by Denise Lynn
He might be angry. He would probably shout and might say things he didn’t mean. He could very well break her heart, but he would not physically hurt her.
She grasped his wrist, hanging on for dear life when he tried to shake free. ‘Elrik, listen to me.’
He stared past her, through her, at the side of the tent as if she weren’t there. Did he think it would be that easy to ignore her? No matter how much she wanted to cry in fear and frustration, it would gain her nothing. But she was certain that rage would get his attention.
Without releasing his wrist, she moved into his line of vision. ‘I thought Wolves were smart and cunning. Ruthless hunters who measured every move. When did you lose the ability to see beyond what was before you? Has Lord Geoffrey somehow turned my Wolf into a pet dog?’
She was shocked at the words coming out of her mouth, but at least he was now staring at her instead of through her. It was a start.
‘You know how much I hate my father and how I despise my half-brother. You claim to be able to see through my lies. Then clear your sight enough to see me now, Roul. Tell me if I lie. Osbert, a selfish, arrogant tyrant, fooled you on purpose and, like any good fool, you believed his actions were true. Worse, without any proof, you believe I have plotted and planned with him against you.’
One dark eyebrow arched and it took every ounce of willpower she possessed not to smile. ‘You can hate me all you desire. I never wanted your love. But I have not betrayed you and, for that, I expect to be treated with honour.’
He twisted his arm, breaking free of her hold and grabbed a handful of hair at the back of her head to pull her closer. For a brief moment Avelyn wondered if maybe she’d gone too far.
With his mouth a breath away from hers, he asked, ‘A pet dog?’
No amount of self-control could have stopped her relieved laugh from escaping. But he silenced it with a harsh kiss that quickly turned demanding and hungry.
Avelyn clung to him, groaning at the chainmail that kept her from curling her fingers into his shoulders.
He relaxed his hold and lifted his lips from hers. ‘Woman, one of these days you will get yourself killed.’
‘Perhaps. But not at your hands.’ From his kiss maybe, but at least she would die with a sigh of pleasure.
Elrik turned and walked out of the tent. For one heartbeat she feared he was leaving, but her worry dissolved when she heard him barking orders at Samuel and Fulke. Then, just as abruptly, he came back into their tent.
Stripping off his sword belt, he asked, ‘Why was your brother here?’
‘I think that is my question for you. How did he escape your guards’ watchful eyes?’
‘Since both of them were found dead, hanging from a tree, I’d say that aided in his escape.’ He pulled his tunic over his head and dropped it on the floor.
Avelyn gasped. Not again. Her heart ached at the memories flooding her mind. The stable boy’s mother had been inconsolable when she’d been informed of her son’s death. The families of these men would likely be just as distraught. It would be one thing to learn their beloved had perished in battle, that might be expected, but to learn they’d been murdered would be nearly impossible for them to understand.
Elrik looked down and frowned. ‘What is troubling you?’
She took a breath to still her trembling. ‘It is not the first time Osbert has so heartlessly killed another.’
‘It will be the last.’ He tossed the coiffe down on top of his tunic and reached for the laces of his armour.
Avelyn batted his fingers away and started to unlace his hauberk. ‘No tears will be shed for him.’
She tugged at the lacings running down the back of his armour and, noting a few mangled dents in some of the links, asked, ‘How are you?’
‘A few nicks. Otherwise my body is whole. Why have I once again found you without your guards?’
She’d expected him to target in on that sooner or later, so his quick change of subject didn’t surprise her. ‘They had just left. I was on my way to join them when Osbert showed up.’ Avelyn pushed at his shoulder. ‘Lean over.’
‘And you couldn’t call them back to your side?’
‘They were attending to a fight back at camp, so, no.’ She tugged at his hauberk, trying to move it up to his shoulders.
‘Likely one started by Osbert’s friends as a distraction.’ He shrugged the mail from his body and let it pool into a pile on the floor. Then straightened with a sigh. ‘I haven’t been free of that armour for five days. Thank you.’
Once she’d divested him of his mailed leg coverings and quilted shirt, she circled him, checking to assure herself that he was indeed whole. Coming back to stand before him, she poked his chest with a finger. ‘You have been but a day’s ride away, yet I have not seen you for three weeks.’ She poked him again. ‘What explanation do you have for that?’
His crooked half-smile made her want to scream. She hadn’t intended to amuse him.
He reached for her, asking, ‘Did you miss me?’
Miss him? Only every moment of every day. But telling him that would give away the fact that she had begun to feel more for him than even she found comfortable and she wasn’t yet willing to do that. Avelyn spun away. ‘No.’
‘I wrote to you daily.’
‘Oh, yes. Tender words detailing how much ground had been covered, the level of resistance met in the villages and how much closer you were to securing Roul Keep. Words any woman would cherish.’
Avelyn clamped her lips closed to stop the words flowing from her mouth. What was wrong with her? He had done nothing to upset or confuse her in this manner. Yet she was both and becoming more upset with each passing heartbeat. For no good reason.
He hadn’t lost his temper. He’d listened to her and had believed her about Osbert. He was whole, unharmed by any recent battle. She should be relieved. Why then did she find herself fighting back tears? What caused this tightness in her throat? And why did she feel as if her heart were breaking over nothing?
Elrik paused. Slowly turning, confused by her clipped tone of voice, he watched her busy herself with gathering his clothing. That finished, she started arranging and rearranging items on the small table in the corner. He tipped his head, noting the stiffness of her back and slight tremor of her hands. Mostly he noticed the way she was pointedly ignoring him.
‘I wanted to tell you how much I longed to kiss your lips. And that the nights were far too cold without the warmth of your body pressed against me. Or how I wanted to caress the softness of your breasts and taste the sweetness of your heat. But mostly I wanted to tell you how much I ached to make you cry out with release as you pressed your talons into my back.’
‘Now you are talking nonsense.’
She hadn’t turned around, but he heard what sounded like a sniffle. ‘Avelyn, I tire of waiting. Come here.’
Her arms wrapped around him and she buried her face against his chest before he could draw another breath.
His lips against her ear, he whispered, ‘It isn’t nonsense if it’s the truth. The only reason I didn’t write those things was because I didn’t think you wanted to provide Samuel and Fulke with that much amusement.’
‘Elrik. Stop talking.’
He lifted his head and blinked. The sudden dampness on the front of his shirt, the broken shaking of her voice made it clear she was crying. Why? He hadn’t done anything, or said anything he could think of to cause her to be this upset.
‘Avelyn, talk to me.’
‘No.’ She tipped her head back and reached up a hand to draw his face closer. ‘Talking is not what I want.’
For the first time, his wife kissed him. Her lips worked across his, her tongue slid against his. There was no doubt about who was initiating this and he had no complaint—for now he would let her have her way. He was curious to see how far she would go al
one. He wondered how long would it take for her to realise this was much better when both of them participated.
Cool fingers slipped beneath his shirt to stroke down his chest and against his belly before deftly releasing the tie of his braies. Curiosity dimmed as she wrapped her fingers around his hard length.
He held back a groan of disappointment when she released him too soon and issued a frustrated groan of her own.
‘Elrik.’
Lifting her with one arm and hanging on to his loose braies with the other, he strode to their bed. It didn’t take long for both of them to tumble naked on to the pallet.
Elrik pulled her beneath him to bury his face against her neck. He just lay there, supporting most of his weight on his forearms, relaxing atop the softness of her body and savouring the scent that was distinctly her.
This was what he had really missed—the little things—the sound of her voice, the tone of her laugh, the lilt of her teasing. The way she would roll her eyes when he tried to torment her, or her breathless sigh after a kiss.
How had this happened in such a short amount of time? Steadily, bit by bit. He’d come to listen for her voice and her laugh on their way to Carlisle. Aboard the ship he’d found himself teasingly tormenting her just to see her eyes narrow in exasperation and to hear her voice change when she teased him back.
He lifted his head to look down at her, asking again, ‘Did you miss me?’
Avelyn trailed her fingertips across his back. ‘I missed this.’
Raising up, he entered her slowly. ‘This?’
Her eyes fluttered closed. ‘Oh, yes.’
He wanted more than that. She could miss physical contact with any man she was married to whether she cared for him or not. He wanted her to have longed for him—all of him. As agonising as it was, he stopped moving until she once again returned his gaze.
‘And you, Elrik. Yes, I missed you.’
Chapter Sixteen
Avelyn awoke and squinted against the sunlight streaming into the tent. She frowned in confusion until her mind slowly came awake, too.
They’d spent the last many hours in bed oblivious of the afternoon, evening, night and rising of the sun slipping by.
If she were to marry dozens of different men, all of them added together could not come close to providing the excitement, or fulfilment Elrik did. Her cheeks burned just thinking about the way they’d so passionately passed the hours.
There were obvious benefits to being wed. However, no matter how much she enjoyed the time they spent together in bed, that was nothing upon which to base a marriage.
She’d wanted a husband she could call friend. Did she have that with Elrik? In a way, yes.
He walked into the tent, fully dressed in his armour, except for his gloves and head covering, and closed the flap behind him. She stared at him and couldn’t stop herself from sighing.
The sound caught his attention, he looked at her. ‘What are you doing?’
‘Thinking.’
His dark eyebrows disappeared beneath the hair hanging over his forehead. ‘I am uncertain if I like that or not.’
She laughed. Yes. She considered him a friend. They could tease and jest with each other.
He crossed to the pallet to extend a hand, helping her up from the bed. ‘What are you thinking about?’
‘You. Me.’ She glanced over her shoulder at the pallet. ‘And other things.’
His laugh rumbled up his chest. ‘Thinking about those other things could get you in trouble.’
She leaned against him. ‘I’ve recently learned that I rather enjoy that sort of trouble.’
He swung her round so her back rested against his chest, then curled both of his arms tightly about her body to hold her close and whispered against her ear, ‘I need to find you another name. Little Dove doesn’t suit one who purrs and stretches like a satisfied cat.’
Avelyn ignored the burning of her face to respond, ‘Thankfully I don’t have the same problem since you growl just like a wolf.’
Cupping one breast, he groaned. ‘This next day will feel like years.’
‘You have plenty to keep you busy.’
‘And all the while I’ll be distracted with thoughts that will make wearing this armour unbearable.’
She reached up to stroke his cheek. ‘You have only yourself to blame for the direction of your thoughts.’
‘If you remember correctly, you will discover that you were the one who urged me on in some of those directions.’
She trembled against him. ‘The act of remembering would not be wise with you standing so near.’
‘Ah, but I am fully clothed.’
‘I seem to recall you shedding all of your clothing yesterday with a little help.’
‘And caught hell for my mistreatment of the armour this morning from a churlish squire.’
‘My big, strong, brave wolf fears a puny squire?’
‘I seem to have taught him too well.’ He nipped her earlobe. ‘Be careful, or I will send you to deal with him.’
Her returning quip got lost in the air when he stroked a palm down her belly. She grabbed his wrist. ‘Elrik, no. Do not leave me in a state of need when I have much to do, too.’
‘I hadn’t planned on leaving you needing.’
Thankfully, he let her pull his arm back up to her waist. ‘Now that you’ve tried to distract me, did they find Osbert?’
He released her. ‘Get dressed, we’ll talk while we eat.’
Apparently, the answer would be no, they hadn’t. Otherwise his playful mood wouldn’t have ended so abruptly. She bent to retrieve her chemise from the floor, which gained her a quick pinch on her bottom.
She jumped and swung around to point towards the tent’s flap. ‘Go away, Elrik.’
He sat down on the stool, trailing his half-closed gaze from her toes to the top of her head. ‘I will be leaving soon enough. Right now, I plan on enjoying the view before me.’
Avelyn walked over to a small chest, nabbing her stockings and gown as she walked by them and placed them on the nearby table along with her chemise. She looked over her shoulder at her husband.
‘Now what are you doing?’
‘You wanted a view.’
She picked up one stocking and drew it over her foot. Placing her foot atop the chest, she slowly smoothed the stocking up her leg, then, as if unsatisfied with the fit, rolled it back down to her ankle and once again smoothed it up her leg, taking her time to get it on right.
She glanced in Elrik’s direction and smiled at the purely evil grin starting to tug at the Wolf’s lips.
She then repeated the whole process with the other stocking.
‘Tell me, Little Dove, what makes you think playing with fire is wise?’
Avelyn laughed at the roughness of his voice, then dropped her chemise over her head. ‘You wanted a view. I was only trying to help.’
‘My innocent little wife is certainly a fast learner.’
His tone had changed. She looked at him. He didn’t appear angry, but his frown was not an indication of amusement. ‘What are you saying?’
He shook his head. ‘Nothing, Avelyn. I am not saying anything.’
‘You sounded as if you were accusing me of something.’
‘I wasn’t accusing you of anything other than being a fast learner.’
Did he think someone other than just him was giving her lessons? She paused. No. Now she was reading things into his words that perhaps weren’t there. She tugged on her gown. Again, confusion was clouding her thoughts. What was it about him that made her forget how to reason?
Elrik rose to come to her side. He pushed her hands away. ‘Let me.’ Lacing up her gown, he asked, ‘What do you think I am accusing you of doing?’
She shook her head.
‘Avelyn, I kno
w you haven’t been with another man. I also know you rarely visit the women’s tent.’
How did he know these things? Were Samuel and Fulke there to guard her, or watch her?
With a finger beneath her chin, he turned her gaze to his. ‘Do not do this.’
‘Do what?’
‘Do not imagine words I have not said. Do not twist things I do say into something I never meant.’
‘How do you know what I do in this camp when you aren’t here?’
‘Now you think I have spies watching you?’
‘Samuel and Fulke were your men.’
‘And now they are yours. I chose them for the simple fact that I knew they would be loyal to you. Yes, they have been my friends since childhood, but, Avelyn, unless you are in grave danger, or dire need, they are not going to come running to me.’
‘Then how do you know what has been happening in this camp?’
‘It doesn’t require a great deal of deceit on my part to know what goes on in my absence. All I have to do is listen. Who talks about you? The cook and her helpers. The laundress and her helpers. The wives of the men. Everyone.’
‘Everyone?’
‘Yes. It is obvious from listening to them that you spend more time in their company than anywhere else. That is what I do. As David’s Wolf, I was tasked with finding things and people. To do that I needed to listen and to watch with a keener sense than most. As careful as you were when you ran away, you left a trail for me to follow. Rumours of a black-haired wench and people who sought to hide those rumours led me straight to you. I will always see more, and hear more, than most other men you know. I cannot help that. I will always know when you are upset, angry, happy, sad, or wanting. I will know by the tone of your voice, the stance of your body, the rhythm of your breath. And I know that right now you refuse to meet my gaze and you hold yourself away, not because you are afraid or angry, but because you are undecided—uncertain about something.’
‘I apologise. I...’ She grew silent, not knowing what to say. He was right. She was uncertain. About him and her, them. Before she could stop herself, she looked at him and said, ‘I don’t want to care for you. I never wanted anything more than a friend.’