by Alice Wade
Ryan’s face pinched in a pained expression. “Of course I don’t want the Order descending on my kingdom, but I can’t let Irfan take her back. If I have to endure their scrutiny, then I’ll do so.”
Wallace gaped at his friend. “They will discover how strong you really are. Hell, you’re stronger than their highest ranking mage who is trained. They will try to use that for their own purposes, Ryan.”
“Maybe, and maybe not. I’ve hidden my power from them until now, and you forget that I was trained there, under their very noses.” Ryan shrugged. “I’ll be fine.” Ryan’s attention was distracted when he caught movement inside. He watched Tillian get dressed in a nightgown and felt a moment of regret that her perfect body was hidden behind a veil of cloth. Edda still talked to her and whatever she said appeared to upset Tillian again. As Ryan seethed, Tillian rallied and pulled herself together quickly though.
Behind him, Ryan heard Wallace shift positions. He knew his friend was concerned and knew Ryan ignored it because he was fixated on Tillian. He knew Wallace would only keep pushing him until he talked. The man was persistent when he had something to say. With resignation he turned back, knowing it was best to just finish this now. Tillian was comfortable and not in any form of distress, so he gave Wallace his attention. “I won’t do anything overly stupid, I never do, but I can’t send her back there. Not until I understand what happened to her, don’t you understand that? I could be sending her back to the very people who brought her harm in the first place.”
There it was— the hunt. Now if Ryan would only admit he was in love and that was his driving force. “Aye Ryan. I understand perfectly well.” He cocked his head to the side and then added, “Is she worth it?”
Ryan’s shoulders slumped when he looked back inside. “Yes, she is. I can’t say how I know this, but I do.”
“Mmm, should I consult my wife for that answer?” Wallace said, in jest to lighten the mood.
Ryan chuckled. “It’s not love at first sight, Wallace.” However the light that shone in his eyes gave away his feelings on the matter. “Yet I’m drawn to her.”
“Well, I’ve never seen you like this, as I’ve said before. I place my wager on my wife’s point of view. Just tread carefully, Ryan. Princess Tillian’s been through a lot and pushing her at the moment won’t do either of you any favors. Just go slowly and don’t do anything stupid like start a war. I really don’t want to deal with a bunch of mages in Yorath. Although, it would feel good to kill a few of Irfan’s men. On second thought, maybe a little war would be nice.” He chuckled.
That got Ryan laughing. “Regarding your caution, I’ll try on both fronts, my friend.”
Edda walked out and stood with authority in the doorway. She waited until she held Ryan’s attention before she spoke. “I gave her some medicine to help her rest. She’ll sleep for most of the night. If that is all, we’ll be heading back to the village now.”
“Wait.” He held her with a word and the matron healer turned back. “That is all you have to report?” Ryan really didn’t want to hear the total damage or the detailed account of her injuries, but he still asked. He had to know and each wound would be added to the long list of punishments he’d inflict for this injustice. Selfishly, he knew he’d be doing his own assessment once Tillian was asleep, but he wanted to know what the healer saw.
“She was roughly used, Sir. It was very brutal. Her body is healing and I’ve given her a salve that will ease the soreness she may have. I’ve also completed a minor healing.” Edda paused suddenly. She debated on telling him the next observation. Seeing King Ryan standing there with his arms crossed and the concern burning in his eyes, she knew he’d be furious if she didn’t provide a full disclosure. Luckily, he was honorable and wouldn’t misuse this information. “There is one more thing. She’s also been heavily drugged with a sexual stimulant and it will take time to wear off.”
Ryan felt his control falter when he heard this confirmation of what he already suspected. “Drugged?” The question was asked so coldly and calmly that Wallace flinched when he heard the tone.
“Aye,” Edda answered.
“What drug? Will it harm her?” he asked in the same cold, flat tone.
Edda raised an eyebrow at the dangerous timbre of his questions, still opting to trust her liege and answer him honestly. “First, I don’t recognize the drug. It must be something from Tillian’s own lands for me not to sense what it is, especially with my magical training. Second, yes, depending on the amount they gave her, she could be feeling the effects through the night and potentially longer. That was why I gave her a sedative to help her sleep it off. Lastly, I don’t feel there will be any long lasting harm brought on from her having it in her system. Only the shame she currently feels from being out of control of her own body.” Edda faced him and waited for more questions, but when he remained dangerously silent, she added, “Is that all, my liege?”
“Yes, that will be all,” Ryan answered. He was fighting his itch to return to Tillian, but instead forced his feet to remain firmly in place where he stood waiting for Edda to depart. She didn’t. She stood facing him as if she had something else to say.
With a curious tilt of her head, the healer looked at Ryan. “Sir, may I speak freely?” Edda could tell he had a tenuous hold on his magic, but she felt the responsibility to say something anyway. She ignored Wallace’s raised eyebrow that he flashed in warning.
Ryan nodded. “Of course, Edda. You know you can always speak to me, now is no different.”
“She is emotionally attached to you, Sir, so please tread carefully. I don’t want to know what they did to her, but she is trying very hard to be brave and hide the facts. More importantly, the effect it has had on her.” Edda took a deep breath. “What she really needs to do is let go and fall apart. She needs to face this ordeal emotionally in order to move past it and you will have to help her, my king. You will have to be the one to guide her through the pain, so please tread carefully. She is very vulnerable at the moment.”
“What is it going to take, Edda? Do I need to do anything now?” Ryan’s tone changed from calculated to empathetic the moment Edda called him to action. Ryan now had something to do and he was ready to fulfill that demand.
“Just watch over her. Stay near and it will mentally ease her mind.” Edda moved as if she was going to walk down the steps, but paused. “One last thing. If I might add, you seem to be very attached to her as well, Sir. Don’t do anything rash because of it. Be careful to make decisions based on logic, not emotion. I can see your love brewing and love makes us do stupid things.”
Wallace snorted and then barked a laugh that he could no longer contain. “You are wise, Edda!” Wallace choked out. “I just gave him that same lecture! You should come to the palace and counsel him at my side!”
Edda’s face contorted in revulsion. “No, thank you, Captain. I’m more suited for country bumpkins than I am for your court environment. If you ever find you need help getting through his stubborn head, I’m just a message away,” she jested. Next she pinned Ryan with her motherly eyes. “If you need me, send for me, Sir. I’ll come. I don’t think you’ll need me though,” and she winked. “Love has a way of healing all things, so just let it develop.”
Ryan groaned and used his strong hands to cover his face in mock annoyance. “Argh, this is not love at first sight! Will both of you stop with this nonsense?”
Edda laughed and winked at Wallace. “Whatever you say, Sir.”
“You two seem to be filled with the same wisdom at the moment, so I think we are finished with this conversation?” He looked between the two with an aggrieved expression. “Since I’ve now received this same advice twice?” he added.
When Edda nodded, Ryan approached and touched her shoulder. “Thank you for coming here. I was afraid to use my own healing skills and push Tillian too far with her prejudice of magic, not knowing where she was from. My fears were confirmed when I learned she was from Folkyn. Your more su
btle healer skills are what she needed, not more terror. I’ll see what I can do once she is asleep and, therefore, won’t feel or see the healing.” He sighed, because he dreaded what he’d find broken and how was he going to deal with the searing anger as a result.
Edda searched his face and smiled a sad smile. “It’s not as bad as you think my liege. She is stronger than she appears.”
Hearing that didn’t stop his imagination from running wild and Ryan returned her kindness with a half smile of his own. “You were compensated?” He looked at Wallace who nodded. “Excellent. I’ll have a guard escort you and Girdie back to the village now.” While he spoke he signaled a younger guard who approached the small cabin.
“Bennett here will take you home.” Ryan didn’t even wait to hear whether the healers said good-night or not, for he already moved towards the front door. By the time they could draw a breath, he was inside and had the door firmly shut behind him.
Chapter Two
Ryan leaned against the door and slowly surveyed the darkened room. Tillian barely registered his arrival, being half asleep and burrowed beneath the covers. He could clearly see her pleasure at sleeping in a warm safe place and tried to envision what she’d been sleeping on if something so basic gave her this much joy.
The light in the room faded because the fire had died down. Ryan moved there, and fed it some logs before he determined what he was going to do. The creaky floor boards announced his presence, forcing his steps to be softer. His intention wasn’t to stomp around waking her up, so he slowed down and silently squatted before the fire. He needed her to be fully asleep before he tried any form of healing and it was only a matter of time. When he completed what he set out to do, he turned towards the bed surprised to find Tillian watching him with heavily lidded eyes.
His heart thudded a few times heavily in his chest at the sight of her. Unable to do more than stare at her like an imbecile, he continued to hold her gaze before shaking his head in amazement at how unbalanced this woman made him. Finally releasing a sigh, he asked, “Are you thirsty?” He couldn’t deny the flutter of nerves in his stomach at seeing her awake and watching him so intently.
“Yes, thank you.” Tillian said, sitting up. She tucked the blankets around her before she accepted the mug he handed her. After she drank the water, she snuggled back into the warm mattress. “I appreciate you bringing the healers. That was very considerate of you.” Tillian said with a voice thick with exhaustion. She fought the sleep aid Edda gave her. She hated being this powerless against her own body but this time she didn’t mind giving up. Making the situation even more acceptable was the fact Ryan had returned.
He just watched her. His fingers twitched to reach out and caress her cheek, but he resisted. “I would have done that for anyone, but Tillian, you are not anyone. You are a Princess. If we were closer to the palace, I would have taken you there first. Edda is the next best thing to the palace healers, so it was the least I could do.”
He lost the battle and his strong fingers traced her cheek and eventually cupped her face. That little contact sent fingers of arousal that tickled her body, causing her to react. He saw that flash through her eyes and sighed. Now was not the time. “You look exhausted, Tillian. Sleep.” Ryan squatted inches from her face and now that she was clean he could smell her natural earthly scent. She smelled of the desert and of sand and of wild cactus flowers. She smelled divine. Sighing to himself because he knew he was lost to her charm, he started to move away before he did anything that crossed a line when her hand reached out to stop him.
“You won’t leave, will you?” Tillian’s eyes swirled with a mixture of desire and anxiety while she waited for him to reply.
He could easily see the signs of whatever drug she’d been given now he was looking for the symptoms.
“I won’t go anywhere. I don’t think I could even if I wanted to. You have bewitched me, I must confess, so I’ll stay right here while you rest.” Ryan returned his hand to her face and reveled in the feel of her skin against his palm. Equally, he enjoyed the desire blooming in her eyes the longer his hand remained.
Tillian closed her eyes at his touch as pressed her cheek into his palm. “Good.”
He felt her heart racing from that little contact and knew he probably added to her induced discomfort. He was about to move his hand away when her eyes flew open. The reaction halted his movement.
With an intensity Tillian didn’t know how to interpret, a gripping panic seared through her mind that Ryan was going leave her side. She realized in that split second that it was because of the drugs; that Ryan helped ease the pain of the effects, and Tillian didn’t want him to leave. It was dishonorable of her but she couldn’t handle him in this same room and not in this bed. “Don’t leave,” she desperately whispered. She saw the confusion appear in his eyes, but she still felt the gripping panic and begged again, “Please, don’t go.”
“I’m only going to the other side of this tiny cabin.” He wasn’t sure how to interpret her reaction. He wanted nothing more than to stay right where he was, but doing so would have qualified for what Wallace would have accused–of pushing too hard.
“No, please don’t leave right here. Your touch eases my pain and it feels nice. I know this is a little improper, especially for both of us, but will you lie with me instead?” She was already ruined, so what was the harm in asking?
Ryan, even being a stranger to her, eased the effects of the drugs dramatically. When he wasn’t touching her the discomfort returned. There was something about him that made it all go away; therefore, Tillian wanted him to stay. On the other hand, he also inflamed her desire to be set free and feel a mind shattering release that she knew would come if he would only seduce her.
Ryan audibly groaned. “Tillian, I’m not so sure this is a good idea. I’m a man after all and you are the most incredible woman I have ever met. I don’t trust myself not to betray your trust,” Ryan said honestly. He wanted this as much as she did, but he needed to be the rational one at the moment. Declining her request was the honorable thing to do.
She smiled. “You are just being a gentleman. I understand, but right now I’m more interested in stopping my pain. Your touch seems to do that, so I’ll gladly accept the risks of you lying by my side while I sleep,” Tillian countered, followed by a large yawn as the sleep aid took hold. To prove her point, the rickety bed groaned when she slide over and made room for his larger frame.
Ryan was powerless to resist her request. Within moments, he had his boots off and slid under the blankets. He wasted no time collecting her to his chest where she settled her head resting on his heart.
Tillian sighed in contentment. “Thank you, this is much better,” she whispered. Her tiny arm snaked around his waist and held him tight. She heard him smother another groan when her hand move across his abdomen, caressing his firm muscles that twitched in response.
While he held her this close, he chanced a little examination of his own, so reached out with his magic and gently scanned her body. He felt a simmering fury at what he found, but mostly focused on the drug that sailed through her veins and held her body captive to the effects.
That drug he’d have to just let run its course without a major healing and that was out of the question considering it usually required a tremendous amount of effort to burn anything from the blood. The recipients typically felt the effects of that healing for days, so he accepted he’d just have to be patient. The rest was mostly bruising and the internal injuries present were not severe. With confidence, he knew he could heal those with little effort and without much notice.
Tillian wasn’t allowing herself to succumb to the pull of the medicine and fought sleep. She wanted to stay right here with Ryan. He looked down at her and found her eyes open and then carefully brushed strands of her hair away from her face and tucked them behind her ear. “You feeling better?”
“Hmm. Yes,” she mumbled against his chest.
“Tillian, I’m normally
not this forward with women, but you are affecting me in ways that I’m not familiar with. You’re quite charming, my dear,” Ryan said softly. His fingers continued to stroke her cheek while he spoke. Just touching her felt right and he didn’t want to stop. They lay like that for while until he spoke. “Tillian?”
Her voice was slurred. “Mmm. Yes?”
“You really need to sleep. Let go,” he said with a tenderness that surprised even him.
“You’ll leave if I do.”
“No, I won’t. Sleep. I promise to stay right here,” Ryan added quickly because he wanted her asleep in order to perform his own healing. It was destroying him to have to wait, but he refused to traumatize her any more than she already was. He could be patient.
“I’ll hold you to that promise, Ryan,” Tillian said just as a wracking yawn split her face. She really couldn’t fight the medicine any longer. Once she let go and didn’t resist, Tillian fell under the pull within moments.
He knew she was truly out when her weight draped over his chest in a comforting position.
The only sound in the room was her even breathing, slow and steady. Ryan had never felt this content, this complete as he did right now. She was sprawled on his tall frame and molded her body to his—perfectly.
The front door opened a crack and Wallace stepped in to retrieve something. “Sorry,” he whispered. “I waited until she fell asleep,” he said, but his eyes delivered the accusation that his lips didn’t voice. He paused to eye the couple before digging in his bag, pulling out a smaller satchel and moved towards the door.
Ryan rolled his eyes and tried not to look guilty. “It’s not what it looks like, Wallace.”
“I didn’t say anything, ” Wallace said even though he smothered his smile. He knew damn well what it looked like. In a hushed voice he leaned towards the bed and added, “It sure looks like you’re in bed with the Princess and she’s asleep on your chest. Am I mistaken?”