Caught in the Fox’s Teeth

Chapter 17: Taryn

I had rounded up both mine and some of my father’s men to recruit fast riders and bounty hunters. I need men that are swift and crafty but also trustworthy enough not to sully the woman I want them to find for me. Posters of Taryn’s likeness are spread across every village within a twenty-mile radius of our family’s estate.

I get my first lead when I find Cudo was sold to a merchant in Valston. Father was furious at the price he had to pay to get the gelding back. He had made threats to take out the price on my bride to which I had to disagree. If anyone is going to exact a costly revenge on this woman, it will be me. I tell my father as such, promising that she won’t be able to sit for a week once I find her. This soothed him slightly. Though judging by how Sorsha was walking the following morning, I’d wager my lord father took his anger out on his w***e as well. He can f**k his mistress bloody for all I care so long as he keeps his hands from Taryn.

Just speaking her name makes something stir inside me. It feels like something coming to life and taking its first fragile breaths. I can’t wait to get her back home so that I can send my father away. I will take on Bowen’s duties and assume his position while Taryn assumes her own duties and position beneath me as a loyal and devoted wife does. I will play the role of her loving husband where I worship her both in and out of the bedroom. She will cling to my arm and be an ever-present partner in my life. She will see to all my needs, and I will provide and dote on her as is her husband’s need. Gods. Just thinking about sharing a mundane existence with someone shouldn’t sound so delightful., but with Taryn even mediocrity is worth celebrating.

One of my riders comes into my encampment, breathless and blustering. When he catches his breath, I offer him a drink of water from my water skin and clap him on the back. “What is it man?” I ask anxiously. My man smiles up at me. “ There—There has been a report of a “golden lady” with money in her pocket. She was spotted in the town of Urman three days back.” He pants out the words, taking another drag from my skin. I grin. This woman is clever. She’s even more clever than I previously thought. She is heading northwest which means she’s heading directly for Nazera. Lord Naveth is a bloody cunt. News travels faster than you would think. It’s entirely possible Nazera’s Lordling has heard of the complete upset my family is in over one simple woman. I wouldn’t put it past Eivan to send out his own scouts and hunters. I’ve got men headed to the borders now in hopes of barring her crossing into Nazera. She is a lady of Estrajia now. She has no business with those jackasses. I’d like to get to her before he does but I will need to arrange for safe passage into those lands should she make it through their borders. Vulpins are not exactly honored guests in Nazera. I’ll need to request a formal meeting, which takes time and time is something I don’t have. I sit cut her off at the pass and secure her before Naveth does.

My horse shivers beneath me, tension in his muscles belies his increasing nervousness. My foul mood and anxieties have affected him poorly. I pat the side of his neck and whisper soothing words. I use the same words for myself. “All will be well. Be calm.” He snorts and paws the ground. It seems even my mount isn’t convinced of my composure. I whistle to any of the men that still remain in my party and signal it’s time to go. We will head west. I will ride through the flames of the abyss itself to reclaim what is rightfully mine. Kicking my horse, he takes off like a bolt of lightning. The wind blows in my face, bringing with it the scents of the nearby market. Spices and manure cling heavy in the air. My stomach grumbles at the smell of sizzling meat being cooked roadside but there is no time to partake. I push thoughts of hunger away and focus my sights west.

The next few villages we come across on our journey have not seen a woman that fits Taryn’s description despite word of her traveling in this direction. This only proves just how clever she truly is. She’s deserving of our family crest; a fox through and through. She has likely made most of her journey over game trails and underutilized paths. Of course she wouldn’t take the main roads. My lady is a hunter. She knows a thing or two about tracking. She would be smart enough to know how to avoid detection. I wonder if she is covering her hair or perhaps she even dyed it darker with soot. How clever is Taryn really? Would she disguise herself to avoid detection? It’s very likely. One thing is certain, she would have done everything she could to avoid notice. She would make no indication of her being noble so she likely wears a scarf over her hair, which should be a crime in itself. Taryn should never feel the need to lock her beauty away from the world. She is no peasant. She needs no scarf to hide under. Just thinking of her covering up the most beautiful pieces of her makes me vibrate with anger. Her hair is a gorgeous shade of gold. When she is mine, I will forbid her from hiding it away. Images of a golden braid wrapped around my fist as I ride her from behind come unbidden soothing my ire as well as sends a shiver through me. I kick my horse in the ribs, urging him a little faster. I need her now more than ever.

Thoughts of a flaxen haired goddess kneeling before me, my c**k down her throat as she gags on me. Her hazel eyes cast up at me with a pleading look. “Mercy, my lord.” That’s what they would cry out to me. I would shake my head “no.” She will find no mercy with me. Thinking of her swallowing down my come as my c**k pumps down her throat heals my anger but then gives me another problem to solve. I groan as my erection presses painfully against my trousers as I bounce on this unforgiving animal. Every racing step puts me at a disadvantage. I’m liable to give myself blue balls if I don’t stop thinking about Taryn. We have a long way to go and I’ll want to be in peak condition when I finally get my hands on her.