6. Chapter Six
Chapter Six
Hendr
I sat, poised at the top of the wall, waiting in agony for my woman long after sunrise.
Fades, I would have gone in and gotten her myself had the humans not been in such an uproar. I could hear them hollering about an orc stealing a woman from her bed. Fools, the lot of them. No warrior would cross these walls unless they had a death wish, no matter how desperate they were.
Myself included.
My thoughts on the topic were cut short when I smelled the sweet scent of Nalina.
When her eyes locked with mine, there was a single, blissful moment where she looked relieved .
And then she scowled, and I could feel it scorching my soul. “Get down , you fool!”
I blinked and glanced up toward the path. No humans were on it. And I would hear if someone was.
“What is wrong with you?” she asked as she finally got to the top. Fades, help me. She smelled like clean rain. I wanted to bury my nose in her braided hair and quench my thirst on her. “I said to get down! Do you know what is happening in my village right now?”
“Are you talking about having breakfast?” I reached into my cloak pocket to pull out the food I’d brought for her.
“Are you completely without thought? I mean the orc who kidnapped one of our town’s shepherdesses!” Her face was an adorable mask of fury that lit her amber eyes so beautifully it was captivating. “Hendr, did you hear what I just said?”
“Yes,” I grumbled, irritated that my welcome had not been as warm as I’d imagined it would be. No matter. Once she saw my treat, she would stop hating me. “Here, I brought you this.”
“I don’t want anything you brought.” Her voice was cold. “This is serious. A woman has been hurt by an orc!”
My chest hollowed as I searched her unyielding face. “My brethren are honorable. None would hurt a woman.”
“Hendr, they found her room ransacked! Her dress was torn and discarded on the floor. There was an orc footprint on her bed!”
“You truly think one of my brethren could sneak into this town unnoticed?” I put back the food as irritation pricked behind my eyes. “We might be skilled at hiding in the woods , but we would be spotted instantly in your village. There’s no green to blend into.”
“Then where has she gone? Why was her crook found on the path to your clan? And what about the print?”
“I don’t know!” Her suspicious gaze made my chest hurt. “One boot print isn’t proof enough that an orc took her. A blasted human with massive feet could have done it!”
Her hand slapped over my mouth and I froze in an instant. Fades, have mercy. Her skin was so soft . She smelled like honeysuckle baked in the afternoon sunlight. How would she taste . . .?
“You need to be quiet ,” she hissed.
I gave into my urge, parted my lips, and licked at her skin.
Fades, she tasted even better than I could have imagined. Like sweetened dew.
“What the fuck are you doing?” She snatched her hand away, and I resisted the urge to lick my lips. “You beast! You just licked my palm!” She wiped her hand on her skirt. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”
“If I had an answer for that, I would tell you,” I grumbled. My body buzzed with the want to lick her again. Everywhere.
She must have seen the desire in my face because she edged away from me. “Don’t you even think about it, Hendr. I’m warning you.”
Fuck, she was too close to the end of the branch she was perched on. I caged an arm around her. “Careful, woman.”
“Let me go!” She struggled to get out of my grip. “It was a mistake to come here. I don’t want to trade with you anymore.”
Panic turned my veins to ice. “You don’t mean that.”
“I assure you I do.” She tried to pry my hand away.
I gripped tighter, afraid that if I let go, she would be off balance and fall.
And because I simply could not let her leave like this. She was mine. “I will not release you until you eat my food and agree to come see what I’ve planned.”
“I don’t want anything to do with your plan! Now, let go!”
There was a distant, outraged gasp. One that made my blood run cold.
I looked over and saw the horrible, wrinkled Waston staring in shock at us from the pathway.
Fuck, fuck!
The blasted woman was going to gain her wits and start screeching at any moment.
And Nalina would never agree to come with me!
I was out of time.
I gripped my woman hard around the middle, lugged her over my shoulder, and dropped down the wall.
Nalina shrieked and guilt tore at me that I’d scared her as I caught myself midway down. I made sure to cradle her so she wasn’t harmed.
She was not the least bit moved by my care.
“L-let me go!” Her rage-laced roar drowned out the distant cry from Waston. With my superior hearing, I could hear the vile woman screaming for help even as Nalina raged in my ear. “Let me go now, you beast!”
I wouldn’t. I couldn’t . I’d lose her forever .
I dropped down the rest of the way just as I heard humans starting to climb the opposite side. I moved Nalina’s body forward so I could carry her more comfortably and bolted into the woods, running so fast that I could hear only the wind roaring in my ears.
Nalina continued to scream, hitting and kicking. Trying to break free. It took all my concentration to keep her head tucked into my neck and block her from getting hit by brambles and sticks as I sprinted.
Only after I had run far enough that I could no longer hear the sound of humans raging behind me did I stop.
“Unhand me, you absolute beast .” Nalina fought and spit like an angry saber cat and I could not help but be proud of her strength as I caught my breath. “You complete idiot ! I can’t believe you took me in broad daylight! What if someone had seen you?”
I blinked. Apparently, she hadn’t noticed Waston’s fuss.
But that’s all it was. Fuss. When I took Nalina back and the villagers saw she was well, everything would be set right. I needed a little time to cool her anger first, otherwise I’d never win her.
“You take me back this instant. ” She beat her rage into my back with her fists as I hesitated to set her down. “Our deal is off , Hendr. I’m never going to trade with you for as long as I live!”
My fists clenched against her skirts. “But I have food to trade.”
“I’d rather eat hot coals!” She pushed hard against me. “Now. Put. Me. Down! ”
I did, and she nearly tripped over her own feet, scrambling away from me. My heart felt heavy in my chest.
I’d done this all wrong. I was so stupid .
If I could just get her to my boons, she would change her mind. I loped after her. Reached out to catch her arm.
“Don’t you touch me.” She whirled around and the seriousness of her expression stopped me dead. “Don’t you ever touch me without my permission again. Ever .”
Fuck. I had gone too far. I’d broken what little trust we had. “I vow, I will not.”
She swallowed hard and backed up another step. “Now tell me which way leads back to Oakwall. Right now, you boorish bastard.”
I swallowed thickly as my chest tightened in dismay. There was fear hidden beyond her mask of fury. I could see it in the twitch of her brow. In the shaking of her hands.
I was going to lose her completely if I didn’t make things right.
I got down on my knees in the mud, trying to make myself seem less imposing. The autumn chill soaked through my pants in an instant, but I’d let my limbs freeze to the bone if it meant quelling her anger.
“W-what are you doing?”
“Scaring you is the last thing I want.” My voice sounded choked, and I coughed to clear it. “Oakwall is back that way.” I pointed down a path.
I expected her to dart away immediately, but instead, she stood with her arms crossed and her jaw set tight.
I was not going to waste this final moment she was giving me.
“I apologize, Nalina,” I said earnestly. “I was so overcome with want for you that I acted without thinking.”
“From what I’ve seen so far, you rarely think at all.” She edged in the direction of Oakwall. “Why would you bring me all the way out here just to trade? Honestly, why did you insist on meeting me at the wall at all? You should have just waited for me until the next trade like you’re supposed to.”
“You are the one who agreed to meet me this morning.” I instantly regretted my reply when she let out an outraged gasp. But better anger than fear. “We both know that you couldn’t wait another half-moon, Nalina. Your stomach was so loud I could hear it all the way from my camp.”
“My stomach is none of your concern.” As if on cue, it began to grumble.
I reached into my pocket and pulled out the bundle of fruits and nuts I’d made for her. “Here. Take this.”
She froze in place, looking down at the offering as I opened the white cloth I’d put it in. “And what exactly are you going to do to me if I take that? Haul me off into the middle of nowhere again? I never should have indulged you in the first place. I’m such a fool.”
“You are not a fool, Nalina. I am.” I held the food out further. “Please, take this as an apology. Nothing more.”
She tensed, ready to refuse.
But then she pressed a hand to her stomach and grimaced. Her chin was tight and her exhale of resignation sharp. She stepped forward.
She snatched it out of my palm so fast I didn’t even feel the warmth of her skin as her hand grazed mine.
I breathed a sigh of relief as she ate without hesitation. She ate all the raspberries first before moving to the blueberries. The tension in her was slowly wiped clean.
“I have more, Nalina,” I said carefully. “So much more waiting. Nearly a whole season’s worth. If you come with me, I can show it to you. It’s all awaiting you in a cave I’ve prepared. A warm fire, and food and drink and other treasures too.”
“A whole season?” She breathed before going back to scowling. “A cave? You can’t be serious. You think I trust you enough to be alone with you in an enclosed space like that? No. You will take me back now, and if you’re lucky, I won’t tell my headman about what you did just now and get you banned from the trades entirely.”
Her words were clipped and firm, and the spark of hope I’d held in my chest went cold.
Fuck. I really had ruined this and pushing for more would only destroy her trust in me further. If I got banned from the trades, all hope of ever making amends would be lost.
I bowed my head. “I am truly regretful, Nalina. I should never have taken you this way. I will return you to Oakwall. We can do further business at the next trade. If you can find it in you to trust me enough to do so.”
She paused eating as she searched my face. “Really? You mean that?”
I gulped hard. Every instinct was screaming to haul her over my shoulder and cart her off to the cave I’d prepared. But that would only ruin things even more. “Yes. I mean it.”
Only the slightest bit of tension left her. “Fine, then. Lead the way back.”
I heaved a sigh of resignation and got to my feet.