“A week! And we’re not stopping to get horses?” Was he crazy?
“We have feet. They work. And horses cost money.”
“What? You’re saying we don’t have money?”
Enar shrugged. “Don’t worry, woman. We have enough to eat. I won’t let you starve.”
Didn’t that give her a ball of happiness? She shook the feeling off. Being told she needed to walk to Draconia, walk a bloody week, all day long every day, on top of learning about Keara, did not make her morning.
Although it wasn’t as bad as being cheated out of her fair share.
Walking sure didn’t endear her to Enar. Jamie was right, they should have waited for Fafnir to return. At least that way they could have all ridden.
“Why don’t we wait for Fafnir?”
“Because I don’t know if he’s coming back. I don’t know where he went and if we wait around we become sitting ducks for anyone who might want to do us harm. That’s unacceptable.”
“So we walk?”
“Yes.”
“And it’ll take a week?”
“Did I not just finish saying that?”
Definitely crazy. She hadn’t walked for more than an hour in years. Maybe not since she was a child. And now he wanted her to stomp through the woods and grass for a whole week? What if Keara died while Lily was busy traipsing through the woods?
The man clearly had nothing between his ears.
Although she had to admit, his talented fingers and tongue made up for it.
Not that he would be getting any tonight after making her hike the whole day.
Lily adjusted her bag and marched after Enar. It could be worse. She could still be in River’s Run.
****
Her legs hurt, her feet hurt, her eyes hurt from squinting in the sun and still they walked. No relief in sight, no conversation, no breeze, but at least they caught Jamie.
Shortly after leaving the campsite, Jamie ran off, disappearing into the trees lining the dirt-packed trail they walked. They found him some time later, wandering through the trees, lost as a bird caught in a storm’s updraft. For the time it took them to get back to the path, Jamie seemed relieved to see them. Now he chafed at Enar’s grip on his shoulder, trying unsuccessfully to escape.
Considering how bad her feet hurt from traipsing around looking for the little imp, her normal sympathetic nature disappeared like steam over cooling water.
Jamie spun to the side in an apparent attempt to free himself. No such luck. Enar white-knuckled the boy’s shirt, his glare forcing Jamie into submission.
For now.
That same glare had turned on her when she asked how far to go until they rested.
She still didn’t have the answer, but had long since given up on hearing it.
Lily took a swig of lukewarm, leathery-tasting water. The sun beat down on her head, burning her skin despite her hood and cloak. Cool water sounded wonderful, but she didn’t see or hear a stream. Lily sighed. At least the scenery looked pretty. Thigh-high prairie grass to her left, trees off to her right, light fluffy clouds floating through a crystal blue sky, Enar.
She stared at Enar’s nicely formed backside and wondered, yet again, why he claimed her. For nighttime bedroll activities? And after walking the Goddess only knew how far, she did not look forward to that activity.
Then there was the little problem of what exactly her life would be like in his village. She knew next to nothing about his society and his unwillingness to talk to her about it made her expect the worst. Would she be shunned like she had been in River’s Run? Vilified for her complexion? Would they think her a witch and try to burn her at the stake? Run her out of town? Turn Enar against her?
No, Enar would never let his own people hurt her.
And didn’t that make her bricked-up heart leap into the air looking for an escape.
No, no, no. The knowledge she walked out of danger instead of into it did nothing but make her feel safe. Safe. Safe was good. Being safe meant not journeying down the road of infatuation. It meant observing but not getting involved.
And the observation noted Enar still hadn’t informed her of what she could expect from her new life. If only he’d tell her about her future.
She’d have better luck getting him to stop walking.
Despite focusing on her feet and the pain therein, her thoughts kept returning to Enar. Probably because his fine arse continued to walk in front of her, muscular leather-clad legs eating long strides in the dirt. Lily took another swig of water, drawing her arm across her mouth. She couldn’t help but think of being with him when he walked that way. Or any way.
He seemed to care for her. She remembered Enar’s dagger pressed against the priest’s neck, blood welling from the cut, the vibe of angry warrior spreading through the crowd gathered around them. He took his time in the bedroll, ensuring her pleasure before his own. But he never said why he captured her.
He needed a pleasure slave?
Was the answer as simple as that? Did pleasure slaves experience the type of mind-blowing orgasms like she did with Enar?
Probably not.
All right. So her purpose in being captured wasn’t to be a pleasure slave. Although pleasuring each other did seem to be part of her new life.
Not that she was complaining about that. Not at all. She enjoyed being with him. A lot.
Lily caught herself as she tripped over, well, nothing, unless one counted a clod of dirt. What if he locked her in his home and never let her out? Never to see Keara again, never to be free, only to be used for his personal pleasure.
The personal pleasure aspect wasn’t so bad. The rest of it was a nightmare waiting to happen. And if that was her lot in life, wouldn’t he be more controlling? Tie her up and lead her around like an animal?
Most definitely. Since that hadn’t happened, she could only deduce the rest of the thought was flawed.
Stick that on the list of things to ward off a panic attack.
All right. He wouldn’t lock her up and take away her freedom. But what if he had a wife? What if she was a mistress?
Oh, mercy no. Being someone’s mistress while his wife lived around the corner was not on her to-do list. Too much like her parents’ relationship.
“Enar! Do you have a wife?”
Enar spun, dropping Jamie’s shirt, a look of complete confusion on his face. “What?”
“Do you have a wife?”
“A mate? Goddess’s toes, no. Are you jesting?”
Jamie chose that moment to make a dash for it. Where he thought he was going, she didn’t know, but he apparently wanted to get there fast.
Enar glanced at Jamie running free. “Flaming swords, woman! Look what you did. Wait here!” Dropping his bags, he dashed after Jamie.
All right. That didn’t go so well. She needed a new approach. Maybe if she drank some more water, the new approach would magically fall into her head.
Stranger things had happened. Take dragons for instance.
Lily grabbed her canteen and upended it, pouring the last drop down her throat. Uh-oh. She needed more water, but Enar told her to wait here. He’d also told her to make the canteen last all day. She tilted her head to the sky, noting the sun overhead. Looked back at the empty canteen. So much for it lasting all day.
She could imagine Enar’s glower when he returned from chasing Jamie to find her canteen empty. His glaring no longer frightened her. A man who pleasured her the way he did would never hurt her. At least not on purpose. Right?
Right. Great. Now she was answering herself. Was that a sign of lunacy or overheated brain? Overheated brain. If she was crazy it wouldn’t be bothering her.
The sun beat down on her head, melting away all thoughts but finding more to drink. Amazing how knowing she didn’t have water made her thirstier.
Maybe Enar’s canteen was in the lump of bags he dropped. Lily walked to the pile of baggage and rummaged through it, looking for Enar’s canteen. Food packages, cloth
es, Keara’s herb bag. No canteen. Lily muttered one of Enar’s choice words.
Great, now she was starting to curse like him.
Sweat beaded on her forehead, tumbled into her eyes. She wiped it away with the back of one hand, wishing Enar and Jamie would return so they could find her more water. He could glare and glower all he wanted as long as a filled canteen was the end result.
She heard what sounded like the gurgle of running water and turned to the right, peering through the cluster of trees lining the path. She glanced ahead to where Enar had disappeared after Jamie. Looked back to the trees. If she jogged, she could dip her canteen in the water, fill it and return before he came back with Jamie.
Lily smiled as she headed toward the water.
Chapter 10
“Jamie!” Enar’s boots pounded the packed dirt trail, his sword bouncing against his back, his canteen slapping against his hip.
Why had Lily asked if he had a mate? Her question shocked him to the point where he released his grip on Jamie’s shirt, letting the boy make a break for it, leading to his current boot-thumping predicament.
Jamie darted into the grass, doubling over as if it would hide him from view. It didn’t. But it did slow him enough for Enar to catch up. Stretching his arm out, he grabbed Jamie’s upper arm, pulling him to a stop.
“Let me go! I wanna be free!”
“Hush!” Jamie closed his mouth, eyes narrowing as he glared at Enar. “What is your problem?”
Enar started walking toward the path, dragging a resisting Jamie. What was wrong with the boy? Didn’t he realize wandering around on his own was not a good idea?
“I need to find Fafnir! I can’t stay with you.”
“Fafnir is gone. He left. You can’t find him.”
“He wouldn’t leave me.”
He did. “Sometimes adults have to take care of things.”
Jamie sniffed. “You think he’s coming back?”
No. “He might. But he probably went to the Temple.”
Jamie walked beside Enar, shoulders slumped. “I liked Fafnir. He reminded me of my dad.” He ran the back of his hand over his eyes.
“And this is a good thing?” If Enar met someone who reminded him of his father, he’d run in the opposite direction.
Jamie nodded and sniffed. Enar glanced at the boy. Was he crying? Loosening his grip, Enar patted Jamie’s shoulder.
“You’ll see him when we get to Draconia. And until then, you have me.”
Jamie’s head tilted, looking up at Enar. “But you’re a Watcher.”
“And your point is?”
“Watchers are cruel.”
“You think I’m cruel?”
Jamie’s gaze landed on his shoulder, following Enar’s hand up his arm until he looked him in the eyes.
“That’s only because you insist upon running off. Lack of trust leads to my hand on your shoulder.”
Jamie looked at the ground. Three steps, another back-of-the-hand-across-the-eyes and he sighed. “Fine. I’ll give you my word I won’t run off again, if you promise not to hurt me or Lily.”
“Agreed.” That had to be the easiest promise he’d ever made. As if he could hurt his woman. Or Jamie, for that matter. “I’ll let go of you now and you’ll keep your end of the bargain by not running off. If you don’t, I’ll string a rope around your waist and lead you all the way back to my home.”
One side of Jamie’s lip curled as if to say, “I’d like to see you try.” He nodded. Enar released his grip, holding his breath. Jamie continued to walk beside him. Whew.
They came around a curve in the path and Enar saw his bags lying on the ground. Saw the bags but nothing else. Where was his woman? Where was Lily?
He scanned the grass, looking for any sign of Lily. A breeze blew across the grass, rustling the stems. Taking a deep breath, Enar tried to smell the air, then gave himself a mental smack. As if he could scent Lily. What did he think he was? A dragon? His nose might not work, but his eyes did.
Not that they did him any good. Lily was nowhere in sight. Where had she gone? A hard hammering in his chest caught his breath. Pressing a hand against the pain, he managed to drag in a mouthful of air, planning on bellowing her name.
He never got the chance for a scream reached his ears, terror dripping from every piercing note.
Enar grabbed his dagger out of his boot and sprinted toward the echoes of Lily’s scream, the clenching in his chest threatening to cut off his breath.
Time slowed. Things he wouldn’t have noticed before passed before his eyes, the color of the blades of grass as they thinned at their tops, the sharp call of birds circling overhead, the crunch of his boots against the ground. Jamie ran behind him as he dashed into the trees lining the path.
Enar ducked under a branch, ripped one free of his shirt. The air felt cooler under the trees and then he came to a stream. A fast moving stream. A fast moving stream his woman had fallen in laden with her bags.
And by the looks of things swimming was not her forte.
Enar ran along the stream bank, stripping the canteen and weapons from his body, keeping an eye on Lily as the current swept her under. He jumped in the icy water, immediately sinking to his chest. Pushing off the rocky bottom, he swam in powerful strokes to Lily. Her head bobbed, the weight of her pack and the strength of the water pulling her under only to push her back up. Her arms flailed, slapping the water, getting nowhere. A wave splashed over her head, she started to cough only to get hit by another wave.
When the wave receded, her face remained in the water. Oh, Goddess, no, no!
Enar swam faster, ignoring the pain in his muscles. One stroke, two and then he reached her. Yanking her head out of the water, he draped an arm across her chest, resting her head against his shoulder. A wave crashed over him and he spit water, coughing it out of his lungs. Kicking hard, he propelled them to the shore.
Jamie stumbled out of the underbrush holding Enar’s weapons and dragging the packs Enar dropped in his rush to Lily.
“Is she drowned?” Jamie dropped everything and ran to help Enar pull Lily out of the water.
Ignoring Jamie, Enar yanked the bag from Lily’s back, drawing the leather straps down her arms. Laying her on her back, he tilted her head to the side, letting the water accumulated in her nose and mouth drain onto the leaf-covered ground. Then he pinched her nose, tilted her head back, pressed his lips over hers and blew air into her lungs.
One, two, three, four.
Tilting his head, he held his ear over her mouth, praying to the Goddess.
Nothing happened.
Cursing, he started to pinch her nose again, but Lily coughed. Enar turned her to her side and whacked her on the back as she spit up water. Her eyelids fluttered as she drew in a ragged breath. Enar thumped her back again for good measure and was rewarded with another cough.
He heard the metal rasp of a fire-starter, followed by the thick smell of wood smoke filing the air. A quick glance over his shoulder showed the remarkable sight of Jamie starting a fire. Maybe the boy wasn’t as big a nuisance as he’d thought.
Tremors vibrated his hand and he saw Lily’s body shake. Rolling her into his arms, he stood, carrying her to the fire’s warmth.
By the time he walked the few feet to the flames, he shook, tremors racing through his limbs. Must be the icy water. Even a warrior trembled after a plunge into waters that chilly. Lily shook too and his chest pains returned.
Kneeling, he placed her next to the fire on a pallet Jamie made and began to strip her wet clothes from her trembling body. Jamie fetched a blanket and covered her with it, tucking the corners under her. Enar rubbed his chest. Bloody thing wouldn’t stop hurting and looking at Lily covered in blankets only made it worse.
He turned to his pack, pulling out a rag to dry his woman’s hair. Her gaze was trained on him when he turned to face her.
“Thank you,” she wheezed.
Enar looked at her red eyes, red nose and red blotches on her cheeks and
his breathing stopped. If he had been farther away from her, if she hadn’t screamed, if he had run slower, his exquisite woman would have been lost forever. His grip tightened on the rag.
“What in all things holy were you doing by the stream, woman?” As the words left his mouth, he wondered which of them was more surprised by his bellow.
Lily’s eyes narrowed into slits as she pushed herself up on one elbow. “I ran out of water and went to get more. How was I supposed to know the bank would give way under me?”
“If you had stayed where I told you to, none of this would have happened.”
“If I had stayed where you told me to, I would have been thirsty.”
“But you would have been dry and not half-drowned!” The thin cloth of the rag ripped in two and Enar threw the pieces onto the ground. “You didn’t stay where I left you!”
Lily blinked, staring first at the pieces of cloth and then at him as he knelt beside her, gulping in air as if it were a soothing draught. “I’m sorry, Enar. I didn’t realize this would happen. If I knew I was going to fall into the stream I wouldn’t have done it.”
Enar took a deep breath and waged a silent battle to still the rage burning inside. “I know. You just...when I saw you in the water...I thought...well, I’m glad you are all right.” He picked up one of the scraps of cloth. “Let me dry your hair.”
“Oomph!” Lily said, her voice distorted by the rag covering her head. Her arms pushed weakly against his.
Maybe he was rubbing a bit too briskly.
“Sorry.”
But he had to ensure she was all right. What he needed to do was cover her body with his, sink himself between her thighs and tell her without words how thankful he felt that she lived.
Something told him she would not appreciate it right now.
“Here Lily, I made some tea for you, if you think you can drink it.” Jamie held out a cup.
And wasn’t the boy helpful all of a sudden. Must be making up for all those times he ran off.
Wonder how long this behavior will last.
Lily took the cup, her hands trembling hard enough to slosh the liquid. Enar covered her hands with his, helping to steady the cup as she drank. He felt the chill of the stream in her bone-white fingers. Despite the blanket, she remained cold. Cold? Try freezing.
Warrior Lover (Draconia Tales) Page 10
