She held herself very still, frozen like
a rabbit sighted by a starving wolf. Dharman waited for her to refuse. If she
did, neither he nor Khul would force the promise upon her. He would wait an
eternity, if only she asked him with true love and desire when she was ready.
Finally, she nodded, just one quick jerk of her head, but he wanted to wrap her
up in his arms and run for his
na’kindre
to get her back to the Plains all the quicker.
“Sal.” When her Second Blood didn’t
respond, she slid out of Dharman’s embrace and moved to stand before him. For
once, Sal had managed to keep his mouth shut instead of making a blatant joke,
which should tell her exactly how badly they both had been hurt. Any other day,
Sal would have been throwing himself at her feet to win a kiss.
She stood before him, trying to decide
how best to reward—and torment him at the same time. Lightly, she reached out
and touched the pale scar on his lower abdomen.
Sal sucked in his breath.
“Do you remember how you earned this
scar?”
He nodded, his eyes widening. He glanced
at Dharman, seeking his reaction or permission, he wasn’t sure, but he was
simply grateful his friend didn’t look to Khul. At last, someone looked to him
as First. Dharman gave a small nod and came up behind her, lightly settling his
hands on her hips.
She wrapped her left hand in the red
hair tumbled past Sal’s shoulders. Slowly and deliberately, she twisted his
hair about her fists, pulling him down to her. It wasn’t in Sal’s nature to go
gently; he enjoyed the pain, the steady pull, and the hint of force she used to
make him come to her.
This she understood about Sal and was
willing to give him. Dharman couldn’t be jealous of his bonded Blood brother,
but he couldn’t help but wish she would take as much care with his own needs.
She moved too quickly for his eyes to
track, but he felt her intent through the bond. The tip of her
rahke
dug into the tender flesh of Sal’s
stomach. “Perhaps you’d let me reopen this wound and drink from it this time.”
Without hesitation, Sal whispered, “I’d
let you do anything you want. Anything at all.”
Dharman felt the shiver of dread that
rushed through her. Immediately, he tightened his grip on her hips and drew her
back against his body.
:I won’t let you
hurt him more than he likes.:
“Perhaps you should drill with your
Blood later,
na’lanna
.” Rhaekhar
laughed, shaking his head. “If you taste Sal now, then I won’t find the desire
within me to leave until you’ve tasted me as well, and then I might as well
wait until the morrow.”
Khul’lanna held Sal’s forehead to hers,
the
rahke
still at his stomach. “Am I
forgiven?”
He pushed forward just enough to break
the skin. Eyes filling with the darkness of his need, he shivered. “Aye,
always, Khul’lanna. It’s an honor to serve. My blood is yours, anyplace and
anytime you desire it.”
Releasing his hair, she stepped away,
but her eyes lingered on the fine trail of blood that disappeared into the
memsha
wrapped about Sal’s waist. She
took a deep breath and forced her attention to Khul, who smiled at her.
“Much better than tears,
na’lanna
. In three days, you had best be
riding as fast as your mare’s namesake to the south, or I shall come fetch you
myself.”
“Three days,” she agreed, clearing her
throat.
Dharman felt the surge of tearful
emotion raging in her heart, but outwardly, she didn’t display any further
emotion. “May Our Blessed Lady keep you well and safe until then.”
At his subtle heel touched to the
na’kindre’s
flank, the stallion reared,
clattering hooves on the tiled stones. “If any harm comes to my Khul’lanna,
Vulkar help me I shall ride you all down like the curs you are. So says Khul of
the Nine Camps of the Sha’Kae al’Dan.”
* * *
AT LEAST TEMPORARILY, SHANNARI WAS able
to keep her mind off her loved ones’ departure by wearing herself out mentally
and physically. She’d met with her advisers both in the morning and afternoon,
with private interviews with her father in between. She’d managed to fit in a
session with the Blood, drilling with
rahkes
until she dripped with sweat and both Dharman and Sal bled. And yes, to keep
her promise to them and make amends for hurting their young warrior pride
earlier, she’d tasted their blood. Not enough to do something embarrassing,
although Sal had especially been disappointed.
She’d even drilled with the next two
Blood in the hierarchy, Jorah and Lew, at the same time. She didn’t typically
drill with any but her closest Blood, so their different styles gave her the
challenge she needed. She ached from head to toe, and a long, quiet soak in her
private bath sounded heavenly.
If it were
private
.
Entering her bedroom, she waited for the
right moment to broach the subject. Seven Blood scattered throughout the room.
Tall as a pine sapling but filled out after three years, Lew took the door with
his friend, Jahne, whose broad shoulders and barrel chest reminded her of a
bulldog. Golden-haired Jorah trotted ahead to her bath, surely to make sure no
one had tried to hide inside. Although she hadn’t said a word about it, they
knew her intention.
Of course they knew her desire to be
alone. Yet they said nothing, so she remained quiet as well. The rest of the
Blood looked beneath the massive bed, inside the wardrobe and garderobe. She
took a step deeper, but Sal slipped in front of her, using his body to block
the way.
“A moment, Khul’lanna,” Dharman replied
at her ear. “Wait until the all clear.”
Of course they would be ever more
protective now that Khul had left. Rolling her shoulders, she winced at the
soreness. She should have stopped for a bath after drilling instead of
immediately going to the late session with her council, but she’d thought the
blood and sweat of her exertions would impress them.
She’d forgotten that they’d been present
during Theo’s short-lived rule. According to rumor, the last High King had
stomped someone into a bloody pile of meat in the High Court. What would a few
minor wounds on her Blood serve to prove?
Finally, Jorah gave the silent all-clear
signal and Sal stepped aside, tossing his head enough that his hair fluttered
against her arm as she walked past. She couldn’t suppress a shiver at the
sensation. That heavy velvet pelt would feel incredible draped over her like a
blanket as Rhaekhar had suggested.
Blocking that image from her mind, she
went about the room gathering her things. Her normal bedtime routine included
lighting candles about the bed, making sure the twins were settled in the room
next door with a story or four, and rocking them asleep.
Swallowing hard, she felt down her bond
to Rhaekhar.
Golden as his eyes, his bond filled her
with warmth and love.
:I kissed them
goodnight for you, my heart. All is well.:
Words weren’t necessary—he felt her
loneliness through the bond as she felt his. Flat on his back staring up at the
stars, his arms physically ached to wrap around her.
:I miss you.:
:As
I miss you. I worry for you,
na’lanna
.:
:No
more assassins struck today.:
She felt his weary and wry amusement.
:I would have known if they attacked,
na’lanna
. I felt every long miserable hour you sat
with your outlanders this day, and I know how hard you drilled the lads. As
skilled as you are now, I believe you could take even Gregar.:
Emptiness welled up inside her. Tears
clogged her throat. Breathing deeply, she forced the grief away. Gregar might
be dead, but he was far from gone.
:I was
taught by the best.:
:I
have one of our daughters on each side of me, and my Blood stand close.:
Rhaekhar’s mental voice lowered, a dim rumble like thunder that vibrated
through her bones.
:Who shall you have on
each side of you this night?:
:I
know what you said.:
She couldn’t help the sharpness in her
emotions.
:But I never agreed to such a
thing.:
:I
don’t like the thought of you lying alone and cold in that big bed,
na’lanna
. Think on what I suggested.:
Mentally, she relaxed, a great tension
leaking out of her. She’d assumed he had meant to
order
her to take the two Blood into her bed, and while she didn’t
hesitate to disregard her obstinate warrior’s bossy demands on occasion, there
were always consequences. Did she want to anger him simply to avoid a situation
that would be far from punishment? The only unpleasantness would be her own
emotions, the guilt and temptation she refused to consider.
:I’ll
think on it
.: Concentrating very hard, she stretched
her heart toward his, straining until she could smell his scent of sun-baked
grains and sweet Plains hay.
:I love you,
my heart. Sleep well.:
:And
you, my heart. If you Dream Gregar, tell him…:
Rhaekhar
hesitated, and something like a cold wind blew through their bond.
Concerned, she closed her eyes, seeking
to connect with him even deeper. She slid mental hands over him, through his
mind and memory, seeking any fear or worry that could trouble him so.
She felt his phantom caress, the brush
of his lips against her ear.
:Tell him
it’s been entirely too long since we both held you. Perhaps you can think of a
way for us to demonstrate for Dharman how it should be done.:
Dragging herself back from Rhaekhar’s
rumbling laughter through the bond, she opened her eyes. Dharman stared at her,
solemn and silent, braced for battle.
“Am I Khul’lanna of the Nine Camps of
the Sha’Kae al’Dan? Am I High Queen of the Green Lands?”
“Aye,” he answered, his voice hard and
clipped.
Calm and sure, she unbuckled the
shoulder straps of her armor. “So when I order you to remain outside my bath,
you will do so.”
“My blood is yours.” He helped pull the
metal plates over her head. “I shall do as you order without question,
Khul’lanna, as long as you accept that I shall feel the slightest harm to you
hundredfold. If an assassin takes your life, it is you who take mine. Sal, too,
and the rest of your Blood. None of us will survive your death.”
She despised such talk. Her own duties
weighed on her constantly; the thought of dragging these young warriors to
their death made her sick with guilt. Frustrated by the tears burning her eyes,
she jerked at the belt of her pants. The leather had swelled with her sweat and
refused to cooperate.
Dharman closed his hands over hers,
removed her hands gently, and worked at the belt. “Let me assist you,
Khul’lanna. It’s my greatest honor to serve you.”
Disconcerted by his tenderness, she
clenched her hands into fists at her sides. “You will continue to guard while I
sleep as you’ve done every other night.”
Dharman might be years younger, but the
dark look in his eyes sent chills down her spine. Muscles tensing for all-out
battle, she couldn’t deny the uncoiling heat in her belly.
“Why would you fear taking two Blood to
your bed, Khul’lanna? If you tell me to lie with you and do nothing but breathe
and guard your sleep, then that is exactly what I shall do. Even Sal would keep
his hands to himself unless specifically invited to be more than Blood.”
“There’s no need—”
“Great Vulkar!” Dharman jerked away, his
shoulders corded, eyes flashing in the candlelight. “You give me so little,
Khul’lanna. The least you can do is give me the truth!”
His outburst shocked her more than if
he’d struck her in anger. Calm, stoic Dharman, her young oak in the strongest
storm, had never displayed such temper. Tears burning her eyes , she dropped
her gaze to her hands. She clutched them together to keep from reaching out to
him.
“You give Sal more consideration than
me, your First Blood who commands the others. You tolerate his teasing and
play; you let him touch you casually without suspicion; and most of all, you
understand his need for small pain. I know every beat of your heart, every
thought in your mind as my own, yet you won’t give me the barest concession.
Not one thought, not one care, not one touch. When you thought of abandoning
your High Throne, you thought of Khul. You thought of Gregar. You thought of
your children, your people you’d leave behind to suffer in Shadow. Yet you
never thought of
me
, when I would
slit my throat if you asked. What of your Blood, Khul’lanna, we who would die
to keep you safe? What of us?”
Shame swept through her. She’d taken
advantage of her First Blood’s constant unswerving devotion without ever
considering his feelings. “You’re right. The truth is…” Blessed Lady, she hated
the quiver in her voice, the rawness in her throat, the ache in her heart. “I’m
afraid.”
He turned back to her, but she couldn’t
meet his gaze. He cupped her cheek, his fingers gentle on her face, but he
didn’t force her gaze up. Khul would have, but not her Blood.
I’ve taught him well
, she thought
bitterly.