amongst their small band of gypsies. But...how could anyone follow a Constantin? It was beyond her capability of understanding.

"Why couldn't you just apologize, Lily?"

Eryn had just been tossed into the caravan's extremely cramped holding cell alongside Liliana. The cell was barred from the rest of the wagon, an ideal accommodation for transporting slaves.

Hugo, one of the peddlers and Liliana's recently a.s.signed guard, locked the cell with a resounding click.

"Thanks, Hugo," Liliana called out. "You're doing a great job as Ivan's personal puppet."

Hugo merely grunted in response. He rarely ever reacted to anything Liliana said to him and she hated him all the more for it. She'd even shouted and screamed the vilest expletives imaginable at him- so vile that she wouldn't even speak that way amongst a group of barbarians- but he still wouldn't say a word to her. He could b.l.o.o.d.y well be made out of stone, for all she knew. Liliana waited in antic.i.p.ation for the day when she could escape Hugo. She would gladly beat that man to death if she could.

Eryn plopped down beside Liliana on the wooden floor. "Why do you do that?" she asked, sighing. "You know it does no good."

"Since when did you begin speaking to me, anyway, Eryn?"

Eryn shrugged. "I suppose since I figured out you're an utter fool. Now I've decided I pity you more than I hate you."

"Well you can go right back to hating me," Liliana advised her sister angrily. "I liked you much better when you had nothing to say."

Eryn looked away, rolling her eyes in the process. She kept her head held high even within the confines of her newfound status of a slave. She maintained a high-handed temperament, as if she still considered herself above everyone and everything. Liliana envied her sister that, surprisingly. With each pa.s.sing day, she could feel her own spirit breaking. She was starting to lose hope, and Liliana knew hope was all she had to get by with.

She should have said something to him.

He might have rescued them.

Liliana sighed, remembering the recent events. As soon as she locked her eyes upon him, she'd known right away it was Gabriel, though he'd been clueless to who she was. He'd looked right at her, stared at her even. But he had no idea.

Never in her wildest dreams had she expected to see Gabriel again. There had been so many, many nights since her capture that she had cried herself to sleep at night, wondering if he were even alive...and here he was, in such an unlikely place, hidden in a forest along the southern coast of Spain. Gabriel was alive, healthy and beautiful.

And he was a descendent of the Constantin Royals. Third in line to the throne, to be exact. He was a prince- a prince with a very big, black mark against him.

She probably shouldn't have rescued him.

Liliana winced. Maybe that was too harsh. On the other hand, he'd known from the beginning that she was a gypsy. And he'd never admitted to who he was. All this time...she shook her head in awe. She'd never even guessed he was of gypsy descent, much less a Royal. Well it was no wonder he hadn't admitted that part of his background. She probably wouldn't admit to it, either. But he could have at least made it known that he was a fellow Rom.

She couldn't ask him to help her. In fact, she refused to. She couldn't take the chance that he would say no. Ivan would probably kill her and Eryn for attempting escape. It was too risky.

And it was obvious she could never trust Gabriel again, anyway, especially after he'd almost purchased Eryn! Liliana would never forgive him for that. And as far as his arrogant friend was concerned, she hoped he rotted in h.e.l.l. It was disgusting, watching him put his hands on Eryn in the manner that he had. It was as if they were inspecting a b.l.o.o.d.y herd of chattel.

Now that she thought about it, the other man sort of resembled Gabriel. She'd bet they were siblings. There were three Constantin brothers in total. There had been others before, but they'd all been seized before leaving Redwood Forest and promptly executed for their crimes. She wondered if Gabriel felt at all guilty for the crimes his family had committed.

Eryn suddenly s.h.i.+fted in the cramped s.p.a.ce they were enclosed within, just a slight movement Liliana noticed through her peripheral vision. The movement distracted her thoughts back to her sister. Eryn never should've had to endure all of this. And if Liliana hadn't insisted they stop at the inn...who knows, they may have never been captured in the first place.

Was it a mistake not asking Gabriel for his help?

Liliana hated to think she was risking Eryn's future only to save her own pride.

"I should have known you'd be more trouble than you're worth."

The slimy, hoa.r.s.e voice came from Ivan. Both Eryn and Liliana looked up to find him standing outside their cell, looking down upon them with apparent disgust.

"There was a reason that no good, rotten pirate sold you two to me for such a low price. I should've figured as much at the time."

Liliana hid her smile. Faucon had been all too glad to get rid of them. She'd remembered the face he'd made when she kicked him square in the stomach after he'd tried to manhandle her. The kick had rendered him nearly breathless for a good hour. He'd wanted to throttle her afterwards, but instead, he'd decided to sell both her and Eryn to Ivan, whose band of peddlers had just ridden into the camp of raiders.

Liliana almost preferred Faucon to Ivan. Faucon may have been a ruthless pirate, but he had also harbored a strange fear of gypsies. He'd been too afraid they would cast a curse upon him and his crew- a loathsome prospect for a sailor headed out to sea. Neither Eryn nor Liliana knew any curses, but both of them were happy to let Faucon believe otherwise.

Unlike the pirate, Ivan bore no fear of them at all. In fact, most times he was even a little cruel.

"Get up," Ivan commanded as he unlocked the door. "It's time for your backside to feel the sting of your defiance."

Liliana winced. She hadn't expected this to come so soon. Then again, Ivan was probably beyond livid after what she'd done.

"No!" Eryn pleaded, bolting upright.

"You." Ivan looked upon Eryn now. "Stay out of this."

"Please, Ivan," she begged. "She was just trying to protect me."

"Eryn, stop," Liliana commanded. "Everything will be okay, I promise."

Ivan chuckled, a foul noise.

"So you do not fear your impending lashes, do you, draga?"

Liliana shrugged, trying as best she could to keep her head held high. "I'm not afraid of you."

His lips tightened and he twirled a finger through the curl at the end of his beard. "We shall see your fear emerge very shortly, I suspect."

Ivan shouted for Hugo. Moments later, he was there to bind Liliana's hands and then escort her out of the caravan.

"I've changed my mind," Ivan announced at the last minute. "The sister will come to watch." He grabbed Eryn by her arm. "Maybe watching your sister's punishment will help you persuade her to not come to your rescue next time, eh?"

Gabriel was ready to leave when he saw the giant man dragging his hostage across the field with his mind sight. He tied the young woman to a post, far from the camp. Gabriel a.s.sumed it was so no one could hear her cry out.

This shouldn't be bothering him so much. It was none of his d.a.m.ned business, anyway. But it was bothering him. And he couldn't shake the feeling away.

If the girl hadn't been so stubborn, she could have easily been released from her punishment. Gabriel tried to remind himself of that fact. But what if she'd thought it wouldn't have mattered? He began to wonder if the people who kept her were cruel. He wondered if she didn't apologize to Ralph because she'd presumed her people would lie to Gabriel and his brother- and then punish her anyway.

d.a.m.n. It was thoughts like these that kept Gabriel lingering around the camp instead of heading out like he should be doing.

His horse was saddled and packed. He was all set to leave. And if he didn't leave now, he'd never make it to the next town by nightfall.

Suddenly, he heard a scream. Gabriel immediately looked up. The sound was far away, but he knew it hadn't come from the girl with the blue eyes. No, it had come from the other girl- Eryn.

The lashes had begun.

Turn away and leave. It's the smart thing to do, Gabriel thought to himself.

But he couldn't leave. Instead, he found himself riding towards where the whipping was taking place. He must be a fool. He didn't even have a plan.

As he was riding, he heard something that caused him to flinch. He moved closer, pus.h.i.+ng the horse into a gallop. He could hear the terror in her voice and the tears in her eyes. She was screaming at the top of her lungs, trying to break free of her bindings.

"Stop!" she screamed over and over. "Please, I beg you! Stop hurting Lily!"

The color drained from Gabriel's face. It was as if it all came cras.h.i.+ng down on him at once. The name- that name triggered it.

Lily.

The face that was etched in his mind by the curves he had traced with his fingers was the same face of the girl with the enchanting blue eyes. He instinctively knew it.

It was his Lily.

Gabriel rode at full force, without sparing any time to think. The giant man had already thrown four more lashes in the time it had taken him to ride over. As soon as he'd reached them, he jumped off his horse and yelled, "Stop!"

Their leader blocked his path, saying, "Constantin, this is none of your concern. The girl was due for this punishment. She will receive twenty lashes."

Eryn was openly crying now, tears streaming down her face. Her body was spent from trying to break free from the rope that bound her. "Please stop," she sobbed. "Stop hurting Lily."

The girl's quivering voice sounded pitiful.

Gabriel merely pushed Ivan out of his way, but he hadn't made it in time before the brute dealt his next lash. He was about to throw the whip down again when Gabriel caught it with his own hand. It snaked around his arm, slicing his skin open with the sheer force the guard had put behind it. Gabriel hissed as the throbbing sting took over.

He knew he couldn't give into the pain just yet. Instead, he pulled the whip out of the giant's hands, then used his left hand to punch him in his jaw.

The guard was so big, Gabriel's. .h.i.t was hardly enough force to knock him over, but he did sway a little. Before he had time to process what was happening, Gabriel swung at him again, with more force. Blood spilled from his nose and the man swaggered backwards. When he still didn't fall, Gabriel removed his gun from his belt. This time, the man was ready for him and swung back, but missed. It was the perfect opportunity because Gabriel was able to take his gun and strike it against the back of his head. The man fell to the ground, unconscious.

Breathing heavily, Gabriel slung the whip away from his arm and turned back to Lily. She was lying on the ground, motionless. Her arms were held rigidly over her head and her hands clenched around the rope bound to her wrists. Though she kept her eyes tightly shut, a single tear had managed to fall across the length of her cheek.

Gabriel sighed despondently. He hadn't gotten to her quickly enough. The white camisole she wore was streaked with blood along her back. It actually made him sick to his stomach knowing she'd had to endure it.

"Constantin," Ivan called out. "You have no right--"

Gabriel cut him off. "Don't forget who you're speaking to, peddler. I won't think twice about lying you on the ground next to your man."

"What is the meaning of this?" Ivan asked.

"The meaning of this," Gabriel snarled. "Is that these two girls are no longer your slaves. I am going to give you one hour to pack up your people and your things-- and then you will get the h.e.l.l out of my camp."

Ivan swallowed. His jaw line became rigid, as if he were trying to reclaim his dominance over the situation. "I will leave your camp, Constantin. But I'm taking my property with me."

"These women were never yours to claim," Gabriel informed Ivan. "In fact, I was at the inn with these girls when Faucon raided it and took what didn't belong to him. Unfortunately, I didn't have my sight at the time, so I failed to realize it until now."

"It makes no difference to me how Faucon came by them," Ivan told him, trying his best to sound menacing. "I have paid a price for each of them. They belong to me now."

"I'll double your price for your trouble."

"You don't understand." He finally let the desperation he was hiding reflect in his tone. "This one has already been bought and paid for." He motioned to Liliana. "If I don't show up with her in tow, I am going to be in a lot of trouble."

Gabriel moved to his horse. He removed a bag of coins from the saddlebag, which he promptly tossed before Ivan's feet.

"Now you can pay him back. That should be more than enough and you're lucky I'm giving you anything at all. Get out of my camp, Ivan. Before I change my mind."

Ivan knew he was at a loss. There was nothing more he could say or do. Gabriel watched as he angrily stormed away.

Once he was gone, Gabriel knelt down beside Liliana's still form. He carefully untied her ropes, trying his best not to move her.

"How could you let this happen to yourself?" he asked her sullenly.

But she didn't say anything. Truthfully, he didn't expect her to. Whatever her reasons were, she had made it apparently clear that she would rather undergo extreme pain than to identify herself to him. Furthermore, her actions led him to believe she found a life of slavery preferable than merely asking him for his help.

He'd never been so upset with someone in his entire life. If Liliana wasn't already severely wounded, he would've liked to soundly throttle her.

The thought of causing Liliana more harm made Gabriel feel instantly guilty. But he couldn't help it. There was an intense rage building in his core- all because of this woman. This stupid woman.

Gabriel forced himself to push away his anger- for now. He'd deal with it later. "I'm going to have to lift you," he said. "I'll try to avoid your wounds, but unfortunately, you'll probably feel even the slightest of movements. Do you think you can bear it?"

Her eyes were open now. He noticed there was a brief hesitance before she nodded. He wasn't sure if it stemmed from fear of more pain, or for fear of trusting him.

Gently, Gabriel reached underneath Liliana's body to lift her by pus.h.i.+ng her stomach upward. "I would carry you, but I fear it would hurt worse."

"I can walk." Her voice was uneven and whispered. But she maintained her stance as he continued to push her by her stomach until she was standing upright.

"Here, lean against me." Gabriel pulled her flat against his side. "All you have to do is move your feet," he told her. "I'll try and take most of your weight."

She winced, biting hard on her lower lip. He paused, feeling helpless. He wished he could take her pain from her. He wished he could bear it for her.

It was in that instance that Gabriel's world came cras.h.i.+ng down on him for the second time that day. The pain eventually subsided and she looked up into his eyes, and he could see that for the first time she expressed a small measure of trust in her gaze.

Those eyes, those enchantingly intoxicating eyes. They were the exact color of a bright sapphire brooch Gabriel's mother used to wear while she was alive.

"Do sapphires mean anything to you?" Ana, the young seer, had asked him that question earlier. He hadn't understood before. It seemed so meaningless. Sapphires didn't mean anything. Until now...

Now he understood the true depth of what those eyes really meant to him. When Liliana had looked upon him in that one instance, he had given her his heart, his soul, even. He realized now, in her eyes, he glimpsed a side of himself that desperately wanted to be worthy of someone like her. He refused to let go of whoever that person may be. Liliana may have developed an indifference to him he didn't fully understand yet, but he was determined to rid her of it.

"You can move forward now. I'm alright," she a.s.sured Gabriel, mistaking his long pause for caution.

He moved forward, staring at Liliana with a newfound wonder. He was unexpectedly in awe of her sheer existence.