17 Dove
DOVE
I lifted trembling fingers from Maerryl’s bandage. My heart pounded. It felt absurdly loud in the quiet of her room. Surely she hears it? I need to calm down.
“Better. Much better. Thank you,” she quietly replied. I felt her watching me, and my skin prickled pleasantly. I should move away. This was Maerryl. Maerryl! I loathed her.
Didn’t I?
But something was pulling me toward her. An undeniable tug, ever since we’d collided in the road. Since she’d saved me, and taken this injury doing so.
My breath caught as we moved closer.
I felt her chin brush against my hair. The warmth of her jaw pressed on my temple, and I smothered a gasp.
Electric, a burst of searing heat where we’d touched.
I leaned closer. She moved in too, nuzzling against me again like a cat.
I could hear her breathing—It was unsteady, like my own, and it goaded me on.
Lifting my face, I caught her lips with mine. She inhaled sharply but didn’t move away. We stayed there for a moment that felt like forever, pressed together gently. It felt so easy. So perfect. Like her lips were made for mine, and they’d just been waiting to meet.
Licking into her mouth softly, I hummed with pleasure.
She deepened our kiss, sparking a tingle all down my neck, through my chest, to the tips of my breasts.
I let my body take over. Her lips were thinner than mine, the normally hard slash of her snarky mouth softening as it moved with me, letting me explore. My head spun.
I brushed the sharp line of Maerryl’s jaw with light fingertips, and she groaned. Sitting forward in her chair, she reached for me, pulling me closer. I stretched up from where I knelt, feeling the same need to be nearer. As near as possible.
My tongue moved against hers, heat stirring low in my belly.
She kissed me like she never wanted to stop.
When she nipped my lower lip again, just like she had in the road, I felt it straight down to my pussy—so sudden and fierce that I did gasp this time.
Maerryl pulled back swiftly, hazel eyes searching mine.
I inhaled rapidly, trying to catch my breath.
“Blood loss,” I blurted. Her questioning gaze burned into me, and she cocked her head.
“You’ve lost quite a lot of—I mean, perhaps we shouldn’t do this when you’re, um, so compromised,” I said, drawing away and scrambling to my feet. “You’re not in your, ah, right mind.”
“Well, that’s certainly true,” she said, a smile touching her kiss-reddened mouth.
I backed away, moving toward my door. On the way, I placed the salve tin on a table. “Exactly. Right. So… I should just go. And, um, leave you to rest!”
“Dove, wait—” Maerryl’s voice followed me, but I hurried through the door and closed it with a thud. And then activated the magical seal for good measure.
What the fuck just happened??
Hours later, after I’d bathed and begged off from supper with excuses of a migraine, I lay in bed trying and failing to ignore the phantom memory of Maerryl’s lips.
Snuggling into the downy pillows, I stared up at the silk canopy of my bed, mind whirring with everything that had happened.
A light, chilly breeze came through the window I’d propped open.
Petra came and went earlier, chattering away, asking question after question about my day at the priory.
I’d answered distractedly, catching her up while leaving out the inconvenient incident.
Well, a few incidents. An attempted robbery—or kidnapping? A kiss. And oh yes, another kiss.
Goddess. What was I going to do? Petra seemed slightly… not suspicious, exactly, but definitely concerned. She knew something was up. And part of me felt terrible for not telling her.
At least she seemed to accept my lie about the red stain on the front of my riding habit. I’d told her it was paint from class today—that one of the young children had smeared it on me accidentally.
Who had even initiated the first kiss, there in the road?
No matter how closely I ran through the memory—and oh, what a gloriously sexy memory it was—I still couldn’t tell which of us was to blame.
I suppose I’d hugged her. And then accidentally tackled her.
But that had been in a relieved, thank-you-for-saving-me sort of way.
Not a let’s-make-out-in-the-road type of way. Right??
Nevertheless, it had turned into that somehow. I’d felt like I just escaped death or kidnapping or at least a very embarrassing mugging. And Maerryl had been right there, underneath me, looking all brave and heroic and dashingly beautiful…
I shook my head, then grabbed a flouncy pillow and tried to smother myself.
It is truly absurd you are even thinking about this so much.
Get ahold of yourself, woman. What about the fact that a huge scary orc attacked you?
And that it seems like your parents were right about you needing a bodyguard?
I hated when they were right. Thankfully, it happened quite rarely. But one thing was for sure—they could never know about the attack. Never. They’d probably lock me up and throw away the key.
Have to protect their asset. What would they do without their magical jewel-producing daughter, answer to all their financial woes? a nasty little voice in my head whispered.
That was unkind though. They did care about me, I knew they did. In their own way.
Sighing, I flipped over on my belly, pulling the thick comforter over my head until just my eyes and nose poked out. I gazed out the window onto the clear night sky, moon hanging low and yellow.
Quite a pickle. Quite a pickle indeed. Maybe I should just stay here all day tomorrow, safe under the covers; everything was so soft and warm in my rooms. I had exactly what I needed, or Petra could get it for me.
The silk and velvet furnishings I’d meticulously picked out myself after we got back on our feet.
My deep, claw-foot tub, and tray of various scented bubble baths.
My cozy little fireplace, my thin-as-air nightgowns and matching robes, my spare easel and paint supplies in the corner.
If Petra brought me food and drink up from the kitchens, I could live quite comfortably here for days. Weeks, maybe.
I snuggled farther into my bed, eyes fixed on the moon’s glow, until I finally fell asleep.
The next morning, I did not, in fact, stay in bed all day like I’d imagined, but instead made my way down to the stables as soon as possible.
I’d woken up abruptly at dawn with the guilty realization that I’d forgotten about Lightning last night.
I’d intended to check on him before bed—he must have been so rattled after that encounter with the orc yesterday—but after everything that happened with Maerryl’s injury, and the kiss, and the storm of thoughts in my head…
I threw on some clothes, grabbed a warm cashmere scarf for the morning’s chill, and tiptoed down the hall long before Petra would awake and bring me my breakfast. Hopefully, Maerryl was still sound asleep as well.
I held my breath as I passed her door, feeling ridiculously like a thief in my own home.
I stopped briefly in the kitchens to grab some carrots and sugar cubes, waving to a yawning Hanc before heading out to the stables.
Thankfully, Lightning seemed perfectly fine.
I gave the horse his treats as I checked him over carefully, chatting in a low voice.
Worries about the orc, Maerryl, money, my parents, my duties, everything—they drifted away the longer I stayed in the stables.
Not disappeared. But diminished, at least, for a time.
Unfortunately, though, I couldn’t stay there forever. And I shouldn’t go for a ride yet—Lightning deserved a rest after the chaos of yesterday. He wasn’t getting any younger. With a final loving pat on his side and a cheek cuddle, I slipped him the last sugar cube and made my way back to the manor.
It was still very early, the sun just starting to poke up above the treetops of our estate’s section of the Willowisp Woods.
An orange-rose glow streaked across the sky.
As much as I loved our household staff, I still didn’t feel like talking to any non-equine people, so I avoided the kitchens entrance and instead ducked through the front door with my keys.
Heading through the entryway, I’d almost reached the winding staircase—
“Dovey? What are you doing sneaking in like this?”
I froze, feeling my back go pin-straight at Mother’s alarmed voice. Turning slowly, I gave her a quick smile that she didn’t return. She stood there frowning by the entrance to the dining room, delicate teacup in hand, looking me over from head to boots.
You can go where you please, I told myself. You’re an adult. You’re over thirty!
Despite the reminders, I still felt like a kid caught doing something she shouldn’t have. Trying to at least pretend confidence, I said, “Mother. Good morning! What are you doing up so early?”
Her eyes narrowed. “Don’t you change the subject, young miss. Why were you outside? Are you… Were you coming home from a dalliance? With whom?”
I groaned. “A dalliance? Mother, stop. I was simply in the stables. Lightning seemed a bit poorly yesterday, so I wanted to check on him.” I wasn’t even lying. Not much, at least. But her stern and piercing look, hunting out any hint of impropriety, had me on edge.