60
Aspen
Orange flames danced inside the furnace. Using a pair of tongs, I drew a metal plate from the oven, the fitting’s surface glowing red. After carefully setting the piece atop an anvil, I returned the tongs to the workbench and wiped my damp cheek while admiring the outcome.
It would take a while for the piece to cool down before it was ready for shaping. Until then, I closed my eyes and inhaled fresh wood, varnish, and pumpernickel bread wafting from the cottage’s kitchen.
The scents of home.
Door hinges squeaked. My eyes flitted open, and happiness warmed my chest. As a honeycomb of sunlight oozed through the forge’s window, a figure with silver hair poked her head inside, a peaceful grin relaxing her features.
“How’s it going?” Mama asked.
Bunching the apron tied to my waist, I wiped soot from my fingers. “One more plate, and I’m done. I’ll still need to work on some other bits, but the metal parts will be complete.” Then I slanted my head. “What about you?”
“Almost finished with the fence door. It needed realignment and paint badly.”
Ambition lightened her voice, the sound flooding me with hope. My eyes landed on the acorn tassel from the oak tree, which she had added to her cloak. Before leaving on my journey, I promised to bring back a souvenir, and I always kept my promises to her.
Since my return home, things had changed for the better.
Although the tale of my mission had infuriated and terrified Mama, my encounter with the legendary tree of her past lifted a veil from her eyes.
The oak’s blessing eased Mama’s fear of retribution, and while she still glanced at the surrounding forest with hesitation, we kept hope that she would recover enough to enjoy life.
Wearing the acorn, stepping outside the cottage on a daily basis, and resuming her trade as a carpenter was a fine start.
Also, Jeryn would continue developing a treatment for her condition, which mirrored his own in some ways.
As time passed, we would send him updates, and he would assess her progress.
Slowly and steadily, Mama would manage her condition, thriving instead of suffering. And I would help her, both of us supporting each other every step of the way.
A small creature fluttered into view, the female’s wings flapping.
As the woodpecker landed on Mama’s shoulder, I smothered a chuckle.
She did a superb job protecting my mother while I was gone.
As a thank you, I had upgraded her birdhouse.
The avian had been taking a well-deserved holiday in her new dwelling, so this arrival meant only one thing.
Presumably, the fancy feeder I constructed was empty.
The woodpecker chirped in consternation. I knew a certain warhorse with the same temperament.
“Oh, hush you,” Mama teased, petting the female’s beak. “I’ll replenish your seed in a moment.” Turning back to me, she crossed the threshold and cupped my face, her thumb wiping a stray smudge of cinders. “My Aspen,” she whispered, love brimming in those lucid pupils. “I’m so glad you’re home.”
My throat swelled. “Me too.”
“Dinner will be ready in an hour.” A rare, mischievous twinkle flickered in her eyes. “I know how you feel about unexpected guests, but I trust you won’t mind this one.”
Confusion stretched across my face. “Who…”
My voice trailed off as a male silhouette appeared in the forge’s doorway. Tall, athletic, and backdropped by a clear sky as vivid as his irises.
I sucked in a breath. Anticipation gripped my lungs.
Like a knight in shining armor, Aire’s large body towered at the threshold.
An ankle-length, velvet surcoat clutched his muscles, his coat-of-arms insignia ornamenting the material.
Broadswords would have made him look imposing to a stranger, but the passionate expression simmering across his face softened the effect.
Longing stared back. I clung to the sight, my heart sprinting. We hadn’t been alone, hadn’t touched since being jailed together. Many times during the trip from The Lost Treehouses, we’d wanted to.
And how I wanted to now.
Mama beamed between us, coyness and intrigue brightening her features. “I’ll just leave you both to it. But remember what I said about dinner. You have an hour, so make it count.”
Shock hoisted Aire’s eyebrows so high, they reached his golden hairline. Red burst across his cheeks as Mama patted his jaw. “That blush means I approve, and those weapons mean you’re just my daughter’s type. It’s lovely to finally meet you, Aire.”
The First Knight bounced back. Inclining his head, he intoned, “The honor is mine.”
“And thank you for the flowers.”
Aire must have relieved the guards patrolling our home, then knocked at the cottage and introduced himself while I’d been wrapping up in here. As Mama glided past him, she twisted behind Aire and formed the words, “I adooooore him.”
If anything could top my elation, it was this. Watching the two people I loved most in this world interact for the first time. A vision I’d been imagining for most of my life.
Lured by the knight’s presence, the woodpecker sprang off Mama’s shoulder and flitted around Aire. The little avian’s enthusiasm tugged a handsome grin from the corner of his mouth. He murmured something to the creature before it dashed outside, following Mama to the cottage.
Silence enveloped the forge. The oven’s flames tossed lambent strands along the walls, illuminating every blade and handle.
Aire marveled at the prototypes and finished projects mounted around us, admiration claiming his features. Then he swerved back to me, those pupils smoldering.
I wanted to seize him. I wanted to grab him, kiss that mouth, strip off those fancy clothes.
Instead, I crossed my arms and adopted a playful tone. “What can I do for you, Sir?”
His lips twitched. With measured grace, he stalked forward. “I’ve heard a weaponsmith lives here. They call her Aspen of Autumn. Lady knight and expert crafter for the Crown.”
“It’s after hours. She’s not open for business again until tomorrow.” I audited his chiseled physique as though I’d never laid eyes on him before, much less ridden that body. “On the other hand, I might be persuaded. You can call me a Brazen Creature, if you’d like.”
“Only if you call me a stubborn, cantankerous, Noble Knight.”
“I might be obliged.” As we sidled closer, my flesh pebbled, and desire coiled between my thighs. “What’s your request, soldier?”
Aire unstrapped his weapons and exhibited the pair of worn leather scabbards. “War may be coming. I fear I’ve outgrown these and require an upgrade from a trusted source.”
“Is that right?” I sauntered just near enough to evaluate the harness. I angled my head, feeling the tender strokes of his eyes over my profile. “Quality accessories,” I said, my words quavering. “I’m not sure anything I can offer would live up to that.”
“I disagree,” he whispered, his breath rushing along my temple.
My fingers itched to touch, seize, hold on to this man. “My commissions list is pretty full. It may take a while. How long do you have?”
The knight took another step, his baritone guttural. “Forever.”
Love swelled in my throat. “My favorite answer.”
“Mine as well.”
“In that case…” I gestured to the metal plate resting on the anvil. “I’ve been working on a special design, with one recipient in mind.”
Elegant and sleek, the plate was a single component of many.
Once combined with a second fitting and other hardware I had already created, plus the necessary bindings, the result would form two unique harnesses.
Prime scabbards with mechanisms that released while the fighter withdrew two swords in unison.
Aire had been the rare soldier who could extract twin blades from his back with seamless ease. But this design would be more efficient. It would help him fight smoother and quicker.
“They’re beautiful,” Aire marveled. “I only hope to be worthy of such a gift.”
“Oh, I know you are.” I traced one finger across his jaw. “You see, I tried forging these scabbards for my Noble Knight years ago but never mustered the ability to finish. Sometimes you need to see the wielder through clearer eyes.”
Aire’s husky timbre sent tingles up my spine. “What do you see now?”
“A soul mate,” I proposed. “These days, I’m feeling mighty confident we suit each other.”
After setting the broadswords against the workbench, his thumb sketched the beauty mark above my upper lip. “Aspen,” he rasped. “I cannot stand it any longer.”
I rushed out, “Good, because you don’t have to.”
With a groan, he swooped in. I sighed with pleasure as he hoisted me forward, the slit of my legs throbbing, the foliage motifs scalding along my skin.
Dammit, one hour until dinner wouldn’t be enough. In which case, I’d take the suggestion to heart and make it count.
With a desperate growl, Aire veered his head toward mine, about to crush my lips against his own. Reeling back, I set a finger to his hot mouth. “I have a request.”
“Anything,” he swore. “Everything.”
Now we were talking in my language. “The scabbards aren’t done yet, but I do have something else that needs testing.”
Sashaying out of his grip, I twisted and detached a helmet model from the wall. Sauntering back to Aire, I wagged the object. “Try it on for me.”
The virtuous knight paused. Because he recognized the raunchy dip of my voice, his skin burned red. Such a big warrior. Such a deep blush. Calling it one of my favorite reactions from him was an understatement.
Seconds later, temptation overrode modesty, elemental need blazing in his pupils. Another side of Aire existed beneath the hard surface. Numerous times while naked and panting, we had discovered this, drawing out his inner beast like a kink.
He didn’t probe, didn’t ask questions, didn’t hesitate. No, his fervid gaze panned from the helmet to me. “As you wish.”
That husky timbre spiked my pulse. “Good man.”