One of his large hands drifted up to tucksome of her hair behind her ear. She was beginning to get theunsettling idea of what he wanted. He’d have a fight on his handsif that was the case.
“Would you stay with me? Be my Tolroi?”
A gentle kiss dropped on the side of herneck. Shea shivered as lightning arched across her skin.
Through suddenly dry lips, she said, “Yourmistress, you mean?”
The Trateri didn’t marry, not in the sensethe Lowlanders and Highlanders did. They didn’t often see the pointin tying themselves to only one person for the rest of their lives,instead preferring one night liaisons for the most part.Occasionally though, one would choose a partner, a Telroi, whowould bare their children and share their tent on a more permanentbasis. More often they took a Tolroi. In the Lowlands, the closestequivalent would be a mistress. It was often a more temporaryrelationship then a Telroi.
Either position was considered a great honor.Doubly so when the man offering was the Trateri’s Hawk himself.Shea didn’t want to be honored. She just wanted to be left alone todo her job.
“That is a Lowlander term,” Fallon growledbehind her.
“It doesn’t matter. I don’t-“ Shea couldn’tthink of a polite way to decline. “I just want to be a scout.”
“I’m afraid that path is closed to you.”
She huffed. Because of him. Because she’dsaved his ass. Again.
She held her body stiffly, making it clearshe wanted to be anywhere but in his arms. His sigh ruffled herhair and slid across her skin.
His arms loosened, and Shea rolled out ofthem, not giving him a chance to change his mind. She spun to facehim after standing. His head was propped on one hand, his gaze aphysical brand on her.
“Since you refuse to be my Tolroi, you’llcontinue in the role I originally planned for you.”
He didn’t mean—
The slightly smug expression on his face saidhe did. Shea had never stomped her foot before in her life, butright at that moment she came close.
“You want me to be your personal guard?” Hervoice rose slightly on the last word.
His lips tilted up in a roguish grin. Son ofa misbegotten revenant, he did.
“Why?”
The grin fell from his lips, leaving theruthless warlord behind. Shea stepped away from the fierceexpression. This was the man who had burnt Edgecomb and severalother villages to the ground and then salted the earth. Thoseplaces had been devastated to the point where nothing would growfor years. In another generation nobody would even know they’dexisted, such was the devastation he had wrought.
“Because it’s what I want.”
And there was the rub. This entire armyrevolved around his whims. If he wanted to camp in the middle of ariver, they’d figure out a way to make it happen.
Her shoulders sagged in defeat, and her eyesdropped to the ground
“Trenton is waiting outside to run youthrough what is expected of you,” Fallon said.
Shea nodded and moved towards the door. Hisvoice brought her up short.
“You’re known to many soldiers now. Trying todisguise yourself as a boy to escape won’t work again. If you tryto run, I will have the three other men in your team stripped,flogged and then dragged behind the army until we next makecamp.”
Shea was frozen in place. Horror gripped herby the throat as she numbly turned back to him.
“Why?” she whispered. “They had nothing to dowith this.”
His face was a mask of stone and his eyesdarkened dangerously as he said, “You know the answer to that.” Sheswallowed hard. “Eamon figured out you were a woman on your firstmission. Buck took longer, but he’s known for a while too. Neitherone came forward. That would be reason enough to have thempunished.”
They had known? Shea’s world tilted. They hadknown this entire time and hadn’t said anything.
“I am sparing them because they saved my lifeand because they make a good incentive for you not to disappearagain. You obviously care for them, or you wouldn’t have stayed solong.”
