23. Eshe
Eshe
Warmth filled the space around my skin. I snuggled deeper, seeking the warmth to spread more.
I was all too aware of who had left his hand position around my neck, and then laid it lazily between my breasts, where my robe was parted.
He was asleep. I could feel it through his deep breaths on my neck.
It left a tingling sensation between my legs, and I wanted to lean more into him.
Even my own body betrayed me. I’d never felt that way before with Ezra—with anyone.
When I moved deeper into his arms, I felt his lips brush the inner part of my neck.
A burning feeling pooled at the bottom of my stomach.
I wanted him to press his lips to me. I wanted him to tighten his hold on me—anything.
My breath was no longer deep and heavy, filled with sleepiness.
Ezra couldn’t be awake, but I doubted it for a moment as his lips lingered gently on my neck.
Did he want to be closer to me? I felt his chest now breathing more heavily and quicker.
His thumb barely brushed over my bare skin between my breasts, bringing raw awareness to the peaks of them.
I let out a breath I’d been holding, and then his warm lips moved up my neck, behind my ear.
An intense reaction nestled in my core, and I bit back a whimper.
I might have given him better access—not knowing what I was doing.
His breath fanned over my neck, and I realized then he was definitely awake.
His fingers between my breasts began to slowly spread.
The peaks of my nipples were hard against the rough, open robe, and I felt myself waiting for something to soothe them.
The air had turned warmer, and I leaned half an inch closer to him. Pressing my chest closer, his mouth lingered at the bottom of my earlobe just before a sound snapped outside our tent.
My eyes flew open. It was still night. Ezra and I lifted our backs off the ground at the same time, his arm still wrapped around my waist. I looked over my shoulder, and his finger was over his lips.
Don’t make a sound, he seemed to say with his dark eyes.
I looked back at the moonlight shadows outside the tent, lurking.
“They left weapons out here,” a man whispered outside the tent. His accent was from Brestan. My God, Ezra left his weapons out there. I scanned around me, maybe he forgot one nearby, but then Ezra placed a finger under my chin and turned me toward him.
He motioned for me to take off my robe.
I felt my eyes widen, my brows furrowed.
He mouthed, Trust me.
My breath clogged in my throat.
Could I trust him?
His eyes peered into mine, and I looked and looked, searching for something that I couldn’t trust.
I did trust him.
Goddamn it.
I didn’t know what he was trying to do, but I trusted him. I didn’t know when or how that happened, but I had a feeling to follow what he told me.
I closed my parted lips, brought my trembling fingers to my robes, and untied every strap. The robe slid off my shoulders, pooled around my hips, and I placed my arms around my bare chest, feeling too exposed.
Ezra took the robe and hid it near him and motioned me back down.
I lay down, shivering though it wasn’t cold. Ezra placed his arm back around my waist and pressed me closer to him. His fingers left a burning trace everywhere they touched. My heart raced. I’d never been naked in the arms of a man, let alone Ezra, the most dangerous man I’d ever encountered.
Suddenly feeling doubtful of whatever plan Ezra had in store, the first of our flaps opened, and Ezra threw a dark, heavy wool around my naked body.
He pinned a hand down on my stomach as he lifted his bare back from the ground.
I didn’t know when he took his robe off, but it was. At least he had pants on.
The second flap of our tent opened, and three men, one with a flaming torch, appeared through our flaps.
“Who dares enter my tent?” Ezra's voice thundered.
They didn’t respond right away. Instead, the men studied us, Ezra with one arm around me.
“We apologize… we thought you were someone we were looking for,” the man in the middle spoke out. I could barely make out who it was because of the darkness and the blinding torch, but I noticed he had no beard.
There was a long, pregnant pause that passed by.
Ezra’s body was tense. He was analyzing how to kill them. I knew he was. I was never going to admit it, but it felt nice not to have to be on edge to protect myself when I had an annoyingly possessive man to do it for me.
And I was analyzing this man, wondering where I had met him before.
The men in front of us were observing the situation, especially me.
“Who exactly are you searching for?” Ezra spoke through gritted teeth.
The man in the middle cleared his throat. “We’re looking for the Atrove.”
“The Atrove, you say?”
“Yes… honestly, by the look of your tent, your horse, your weapons, we assumed you were.”
“It doesn’t look like your assumption was right,” Ezra said curtly.
I saw then why Ezra wanted to uncover me. I wore Atrovian robes, as did he. Not only that, he wanted to have a naked woman near him to banish any doubts that he was an Atrovian.
I could tell Ezra was holding himself back, and I didn’t blame him—we didn’t have the upper hand here.
His weapons were stupidly left outside. He was going to hear a mouthful from me if we got out of this.
The one to the left and closest to me lingered his eyes a little too long over my draped body for my comfort.
The man in the middle chuckled humorlessly. “How do I know this is true? You could have made this act to deter your true colors.”
Ezra’s jaw ticked. Bingo.
“He is my husband.” The lie spilled easier than I would have liked it to. “I assure you he is not Atrovian, nor do we have an association with the Atrove.” I lifted the wool blanket higher on my chest, acting like the modest wife I was pretending to be.
Ezra slid his dark eyes over to me. His eyes said it all. He was pleasantly shocked.
A flutter ran through my stomach.
What the hell was wrong with me? I shouldn’t relish pleasing this man.
I glanced back at the middleman, hoping he believed me. I just wanted to get out of this ridiculous mess and go back to sleep. My eyes locked on his light eyes, and then I realized I had seen this man before.
Those green eyes. I’d never seen eyes like this before.
I met him traveling through Brestan to Tehara. He had been searching for the Atrove then too, when he found me killing a Silver Snake.
I ducked my face just then.
“I recognize you,” the man said.
Ezra's hand fisted on the wool that lay across me.
“That’s impossible—I’ve never met you before,” I spoke innocently.
“No, I do. You killed a Silver Snake. I’ll never forget the woman I witnessed kill it. You were traveling through the sands without an escort.”
Oh, he was good.
“Oh, yes.” My lips curved tightly. “I remember now.”
“Did you find what you were looking for?” he asked, his green eyes piercing through me.
“Of course.” I gave a breathy laugh. “My husband.” I laid a hand across Ezra’s warm chest.
“Right.”
He didn’t believe me.
The man who hadn’t stopped looking at me said, “You don’t look properly fucked. This man isn’t your husband, and if he is, maybe I’ll show you what a real man is like.”
“Enough,” the man in the middle warned, raising his hand to him.
“Is there anything else I can help you with? I really don’t appreciate that my wife is in this position,” Ezra growled.
“I understand all too well. The Atrove stole my own. Well… She was going to be my wife until they took her.”
The world started slowing to a brutal halt.
No, it couldn’t be.
Could this be the Gabriel Halim?
“I’m sorry to hear that. What a tragedy.” I placed a hand on my chest, as if I were so shocked someone would do that. “What is her name so that we might keep an eye out for her?”
Ezra scowled at me, probably because he wanted them gone, not making small talk. He didn’t understand what I knew—what I had to find out.
The man didn’t hesitate. “Her name is Norrah.”
Norrah.
My heart pounded violently against my ribcage—I thought it would burst open. My Norrah.
Ezra stilled, staring at Gabriel with cold eyes, realization dawning on him as well. My hands squeezed the wool blanket, imagining it was Gabriel’s throat.
“We will be on our way. We apologize for any… disturbances.”
They turned around just before Ezra said, “If you’re looking for the Atrove, they most likely already know this. They may be fooling with you.”
Gabriel’s lips twitched, the only expression I’d seen on this man. “Oh, I know this. I’m counting on it.”
All three men turned on their heels, dropped the flaps, and left. We heard the hooves of horses fading into the dark desert sands.
Not a second went by before he was up, placing his white robes over his shoulders.
“W—what are you going to do?” I stammered, keeping the wool blanket over my breasts. His hard tan chest disappeared over fabric, and I swallowed.
“What does it look like?” He placed his belt over his hips and disappeared through the flaps.
Without wasting another moment, I wrapped the blanket more securely around my body and stormed out to see what he was doing. Ezra gathered the reins to his horse, and his weapons were on his hip, sword attached to his back.
“Here.” His hand reached out with a dagger in it, and I met his eyes.
He was handing me a dagger.
My mouth went dry. This night just kept getting more interesting.
One moment I was in Ezra’s arms, his lips on my neck—then the next I was backing Ezra up, saving his life so his identity wasn’t found, and now he was handing me a weapon knowing full well I could use it against him.
“Just in case. I’ll be back before long. ”
“There are three of them and one of you.” The words spilled from my tongue.
His lips twitched, but they didn’t quite seem to reach his eyes. “Your sentiments are noted. Take it.”
With hesitation, my hands wrapped around the dagger.
“He’s the General of Brestan. Don’t start a war over it,” I warned, taking a step forward. “I’m sure he won’t find Norrah—she’s safe in Urnaz.”
Ezra hoisted his body over the horse’s back and met my gaze.
“I know they won’t find her. That’s not the problem. That man looked at you like he wanted to ravage you and ruin you,” Ezra spoke of the man nearest to me, staring at my draped wool, “and in my world, anyone who looks at you like that is enough to start a war.”
My lips parted, but before I could say anything else, Ezra clicked his tongue twice and was dust in the wind.