11. Chapter Eleven
Chapter Eleven
Hendr
F ades, I had never tasted anything as delicious as this woman and I knew that anything I had after this would be bland and worthless by comparison.
I reluctantly released her, and she pushed down her skirt, cheeks a bright pink as she squirmed. “I’ll start a fire.” I could roast her up a whole slew of vegetables. I knew humans preferred their food to be cooked until it was soft. “Can you eat butter? And cheese?”
“Oh, uh, I can have butter, but some cheeses don’t sit well.” She touched her stomach as if remembering the pain and my heart twisted.
“I swear, nothing you eat by my hand will ever cause you harm. Should I accidentally choose something that does, you need only tell me, and I will begin cooking again from scratch without complaint.”
Her eyes opened wide and an expression of earnest delight crossed her features that it made me want to bellow my victory from the treetops. “T-thank you, Hendr, that really means a lot.”
I tipped my head forward and nuzzled against her scalp. Fades be praised. She felt good, smelled even better. I was never going to give her up.
As I moved back, she asked, “Could I also have some water?”
I looked toward the pile of food and saw the water pouch I’d forgotten to fill right on top. I cursed under my breath. “I’ll go fetch some. I’ll be back in a moment.”
She nodded, and I was about to go when she put her hand on my shoulder. Her pull on me felt like the brush of butterfly wings.
She kissed my cheek, her lips warm and inviting against my skin. I felt like my bones were melting.
“Come back soon,” she murmured, her eyes averted. Being struck by lightning wouldn’t have given me more haste.
“I will.” I grabbed the water pouch and bounded to the cave entrance. I clambered my way through. The nearest spring to the cave was only a short walk. I’d be back in no time.
Yet every step away from her sent a hard sting rolling through my chest. Like the pull of a rope beckoning me back to her side.
As I walked through the forest, a flutter met my ears, and I glanced up in time to see a bird swoop down and land on my shoulder. A messenger bird. From both Sythcol and Brovdir, judging from the scent.
“Fuck, what do they want?” I grabbed the tiny note off the bird, and it darted off back into the trees. I held the parchment in a patch of dappled sunlight to read.
Hendr, return with Nalina immediately. A woman from Oakwall saw you take her, and the village is in an uproar. You must bring her back now.
The message smelled strongly of Sythcol, so I knew he had written it.
I snorted and crumpled the parchment before tossing it into the woods. I had no intention of following such an order. I wanted more time with Nalina, needed more time.
For all my chiefs knew, I was halfway to the goblin mines, and it would take most of the day to get back. As long as I returned Nalina before sunset, it would be fine. I was certain.
Fades, how was I going to be able to give her up then?
After fetching the water and getting cleaned up, I went back to the cave, following the blissfully crisp scent of Nalina. The smell beckoned me in ways I could not describe. It lulled me into delighted compliance. Something I’d felt so rarely in my life.
I was losing my ever-blasted mind over her, and I couldn’t seem to care.
She was examining the fabrics when I came in, her eyes wide and alarmed, until she realized it was me. And then she relaxed. “Oh, you’re back.”
Fuck, was there anything better than watching her tension evaporate from my presence? My heart swelled with joy.
“Here’s the water.” I passed the pouch to her and she drank greedily. A drop of water escaped her lips and trailed down her neck. I wanted to lap it up with my tongue.
“You . . . still want a shirt from me, don’t you?” she asked as she lowered the pouch.
I nodded. Anything knitted by her would instantly become the most precious thing I owned. “Yes. I do.”
She picked up the sketchbook and displayed the shirt design I’d selected. “This is the one, right?”
I took the book from her to get a better view, not that I needed it. But this book was precious to her and marked by her hand. I could learn much about her from it.
I flipped the pages and froze at what I saw.
It was snatched out of my hand so quickly I could hardly think. “What are you doing? I didn’t say you could look.”
Hadn’t she given me permission to look when she handed it to me? Her eyes were blazing, and I wasn’t going to argue with her. But still. “Were those of me ?”
“It’s private,” she said again, holding the book tight to her chest.
They were. She’d drawn me. She’d been thinking about me last night, long enough to sketch me multiple times. My whole body jolted with pleasure.
“I only drew you because I was trying to work out your measurements.” She wouldn’t quite look me in the eye, and I couldn’t decide if her embarrassment was more adorable or puzzling.
I grinned. “Do you want to measure me now? I promise to hold still for you.”
Her cheeks went so bright they rivaled the fire.
Then she glowered and went back to the fabrics, tucking her book into her skirt pocket. “What colors do you like?”
“What color do you think is best?” I asked, curious about how her mind worked while she was fashioning her designs.
“I’m sure you have some preferences.”
I grinned. “My preference is to keep you happy, Nalina. I’d wear anything you wanted me to.”
She blinked up at me in surprise, and I almost laughed. “Careful, or I’ll have you wearing nothing ,” she whispered so quietly under her breath I nearly couldn’t hear.
I blinked in shock before bursting into laughter. “Fuck, woman. You surprise me at every turn.”
She grinned in a way that melted me right to the bone.
“Admit it. You’re starting to fall for me.”
It was wishful thinking, certainly, but I couldn’t help getting my hopes up.
Her grin fell into a scowl. “You’re insufferable!”
There was an amused glint in her eye that only warmed my chest further.
Fades, seeing her stand firm lit me up like summer dawn. Hot and sweet and filled with the promise of a bright, warm future.
“You’re falling for me, Nalina,” I said boldly. “And I’m going to do everything in my power to keep you.”