“My men will have no trouble following in this country but when it gets stony you’ll need to leave a drop every mile. If we cross a creek, leave a drop on both sides so they know where we left the creek.” He concentrated on her. “Are you confident of hiding it from the elves?”
“Supremely confident. Riding side saddle I can drop it straight off the edge and hide the bottle in my skirts. Also I do not think they will watch me as closely as they will you.”
“After that trick with the knife I’m not so sure of that.”
Alique grinned and went to find Ebony. She mounted and secreted the calendula bottle in her skirt pouch until it should be needed. She watched Kain mount his horse with more spring than she had seen from him since his head injury, admiring the way his breeches molded the muscles of his thighs and backside. He certainly was a fine example of the male form.
She shook her head at where her thoughts had slipped and turned her eyes toward the trail, meeting Celri’s suspicious gaze. Stinking, murdering dark elves! Alique would see to it that every one of them was driven from her kingdom, never to venture here again.
*
Kain battled more of the dark whispers and feelings as he traveled through the afternoon forest and into the early evening. After two hours of trying to keep them away, he had given up in exhaustion. He now allowed them to wash over him, and over time had found them strangely comforting. Kain had also come to a conclusion. He believed the feelings, sounds and images came from the trees themselves. Again he had heard the words forest mage. The words literally meant forest magician or sorcerer.
So if the images and words were coming from the forest itself, why? Alique didn’t experience anything, but Kain thought the elves might be sensing something by the way they behaved at times. Celri was decidedly jumpy, though the elf was naturally skittish. Prince Gorin was too composed to give much away, but the others appeared to experience something, it seemed to Kain. The awareness that he and the elves might have this in common nagged at him. It was simply not possible that he was elven. Kain didn’t want it to be true, especially not with this threatened invasion by the brethren.
The shadows under the trees had begun to deepen when Prince Gorin called a halt for the night. They had reached a large clearing on the other side of a creek crossing, surrounded by the biggest trees Kain had yet seen. He vaulted from Snow and hurried to help Alique down.
“Thank you,” she said, giving his hand a squeeze before releasing it.
“The trail is being laid as planned?” Kain asked.
Alique frowned as if he had annoyed her. “I had no trouble following your request,” she said, so low he strained to hear and had to bend closer. It brought her uncomfortably near and Alique placed her hand on his chest.
Kain turned away when the prince approached them. “You will make your rest over there,” he said, pointing to a patch of moss between two large tree roots. “I want you in the center of the camp so we will be able to ensure your safety. Make haste, food will be ready momentarily and then we will bed down.”
Gorin stalked away and Kain pulled Alique’s bag from behind Ebony’s saddle and guided her over to the appointed area. He went back and retrieved his own roll and spread it on the ground. Alique circled the huge tree they were preparing to lie under. She ran her fingers over the smooth bark and Kain heard a sigh in his mind. He looked up sharply. Surely the tree couldn’t be responding to Alique’s touch? Once upon a time he wouldn’t even have had that thought, but lately? No more sighs followed, even though Alique now had both hands on the tree trunk and was staring up at its canopy.
“It is so beautiful,” she said, laying her forehead on the trunk, eyes closed. “I have always loved the forest. I keep thinking that, were it not for the circumstances, this trip would give me real pleasure.” A tear squeezed out from amongst her thick honey lashes and glimmered in the torchlight.
Kain stepped closer so he could place his hand on her shoulder. “They will be safe, Alique. The elves didn’t truly want to hurt them. It was a delaying tactic.”
Her eyes flashed open. “I hate them! Even with so many rescuers, we could be dealing with a catastrophe when we return.” She swallowed hard and looked up at him. “I don’t think I could cope with it, especially if the children are hurt.”
Kain pulled her close so her head was just under his chin, and after a moment’s resistance, Alique softened against him. “We will deal with whatever we must,” he said. “Please just concentrate on getting through this. It won’t help to imagine the worst.”
“I know,” she said. “It’s just so easy to believe that everything will go wrong.”
Kain smiled and felt her hair snag in his whiskers. “I’ve been in many a hopeless situation and fought my way clear of it. Nothing is ever as bad as it appears at first glance, and sometimes what appears terrible becomes something to be grateful for.”
She looked up at him and Kain thought she was even more beautiful with tears in her eyes. Somehow it made her eyes more startling.
“You are trying to tell me we might look back upon this and be glad we were taken hostage?” said Alique. “Somehow I doubt it.”
“Nothing is ever as it appears, and yes, we might be glad of this one day.”
“I shall only be glad when these people are driven from the kingdom, for good.”
There was a noise beside him and Kain turned to see Celri with a plate of food. “I told the prince we should starve the prisoners,” he said, sneering. “This is too good for you.” He shoved the plate at Kain and stared at Alique. “You, lady, I will particularly enjoy your death. You could never live peacefully in the kingdom with my people. There is only hate in your heart.”
Alique pushed away from Kain and toward Celri. “Hate! You should know, elf. You have taken hostages, beat an innocent man so he might never recover, and then set a barn full of women and children on fire. Where is the hater here? I will personally see your people are driven from Thorius and up into the farthest reaches of the mountains.”
Celri sneered. “Do not make promises you are unable to keep.” He held up a hand and flexed his fingers into a claw. “One touch around your pretty white neck and we shall see who will triumph over whom. You are not in your palace now, queen’s servant.”
Alique tried to launch herself at Celri but Kain threw an arm around her waist and held her back. Celri laughed at having exacted such a response from his captive, which only served to enrage Alique further. Kain pushed her to the side, away from Celri and toward their resting place, one hand still gripping the plate of dinner.
Celri walked away, still laughing, while Kain waited for Alique to cease struggling.
“Stop it, Alique. He wants to make you mad, make you crazy so you’ll do something stupid and he can be justified in killing you.”
She tried to shake Kain off. “Leave me be.”
“Not until you calm down. Celri would poke a knife in you in a moment. Then what would I tell the Queen? How would I tell your parents that a dark elf killed their daughter?”
Too late, he realized that was a bad example to give as Alique flared up at the mention of her mother and father. “There might be no parents to mourn me. That is the whole point. I want revenge and I will get it one way or another. They’ve made this personal.”
Her eyes flashed blue fire and her body strained against his hand. Kain put the plate on the ground and gripped both of Alique’s elbows. He gave her a little shake and she glared at him. At least he had her attention. “Take it from someone who knows, Alique. Your revenge needs to be cold. Keep a cool head and you won’t make the mistakes you are likely to make if you charge at your enemy in a rage, especially now when we’re in such a precarious position. We’ll get through this and we will triumph over them. It may just take a little time and planning.”
Alique relaxed under his hands and Kain heaved a deep sigh of relief.
“You are right,” she said. “It’s just when I think of what they have d
one—”
He wrapped his arms around her, trying not to focus on the places their bodies touched. Alique was so soft yet firm in the right places, and— “Do you have a knife in your cleavage, my lady?”
She smirked up at him. “Guilty as charged, general. I did not think they would search there.”
Kain frowned. Alique was turning out to be a most surprising woman. He’d never expected her to possess this depth of character. Her beauty had caused him to underestimate her and Kain almost felt he should apologize. But that would be giving too much away.
He stepped back and gestured Alique toward the bedding he’d laid down. “I’m starving. Let’s sit and have something to eat.”
Alique followed his lead, sitting on Kain’s bed roll and leaning back against the trunk of the tree she had earlier admired. “What have they prepared for us?”
Kain sifted around in the food on the plate, trying to identify the contents of the dinner. “Looks like some kind of nuts. That’s a cloud berry, and these are—”
“Crowberries,” Alique said, picking up a deep purple berry that had the appearance of a blueberry. She popped it in her mouth. “Mm, that is quite delicious.”
“How do you know that’s not a blueberry?”
“They are sweeter than blueberries,” she said, selecting another and eating that as well.
“How do you know it isn’t just a sweet blueberry?” Kain asked, enjoying talking about something other than the situation they’d found themselves in.
“I just know, Kain. If I had one of each here, I could demonstrate for you. What I don’t understand is where these came from. We haven’t had crowberries here for months, except in jars. They produce in autumn, and we are fast heading into spring.”
“The elves come from the mountains far to the north. They must have carried them along in their sacks. Personally, I’d kill for a tasty roast rabbit, or some crusty bread and cheese. This fare is for forest creatures, specifically birds.” He picked up a handful of berries and nuts and chewed them without enthusiasm.
Alique smiled. “This food is good for you, Kain. There are all manner of excellent properties in berries and nuts that will keep you healthy. That is why we principally use this type of plant material for our medicines, along with herbs, of course. You would not believe the myriad of different fruits, and not just in the forest. I fossick along the beach and in the open plains, and Doctor Mosard travels north on occasion to collect plants and fruits from the high altitude forests and tundras. He has promised to take me with him next time.” Her eagerness dimmed. “Now his trip will be postponed, and all due to the mischief of these damned dark elves.”
“Let’s not start into that again,” Kain said, sensing another outburst building.
She scowled, but even then looked charming. “As long as you promise we will have our revenge for all the trouble they have caused.”
He shook his head. “I can’t guarantee that, but I’ll be trying my damnedest to see they are sent running back to their forests.”
Alique’s frown didn’t ease.
“What now?” he said.
“What if it’s true that you have elven blood?” she asked. “How can you act against your own people?”
“They aren’t my people!” Kain said. “No matter what I look like, I’m not elven.”
“But what if you are? They seem very certain.”
Kain’s jaw clenched with the effort of not snapping Alique’s head off. “I’ll never accept that. Never.” His gaze bored into Alique, letting her know the subject was closed. It was the look he used on recalcitrant soldiers and never failed to intimidate. Until now.
Alique met him glare for glare, the food on the plate forgotten. Damn but she was fine. There was not a soldier in Wildecoast who could have stood up to him, and yet she did it without raising a sweat.
“Let us agree to disagree for now,” she said. “I am merely saying I foresee troubles ahead for the kingdom if what the elves say is true.”
Kain kept his mouth shut and went back to nibbling on the less than satisfactory fare. Then he remembered something. He reached for his saddlebags, opened a flap and pulled out a small wrapped package. “Cheese!”
“A masterful change of subject, general.” She took the offered slab of cheese. “This will stick to our stomachs much better than the elven meal. Make sure you save some for the morrow.”
“Saving some for later,” Kain said, allowing just a little sarcasm to show through. Honestly, how did Alique think he managed his soldiers while on a mission if he couldn’t think ahead to save a prized addition to road fare?
Celri stalked up. “The picnic is over. It is time to bed down for the night. There will be sentries on patrol so be warned.”
Kain’s hand grasped Alique’s. She remained silent but he felt the tension in her body.
The elf turned away and Alique relaxed somewhat. Sagged was what she really did.
“He infuriates me,” she said, “but you are right. Celri would take any opportunity to harm either of us and I nearly walked right into his trap.”
“He thinks he has something to prove.” Kain still held her hand. It was a good feeling. The skin of her fingers was a little rough, unlike most ladies. Kain supposed it was due to the work she did, grinding herbs and bandaging wounds. Alique was not soft as he had thought and she was not spoiled either. She was a woman to be admired and one who clearly wanted to make her mark on the kingdom, if her threats to the elves were serious. And she carried knives. That had Kain wondering if she hid other weapons amongst her clothes besides the one nestling in her bosom. Just the thought of that had his manhood stirring. And now he must sleep with her.
Kain released Alique’s hand and cleared his throat. “Ah, finish your meal and then we must settle. If you like, I’ll sleep on the other side of this tree.”
Alique snorted, albeit in a ladylike fashion. “We were told to stay together, Kain. Besides, it will be cold tonight. We need to conserve body heat, or at least I would appreciate yours – in a purely medicinal way, of course.”
Kain stared. Medicinal? The mere thought of bedding down with Alique was … distracting, enticing … “I will offer my body heat, my lady. Back to back?”
Alique finished the last fruit on the plate. “That will do, general.”
*
Alique longed for a bath, or even just a wash, but apart from splashing some of her drinking water on her face and hands, she had to go without. She thought longingly of the steaming baths below the castle at Wildecoast and vowed to spend a morning there as soon as she was freed. This led her to immediately feel guilty. How could she be thinking of bathing when her family could be dead? But Kain was right. She had to anticipate the best outcome, and perhaps dreaming of a hot bath was merely a diversion during a difficult time. Kain knew about distractions and survival. She would take her cues from him.
She lay down with her back to him and pulled her cloak over them both. At first it was cool, even cold, but his body heat began to permeate her gown. His hard buttocks kept hers company and her face grew warm imagining how it would feel if there were no clothes between them.
He shuffled a little. “Are your feet cold?” he asked, his voice deep and resonant beside her.
“They are,” she said.
“Take off your boots and stockings and press them against me,” he said.
Alique stilled, shocked at his suggestion, even though she had just been imaging their skin together in a much less innocent way.
“Go ahead, I won’t bite,” he said.
She did as she was told and smiled at his gasp when her icy feet pressed against his legs.
“I can feel them even through my breeches,” he said. “How have you endured this?”
“I have always had cold feet so I am used to it. It’s only when I go to bed that I really notice it.” Alique heard him move. It was her turn to gasp as his rough hands chafed her feet. Warmth surged through them. “Oh,” she said, “that
is so good.” She allowed her head to loll back as circulation and warmth returned to her feet. He even replaced her stockings afterwards and then lay down again beside her, pulling the cloak over them.
“Thank you,” she said. “That is one of the nicest things anyone has ever done for me.”
Kain grunted in response and Alique closed her eyes, no longer disturbed by cold feet or the dark and dangerous man beside her.
Chapter 6
Kain woke at first light, warmer than he had ever been when camped out overnight. He soon discovered why. His body was curled around Alique’s, his front to her back, and his chin was nestled in her golden curls, his arm looped over her waist. As he breathed in her heady scent, a tight hand of need clenched his gut. He hadn’t even known it was there until he had his arms around this woman. This beautiful, complex, infuriating woman.
When he thought about moving he discovered he didn’t want to let her go. What he did want was to lie here with her and forget the predicament they were in. And by lie here, he meant something a lot more intimate than just having his arms around her, nice as that was.
Kain resolved to remove his arm and his body from her person, but instead, his arm tightened around her waist and Alique squirmed and nestled back into him, murmuring something unintelligible. He froze, not wanting to wake her any earlier than he had to, and not wishing to be caught with his arm about her. What would she think if she knew that he snuggled so close? Hell, she could probably feel the hard length of him pressed up against the delicious globes of her backside. That was if she was awake.
Alique wasn’t awake he knew full well, for she wouldn’t accept this closeness if she were. All she would accept was functional warmth from him, not this intimate nestling that was so much more than practical. Goddess, I am falling under her spell! She wouldn’t want him developing an attachment for her. He was army and she was nobility. More than that, she had her sights set on a career as a healer. He could see her now, running her own hospital, and leaving no stone unturned in the search for ways to cure people of all their ills.
The Elf King’s Lady: Wildecoast Saga Book 2 Page 6