The man released his first arrow, and she ducked as it whizzed overhead. She had a short-range weapon; she had to get closer for it to be effective.

Carissa somersaulted towards him, and he scrambled backwards. She rolled beneath the table as another arrow whistled past her ear. A third arrow thunked into the table overhead. From here, she could only see the man's waist and below. It was unfortunate Elon hadn't trained her in dagger throwing; she would have had a perfect shot.

The man began circling the table. "You can't hide under there forever."

"Why don't you come down here and get me?"

He simply laughed.

As he turned a corner of the table, Carissa lay down on her back, drew both her feet back, and kicked a chair out from under the table. It skidded across the floor before colliding with the man, and he fell.

Carissa darted out from underneath the table as the man tried to detangle himself from the chair.

While he was down, she slashed his bowstrings and held her dagger to his neck. "Surrender."

He laughed, though she noted he was careful not to move. "You wouldn't kill me."

"Are you willing to bet your life on that?"

He clenched his jaw in reply.

"That's what I thought. Now, kindly raise your wrists so I can bind them."

He grumbled, but lifted his arms.

Now she just had to get to the rope. She glanced at the remained of the rope, tied to the bed. It was almost poetic that she would tie him with the same rope he'd used to tie—

Movement flashed in the corner of her eye just before the man lunged forward.

Carissa darted backwards, letting him stumble before righting himself. "Stupid move."

The man snorted. "What would you know about good fighting moves? You're a wom—"

Carissa's foot shot out, landing a kick to his stomach. Shock engulfed his expression, and he clutched his middle but didn't fall like she'd hoped. She curled her hand into a fist before ramming it into the underside of his jaw, pain shooting down her knuckles.

He fell back to the floor, and she shook her hand out while he wasn't looking. Lands, that had hurt. She should have used a different move, but the opportunity to hit him had proved too tempting.

While he was still on the floor, she cut the rope from the bed and used it to tie his hands behind his back.

Though his head was still swaying, he muttered, "That wasn't a fair fight... took me by–by surprise."

She yanked the final knot tight. "It was no more than what you did when you discovered me and my husband."

He murmured something else about "property" and "trespassing" as she dragged him to a chair before fastening his torso to the chair back and his ankles to the chair legs. That should hold him.

The man blinked, awareness brightening his eyes. "You foul child of a Reaper."

Carissa turned towards the soup. It seemed as though it was about ready. Maybe she could prepare a bowl for Elon.

"Esmerian."

Carissa resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the insult and rummaged through the drawers for a utensil to stir the soup.

"Whore."

The spoon she'd picked back up clattered back into the drawer as her blood turned cold. She wasn't a child of a Reaper, nor was she Esmerian. But a whore? That was the one insult she couldn't whole-heartedly refute.

The man laughed. "That one hits home doesn't it?"

Tension knotted in her throat as tremors gripped her hands. No, she wasn't a–a... She wasn't what he'd named her. Elon had made her someone else now.

"I can't say I'm surprised, given the state I found you in." She glanced over her shoulder in time to see him smirk. "Though that does make me wonder... what could possibly make him—" he jutted his chin towards Elon "—desperate enough to sleep with the likes of you?"

This was it; she wasn't going to tolerate any more of this man's insolence. Carissa stormed over to him and leaned his chair back, far enough that she only had to let him go and he'd crash to the floor. "Call me what you will, but don't you dare bring him into this." Elon deserved better than that... better than her. Emotion swelled within her, and to her shame, she felt moisture prickle her eyes.

The mockery in the man's expression melted, his gaze probing. "You fight like a warrior, but you cry like a little girl when I call you a 'whore.' Interesting."

She jerked his chair back, and he inhaled sharply, his entire body tensing. Once she was sure he was sufficiently scared, she set the chair back onto the floor. "If I hear another peep out of you, I'm going to gag you. Understood?"

He nodded.

"Good." Now to tend to Elon. She cut his bindings with the dagger first, lowering his hands to his sides. She found a clean bowl, filled it with soup, and dragged a chair to Elon's bedside, only to realize she had no way to feed him. He was unconscious. Perhaps she should get him water.

Carissa rummaged in the bag the man had brought and found a water skin. The man grunted his disapproval as she drank from it but didn't speak. She strode back to Elon and pour small trickles of water into his mouth. His throat bobbed as he swallowed reflexively.

She served herself a bowl of soup, checked the man's bonds, and crawled back into bed with Elon—fully clothed this time. She should probably have offered the man food, but she couldn't quite motivate herself to. Perhaps when she awoke, she'd be in a more charitable mood.

It seemed like only moments later when something awoke her once more, a slight nudge to her side. "Carissa?"

She opened her eyes and glanced to her side.

Elon was awake. Finally.

***

Author's Note:

Well, there's what I got.

I know it's not a lot,

But I hope it's what you sought.

No sneak peak for this story of mine

Because I'm afraid I've run out of time

All I have for you is this little rhyme

I know these news will bring many to sorrow

So maybe I'll post a sneak peek tomorrow