I took another drink because even though I’d been anticipating our trek, today was soon.Fartoo soon.
Aric winked. “Sorry you two can’t enjoy another private night together.”
* * *
Torr abhorred our plan.
I knew this because his jaw had been clenched so tightly, for so long, his teeth were probably ready to shatter. That was after his eyes had widened in disbelief when Aric called him into ourroom and informed him of the plan. He’d vehemently advised his Princeps against trusting and joining us, and threatened Harthon with death should anything happen to Aric. Harthon, for his part, had only nodded in respect, probably because Callen or North would have done the same for him.
Since that outburst, Torr had been rigid with explosive tension, quiet but coiled to strike like a flaming catapult on a battlefield. So I wasn’t surprised when words burst out of him again, this time as our group stood in the stables, horses and packs being readied around us.
“Princeps. You could be gone for weeks, and that is only if you make it back here alive. We should be going with more of our men, those youtrust, after stronger contingencies have been put in place.” His body vibrated with more unspoken words, though he didn’t continue.
Aric slapped a hand on the younger man’s shoulder. “I agree this is mildly reckless,” he conceded. “But Conrad is coming with me.” Conrad was a mean-looking soldier whose bulk and beard reminded me of North. He hadn’t spoken a word to us, and that only made him more intimidating. “This is an opportunity that I cannot pass up, and Harthon and I have agreed to certain terms.”
Not caring that Harthon and I were directly in front of him, Torr hissed, “But you don’t need to agree to terms. Kill him. Take her. And let us access Centralis on our own terms.”
Stefano and Joris sidled closer.
Aric glanced at Harthon over his shoulder. “I won’t pretend I haven’t considered the idea, but that beast there would plow through a good deal of us before he dropped.” He sighed and dropped his hand, then took a step backward so the three of us stood together, like some sort of team. A temporary one, at least. “Besides, traveling with him will aid our survival. If the stories regarding him are true, of course.”
Harthon addressed Torr. “Happy to demonstrate how true those stories are right now, if you’re in the mood to try anything.”
Torr gripped the hilt of his sword, but Aric held up a hand. “No.”
Still, his second-in-command’s fingers twitched around the leather grip.
With a seriousness he hadn’t yet shown, Aric told him, “There is no one else I trust to lead in my absence. There will be a day when I won’t stop you. But now is not that time.”
Torr’s jaw ticked. It took several moments for his hand to drop. Other men might have mocked his concession with a smirk, but Harthon didn’t.
Regaining some composure, Torr said, “Be safe. I will handle this Territory in your absence.”
“I know,” was Aric’s response.
Torr spared one final sneer at Harthon, one that extended to me, too, before retreating.
Aric turned to Harthon. “You should know he is a prodigy with a blade,” he casually revealed. “As much as I have heard of your skill, you would be wise to regard his.”
Harthon merely lifted a brow, at which Aric snorted before going to his horse. Clearly, Harthon wasn’t concerned, but I was. Not because I doubted his lethality, but because the thought of him potentially being cut down made me ill. I tried to take some reassurance in his confidence.
Reading my thoughts, he said, “One fight at a time,carella.”
Why did there have to be so many fights?
He guided me to my horse, which had already been saddled. I mounted, and he placed his hand on my thigh, the heat of his palm temporarily distracting me from my worry.
It was utterly ridiculous, for a simple touch to have my mind scattered when we faced so many threats. Yet here I was, mythoughts drifting to last night, to how masterful his fingers were, how he’d played my body like an instrument, and how all the capability and confidence he demonstrated in battle extended to the bed sheets.
I shifted in the saddle to ease some of the arousal those simple thoughts provoked. Skies, what was wrong with me?
His thumb grazed across my thigh, and I met his eyes. I expected to find them arrogant and knowing, but they were sincere instead.
“I have always had something to fight for. Vengeance. Pride. A desire for change,” he listed. “But now there is something more, and I pray that with this thing driving me, I will never lose.”
When my nose scrunched, his lips kicked up in a devious grin. Lowering his voice, he said, “Make that two things. The feeling of being inside of you—”
I blushed crimson.
