“Ugbar wants to see you,” he said blandly, his eyes lingering on my bondmate. “Leave the tribute. He is not part of clan business.”
My bondmate wouldn’t understand even if I brought him along. I didn’t have the first clue how to teach him our tongue, nor did I speak a lick of the languages the towns spoke. We spoke to each other, but neither of us understood what the other was saying. It was just that I enjoyed the sound of his voice. It was pretty.
I moved to stand so I could get dressed, but Hozat didn’t leave like I expected him to. He stood there, staring at my bondmate with heat in his eyes. Fury ripped through me and I shoved him away, pointing at the exit.
“Get out.”
He looked surprised that I would react in such a way. I was a little surprised myself. I never acted in that way with my clan brothers. But I didn’t trust him around my bondmate. I’d heard the way they treated the females who came here. I didn’t want them anywhere near my beloved.
Hozat lifted his chin, scowling at me. “Someone has to watch him. He cannot be trusted on his own.”
That was a lie. I’d removed the bindings on my bondmate’s wrists that first night and he had never tried to leave on his own. The only time he left my tent was with me when using the trenchor getting meals. I even brought warmed water to the tent to bathe him because I was selfish with his body and didn't want anyone else to see. I knew Hozat wouldn’t believe me, though, and I didn’t like the idea of leaving my bondmate alone anyway. I chose instead to leave him with the one clan brother I knew I could trust.
“Tyal will watch him, then,” I snapped. “Go away.”
It seemed as though Hozat wanted to argue, but I moved closer, looming over him. They might consider me the clan simpleton, but there was one thing I was good at. I would hurt him if he didn’t leave. I preferred peace over violence, but he would do best not to underestimate what I would do to protect my bondmate. Even from my own clan.
Thankfully, he backed off, glaring sharply at me. “Hurry up. Don’t keep Ugbar waiting.”
It was after he stormed off that I noticed he had woken my bondmate. The pretty male clutched the furs to his chest, looking up at me worriedly. Kneeling beside him, I smoothed back his hair and kissed him lightly.
“Get dressed, kolrav. You will go with Tyal to stay safe.”
I offered him a tunic of mine to show him what I wanted. He was little, and I didn’t have anything his size, but he still had his trousers from when he’d arrived here, and he tied up my tunic enough that it no longer hung on him like a dress. Once we were both clothed, he took my arm, cuddling against my side. The fear was back, though not for me this time. He was worried about what was happening. We hadn’t been separated before now.
Hozat was gone when I stepped out of my tent, which was a relief. I worried about fighting in front of my bondmate. I didn’t want to scare him. I guided him along with me to Tyal’s tent, calling out to him to get his attention.
“Brother. I need your help.”
He stepped out of his tent a moment later with a deep frown, his hand already on the sword at his side. “What’s wrong?”
I gestured to my bondmate. “I need you to watch him. Ugbar has demanded my presence and I don’t trust Hozat to leave my bondmate alone while I’m gone. Will you do this for me?”
His face softened, and he nodded. “It would be my honor to guard your bondmate, brother. Does he understand our words yet?”
I shook my head. “I’m not sure how to teach him. I am no teacher.”
He huffed a laugh. “Probably for the best. Go. I will keep him safe.”
When I tried nudging my bondmate toward Tyal, he clung to me harder, shaking his head with wide, fearful eyes. I hated that I couldn’t explain things to him. Neither could Tyal. He didn’t speak the common tongue either.
Capturing my kolrav’s hands, I kissed his knuckles, giving him a reassuring smile. “I will be back soon. Tyal is my friend. He will protect you.”
“Do this gesture,” Tyal suggested, putting his hands up in a staying motion. “Show him you only want him to wait.”
Nodding, I mimicked the gesture and gave my kolrav a kiss to reassure him. He looked uncertain but seemed to understand enough to let me go. His arms went around his middle, and I wanted to gather him in my arms and hold him until he smiled again, but I needed to go. So I kissed his lips one more time and nudged him toward Tyal’s tent. He would be safe until I returned.
After he was ensconced in Tyal’s tent, I jogged to Ugbar’s tent, a massive, gaudy thing that was a pain in the ass to move whenever we traveled. But he liked to see himself as a king, and his tent represented that. When I called out to him, he barked for me to enter. I did so, eyeing the four others inside with him,Hozat included. When had I stopped trusting my clan brothers? Why did I feel the need to reach for my sword in their presence?
“Clan leader. Did you need something from me?”
“Yes. I have decided on a new law. Bondmates are no longer allowed. Tributes are to be shared amongst the clan.”
My stomach revolted at the thought and I whipped my gaze to Ugbar, opening my mouth to argue.
“You can either share him, or I will kill him. Choose.”
Five
