by Anna Kashina
Mai’s shoulders went still, forcing her to an abrupt stop. Yet, he did not turn around as he spoke. “You may put away your weapon, Aghat. Unless, of course, you’re here to kill me.”
She relaxed and lowered the weapon to her side, but did not sheath it. “You know I have no intention of harming you, Aghat Mai.”
He slowly turned around to face her. His eyes gleamed with mischief.
“I didn’t think so. Why don’t you come and sit by the fire, then? I am guessing you must have had a strenuous trip.”
Kara still held her weapon out as she approached and settled on the other side of the fire, keeping a clear distance.
“Thank you, Aghat,” she said. “But my trip was actually quite relaxing. By the way,” she took out the horseshoe, “I think I found something that belongs to you.”
His eyes darted to the shoe and back to her face. He didn’t reach out to take it.
“I assume there’s a price to pay for it,” he said.
“Yes. Your promise to take me along.”
He sighed. “We’ve been over this, Aghat. The price is too high, and you know it.”
Kara shrugged. “Have it your way.” She put the shoe back into her pack. “It’s quite a ride from here to Middledale,” she went on, “but it takes a lot longer on foot. I think I’ll just ride ahead and warn them of your arrival before continuing on to the Majat Guild.” She glanced at the sky. “In fact, it’s not that late. I think I still have a few hours of travel ahead of me.”
He leaned back, the disbelief in his gaze mixing with amusement. “Where’s your horse, Aghat?”
She smiled. “Close enough to mount it at very short notice.” She raised her weapon just a bit, to make sure he didn’t think of anything foolish.
Mai’s shoulders shook with silent laughter. “You certainly know how to bargain, don’t you?” He reached forward and held out a hand. “I’ll take the horseshoe, thanks.”
She held his gaze. “You do promise you won’t try to disable me or run away from me?”
“Do I have a choice?”
“None.”
“I thought so.”
She waited, holding the shoe just out of reach.
He sighed, glancing at her wearily. “I promise. You don’t think I’d try a cheap trick like that, do you?”
She didn’t respond as she handed him the horseshoe. He took it out of her hand and examined it. It was badly cracked, but she knew it could be fitted to the hoof to enable him to ride, at least as far as Middledale.
Kara sheathed her weapon and took off her pack, settling by the fire across from him. She helped herself to some of the tea from the kettle. It was too bitter, by the taste of it brewed some time ago and kept over the fire too long. She gulped it down anyway, then took out two food rations and offered him one.
He shook his head. “I already ate, thanks. Besides, I wouldn’t dream of depleting your supplies.”
She smiled. “We’re traveling together now, remember? We can share.”
He threw her another amused glance before returning back to his work on the horseshoe.
“You are quite something, aren’t you?” he asked at length.
Kara smiled, stretching out her legs. It felt good to relax her tired muscles after the last few days of crazy riding.
“I try to be.”
He raised his face to her. “Is there anything I can do to convince you to reconsider?”
She shook her head. “No. The only thing that would convince me is reading Master Oden Lan’s letter and seeing with my own eyes that you have been recalled to the Guild for a reason unrelated to me.”
For a brief moment his face lost its amused expression. His hand darted into the opening of his shirt to shove something deeper into the inner pocket. She caught a glimpse of the folded parchment, feeling a chill run down her spine. His expression told her so much more than words ever could. And now, she absolutely had to see what was in that letter and to understand how bad things really were for her and Mai.
She finished her ration, then walked over to the edge of the glade and whistled through her teeth. After a short moment, her horse appeared from the direction of the brook. She patted it and took time to unsaddle and brush it, then brought her saddle and bedroll to the fireside.
Mai was already lying down on the other side of the fire. As Kara settled down, he slowly relaxed into his bedroll.
“Good night,” he said and closed his eyes.
She sat for a while watching him. After a few minutes his breath became even, indicating that he was asleep. She waited a while, then got up to her feet and crept over to him. She used extra stealth to move smoothly, so that she would be all but invisible against the flickering firelight. As she approached, she filled herself with inner stillness to prevent him from sensing her presence, and leaned over, looking at his outstretched shape.
The night was warm and he had no cover over him. His shirt, open down the front, revealed the upper part of his lean, muscular chest with a small star-shaped scar at its center. From this angle she could no longer see the parchment he had tucked inside, but she knew it was there, stashed into the deep inner pocket. If she could just reach in there without waking him up–
She paused, looking down on him. He appeared fast asleep, his breath even, his body completely relaxed. His staff lay next to his hand, his long fingers resting over its black polished wood. If he woke up, he would be ready to instantly spring into action. But there was no reason to wake him. She was certain she could do what she needed without disturbing him, if she was careful enough.
She crouched next to him, so that her body was parallel to his, weight spread along the ground. Supporting herself on one hand, so that she could stay in position without making any excessive movements, she carefully reached into the opening of his shirt. She moved slowly, so as not to disturb any of its silky folds as she reached further inside to the secret pocket against his body.
She sensed a barely perceptible twitch of muscle and froze. She stayed still, but there was no more movement from him, his breath as even as before. After a long moment she dared a look.
He hadn’t changed his position, but his eyes were now open, looking at her with a mocking expression – alert, as if he had never even been asleep.
“Sorry,” he said. “I was trying not to disturb you, but I just couldn’t help it. It was too much for a man to bear.”
There was laughter in his eyes as he slowly and deliberately ran his gaze down her crouched shape, making her painfully aware of the awkward position she was in. She knew he was purposely trying to get her off balance, but she still couldn’t help blushing.
She tried to ignore it and kept very still, watching him. She knew she couldn’t move. With the twisted position she had gotten herself into, she was completely in his power. He could break her wrist inside the shirt before she had time to get it out of his reach. To withdraw her hand, she had to be sure he was going to let her do it.
He seemed to be in no hurry as he continued to watch her with a disconcerting look. His eyes became dreamy, but they also held mischief that kept her in check.
“When I agreed to travel together,” he said, “I had no idea we were going to have such a good time.”
She held still. Their faces were so close that she could smell his skin, a faint fresh scent of mountain pine. He moved his eyes down her body with a slow, appraising look as if he were actually able to see through her clothes. She struggled to stay calm and keep the blush away, but it was just too hard.
He made sure she was fully aware of the way he looked at her, before he finally relaxed back into his sleeping cot.
“You can take your hand out,” he said. “I’m not going to touch you. I have to say, though, that I’d much rather you continued with what you were doing. It feels so good.”
She forced the blush away as she slowly pulled out her hand and sat back on her heels, looking down at him. Her shoulder was stiff, but she wasn’t about to show
it. His mocking gaze continued to scrutinize her, making her feel too exposed. She knew he was doing it on purpose, and she was not going to give in to it.
“Where is the letter?” she asked slowly.
He shifted to a more comfortable position.
“Now, Aghat,” he said, “you don’t expect I would keep it where you saw me put it? That would be almost as foolish as thinking you could sneak up on me like this.”
“Where is it?” she insisted.
He ran a slow, deliberate glance down his own outstretched body, and looked back to her face, his intense gaze holding an unsettling mixture of seriousness and mischief. She knew what he was doing, but it was difficult to resist. She felt the annoying blush creep back into her cheeks as she forced herself to keep his gaze.
“Why don’t you search me?” he suggested. “There’re a lot of places you could check which are even better than the inside of my shirt. Just make sure you don’t miss any.”
She didn’t want to look, but her eyes moved on their own accord down his body, sprawled in front of her with a lazy grace that she knew could turn into action in the blink of an eye. She fought a blush, hating herself for allowing him to get her disconcerted so easily, just by looking at her. But, if he was playing these games with her, she was going to pay him back with the same coin. She forced her eyes back to his face, giving him her best innocent look.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “It was indeed foolish, to think that I could sneak up on you, Aghat. I just… I really wanted to see the letter.”
She put sincerity into her voice as she said these words, letting her gaze drop down to the ground and slowly rise back to his face in a look that she knew made her seem childish and vulnerable.
He seemed to have bought it. His gaze softened and his face slowly lost its mocking expression.
“Why don’t we just forget it?” he suggested. “It’s late. I’m sure you can hold your curiosity until morning, can’t you?”
She nodded and turned to get up to her feet, but kept her eyes lowered, watching him out of the corner of her eye. When his gaze moved away and his body relaxed, she spun around with the speed that made the air around her whistle, aiming her fingers at the two spots at the base of his neck, right above the collarbones.
His shape blurred as he shifted out of the way, her fingers landing harmlessly off the pressure points. His hands flew up and caught her by the wrists. She twisted out of the hold, but he grabbed her again, throwing her over his head and landing on top with all his weight. She gasped, struggling to recover her breath as he pinned her down to the ground, holding her wrists away from her body.
“Don’t you ever give up?” he asked.
She didn’t respond, relaxing against his hold so that she didn’t have to spend unnecessary strength. He was bigger and heavier, and he spread his weight over her in a way that made it difficult to move. She paused for a few breaths, forcing herself to relax so that she offered no resistance at all as he held her down. After a moment she sensed his grip weaken. She concentrated. Letting her strength carry her, she charged, her body turning from a completely relaxed state into a ball of muscle in a split moment. She kicked her legs up to dislodge his weight and pushed off with her feet to twist sideways out of his grip. As he moved to match, she flung her body the other way, sliding through the resulting gap. He reacted, but she was faster this time. She tossed her weight sideways against him, forcing him to spin over, and went for his neck again, a left-handed blow that whizzed through the air with the speed of an arrow. He parried, but his block wavered, unprepared for the strength of the attack. She went for the gap and he fought back. As they rolled over, he tried to pin her down with his weight again, but she twisted out of the hold and threw him sideways, landing on top.
They stayed in that position for a long moment, breathing heavily. She balanced her weight over him, pinning his arms down just above the elbows, with his hands locked over her wrists. She felt the play of his muscles under her and braced herself, trying to anticipate his next move. But he showed no intention of throwing her off. Instead, he slowly released his grip and dropped his hands away. She held on, suspecting a trap, but he relaxed, spreading his arms out and laying back against the ground. His chest heaved as he steadied his breath and she felt the tension released throughout his body, pinned underneath her.
She was glad for the break as she stayed on top of him, changing her grip to hold him by the wrists, leaning over him so that she could catch her own breath. Her hands still felt numb from his earlier grasp, tingling as feeling slowly returned to her fingers.
She looked down at him. His shirt had opened wider from the fight, the sculpted muscle of his chest so impressive even in his relaxed state. Seeing him at this angle made her feel too aware of his body against hers. She knew it was the wrong thing to focus on in a fight, but it was so hard to forget the way he had looked at her earlier, his bold gaze reaching under her clothes. She clenched her teeth, angry at herself for falling for such a simple trick. Men had tried this on her before, but it had never worked. There was no reason it should be any different now, however good he was at this tactic.
The position they were in was awkward. He showed no intention of continuing the fight, and yet she couldn’t afford to let go. If he used the gap to spring into action again, she would be in trouble. He was bigger, and he would definitely try to use his weight against her, just like before. She had to save her strength to counter it. She balanced her weight on top of him, enjoying a short rest and trying to force her thoughts away from how close their bodies were, every inch of his muscle toned against hers.
She waited for another long moment, but nothing happened. Finally, she glanced at his face.
His blue-gray eyes held none of the mockery he had showed before. He looked at her with a mix of fascination and longing, so intense that she shivered. As she made contact, she could no longer turn away.
Her mind screamed caution. Was this a trick? Or did he just show her a possibility she had never considered before?
And why did she suddenly feel so tempted to believe it?
Her tired arms didn’t want to hold her anymore. She needed rest, and she tried to tell herself that was all it was as she leaned down into his chest until his face was mere inches away. His gaze trapped her, the promise in his eyes so overwhelming that she felt her head spin. Was she imagining it?
Was he trying to trick her?
She turned up her face. Inadvertently, her lips brushed against his. Dear Shal Addim, I didn’t realize we were so close. She shivered, dizzy with his barely perceptible smell of pine, with the way he looked at her, with the feeling of his body toned against hers. His lips. Did I do it on purpose? Or did he? It didn’t seem to matter anymore. Even if it was a trick, she no longer cared. The pull was so strong that she couldn’t possibly resist it.
Her mind retreated as she leaned down and kissed him.
His arms closed over her, moving against her back in a slow, powerful caress. She shuddered and drew deeper into his embrace, strong enough to break every bone in her body if she didn’t match it with the strength of her own.
It was a violent feeling of passion beyond control that came out of nowhere and crept up on them unawares. They struggled in each other’s arms, hovering on the border between roughness and tenderness. It was fierce, but after a while it no longer seemed enough. They broke apart to pull off their clothes, so that nothing could possibly be in their way. She got on top of him and he drew her into his arms. She grasped him, drunk with the warmth of his smooth skin against hers, with the way his body yielded to her touch until there was nothing left between them.
He was so strong it was frightening, a lethal fighter at the edge of control, and this thrill of danger drove her on, making it impossible to hold anything back. She moved on top of him until she found his hardness below and opened up to let him inside. She shivered as he entered her, digging her fingers into his skin, arching her back so that he could go in deeper.
A moan escaped through her clenched teeth and her head fell backward, letting it out.
His hands lifted her as if she were weightless. He shifted her and rolled over, so that he was now on top, thrusting into her. She wrapped her legs around him, urging him on.
The world around them was slowly collapsing, leaving nothing but his body moving against hers, his strength that made this wild passion seem breathtaking, like a fight, an ultimate form of closeness that transcended life and death in its perfect balance. He was like her, an unmatched warrior, a lover whose passion was the essence of his incredible skill. She sensed him as if he were a part of her, every move, every beat, every thrust that left her gasping for more until she was breathless, and beyond, into a void that left her disoriented. She shuddered in his arms, but his hold was steady until, in a last thrust, he released all of his strength into her. She gasped and screamed, grabbing on, her fingers digging into his flesh, their bodies intertwined so much that they felt like one.
The world shivered and went still around them. There was nothing left.
He lifted her against him, rolling onto his back and easing her on top. She relaxed over him, unable to move or even fully understand where she was. His arms enfolded her, gentle and tender as he held her close against his chest, his warmth easing her shivering as she clung to him with the last of her weakening senses.
She didn’t remember how long it was before she was able to move again, to lift herself up just enough so that she could see his eyes, the deep tenderness in his gaze making her breath catch in her throat.
This wasn’t supposed to happen. It went against their entire training and who they were.
And yet – it felt so right.
She lifted up higher against his chest so that she could look him full in the face.
“What just happened?” she whispered.
“Something worth dying for,” he said quietly.
She looked at him for a moment longer, then relaxed against his body. She felt so weak that it seemed that she needed his strength next to her just so that she could keep on breathing. He put his arms around her, holding her and gently stroking her hair.
