Bound: The Inland Slave by Kelsey Charisma Page A

will have proof I can travel with her.”
    “That is all you want?”
    “Nothing more.”
    Cade slowly reached for Katja’s hand, cautiously taking it as if not sure she’d allow him to touch her. Katja however, was in shock, and could do little more than listen. “Darling, you understand I must send you away. I can visit you in the spring, but you must go and now . It’s of no fault to your own, and I’m sorry I even thought you’d disgrace me.” Katja stared at his white face, and was too petrified to speak. She was still absorbing the conversation that took her by complete surprise; Felix warned her by the next day they’d be leaving, and now they were. Her life was suddenly changing, and everything felt out of control. “Take all your jewelry, and I’ll give you as much money as I can to buy a livable home. Boeday is a nice town, four days travel from here…”
    “That is not nearly far enough. Her former suitor’s city, Dresburg, is only six days from there. We’ll take four horses, one will carry supplies, and we’ll travel through the mountains to the cities near the border of The Inland. We’ll settle in Tresbecka. The safest roads lead there. And we shouldn’t take gold beyond what I can easily hide.”
    “Tresbecka is too far!” Cade argued. “Annett is old, and could die from fever going over those cold mountains in the winter.”
    “For an outlander, who doesn’t know this continent or how to survive it, I suppose he would think that.”
    “You insult me!” Cade said and snarled at Felix. “You expect me to let my daughter wander from here with a Huntsman to the outer region thick with rebelling, trained warriors? You’d take the bill of sale, kill my daughter, and return to your old life. Don’t think I haven’t noticed you jump at the opportunity to flee with all legal rights. You’ve probably been planning on leaving with your hands on the bill of sale from the day you decided not to run into the woods. You were a chief of an army; you must be moderately clever. You knew you wouldn’t survive a day while so close to the ocean and your men far from here. You planned all this, didn’t you?”
    Katja turned to Felix, and the bitter sting of doubt hurt more than his betrayal of telling her father she’d slept with a man. He obviously schemed, and now he would legally travel with no threat of danger. He wasted less than two months staying with Katja before finding his perfect way out. “Tell me that’s not true.” Katja said quietly. “You wanted the bill of sale so you can leave with absolute freedom?”
    “I want you to have the bill of sale as proof I can travel with you, and for no other reason.”
    Katja looked to her father. She didn’t know who to believe, especially while feeling hurt and betrayed by everyone in room. She bowed her head a moment, thinking. There was no possibility her father would let her stay. Felix was going to take her, but she had control over one thing. “Just give him his freedom for taking me abroad, father. At least I’ll have my life in return.”
    “The slave is nothing to me.” Her father replied. “You can sign the bill for his freedom once you’re in Tresbecka. Hide it until you get there, or he will never take you there safely. Don’t trust him, Katja. He’s a traitor to the crown, and has done unspeakable crimes while claiming to be a vigilante.” He rubbed his brow as if a headache was setting in. “Go upstairs and ready yourself for travel. I’ll have the horses waiting in an hour. You must go quickly and quietly.”
    “Father,” Katja whimpered. An hour was hardly any time to reconcile with having to leave, and she wasn’t ready to go anywhere. Yet, Annett squeezed Katja’s shoulders and lifted her from the chair.
    “Come child.” Annett said, softly.
     
    BEFORE KATJA GOT HER bearings, she was holding the reins of a horse, and looking over her shoulder as her father lingered at the gate. He followed them to the