Trust In Love by Linda Kage
Series: Love Mark #2
Publication date: May 4th, 2020
Synopsis (according to Goodreads):
The kingdom of Far Shore still resents Donnelly, its neighboring land, for forming an alliance with those filthy High Clifters and then defeating them in war. Twice! They really must pay for such an insult. And what better way to prick their pride than to steal their lovely, revered princess, mutilate her a little, and then random her back to them for a hefty sum.
So, the king blackmails stable hand, Farrow, into accepting the mission of kidnapping Princess Nicolette and bringing her back to Far Shore to meet her gruesome fate.
With his sister's life on the line, Farrow reluctantly accepts the quest and travels through sand and forest, only to find Nicolette eagerly awaiting his arrival with her bags already packed and good to go, spouting off insane nonsense about being his destiny and one true love.
What follows is a crazy, eclectic adventure that brings two lost souls together and helps them learn who they're supposed to be and what they're supposed to do in this ever-changing journey called life.
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Kneeling next to a bush, I swept out my hand and felt around the forest floor, hoping to uncover a hidden panel that opened into the ground.
Behind me, a scraping sound--like stone grinding against stone--echoed through the trees. Halting, I cocked my ear as scuffling and human grunts followed.
Shit. Someone was coming.
Since I was already on my knees, I dropped the rest of the way to my stomach and rolled under the bush. Briars scraped my arms and face as I settled myself out of sight and went still. Waiting. Listening.
A dozen paces away, the newcomer panted and swore, shuffling foliage and earth around as if they were dragging something heavy across the ground. I squinted, wondering what the devil--
"Oh bother," a feminine voice muttered. "No way in God's name am I going to be able to carry all this crap by myself."
Curious, I ducked my head out from under the bush, but it was impossible to see anything through the darkness, and the woman--whoever she was--wasn't carrying a torch.
Blowing out a settled breath, she stood without moving before she timidly called, "Farrow?"
My eyes flared with shock. How had she known...?
I must've just misheard her. No way could she have said my name.
Except she repeated it a little louder and with more certainly this time. "Farrow? Are you out here?"
She stumbled uncertainly in my direction before pausing and exhaling through a small gasp, as if surprised. "Yes, you're definitely out here," she revised, talking more to herself than me before she lifted her voice. "Don't be afraid. It's just me: Nicolette."
Nicolette.
My entire system buzzed with a mixture of danger and delight: danger because this had to be a trick. Somehow, the Donnelleans had learned of my mission to steal their princess, and they had sent out some imposter as bait.
But also delight because what if it wasn't a trick?
No, you're right. It had to be a trick.
"You can come out from wherever you are. It's okay. I made sure I wasn't followed. We're quite alone."
Definitely something a fake princess would say if she wanted to lure her Far Shore kidnapper into the open so the three hundred guards lying in wait could tackle him to the ground and kill him posthaste and without prejudice.
Her shuffling came closer until she must've tripped and stumbled across something in her path.
"Ouch. Damn, I never realized how uneven these bloody woods were."
Aha. A princess would never swear like that.
Except, I often heard Bricklynn--Sable's older sister--curse worse than sailors at port, so of course, the stranger's language was no way to discern who she really was.
Hell fire.
The pretender was coming unbearably close, though, and heading straight toward me.
Weird. Could she somehow hear me? I wasn't doing anything to make a sound.
When she plowed into the bush I was hiding under, I winced through her cry of pain. And then I believe she toppled backward and hit the ground.
"Ow, ow, ow. That hurt. Bush. There was a bush there."
Before I could stop myself, I said, "You okay?"
Behind me, a scraping sound--like stone grinding against stone--echoed through the trees. Halting, I cocked my ear as scuffling and human grunts followed.
Shit. Someone was coming.
Since I was already on my knees, I dropped the rest of the way to my stomach and rolled under the bush. Briars scraped my arms and face as I settled myself out of sight and went still. Waiting. Listening.
A dozen paces away, the newcomer panted and swore, shuffling foliage and earth around as if they were dragging something heavy across the ground. I squinted, wondering what the devil--
"Oh bother," a feminine voice muttered. "No way in God's name am I going to be able to carry all this crap by myself."
Curious, I ducked my head out from under the bush, but it was impossible to see anything through the darkness, and the woman--whoever she was--wasn't carrying a torch.
Blowing out a settled breath, she stood without moving before she timidly called, "Farrow?"
My eyes flared with shock. How had she known...?
I must've just misheard her. No way could she have said my name.
Except she repeated it a little louder and with more certainly this time. "Farrow? Are you out here?"
She stumbled uncertainly in my direction before pausing and exhaling through a small gasp, as if surprised. "Yes, you're definitely out here," she revised, talking more to herself than me before she lifted her voice. "Don't be afraid. It's just me: Nicolette."
Nicolette.
My entire system buzzed with a mixture of danger and delight: danger because this had to be a trick. Somehow, the Donnelleans had learned of my mission to steal their princess, and they had sent out some imposter as bait.
But also delight because what if it wasn't a trick?
No, you're right. It had to be a trick.
"You can come out from wherever you are. It's okay. I made sure I wasn't followed. We're quite alone."
Definitely something a fake princess would say if she wanted to lure her Far Shore kidnapper into the open so the three hundred guards lying in wait could tackle him to the ground and kill him posthaste and without prejudice.
Her shuffling came closer until she must've tripped and stumbled across something in her path.
"Ouch. Damn, I never realized how uneven these bloody woods were."
Aha. A princess would never swear like that.
Except, I often heard Bricklynn--Sable's older sister--curse worse than sailors at port, so of course, the stranger's language was no way to discern who she really was.
Hell fire.
The pretender was coming unbearably close, though, and heading straight toward me.
Weird. Could she somehow hear me? I wasn't doing anything to make a sound.
When she plowed into the bush I was hiding under, I winced through her cry of pain. And then I believe she toppled backward and hit the ground.
"Ow, ow, ow. That hurt. Bush. There was a bush there."
Before I could stop myself, I said, "You okay?"
About the Author:
Linda writes romance fiction from YA to adult, contemporary to fantasy. Most Kage stories lean more toward the lighter, sillier side with a couple meaningful moments thrown in. Focuses more on entertainment value and emotional impact.
Published since 2010. Went through a 2-year writing correspondence class in children's literature from The Institute of Children's Literature. Then graduated with a Bachelors in Arts, English with an emphasis in creative fiction writing from Pittsburg State University.
Now she lives with hubby, two daughters, cat Holly, and nine cuckoo clocks in southeast Kansas, USA. Farm girl. Parents were dairy farmers. Was youngest of eight. Big family. Day job as a cataloging library assistant.
Harry Potter House Gryffindor, Patronus White Stallion, character match Hagrid. Supernatural Team Dean. Game of Thrones Team Jon Snow and Tyrion Lannister. The Walking Dead Team Daryl. Outlander Team Jamie Fraser. Teen Wolf Team Stiles. Avenger Team Thor... or Hulk (can't decide). Justice League Team Flash. Arrow Team Stephen Amell. Stranger Things obsessed. Heard Laurel, not Yanny.
Started out reading with the Baby-Sitters Club. Then moved to Sandra Brown, Linda Howard, Julie Garwood, and LaVyrle Spence in high school. Now all over the place with her romance reading tastes.
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