Chapter 11
Eleven
M y Finn was happy, but I was still determined to find who hurt him. Leaving him in Zoya’s care had not gone well last time, so I asked her bondmate to join them while Finn practiced speaking. He was much better after spending most of his days focused mostly on that, but he wanted to be fluent. And it was a convenient excuse to leave him without needing to hunt.
I marched to the village center to meet with Verus. He was helping me in the search. He broke off from the conversation he was having with some of the guards who had stood watch during the celebration, jogging over to join me.
“Brother. How is he?”
I appreciated his concern over Finn. He and Godr both had checked in often since his attack. They wanted me to find happiness and because I found it in Finn, they were determined to protect him for my sake. Neither was happy to hear about his attack.
“He hates the river. It’s too cold for him.”
Verus snorted, biting his lip to hide his amusement. “Considering his size, I’m not surprised. He has nothing to keep him warm.”
Nothing but me. I wasn’t unhappy about him pressing up against me while we washed. I’d keep bringing him there for that reason alone if he wasn’t so icy cold when we were finished. I worried about him getting ill if he was constantly cold like that. I’d need to make preparations to better care for him come snowfall. He barely slept comfortably, as it was. Perhaps a few furs would benefit him.
Shaking off the distraction, I tried to focus on Verus. “What did you hear?”
He pressed his lips together, the disappointment clear on his face. “Not much. A few saw Finn go to the trench to relieve himself. One even overheard him asking Zoya for permission first. But those patrolling weren’t in that area when he was attacked.”
Which meant we had nothing, aside from confirmation that my Finn was good natured and wouldn’t cause trouble, even now that he was fully introduced to the clan. While I appreciated that, it wasn’t helpful. Finn couldn’t tell me who attacked him, he said it was too dark to tell, but I got the feeling he wasn’t telling me everything. His eyes darted away any time I asked, like they did when he was embarrassed of something.
“Perhaps if we brought him around the clan more, we could see someone acting hostile?” Verus suggested.
It was a sound plan, and if it were anyone else, I would agree with it. But it was Finn. He was too sweet to use as bait to draw out his attacker.
While I was considering our options, someone bumped into me from behind. My reflexes were fast enough that when I spun around, I caught the female before she could fall to the ground. She clung to me, speaking in Finn’s language so fast I couldn’t even hope to understand her. I shot Verus a questioning look, but he was no better than I was at the town languages. The woman continued to talk, flapping her hand and giggling nervously. She didn’t seem to realize we couldn’t understand her and she still had not let go of my arms. Her nails dug into my skin, which was unpleasant. I had to practically pry her off me before I could step away from her.
“Where is your protector?” If she was clumsy, she should not have been wandering around on her own, especially with the fire nearby.
She looked up at me blankly. I gave Verus a disgruntled look. The first word most tributes were taught was protector, so they knew who we were to them. If she didn’t know that word, she was one of the tributes who refused to learn the language at all. It wasn’t a practice I understood. It only made life more difficult for them.
Since Finn had taught me some of his words, repeating those I taught him in his own language so I could learn too, I attempted to communicate with her. “Where your protector?”
It was clear she understood me, but the face she made wasn’t one I expected. She wrinkled her nose and crossed her arms petulantly, rattling something else off too fast for me to follow. I bit back a sigh. I purposely avoided tributes before now because I didn’t want to deal with things like this. I was blessed at how accepting Finn was to the clan. He didn’t complain and was determined to learn. His volunteering as tribute was a great gift to me.
Thankfully, Orthorr came to my rescue, coming to stand beside us. He understood the town languages and could communicate with the woman better than we could.
“Clan leader,” I said respectfully, bowing slightly with my fist to my chest. “Can I request your assistance?”
He greeted me as he usually did before looking between my clan brother and me and the woman standing in front of us. “How can I help, my brother?”
“I… don’t know. She does not speak our tongue. I asked where her protector was, but she didn’t seem happy about my request.”
Verus frowned at the woman for a moment before adding, “Has she been introduced yet? Or is she wandering around when she shouldn’t be?”
I wouldn’t be able to answer that question. I paid little mind to the new tributes until their claiming days. I was not unkind to them, but some became unhappy when they approached me with interest, only for me to turn them down. I had no interest in females.
Orthorr turned to the woman, asking in her own tongue the questions we’d wanted to ask. Defiance overtook her face, and she glared at him, her voice tight and biting when she answered him. Orthorr was not amused by her behavior. He glanced at me, the annoyance clear across his face.
“She is protected by Feigrind. He is hunting this morning. She was supposed to stay in his tent.”
I almost felt bad for my clan brother. Feigrind was a good man, a decent hunter, and dedicated to his clan. He wanted a bondmate badly. But given her reaction to his name and her disobedience, I doubted this woman would be it. She didn’t react to him like Finn reacted to me. And when he was called to join us and he saw her wandering around, his reactions were nothing like I felt for Finn.
It made me that much more grateful for the little male who blessed me with his presence. I wanted to return to him, to ask him properly to be mine, but with Feigrind called back to deal with his tribute, someone had to hunt. And because I could trust Finn on his own, that someone had to be me.
I was reluctant to leave him that long, though, so instead of leaving him alone, I went looking for him. My Finn was braver than he let on, facing the icy river even though he was uncomfortable. He might be able to handle a hunt as well.
“The clan moves every moon cycle, following the herd, except ?during snowfall, where the best game is in the forest,” I said slowly, making sure my words were correct.
Zoya beamed at me. “Correct. Some clans explore instead of following the herd, but those clans are smaller than ours. Fewer mouths to feed.”
I nodded along, repeating words I wasn’t familiar with. I was getting better. If they spoke slow enough, I could follow more conversations than just Rath talking to me. It was when they were speaking quickly that I couldn’t keep up. Zoya was helping with this by increasing her speed a little each day and quizzing me on the way the clan worked at the same time.
She frowned suddenly and shifted in her seat uncomfortably. When she put her hand against her stomach, I worried she was feeling ill. She was the healer, not me, and I wasn’t any good at figuring out what was wrong with people, but I felt compelled to ask what was wrong. She felt like my friend and I didn’t want her to struggle just because she said she’d help me learn. I could fetch another healer too, if she needed it.
“What’s wrong? Are you okay?”
Her smile was a little strained when she nodded, and she took a sip of water from a flask she’d brought along before explaining in our language.
“I believe I am with child. It has been a few months since my last cycle and my stomach is upset often. It will pass with time.”
My mouth fell open. “You’re pregnant?”
She lifted a shoulder. “I believe so. It’s my first, so I’ve never experienced it before, but I’ve assisted other healers in helping pregnant mothers, and the symptoms are similar. If my belly grows, I’ll know I was right.”
Wow. I’d never met anyone who was pregnant before. It was just me, my father, and my brothers at home, and the only one married with children was my eldest brother, who lived in another town and didn’t come home often. I wasn’t around his wife when she was pregnant.
“Can I help? Did you need anything? Would you like to lie down?”
Her smile grew, and she patted my cheek affectionately. “I’m okay. You’re lucky this isn’t something you’ll have to deal with. I wouldn't consider it pleasant.”
My laugh was awkward, and I couldn’t look her in the eye when I nodded. “Yeah. Lucky.”
In a way, I was glad. I mean, I’d heard what women went through to have babies, and it wasn’t something I ever wanted to experience. But I couldn’t help but feel bad for depriving Rath of the joys of parenthood. He’d be a wonderful father. A lot more patient and kind than mine.
“Korvash,” Rath’s warm voice called for me, wiping away all my regrets and worries in an instant. I looked over my shoulder, smiling at him as he approached.
Zoya chuckled beside me. “I recognize that look. Are you smitten with a big barbarian of your own?”
A blush overtook my face. I ducked my head to hide it, but it was no use. She saw anyway. I was more than smitten with Rath. I was falling hard for him. He was everything I’d ever wanted. Kind, patient, sweet, and so handsome, it took my breath away sometimes.
I pushed to my feet when Rath approached, offering Zoya a hand to stand too. She waved me away, remaining comfortable where she was. “Khaul will be done soon. I’ll wait for him. Go. Spend time with your man. I’ll think of more ways to practice tomorrow.”
Khaul had joined us at first with the conversation, but as a fighter, he was expected to train often, so when another fighter asked him to spar, he readily agreed. He didn’t go far, I was pretty sure he was there to keep an eye on us, but we got to watch him do his thing while we practiced. I was curious if Rath ever sparred like that, and I was torn between wanting to see it or not. On the one hand, it would make him even more attractive than he already was. On the other, I already had trouble controlling myself around him. More material to fuel my dirty dreams might not be a good idea.
Saying a quick goodbye to Zoya, I spun around, nearly colliding with Rath. I hadn’t realized he was that close. He caught me with gentle hands on my arms, drawing me closer and tucking me up against his chest.
“You weren’t gone long,” I commented, a little breathlessly if I was being honest. He had that effect on me and the longer we spent time together, the more affected I was.
“Mm. I need to go on a hunt.”
The disappointment was like a punch to the gut. I knew he had to go, but I hated it every time. His absence made me sad, especially after the attack. I felt safest with him. Not that I wasn’t safe with Godr. He was very strong and capable. But he wasn’t Rath.
“I want you to come with me.”
Surprised, I jerked my gaze up to meet his. “O-Oh. I, um… I’ve never been good at hunting.” Or enjoyed it all that much. I wasn’t going to say that, though. I’d put up with being uncomfortable if I could stay with Rath. Hopefully, I wouldn’t cry when he killed something, though. That happened once before. For most of my brothers’ kills, I could refrain, but Fraser shot a sweet little bunny, and it broke my heart to see the white fur all blood soaked. I hadn’t seen Rath bring home something as small as a rabbit yet, so hopefully it would be okay.
Rath must have sensed my trepidation because he cupped my cheek, brushing his thumb over it in that sweet way that always made me melt. “You will be safe, Korvash. I only wish to have you beside me.”
I melted a little more. “Okay. I’ll go.”
His smile was pleased, and he rewarded my bravery with one of those lingering kisses on my forehead. When he pulled back, he took a moment to study me before asking me to wait.
“I will bring you something to keep you warm. Wait here for me.”
“Okay.” I watched him go with a sappy smile on my face that only went away when I heard Zoya’s snicker behind me. I spun around, taking in her amused expression, and felt my face burn brightly. “Oh, hush you. He asked me to go hunting with him. I’m allowed to be pleased.”
“Of course you are,” she said with a smile. “You two look very happy together.”
I was happy with Rath. I never thought I’d get to keep him, but he seemed just as happy with me as I was with him. I still worried about it though. Was he truly happy with me, or was he just enjoying me while I was under his protection?
“Zoya? What does korvash mean?”
She pursed her lips thoughtfully. “If you’re asking for a literal translation, it means petal heart. It’s a term of endearment. I think a better translation would be precious flower. Why?”
The warmth in my chest whenever I thought about Rath grew exponentially. He’d been calling me that since the day we met. That had to be a sign that he wanted to keep me. Right?