The Binding (Chronicles of Azaria #1) Read Online Free Page A

Nonetheless, for all his politeness, I didn’t want to be stuck with him. I wasn’t an adventurer, and the thought of starting a nomadic lifestyle made my heart sink. I was content with my simple life here. Which I’d stupidly thrown out the window tonight…
    Oh, give up, Eliza. No matter how much I regretted setting foot outside the meadow, I couldn’t change my poor judgement.
    Time. That was what I needed. Time to figure something out.
    I looked back to Ryan and cleared my throat. My stomach churned at the thought of lying again, but this wouldn’t be nearly as bad as the first one.
    “I ’d like to go to Viens,” I said. The capital of Azaria was a good three weeks’ journey away. That should give me plenty of opportunity to sort this mess.
    Ryan stroked his chin.
    “You want to go all the way to the capital?”
    “I want to start afresh,” I continued, though inside I was shaking. Was I about to push too far and undo all my hard work? “Put the past behind me, where nobody knows my name or face.”
    Ryan said nothing for a long while. He was figuring something out in his head. I tapped the seconds out, my feelings on a knife edge. Please, he had to take me.
    Finally Ryan nodded, and it was all I could do not to sigh in relief. They say the best lies have fragments of truth hidden in them— it seemed I’d played it just right.
    “Well, I was going to head there eventually,” he said, “but I suppose I could take a short-cut for your sake.”
    “You’re too kind,” I said, giving a small bow for added effect.
    Ryan laughed.
    “You don’t need to be so formal, Eliza.” He glanced up at the moon. “Okay, enough chit chat. We should head back.”
    He locked an arm under my shoulder, helping me up. My heart jumped again, but I focused on where to place my feet. As my leg braced, my ankle gave a twinge. The pain wasn ’t as bad now it was bandaged, though, and with him taking the weight, I could hobble along. Still, every step made me brush against him, provoking a hot blush.
    “You sure I ’m not going to slow you down?” I asked, turning away so he wouldn’t see my reddened cheeks. Goddess knew what it would be like in the morning.
    “I ’m not in any rush,” Ryan said. “Don’t fret so much. I’m sure everything will work out fine.”
    I smiled mirthlessly.
    He didn’t know the half of it.

 
     
     
     
     
     
    CHAPTER THREE
    ‘ ...and in that night they escaped to the tower, screened in darkness as the moon brooded over their secret union.’
    —Tale of the Binding
     
    Ryan ’s camp was a short walk through the trees, but it might as well have been a month-long trek. Pressed between the crook of his elbow and his chest, I thought my head would burst. Right steps were better, as I could push him aside and put some distance between us. Then would come a left one, where he would pull me back to his chest and take the weight off my ankle. If my cheeks got any hotter, I could start hosting lava birds.
    He guided me towards a small copse. I had no idea how far inside the Galgiza we were, and I couldn ’t see the moon, so I didn’t know the time, either. Like it mattered. I couldn’t step further than a half mile from Ryan, anyway. If I’d have known I’d be roughing it indefinitely, I’d have dressed for the occasion.
    Concentrating on keeping at least some distance from Ryan, I stumbled over a gnarled root. He snatched my arm, drawing me against his torso. His collar brushed my cheek, and I swallowed. My arms shook, but not because I’d almost fallen again. Each touch sent ripples of pleasure through my chest, and I had to keep aware of my body’s movements, in case it did something without my consent. It was exhausting. But if I relaxed, I was afraid of what I would do. What the Binding would make me do.
    Damn this curse!
    “We’re here,” Ryan announced. I looked up. Beneath the tangled branches, a tent loomed over a dead fire. The embers still smoked, though their glow