Immediately, she discarded anywhere insidethe circle of Trateri. Like Fallon, Shea preferred to be on theedge of things.
She found her ideal sleeping area on theopposite side of the campsite from Fallon’s. No one had bedded downwithin ten feet of her, leaving a nice little bubble of privacy.Just the way she liked it.
“You might as well pick those up and carrythem back to where you set me up,” Fallon said from behind her.
Shea paused in the act of rolling out herblankets. “I prefer this spot,” she told him politely, determinednot to let any action of his fluster her.
“And I prefer you next to me.”
There were several responses she could maketo that statement. None of them polite.
“We don’t always get what we want,” shesaid.
She was tired. Muscles she hadn’t been awareof in years ached. Her lower back was one giant throb, and her asshurt something dreadful. All she wanted to do was roll into herblankets and sleep.
“Indeed. You don’t.”
Well, she should have seen that coming.
“I’m not moving,” she told him flatly. “Youhave nearly a hundred men. I doubt I’ll be able to sneak offwithout at least one of them noticing, if that’s what you’reworried about.”
It was not quite the diplomatic,non-confrontational reply she had composed in her head, but it hadbeen a long day and a headache was beginning to nag at the base ofher neck.
“I’m done with this conversation.”
That was good. She was too.
Shea turned back to what she was doing.
Suddenly, she was up in the air, blankets andall, before finding herself lying belly down over Fallon’sshoulder. She let out a sound disturbingly close to a squawk.
“What are you doing?” she hissed, strugglingto right herself.
There was a sharp crack and then a stingingin her ass cheeks. A series of catcalls and whistles sent Shea’sface up in flames.
“I told you I was done with theconversation.”
“I cannot believe you just did that,” shemuttered at his back.
“You sleep next to me.”
He set her on her feet next to his sleepingpallet and walked away, his message clear. If she persisted inbeing stubborn and tried to set up somewhere else, he would escorther right back here, even if he had to manhandle her to do it.
She threw her stuff down, glaring at hisretreating back.
Stupid, stubborn man.
Even if an aide normally stuck close to hismaster, Shea wasn’t doing that. Especially since both of them knewit was a bullshit title, made to keep her in his vicinity. He nomore needed an aide than she needed an extra head. He hadn’t evenhad her perform any of an aide’s normal tasks.
Fine, if that’s the way he wanted it. No onesaid what time she had to go to bed. She’d just take a nice walk,maybe catch a nap while she was out. As long as she was back beforethey took off in the morning, he couldn’t accuse her of runningoff.
She stalked away, heading into the woods.
Her feet whispered through dead foliage asshe made her way silently. She’d chosen to head into the deepforest, following a nearly nonexistent game trail. Coming to asteep hill, Shea veered off the path, picking her way past bouldersand up a steep slope until she stood on the ridge.
Behind her lay the valley Fallon and his mencamped in, while in front of her was a panorama of jagged hills andshadowed hollows. And trees. Lots and lots of trees.
She walked along the ridge line, careful ofwhere she put her feet, not wanting to misstep and roll down thehill. It required all of her concentration and soon the frustrationand anger from her encounter with Fallon drained away as the peaceand serenity of her surroundings soothed her soul.
