House of Heirs by S. E. Gutierrez (color ebook reader txt) 📕

Syd threw her head back and laughed, offering her hand for Cera to shake. "I have indeed." she paused and glanced mischeviously at Sam. "What do you say we have with the Captain of the Knotted Knickers?"

Cera shot Sam a seductive glance. "Oh yes," she crooned. "Let's."

Sam took a step back, and nearly tripped over Annie -- she'd been struggling to hide her giggling. He could handle the ladies by themselves, but together? He feared what they were capable of. Sam grabbed Annie's hand and ran. When he dragged her to the treeline a few yards from the base of Cadwell Mountain, he wrapped Annie in his cloak, told her to stay precisely where she was, and ran into the woods like a predator was on his heels. Well, two predators to be exact.

He zig-zagged through the woods, taking a sharp left turn when he heard Syd's bubbly laughter. He took a tight right when he saw Cera racing to cut him off a few feet to the left. He jogged through the woods, taking a twisty, winding path for another ten minutes. Whenever he heard tinkling laugh, or saw Cera's shock of honey-colored hair, he'd back track and weave through the trees. When he was quite sure that he'd lost both of the teasing ladies, he slowed to a walked and started circling back to where he'd left Annie. At first, he heard a rustling branch every few minutes, then every few steps, then every time he moved a muscle.

Sam found himself in a fighting stance, his feet shoulder width apart, his knees bent, and his hands up and ready to protect his face. He scanned the surrounding trees, looking for signs of movement. He should have been looking up. Cera let out a playful cry, and dropped onto his shoulders. Sam jerked in surprise, causing both of them to topple onto the crunchy forest floor.  Cera laughed as she wrestled with Sam. Sam grunted as he tried to fend off Cera, but he was no match for the lithe assassin, who wriggled out of his grip every time he tried to wrap his arms or legs around her. She flipped him onto his stomach and wrapped herself around him. pulling his arm behind his back, Cera took the opportunity to nip at his hear. Sam froze, making Cera bellow with laughter. No matter what Sam tried, he couldn't manage to wiggle out from underneather her; Cera was always one step ahead of him. 

Sam realized Cera was just toying with him, and decided he'd do the same to her. Rocking his body hard to the left, he managed to get on top of her, and decided to do to her exactly what she'd done to him. Tugging her arm up behind her back, he nipped at her ear, and pressed his lips against her neck. She stilled, holding her breathe. Laughing, Sam rolled off of her and onto his back. A barking laugh caused Sam to jump up to his feet, sputtering things about how it's not what it looks like. Cera burst out laughing, calling Syd down from the trees.

"Well," Cera giggled. "We've had our fun. How about we get down to bussiness. Sam?"

He nodded. "Syd," he started. "We need your help."

"With what, exactly?" She asked, eyeing Sam and Cera suspiciously.

"Killing the Cold Assassin." Sam stated, wincing as he said it.

"Lianna the Cold? No. Absolutely no." Syd turned on her heel, grabbed a low branch on a tree and swug herself up into the branches, travelling through the mostly barren treetops back to the mountain.

"Syd!" Cera yelled, following suit.

"Cera!?" Sam called.

She stuck her hand out of a cluster of thick branches and pulled him up to her perch. "C'mon. If her help is the only way to get at Lianna, then we can't let her go."

Cera crouched, then launched herself onto the nearest tree. "Sam," she shouted back at him. "Get moving!"

"How in the king's name am I supposed to do that?" Sam growled, clinging desperately to the tree.

"How in the king's name did you become Captain?" Cera shot back.

Sam glared at her. "Flying through the trees is not included in standard training."

Cera sighed. "Fine, I'll talk you through it. Just hurry!"

Sam nodded. 

"Okay, you're going to need to let go of the tree, then shimmy as close to the end of the branch as you can get." she paused, giving Sam time to do as she instructed. "Perfect, now crouch low, like you're about to start sprinting. Okay, good. Now use the branch to push yourself off, reaching for the next tree. Be careful!" Cera had to scramble to steady Sam when he landed on her tree.

"Thank you." Sam huffed, breathless and flushed. "How many more trees."

Cera groaned. "Why don't you let me hunt he down, talk to her, then bring her back?" 

Sam glared at her. "Because you're an assassin, and assassins are sneaky and cunning."

Cera glared back. "Well you're a soldier, and soldiers are loud and incapable."

"I seem to remember saving your life on several occasion." Sam shot.

"And I seem to remember besting you on several occasions." Cere retorted.

Sam shook his head. "Fine," he grimaced. "But if you aren't back within the hour, I will hunt you down myself."

Cera nodded, and like a bolt of lightning, she was off.

Cera flew through the trees like a bird, graceful and 

Publication Date: 09-06-2015

All Rights Reserved

Dedication:
For Sydney; I love you, you jerk! For Grant, the greatest Man Babe/Male Best Friend a girl could ask for. For Hailey; I got your back Big Toe.