Chapter 6
CHAPTER 6
J ana surreptitiously watched Lothar’s face in the flickering firelight as he tended to her, his big hands moving with surprising gentleness across her injuries. Her skin tingled where he touched her, sending little sparks of awareness through her body. Her gaze traced the strong lines of his jaw, the determined set of his mouth as he concentrated on his task. A mouth framed by two gleaming white tusks.
She shook her head, still not quite believing that this was all real.
He finished cleaning the claw marks and retrieved a small pot from a leather satchel. He applied an herbal paste with an odd pungent smell to the scratches before wrapping a clean cloth around her arm. She pulled the rough linen shirt back into place as he moved to her ankle, breathing in the masculine scent that clung to the fabric. The garment was far too big but being clothed was a significant improvement.
His fingers brushed a sensitive spot on her ankle and she sucked in a sharp breath. Green eyes flicked up to meet hers, full of concern.
“Did I hurt you?”
“No,” she whispered. “It’s fine.”
The fire crackled beside them, sending showers of sparks up into the night. Despite her situation - lost in a strange place with an equally strange companion - she felt oddly safe. Her initial fears seemed to have disappeared. The memory of being held against his broad chest as he carried her through the forest sent a wave of warmth through her that had nothing to do with heat from the fire pit.
She shifted slightly, watching as he applied the same herbal paste to her ankle. His touch was so careful, so at odds with his massive size and fierce appearance. The same hands that had wielded that sword with deadly precision now tended to her wounds with infinite care.
Questions burned on her tongue, but she held them back, letting herself sink into this moment of peace. The forest sounds had settled into a gentle symphony around them - leaves rustling, night birds calling, the snap and pop of the fire. Her body relaxed despite herself, tension draining away under his ministrations.
She flexed her ankle experimentally as he tied off the last bandage, then blinked in surprise. The throbbing had dulled to a manageable ache. Not only did her ankle feel better but whatever he’d put on the scratches had taken away the sting, leaving behind a pleasant cooling sensation.
“Better?”
“Yes, thank you.”
He moved to the fire, hanging a battered pot over the flames. The water inside caught the firelight, rippling with amber reflections. Her stomach growled as he pressed a dark strip of what looked like dried meat into her palm.
“Eat. You need your strength to heal.”
She sniffed it cautiously before taking a small bite. The taste was unfamiliar but not unpleasant - rich and slightly sweet with an undertone of berries.
He settled beside her, close enough that she could feel the heat radiating from his body, but not so near as to make her uncomfortable. He stared into the flames for a long moment, as if gathering his thoughts.
“You said your brother’s mate also came from Earth?”
He nodded, an odd look in his face.
“What happened to her? Is she still here?”
He hesitated, then nodded again.
“Yes. She came as an answer to a prayer to the Old Gods.”
“You’re saying someone prayed and… what? She just appeared?”
But even as the skeptical words left her mouth, another half-formed memory flickered in her mind, then slipped away like a dream upon waking. There had been a voice, hadn’t there? A question…
She rubbed her head, trying to catch more of the memory, but it had dissolved again.
Lothar lifted the steaming pot from the flames, then pulled a small leather pouch from his pack and measured dark leaves into a wooden cup. The water followed, sending out a fragrant steam - cinnamon and clove, with undertones of something exotic she couldn’t name.
“Here.” He pressed the warm cup into her hands. “This will help.”
The spicy steam curled around her face as she breathed it in. She took a tentative sip, then let out a soft sigh of pleasure as the warm liquid washed down her throat.
“It’s wonderful. What is it?”
“My own mix. A blend of teas.” He gave her an unexpectedly charming grin. “One of my few useful skills.”
“Somehow I doubt that,” she said dryly, remembering how he’d taken on the dire wolf, and he grinned again.
She took another sip, then cradled the warm cup in her hands, its heat seeping into her palms.
“Was I… was I someone’s prayer too?”
Something she couldn’t read crossed his face before he looked away, his broad shoulders tensing.
“No. Not that I know of.”
Of course not.. Who would pray for her? She was damaged goods. She’d spent years building walls around herself, pushing people away. Even her closest neighbors back home barely knew her name. The bitter thought settled like lead in her stomach.
She took a sip of the tea to hide her expression. The spices bloomed across her tongue, warming her from the inside out.
“This other woman - where is she now?”
“Kari lives in my village. As I said, she is mated to my brother Wulf, our clan chief.”
“Where exactly is this village?” She traced patterns in the dirt with a stick, not meeting his eyes.
“Seven days ride south, through the mountains beyond Port Cael.”
He gestured towards the peaks looming in the darkness.
“What’s it like?”
“It’s a small settlement, but a good one. Our fields are fertile and our pastures rich. We have lived there for many years.” A shadow crossed his face. “But I don’t know how much longer we will last.”
“Why?”
Now he was the one avoiding her eyes.
“We have been… cursed. We have fewer females and fewer children with each generation.”
She sucked in a breath. The sorrow in his voice was unmistakable but the thought of another society focused on reproduction made her stomach clench, and she quickly changed the subject.
“Why are you out here instead of there?”
His shoulders tensed as he poked at the fire with a long branch, sending sparks dancing into the night air.
“I was at Port Cael. For… a gathering, an important gathering. But things did not go as planned.”
Something in his tone made her look up. Pain flickered across his features, quickly masked by a casual shrug. She recognized that expression - that careful hiding of hurt behind indifference.
“I decided to travel for a while. To clear my head before returning home.”
He tried to smile again, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes.
“Is this place - Port Cael - a big city?” she asked hopefully. Perhaps she could find some answers there.
“Large enough. It is the trading port closest to the Western Sea.”
The deep rumble of his voice mixed with the crackling fire and the warm spices of the tea as he described the town. Her muscles ached from the long day of stumbling through the forest, and the terror of the attack had drained what little energy she had left. Her eyelids grew heavy as he told her about the bustling port.
The next thing she knew, her cheek was pressed against something warm and solid. An arm curved protectively around her shoulders. For a blissful moment, she felt safe, cherished-
Reality came crashing back along with unwanted memories - arms that had gripped her too tightly and refused to let her go. She jerked away, her pulse fluttering wildly.
He instantly dropped his arm and shifted away, giving her space, palms raised.
“I’m sorry. You fell asleep. I did not mean-”
“It’s fine.”
She wrapped her arms around herself, forcing slow breaths. In through the nose, out through the mouth. The panic receded, leaving shame in its wake. He’d saved her life, treated her wounds, given her food and shelter. Yet here she was, flinching away like he was a monster.
But she couldn’t afford to let her guard down. Not even here, not even with him. No matter how kind his eyes or gentle his touch. She’d learned that lesson the hard way.