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“I appreciate the offer,” he replies. “But this was my gift to you, not so that you could reciprocate. If you still wish to later, I will happily welcome it, but for now, let us leave things as they are.”
Another difference. He used to only want to give me something if he got something in return. Now, he wishes to give me this pleasurable interlude for free? Who is this man and what has he done with the cold, tactical warrior I have known? I don't know how to act with this new, free and easy man.
Marvik closes his eyes and breathes a little. After a long moment, his hardness is no longer tenting his trousers, and he opens his eyes.
“That is a good trick,” I remark. I wish I could have banished my arousal so easily on those nights when I was alone.
He holds out his hand to mine, asking without words to hold it. Off-balance, I sheathe my claws and give my hand to him. Marvik grabs it and starts walking, pulling me along toward the cave. “Imerely thought of the morning I found you gone.”
His words do funny things to my insides. I can smell his scent and I know he is not lying. Feeling vulnerable, I am quick to try to joke it away. “I thought that you would have thought of when I tied you up for weeks on end.”
Stupid. That was stupid. Why would I bring that up, harming this fragile peace between us? Do Iwantto send him away? I suppose that I am frightened again, scared of what will happen if he rejects me still after all this, and I may be lashing out because of it.
Marvik stops and looks at me over his shoulder. I am worried that I have offended him, but on his face is a look of pure wickedness.
“If you wanted me tied up, huntress, and at your mercy, I don’t think I would mind now. In fact, I think we might both enjoy it.”
I feel myself blush at his words. I am not so innocent that I don’t know that he refers to games of pleasure. Of willing partners dominating and submitting to each other. That he would want to play such games with me and would wantmeto be the aggressor is new to me, and the thought surprises a little thrum out of me.
Marvik groans and tugs me forward. “Huntress, if you keep letting me know that you are aroused, we will never make it back to the cave.” He gives me a quick kiss, again a surprise, then starts walking again, leading me back to our shelter.
And I let him.
Chapter 17
Marvik
Arriving at my cave is nostalgic. I haven’t been here in years. Not since I left for the army my twentieth year. I worked my way up the ladder quickly, reaching the Blue Guard not long after, and King Yorian never let me leave him for too long. He was paranoid about assassination. Eight years later, I am surprised with how well the furniture I left inside has held up and appreciate Dura’s additions. The wall and rough-hewn door she has made at the entrance is primitive but serviceable and it is impressive she got so much done in the few days we were apart. There are also rabbit skins pegged down to ground around the outside of the cave to dry so that they can later be tanned. I wonder how she plans to treat the skins without having access to a tanner, but it is wise to start saving the skins to use for winter.
A pile of trimmed branches lays in a stack by the door. I would think them firewood but they look too long to be used for that purpose and all trimmed to the exact same length.
“What are these for?” I ask.
Dura glances at the pile and responds, “I thought to build a smokehouse so that I can preserve larger quantities of meat. As it is I can’t hunt deer or boar, even though I have a bow, because the meat would go bad before I could eat all of it. This way I can hunt less often and still have food for the winter when the game hibernates. The one bag of dried meat you bought won’t last the whole cold season.”
Again, impressive. “Do you know how to build a smokehouse?” It seems strange to me that a warrior would have such knowledge. I certainly do not.
She nods and says, “I built one with my father years ago when Iwas an adolescent. It’s been awhile, but I remember the important bits, like where to build the vents. It should work, I just need to harvest some clay from the creek. The loam is excellent in the soil there, so it should work as a mortar.”
I have no idea what she is talking about, but it is clear that her father taught her well. So I say so.
“You seem like you learned a lot from your father.”
She gives me a small smile, but her eyes are sad. I wonder why for a moment, then it hits me. She must have been close to her parents and now, in her self-imposed exile since her desertion, she can’t see them. It never occurred to me, since I am not close to my own. Once again I feel the weight of the debt between us, though I know she would insist there isn’t one. But how can I make up for everything she gave up for me when she saved me? The simple answer would be to consent to be her mate, but my feelings aren’t there yet. I am happy being lovers, but more? I don’t know.
“Did you not also learn from your father?” asks Dura, interrupting my fraught thoughts.
I smile a little at that. “If you consider lying and playing the games of power things worth learning.”
She cocks her head. “You don’t?”
Shaking my head, I reply, “It never sat well with my sense of honor. There was too much manipulation and machinations. I preferred the straightforward path of swordsmanship.”
“Did your father appreciate your integrity and skill, at least?”
I snort. “Gods no. I was always something of a disappointment to him, since I have no desire to play the games of court or bring our House more power. That I, a firstborn heir to a noble house, chose to become a knight and join the army was a cause of great consternation to him.”
“But you were such a high rank. Surely that brought honor to your House, if nothing else.”
