by Tamsin Baker
He rolled onto his back and looked around to inspect where they lay.
When Naylaa had her bed made by the town’s craftsman, many people had thought her crazy for the dimensions she’d requested. She’d traded many of her medicines and skills to get the amount of wood, soft feathers and fabric for her bed, but it had been worth every moment of hard work.
She rolled over to her other side and faced the man who was still not convinced he was her mate.
“I knew you would be tall and strong, so I made sure my bed was big enough to hold you.”
Gorvan stared down at her with narrowed eyes, then rolled onto his side to face her also.
“You mean to tell me you had a bed made this big because you assumed your mate would be tall?”
She frowned at his tone. How could he be so negative and rude?
“I was told as a child that my soul mate would be similar to Bronte. Dark haired, tall and strong.”
She stopped, waiting for Gorvan to say something. He didn’t. She tried to make him see reason.
“Do you think I am similar to Seinna in size and coloring?”
His eyes travelled over her pale skin, green eyes and blonde hair. Then on to her shoulders and her naked body, which was hidden by the blankets.
“You look nothing like my Unicorn,” he joked, reaching across the bed to caress her breast through the material.
Anger began to stir in her belly.
“So, you don’t feel as I do? As though you’re missing another vital piece of yourself?” She frowned at his lack of understanding.
“I did, before Seinna.” He answered slowly, swallowing in an obvious way.
Naylaa took a deep breath and gathered her courage. It was obvious that Gorvan wasn’t going to hold onto their connection unless she forced him.
“And now that you have met me? Mated with me?” She stared into his beautiful blue eyes and dared him to look away. She would not allow him to walk away from her.
He did look away.
To her shoulder, and then to the mattress, and back to her eyes.
“Naylaa, I admit that being with you... feels good. But let’s not rush into a lifelong commitment. We barely know each other.”
Grimacing at his phrasing, she ran a comforting hand down to her belly. “Well let’s hope that we haven’t created a child, then. I wouldn’t want you to feel trapped in any way.”
His eyes opened wide and his gaze slid from her face to her hand and back again. He swallowed awkwardly. “I have never impregnated anyone before.”
Naylaa clenched her jaw against the wave of angry jealousy that gripped her. A deep breath was needed, whilst she reminded herself that she had received pleasure from different men and Para in the past.
Gorvan was no different. He’d had other lovers.
“Well, you have never bedded your intended mate before, so don’t be surprised if I conceive. I won’t be.”
Anger continued to slide through her body despite her efforts to forget his hurtful words. A part of Naylaa wanted to jump out of the bed in a rage, yet she knew they needed to talk. So, she moved until her back was up against the headboard and pulled the blanket around her body to make sure her breasts were covered.
“Tell me why you are so worried about making a permanent bond to a mate? You have Seinna. You know how good that connection is.”
Moving over a little so he could lie on his side and still see her, Gorvan shrugged. “I don’t really want any more responsibilities. Seinna is enough.”
A small smile flitted across his face when he said his Unicorn’s name. Something was just not making sense to Naylaa.
“You love Seinna.”
Gorvan’s face grew weary, but he nodded.
“Then it must take time for you to fall in love. After all, you have known Seinna for most of your life.”
Gorvan smiled again, nodding thoughtfully. “She came into my life at a time when I should have been focused on women. Instead I had to bond with a Unicorn who felt ignored and unwanted.”
Shock infiltrated her body. What did he mean Seinna had felt unwanted? When had they met?
“How is that possible? Were you not introduced at a young age?”
Gorvan shook his head.
Naylaa frowned. “I don’t understand. My mother made sure I knew about Bronte and bonded with him when I was very young. Why didn’t your family do the same?”
He shrugged, obviously unwilling to speak about it.
Naylaa took a deep breath and tried another angle, making a mental note to come back to that question later.
“So... it has taken time to get Seinna to trust you?”
Naylaa felt sorry for Gorvan and his United. She had been very lucky. She had earned Bronte’s trust very early on and therefore he had never wavered from his devotion to her.
Gorvan nodded. “Yes, it did.”
“Do you not yearn for a mate of your own?”
Her blue-eyed male laughed and rolled onto his back, putting his hands beneath his head. “Naylaa, I realize that you think I am the mate you have been searching for, but I can’t be. I barely have enough strength to protect Seinna and look after myself. I can’t look after anyone else.”
She sighed, his simple logic tragic and sad.
She had experienced a very different life than Gorvan. How could she explain to him that she didn’t wish to take from him? She wished to give to him, and share.
Unfortunately, she knew now was not the time for such declarations.
“Tell me about your town.”
Gorvan looked back at her, his eye brows raised. “You want to know about Truuloch?”
She nodded and lay down on her side again. He needed more time with her before he would be honest about his past. She could wait.
“Truuloch is very far from here. Our lands are drier, and there are fewer trees and more farming. We have a bountiful amount of fruits and vegetables, but barely enough water. Many of our people have had to travel to further towns to survive.”
“You don’t have other Unicorns?”
Gorvan’s gaze grew shuttered. “What does that have to do with it?”
Naylaa smiled. It had everything to do with it. “Surely you know that the Unicorns are linked to the storm clouds. When they are happy, mating or giving birth, the storm clouds appear and it rains.”
Gorvan stared at her for long moments. “No. I was never told that.”
Naylaa frowned at the look on Gorvan’s face. How had his elders let that piece of knowledge go? That was one of the most important legends of her town.
“Well then, if there are not many Unicorns in your town, of course you are lacking water. We need the call of the Originals to summon the water.”
Gorvan nodded again, his unease making its way through their connection. What was he hiding from her?
He looked directly at her for a moment, his blue eyes piercing, beautiful.
“There was no rain yesterday when our Unicorns mated.” Gorvan reminded her.
Naylaa blushed as she remembered the effect that event had had on them both.
“No, but it may happen today. Bronte has never mated with a Unicorn before. I expect huge storm clouds.”
Gorvan laughed loudly at what was an honest observation from her. A flush of pleasure washed over her at the sound.
Why did he fight her so hard? She might not love him at the moment, but she was willing to put in the time to learn about the man she knew was her mate. Why wasn’t he as eager to know her?
“I look forward to seeing that. I have not seen rain in a long time.” Gorvan said.
Bursting to ask more questions, yet wisely realizing he did not want to share more, she ignored the hook.
“What shall we do today?” Naylaa stepped out of bed and picked up her wash cloth. Dipping it in to the cold water by her bed, she began to wipe off the dried sweat and other substances from her skin.
If Gorvan stayed in her life permanently she’d need to work out a b
etter way to wash herself every day. She could smell their sex all over her.
“You look delicious from this angle.”
She turned around to find Gorvan lying on his back, happily enjoying the view of her standing naked.
An obvious bulge in the covers portrayed his bodies need for her.
Though tempted to join him once again beneath the blankets, Naylaa knew she needed more than just her physical needs met. So, despite the pull in her abdomen that signaled her arousal, she slipped on a fresh dress to cover her nakedness.
The soft material whispered over her sensitized skin and she was hard pressed not to moan.
I need to pull myself together.
Tying the belt tightly around her waist, she then bent to put on her foot coverings.
“I must go to the market to barter for more food today. Would you like to see my town? We can see if there are more blue foods, if you like?”
Gorvan sat up, his blue eyes betraying his body’s true hunger with their lack of color. His eyes should have been the color of deep, dark blue. Instead they were pale, watered down. He needed more of his own foods and soon.
“I have very little to barter with.” He looked so vulnerable and lost that Naylaa laughed. His physical strength alone would be a good barter to anyone in her town.
“I have many medicines that will buy us as much as you need, and if you need to barter something yourself, your strength will be a great asset.”
He frowned, “I don’t understand.”
“I am a healer. My medicines are my barter. And you are much larger and stronger than most of the men in our town. You could barter water collection, home repairs, even carrying wood.”
He looked away, embarrassed. “I did not realize such things had value.”
She picked up his pants from the floor and tossed them onto the bed. It sounded like his town was very different from hers.
“They do here. We are a simple people. Wash yourself and dress. I will make us a morning meal, then we will go to the market.”
Without waiting for a response, she headed to the kitchen.
She would not tolerate him being lazy or just taking what she had to offer, then leaving. He was better than that, she just knew it. His embarrassment that he couldn’t barter for himself was obvious.
He was a proud man, and she wanted him to be the very best version of himself.
By the time he came into the kitchen, she had cut up some day-old bread and fresh melon.
Gorvan gripped her by the hips. “We could stay in bed,” he suggested as he moaned into her ear and grinded his erection into her ass.
She brushed him away, a little annoyed that he wanted nothing more than sex with her.
“Not today, my lover, not today.”
She pushed him into the seat and placed the food in front of him.
When was her true mate going to become the man she’d waited for her whole life?
Chapter Six.
The trip through the village for once, was a true adventure for Naylaa.
She was surprised at how many people stared approvingly as she walked through the town with a possible mate.
They stopped at one of the stalls Naylaa knew well.
“Ruella. How are you today?”
The woman smiled. “Have you heard the news that our Queen birthed a son? Healthy, the both of them I heard.”
Relief coursed through Naylaa and she sent a prayer of thanks up to the Goddess.
“That is wonderful news. Ruella, I’d like you to meet Gorvan. He is a stranger to this town, and needs your help. Gorvan, Ruella has some of the only blue food in the market.”
Ruella, a short, rotund woman smiled up at the tall, handsome stranger with a keen look in her dark eyes. “How much do you need?”
Gorvan’s eyebrows raised at her question. “I will be staying for at least a few more days.”
A devastating pain gripped Naylaa’s heart. A pain she had only ever felt once. When Bronte had been injured.
“A few more days?” She gasped through the pain in her chest. Her breath was coming out in pants now, she was struggling to breathe.
Gorvan laid a calming hand upon her shoulder. “I will be travelling further soon. I will need as much dried food as you can give me, Ruella.”
The shop keeper looked him up and down, assessing his strength.
“I have enough food for at least ten days. What do you have to barter with?”
Gorvan smiled a charming smile at the woman and she turned away to hide her humor.
“Don’t even think about it.” The short woman scoffed. “I need my water tank filled, it’s almost empty. It will require two days of transporting water from the spring to my house.”
Gorvan looked over the food she had and seemed to evaluate the situation.
“You have a deal.”
The pain around Naylaa’s heart lifted. She needed to stay calm and stop jumping to conclusions.
He would be around for at least another two days. That was enough time to decide if she wanted to go with him, or ask him to stay with her.
“I will see you for supper, then.” Naylaa laid a hand on his warm arm and began to move away.
“Where are you going?”
Naylaa heard panic in Gorvan’s voice now and a smile spread across her face. His jaw was clenched, yet his eyes looked afraid. Was this big, strong man really worried about being by himself? Or was he worried about something else?
“I have many of my own deals to broach, and you have water to fetch.”
She walked away grinning. He would be sore when he arrived home for a meal tonight. She would be lucky if he could even kiss her goodnight.
THAT NIGHT THEY LAY in bed together naked, caressing each other as though they’d been lovers for years rather than days.
The storm clouds rolled overhead, the sound almost deafening. The townspeople had noticed the clouds earlier in the day and had sent Naylaa grateful smiles.
One woman with many children had rushed up and embraced her. Tears sprang to Naylaa’s eyes at the memory.
She had wanted to share her happiness with them all, but it would not be wise to share news of Seinna with anyone. Although she had never come across the problem in her town, she had heard what hunters did to Unicorns when they found them.
They killed a Unicorn by cutting off its horn and then they ground it into a powder and sold it to the highest bidder.
A shudder passed through Naylaa at the thought. Thank the Goddess she lived in a town that revered Bronte.
“Wow, is that the rain?” Gorvan turned his head and looked towards Naylaa’s window.
As though his words had caused it, there was a break in the thunder and the rain started. Beautiful, blessed water hit the window head on and the gentle tinkling soon became one loud, continuous noise within her home.
“Ohh, that is so fantastic.” Resting his head back, Gorvan vibrated in pleasure. “I have not heard or felt the rain in so long.”
Naylaa couldn’t let the opportunity pass to show him what a blessing their union and their United’s were. She pulled on her dress again and picked up Gorvan’s pants, holding them out to him. “Well, let us feel it, then.”
His eyes lit up and he jumped so quickly out of their bed that she laughed, his painful muscles forgotten.
Laughing like children, they ran outside, only to find many people already in the street.
“Your idea looks like a shared one,” Gorvan whispered into her ear as he stepped behind her.
Naylaa looked around. All the people standing in the streets had their heads tilted back and their eyes closed, their skin absorbing the water as it ran down their arms and legs.
An older woman had been carried outside by her family, her sighs audible to the whole area.
“Bronte has not caused rain like this in almost a year’s cycle. He has been yearning for his mate, as I have.” Naylaa explained.
Instead of arguing with her or laughing at her, Go
rvan stepped closer and wrapped his arms around her waist. And he didn’t say a thing.
His warmth and strength soothed her worried spirit. She was stronger and happier with him close by, but she still didn’t know if he’d stay.
And that scared her.
Gorvan groaned in pleasure as he tilted his head back to feel the rain on his face.
“This feels amazing, Naylaa.”
They stood that way for some time, the rain beating down on them. Their clothes were saturated with the blessed water but their hair and skin absorbed the water as it fell. It was cooling and blissful.
After an hour or so, lethargy began to drag them both down and Gorvan soon squeezed her arms.
She’d thought the rain would stop as it always did, but this downpour was one like they’d never experienced before.
“Shall we retire to bed?” he asked and she nodded, allowing him to pull her back inside. They stepped out of their wet clothes and hung them over a chair to dry.
Naylaa had one towel, which she offered to him first.
“Dry yourself, Gorvan.” He shook his head in response so she used it on herself quickly before handing it to him. There was very little to dry on him, his greedy skin sucking up every bit of moisture it could find.
“I feel so much better.” His grin was infectious and she laughed at seeing him so happy.
“Well, save your strength for tomorrow. Come to bed with me.”
They moved as one, falling into the bed again and positioning themselves at opposite sides.
GORVAN SMILED AT THE woman who made him feel so complete. It scared the hell out of him. With the men from his town looking for Seinna, he had to keep moving. Maybe Naylaa would come with him if he asked her?
No. He couldn’t put her and Bronte in danger. The idea of leaving them was already painful. He couldn’t imagine how he would feel if they had to part after developing a stronger connection.
“Seinna and I will leave tomorrow night. Best to sneak away in the dark, as I’m sure you know.”
Naylaa’s face fell so hard Gorvan’s stomach dropped. Could he do this? Hurt her in such a way?
Yes, he needed to do this. For her own good. For the future.
“But why? I thought you would stay for at least a few more days, longer even. Why must you leave?”
