by Bekah Clark
When next I woke, Torric was sitting in a chair next to the bed. There was a sandwich nearby. He was watching it as if he were debating whether to eat it or not. With a grin, I reached out and snagged it. His eyes moved to mine, and I could see relief in them. “I was worried. I hoped you’d be awake soon.”
I nibbled on the sandwich before asking, “How long was I out?”
“Only six hours.”
I smiled. “See? I know my limits.”
He scowled. “I still don’t believe that.”
“Believe what you want,” I sung out.
He shook his head before saying, “Keig wants us to have dinner with him.”
“When?”
“A few hours from now.”
I pouted. “I don’t have anything to wear.”
“I’ll go see what I can scrounge up.”
I smiled brightly up at him. “Thank you.”
For a long moment, he stared at me. In a flash, heat was coursing through my body. He took a step toward me, but then must have thought the better of it, choosing to turn and leave. For a moment, I sat there. Then I devoured the last of the sandwich.
Smiling, I got up, heading to the bathing chamber. As I searched the tub, I frowned, tilting my head as I noticed two faucets. I looked at them, dumbfounded, until I realized there was no place to put the wood to heat the water. The second faucet was for hot water. It was a wonder to me that Fort Nyte had such a thing. Grinning, I filled the tub partway and then slipped inside. I took the soap and got myself as clean as possible before I drained the tub and filled it again.
I sank into the water, let the heat soak into my bones, and closed my eyes. A bath where I did not have to heat my own water was such a luxury. I started singing to myself the song about the warrior and his woman. It had become our song, although I’d never admit it to anyone. Suddenly, Torric’s voice joined mine. I opened my eyes to find him in the open doorway, a passionate gaze running over my nude body as he sang.
When he finished, a smiled flirted with my lips. “Interrupting my bath?”
An inferno of desire raged in his eyes and my thighs tingled. “Looking at you in that water makes me want to.”
I laughed to try to ignore my response to his gaze. “Go on, now. I’ll finish getting cleaned up and then dressed.”
Mischief twinkled in his eyes. “Do you have to get dressed so soon?”
I growled, “Yes! I’m still hungry.”
He chuckled. “I’m getting us a second pack animal just for food for you.”
I let out another laugh before I sank under the water and scrubbed my hair one more time to rinse it thoroughly before I stood up. My eyes met Torric’s, and he slid his emerald gaze slowly down my body, lingering on a few areas, lust simmering in his eyes. I blushed from embarrassment, but watched him as he let his eyes lazily peruse my body until they met mine. Delight shined in his eyes. “Look at you, getting less shy each time I see you.” His smile widened. “But I still love that blush. Are you sure you want to hurry and get dressed?”
“Yes!” I cried as I stumbled out of the tub and nearly fell. He caught me in his arms and drew my body to meld against his. Gently, he kissed my brow. His hand, however, had a different idea as it slid down my bottom and dragged me close to him, kneading the back of my upper thigh. The power of his kiss turned into a fury of desire. I trembled in his arms and yielded to his lips. The perfection of the moment ignited my heart and my core.
For a long while, we kissed like that, his hands roaming my back and bottom, squeezing me and making me tremble. Then he lifted his lips from mine and said, “If you don’t get dressed soon, I’ll be taking you to that bed now.”
Blushing brightly and breathing heavily, I dragged myself away and headed into the bedroom. He had procured two long skirts and two loose tops for me to wear as well as a wide, black leather belt. One skirt was a rich, reddish- brown, and the other a dark hunter green, and they seemed to be the perfect length for me. One of the tops was off-white and the other was a dark green. I thought they’d do nicely. Wrapped up in a sheet, I wove my hair atop my head. Once secure, I dressed in the dark green top and the reddish-brown skirt, deciding to forgo the belt. When I finally finished with arranging my clothes, arms wrapped around me from behind as his hot, solid chest pressed against my back. His lips were on my neck, and I shivered just as my stomach growled loudly. Torric let out a loud laugh. “I have to feed my little healer. Again.”
I elbowed him playfully, and we left to go to Keig’s dining area. The halls were long and wide. The ceilings were high and held up by huge, dark-stained oak beams. The walls were reddish-brown stones, and the floors were polished oak. Now that I wasn’t so intensely concentrating on healing, it afforded me the opportunity to really look and realize I truly liked it here. It may have been a military fort, but it was warmer than all the homes of Vella.
The dining room, which I assumed was an officer’s dining room, was a simple, large space much like the halls only full of six dark-stained oak tables. The room was empty except for Keig, and I was grateful for that. I wasn’t up for a lot of the gawking my red hair often evoked.
He smiled affectionately at me and held out a seat, which I gratefully took. When he went to sit beside me, Torric grabbed the chair and growled at him. I laughed under my breath, but a glance at Keig told me he was shocked at Torric’s behavior.
So I chimed in, “He’s just a little protective. Since we’ve been together, I’ve brought him nothing but trouble.”
“Oh, is that all?” But Keig’s tone told me he didn’t believe it as he took a seat across from me. His eyes flickered between Torric and me. Then they focused on the pendant around my neck. “Is that some sort of Renth religious symbol?”
My hand slipped to my neck. I’d become so used to it, it now felt a part of me. Not feeling the need to point out it was a protection charm, I said in a happy little voice, “It was a gift from Torric.”
Keig’s eyes went wide and cut to Torric. Something passed between them, but I didn’t understand what it was. When he turned his gaze back to me, it was thoughtful. Then he smiled with a little wickedness in his eyes. “Seems my friend has been holding out on me.”
“What do you mean?”
Torric let out another low growl as he glowered at Keig. When I turned back, Keig was smiling. “Just having a little fun with an old friend. Now how about some dinner?”
As he asked that, two women came in, carrying some platters…one of which contained a roast with some vegetables. After setting the platters down, one woman went about serving wine as the other cut up the roast and set a large portion in front of Keig. Next, she served Torric.
The slight blonde had an adoring smile for him. Torric, however, took his plate and put it in front of me.
She frowned and said, “My lord, that’s too much for a woman to eat. Unless…” Her eyes roamed over me with a frown, and I suddenly felt…less.
Torric frowned at her. “A healer requires more. This woman has given part of her very life to heal two of our warriors, and you are going to look at her as if she’s a glutton for eating heartily?”
The woman’s eyes went wide and then she turned to me. “My apologies.”
I smiled. “Not to worry. Most people don’t understand the foibles of a healer. We’d like to keep it that way.”
She nodded and got Torric’s plate before the two women left. The blonde shot me an icy glance before leaving the room. That woman did not like me. In fact, her gaze reminded me of Senna’s. But I had other things on my mind.
I turned to Torric, studying him for a moment before my lips twisted in amusement. “My lord?”
Keig laughed. “He didn’t tell you?”
“No, he did not.” Mischief colored my voice. “Please, enlighten me?”
Torric leaned in. “Please don’t.”
I grinned. “Please do.”
“His sister is married to the king.”
“That, I knew.”
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br /> Keig leaned in conspiratorially. “Did you know his family is the largest landholder besides the king? He’s a duke.”
I looked over at Torric with a grin. “A duke, hmm? Maybe I should pursue you.”
Keig laughed. However, I felt he was laughing at something that I just didn’t know.
Torric shook his head and replied, “It’s just a foolish title given to my family because we’ve always led the king’s armies, and we happen to own a lot of land.”
I chuckled a moment before I tore into my food. Letting out a sigh, I closed my eyes, chewing a few times, before I moaned, “This is delicious.”
“So, tell me, Zianya, were there many healers in your family?”
With that, I told Keig my family’s history. He listened with wide eyes, asking questions here and there. The truth of my family’s origin was obvious to him. I had to face the truth that I was the only one who hadn’t wanted to accept the foreignness of my blood.
After I finished talking, warmth infused Keig’s voice as he said, “Welcome home, healer.”
Chapter Nine
“So when were you going to tell me you’re a duke?”
My teasing tone brought a frown to Torric’s lips as we walked through the red-stone courtyard, where not one tuft of green peeked between the large, flat sandstones. Off to one side, I could hear the clanging of swords and grunts of men as they trained.
Torric was leading me to the ramparts so I could get a good view of the area. After the question, he remained silent. So I looked at him, my eyebrows knitting together in question at his sour expression. He let out a sharp exhale. “I wasn’t planning on telling you.”
“Why not?”
“Because it’s a foolish title. I lead our king’s armies, and I happen to own some land, so I inherited the title and the position from my father.”
I shook with laughter. He sounded so irritated that I had found out. Glancing up at him, I saw him scowling down at me. This only made me laugh harder.
When we had first met, I never would have felt comfortable enough to laugh at his discomfort. Now, I knew I was always safe with him. Although, I had to admit to myself that I had felt that a lot longer than I knew it.
He reached out and pinched my cheek gently until I stopped laughing.
“You think that’s funny?” His eyes twinkled as mild amusement replaced his annoyance.
“I just don’t understand the secrecy. What were you afraid of?”
He let out a frustrated growl as we took the well-worn steps up to the ramparts. I suppressed a smile. Finally, he answered me. “All of the women I’ve known, the moment they found out who I was, they changed.”
I stiffened a little and felt something I had never experienced before. Was that…jealousy? I glanced sideways at him and found him staring off into the distance as we approached the fieldstone wall that came to just below my shoulders. I leaned against it and stared up at him. After a few moments, I said, “Women?”
There must have been something in my voice, because he hugged me tightly as he chuckled softly, brushing his lips over my temple for a moment. He whispered in my ear, “Is that jealousy I detect, my little healer? Don’t worry, lass; no one has ever touched my heart until you.”
A flush filled my cheeks, and I turned away. He held me tightly to his chest and for a long time, I just enjoyed the scent that was uniquely him. A deep sense of contentment filled me. He was studying me with a smile slowly taking his features. “You don’t look at me differently.” It was a statement more than a question.
“No, I don’t. You’re still you.” With a crooked smile, I shrugged. “But now, I just have to get used to the glares women are giving me.”
“What do you mean?”
I shook with quiet laughter. If he didn’t notice, I wasn’t going to enlighten him.
Turning to look out across the land, I felt my heart tighten at the sight. It was rich, with a surrounding wheat field that I assumed was for keeping the fort fed. Beyond the fields of golden hues rolled brilliant, green hills. I could spot clusters of flowers out there, and I felt a desire to go hunting for plants.
Torric must have seen the expression in my eyes for he asked, “What is it?”
I smiled up at him. “I’ve not gone gathering for plants that I use in my practice in some time. Usually, until the growing season is completely over, I go twice per week. Those flowers out there call to me.”
“Call to you?”
There was a touch of awe in his voice, so I quickly added, “Not literally. I know which plants do what from my mother’s teaching. She learned from her mother and so forth. That quilt of mine has a carefully stitched representation of each beneficial plant. I really need to get that cleaned and then repair it.”
“So you have other skills?” His teasing tone was low in my ear.
I chuckled. “I wouldn’t have called it a skill, but yes, I can quilt. My grandmother taught me.”
“We’re going to stay here for several more days. Why don’t you tend to that while we’re here?”
A frown took me and I found myself curious. Before, he’d been so intent on getting me to Donner. “And what are you going to do?”
He turned away. I grabbed his thickly muscled arm to turn him back to me. My hand looked so tiny against him and the strength that lay within his hard, coiled muscles struck me. He was watching me and his amazing emerald eyes softened as his fingers caressed my cheek with such gentleness from those powerful, blunt fingers. Yet, I could see the war going on in those warm eyes. Part of him wanted to tell me what was going on, but the other feared my response.
Understanding dawned on me. “You’re going to leave me here and go somewhere.”
For a moment, he struggled for the words and then nodded. “I don’t want to. But there’s something going on near the border of Renth, and Keig needs to know what.”
“Why can’t he send someone else?” I grumbled.
His fingers were feather-light as they stroked the bone of my cheek. Leaning down, he kissed me gently before he replied, “Right now, he’s a little undermanned. I’m going to scout and then give Donner my opinion about what to do here.”
It would be the first time we’d been apart since we met, and I found myself loathing the idea. I kissed his neck softly all the way up to his ear, where I let out a breathy question, “Can I not entice you to stay?”
A growl rumbled against my neck. “I want to, but I can’t.”
Laughing, I pulled myself into his arms and said, “Well, I had to try.”
He squeezed me to his side and looked out onto the fields. “How about before I leave, I take you gathering?”
“You don’t have to, I usually do it alone.”
“I don’t want you alone out there.” The tone of his voice tolerated no argument. He feared something would happen to me out there. Considering the men I’d healed and the one I could not, I realized it wasn’t safe the way it was around Vella. Although even Vella had troubles, I knew the land well, and I knew where to hide to avoid bandits. Here, I didn’t. So I nodded, and he relaxed instantly. “When do you want to go?”
My lips twisted into a little frown. “When do you have to leave?”
“Keig has a few things he wants to be done first, so the morning after tomorrow.”
Worry tried to quicken my heart, but I pushed it down. Torric was a strong and powerful man who had come back from who knew how many missions before he had even met me. I couldn’t let my feelings distract him. So I smiled up at him and said, “Then let’s leave in the late morning tomorrow and spend a few hours.”
We packed up a lunch, a blanket, and a few empty saddlebags and then rode out. Torric’s warm arm held me in place. Without the packhorse, he was able to let loose into a wild gallop and let out a cry of delight. Our gallop took us beyond the wheat fields and deep into the rolling green hills. I leaned back into his chest and sighed. Being in his arms always made me feel complete, and this time was no different.
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Sliding off the saddle, he reached up to grab me and pulled me into his broad chest. Before he released me, he gave me a quick kiss and a grin. I set off wandering the fields, snatching this and that. The sun was warm and filled me with a sense of peace. For a time, Torric simply watched me, a smile playing at his lips. Then he rose and joined in, bringing me a bunch of flowers. I started picking through them. “This is davaina. It’s a poison.”
He laughed at me. “It’s also the flower a man gives to the woman he’s courting.”
I arched an eyebrow. “Courting? Is that what you call what you’ve been doing to me?”
He roughly brought me against to him, and I let a wicked smile dance across my lips. As I looked into his eyes, my smile left, and the seriousness of his gaze hit deep into my heart. With a throaty utter, he said, “I have been.”
Cheeks red, I turned away, only to have my face tugged gently to turn back to him. His emerald eyes churned with emotions, and I was lost. When I awoke in his arms—apparently his prisoner—less than a month ago, I hadn’t realized how much he would come to mean to me. Growing heat fanned that first spark into the fervent flames that danced erratically in my heart. I let my hand softly caress his cheek and a passionate kiss immediately rewarded me. We toppled onto the blanket he had spread out for lunch, his hands wildly roaming over my body. His hands ignited a fiery passion in me. Our kiss deepened and a moan ripped from my body, unbidden. I could feel him grin against my lips as he growled in return. When he started to work on my clothing, I tore my lips away, gasping out, “Wait, they’ll see us.”
He laughed down at me, “Do you think I chose this spot of the hill so that prying eyes could watch us?”
I glared up at him. “You were planning this?”
He softly bit the lobe of my ear and whispered, “Of course.”
Soon I was lost again, and we made love with the soft winds caressing our bodies. Urgency colored his touch and his movements, and that caused worry to run through my bones despite the intensity of my response to him.
When he settled against me after, he tenderly stroked my face. I stared up into his eyes and, like him, spent the time memorizing every line, every plane of his face. Then my breath caught.