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naked chest where his white shirt was partially undone. Ava peeled her eyes away from the exposed flesh and nearly choked on her gasp.
    In regards to his form, calling him a beast had been an accurate assessment. He was as large as her father had been, taller than most men she knew, with a chest as wide as a barrel and biceps like tree trunks. The fabric of his shirt was nearly stretched to its limit across the shoulders. His neck appeared to be too thick for even her long-fingered hands to wrap fully around. Large hands sported scarred knuckles, undoubtedly caused by fist fighting.
    As far as his face went, well, there was nothing beastly about that. In fact, he was downright beautiful. A strong, prominent jaw and chin, a decidedly aristocratic nose and coal black eyes were a potent combination. His hair was as black as hers and fell in soft waves to his shoulders. His only flaw was a scar slashing along his upper lip, probably an old cut from a knife or dagger.
    This Julian was unquestionably a dangerous man. Even with all of her strengths and abilities, Ava knew better than to underestimate him.
    “Well good morning to you,” he said with a smooth, rich, baritone voice. “Or should I say good evening? You’ve been asleep for quite some time. Perhaps you’d like to join my associate and myself for a late dinner? I’m sure Simon would be happy to share, despite the vicious stabbing.”
    Ava could do no more than glower at him. What did he expect her to do with a gag in her mouth? She refused to make even the slightest sound. He watched her silently as if waiting for something. When Ava’s expression went from anger to rage, he chuckled.
    “No? Are you certain?”
    A kidnapper with manners, what a rarity , she thought sarcastically. Outwardly, she maintained her vicious stare, topping it off by raising her chin a few inches.
    “Oh, it’s like that is it? Well then, suit yourself.”
    With that, the beast rose up to his full, intimidating height and made his way across camp. He turned his back to her once more and resumed eating and talking with his friend. Ava could tell by the tension in his shoulders that he could feel her eyes on him. Well good, she hoped he disintegrated from the heat of her anger.
    How dare he take her like a common thief? Did he have any idea what he was getting himself into? She was a lady knight of Barony and he would pay dearly for his crime, she would make certain of it!
    In the meantime, Ava didn’t even know why she’d been taken. She didn’t know what this man meant to do to her. Until she did know, she intended to remain on her guard.
     

~Chapter 4~
     
    Julian glanced over his shoulder to find that their captured hellion had finally fallen asleep. She’d been watching them—well, him to be exact—with fire in her gaze from the moment she came out of her drug-induced slumber.
    He’d been on the opposite end of a female’s cunning wiles before and didn’t expect anything less from this one. Add to that the fact that the woman knew how to throw a punch and wield a dagger and Julian’s trust was whittled down to nothing. He didn’t dare let his guard down for a minute, despite the fact that she was obviously not going anywhere fast.
    “I thought that Blake fellow called her a beauty,” Simon said, peering at the sleeping wildcat over his shoulder. “Perhaps there is something wrong with his eyes.”
    Julian couldn’t help but agree. He was sure that beneath the layer of grime and ash that covered her face and the thatch of short, black hair, was a face as ugly as sin. He supposed the flashing silver eyes he’d looked into were appealing enough, but how could it matter when the woman was wearing a shapeless bag of a dress covered by a dirt-smudged apron and looked as if she’d been sitting too close to a fire?
    “To each his own, Simon,” Julian said with a chuckle as he took a long swig from their shared bottle of whiskey. He passed the bottle to Simon. “It makes no