"It's alright," she told him. "Whatever Rela told you, I wanted it too."
Luther sighed and sat down on the floor in front of her. "You know nothing, girl. But what's done is done." He stared into the fire with a mournful expression, and when he glanced at Kara, she felt that he was looking at his own death.
A strong hand shook Kara awake. "Get up," Luther said. "Someone's here."
Kara rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and put her feet on the floor. Vivid dreams haunted her mind for a few moments, then she remembered where she was. Luther's cottage. He stood by the door, looking out, his face solemn.
She slipped her dress over her head, the fabric rough without her shift, then joined him. Down the hill, two horses moved across the clearing, heading straight for them. Mykal rode one and led the other.
"You know him?" Luther asked.
"My betrothed," she said.
Luther backed up into the cottage, where Mykal couldn't see. "Go to him, girl, and leave me be. But first, a word of advice. Heed me well, will you?"
The intensity in his voice caught her attention, and she nodded.
"Take the child and get as far from here as you can. Best the babe never knows of Krall, or of me. Pretend it's his. It's worth the lie."
Kara swallowed and nodded her head. Mykal had his secret, and now she had hers. Just as Rela wanted it.
Luther nodded as though satisfied, then pushed her through the door and closed it behind her.
Mykal grinned at her as she hurried out to meet him, and she smiled in return. She could see the guilt in his eyes; she hoped she hid her own better.
"Who lives here?" Mykal asked.
Kara shrugged. "I don't know. Rela told me to take shelter here. It was the least she could do after banishing me." The lie came too easily. Not wanting him to dwell on it, she mounted the other horse. "You're out of the stockade. Did she release you?"
Mykal's grin faded, and he swallowed. "She came to me in the night," he said. "She asked if I wanted you, and I said yes. She made me promise to gather all I could and leave the village today." He stroked his dappled gelding's neck, avoiding her gaze.
Kara waited, but he said no more. He hadn't lied to her, only omitted a truth she already knew. It was enough. She resolved to keep her baby from him.
"The Wise Woman has the whole village convinced that lustful youths are to blame for all their woes. At her guidance, the Elders have decreed that all women must remain virgins until marriage. It's to be exile for any who fail."
Kara frowned, pondering Rela's schemes, and the strange woodsman who became a beast in the night. Why did the Wise Woman want so desperately for her to bear his child?
You and yours, for generations to come, she had promised Luther. Perhaps Kara couldn't bear the secret forever. Her unborn son would need to know the truth, so that he could find Luther and learn the truth. If Rela tried to snare him in her web, she would see to it that he was prepared.
Mykal interrupted her thoughts. "I told your parents what really happened. They were steamed, but they gave me some coin to keep us fed for a while. I brought my pa's cart, and Hirom gave me his extra anvil and some other supplies. We can't go back to Krall, but perhaps I can do some smithing work in the lowlands. It's not much, but it's a start at a new life. Will you come with me, Kara?"
She leaned across her saddle and kissed him on the cheek. "Of course. And tonight, we'll find an inn. One room, for husband and wife. And we'll make love until dawn."
Mykal's eyes widened in shock, but happiness spread across his face as his grin returned. It would have to do; she couldn't wait until spring to bed him. He needed to believe the baby was his own. The truth could wait. It could wait a long time.
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About the author:
Fannie Tucker is a horny woman of indeterminate age who likes driving too fast, cussing too loud, and writing stories that would make her grandmother keel over dead.
She first discovered her talent for writing naughty stories while passing dirty notes to her boyfriend during English 201. When her professor confiscated one of the notes, he kept her after class and recommended a new and interesting line of work, and she never looked back. She lives in California with her husband and a Dachshund who rules them both.
The author of over sixty works of erotic fiction ranging from the kinky to the downright weird. If you enjoyed this story, check her out online!
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This is a work of fiction. Names, places, businesses, characters, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, actual events or locales is purely coincidental.
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