“I yield,” he breathed, his heart hammering in his ears from exerting his energy.
Erik sheathed his sword, chuckling. “I tried tae tell ye that ye werenae ready.”
Kaiden forced himself to straighten, his leg screaming in pain. “I have tae be ready at some point. Today is just as good as any other.”
“Aye,” Erik agreed as Kaiden sheathed his sword, suddenly straightening himself. “I hope ye still feel the same after ye talk with yer wife.”
Kaiden turned to find Ferra bearing down on them, a frown on her face. “Wot do ye think ye’re doing, ye daft man!” she yelled at him from the other side of the sparring ring. “Ye are barely walking yerself! Ye are in nary a condition tae be sparring!”
Kaiden made his way over to the ring, and before Ferra could react, he grabbed the back of her head and pressed his lips to hers. He felt her gasp, but he didn’t relent. It had been two days since he had kissed her last. Two days since she had been this close to him.
When he finally moved away, her lips were red from his bruising kiss, and her eyes wide.
“Why?” she asked breathlessly.
“Because,” he simply stated, “I missed ye.” It was the truth, after all. He had missed her. “Are ye well, lass?”
Her cheeks flushed. “I’m fine, Kaiden.”
He stepped closer, until he was pressed against the wooden fence. “Then why haven’t ye been in mah bed? Have I done something tae make ye run away?”
She cleared her throat. “Nay, of course not. I’ve just...I dinnae know wot tae do next.”
Kaiden let go of the breath he had been holding in. So it hadn’t been him after all. She was just as confused as he was.
Well, he was about to rectify that. Holding out his hand, he met her eyes. “Will ye come with me?”
She hesitated only a moment before placing her hand in his, and he led her along the fence until he came to the opening that led out of the ring.
“Where are we going?” she asked as they walked away from the warriors’ barracks.
He didn’t answer her as they walked toward the keep, taking the well-worn path to the right of the keep instead of going through the front doors. Here, the path led down behind the keep, where Kaiden pushed open the door they came upon, allowing Ferra to enter first.
He followed after her, closing it behind them, and for a moment, they were encased in darkness until he found the flint and torch that was stashed nearby. The flame flickered to life, and he placed it back in its holder, the smell of sulfur heavy in the humid air.
“Wot is this?” Ferra asked in wonder as she walked down the few steps that led to the edge.
“’Tis a hot spring,” he told her, joining her at the edge. His father had found it when Kaiden was just a lad, and no one save the laird’s family knew it was here lest someone come and destroy its natural beauty. He had used it many times as a lad, but never brought someone with him before now. “It’s a mite bigger than the tub.”
Ferra crouched down and touched the water. “This is impressive, Kaiden. I’ve never seen one before.”
Kaiden unstrapped his sword and pulled his tunic over his head, already starting to strip his boots off so he could remove his breeks.
Ferra’s eyes grew wide as she realized what he was doing, and soon she was joining in, though her movements were slower than Kaiden’s.
The groan that left him when he eased his sore body into the water echoed off the walls. “Bloody hell,” he muttered, leaning his head back on the stone floor. “That feels good.”
It wasn’t but a moment later that he heard Ferra join him, and when he opened his eyes, she was under the water up to her shoulders, her cheeks flushed from the heat that the hot spring produced.
“’Tis good for yer leg,” she stated softly, skimming her fingers over the water.
“Aye,” he said, watching her fingers and remembering what they felt like over his own skin. “Are ye still upset with mah training?”
“Nay,” she sighed. “I know ye are a warrior first, Kaiden. But ye have tae take it carefully. Ye dinnae need a setback.”
This wasn’t the time to tell her that he was going back to battle as soon as his father made him laird. He wished for peace between them, even if it was just for a short time.
So he made his way over to her side, and pulled her onto his lap. “Why are ye afraid of me, lass?”
