by Danube Adele
“What did your father do?”
“He reassured me that all was well, that I would always be his son. I reassured myself that we had the same eyes.”
“That would break my heart.” Imagining an innocent little boy with dark hair and sea-colored eyes trying to understand what he might have done to cause his own mother to stay away from him made my heart go out to him.
“They stayed apart from each other for much of the time. My father took care of me, let me watch him as he did his woodwork, and taught me at his knee. I think he still cared for her. He’d certainly try to make her happy. He’d cook food, and we’d clean the house up together, but she never seemed to notice.”
“And then?”
“She was pregnant. For a little while, she and my father were happy again, but she still had nothing to do with me. I’d become used to staying away from her, and she was fine with that. Then strange things occurred. She and my father developed skin infections that came and went. When the baby was born, it seemed like it was ill, then it died before they were able to name it.”
“How awful.” It sounded like a sexually transmitted disease? Syphilis? Something that could easily have been treated with antibiotics?
His eyes rested on mine. He knew what I was thinking. The moment of truth had come out, but only as a silent acknowledgment.
“Everything went downhill from there. Both of my parents were suddenly very sick. My father told me to stay away until they were better, but I couldn’t just leave him. Over time, he lost his sight, then he lost his hearing, and then his heart stopped. My mother had a chest-rattling cough. It was like she was drowning within her own body. And there was no one who would help. Just when it seemed my mother was going to breathe her last, I smelled smoke and came running out of the house to find several villagers out front. They’d set the house on fire. One of the women looked angry, and threw a rock at me when I came out. She had the same skin infection I’d seen on my parents earlier.”
Evidence that his mother had slept with the other woman’s partner?
“How old were you?” It felt like tethers of warmth and intimacy were pulling us together as we walked. I couldn’t believe he was sharing this much.
“Nine. I tried to run back in to save my mother, but she was already gone. I wanted to save my father’s work. He’d done excellent work, but the fire was spreading. There was nothing I could do. I saved one small carving.” He frowned as though there was more, but he seemed to shake it off. There was something he didn’t want to share. I didn’t blame him. Here I was being a big nosy one.
“So how did the king save your life?”
“I had no home. Nowhere to go. I had it in mind that I would go to my grandparent’s house, but got lost in the woods for several days. Eventually, Ral’e found me near to death. He and his men had been on a hunting raid, and he took me back to the palace. I trained with the men, learned the ways of being a warrior for many years until the king blessed me with my weapon.”
The roar of the river caught my attention as I found my plant samples that I’d dropped. An energy buzz gave me goose bumps, and I looked around sharply. Carlos? Was this something having to do with him? It felt like him. The river seemed impossibly loud in my mind. The buzz was making the hair rise on the back of my neck. A chill wracked my frame. It gave me the feeling of urgency. I walked toward Tabron again. “Actually, I was wondering if there was a way down to the river.”
“You want to go to the river?” Tabron looked surprised.
“Would that be possible? Is there a way?”
“There’s a way. But you’ll need to get up on the back of my horse.”
I looked at the horse with some reservation.
“I won’t let you fall, Ceci.” His deep voice warmed me from the inside.
My butt was still sore from landing on it, but I couldn’t let Carlos down. Tabron’s head cocked, his expression turning hard, which I didn’t understand. He’d been so relaxed and even laughing with me just moments before.
“What is it?”
But his eyes were frosty. “Nothing. Let’s go. It’ll take some time to get to the bottom.”
Was it something I said? For some reason, it really bothered me that he was closing me out again when he’d just shared some really personal information with me.
After helping me mount his huge black horse, he got up behind me. The horse pranced with the strange new load on its back. Tabron quieted him. Pulling me tight against his chest, and holding on to a part of the saddle in front of me, we loped along the meadow for several miles.
The countryside was beautiful. It could have been Napa Valley if there were fields of grape vines. Soft yellow grasses edged the forest, and what I assumed was the gorge, since I could still hear the sound of moving water. Tabron’s large hand splayed over my abdomen, doing funny things to my breathing again. His thumb was nearly touching the underside of my breasts, and they were going all full and achy. His muscular thighs seemed to cup my legs and bottom, and that unbidden image came back to my mind. The two of us were naked, skin-to-skin on the bed in my apartment on Earth.
I thought I heard a sharp intake of breath, and looked back at Tabron. His jaw was tense and his eyes looked ahead, the scenery reflected in their bright depths, but there was a mild flush high on his whiskered cheeks.
“How much do you see from my thoughts?”
His fingers flexed against my abdomen. “Enough.”
Which didn’t tell me anything.
“We cut in here,” he said gruffly, his lips pressed to my ear. Shivery tickles fluttered down my neck.
We went into the trees along a well-worn path, slowing down to take the narrow passage carefully. Instead of the sharp cliffs, we’d descended to hills that were only a few hundred feet above the water. Before long, we were at the edge of the forest where it kissed the last descent. Tabron stopped and got down before reaching up to help me.
“We walk from here,” he stated. After tying the horse to a tree, I followed him down the gentle slope, and to my delight, found a magical vista. A wide stream, the sound of a waterfall and a lake downstream where the water dumped out crystalline blue. It was unbelievably gorgeous. It looked fresh and clean, so far from the horror of the village. With a cry of delight, I rushed to the edge, reaching down to feel the temperature. Cold. Beautiful. Just what I would have experienced at Yosemite. The buzzing feeling was gone, and that was a weird change. Looking around, I didn’t see anything strange, but this was where I needed to be, for some reason.
“Is this what you were looking for?”
“Yes.” My grin popped up as I sat on one of the dry rocks to take off my shoes and socks, and roll up my pant legs.
“What are you doing?” he asked curiously.
“Going wading.” I stuffed my socks into my shoes, set them up on another rock and made my way down to the water. It was cold, but refreshing. Tabron remained on the bank, a bemused look on his face, so I asked, “You don’t want to get in?”
“No.” He looked up the river and down.
“Big baby.” I splashed water at him, and the dream came to me then. Hadn’t I called him that before? Then we’d had a hot make-out session. His gaze narrowed on me with his own memory of it, and the same wicked grin curled his lips. My eyes widened innocently. It was time for more play.
“Careful, Beauty. You might get more than you bargained for.”
“Is that right, Viking?” Very deliberately, I reached down and splashed him with more water. Droplets caught his face, more than I’d meant to throw. My hand flew to my lips with comedic surprise. “Oh! I’m so sorry.”
“You will be.” It was said mildly enough, but the predatory look in his eyes made my stomach clench with excitement, then he was on his feet, jumping across the rocks. He leaned down to splash me in retaliation.<
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Realizing his intent, I gave a startled cry and whirled around to get the rest of the way across the river on the rocks, but not before I got caught with a cascade of water. Spurred by the thrill of the chase, I’d only taken a few steps when he scooped me up and tossed me over his shoulder, jogging the rest of the way across the rocks. When we reached the other side, he set me down, crowding me against a rock embankment on the opposite side. I couldn’t help wearing a silly grin. His own delicious lips were curled, but his eyes dipped and became fixed on my shirt. When I looked down, I saw the material was wet and my nipples had puckered.
I gazed up into his face with anticipation, wondering what was going to happen next. His eyes came back to mine, going dark with need.
“Tabron?” His name was a whisper on my lips. It was like I could get lost in his eyes.
“Did you tell me the truth at the restaurant? You have no partner?”
This was somehow an important moment. I was caught by his gaze. “There’s no one.”
I hunger for you.
Touch me. Please.
My heart pounded with the knowledge that he needed me like I needed him. I watched his lips descend. They slanted against mine, holding me there against the rock and making me feel things I didn’t know I could feel. He felt so strong, so solid.
“Open for me,” he whispered, and I welcomed the velvet heat of his invasion. I ran my hands down his back, loving the feel of his contracting muscles through his shirt.
His groan was guttural and he lifted his head to push his hips into mine, sliding hands over my ass, fitting so perfectly, squeezing and grinding, making it that much hotter, more perfectly aligned. His thigh fit perfectly between mine. The steel length of his arousal pressed to my lower abdomen, and I cradled it, rubbing tantalizingly against it. Heat moistened my core.
“You drive me insane,” Tabron growled.
“Touch me.” I whispered feverishly. “Your hands feel so good.”
“I’ll make you feel good,” he promised darkly. He took my neck in an openmouthed kiss while his hands moved up my ribcage and cupped my breasts through the soft material of my T-shirt.
“Yes!” I hissed. His thumbs found the hard, puckered points and more heat struck my sex with the speed and heat of lightning. I gasped and moaned, running my hands over his shoulders to tangle in his long hair.
“I want to see you,” he commanded, pulling the hem up. Underneath I was wearing a lacy black bra I’d worn to the party, a demi-cup that pushed my breasts up invitingly. His look was one of worship. “Ceci, I could look at you forever.” His large thumb ran over my nipple and I arched into him. On the next touch, his thumb slid under the lacy material and pulled my nipple free, pinching at it, rubbing his thumb back and forth.
“Oh, yes!” The heat was growing so intense, I wanted to follow it.
“You like that, Beauty?”
“I do.”
He paused suddenly and pulled back. In my own haze of desire, I didn’t know why he was doing that. “What?”
“I heard something.” He pulled my T-shirt down over my breasts in a proprietary manner before pulling away.
“You did? What?”
“I’m not sure. Something. Someone. Wait here.”
My breathing was still erratic, the flush radiating off my face. I did my best to regain control while trying to look around at my surroundings. Tabron was looking downstream, his dagger in his hand. I couldn’t see anything or hear anything at first.
The buzz suddenly slammed my body. Hard. I gasped, holding my stomach, and Tabron looked at me with alarm. “What is it?”
I looked upriver. It was coming from there. “I’m not sure. I-I think someone’s th-there.” There was a bend in the river.
Tabron jumped across the rocks to get to the far bank for a better look. He moved cautiously, watching the embankments as well as the river. The energy thrumming within my body didn’t feel dangerous, but then, I didn’t know this place. Who could Carlos need me to save here? Dr. Sandburg? And maybe Tabron wasn’t supposed to go, but me. I started slowly moving upriver to see what lay ahead. I hugged the side of the rock embankment, carefully balancing on the rocks with my bare feet.
Seeing what I was doing, Tabron gave me a deadly look, clearly telling me to go back. I shook my head. Besides, what if it was a dangerous situation. I couldn’t just let him get attacked or hurt.
There was a groan. We both looked farther upriver. Someone was there. Hurt. Tabron seemed to spot him. He took off at a run, disappearing around the bend in the river, still holding his dagger in hand. I followed more slowly. When he came into view again, he was bent over a form in the river.
“Who’s there?” I called.
“Come.” He looked up at me with concern.
Still barefoot and not wanting to fall into the fast-moving water, I picked my way over the rocks as quickly as I could until I was nearing Tabron. Almost blue with cold, someone’s thin arms had hooked around a large rock. The boy couldn’t have been more than a young teenager. Then his eyes opened. I saw Carlos’s eyes there.
The familiar dual feelings of calm and excitement settled over me, and I fell back into being a trauma ward doctor.
“Get him out of the water,” I instructed quickly. “He’s losing his body heat. We need to warm him up.”
“No...” The boy’s tone was weak. He was shivering. “So hot...”
Tabron looked at me with questioning eyes.
“He’s probably got a fever. We need to figure out why. Quick. Set him over here.”
The boy cried out sharply when Tabron carefully lifted him, and by the time he’d been placed on the sandy soil, he’d passed out. With gentle fingers, I opened one of his lids to check for responsiveness, which was there. I sorely wished my tools were with me, but managed to find his pulse in his neck. It seemed steady, though a bit slow. His breathing appeared shallow. He couldn’t be getting the oxygen that he needed. Resting a hand over his forehead, I could confirm that he was burning up.
“Take his shirt off.”
Tabron helped me pull his tunic over his chest, and the sight and smell of his skin almost gagged me. I pulled away sharply, turning my face away to gain a lungful of fresh air. The smell was so strong, trapped under his clothing. I pulled my T-shirt over my nose.
“Don’t breathe it in.”
“What happened?” Tabron covered his own nose with his tunic.
“Chemical burn. I can smell the chemical. It’s stinging my throat.” Angry red blisters covered his chest and neck. Puss had hardened, caking over the skin. Infection had set in, turning parts of his injury a reddish-purple, and he was so swollen. I hesitated to touch him. It would do us no good if I was also burned. Damn it! I needed gloves!
“Don’t touch him. We don’t know what the chemical is,” I warned. “We need to get him back to the palace. I have a respirator, an IV. God, I hope I have some fluids to hydrate him. Let’s get his shirt back down.”
The pain was immense. Rousing his delirium as he was being picked up, he cried pitifully, hoarse cries. “It hurts!”
“I know it does. We need to make you better.”
It was a relief when he finally passed out again.
“I’ll ride with him, you follow on Sondra.”
“All right.”
The ride seemed like it took ages. What had previously been a beautiful day now seemed to have taken on a sinister feel, like there was a ticking clock with a bomb attached to it. Carlos wanted me to take care of this kid, and I couldn’t let him down, but what did I have to work with? Practically nothing! I wasn’t equipped to handle what might be wrong with this kid!
“We’re almost there,” Tabron called back to me.
And we were. I could see the palace in the distance. Still, it was another five m
inutes before we were riding up to the courtyard. Standing at the gate was none other than Draxton.
“What have you got there?”
“Move aside, this is a medical emergency,” I snapped.
He looked up at Tabron. “You know the king doesn’t allow them into the palace.”
“Ceci? Who’s there?” It was Raseen. She’d been talking with Sayla, who was sitting on her front porch.
“A boy is badly injured.”
“Take him to the healing room!”
With relief, we rode to the corner building and rushed the boy inside. Just as we were laying him down, he opened his Carlos eyes and whispered, “P-please h-help me. It h-hurts.”
Chapter Twelve
“I’ll get a couple of blankets.” Raseen ran out of the building after we set the boy on the exam table.
“I’ll get the horses back to the stable,” Tabron stood, and I followed him out the door. “I’ll be back to help you as quickly as I can.”
“Please.” I nodded. The urgency of the moment was weighing on me. I needed more medical supplies, but didn’t want to leave the boy alone.
“Can I help?”
Standing a few feet away, was a woman I hadn’t even noticed. She was tall and slender with a classically beautiful face and platinum hair. Though she was wearing the same clothing as everyone else, and she appeared to be as dirty, somehow, she looked different. She looked...healthy, which stood out in this town.
“I don’t want to get in your way,” she stated quickly, her face serious, “but it looks like you could use another set of hands.”
“What is your name?”
“Cynthia.”
“Well, Cynthia, if you could stay with the boy while I go grab my medical supplies, I’d be entirely grateful.”
“I can do that.”
“Do not touch him. I’m not sure what happened to him, and I don’t need two patients on my hands.”
“I understand. What should I do?”
“Just talk to him. He might not appear to be lucid, but he can likely still hear you. Raseen will be back with a few blankets, but wait for me to bring gloves before you try to move him.”