by Linda Mooney
Echo didn’t respond, but the girl’s downcast expression confirmed it.
There were many questions Atty wanted to ask the waif, but they would have to wait. The child needed something to eat. “Berta! Berta, sorry to wake you in the middle of the night, but Echo could use a bowl of your apple porridge.”
The housekeeper smiled as she wiped her hands on her apron. “It’s not a problem, Atty. I’ll be bringing out some warm mulled wine, too,” she promised and disappeared back inside the kitchen.
“Let me have a look at Mattox.”
MaGrath’s request reminded her that she still held her son within the warm confines of her jacket. Opening it, she gently peeled the sleepy child from her. A cursory check of the wound in the side of his neck showed it was already starting to heal over, but the doctor insisted on treating it anyway. “We don’t know what type of germs were on that Blood’s knife,” the doctor insisted.
Mattox easily transferred into his father’s arms, enabling MaGrath to care for the cut. Atty collapsed on the bench as more people joined them. Seeing Batuset wearily plodding into the room, she got up and went over to embrace him. The big man hugged her back. She sensed relief in the Battle Lord. Relief and finality. The man had sought justice, and by putting Mink to death, he’d found his closure. He could now go on with his life, although she doubted he’d ever get over Dardin Tabb’s murder.
The main doors opened, and a wave of Mutah marched into the dining room. Among them were Dr. Thrasher and Twoson Pike. Everyone exchanged hugs, handshakes, and pats on the back in greeting.
“Okay, Twoson. Explain to us just what happened out there.” Paxton took a seat next to Atty and reached for one of the mugs as Berta made her way around the room, distributing drinks. A few feet away, Echo frantically spooned the warm porridge into her mouth as if she hadn’t eaten in quite some time.
“It’s simple,” Twoson replied. “We needed to purge the Bloods from the Mutah compounds. After Atty left to follow Yulen, we had a meeting and decided we couldn’t sit on our asses any longer. You stick your necks out for us every day. It was time we stood behind you.”
“How did you know to come to Alta Novis?” Mastin asked. Paas sat behind him, her arms wrapped around her husband.
The Mutah snorted. “Where else would you end up? Along the way, we stopped at every compound. They let us in, thinking we didn’t know any better. It didn’t take us long to sense out every Blood hiding within and dispatch them. Once we explained to the council members what was going on, more and more hunters volunteered to join us.”
Yulen smiled as Mattox drifted off to sleep in his father’s lap. “We’re very grateful for what you and the others have done. If your troops hadn’t been there, Mink would have been able to escape into the forest, and taken my son with her. Berta?”
The housekeeper paused on her way back to the kitchen. “If you’re asking about taking care of all those men, we have. All three hundred and eighteen of them. The barracks are full, and people are opening their homes up to take the rest of them in until they decide to head back to their home compounds. Don’t worry, sir. We’re making sure they’re all being given food and shelter.”
“Thank you, Berta. Remind me to give you a raise in salary,” Yulen quipped.
The housekeeper gave a laugh. “Sir, you can’t afford me,” she teased and hurried back to the kitchen.
“Atty.”
She looked up to see Tory entering the room via the rear entrance to the clinic. The Mutah woman held Mistelle. Behind her, Madigan followed with Iain. Tory handed Atty’s daughter over to her, then retreated over to where Fortune was sitting.
“As soon as I can stand on my own two feet, I’m going to ring that bell to announce our daughter’s birth,” Yulen stated.
“Why wait?” Renken pointed at the child sleeping in Yulen’s lap. “Let Mattox ring the bell. He has the right as her big brother, doesn’t he?”
Atty grinned at her husband. “He’s got a point. Mattox can count to three.”
Yulen ran a bandaged hand over the child’s head of dark hair. “As the future Battle Lord, he has that right.”
The main doors opened again. This time it was Borchart who strode into the room. He stopped in front of Yulen but addressed the entire room. “All Bloods have been dispatched, and their bodies have been dumped in the woods on the other side of the road.”
Atty glanced over at Echo, who held a warm mug in her thin hands. There was no mistaking the look of relief on the young woman’s face.
“So what happens now?” Fortune spoke up. “What’s the next step, Yulen?”
“We have to check every person in this compound,” Atty answered. She looked at Borchart. “Tomorrow, you’ll take a battalion to New Bearinger to take care of business there.”
“What about the rest of our troops still waiting in Wallis?” Mastin inquired.
“We’ll send a squad to fetch them,” Yulen promised.
“And Keelor, if she’s ready to leave there,” Atty added.
Batuset stared at the mug in his hands. “I need to get back to Foster City.”
“You aren’t recovered enough to take on that task,” MaGrath contradicted. “Another couple of days isn’t going to make that much a difference.”
“He’s right, Zane,” Yulen noted. “Remember, they’re waiting for word from Mink. They aren’t aware that her plan’s been thwarted. Give it two more days, then you and your men can go home. I’ll send along some extra support.”
Batuset nodded with responding.
“You know this isn’t over,” Paas remarked. “Sooner or later the Bloods will realize what’s happened. They’ll find out some way or another. They could try to attack again, or come up with some other plan.”
“Let ‘em,” Paxton snapped. “It seems like every time they beat us down, we get all the stronger for it.”
Everyone agreed.
MaGrath took advantage of the following momentary lull to stand and perch his hands on his hips as he gazed about the room. “I know this meeting could go on until daylight, but as your doctor, I’m ordering an early dismissal. Everyone needs to get to bed, especially those of you who aren’t quite recovered. I’m looking right at you, Yulen D’Jacques.”
The Battle Lord chuckled. Adjusting Mattox in his arms, he got to his feet with Paxton and Fortune’s help. As the rest filed out of the dining hall, he paused to check to see if Atty was behind him.
Atty glanced again at Echo. The girl had her head cradled on her arms on top of the table. Tory came up beside her. “Why do I think of Keelor when I look at the poor child?”
“Because you think she’s the result of a kidnapping like Keelor was.”
“But she isn’t Mutah. I thought Bloods delighted in killing all Normals, especially children.”
“I’m thinking Mink may have taken a liking to her. I don’t know. Maybe one day Echo will tell us her story. Until then…” Atty gave Tory a small smile.
The Mutah woman smiled in return. “Yes. Fortune and I would be happy to take her into our home.”
“Thank you.”
The two women exchanged hugs, and Atty went to join her husband who was waiting for her by the side door. Pausing at the exit, she glanced back one more time to see Tory helping the young woman to her feet to take her to her new home.
Chapter 38
Reaffirmation
Atty took the tray herself upstairs to find Yulen sitting up in bed. Mattox was playing with his little carved wooden soldiers on top of the blanket on her side of the bed. Mistelle was lying in her father’s arms, her eyes open, her expression alert as she took in everything going on around her. Smiling, Atty took the tray around the bed and placed it at the foot before reaching for their daughter. As her husband enjoyed his soup, she fed the infant.
“What’s the latest news?” He blew on the spoonful of chowder before putting it in his mouth. It was still a bit too hot, forcing him to wave a hand over his parted lips.
> “Balinkar and Perrault are going back to Wallis when their forces leave in the morning.”
“Have we heard back from Borchart yet?”
“Not yet, but I’m expecting something soon. How are your feet doing?” She lifted the blanket to glance at his bandaged feet.
“I can count to eight,” he joked.
She sighed and lowered the covers. “It could have been worse.”
“Yes, it could have.” He ate another spoonful. “Have we heard anything from Zane?”
“No.” She scooted closer to him. “My heart goes out to him. Yulen, did you know he and Dardin were a couple?”
The Battle Lord slowly shook his head. “I had my suspicions, but Zane’s private life is none of my business.” He took a deep breath. “Like you, I’m grieving for the man. At least he had the satisfaction of taking down the person responsible.”
“Mama, can I go play wif Iain?”
Atty checked outside the window. “Yes, but you need to be back after supper.”
“Okay!” The little boy grabbed his two favorite wooden figures and ran down the stairs. Both parents waited for the inevitable slamming of the front door. They weren’t disappointed.
Yulen chuckled and set his empty bowl on the tray to watch Atty. She’d finished nursing their daughter and was patting the infant’s back to burp her. She became aware of him silently observing her actions and gave him a warm smile. “What are you thinking?”
“I’m thinking I’m jealous,” he admitted.
There was something in the sound of his voice that sparked a need within her. A need that had been dormant for too long. But it was too soon for him…wasn’t it? Atty tried to make light of it. “You barely have the strength to make it to the bathroom and back.”
“Hey, the body may be weak, but the spirit is willing.” He reached out to her and brushed a few stray strands away from her forehead. His voice dropped to that low, silky timbre that melted her bones. “I had a dream about you when I was unconscious. I was in the woods. I was alone and cold, and I was afraid. Do you know why I was afraid? I was afraid because you weren’t there with me. I didn’t know where you were. But the worse part was I couldn’t feel you. I couldn’t find our connection, and it terrified me. Then I saw you.” His smile reflected in his eyes, as warm and sweet as his love. “You were in your wedding dress, and you had your bow and quiver, but they were slung over your shoulder. You came through the woods and stopped when you saw me. And then you said something to me. Do you know what you said?”
Atty gave a gentle shake of her head.
“You said, ‘I’m here. I’m coming for you. Hold on, keep fighting, and stay alive.’ And then you vanished. But I was no longer afraid. I knew you would always be there, my beautiful Atrilan. My strong, courageous Atrilan. We would always find each other, no matter how far apart we might be taken, and you would guide me out of that forest, toward safety.” He ran a thumb over her lower lip. She kissed the bandage. The smell of antiseptic wafted up her nose and she nuzzled his hand.
“We have been blessed to have found each other,” he murmured, pressing his forehead to hers. “We have been blessed to have a love that is greater than anything we ever believed possible. We are alive today because of that love. I would not have survived this long without you, nor you without me.”
He brushed his lips across hers, leaving a faint trace of chowder. Atty took another deep breath of him into her lungs and his scent warmed her blood. The spark in her lower belly ignited into a slow burn.
A slight movement against her shoulder told her Mistelle had fallen asleep. Carefully, Atty got to her feet and went to lay the baby in Mattox’s old crib in the adjoining room. After tucking a blanket around the infant, she tiptoed out, leaving the door open to enable the heat from the bedroom’s fireplace to keep the chill at bay.
She noticed Yulen had set the tray on the floor when she re-entered the bedroom. “Should I bar the door?” she asked with a trace of a smile.
“I don’t think it’ll be necessary. I don’t think anyone comes through that door as silent as a wraith. They’re more like a stampede.”
She chuckled. “You’re right.” Walking to the foot of the bed, she faced her husband as she unbuttoned her shirt, shrugging it off her shoulders and pulling her arms from the sleeves, to let it fall to the floor. Yulen swept his gaze over her full breasts before lifting his eyes to hers.
“You grow more beautiful to me with every passing day. You’re no longer the waif-like innocent I once knew.”
She sat at the foot of the bed to remove her boots, then stood to wriggle out of her pants. Nude, she crawled over the bedclothes and snuggled underneath the covers, against her husband’s warm body.
“Holy…you’re like ice, woman,” he laughingly teased.
“Only on the outside.” Rolling onto her side, she kissed his shoulder. Yulen adjusted his position and pulled her up on top of him.
Atty sat up, resting on her knees, and ground herself against him. She gave him a surprised look, then reached between their bodies to clutch his hard length. “I’ve missed this,” she admitted.
“So have I.”
“Want me to take the reins?”
His grin widened. “Be my guest.”
She continued to stroke his erection. She loved the dichotomy of the muscle pulsing in her palm. Iron hard and silken. Yulen continued to watch her, never taking his eyes from her face.
Leaning forward, she kissed him. He took her face between his hands to consume her mouth in that way that removed all thought from her mind. That brought forth a hunger from the depths of her soul that only he could fill.
She moaned in the wake of his oral assault. He released her face to cup her tender breasts. Normally he would tweak her nipples, but he knew how tender they were from feeding their daughter. Instead, he gently ran his bandaged hands over her ribs. Atty giggled from the tickling sensation.
Guiding the head of his erection between her lower lips, she carefully lowered herself over him. Moving a little at a time, easing him inside her depths, until he was all the way within her.
“You feel so good,” she groaned, wriggling her hips.
“I’ve missed making love to you.”
Slowly, steadily, she rose and fell over him. Enveloping him with gradually increasing thrusts before lifting herself to do it again. Yulen grabbed her outer thighs to guide her. His grunts punctuated every moan and gasp she made as their lovemaking became more frenetic.
Unfortunately, it was over too soon. There had been no explosive release, no hard or intense orgasm. But the feelings swirling through her were enough. Their love was all-encompassing. And although the sex for now had not been as cataclysmic as she would have liked for it to have been, the act itself had physically reaffirmed their love. It had also dampened the fire in her belly, leaving her sated, relaxed, and sleepy. Pulling herself off of him, she crawled back under the blankets and molded her body against his.
“Sorry,” he softly apologized.
“Don’t be, but I’ll put it on your tab.”
He nuzzled her forehead. “Just you wait. When I get my strength back—”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” she teased.
“I mean it.”
“Then, in that case, you’d better get some rest, because next time you’re going to be on top.”
Yulen chuckled. “It’s a deal.”
They remained lying in bed and listened to the sounds of the compound going on around the lodge. Watching the shadows shift through the bedroom window as the sun began to set. Eventually, they both fell into a light sleep, not to awaken until Mattox came back into the lodge to announce supper was ready in the dining hall
About the Author:
Linda loves to write sensuously erotic romance with a fantasy, paranormal, or science fiction flair. Her technique is often described as being as visual as a motion picture or graphic novel.
A wife, mother, grandmother, and retired Kindergarten and musi
c teacher, she lives in a small south Texas town near the Gulf coast where she delves into other worlds filled with daring exploits, adventure, and intense love.
She has numerous best sellers, including 10 consecutive #1s. In 2009, she was named Whiskey Creek Press Torrid's Author of the Year, and her book My Strength, My Power, My Love was named the 2009 WCPT Book of the Year. In 2011, her book Lord of Thunder was named the Epic Ebook "Eppie" Award Winner for Best Erotic Sci-Fi Romance.
She also writes naughty humorous romances under the name of Carolyn Gregg, horror under the pseudonym of Gail Smith, and elementary teacher workbooks as L. G. Mooney.
For more information about Linda Mooney books and titles, and to sign up for her newsletter, please visit her website.
http://www.LindaMooney.com
Other Science Fiction Romances by Linda Mooney
The Battle Lord Saga
The Battle Lord’s Lady
Her Battle Lord’s Desire
A Battle Lord’s Heart
One Battle Lord’s Fate
This Battle Lord’s Quest
Every Battle Lord’s Nightmare
Their Battle Lord’s Sacrifice
Captive Surrender (aka Beauty’s Alien Beast)
Deep
A Different Yesterday
The Final Pleasure
Star Girl Series
The Gifted
The Gifting
HeartFast Series
HeartFast
HeartCrystal
HeartStorm
His by Right
His Last Request
Knight of Darkness
The Thunder Trilogy
Lord of Thunder
Passion of Thunder
Wings of Thunder
Mine Until Midnight
My Strength, My Power, My Love
Neverwylde 1, 2, 3 and 4
Rhea 41070
Runner’s Moon
Jebaral
Tiron
Simolif
Challa
Yarrolam