PrimalDemand

by Rebecca Airies

  As the day wore on, she stopped once to rest and once to gather fruit and nuts from nearby trees. She kept a steady pace, but didn’t hurry. There was no way they’d reach a city today.

  They’d have to stop before darkness made traveling treacherous. With the trees surrounding the river, that would be well before sunset. She needed a little rest and the next leg of the journey needed to be done carefully. If it was too dark, she might not see the branching of the river and go down the wrong fork.

  She didn’t want to get lost physically. Too often lately, she felt uncertain and disoriented. She’d never done anything like this and had only been outside Dahal, the mountain valley where she lived, because she’d needed to gather herbs that grew near the outer base of the mountains. Even then, her father guided her for years before she went alone.

  She’d been amazed at the variety of trees and plants she recognized. Of course there was the dark-barked manoga and the conical vetin. She’d heard that those two grew almost anywhere trees could grow, but others surprised her. She really hadn’t expected to find the silver-leafed netria tree on this planet. It grew in abundance in the mountains, but she hadn’t seen it on her own planet after she’d left the rocky peaks behind.

  Arron had slept through the sunrise and now it was after midday. He must be exhausted. The drug would have made him drowsy, but wouldn’t have made him sleep long. As time passed, her curiosity grew. She’d like to know what he was doing in the city and if Arron was his real name.

  Just from the very short conversation they had before, she knew he had many of the same questions. She’d answer enough to satisfy his curiosity and see him on his way at the next town. Her journey was just beginning and she knew that it would take time to find her sister.

  He stirred some time later as she began looking for a good spot to stop. She didn’t pay much attention to him as she studied the riverbank for a clear area to beach the boat until they were ready to go tomorrow. He sat up and looked around as she guided the boat toward a narrow gap in the bushes lining the river. From what she could see, it was as good as it was going to get.

  “If you need to rest, I can paddle for a while,” he offered.

  “No, there’s a spot along the river where it forks. The river narrows and it’s so overgrown there with thick trees that it’s hard to see even in midday. If we don’t take the right direction, we’ll have to backtrack and it will cost us days in travel time. I don’t want to approach it near dusk.” She gave him a small smile.

  “Then we should probably wait. We could talk. You probably have as many questions as I do.” His head tilted and his eyes narrowed.

  This definitely wasn’t the man she’d rescued. She’d seen the wildness in him, but now that raw power was focused almost as if he was trying to see her secrets without her saying a word. The intensity in that look made her a little uncomfortable.

  “That’s probably true. I’ve wondered ever since I first talked with you if your name really is Arron. Or maybe something one of the soldiers who secured you to that pole called you.” She smiled at him, but focused on guiding the little boat into the narrow, bare spot.

  “It’s my real name.” He looked at the path and then back at her with a frown on his face. “You don’t plan on setting up camp near this spot, do you?”

  “Well, yes, I don’t want to be too far away from the boat.” She smiled. She wasn’t getting into the reasons why she wanted to stay near the canoe. It didn’t concern him.

  “That’s not a good idea. Being near that trail is inviting danger.” His voice lowered and his eyes narrowed.

  “Why wouldn’t it be a good idea? I camped near one similar to it on the way here.” She didn’t see what the problem was. Nothing had happened last time.

  “Even from here I can see the animal tracks on the ground. It’s where they come to get water. Places like this are an ideal place for a predator to lie in wait for an easy meal. Or they can take a chunk out of unwary passersby.” Arron took a slow deep breath although his words sounded a little clipped.

  “So we’re going to tie it up here and walk who knows how far away from it to find a place to sleep.” She raised a brow. It seemed like a waste of time. It hadn’t been necessary before.

  “Yes, because I’m not waking up to some opportunistic predator trying to gnaw on you or me.” His look dared her to argue with him.

  He was prepared to argue. That look in his silver eyes said he wasn’t backing down. Although she still didn’t think it was necessary, she’d walk the extra distance. The camping site wasn’t an important issue. She didn’t know much about where to put one anyway. The only times she’d used the small tent and other gear had been at the established sites her father had shown her when she was gathering herbs and roots.

  “All right, you can show me where you think it would be safer.” She nodded.

  “Good, why don’t you step out and I’ll tie this up so that we don’t have to worry about animals inside it in the morning.” He smiled.

  Chapter Four

  Leah climbed onto the shore and waited as he secured the canoe. He waded through the water at the edge of the river and joined her. He looked around the area. She didn’t know what he expected or wanted to see.

  Without a word, he began leading her away from the game trail that led to the river. She walked at his side and surreptitiously studied him. What was it that drew not only her eyes, but her thoughts, to him? Normally, walking with a man didn’t make her think about kissing them, but with him, she did. She wanted to run her hands over his chest to see if those muscles felt as hard as they looked.

  “You know why I was there. Why were you in that library?” She looked over at him, but quickly turned her attention back to the terrain in front of her.

  As they moved farther away from the water, the sharp, tangy smell of sap and leaves increased, underscored by the damp, almost musty smell of the soil and decaying vegetation. Grass and leaf litter covered the ground. It could mask holes or rocks to trip the unwary.

  She couldn’t afford the loss of time being injured would take. Her brothers or some of the warriors from their clan would find her. She couldn’t let that happen.

  “I was there looking for the monks. We’ve been tracking the disappearances linked to them. They’ve taken a few of our people and we want them back. I don’t remember yet where the others with me were while I was in the library, but I know I wasn’t alone.” He frowned.

  “They’ll come back over the next day or so.” She adjusted the strap of her bag.

  “I expected to get whole memories back maybe one at a time, but everything’s jumbled and small pieces. When I think about home, I get a flash of one place and the name of another, but I know that they’re not the same place.” Arron’s hand clenched and he shook his head. “It’s frustrating.”

  She looked over at him. “That’s normal. You’re lucky. It can take weeks or months with prolonged exposure to the drug.”

  “This is far enough and a good spot to set up a camp.” He stopped in a grassy area between the trees.

  They’d walked away from the river and the trail. She couldn’t see or hear the water any longer. It was a nice spot, but it looked like a good deal of the rest of the trees and grass they’d passed. She didn’t know what made it so much better than somewhere closer to their canoe.

  “You’re trying to rescue some of your friends?” Leah lowered her bags to the ground. That was something she really didn’t expect from a warrior. The warrior clans at home wouldn’t even hunt for one of their own if they were taken by the monks unless it was someone really important.

  “Yes, we’re not walking away from them. How did you get that stuff you gave me to drink?” He cleared away grass and used a flat rock to dig out some of the earth beneath it.

  “Old family recipe. One of my ancestors found it.” She couldn’t remember if it was her grandfather’s grandfather or if it was even older than that. But for as long as they’d had it, they�
�d kept it within the family.

  “Why don’t I see if there’s some fish in that river while you get a fire going?” He gestured to the pit he dug. “We can talk some more while our food is cooking.”

  She nodded. She could handle gathering wood and starting a fire. The break would be good for her. What was it about him that kept her so focused on him? And his body. She admitted that her eyes drifted over his broad shoulders and muscular arms and chest at every possible opportunity. Was the strangeness of the situation behind that intense attraction?

  She shook her head and focused. She had enough basic food for them both, as long as they supplemented them with fresh-caught food and what they found as they traveled. As for clothing, he had what he now wore and what she had for him.

  He hadn’t had a bag in the library and there certainly hadn’t been one near that pole where they’d chained him. She’d known he’d need something extra to wear. It was why she’d bought pants and a shirt from a man at the edge of the market. She hoped that the clothing wasn’t too small. All she’d had was her short glimpse of him in the library.

  She gathered wood and started a fire before she finished spreading her bedroll. Two saplings provided a brace for the treated canvas lean-to. Her normal camp for one now had to accommodate two. They’d have to share her bedding unless he preferred the ground. She didn’t have extra.

  While the thought of sharing that pallet made her nervous, it didn’t scare her. Considering that she’d never had sex, that lack of fear surprised her. She was intrigued and a little excited. He’d walk away at the next city. She knew it. He had people to search for just like she did. Still, she wouldn’t back away if he returned the interest she felt burning within her.

  When he returned, a fish dangled from his fingertips. He erected a spit over the fire and skewered the cleaned fish over it. He sat down beside her on the ground. He sat quietly for a few moments and then turned to her.

  “Why are you on this journey alone? Don’t you have brothers or a father to help get your sister free?” Arron’s eyes locked on hers.

  “My father’s dead and my brothers wouldn’t help get her free.” She took a deep breath and pushed down the anger. They had more loyalty to their warrior clan than they did to their family.

  “You’re angry at them.” He tilted his head. “Why wouldn’t they help?”

  “The leader of their clan had her taken by the monks.” She wasn’t going to go into why or that they’d follow her. That was her problem.

  “Their clan? Aren’t you of the same clan?” He leaned forward a little.

  “No, there are three warrior clans in the area I come from. My brothers joined one of them. They’re part of it. I’m not.” She stretched out her legs and looked up at the sky for a moment.

  It still seemed as if she were walking through a nightmare. They’d given Fae over to those monks without a qualm. The bastards knew what could happen to her. The male captives were treated relatively well as long as they could contribute in some way, but the females, sometimes, were beaten and worse.

  “Their clan wanted your sister gone and they did nothing?” He scowled.

  “Yes. Do you think you’ll be able to find the people you were with?” She changed the subject.

  He seemed prepared to ask about every little detail of what she was doing here. She wasn’t telling him that. In fact, she’d already told him more than she planned. He was a warrior. He might think exactly like her brothers.

  “Yes, if I don’t find them, they’ll find me. There was no one you could turn to for help?” He asked it, but he looked confused, not doubting.

  “There was no one. Can we talk about something else? This is only making me angry again. I still can’t believe they’d go that far.” She tried a smile, but her mouth felt as tight as the rest of her muscles.

  He nodded. “Maybe later we can talk more about that drink you gave me.”

  “That sounds good.” She relaxed as relief rushed through her. They shouldn’t be together long enough to get into too many details.

  Having a male who was obviously a warrior around her would draw too much notice in the towns around the monasteries. She didn’t want to be noticed. If she was lucky, she could find her sister and they’d be on their way without anyone noticing.

  She didn’t know what to talk about since she wanted to keep him from asking for too many details. The silence wasn’t strained, but she wished she could relax and simply talk with him. When the fish was fully cooked, they ate it and a little of the berries she’d gathered earlier.

  Arron watched her, his gaze heated and considering. She had a feeling he was beginning to feel protective toward her. Maybe because she had gotten him out of the city or maybe that was simply how he was.

  “We’ll sleep together.” Arron’s voice cut through the silence.

  Although she didn’t hear a question there, she thought that he might be asking for confirmation. The single pallet was fairly obvious, but he might not want to take it for granted.

  “I only have the one pallet so we’ll have to share. I was going to get another later. When I started the journey, I wanted to move quickly. I didn’t know when I’d find my sister or where.” She nodded and shrugged. It wasn’t something they could change unless he wanted to sleep on the ground, because she wasn’t doing it.

  “I don’t mind sharing with you.” His eyes locked on her and he had this determined look that she couldn’t understand.

  “That’s good since we don’t have much choice.” She was a little nervous about it.

  Folding her hands in her lap, she tried to keep them still. She couldn’t understand the pull to him when she knew nothing about him. It wasn’t simply because he was a handsome man. She’d seen plenty of those before and hadn’t felt immediately drawn to get closer to them both physically and emotionally.

  “Have we met before this?” He tilted his head and a small smile curved his lips.

  “Not before the library.” She frowned, a little confused. He’d been seared into her mind because of what happened and her immediate attraction to him, but the meeting had been brief.

  He’d remember that eventually, but she wondered what made him ask. Did he know someone who looked like her? Some resemblance to a woman from his memories was the only way she could think to explain his question.

  “We should probably get some rest then, because the morning will come soon enough.” He looked at the pallet.

  She wanted to ask him why he thought they’d met or if he remembered someone who looked like her, but held back. She wasn’t telling him everything. She had no right to pry into his thoughts.

  He was right. They did need to get some sleep. Well, she could, the last few nights she hadn’t slept so well. The hard ground and nervousness kept her from relaxing even in her sleep. Even though she hadn’t stopped moving since she’d left, she knew this wasn’t going to be as easy as she hoped. Her brothers wouldn’t let her get away without trying to stop her.

  “Why don’t you go on and get ready. I’ll make sure those embers aren’t going to flare and then join you.” He moved away even before she nodded.

  Chapter Five

  Leah was relieved when Arron gave her a moment to herself. She hadn’t known what to do. She still wasn’t sure about that and her mind raced with thoughts. Would he see it as an invitation if she changed clothes? She didn’t sleep in her normal clothing and even the thought made her a little uncomfortable. The skirt would be all right if she could loosen the band at her waist, but the shirt was another matter. The neckline was high and the fabric cinched at the ribs.

  Both would bother her when she tried to sleep. Quickly, she stripped off her shirt and skirt before pulling on the long nightshift she’d brought. She settled down and pulled the blanket over her before he turned back to her.

  When he walked over to join her, he stripped down to his pants. He slipped beneath the blanket and his large body pressed snug against hers. Because of the size of the
blanket there was some contact, but he didn’t take advantage of it. His scent drifted to her, surrounding her.

  The male musk drew her. She wanted to turn her head and nestle against him so she could draw more of it into her. Need began to build and tighten into a knot in her stomach. She’d been pulled to him before and had definitely wanted to touch him, but now that she was close to him, she wanted to crawl all over him.

  She wiggled restlessly. Her hands clenched and her thighs tightened against the aching need. She could feel slick, hot moisture on her thighs. What’s wrong with me? The feelings in her were so strange. She’d never felt this immediately and strongly pulled to touch someone. She drew in a shaky breath. She wanted to turn around and run her hands over his chest before pushing him onto his back.

  His hand touched her arm. “Are you all right? You’re so stiff!” His breath puffed against her neck, but he didn’t let his hand wander or get any closer.

  She wanted those hands to wander everywhere, anywhere. The thought of his lips pressing against her neck or, even better, her mouth, sent shivers of desire through her body. She closed her eyes and gulped hard.

  Trying to focus, she tore her mind away from the feelings and centered her mind on what could cause this. She knew she hadn’t been drugged and it wasn’t side effects from the small sip of the Tares potion. The only thing the potion ever caused was drowsiness and sometimes a little nausea, not desire the moment she got close to a male.

  “I’m not sure this is a good idea.” She bit her lip. The moment the words left her lips, she knew it had had been a bad idea to say that. He’d want to know why.

  “Why, Leah?” His fingers gently brushed along her arm in slow rhythm.

  Closing her eyes, she frantically thought. Her mind went blank. “I want to touch you.”

  She felt heat of a different kind rush up her cheeks. Embarrassment washed through her. The words had escaped before she could think of anything better to say.