To Have A Heart (A New Adventure Begins - Star Elite 7)

Callum sighed.

“I hope to God we are never split up for you to find out.”

Callum had to stop to contemplate what to tell her.

“Look, about a mile over the brow of that hill is a river. The best thing you can do is go to that. Get into the water, cross it if you can, and get out of the water a fair distance away from where you got in. I don’t know how deep it is, but the dogs cannot track your scent in water. They will lose you. Just don’t get out of your depth.”

“I cannot swim,” Mallory breathed.

Callum stared hard at her. “It is the only chance you will have.”

Mallory felt sick at the thought of it ever happening. She would do it, of course, not least because she trusted Callum to know about such things.

“I hope it never comes to it,” Callum whispered before Mallory could.

“As soon as you can, go to Ribbleton. There is a huge house on

the outskirts of the village, about a quarter of a mile off the main road, that sits through some trees. Go to that, tell them Sir Hugo sent you.”

“Are you sure someone will be there?”

Callum nodded.

“What about you?”

“If you ever need to wade through the river for your life you will know I am dead,” Callum growled bluntly.

When Mallory flinched, Callum ruefully pursed his lips.

“I don’t intend to die today,” he mused with a wink.

“Neither do I,” she replied honestly.

“Good, so let’s see what happens. Try not to panic, eh? Whatever happens, panicking will make you do foolish things and it might just get you killed.”

Mallory was horrified at the thought of having to run for her life on her own. Now that she had experienced what it was like to have to run from Melrose’s guards, Mallory knew that she would never have survived had she been alone. The guards would have caught her, and she would probably have been murdered by now.

“I wish I could tell you that it is going to be all right,” Callum breathed, and meant every word.

Knowing this might be the day that he didn’t live to see nightfall, Callum’s gaze fell to her lips. As he watched, the tip of her tongue slid gently across the lush ripeness of her lips. Without stopping to think about what he was doing, his head bent. One brush, one fine sweep of those luscious lips, and Callum knew that he had tasted temptation. He knew that had they been faced with any other circumstances; Callum would have sampled her some more. As it was, they were almost in the trees, and had to set aside this compelling attraction they felt for each other for another time when they were able to think more clearly.

“Callum,” she whispered, unsure what else she could say.

Callum stared into limpid eyes. He knew she was stunned by what had just happened, and still wrapped in the haze of desire that was completely alien to her. He wished that there was something he could say or do that would dispel that look of adoration she was giving him. He didn’t want her to put him on a pedestal. He wasn’t the pedestal kind of man.

If we live through the next few hours, I will have to sit her down and tell her that the kiss meant nothing, even if I have to lie. I don’t want her being attracted to me because she sees me as some sort of hero. I am just me, a normal man doing a strange and difficult job.

For now, all Callum could do was force aside his attraction to Mallory and focus on getting through the woods alive.

CHAPTER SIX

In contrast to the early morning birdsong Mallory had heard in the village, the woods were silent and darkly ominous. The only sound that could be heard was the steady thud of hooves as Horace plodded steadily along a path carved through the undergrowth.

Callum knew that they were far more vulnerable now than they had been since they had left Melrose House.

“There is something wrong, isn’t there?” Mallory had no idea why she felt compelled to ask but the words were out before she could stop them.

The infinitesimal nod of Callum’s head made Mallory’s stomach lurch sickeningly.