Robin reached inside himself, felt for the warm swell of the power that fueled his glamour. His senses expanded, radiating out to soak in the details of the world around him. The scent of his blood, the damp earth, the moss-lined trees. The sight of the darkening sky, the shadows that stretched over the forest floor. The sounds of Will’s steady humming, Little John’s rolling growl, and Marian’s calm, even breathing. Every detail melted into his core, bubbled up into a froth of power. “So brave, for such a delicate being.”#p#分页标题#e#
He released the power, painting a glamour over the clearing. A mirror image of everything, an extra layer of reality that mimicked every detail down to the last hair on his head. As the image snapped into place, Robin darted forward, his movement hidden behind the glamour that showed everything as it had been. The pain in his leg dug deeper, punishing him for the hasty movement, but he ignored it as he snatched the crossbow from Marian’s grip. Her eyes were still narrowed on the false image, and they flew open as he closed his hand around her throat. The look of shock on her face was too precious, the feel of her warm skin too promising. He threw her crossbow into the woods and walked her backward until her back slammed against the tree.
“You should have run,” he rasped, his voice roughened by the pain eating at his vision.
She tightened her jaw. “I do not run unless I am chasing something. Or someone.”
“Your words would hold more weight if you weren’t forcing them past the hand I have wrapped around your windpipe. But the glare in your lovely green eyes helped them along nicely.” He leaned closer, the amusement draining from his face until all she would see was the pain pulling at the skin around his eyes, and the slight glow of his temper that would make his eyes shine. “It’s really too bad you shot me. I think we could have been great…friends.”
He tightened his grip on her throat with every pulse of pain through his leg, watching her face flush with the need to breathe. Her arms vibrated with tension at her sides as with obvious effort she kept herself from grabbing his hand and trying to tear it from her throat.
“Did you…a favor.”
Robin put his ear to her mouth to hear the strangled words, the bone of her jaw pressing into his fingers. “Did you say you did me a favor?”
She tried to nod, but it was a scant movement, pinned to the tree trunk as she was. Curiosity took the edge off his temper and he loosened his grip, just enough to allow her to speak more easily.
“What favor?”
“‘When was the last time any…of us shed more than a…measly ounce of blood.’”
His eyebrows lifted at hearing his own words repeated back at him. He laughed softly and leaned back, studying the bold redhead with new eyes. Her hair clung to the rough bark of the tree, the wood combing strands of orange crimson from the severe plait. Her eyes sparked cold fire, a vision of his untimely end shining in their depths. Her cheeks were still flushed a dangerously deep shade of red, the strain of restricted breathing all too plain. Despite her obvious pain and the panic that usually came with having one’s airflow threatened, she clenched her teeth as she met his inspection, throat straining as she tried to swallow past his grip.
“You’re welcome,” she croaked.
“Ha!” Robin released her abruptly, stepping back as her legs gave out and spilled her to the ground. Her cloak flared up, giving the illusion for a moment that she was melting into a puddle of chocolate.
Great, now I’m hungry.
Thoughts of chocolate turned his mind to Sanguennay. Sanguennay made him think of the strange witch and her promise to him that Marian LaFey held some wonderful secret that would cure his boredom—at least for a time. He studied the woman in question as she recovered quickly, hauling herself to her feet and pressing back against the tree for support. Her fingers dug into her thighs, like she was resolutely avoiding her abused throat that even now was darkening with impressions of his fingerprints. Several wild curls waved about her head, free of their captivity and flaring about her like radiant sunbeams.
What would it be like to see that hair completely unbound? Spilling onto the grass, perhaps beneath the moonlight…#p#分页标题#e#
“If you continue to look at me like that, I’ll be needing my crossbow back.”
Only every other word made it out, the rest lost to the hoarseness that came with near-strangulation, but the thought would have been clear from her expression alone. Eyes narrowed to slits, skin over her jaw leaping about as if the muscle would tear itself from her face to strangle him itself. Robin winked at her, but decided to let his delightfully carnal fantasy go. For the moment.