Lauren was brought up short as she bumped into Max, her fingers twisted painfully on Aria’s arm as she pinched her skin. Daniel seemed confused as if it hadn’t quite penetrated his artist induced haze that something wasn’t right. “Get your hands off of her!” William was beside her, Max had circled behind Lauren, blocking her pathway to the tavern. “Let go of me!” Aria snapped, as anger completely replaced any shock she felt. Lauren was trying to haul her toward the bar, pulling sharply on her arm. She tried to pull her arm free of Lauren’s grasp but the girl clung like a burr. “Who the hell are you?” William demanded.Īria’s surprise was wearing off. Lauren’s eyes darted to him amusement filled them as recognition sprang forth. “What the hell?” Max, seeming to have just noticed Lauren’s appearance was coming back at them. Her heart was pounding, astonishment held her so riveted that she couldn’t react, not even when Lauren thrust her face into Aria’s, so close that their noses were almost touching. “I knew it was you,” Lauren sneered, her pretty face twisting with disgust as her hand squeezed even more on Aria’s arm. Aria suddenly understood where the girl had come from, what the smell was, and what Lauren had been doing since Braith had banished her from the palace. Laughter burst from the bar behind Lauren. Her dress was dirty, her fingernails were broken, and there was a strange odor wafting from her. She’d been refined and elegant in a way that only the palace servants could be. Lauren was far different than Aria recalled her blond hair had always been neatly coiffed, with every hair in place. “Lauren,” Aria breathed horrified and staggered by the sight of the servant girl who had taken such cruel pleasure in abusing her while she’d been in the palace. The venom that spit from the girls blue eyes would have seemed out of place if Aria hadn’t already figured out who she was. The girl was still grasping her arm, holding her with a bruising intensity as she glared furiously at Aria. A sharp gasp escaped her, she scrambled to pull it back up, feeling exposed and stunned by the sudden assault. She was so intent on getting free of this town that she wasn’t expecting it when someone grabbed hold of her arm, halting her abruptly as she was pulled sharply around.Īria had only a moment to get her bearings before someone seized hold of her hood and ripped it back. Bending her head lower, she kept her attention focused on her feet. Two of them ran in the opposite direction, squealing happily as their laughter trailed down the street.

She kept her head down as they approached the raucous place. She heard the laughter from the bar before she saw it again. They passed more people as they hurried through the town, but no one paid them much attention.

Refugee the captive series book 3