"The problem is I don't want to stab my husband. I..." Love was not the word I wanted to use, but I did feel something, so I spoke as carefully as I could. "I'm much too fond of my husband for that. I'd rather protect him."
"But we can't," Hulda reminded me.
"That," I told her, "is where we disagree. I think we women can do a lot men won't ever give us credit for. I think our power is in our community of girls and wives. One they ignore - right up until we make it impossible for them to keep doing that."
Then I turned and left, deciding I had a new mission. This one, Felicity was going to enjoy. She no longer had the protection of a suitor, but rage? That was something she was good at, and holy rage would be even better.
Fifty-One
Zasen
Ayla's new dog was an interesting one. Where Holly was friendly to most people, Pepper preferred to simply watch. Her nearly copper-brown eyes could stare straight through a person, making me feel like she was judging my soul.
She also wasn't as well trained, but she was learning fast under Ayla's care. For the last few days, Ayla had spent a couple of hours every morning teaching the other dog handlers how to train their dogs to disarm Moles. In the evenings, we headed out, hunting for the massive amount of meat we'd need to keep the Moles from attacking again, and it was slowly adding up.
But tonight, she planned to take both dogs with us. Pepper, it seemed, learned best by seeing Holly do it first. Personally, I had a bad feeling about how this would go. There was no way we'd kill anything worth adding to the pile if one of her dogs acted up, but the smile on Ayla's face made it worth it to still try.
Every time she looked at those animals, Ayla changed. I couldn't even explain to someone how she changed, but I saw it. There was a softness that took over. Sure, she was usually a soft woman. It had been trained into her since birth. She was alsohardened in a way most of us couldn't wrap our minds around, but those dogs made that part go away.
She loved them.
That was the only way I could think to explain it. And while she'd used that word for Holly before, Pepper was new. She was also a dog, so not as much of a risk to love that much. Combined with the way the two animals looked at Ayla? Yeah, the feeling clearly went both ways, and it made me so happy for this woman.
"Heel," Ayla snapped, pointing at the ground on both sides.
Holly took the place on her right. Pepper? She was mostly at Ayla's left, but lagging a bit behind. It still earned her some praise. And that was another thing that impressed me. Ayla would reach out with her right hand to rub Holly's head while talking to Pepper, giving the needier dog more personal attention without ignoring Holly at all.
"You're good with them," I said, pointing in the direction I wanted to go tonight.
Away from the Moles. We were headed mostly east, but slightly south. That took us across the now-fallow fields, which meant Pepper had a lot of opportunities to be distracted before we got under the trees. If she asked, that would be my excuse for picking this direction, but the truth was I simply didn't want to run into hunters on our own. This way, we wouldn't.
"I'm patient with them," Ayla corrected.
"Which makes you good," I told her. "Take the compliment, woman."
That earned me one of those unconditional smiles. In my chest, I felt my heart slam hard for a single beat. The woman beside me was everything I had a weakness for. She hadn't been when we'd found her. Back then, she'd been frail, thin, and helpless.
Now, she was my equal in all ways. Over the summer, Ayla had grown strong. Her body was thick enough to be alluring. Herskin had a perfect golden glow to it. Her hair was long, silky, and in a braid more often than a bun on the back of her head. The best part, however, were her eyes - and how easily they not only held my gaze, but often challenged it.
"Zasen?" she asked. "Are you okay? You're quiet tonight."
"Just impressed with you and those dogs," I assured her. Then I thought better of it. "And stunned by how far you've come."
"Because you let me," she pointed out.
I shook my head, moving before her as we reached the tree line. "No, it's more than that. Ayla, you've grown into this strong, proud woman - and I like it." I paused, then turned to face her. "You were born beautiful, but you've become awe-inspiring."
"I..." She glanced down, petting Holly as an excuse for it. "Zasen, I don't know what that means."
"Is this when I flirt brazenly to give you a hint?" I teased before moving again.
So she grabbed my tail, letting me tow her along. "Because I'm good with dogs?" she asked. "You're not making any sense!"
"I actually am," I admitted, taking a game trail to the side. "See, I happen to think it's sexy when a woman knows what she likes."
"Like Lessa?"
I murmured. "That is one of her good qualities, yes."
