*****
Krista stared out into the darkness of the night. Her breathing was back to normal, but her heart was still doing somersaults within her chest. What had she been thinking? Why had she kissed him back like that?
She didn’t look far inside herself for the answer, afraid of what it might be. It was entirely his fault anyway! If he hadn’t been so gentle and undemanding with his kiss, she wouldn’t have responded like she had.
So what if she was attracted to him, after all that was only natural. He was, she had to admit, one of the most captivating men she had ever met. She had seen many men who may have been more handsome by societal standards, but Roric was all man with nothing left to question, which she found to be more attractive than just another pretty face with a buff body.
Her face flushed again at the admission of her attraction to him. Not only was he a strong force of nature, but he could also be gentle and kind. He was unlike any man she had ever known before, except for Sebastian. Any other man, after the invitation she had given, followed by being slapped by a slave, would have beaten her and likely raped her on the spot. But he hadn’t.
It wasn’t the first time he had stopped himself from accomplishing his desires either. What was maybe the most alarming thing about him was how he treated her, as if she was something of great value. He acted like he cared for more than just what her body had to offer him. He wanted something more from her. He wanted her heart too.
She shivered reflexively at the truth that she had just stumbled upon. If she let him have her heart, any chance she had at freedom would be gone for good. She would be a slave forever. She stared bitterly out into the night sky. Why did everything have to be so complex? Was this the safe future Sansa had promised her?
She would no doubt be the safest she had ever been in her life, when she lay within his arms. She remembered the fight in the arena and what had happened afterward and shivered. Never had she seen such skilled fighting and raw ability as Roric had exhibited. He was perhaps the greatest warrior in the whole world, but as strong as he was she had to admit his greatest strength was his humbleness and belief in his Creator. His faith was his real strength, just as it had been for Sebastian and Sansa.
She no longer doubted if there was a God or not and she especially did not doubt whether or not He cared about people. The Creator loved Roric, that she was sure of. But did the Creator love her? If He did, then why was she still a slave?
The chill of the night closed in on her. Was this the future Sansa had spoken of? Was she supposed to surrender her heart and dreams to the big scarred warrior, who inflamed her with passion? Was that what the Creator wanted from her before He would do anything to help her? She looked back at Roric, who was staring into the flames of the fire, and thought of the security and, yes, even happiness that his arms could offer her.
Should she continue to hold out for the freedom she had craved ever since she had learned what it meant to be a slave? To be able to do as she pleased, to go where she wanted, when she wanted to and be whatever she wanted to be without anyone saying otherwise. Pick her own mate and have children; that would be as free as she wanted to be.
That’s exactly what she wanted and that realization made up her mind as to what she would do, but it wasn’t as easy a decision as she would have thought it would have been.
“Krista.”
She turned towards the fire and the man beside it.
“You need to come get warm and get some sleep.”
She came back to the fire, wondering what he would do next. He rose and came over to cover her shoulders with a blanket.
“Get some rest while I keep watch. In a couple of hours I’ll wake you and you can stand watch the rest of the night while I get some rest. That sound okay to you?”
Krista nodded. She lay down next to the fire and stared at it for a while.
"Roric?”
“Yes?”
“I’m sorry I slapped you. That wasn’t right of me.”
“I forgive you.”
A Warrior's Redemption Page 51