He tugged a little on his hands, so I released him with one last murmured, “You’re safe.”
When I turned back to Orthorr, he gave me a disappointed look that I felt in my soul. I grimaced.
“I’m sorry, clan leader. I overreacted. I didn’t expect to be caring for a tribute and forgot to be more gentle.”
His expression softened, and he nodded. “I understand I thrust this upon you without warning, but I do feel he is best left with you until we figure out his story. To my knowledge, mostwho live in the towns speak the common tongue. I’m unsure as to why this one doesn’t.”
That made me frown. “Do you think he’s not from the towns?”
Orthorr tipped his head thoughtfully. “It is possible.”
Which could mean many things. The male could have been a slave or a victim of kidnapping. He could just be an innocent who was in the wrong place at the wrong time and was handed off to spare the town from handing over one of their citizens. Or he could be a criminal from another country, and a town had volunteered to get rid of him. I looked at him again out of the corner of my eye. If that last one turned out to be true, he could be dangerous. I would need to keep him away from my weapons.
“Until we know more, he will not be introduced to the clan,” Orthorr decided. “Do what you can to teach him our language. You’ll have to do it the old-fashioned way. And take care to be patient with him. He has less understanding than the rest, and it will affect his temperament.”
With a heavy sigh, I nodded. I would need to do better. It was wrong to blame the tribute for acting out, especially while he didn’t understand.
Like he wanted to test my patience right away, the tribute jerked the chain connecting us again. It was deliberate, there was no way to pretend otherwise, but pretend he did. He looked up at me innocently, which was when I got a good look at his eyes. They were fascinating, like the color of the summer sky, but with an amber circle in the center, ringing the middle. They made him look even more innocent as he blinked up at me. It was a wonder he was alone long enough to be brought to us. Those eyes alone would draw people to him.
My staring seemed to make him uncomfortable. He shifted under my heavy gaze, eyes darting around for a moment before he took a step back. I blinked, finally dragging my attention offhis eyes and back to Orthorr. He had gotten distracted speaking with Rath. Orthorr had sent Bhortis to ask for volunteers to care for the children who were sent with the tributes. Rath and his bondmate had been the first to volunteer. With Finn’s ability to speak the common tongue and teach the language, it was important for them to know him.
Since I wasn’t in a position to volunteer myself and there was nothing more I could work through with Orthorr, I decided it was time to bring the tribute to my tent. Usually they rested there after their arrival and were given a few days to come to terms with their new circumstances. I would have brought him there immediately if Finn hadn’t pointed out how terrifying it was for him back when he didn’t understand and had been forced into Rath’s tent with no explanation. Now Orthorr explained things to the tributes before sending them with their protectors. I couldn’t do the same with my tribute, so Finn suggested having our first meal in the village center to put him more at ease.
The tribute yawned, jerking the chain between us again. Figuring it was best to get him to bed, I took his arm to lead him away. He immediately protested, shouting and digging his heels in. When we reached the edge of the light of the fire, he dropped his weight, kicking and slapping to keep me away from him. Thankfully most of those in the village center were bonded and understood the problem. I got a few commiserating looks, and several looks of understanding pointed in the tribute’s direction. None commented when I eventually picked him up and carried him away.
Once we were out of sight of the village center, his tone changed. He sounded more desperate, his words tinged in fear, and his bottom lip trembled in an effort to hold back tears. The guilt ate at me, but before we could explain things to them,we would show with actions that tributes were safe. He would understand eventually.
I ducked into my tent, which wasn’t far from the village center, and set the tribute on his feet again. He immediately tried to run, shoving against my chest to get past me. I was bigger than he was, so he didn’t have much luck. I caught him in my arms, moving him again to stand in the middle of the tent.
“I know you don’t understand right now, but you are safe here. I am only trying to care for you.”
Five
ZAKAI
No amount of shoving was going to get the barbarian to move. He was like an unmovable mountain. I cursed again the time I’d spent dodging my lessons. I’d had only a few days of hand-to-hand combat training; when Hameed dumped me on my ass for the seventh time, I gave up. I hadn’t thought I needed it when I always had a guard with me, and it was humiliating just how easily he bested me.
The barbarian took my elbows, urging me backward. There wasn’t much to the tent. The only thing behind me was the bed, which was only a pallet of blankets on the floor, and I sure as hell wasn’t going there with him. I kicked and slapped as much as I was able, doing my best to slip around him, but he was bigger than me and more skilled, and eventually, he forced me onto the bed. Instead of climbing on top of me like I expected, he sat in front of me, legs crossed, his voice soft as he spoke to me. He pointed at the bed, then made a staying motion with his hand, like he was trying to soothe me. I scoffed.
“You truly expect me to believe I am safe here? I’ve heard the rumors. If you try to touch me in this way, I will have my guards remove your balls and string you up?—”
He put a finger to my lips, shocking me enough to silence me. Had he seriously just done that?
He said something in his language, gesturing to the bed and shaking his head. Then he pointed to me, then himself, then the bed again and shook his head. Was he trying to tell me he wouldn’t touch me?
“Why should I believe you?” I demanded, crossing my arms over my chest. I didn’t think he understood me—none had thus far—but I wasn’t one to stay silent. If my words bothered him, he could remove the restraints and let me go.
Whether my body language or my expression showed my distrust, he seemed intent on showing me he could be trusted. He put a hand on his chest, his words slow and calm, then reached for my hands, squeezing gently.
It was… strange. I had expected violence and callousness from the barbarian clans I’d heard such terrible rumors about. Abdul had shared the stories with me when I noticed a few at the brothel when we visited the first time. The towns had treaties with them to ensure their safety throughout the year. Before the treaty, the barbarians would kidnap women, rape and pillage, leaving towns decimated whenever they passed through. Had the clans settled after getting a steady stream of tributes like they wanted? Or was Abdul exaggerating to keep me away from them?
They were sexy, even I could admit that. Large, thickly muscled, and dangerous looking. Combined with a gentle nature, they would be almost irresistible if the way the barbarian was acting turned out not to be an act. Abdul knew my parents’ intention to have me wed, and he was well aware of my interestin men. If he wanted to keep me away from the barbarians, it wouldn’t surprise me that he would exaggerate.
Now that I wasn’t actively fighting him, his expression was less severe, more patient. He stuck to gestures, mimicking sleep and pointing at the bed again. I was tired—I didn’t sleep much during the four-day journey here—but I was worried that if I laid down, I would be giving him permission to touch me in a way I didn’t want. But it was either lying down or trying to sleep sitting up. I wouldn’t be able to resist the siren song of sleep for much longer. I followed his lead in removing my boots and allowed him to nudge me into the spot next to the wall of the tent. He laid beside me but didn’t reach for me, leaning long enough to extinguish the lantern on the small table and getting comfortable on his back next to me.
I purposely evened out my breathing, pretending to sleep to see what he would do, but when he didn’t reach for me, I lost the battle with fatigue and fell asleep.
I woke in the morning wrapped around the barbarian like an octopus. He hadn’t moved from his position on his back, which meant the breach of contact was all me. I would be embarrassed if he woke before me. I didn’t often sleep next to someone. I hadn’t realized I’d seek him out. In my defense, it was freezing overnight, and he was warm. My mostly unconscious mind probably moved me closer to the warmth so I wouldn’t wake up shaking.
