“I love you,” he whispered, with a lazy smile. He sat up and kissed me hard on the mouth. Our gazes stayed locked on one another as I rose from him. The sensation of his thick phallus sliding from my tightly stretched sex made my knees weak. “Are you all right?”
“Mhm,” I replied dreamily as he tucked himself back into his trousers and stood. I could feel his seed shift within me and slip from my well-used folds as he took off his torn shirt and draped it over my shoulders. We shared another soft kiss and left the gathered crowd, who stared at us dumbfounded.
He purred happily as we walked through camp to his tent. Once there I collapsed back on the bed and sighed. Everything felt so right, but at the same time, I had a vague feeling that Aneurin had done something he shouldn’t have. He started packing his saddlebags, placing my books in them, as well as various things from around the tent. He put a few parcels together of food and tucked a few skins of wine into them.
“I’ve been an idiot,” he started as he walked around the room.
“Why?” I asked as I watched him. Shirtless he was a sight to behold, like a statue carved of alabaster. Watching those muscles shift with every motion made me forget the almost painful ache between my thighs.
“When I was kneeling with you after we gave our oaths I realized that since I met you, I’ve been extraordinarily safe. Sheepish certainly and almost cowardly. But…” He sighed. “I suppose I should tell you. Before I didn’t think it was my part, but you need to know what could await us.” He leaned against the rough wood table. Scratching the back of his head he winced. “Ow! You did quite the number on me.” He chuckled and crossed his ankles. “When I was a boy, and I mean literally a boy…I think I was nine maybe…yes, I was nine, because Yorwrath was seventeen. He paused and looked at me for a few moments before taking a breath to continue. “Yorwrath was different then. He was happy and liked to show off, and he liked to teach me things. He was an amazing older brother… And then he turned seventeen. He was barely more than a boy himself, and he fell in love. He fell in love hard…dare I say like I love you.” He smiled at me, but that smile slowly fell. “She was a serving wench at a tavern in Eldersbrook. It’s…it was a tiny backwater with maybe twenty people living there. This was before the walls went up. This incident is why the walls went up.” He took a breath and made a little face. “She wasn’t very pretty or very smart, and she was older than Yorwrath by a good ten years, but I believe she loved him as well. He wasn’t smart enough to hide that she was more than just another Dy’ne. Word got out—rumors at first, inconsequential things. At first, it was Yorwrath was fucking the tavern wench. Then it was Yorwrath is going to claim the tavern wench and then it was Yorwrath is in love with her.” He sucked his lips and turned from me.
“Father found out when the rumors had become fact; Yorwrath and the human handfasted. He had taken me to be his only witness. Islwyn was my friend even then, and he was training to be a druid. He was about sixteen, close to the same age as Yorwrath I think. He performed the ceremony. They were bound for maybe a year when father found out and then he gathered his men. He was the head of the Redcaps at the time, so, needless to say, it didn’t go well. He brought me and Yorwrath to watch as they pillaged the city. It was freezing out, and the blood steamed when it hit the ground. All I knew about her was that she was nice and gave me a sweet bun when we visited her. As young as I was, I knew she didn’t deserve what they did to her. The worst part was father didn’t let us look away. While the town burned, they dragged her out of the inn. She had a baby in her arms, with barely pointed ears and eyes like my brother’s. They handed the child to my father. He took one look at him—it was a boy—and asked Yorwrath what the child’s name was. Yorwrath replied, ‘Caradawc,’ and my father said, ‘you shouldn’t have named it,’…and he tossed the child onto a burning brazier. I heard the child’s screams for years.
“Then my father ordered that a chair and some rope be brought over. They took the woman to the deserted town square, tied her to the chair as she cried and sobbed, and then, one after another, all forty-seven of my father’s men took turns on my brother’s wife. She fought them, though. She broke free many times, and they beat her horribly for it. I kept trying to look away, but my father slapped me when I did. He said we both needed to learn what Dy’ne truly were to us. He even took a turn on the poor girl. He was the last one, and when he finished he stabbed her in the stomach. He didn’t have the decency to give her a quick death. Father left after that and told his men to beat Yorwrath if he shed a tear for the whore…but in a far cruder way. We stood in the cold for hours watching her die as the city burned around us. Her last word was Yorwrath’s name, and he sobbed so loud. I’d never seen anyone shed tears that large before, and the others set on him like a pack of wild dogs. When they finished with him, he was a mass of blood, meat, and broken bones. He changed completely after that; he turned cruel and became a miniature version of our father. I’m pretty sure a portion of Yorwrath died that night and…perhaps part of me died as well.”
I blinked at him as I registered what he had told me. I found myself suddenly sober—too sober. I had heard about what happened at Eldersbrook from an old woman when I was a little girl. The incident took place more than sixty years ago. It was the first time the Redcaps burned a village for seemingly no reason, but certainly not the last.
“Umm, where are my clothes?” I managed to keep the panic and anger out of my voice, but I certainly felt it. I knew two things for certain as I ripped the lilacs out of my hair. One, Aneurin was being foolish, and two, I wanted to get the hell out of the forest. Aneurin gestured to a nearby chair. He was slow to move. Maybe he had the same thought I did upon deeper contemplation of what he had seen as a child. On my way to my clothes, I stopped, pulling him into a tight embrace from behind. He leaned his head back over my shoulder and let out a soft sigh.
“That will never happen to you if I have to gut Yorwrath myself to prevent it,” he declared with such surety in his voice, I almost believed him. He turned his head to the side and kissed my cheek. “Get dressed. Islwyn will be ready soon.” He patted my hand, and I released him.
Moments later Islwyn threw the tent flap open while I was pulling my trousers on. He had his saddlebags over his shoulder, and he looked like he was ready for riding. He wore the same heavy dark blue coat he’d worn that first night he came to my door. His pretty blond curls stuck to his forehead in damp clumps.
“You made it rain,” Islwyn said. I had expected him to say something snarky or to be annoying, but he hadn’t. “Have you given it to her yet?”
“No, I was going to wait until later. Thank you for ruining the surprise,” Aneurin groused, only sounding a bit like Yorwrath as he tied one of the saddlebags closed. I slipped the deep violet and green-black bodice on and tied it as I listened to them bicker.
“I’m sorry, forgive me for being excited for a change.”
“Why are you excited?” Aneurin looked up at his friend, cocking a brow skeptically as he pulled a shirt out of a chest.
“Because I want to hurry up and leave. Pwyll is being an extraordinary asshole and my tent is next to his.” As Islwyn spoke, I tucked my hood into my shirt and started pulling on my boots. “She needs a proper cloak.”
“See if the trader has something. She hasn’t left yet, has she?” Aneurin asked as he pulled on his jerkin and fastened the toggles.
“No, and she’s likely to give you a discount too. You should have heard her and the other Dragons. Needless to say, they’re pleased with your stance on things. Ffraid was quick to point out to the grumblers that in the old days, there were Swynwrs who had human brides…but someone also added that they only bred with an elven girl from a good clan…and then Ffraid stabbed them. She’s a ballsy old girl, that one. I suppose it’s to be expected though, since she is the chieftain of the Dragons.”
“Well, go then.” Aneurin rolled his eyes and Islwyn left. Once the blond had gone, Aneurin approached me from behind
and pulled my hair to the side. “And, since Islwyn spoiled the surprise…” He placed something around my neck that felt cool and heavy.
“What is it?”
“It’s a necklace, not a collar. It’s not made of crude leather. It’s made of oiled kidskin, and the stone is an amethyst that I fished out of a lake bed the day I left you a year ago. I met a mage from Vanotta once who wore one that was similar. She said her betrothed gave it to her.” He walked me to the small polished silver mirror and I gasped. The hunk of amethyst was bigger than the nail on my big toe, and it gleamed in the dim candlelight.
“It’s beautiful. Thank you, Aneurin.” I turned and kissed his lips softly. It didn’t look a thing like the slave collars the other humans wore. In reality, it was almost fit for a queen.
We left when Islwyn returned with the cloak for me, and we made it all the way to the horses without anyone noticing us… And then Pwyll stepped out from the trees. He had clearly been drinking, and his red bandanna was lopsided on top of his dark hair. He yelled at Aneurin and pointed his finger at me. Aneurin unsheathed his sword, ran him through, pulled out his sword, and cut off Pwyll’s head as he dropped to the ground. All of it happened in the space of seconds. He even spit on the dead elf’s decapitated body as he saddled his horse.
“Valentina,” Aneurin said, holding his hand out to me after he mounted. I barely registered what he said. I was focused on the dead elf bleeding on the forest floor. “Valentina!” He repeated my name, and I blinked, shaking my head. Oh fuck, what have I gotten myself into? Doubt plagued me as he pulled me into the saddle in front of him. Pwyll’s headless corpse was still twitching when we rode off away from camp as the music and festivities carried on without us in the soft misting rain.
Chapter Nine
We rode all night in silence. The sun was cresting by the time I was completely sober. We were in the middle of farmland; wheat rustled in the slight breeze. The rising sun illuminated the golden crop. It seemed almost too perfect, like something out of a dream. I glanced up over my shoulder at Aneurin. He seemed so focused as he urged Ys on at a fast canter. Islwyn kept time with us on a dapple of the same stately breed. A chill had set in, making my body feel stiff and achy from the night of riding and the sex. Oh, the sex.
“Where are we?” I asked as I looked around, trying to spy some familiar landmark. All I saw was smoke on the horizon. Part of me was shocked by how apathetic I was about the plight of Heves, and then I remembered the apothecary’s shop—not to mention that they were going to burn me as well.
“Four hours west of Heves,” Aneurin answered, glancing down at me for a moment before flashing me a smile.
“How much longer?”
Islwyn laughed at my question from his horse, and I shot him a glare. His gaze locked onto mine as he stared back. I narrowed my eyes, and he looked away. Aneurin nuzzled his chin against the top of my head, oblivious to what had transpired.
“There’s an inn near here that’s kind to elves. The innkeeper’s son married your friend’s daughter a few months ago.”
“Rhosyn’s just a girl.” My brows knit as I remembered that I had been married off without my consent at a similar age. “Tell me, was this marriage consensual at least?”
“I don’t know. I think your friend made the arrangements as most fathers do for their daughters.” He shrugged.
“Would you for yours?”
“Do you mean for ours?” he whispered into my ear. Son of a bitch. I turned and glared at him, with unfriendly eyes. Oh, I caught that. Ours. Our children, in answer to my question, which meant he would have others.
“Stop the horse.”
“We’re in the middle of nowhere.”
“Calm your Dy’ne, Aneurin,” Islwyn called from the safety of his saddle.
“Stop the fucking horse now!” I elbowed him hard, and he grunted as he tugged on the reins. Once Ys had stopped, I slid off its back and took one step, and my legs gave. Riding had taken more out of me than I’d noticed. I stayed on the ground and didn’t try to get up. I did, however, roll over onto my back.
“We’ll meet you at the inn. Go, I’ll be fine,” Aneurin called to Islwyn as he dismounted with a sigh. Islwyn nodded and continued on. Once Islwyn was a good distance away, Aneurin sat in the grass beside me, leaning his head against my shoulder. “What troubles my heart?”
“Our children. Implying that others will give you children in spite of that vow you spoke to me. One day…I shouldn’t have been s—”
Aneurin cut me off with a soft laugh. “You’re worrying over nothing. I meant what I said. I want only you to bear my children. You shouldn’t be so paranoid.” He yawned and nuzzled against me. “Our children will be happy and beautiful if they’re anything at all like you.” He crawled over me, slipping between my aching thighs.
“What will stop our children from ending up like Yorwrath’s son?”
“Yorwrath was afraid of our father…with good reason. I’m not that afraid of anyone anymore.”
“Not even Yorwrath.”
“If it is between your welfare or crossing him… If I have to wipe out my entire race for us to be safe and together, I will. This is where I belong.” He lowered his forehead to mine. “Here with you. Plow all others to dust.” He drew a slow breath, savoring my scent before he moved to kneel back between my legs. “Have I assuaged your needless worry? Because I would very much like to sleep in a nice soft feather bed tonight. Though this field would suffice as long as you were beside me.”
“I think I’m just sick of riding. I haven’t done this much since I was a little girl and we came from Vanotti.”
“We’re almost at the inn.” He held his hands out to me. I took them, and he pulled me up. My body felt boneless and heavy with sleep. I teetered a bit, and he caught me, pulling me close to him with an arm about my waist. “Tell me about Vanotti. What was it like living in a place with towers so high they block out the scorching sun?”
“I was a child when we left. All I remember is the summer warmth. I remember my skin feeling hot and tight as I lay in it and how it felt like a lover’s embrace.”
“Now you have me jealous of the sun,” he whispered as he wrapped his arms tighter around me and stood, taking me with him. He carried me to the horse and set me atop the saddle.
“You would have hated me as a child. I’d have put a frog on your head and made you eat mud. I was awful.”
“When you were a child I was… How old are you?”
“Old enough,” I grinned lazily at him. Fatigue had slowly started to worm its way into my joints. He mounted the horse and steadied me once again. There was something about the touch that was amazingly simple and intimate.
“If you say so.” He kissed my cheek and heeled Ys back on. “Here, we’re going to catch up to Islwyn. Rise up a little.” I squeezed the horse with my knees and lifted myself off the saddle. Aneurin slipped his hips under mine and pulled me tighter against him. “Have you ever ridden hard before?”
“What sort of question is that? Have I ridden hard?” I scoffed and leaned over the horse’s neck.
“Well, all right.” I could hear the smirk in his voice as his body loomed over me and his hips lifted mine. I squealed as he heeled Ys’s flanks and the horse took off like a streak of white lightning across the fields. The sensation of the wind fluttering my hair out over our shoulders was amazing. My long inky tresses caught the wind, rippling like a sail as our bodies moved as one.
The smile on my lips was smug as the inn—and beside it, the massive gnarled tree with its fingerlike branches reaching for the sky—came into view. I could see figures walking around the base of the tree. Aneurin yanked hard on the reins. Ys squealed and reared up. Aneurin balanced both of us expertly as the massive white stallion lowered itself. In silence, he unsheathed his sword and jumped off the back of the horse.
“Take Ys back the way we came and wait at the crossroads. This shouldn’t take more than an hour.” Aneurin’s voice took on a h
ard quality as he said those words.
“Wha—” And then I saw it. Swaying from the limbs of that massive leafless tree were bodies that I could barely make out as they still twitched. They clearly haven’t hung someone from a tree before. “All right.”
“I-if I’m not back in an hour, just”—he furrowed his brows and nodded a little—“know that I love you.” Wait, what? He didn’t give me time to react. He smacked Ys’s hindquarters, and the horse bolted. I had no choice but to turn the massive white stallion in the opposite direction or risk riding right into whatever Aneurin was trying to keep me safe from. By the time I had Ys turned around, Aneurin was already at the tree with its limbs filled with twitching, dying people.
The sound of steel ringing against steel drifted faintly on the air, but I couldn’t sit still. I wasn’t the sort of woman to sit back and let someone save me. Oh, I was far too stubborn for that, and deep down I was still a healer. I couldn’t let those still-twitching people die if there was a chance I could save them.
Yanking hard on Ys’s black reins, I pulled him to a stop and dismounted. He snuffed at me in protest, but I grumbled under my breath as I dug through the saddlebags for my dagger. I slipped it into my belt and pulled up my hood, tucking my hair away. From firsthand experience I knew it took the better part of an hour to kill someone from a botched hanging. The first execution I ever saw was a thief with a strong neck. He was up on the scaffold struggling for an hour before a guard had the decency to yank on him and break his neck. It was a horrible way to die, and I refused to let whoever was on the tree die in that same way.
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