“Don’t be silly. First you must show us what treasures you bring from the sea. I vow I am beyond curious to see what you have done.”
Panic shot through her gut at the idea that this man would see her painting. It was for Daniel alone. She pulled away as quickly as possible, trying to unhook herself, but Lerwick had large hands that gripped her tight. She could not escape, though she dropped all but her painting as she readied herself to run.
“Unhand her now,” Daniel said, his voice a low growl of threat.
“I’m not hurting her,” Lerwick said, but the last word ended on a piggy squeak as Daniel grabbed the man’s wrist and pinched.
Li-Na had not seen Daniel do such a thing before. He was barely larger than the boar, but a tiger’s claws obviously bit deep. Lerwick immediately let go while Daniel steadily twisted the man’s arm down.
“Leave off!” the boar cried. “Ow! I wasn’t hurting her!”
Daniel let go, but he stayed directly between her and Lerwick. “Li-Na, please go back to the castle,” he said in a low voice. “Bar the door. I’ll see this gentleman back to t—”
“Aha!” the man cried. Li-Na had been looking at Daniel. She had been watching his eyes and seeing the safety he offered. In her inattention, Lerwick grabbed her paper canvas from her hand. How had she allowed that? How had she forgotten to protect her thoughts?
He stepped back from her, his delight obvious as he unfurled her painting and held it up to see. She had thought the moonlight would be too little to see her work well, but instead, it lent a silvery glow to the ink that was wholly appropriate to the scene.
She’d painted a tiger in the jungle, tall and proud. His gaze was on a distant threat as his lips curved and his body tensed to defend what was his. Meanwhile, above him was a monkey stealing a mango fruit. The tiger didn’t bother to defend his bounty. The tree held a great deal of fruit, and why would tiger Daniel worry about losing one out of so many? He ignored the monkey and protected his domain as only a wise tiger could.
Looking at Lerwick now, she should have drawn the outline of a boar as the threat. A wild pig could cause a great deal of damage to the mango tree, the monkey, and everything else in that domain. Naturally, Lerwick didn’t understand any of her thoughts. And she couldn’t guess what Daniel’s thoughts were because all she saw was fury.
“Interesting,” Lerwick said as he tilted the painting to the moonlight. “Yes, yes, very interesting.”
“You have exhausted my patience,” Daniel said as he held out his hand. He couldn’t fight for the painting. The paper was too easily torn. He held out his hand and used the force of his voice to get obedience.
“I could sell this to Prinny,” Lerwick continued. “He’s mad for Chinoiserie right now. I’ll tell him he’s the tiger, the monkey is whomever he’s angry at trying to steal his fortune.” He grinned at Li-Na. “I’ll make you an intimate of the Prince Regent himself!”
Li-Na shrank back, horrified by the thought. “No, thank you,” she said firmly. “I have everything I need here.”
He didn’t wait for her to finish speaking. “You’ll have to make the phallus larger,” he said pointing to the creature’s organ, and her cheeks burned that she had even included such a thing. But tigers had organs, and she would not have drawn Daniel without one.
“No.” She invested enough anger in the one word that he could not fail to hear her determination.
His brows rose in response, then he immediately turned to Daniel. “You sneaky bastard,” he said, his voice thickening. “Is she your mistress?” He looked to Li-Na. “Whatever he’s paying you, I’ll double it.”
“No.”
Then his gaze cut to Daniel. “A monkey for one night. We’ll share—”
His word was cut off as Daniel punched him straight across the jaw. One blow and the man’s head snapped back. He fell as all boars did, with a lumbering step, and a sideways drop, heavy as stone. Far from worrying about the man’s head, Daniel’s quick hands went to protect the painting. He pulled it from Lerwick’s grip as the bastard dropped to the dirt.
It happened so fast. Li-Na barely had time for a breath before the man was on the ground unconscious. Then Daniel held the painting carefully in one hand. He extended it to her as he picked up her supply box. She took the paper gently, then watched in shock as he lifted his arm to her.
“Please, let me escort you away from here. I find the air has turned foul.”
She blinked and looked down at the unconscious Lerwick. “Is he dead?”
“He breathes.”
“Are we leaving him here?”
“He’ll wake in a few hours and have to get himself back to the inn. The castle is barred to him. I assure you, you’re perfectly safe.”
She set her hand on his arm, feeling the strength of it beneath her fingertips. Then she took a step, more because he urged her forward than because she had the will on her own. And only then did she realize just how frightened she’d been.
The Lyon’s Den was filled with men like Lerwick. Li-Na knew their lascivious wants and knew how far they would go to have them whether or not the women were willing. It was why Mrs. Dove-Lyon employed so many men to protect her girls. But even they—hardened military men—had been hurt in brawls with determined customers.
She had only Daniel to protect her, and he had downed the wild boar in one blow.