Elenya’s body tensed as a familiar tingle engulfed her, making her forget all about the contents of the note. She turned to look at him with the realization of just how quickly breathing became difficult in his presence. “Yes,” she answered on a whisper, already sliding to the edge of the chair so she could rise. Tahruk stood and offered assistance with a hand beneath her elbow. He pulled her close to his side as soon as she gained her balance.
Redahn snorted and reached for the abandoned note only to have Tahruk grab it before he could get ahold of it. “All in good time, Brother. All in good time.” Tahruk laughed turning back to Elenya.
“You’d better consult with your elders to make sure the rest you have in mind is okay for a lady in her condition,” Redahn called after them.
“Is it not okay?” Elenya could be heard asking as they walked out of the garden.
“It’ll be okay,” Tahruk assured her.
Redahn’s laughter echoed through the halls after them.
“I’ll need to go by Nema’s chambers to collect some of my possessions, my lord. We can ask her then,” Elenya told him, fighting to concentrate with the feel of his fingers stroking her neck and shoulder. “I can do that later.” She gasped when he began to trace the line of her collarbone.
“I’ve already taken the liberty of moving your possessions back to our chambers,” he whispered when he leaned in to kiss the delicate flesh behind her ear. “Nema reluctantly released you to my care in exchange for my father. She’ll have him close by in case he needs anything, though I believe his wounds are more superficial. But, do tell me, Little One. Why did you move in the first place?”
She turned to him just outside the door to their chambers. “I collapsed by the harbor the day you left and awakened in Nema’s chambers. She suggested I stay, and I wasn’t opposed.”
Tahruk had already folded her in his arms and was removing the pins from her hair, brushing his fingers through the length of her thick, reddish tresses. “Were you unwell then?” he paused to ask.
Elenya smiled, her jutting belly bumping into him. “Not exactly. It seems your child merely wanted to make his or her presence known.”
They both laughed before he kissed her quickly and pushed them through the main door of their chambers.
“Besides, the thought of being alone in this place, without you, was more than I could bear,” she told him, caressing his face. “Without you, they were just empty rooms that reminded me of the emptiness in my heart that only you can fill.”
Tahruk wasted no time in crushing her to him, his mouth covering hers as his hands molded her to him as much as possible. Without thought to whether it truly was okay, he easily scooped her up in his arms and carried her to the bedchamber where their child had been conceived, a place that would always be a reminder of the love that had hastened to bloom between the two unlikely lovers.
Chapter 32
Elenya swiped at the hand that attempted to wake her, unappreciative of the gentle shaking of her body. She was dreaming her warrior had returned, that they had made the most beautiful love a couple could imagine, and she didn’t relish the idea of waking to an empty bed and aching heart. The warm lips that pressed against her bared shoulder and the gentle hand that swept down her body had her awake instantly, however. She sat up too quickly, then clutched at her side as a cramping pain ripped through her, forcing her back onto the mattress. She breathed through it, though the horror stricken warrior – a man who had seen much worse on the battlefields without ever flinching – hovered over her until the pain subsided and she was able to assure him she was okay.
“I have much to learn about women and babies, I’m afraid,” he told her. Elenya nodded and attempted to pull the covers back over her only to have him pull them away. “We have to hurry, Little One. Special guests are coming to dinner and we are already late.”
She remembered the note and realized the requests from these guests to join them must have been inside. “Who’s coming?” she asked, already beginning to twist her hair up.
Tahruk smiled and she blushed when she realized he was watching her move, unhindered by clothing, about the room. “I enjoy this more confident side of you, my lady,” he told her moving to stand behind her, his arms wrapped around her caressing her bulging midriff. “You are too beautiful for timidity.”
“Oh, my lord. If you keep this up, I will be unable to attend dinner. Then what will your special guests think?”
Laughing, he spun her around. “They will be disappointed, no doubt.” He tapped her on the nose before turning away. “As will you.”
Elenya frowned at his back. “Will you not at least give me a hint?”
Tahruk chuckled. “Get dressed, quickly, and you will know!”
Elenya sighed and then shrugged her shoulders before turning her attention to doing exactly as Tahruk bid. Redahn had been right. Spending time in her warrior’s arms had relaxed her too much to even muster the strength to spar with him. She smiled as she slipped through the door of the room that housed her belongings. She’d almost forgotten how beautifully her warrior had decorated her rooms, even before he knew her. Her smile broadened. Perhaps he had known her. After all, they shared a bond of shared blood that was unbreakable. She truly had been his since she was three years old.
Pulling up short, her smile fell. For the first time, Elenya understood how the marking was supposed to work. It was meant for more than just creating a breeding frenzy when the marked women came of age. It was supposed to forge an unbreakable bond, creating a true union as the two became one through the sharing of blood as well as body. Perhaps it wasn’t the marking that was wrong, necessarily. Maybe it was more the way the couples were brought together. It was something she’d have to think more about.
Chapter 33
Elenya cursed the hormonal mood swings that seemed to be growing worse every day. She was thankful to be all smiles again when she finally noticed Tahruk leaning against the door jamb watching her. She suppressed a shiver, standing tall as his appreciative gaze traveled down her body, not unlike his hands had earlier. Even in their made up stories of the handsome warrior, never had Elenya imagined loving a man could be as beautiful and fulfilling as what she’d experienced with Tahruk. She laughed as she went to him and slipped her arms up and around his neck, pulling his face toward hers.
“You are so much more than the man I dreamed of for so many years,” she whispered before brushing his lips with hers. She pulled back, confused, when she felt his mouth turn down.
“You had feelings for another?” He quirked a dark brow.
Elenya laughed. “No, my lord.” Thoughts of Shemek tried to push in but she refused them. “Only of the man I imagined I had been marked for.”
“Good,” he told her, cradling her face in his hands. “I do not like the idea of your heart beating for anyone but me.” He kissed her gently then took her hand. “Come, Little One. Our guests await. I’m surprised my mother hasn’t already sent someone to fetch us.”
Elenya nodded. “As am I.” She laughed. The months of the men’s absence had allowed her the chance to get to know her chosen’s mother much better. In that way, she was glad for the time. It didn’t seem quite as unbearable as it had actually been now that her warrior was home. She hugged his arm, occasionally kissing the firm bicep beneath his shirt as they walked toward the dining hall. It wasn’t until the voices that floated from inside hit her ears that she nearly forgot the man at her side. She stopped, a look of confusion filling eyes suddenly clouded with tears.
“You’re not wrong,” Tahruk whispered to her. He smiled watching her pull in a shaky breath. “Go on in. He’s anxious to see you.”
Elenya nodded and hesitated just a moment before moving toward the door. She glanced down at her body then back at Tahruk.
He chuckled and added, “I think he’s rather expecting, or at least hopeful, for a noticeable change in your form.”
“Thank you,” Elenya whispered before allowing hersel
f to be pushed into the dining hall where the large group was already seated at the table.
It only took a moment for the hall’s occupants to register the couple’s presence and all the men stood, though Elenya only saw one. Her shallow breaths must have concerned Tahruk because he was suddenly holding her tightly to his side. “Papa,” she whispered, the tears coursing unhindered down her cheeks, especially as she watched him working to move away from his seat at the table. She swallowed hard, still unable to move as he hobbled from Neria’s normal spot. It wasn’t until he had cleared the other side of the table that Elenya broke free and ran to him, cautiously throwing herself into his opened arms.
She continued to whisper his name, their arms locked about one another there in the middle of the dining hall. She could feel him kissing the top of her head. His hand stroked down her back, soothing her much as he had when she was a child.
“Let me look at you, my daughter.” He pushed her back and smiled down at her through misted blue-green eyes. He dropped a hand to rest with affection on her rounded belly. “All is well?” he whispered.
“Of course, Papa. They have been wonderful.” She glanced over her shoulder at Tahruk, who stood a respectable distance back. Elenya held out a hand toward him. “I take it you have already met my husband,” she stated, feeling a bit giddy at the words. Both men nodded and clasped outstretched arms before Tahruk took Elenya’s offered hand.
“Your chosen is quite the sight to behold on the battlefield, my daughter,” Madrik Avenille told her as they moved back to the table.
“So I have been told.” She suppressed a frown when she looked at Shemek standing behind the chair next to hers waiting for her to be seated. “You shall have to tell me all about these mighty battles at a more appropriate time, Papa.” She wished it had been him beside her so she could take hold of his hand as she wanted to. Always proper, her father had been seated at Renaine’s right hand, Neria next to him, and the rest of the table as it usually was. That put Shemek, a special guest, though not as revered as the eldest son, next to her and directly across from Redahn who seemed somehow aware of Elenya’s momentary discomfort. He raised his brows, his eyes moving from Shemek to his brother before settling back on her. How she wanted to wipe the sardonic grin from his face!
“Though talk of battle is best left far away from delicate ears, I must say everyone displayed magnificently during this particular trial.”
Elenya looked at Renaine when he spoke. She’d almost forgotten he’d sustained injuries as well.
“I was most troubled to hear of your injuries, my lord,” she told him, though he quickly waved away her concern. Inwardly, Elenya smiled. Renaine was too much of a growly bear to allow others to know the full impact being injured had made. “I’m pleased to see you looking quite well, though if you will indulge me this talk just this once, I would like to know what happened to my father.” She watched the look that passed between Madrik Avenille and the warrior by her side. She raised her brows when no one answered.
“If you must know now, he was injured after we left to rescue Travensworth.” Tahruk explained in brief, clipped sentences of the smaller troop fighting their way to the settlement where Corigan’s King was held up, leaving out details that would have been considered too much for the company of women and a dinner table.
“Your lord helped care for my leg, Elenya,” Madrik told her. “Had it not been for him and King Travensworth’s … friend, I’m sure I would have lost my leg to the infection. Thankfully the woman knew the land and the treasures it held along with their healing effects.” He locked eyes with Tahruk. “I am forever and eternally grateful to you for much.” He glanced at Elenya then back at the younger warrior.
Tahruk gave a short nod and a quiet answer. “As am I,” he told Elenya’s father.
Elenya’s pride swelled. First Tahruk had saved Shemek, or so the older warrior at the infirmary had said. Then he’d nursed her father back to health. He was a true gentleman, if anyone was.
She looked around at the table’s occupants. Nema seemed more at ease than she had in a very long time, as did Neria who had begun to graciously engage her father in conversation. Redahn and Shemek talked of upcoming training sessions while Tahruk and his father discussed Corigan. For the moment, the members of the Sharanis family were all back in their element.
Even the baby seemed more settled, perhaps due in part to the warm hand that rested against Elenya’s belly beneath the table. She smiled at her warrior, her small hand covering his as she leaned her head against his arm. Even the discomfort of being wedged between the only two men who had ever caused her heart to stir fled at her refusal to let it dampen her sense of belonging or lighten the mood that would carry her through a night in the arms of the man who completed her - spirit, soul, and body.
Chapter 34
Elenya’s spirits plummeted the following morning when she realized just how little time she would have with her father before he went home. She didn’t begrudge him wanting to get back to fully recover and to see her mother and sisters. Still, her heart was already heavy again with missing him, especially when she learned the Petit Cadeau was preparing to leave harbor the next day to return the Aleone warriors to familiar shores.
“Will Shemek go with you?” she asked, almost hopeful her father would nod his head. Shemek had been quite instrumental in aiding in the acquisition of the information that freed the men to return home in the final leg of the battle which meant he would be welcomed at Zanak anytime. Though she’d handled his presence at the family dinner quite well, having him around too much would prove taxing, especially as the time for the baby’s birth came closer. She sighed.
Madrik patted his daughter’s hand, then held it. “I’m afraid Shemek plans to return to Aleone,” he told her, obviously misunderstanding her sigh. “I know you must feel alone here at times, especially this family…”
She shook her head. “No, Papa. It’s not the family at all. They’ve been wonderful. Especially taking in the daughter of a Drille that wronged them so many years ago.” She silenced his protest by pressing a finger to his lips and laughing. “You know it’s true, Papa!” He relaxed and she went on. “I do so miss Mama and my sisters though. Is there… Do you think they might come to see me?”
Silence stretched between them causing Elenya’s stomach to churn. Madrik laughed when he sensed her anguish. “We were discussing our trip for your binding ceremony when the unrest broke out. I’m sorry you had to forego that.”
Elenya waved away his concerns. “It’s just a ceremony – one of many in a lifetime, it seems.”
Madrik nodded. “It is, though you’ve always harbored such romantic notions. I was concerned you’d be let down.” He laughed at her look of surprise. “Did you think I wasn’t listening when you and your sisters played with your dolls before the fire in my study?”
Now it was Elenya’s turn to laugh. “You appeared so absorbed in your work.” She sat back, gazing off into the past for a moment. “That old rug you brought from Burnos was the best place to play. With all its patterns and colors, it was rather like a mapped out township for our dolls. It was wonderful.”
“And yet your mother refused to allow it into any other part of her home.” Madrik chuckled.
Elenya smiled. “These matches, most often they’re so unconventional, aren’t they?”
Madrik agreed. “But necessary at times for the greater good of the people.”
They lapsed into silence for a few moments before Madrik added, “Your new family has extended an invitation for us to join you here permanently.”
“I assumed he would.” Elenya perked up and sat forward, her heart beating madly.
“We had such a small amount of time to ponder the offer before I had to leave. There’s no telling what your mother has been thinking about and scheming while I’ve been gone.” They both laughed, their thoughts on Senya and her scheming ways. I feel quite certain she’d have much rather been here with you than wa
iting without word back in Aleone. I can guarantee she will want to see you and the baby, at the very least.”
“Oh, Papa. I hope she’ll come soon.” She threw her arms around him.
Madrik wiped a single tear from his daughter’s cheek when she pulled back.
“I’m okay, Papa.” She smiled, though her lips quivered. She looked away garnering a gentle shoulder bump from her dad. “This ritual of the markings … it’s difficult on the chosen women. It’s not like you with Mama where you got to meet her beforehand, to take some time to get to know her before you were thrust together. I don’t understand why the markings continue to take place. Aleone maintained the bloodlines without it.” Elenya turned back toward him, her eyes asking questions she knew he could not answer.
“It wasn’t that simple with your mother and me either, my daughter. We did meet beforehand and I was allowed to court her, in a way. But even then, our union had already been chosen.” He smiled. “Thankfully, it worked out. Probably because your mother is very much like you – she has a way about her that makes people fall in love with her.” Leaning closer, he whispered, “Besides, without the marking, I have my doubts you’d have found your way into the house of Zanak. You would certainly have missed your warrior, yes?”
Elenya could feel her insides fluttering. Her father was right. Had she not been marked, she would have most likely married Shemek. She shivered realizing her heart truly did belong to the man whose child moved within her.
Nudging her arm again with his, Madrik chuckled. “I have to admit, I was concerned when we first learned of your match. We all were. But he’s a fine man, Elenya. Better than most, I believe. And you believe so as well.” He nodded and raised a brow, making her blush and look away. He laughed again. “I may be a man, but I still know these things. I see the way you look at him, Daughter.”
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