Chapter 6
Six
AMbrOSE
I was still reeling from the mutual hand jobs when I woke the following morning.
I was grateful that Godr hadn’t demanded more, but my reaction to his touch surprised me.
I’d had to bite my tongue to stop myself from begging for more.
It had been a while since I last was intimate with someone, but I didn’t think it’d been that long.
Maybe I was wrong. Being that pent up would explain why I’d gotten hard listening to a man.
It might also explain why I was hard again when I woke.
Godr’s arm tightened around my middle when I tried to edge away from him, and he made sleepy grumbling noises of protest. I needed to put some distance between us before he noticed my arousal, but in his sleep, he clung to me like a child would a stuffed bear, and every time I tried to extricate myself, he pulled me back.
He wasn’t doing it consciously, I could tell by the way his breathing remained deep and even.
I almost found myself laughing because of it.
I was considering elbowing him away from me when a loud whinny startled him awake.
He sat up abruptly and was out of bed in an instant, hopping from foot to foot as he yanked on leggings and tugged on boots without a second glance in my direction.
He was gone in a flash, and I could only gape at where he’d stood a moment earlier. What just happened?
I shook off the confusion, readjusting my clothes that were still disheveled from the night prior, and grabbed my glasses from where I’d hidden them the night before.
All my mental effort went into not thinking about the events from last night.
I stepped out of the tent and into the cool morning air, taking in a deep breath to clear my head.
Godr’s voice cut through the quiet morning, pulling my attention to the field on my right.
He sounded like he was arguing with someone, and I headed in that direction automatically to see what was happening.
Leaning against the fence, I searched the field, but I couldn’t see who he was talking to.
The only creatures around were the stallions in the field.
“He thinks they can understand him,” a quiet voice said near my elbow.
I jerked around, surprised. A smaller blond man gave me an apologetic smile, hugging his middle in an embarrassed gesture.
“Sorry. I usually spend the morning with Godr while my bondmate is hunting. I didn't mean to startle you.”
This clan wasn’t at all shy about talking to outsiders. I thought I’d be a pariah because I wasn’t one of them, but the few people I’d interacted with so far were friendly. It wasn’t at all what I expected for my time here.
“Do they not let us go anywhere alone?” I asked.
The man wore the same type of clothing as the barbarians, except for the tunic which the other barbarians seemed to leave off, but there was no way he was one of them.
He was several hands shorter than me, and there wasn’t an ounce of muscle on him that I could see.
If he was a true-born barbarian, I’d eat my boots.
He flushed and wrinkled his nose. “They do. Once you’ve been introduced to your clan, you’re free to go where you wish.
I’m a special case. My bondmate is overprotective, and he feels better knowing I’m being watched over when he’s gone.
I don't mind it. Godr lets me sit in the field and write while he tends to the horses. And later in the day, I’ll be teaching the language classes for the new tributes, so he doesn’t have to watch me all day long. ”
Goddess, that would irritate me. Having a spouse who hovered like that would drive me insane.
I was too busy to cater to that kind of behavior.
Then again, I wasn’t sure what I’d be doing as a tribute.
Were we even allowed to work? Had I given up my practice as well as my freedom?
With all the chaos, I hadn’t even thought about it until right now.
The smaller man tipped his head, studying me with big innocent eyes that softened when he took in my expression. “I know you have questions. That’s normal, and I’m going to answer as many as I can during our lessons. Just know that you’re safe here. No one is going to hurt you.”
I wasn’t sure I believed him. I got the feeling it was more that they wouldn’t hurt us as long as we did as we were told.
And that wasn’t how I wanted to live my life.
I’d fought tooth and nail to get out from under my father’s thumb only to throw myself into a new situation where I was forced to obey to stay alive.
If I didn’t love my sister so much, I’d resent taking her place.
Only knowing she was safe kept me from acting out.
“Oh!”
The man’s surprised exclamation drew me back to reality just as a stallion stood directly in my line of sight and nudged me with its large head.
Huffing a laugh, I stroked its nose, admiring its strong features.
I’d always loved horses. When I was still a child, I’d wanted to be a horse trainer so I could be around them all day long.
I grew out of the obsession, especially when Evelyn pointed out that I’d have to shovel manure, but I still loved them.
My lifestyle didn’t allow me to have one, though.
It would be cruel to the creature to keep it cooped up all day while I worked.
My mind swayed again to my son. I never took him riding.
I was always too busy. The ache in my chest doubled as regret swelled.
I shoved the thought aside. I couldn’t dwell on Sebastian right now.
The pain would eat me alive and I needed to focus on the here and now.
I’d figure out what to do about my son when I was sure it was safe.
The smaller man gave a nervous laugh, sidling a little farther away. “That’s weird. Rhoddgorr doesn’t normally like people. He’s bitten Godr a few times during training.”
A frown pulled at my lips. The stallion didn’t seem to be a menace, at least not to me. He leaned against the fence, nudging me for more pets when I paused to study him. I moved closer, petting down his long neck, and spoke over my shoulder to the blond man.
“Are you sure? He seems sweet to me.”
“Ambrose!” Godr’s tone was worried, and he hurried over, ready to come to my defense.
I saw when the horse, Rhoddgorr, changed his demeanor. His ears went back, and when Godr was close enough, he kicked him and sent him sailing to the ground a few feet away.
“Godr!” the blond cried, fear and worry etched into his face. He was too afraid to jump the fence to check on him, though. That was up to me. Setting one hand on the fence, I hopped over and jogged over to where Godr was grimacing on the ground.
“Are you alright?”
We didn’t speak the same language, but he seemed to understand me just fine. He waved me away, glaring at Rhoddgorr and speaking harshly to him. The horse seemed uninterested in Godr’s lecture and walked off without a backward glance.
While Godr was still lecturing the impassive stallion, I pressed on the spot where a bruise was already forming. He hissed in pain and covered the spot protectively, but I batted his hand away. I needed to check if the ribs were broken. He could handle a few minutes of discomfort.
Godr watched me as I poked and prodded at him, his brows drawn together tightly. When I urged him to lie down, he went willingly, expression mildly amused until I pressed harder on the bruise and made him grimace.
“Are you a healer?” a feminine voice asked.
When I looked over my shoulder, a woman with long dark hair stood just outside the fence, with the blond man partially hidden behind her. Her head was tipped as she watched us curiously.
“I’m a physician. Or, I was…” I’d be heartbroken if they said I couldn’t be anymore.
“Did you retire? Or would you be willing to help the clan? We do what we can here, but we’d never say no to help. I’m not sure if the clan you’ll be sent to will feel the same way, but I know I’d be happy to learn what I can from you.”
A small bit of hope lit in my chest. I thought I’d lost everything when I took my sister’s place as tribute. If there was a chance that I could do my job for even a little while longer, I’d take it.
GODR
My gaze moved between Zoya and Ambrose. They spoke the common tongue, so I had no hope of understanding them, but their words didn’t make me think there was a problem.
And I had no complaints about Ambrose’s hands on me while he spoke to her, now that he wasn’t poking at the sore spot.
I would get back at Rhoddgorr for his actions. He would get no treats for a week.
I was still stunned about his reaction to Ambrose, though.
Rhoddgorr had been bullheaded since he was sired.
He liked no one, not even me, and I had a way with the stallions that most others didn’t.
None of the others would get near him for fear of getting bitten.
He tolerated my presence when he wanted food or brushing, but he wouldn’t hesitate to kick me if I displeased him. And yet he liked Ambrose.
A part of my soul swelled with hope at the thought.
Only those with a stallion’s spirit could tame the wildest of the herd.
I’d thought for a moment that I was blessed when he came under my protection.
I would be a fool to ignore such a gift.
But then I remembered that his stay here was only temporary.
He would join the Ilvos clan once he had a better grasp of our ways and mother tongue.
My stomach twisted uncomfortably at the thought.
I had been sure I was uninterested in a bondmate. And yet after one night with Ambrose, I was questioning everything. Who was this tribute, and what was he doing to me?
“Are you alright?” Finn asked, drawing my attention back to my surroundings as he came to stand next to me. I forced a smile, pushing my swirling thoughts away, but didn’t get up. Ambrose was still touching me, and I wasn’t willing to move away.
“I’m alright. It’s not the first time I have been tossed away by a stallion, and it won’t be the last.”
Finn’s grimace said he wasn’t pleased with my joke. He was a gentle spirit and didn't like violence or danger in any form. I reached for him, patting his leg gently.
“I promise, I am well.”
His shoulders slumped with relief, and he gave me a watery smile. “That’s good. Ambrose said you’ll be fine, but I wanted to be sure.”
Tipping my head, I asked, “How does he know? I haven’t taught him enough to understand my words.”
“He’s a physician,” Finn explained. “He wasn’t poking you to be unkind. He was checking to see if your ribs were broken.”
My mouth fell open in surprise. “A physician? Truly?” I thought I’d seen all types of tributes, but I’d never heard of a tribute with such an important profession. I couldn’t help but ask, “How did he end up here?”