16. Hail
Hail
T hree days later, after Greel and I had followed Allie from town and two states away with her being obvious she was running at first but then hiding like she’d done so many times in the past, we snuck her back into Lonesome Creek.
She hid for two days at my home until it was clear Will’s men had all left to follow her false trail.
She was safe for now.
We hadn’t yet heard from the outside law enforcement other than that they almost had a plan in place and would get back to us soon.
But Will and his men appeared to have followed her, and my brothers hadn’t seen her since. We’d decided she could be out and about with my protection.
Morning light peeked around my bedroom curtains, shining on Allie’s face as she slept beside me, her hair spread across the pillow like spilled paint. It also outlined the mate bond mark on my wrist, reminding me that this incredible female belonged to me if she chose to accept the bond fully.
I studied her peaceful expression, memorizing the curve of her cheekbones, the way her lashes rested against her skin. My chest ached with feelings I’d never experienced before. Love. Deep, consuming, terrifying love that made me want to wrap her in my arms and never let go.
Last night, the realization had hit me like a sorhox kick to the gut.
I loved her. Completely, desperately, with every part of my being.
The knowledge should’ve terrified me. I’d never been in love before, never understood the vulnerability that came with caring so deeply for another person.
Instead, it felt wonderful and amazing and scary.
It was the best feeling in the world.
She was so beautiful it hurt to look at her. More than that, she was brave and kind, and talented, everything I’d never dared hope for in a mate. The fear that she might not feel the same way gnawed at me though, and I wasn’t sure what to do about it.
She wasn’t only staying because she needed protection, but that didn’t mean she wanted everything with me. My stomach clenched. I’d gladly spend my life protecting her even if she never loved me back, but the hope for more scorched across my ribs.
I wanted her mornings and evenings, her laughter and tears. I wanted to teach her every pottery technique I knew and learn new ones with her by my side. I wanted to wake up beside her for the rest of my life and fall asleep holding her every night.
Tressa padded into the bedroom and settled on her bed in the corner, watching us. She’d taken to following Allie everywhere, as if my wolf understood how precious our mate was.
Allie’s eyes fluttered open, and I quickly looked away, not wanting her to catch me staring like a lovesick youngling.
“Good morning.” Her voice, husky with sleep, sent shivers across my skin.
“Morning.” I risked a glance back and found her smiling at me, which made my heart skip a couple of beats.
“Were you watching me sleep?” Amusement shone in her brown eyes, but there was warmth there too.
“Maybe.” I shrugged. “Is that…is that weird?” A human term with no orc equivalent. I’d discovered it could be a good and a bad thing, much like many human words. Humans were confusing. Complex. And, with Allie, mesmerizing.
“Not at all.” She tugged me down until our faces were close, her fingers easing through my hair. “I like it.”
Her lips met mine, soft and sweet at first, a gentle morning greeting. But the kiss deepened as I responded, my hand finding the curve of her waist beneath the covers. She tasted like dreams and promises, like everything I’d been missing without wishing it could one day be mine.
I kissed her slowly, savoring every second.
Her mouth was warm and willing beneath mine, her body soft and pliant as she melted into my embrace.
This was wonderful. She was wonderful. The way she sighed against my lips, the contented sounds she made when I traced the edge of her lower lip with my tongue.
I slid my palm around to the bare skin of her back beneath her sleep shirt, and she arched into my touch with a soft gasp that made my blood sing.
Every nerve in my body was focused on the places where we touched, from her hand on my chest, her legs tangled with mine, to the sweet pressure of her mouth.
“Hail.” She breathed my name against my lips, and I nearly lost all control right there.
I wanted more. Everything. But this morning kiss felt sacred somehow, a promise of what we could build together if she chose to stay. So I kept it gentle, pouring all my love into the slow dance of our mouths.
We parted gradually, sharing smiles that felt intimate and new. Her eyes were soft and sleepy, her lips pink from our kisses. I wanted to capture this moment forever, especially the trust in her expression as she looked at me.
“So what’s our…our…our plan for today?” I asked, reluctant to break the peaceful mood we’d created.
“How about pottery?” She stretched like a cat, and I had to work not to stare at the way her shirt rode up, revealing a tantalizing strip of skin. “I want to learn more wheel techniques.”
All I wanted to do was to stay in bed with her forever, mapping every freckle on her shoulders with my lips.
After breakfast of scrambled chumble eggs that she declared were her new favorite and thick slices of Sel’s bread slathered with kythara jam, we rode Calli into town, bringing her to a halt in full public view outside the pottery barn.
The morning felt different than usual, charged with tension that had little to do with romance and everything to do with the knowledge that dangerous people were hunting Allie.
But it was also charged with the intimacy of our morning kiss, the way her hand had lingered on mine when I helped her down from Calli, the soft looks she kept shooting my way when she thought I wasn’t watching.
That’s when she saw the sign Dungar had posted on the barn door.
Pottery Demonstrations Closed Indefinitely - Private Classes by Appointment Only.
Her face fell, and guilt crept into her expression. “You’re doing this because of me.”
“Because we’re being smart.” I tacked the sign to the front door, hating how disappointed she looked. “Tourist safety is important. And so is yours.”
As if she understood how urgent this situation was, Tressa trotted outside and positioned herself in front of the barn doors like a furry sentinel, her ears swiveling at every sound from the street.
“I hate that I’m ruining your business,” Allie said, touching one of the pottery wheels.
“You’re not ruining anything.” I locked the door and turned back to her, needing her to understand. “You’re…you’re making everything better.”
She raised an eyebrow, skepticism clear in her voice. “Even with armed criminals hunting me?”
“Even then.”
The truth of it surprised me. Despite the danger, despite the fear and the disrupted routine, having Allie here felt right. She belonged in this barn, belonged in my life, belonged with me. The criminal threat was temporary, but what we were building together could last forever.
She settled at a pottery wheel with a sly look and a graceful movement that made my mouth go dry. “We’ll have to keep busy, then. Teacher, what are we learning today?”
“Wheel techniques.” I gathered fresh clay and water, my hands already anticipating the lesson ahead. “You’ve mastered the ba-ba-basics. Time for the fun part.”
I pulled up a stool behind her, close enough that my chest pressed against her back. The position was intimate by necessity. Proper wheel work required precise hand placement and steady pressure. At least, that’s what I told myself as I breathed in the scent of her hair.
“Like this,” I said, wrapping my arms around her to cover her hands with mine on the clay.
The spinning wheel hummed, a familiar sound that usually calmed me. Today, it only heightened my awareness of every point where our bodies touched. Allie leaned back against my chest, trusting me to guide her movements. It was all I could do to keep my hands from shaking.
“Feel how the clay responds to gentle pressure?” I asked, helping her shape the walls of what would become a bowl.
“I do, Hail.” Her voice sounded breathless. “I feel it.”
The clay rose smooth and even beneath our joined hands, but I was barely paying attention to the pottery. All my focus was on the female in my arms, the way she shivered when my breath stirred her hair, and the small sound she made as she worked to master the technique.
I couldn’t resist. My lips found the curve of her neck, where I pressed a soft kiss to the sensitive skin below her ear. She tasted like everything good in the world.
“Hail,” she whispered.
Her hands stilled on the clay as I created a path of gentle kisses along the column of her throat, feeling her pulse flutter beneath my lips.
She turned in my arms, her clay-covered hands framing my face as she kissed me fully. This kiss was different from our morning greeting. It was deeper, more urgent, and filled with the same longing that had been building between us for days.
I stood, pulling her with me, and she came willingly. Dark desire filled her gaze as she looked up at me, her pupils dilated and her lips parted. The trust in her expression made my chest tighten with a mix of joy and anticipation.
“I want…” She shook her head. “I don’t know. Everything, I think.”
“How about just some to start?” I couldn’t take all she might offer until she was truly ready to commit to our bond.
“Alright.”
I swept my arm across the wooden surface of a workbench, sending tools clattering to the floor. Lifting her, I settled her on the edge, stepping between her knees until we were pressed together.
“You’re beautiful, Allie,” I said, reaching out to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. She smiled, her cheeks flushing. My heart stumbled.