Capturing Caroline by Anya Bast Page A

yours, my love. Anytime.”
    It was hard not
to think about how well they suited each other. Not only were they
well paired in personality and emotionally, but sexually too.
    If only they
could enjoy a lifetime together.
     

Chapter Nine
     
    Torrent stood
in the middle of the yard watching Caroline stare up into the sky
at her sister, Kaitlyn, circling in hawk form. The first time
Caroline had seen Kaitlyn shift there’d been wonder and amazement
in her expression. But today, on the morning of their departure,
there was nothing but dread.
    This morning it
had been hard on them to leave the comfortable nest in his bed. The
others had arrived and banged on his door for nearly a half hour.
They’d finally broken it down completely, worried there was
something wrong. That was the only reason he and Caroline had
roused.
    The plan was to
ride in wagons drawn by horses to the east gates of the city and
enter as merchants from Ellian, another Magica city to the north.
Jessa had used magick on the horses so that they wouldn’t scent the
dire wolves around them.
    All of these
details were being handled by Jessa. If there was ever a time to
trust her, it was now. If this was a trap of some kind, they were
walking right into it.
    He shuddered.
Not only would that be utterly devastating, it would be
humiliating, and he would owe Caroline one hell of an apology.
Caroline still didn’t fully trust Jessa or Logan.
    “Are we almost
ready?” called Logan.
    “No,” said
Caroline immediately. “And we never will be. Let’s go.” She glanced
at Torrent, sighed, and trudged toward the wagon. She wore the odd
black and white garb of a Magica female.
    It would be a
three-day journey by cart, but Jessa said authenticity would be
rumpled and dirty traveling clothes when they arrived, so they’d
dressed in the Magica garb now.
    Above them,
Kaitlyn-as-hawk cried her signal that they should move out. As the
only one of them who could safely keep animal form, she would scout
ahead and make sure all was well on their path.
    The four of
them, Logan, Jessa, Caroline and himself made their way to the
wagon and mounted. He’d fought long and hard to keep Caroline from
coming, but she was a strong woman and wouldn’t have any of it. He
respected her strength and her choice. Although he worried about
her safety, he understood her decision. He would have made the same
one.
    The wagon
nearly overflowed with metal pieces and planks of wood, things that
could be found anywhere and traced to nowhere. That would serve as
their “wares.” Beneath that pile lay weapons. Certainly they might
need them before this mission was through.
    Caroline
mounted on the rear lip of the wagon, her legs dangling over the
edge. He hopped on beside her, and she laid her head on his
shoulder, snuggling against him for his body warmth.
    Gods…if only he
could have a lifetime of this.
    The wish was
only that, a wish.
    They traveled
in near silence all day and into the night by the light of the full
moon. When they finally stopped to get some rest, Caroline hopped
down from the wagon and began to help make ready to camp. Torrent
watched her go, then stepped to the ground and went off to
hunt.
    Since they were
traveling incognito, they could have a fire. They didn’t have to
hide all that much. If a Magica patrol happened by, they would
hopefully be protected by their cover story and disguises.
    When Torrent
returned from the woods with two fat rabbits in hand, a merry fire
burned in the center of the camp. Jessa, Logan, and Caroline were
sitting around the fire, talking in low tones. Kaitlyn would return
home for the night and rejoin their party tomorrow…likely after all
the fireworks had been set off.
    “Excellent,”
said Logan with a smile, rising to take the rabbits from Torrent.
“I’ll clean these up and we’ll put them on the spit. I’m starved.
How about you?”
    His gaze met
Caroline’s over the campfire. He was hungry, all right…just not for
food. He