Slate sank back down onto the wonder-engine’s hip bone, trapped.
He spoke a few words only, in a form of the language so old that she’d only read it in books. It seemed she had been wrong about half the pronunciations, too.
Am I supposed to say something?
Apparently not, because he sheathed his sword and knelt at her feet and said “I am yours to command.”
Shit. Shit. Shit.
“What does that even mean?”
He looked up at her again and even if he was using the voice, he had a small, sardonic smile.
He knows perfectly well that I don’t know what the hell to do now. Dear god, I think he thinks this is funny.
“I would give my life for yours. Your enemies are my enemies.”
“They alreadywereyour enemies!”
“Well,” he admitted, “that’s true. But I’ll be here if you make any new ones.”
Slate gripped her skull in both hands. “Wait, you’re not going to go around trying to defend my honor, are you?”
“…Iama paladin.”
“Yes, but I haven’tgotany honor!”
“I’ll try to keep the duels over your virtue to a bare minimum, then.”
This was even worse than she’d imagined. “Um. Uh. Okay. Go take care of the horses, I guess?”
The former Knight-Champion, now, evidently,herKnight-Champion, rose to his feet.
“Caliban?”
He looked over his shoulder. “My liege?”
She winced. “Don’t you dare call me that in front of Brenner!”
“As you command.”
Slate groaned. “Maybe youcouldhave just apologized.”
The paladin’s smile grew just a little.
“I’d only have made a hash of it,” he said, and went to take care of the horses.
The second encounter was rather different. Slate had wandered out to the tree-line to take care of certain private business, and was wandering back when someone grabbed her from behind a tree.
Slate slapped a hand to her dagger.Shit, shit, it’s the rune, I didn’t hear them coming, shit—
Strong fingers clamped hers to the hilt, keeping her from pulling the blade out, and then Brenner had pulled her tight against him and covered her mouth with his.
The strength of her physical response startled her. Instinct took over for a heartbeat—it had been averylong time, and Brenner, whatever his many faults, was warm and solid andthere.
He had been an…interesting lover. Her mother had always said you could tell a lot about a man by the way they conducted intimate business. The ones who thought they were amazing in bed, the ones who were afraid that they weren’t, the ones who expected you to do everything…
Brenner had been none of those. Brenner had made a very careful study of what her body responded to and then he had done it, quite ruthlessly, until Slate could hold nothing back at all. Then he would take his own pleasure, just as ruthlessly.
