She turned and slammed into a warm, very male chest. Startled, she jumped back to scowl up at Kelwyn.
"Don't do that," she snapped.
He stepped back and held up his hands. "Do what?"
She glared at him. "Sneak up on me like that."
He shrugged. "I'm sorry." He gave her a quick bow. "My name is Kelwyn of Rom de Mer." He lowered his hands. "You can call me 'Wyn'."
She considered herself to be well traveled, but she'd never heard of Rom de Mer. Was it in the east somewhere? "Where's that?"
"South," he said. "What shall I call you?"
"Nova." She moved, careful to keep more than an arm's length away. "Please don't follow me like that again. I don't like it."
"I wanted to make sure you remained unaccosted."
He crossed his arms over his chest and Nova saw that she'd underestimated him. Standing fully upright, he was bigger than she'd originally thought. He towered over her by at least six inches and outweighed her by a minimum of sixty pounds. While he had obvious injuries and the skin on his wrists looked especially painful, he also looked like a man who was fit and sure of himself.
"Well, thank you, but I can take care of myself." She exited the abbey. "I need you to unhook the horse and bring her inside. She can be stabled on that side and we can bed down here near the fire ring. It's not luxurious, but it will be dry at least."
Not waiting for an answer, Nova walked to the cart, still annoyed with herself for allowing him to sneak up on her. She knew better. Another mistake like that and she could end up with a blade between her ribs.
She retrieved the basket of food, pleased to see that Wyn had bunched the blankets beneath the wagon seat so only the top one was damp. Grabbing an armload, she hauled their meager supplies into the abbey. As she passed Wyn, she heard him talking to the horse, telling her what a fine creature she was and thanking her for seeing them safely to their destination.
She rolled her eyes as she stomped her way through the ruins. What nonsense. She loved animals as much as anyone, but no one would ever catch her talking to the beasts as if they could understand. She dumped their supplies near the fire ring then returned to collect the food.
He was entering the abbey with the horse in tow as she exited. He winked at her as he passed and he was still conversing with the beast.
"We're going to bed down here and, in the morning, we'll continue. Is that all right with you?" He ran his hand down the side of the horse's neck and, to Nova's amazement, the horse nickered as if in agreement.
She shook her head. The man was crazed--he had to be. It was likely too many weeks in chains that had warped his mind. It wasn't unusual for a person to be broken by slavery and for some slave owners that was precisely their goal. Once a slave was broken, it was rare they tried to escape their keeper. She'd seen it many times and had barely managed to save herself from that sad fate. She hunched her shoulders against the driving rain as she hurried to retrieve her pack and the final basket. Her clothing was so damp her skin was getting chafed and she couldn't wait to get out of them.
When she returned, Wyn was rubbing the horse with handfuls of dry hay, still talking to her in low tones. Nova ignored them and headed for the corner where they were to bed down for the night. She stowed her load and set about gathering sticks to use as tinder. She judged they were far enough from the main road to warrant a small fire, something to warm their toes at least. She knew she was near to frozen and she was wearing more clothes than he was. Unfortunately she had very little to change into save the blankets. She glanced at Wyn, who was finishing with the horse. She had nothing for him to wear either.
Blankets it was.
After she started the fire with her handy flint, she retrieved a length of cord from her pack to string a makeshift clothesline. Overnight, their clothing just might dry if she could get the line close enough to the fire. After securing the cord, she removed her sodden cloak and tossed it over the line before unbuttoning her black velvet corset cover. She couldn't wait to burn these clothes. As beautiful as the velvet was, it still represented her former life. The life she was determined to leave behind.
"Is there anything I can do?"
Nova jumped, completely unaware Wyn was near. Damn, he was quiet.
"I think we're all set. Just remove your clothes and put them over the line to dry. You can bundle in one of those for the night." She pointed at the pile of blankets. "That's all we have for now."
He stood, just looking at her, his expression confused. "Have I met you before?" His eyes widened, then narrowed. "I saw you with Evi."
"Yes?" She flung the velvet over the line. "Last night I was with him when I saw you for the first time."
His expression was dark as he turned and peered into the darkness, his body tense as if expecting someone to leap out at him.
"What's wrong?" She withdrew her knife.
"Where is he?" His voice was terse.
"Where is who?" She looked around, but could see nothing out of the ordinary, just the falling rain and darkness.
"You're too beautiful to be in this alone," he snarled. "Where is Evi? Is he following you?"
"I have no idea where that bastard is. Why are you asking about him?" She shoved the knife into its sheath. "I won you in a card game. The fool put you on the table as part of a bet and he lost. When I saw you in that wagon, I knew I couldn't leave you with him. So here we are."
She could tell from his silence that she'd shocked him. Well, he'd shocked her by almost saying she was in cahoots with Evi. Irritated, she pulled her boots off and set them by the fire.
"You won me in a card game--"
"I did." She braced her fists on her hips. "I won you with a particularly good hand of Goddess and Dragons. That said, get undressed before you catch your death. I'm not nursing you because you're intent on talking to me while you should be drying off."
His eyes were narrowed and she had the feeling this conversation wasn't over, not by a long shot. Firelight flickered over his muscular frame as he picked up a blanket. He removed his shirt, balled it up and tossed it into a corner. His back was covered with whip marks and deep bruises caused by a baline, a leather-covered steel ball tethered to a stick that, when struck against human flesh, left a deep painful bruise. She was well familiar with both instruments of torture.
She shoved those memories away, then removed her knife and stowed it in one of her boots where she could reach it easily if needed. Tugging on the corset laces, she heaved a sigh of relief as the steel-boned garment loosened its cruel grip. She hated wearing the contraption, but it served two very important purposes. First, the steel boning acted almost as efficiently as armor and it had saved her life on at least one occasion. The second reason was that her increased bosom helped to distract men when she fleeced them as she had the previous evening.
"Does that hurt?" Wyn asked.
Nova glanced over her shoulder to find him standing near the fire, a blanket wrapped around his waist.
"The corset?" She pulled it off and held up the pale blue garment. "It isn't terribly comfortable, but it is a necessary evil by the standards of fashion."
"Why is it that?"
"Most women wear corsets nowadays." She tossed it over the line, then jerked her damp black velvet pants off.
"But you dress in pants like a man. It appears to me that you don't care much for fashion."
"Thanks." Her tone was sarcastic. Clad only in her long cotton drawers, Nova snatched up a blanket and wrapped it sarong-style around breasts before adding the pants to the makeshift line. "We need to tend to your wounds."
He looked down at his wrists. "How bad is my back?"
"I've seen worse." She picked up her bag and moved it closer to him. "I have some salve that will help, but first we need to get you clean. You're an infection waiting to happen."
He held up his filthy hands. "How do you recommend we do that?"
She indicated the basket containing bottles of wine and water. "We ha
ve water here. And you can start by using that." She pointed toward a section of the roof where the rainwater fell in a steady steam. "Then we'll rinse your wounds with this water and I'll apply the salve."
Wyn rose and stalked toward the stream and, before she could voice an objection, he'd stripped off his blanket and stepped into the spray. Flickering firelight cast shadows over his body as he turned this way and that to wet himself. His legs turned dark as the dirt embedded in his skin changed to mud.
She shivered just watching him. It was too cold to even think about bathing, but she could see the temperature didn't appear to bother him. Maybe he was so desperate to wash the taint of slavery and humiliation from his skin that the chilly temperature was the least of his concerns.
She could understand that feeling.
She rummaged in her bag until she found bathing supplies--a slim bar of soap, a bathing cloth and a vial of liquid soap for her hair. She placed the items on a broken timber where he could reach them.
"Thank you." His tone was sincere and for a second Nova felt a lump in her throat.
She nodded and moved away to situate herself near the fire where she could still keep an eye on him, but also allow him privacy for his bathing. She removed first aid supplies from her pack and arranged them on a flat rock near the fire. She'd purchased clean white cloth a few days ago that she'd fashioned into rags for her monthlies. These could be used for bandages on his wrists.
"How far south is your home?" She added a few small logs to the fire. He'd need a bigger fire to get warm after the impromptu bath. She sat cross-legged, then was dismayed to realize she now had a clear view of him.
"Near the cliffs of Maragorn." He was scrubbing his hair. "Do you know the area?"
"I do." She swallowed hard as rainwater ran down his lean body. His long wet hair clung to his skin and muscles rippled as he scrubbed. Tipping his head back, she was struck by the strength of his profile, his determined chin, his sensual mouth...
Her throat dry, she leapt to her feet and retrieved the food basket. Keeping her eyes down she toted it closer to the fire, then sat with her back to him. She cleared her throat. "You'll be happy to know we're heading south and our final destination is close to Maragorn." She pulled a small round loaf of bread from the basket.
"Is that where you live?"
A whisper of delight passed down her spine. Where she would live. Where she was prepared to set up roots and create a home, a real home.
"Nova?"
She started when she realized she'd neglected to answer him. "Sorry, I was thinking." She tore the bread in half. "Yes, that's where I live. I bought a house on the cliffs overlooking the sea."
Large bare feet appeared next to her on the blanket. "So you'll be letting me go?" His voice was low.
"Am I holding you now?" She looked up at him and offered him half her bread.
He hesitated, his greenish-blue gaze wary, but Nova didn't waver. Finally, he must have found what he was searching for in her face when he took her offering. He sank beside her and she noticed the gleam of water on his skin and wondered why he wasn't shivering. If it had been her, she'd be freezing.
"No, you're not holding me." He broke the bread in half.
"Well, I did win you." She smiled. "So I guess you're mine to keep."
His brow quirked. "Is that how you feel about slavery? People are possessions?"
Irritated, she shook her head. Didn't he realize she'd just saved him? "Not at all. Do you see any chains? Would someone who believed in slavery and wished to keep you in such a state remove the bonds that mark you as such?" She retrieved her knife from her boot, cut a large wedge of cheese and held it out to him on the tip of the blade.
"A smart woman would." He took the offering.
"Why is that?" She rose and grabbed the pot of salve.
"A smart woman would remove the chains to lull her slave into a false sense of security, thus binding him to her."
Nova didn't answer. He was right, but she didn't believe in the barbaric practice and if he chose to assist her with restoring her home, he'd be a paid employee rather than a slave. At any time he'd be free to go, no questions asked.
"Yes, well, I'm not very educated so you don't have to worry about that." She picked up the long wet strands of his hair. "Now hold still while I apply this." Her fingers struck something hard and she found two narrow braids behind his left ear. Near the bottom of the braid were several small seashells.
How...exotic...
"You may not be book smart, but you're clever." Wyn wrapped bread around the cheese and took a large bite. "So once we reach our destination, I'm a free man?"
She laid his hair over his shoulder, then opened the jar of salve. Digging her fingers into the waxy oily mixture, she spread it over the worst of his wounds. Beneath her fingers and through the cool salve, his skin was surprisingly warm and supple. How long had it been since she'd willingly gotten this close to a man?
She cleared her throat. "If that's what you wish. If you'd like to earn some money before you leave, I'd appreciate it if you could give me a hand for a few weeks or so."
He tensed beneath her hand. "In what way?"
"The home I've purchased is in sorry shape and I'll need manual labor to fix it up before I can move in." She shot a rueful glance over her shoulder at the rain falling a few feet away. "As the wet season is fast approaching, I don't have much time to secure the roof and I've no desire to wake up swimming in my bed."
"That's a sound plan." He gave her a slow nod. "Very well then, Nova. Since you live near Maragorn, which is very close to my home, in exchange for my freedom I'll be more than willing to help in setting up your house."
Finished with his back, she moved around then crouched to attend his wrists. "Thank you." She spread the thick salve over his right wrist, her movements slowing when his fingers brushed her palm. She raised her head and their gazes met. In the depths of his eyes, she saw trust, strength and she thought that maybe, just maybe, Wyn was a man who could be trusted--
Had she lost her mind? What was she thinking?
Disturbed, she released his arm and stood. "You can finish this. I'm exhausted and I'm going to turn in."
Not meeting his eyes, she shoved the salve and bandages at him before grabbing several blankets. She scurried around the fire to create her pallet on the other side. With her back toward Wyn, she stretched out and closed her eyes.
They would journey to her home, he'd help her set her house to rights and in a week or so he'd be gone. She was determined all Wyn would take with him was some new clothing, a few coins and nothing else.
CHAPTER FOUR
A tremendous crack of thunder roused Wyn from a deep sleep. Torrents of rain lashed the abbey walls and the place where he'd taken his improvised shower had turned into a wild cascade. The sound of the newly created waterfall was comforting.
It was the sound of home.
His eyes closed for a second and the pain of separation was breath-stealing. He couldn't wait to return to his family and friends. By now they probably thought him long dead, though surely they wondered what had happened to him.
He'd been on his way home after a fortnight in Mer de Luna when he'd been captured. His men would have been quick to raise the alarm, but there was little they could do. His people had very little contact with the land dwellers. Where would they have gone for help? When he returned that was one of the first things was determined he'd rectify. It was time the mer-people forged a relationship with the land dwellers.
A gust of rain-scented wind blew through the dubious sanctuary and Wyn rolled onto his side. The breeze sent the clothes on the line to dancing. A few feet away, Nova lay on her right side, sound asleep with her hands tucked under her cheek. In repose, the fierce cat had been replaced with an exhausted kitten. Dark shadows marred the skin beneath her eyes and her long midnight hair confined in a braid accentuated her pale skin. Her features were delicate, which contradicted her prickly disposition. With her dar
k lashes and expressive blue eyes, Nova was easily the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen.
He smiled when he thought about mistaking her for a man. Who knew a woman would smoke a pipe? There was no way she could be mistaken for a man now.
Despite the blankets she was curled in, she shivered. The temperature had dropped in the past hour and the wind had picked up. The smart thing to do would be to stretch out beside her so they could share body warmth. But he hadn't seen her knife in a while and wasn't sure if she'd kept it near, though he'd hazard a guess she would. Warmth or not, he didn't want to wake with it buried in his chest.
In her slumber, she made a low noise and her hand clenched. Even in sleep, something tormented her.
Wyn rose, ignoring the protests from his abused body as he forced bruised muscles to respond. Spreading his blankets wide, he created a pallet for them both before adding more wood to the fire. He waited until the flames leapt high and hot before he approached her. Crouching, he scooped her up, blankets and all. Cradled in his arms, he carried her the few feet to his pallet.
He stopped just short of burying his nose in her fragrant hair as he placed her on the pallet. He'd never spent this much time with a human woman before and found he quite liked the experience. Her skin smelled of rain and reminded him of home.
He slid close behind her, then pulled the blankets over them both. With his chest to her back, he slid one arm around her slim waist. After a few moments, her shivers slowed and she leaned into him, still sound asleep. She murmured something and her hips wiggled against his groin, causing a rush of arousal to streak through his system.
He closed his eyes and allowed her scent to surround him. Mermen were highly sexed and it wasn't long until memories of making love crowded his mind. He tried to push away the lusty thoughts but the vision of him entering her, taking her as a man takes a woman, were too powerful. His cock lengthened and thickened as shivers ran down his back and thighs. Just knowing she was nude beneath her blanket set his body on full alert.
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