21
The trek back to the town where they’d left the Jinn caravan wouldn’t take long.
They paused just outside of town to redistribute some of the stones they’d been given to make the load a little less conspicuous.
They each had small satchels they would display if asked about the time they’d spent prospecting.
A modest collection of stones was acceptable.
The true bounty of what they’d been given would be impossible to explain, so they had to conceal it as best they could.
“I can keep all the saddlebags,” Kurt explained to Malea when they were figuring out how they’d travel back to the city.
“My pack horse can carry them by day, and by night, I can stow them in the bottom of the wagon, as I did on the way here. No one will be the wiser. And when I’m not actually there to keep watch, the Averys will be.
In fact, I can probably leave at least two of the bags in the bottom storage of the wagon all the time.
Nobody will notice, and it will lighten the load for poor Charlie. ”
Charlie was the gelding pack horse that had been such a good sport throughout this entire journey.
Malea had ridden him, and he hadn’t balked at anything he’d been asked to do.
Kurt had grown attached to both horses on this trip, though he’d never had a horse of his own before.
He started thinking about what he could do to reward the two sturdy beasts for their steadfast service on this important mission.
Maybe he could buy them from their owner, but what he’d do with them after that, he wasn’t sure.
Mistress Isolde’s family trained horses for the crown and had a stud farm outside of town.
He’d ask her advice and maybe talk to her father and brother about keeping the two out there.
That way he could visit them easily, and they’d be close by should he require their services.
Otherwise, they’d have lots of pastureland, and Kurt could now afford to pay for their upkeep and feed with the largesse of the dragons.
He’d think more about it on the way home.
He had another topic to consider on the way back as well. That being the state of his relationship with Malea. He wanted her in his life…permanently. He just wasn’t sure how to bring that about.
Even more frustrating, the trip back would likely be accomplished the same way they’d come out.
Separately. Kurt on his horse, riding near the Avery wagon at the front of the caravan, and Malea back with the Rasims, in their wagon.
Kurt didn’t want that, but he also couldn’t exactly flaunt their new closeness in front of the Jinn families who would likely expect more of him.
And really, why shouldn’t they? Maybe it was time to make things official, though he’d planned to do it when they got back to the city, and he could take his time and ask her to marry him properly.
Still, if it meant pretending there was nothing between them for the rest of the trip, he’d have to find a way to move up his plans.
He just hoped she was as ready to commit to him as he was to her.
Gathering his courage, he figured there was no time like the present to ask her, even if it all felt a bit rushed.
They had to figure out how they were going to travel back before they got to the town, and it would be difficult to find privacy to speak about such things.
Kurt drew a deep breath as he straightened from refastening the saddlebags and met Malea’s gaze.
For a moment, he was struck speechless. She was so beautiful.
So lovely in face, form, spirit and intellect.
How could such a perfect woman want to tie herself to him for the rest of their lives?
Was it presumptuous of him to even ask? He was just a glass maker.
She, on the other hand, was a gem cutter whom he was certain would go on to do great things. They were a mismatch, surely.
But then he thought about his life without her, and he couldn’t really picture it. He wanted her with him, in all things. Surely the Mother of All wouldn’t have drawn him to her, only to have Malea reject him?
Sending a silent prayer up to the Goddess, he cleared his throat and considered his words. At length, he spoke, nervous as he had ever been.
“Malea, I wanted to ask you…” He stopped, then tried again. “I wanted to wait until we were home, and I could do this properly, but… The thing is… I can’t wait, and I hope you’ll forgive my presumption. I love you, Malea.”
There. He’d said it. And she hadn’t run away or made a face of disgust. No, her eyes were shining, and a beatific smile was blooming over her face, giving him hope. He felt his spirits rise.
“I want us to marry and be together for the rest of our lives, Malea,” he went on when she didn’t speak. “And I don’t want to wait to let the world know that you are my fiancée. If, that is, you agree.” Doubt crept in as he waited to hear what she would say.
She moved around Charlie and came to stand before him, holding his gaze. Then, she surprised him by stepping into his arms and hugging him tight. Rising on tiptoe, she kissed him gently, then more passionately before drawing back slightly to meet his eyes.
“I love you too, Kurt. And I would be honored to marry you just as soon as we can plan a party that we can invite all our friends to attend. Dragons and virkin included, of course.”
She grinned over at the saddle on which Arch and Keera sat, watching but not commenting. The two little beings bowed their head and made happy chirps instead. They were still tired from their exertions, though they were more active since their long nap on the way to the ice cave.
“Then we will travel back as an engaged couple,” Kurt announced.
“I’ll tell the Rasims, and you can tell the Averys. Then, maybe, they won’t tease us too harshly or raise their eyebrows too far when we go off together more than before,” she went on.
Kurt agreed and kissed her again. At length, when he drew back, he smiled down at her. “How did I get so blessed as to win your heart? You are amazing, Malea.”
“So are you, Kurt. And you’re mine,” she added, drawing his head down for another kiss.
The stomping of Charlie’s hooves drew them apart sometime later. The air had chilled as night began to fall.
“We’d better get a move on,” Kurt said, a note of regret in his voice.
“If I’ve measured my days right, the caravan will be pulling out tomorrow morning, so I think we timed it just right.
We can sleep in the inn tonight, if there’s room, and then take our places in the caravan in the morning,” she said, mounting Charlie’s back and soothing the gelding at the same time.
Both horses wanted to be moving. It was getting too cold to just stand around. Of course, kissing and touching as they had been, neither Kurt nor Malea had felt the cold. There was enough heat between them to fire the sun. Of that, he was certain.
They returned to the town later that night, welcomed by the Jinn traders. A warm meal and cozy bed at the inn were more than welcome after their journey. They each even had a hot bath, which was a luxury after days of making do on the trail.
When they came together that night, the heights of their shared passion still managed to surprise Malea. She had never felt such amazing things as Kurt had shown her. He brought her pleasure, but more than that, he showed her love, which made it all so much better. So much more fulfilling.
When he joined their bodies together, the sensations stole her breath, and when he moved within her, the intimacy of it made her gasp.
She had never felt so close to another person.
Not just physically, but emotionally. She would give him everything she had within her and knew he would never abuse her trust. Just like she knew he would do the same.
They made love, hard and fast, the first time, then dozed a bit.
Later, she awoke when he pushed into her soft body from behind, her passion rising instantly to answer his.
He kissed her neck as he rolled them into a better position so that he was behind her and she was kneeling on the bed on all fours.
This was new and exciting, and she had to bite back a scream of pleasure as the wave of completion rolled over her, making her feel things she’d never felt before.
Every time with Kurt, he showed her something new.
Something even more intense than she had believed possible.
He was a talented lover, but he also cared for her satisfaction.
He didn’t just take, but gave and gave before taking his own pleasure.
Talented and considerate…and all hers, she thought smugly as he brought her to climax once again before finding his own within her welcoming body.
Afterward, she lay curled against him, her head resting on his shoulder as his hand drifted lazily along her back. The quiet between them was rich and brimming with love shared and returned. His heartbeat thudded steady under her ear, a rhythm she could listen to forever.
“You make me feel so loved,” she murmured.
His arm tightened around her. “You do the same for me, my Malea. Growing up as we did… Losing our families so early and then being taken in by Isolde… We knew love, and we are part of her big family, but it feels really good to have just one person to share my life with on the most intimate level. Forevermore.”
She tilted her head to meet his gaze, smiling at the fierce tenderness she saw there. “I like that. It’s exactly how I feel too. You already know me so well.”
He brushed a thumb over her cheek. “And I intend to spend the rest of my life learning the rest.”
Her heart gave a little flutter. She kissed him again, slow and sweet, and the warmth between them deepened until there was no space—physical or otherwise—left unbridged.
They made love again, not in urgency this time, but in a slow, lingering rhythm that spoke of trust, devotion, and the quiet joy of knowing they had a future together.
Later, wrapped in his arms beneath the inn’s thick blankets, Malea drifted toward sleep with the faintest smile on her lips. For the first time in years, she felt utterly safe, and truly loved.
Morning came with the golden light of dawn spilling across their bed.
Outside, the town was already stirring. Jinn traders were calling to one another, and the ring of a blacksmith’s hammer carried on the crisp air.
Today, they would begin the journey back, and they had to be on their way.
They’d left their packs by the door and were ready to go down and consume a quick breakfast before meeting up with their hosts at the caravan.
They stepped out into the street together, hand in hand, the bustle of the Jinn wagons and the glittering white peaks in the distance framing their path. Beyond those mountains might lay future adventures, but for now, there was peace. For now, there was love.
And together, they walked forward into it.