by Tamsin Baker
She kept a hold of the poker and moved to the door, watching him leave and then dropping the rod to the floor with a clang.
“Fierre.”
“Master…” She ran to Thomas’s side where he was pulling himself up off the chair and wiping at the blood pouring from a cut on his face.
The door slid further open and Saray raced inside. “What happened? Is he all right?”
Fierre ran worried hands all over Thomas’s shoulders, face and arms. “He’ll be okay, but we need to call the doctor.”
Fierre threw herself down on to his chest, which caused him to groan and his wet blood to soak her face, but she didn’t care. She closed her eyes and held him tight.
She took several deep breaths, glorying in the sound of his heartbeat beneath her ear.
“I’ll go.” Saray ran off towards the phone and Fierre was left with her lover once again.
Fierre looked back down on her master, his bright eyes now trained on her face.
“Let’s get you into bed, Master Thomas, and cleaned up.”
He nodded and gingerly stood up onto his feet, bent over as he held his sides.
“I think … he broke some ribs.”
His breathing was labored, and his silver hair clumped together with red globs of his own blood.
Fear flickered in Fierre like the wings of a bird. She straightened her spine and pushed the feeling away, focusing hard on the task at hand.
She dipped beneath his shoulder, gently pulling an arm over her body and moving him towards his bedroom.
They got there amidst several gasps and moans that almost broke her heart. Moving him was hurting him, but there was no other way.
When she had him lying on the bed she fetched a wet cloth from the bathroom and brought it back for him, settling onto his bed next to him and wiping at his forehead.
“He was an animal.”
“He’s lost his way… Are you all right?” He reached up to her burning cheek, but she swatted him away.
“I’m fine, Thomas.”
“Why did you come, Fierre?”
She opened her mouth to answer, then shut it again, a small opportunity opening in her mind.
“I had something to tell you, but now it seems unimportant. The only thing I need now is for you to recover and be well.”
“Why, Fierre? Do you care so much?”
She frowned at him. “Of course I do. Why would you think any differently?”
“Because you left me.”
She looked down at her hands, guilt flowing over her like an icy sea.
“I was ashamed of my behavior. I didn’t know how to fix my mistake.”
He sighed and closed his eyes. “As long as you are here now.”
“You want me to stay?”
His eyes popped open, and he moved to sit up.
“No, stay lying down.”
He groaned and grabbed for both of her hands, his eyes wide as his tongue snuck out to wet his lips.
“I want you to stay, be my wife, my lover, my protector or friend. Whatever you want is fine with me, as long as you stay by my side.”
“You want me to live with you? Marry you?”
Her voice sounded strange, but she couldn’t focus too strongly on that as her head span.
“Of course I do. You must know how I care about you, after the way I made love to you that day. I have tried hard not to hope you returned my feelings, but seeing you charge in to protect me today, I am hoping you feel the same way.”
Fierre gaped at him, unable to speak. She must have sat there too long, because he begun to look sad.
“I have spoken too soon. I am sorry.”
He began to close his eyes again, and she launched forward.
“No!”
“Ow.”
“Oh, I’m sorry!”
She grabbed his hands and squeezed them. “No, I love you. I do. Although I do have something to tell you before…”
“Are you still worried about my relationship with Tiarra?”
“Who?”
“The woman you saw here with me? She is an old friend and one of the only people left of my pure species. She has been pressured by her family to try to link us together, but we have no romantic feelings there.”
“Thank you for telling me that, but that wasn’t what I was going to tell you.”
“Tell me. Anything.”
“I’m pregnant.”
There, she’d said it.
Dead. Silence.
The smile on his face spread like a wildfire, consuming his usually solemn face and transforming it into a magnificent piece of art.
“You’re with child? Our child?”
“Yes.”
He grabbed for her, drawing her down into a kiss as sweet as the most potent of honeys. She let herself relax against him, thrusting her tongue against his until a voice spoke behind her.
“He doesn’t look quite as injured as I expected.”
Fierre jumped up and back, the dry voice of the doctor making fire flame over her cheeks.
“I’m sorry, he just…”
“I’m getting married, doc, and we’re having a baby. Life is worth living, so you better fix me up so I can look after them both.”
The man moved in to the room, a smile playing over his lips.
“Yes, that does seem like something to live for. Shall we get you fixed up then, Thomas?”
Fierre began to step away, but her master groaned as he reached out for her.
“Stay, come to my other side.”
She nodded and moved around his bed, sitting down to watch as the doctor began to inspect the damage those two horrible men had done.
Fierre held his hand and put a hand to her belly. More than just a new life for her had begun, and as she sat still watching the doctor attend the man she loved, she swore to herself that she would never again let fear devour her.
Thomas deserved her love, her unconditional support, and that meant that no matter what life threw at them, she would be by his side conquering each demon, one moment at a time.
The End
www.tamsinbakererotic.com
Other Books by Tamsin Baker:
www.evernightpublishing.com/tamsin-baker
If you enjoyed this book, you may also like:
A Knight for the Archaeologist by Adonis Devereux
Alpha Awakened by Jocelyn Dex
Ghosts of Emerald Bay by Libby Bishop
Evernight Publishing
www.evernightpublishing.com