He led her toward the horse barns and Gilly had a dreadful premonition he wanted to show her a new fighting technique while riding horseback. But he led her around back of the barn.
A bright elaborate green tent that screamed Erovian was set up in the field. What caught and enraptured Gilly’s gaze were the goats grazing beside the tent.
“My goats!” she shouted in delight and raced to give each one a reverent hug, burying her face in their soft fleece. They bleated and gathered round her to give her head butts and wet face licks. She turned to gaze up at him with a contented smile. “How did you know?”
“That you were planning to leave me again? Because I know you better than you know yourself.” He held out his hand. “Now come on. We’re not finished yet. Not by a long shot.”
She laughed and followed him as he led her toward the tent, thinking she would trail him anywhere. “Did Jarrod give us this? Why?”
“I told him finding a private place to be with you was virtually impossible in this vast castle with your mother’s guards and hangers on around every corner.
“Are you calling my family hangers on?”
He chuckled and hugged her close. “I’m calling anyone who comes between you and me a nuisance. According to Jarrod, once we enter this tent, no one will disturb us until we’re ready to leave it. I’m not thoroughly certain, but I suspect we may no longer be in Tibor once that tent flap closes behind us.”
The tent was absolutely silent on their entrance. Her ears might even have popped. The inside seemed unusual for an Erovian home since she recalled every tent she entered in Erov being filled with a bevy of beautiful women and helpful men. In typical Erovian fashion, however, this one did seem bigger on the inside than out.
Tom opened a side flap and Gilly found herself in a room similar to the bathing one she’d last occupied in Erov. There was a giant pool in the center, with ointments and towels neatly set out along the rim.
“You owe me a chance to finish your leg massage,” Tom whispered in her ear. “For all the days during which you tormented me by taking care of me.”
“But I’m healed,” she said, though she was thrilled by his turn of thought. She had been hoping he would remember. Since his last attempt, she had been dreaming every night about what it would feel like if she had allowed Tom to finish what he once began by the stream near Perm.
“Your lack of a limp is irrelevant.” He turned her toward him and emphasized each word he spoke next with a kiss and the disrobing of one layer of her clothing. “Time. I. Repaid. You. In. Kind.”
In short order, she was left as bare as the day she was born and too breathless to object. “I was hoping you would remember that debt,” she whispered, and kissed him as thoroughly. Two could easily play this game.
THE END
Continue the Tales of Ryca series in book two, Hushed.
* * *
Join my Newsletter
Coming soon
Hushed
Tales of Ryca, Book 2
Don’t say a word!
In one day, TAMARA went from being the king’s favorite, his first born and much-loved daughter, despite having no magical ability, to having her father murdered. Then her mother casts a horrible time spell as a protection against capture that makes 13-year-old Tamara, her younger brother and mother “stop living.” While she remains trapped like the other two, no longer able to move, speak or age for twenty-three years, Tamara alone finds herself aware and experiencing every moment.
Finally, they are rescued by her “younger sister” and “baby sister,” who now seem ancient compared to her. For the next five years, her mother and brother adapt well to the new order of royal life, but Tamara does not. She feels disconnected, betrayed and still confined by her loved ones. Her mother, worried about her daughter’s reclusive ways, gives eighteen-year-old Tamara an ultimatum. Choose a suitable husband by the rising of the three moons, or one will be chosen for her.
Wanting control over her destiny, Tamara impulsively seeks out possible suitors. Focused on her task, she brushes aside her nephew, which results in a family crisis. Unwilling to cause any more discord with her mother, she sets out to rectify her unknowing mistake.
Now Tamara puts aside her personal troubles to go on a quest across realms to find her lost nephew. This time, in the stillness, lurks danger, and possibly love.
Save
About the Author
Once upon a time, Shereen read fantasy and romance novels to entertain herself. Now she writes heartwarming tales braided with threads of magic and love, and mystery elements woven in for good measure. She’s a fan of resourceful women, intriguing men, and happily ever after endings. If her stories whisk you away to a different realm for a few hours, then Shereen will have achieved one of her life goals.
Author’s note:
I hope you enjoyed reading Hidden. If you did, please consider leaving a review at the ebook store where you purchased this book. A line or two sharing what you liked best is all that is needed. And thank you for reading this book!
Books by Shereen Vedam
Coming soon
Hushed, Tales of Ryca, Book 2
Contemporary paranormal mystery novel
Sage It Out
From ImaJinn Books
Historical fantasy romance novels
A Beastly Scandal
A Devilish Slumber
A Scorching Dilemma
A Perfect Curse
Historical fantasy romance novella
A Season for Giving
(From One Winter’s Night: A Regency Yuletide Collection)
From The Wild Rose Press
Regency romance short story
To Capture Love
Fantasy romance short stories
Baron of Dragon’s Reach
Daughter of the Sorcerer King
The Misspelled Charm
Hidden: Tales of Ryca, Book 1 Page 27
