“A gronnok went after Ekkar when he was just a pup. I had only enough time to throw my body on top of his to prevent him from getting hurt. I tried to get up, to run away or fight back, but…” He trailed off, face twisted in remembered pain. “I had to shield Ekkar with my body. I could not defend myself doing as such. By the time my brothers found me, I had passed out from the pain and blood loss. No one is sure how long it took. Long enough for the gronnok to leave its mark.”
I didn’t know that word, but based on the size and placement of the scars, I could make a guess. Only an animal with enormous claws would leave such a mark. Like a bear.
“You sound unhappy. Do you regret it?” I asked, tracing my fingers over the scars on his face again.
“No,” he murmured, and I felt his lashes brush along my fingers as he closed his eyes. “It was to protect Ekkar. But perhaps if I’d been faster or stronger, I could have fought the gronnok and kept my skin. I didn’t even try.”
He sounded angry with himself for that, but it felt like he was missing the point. “You were protecting Ekkar,” I reminded him. “How much time did you have to make a decision before covering him like that? I bet if you’d have taken the time to retrieve your weapon and confront the animal, it would’ve been too late. Right?”
His brow furrowed a little tighter, but he gave me a small nod in response. “I could have perhaps faced the gronnok long enough on my own for my brothers to join me but not before it killed Ekkar. He was too little. It would have sliced him in half.”
I winced at the thought, remembering just how deep the scars on Garrun’s back and side felt. I didn’t think he was wrong about that. If Ekkar was just a little puppy, injuries like that would’ve been fatal. Garrun knew that too and chose to protect his friend over his own safety.
“You protected him with your life. That’s brave, Garrun. You shouldn’t be ashamed of that.”
From the way his face was set, I wasn’t sure he believed me yet. I’d keep pushing, though. He did something incredibly brave, something I wasn’t sure I would’ve been able to do myself if I’d been in his place. I used to make Alice move spiders out of my room because I was too scared to do it myself. I don’t think I could’ve been brave enough to face down a bear and put myself directly in its path.
A thought struck me, and I stiffened suddenly. “He’s… not here, is he?”
For a moment, Garrun seemed confused before he finally huffed out a laugh. “No, erska. He’s not here.”
“And he wasn’t when we…” I trailed off, feeling my face flame hot. Ekkar was incredibly smart. I didn’t want him as an audience while Garrun and I were intimate together. I got the feeling he’d find a way to let me know he was judging me.
Chuckling, Garrun leaned in to reassure me with a kiss. “He was not here while we were enjoying each other. He doesn’t like the heat of my tent this late in the day. He goes to the forest to find his supper and lay in the shade.”
My breath escaped me in a rush, and I leaned my forehead against Garrun’s shoulder, a smile pulling at my lips when his body shook with silent laughter. “Shut up,” I complained with a grin. “It would be embarrassing if he was here.”
Garrun hummed, lifting my head with a knuckle under my chin to kiss me again. “Ekkar is protective of you. I would worry if he were in here with us that he would bite me for making you whimper like you did. It is best he is not here the next time we come together as well.”
I wasn’t sure if I’d ever blushed so much in my life. “I… I didn’t whimper!”
I didn’t even need to touch his face to feel the smugness coming off him. I groaned, defeated, and buried my face against his neck to hide my burning cheeks. It was bad enough that I was making all that noise when there were potentially people around to hear me. If they thought I was whimpering, it would be even worse.
“I loved to hear your sounds, erska. It is like beautiful music to my ears. I wish to hear it always—” His words cut off with a laugh when I poked him in the side. He was teasing me on purpose now. I poked him again just to show my displeasure, but when he squirmed away, a grin spread across my face. Was my big barbarian ticklish?
“Henry…”
His words held a warning I had no intention of heeding. I was suddenly glad when we cleaned up that I’d taken the time to fix my trousers. It meant I was unhindered when I went after his sides with determined focus. And when he barked out a laugh, all thoughts of embarrassment fled. All I cared about wasGarrun’s laugh and the way it made my belly flip and my heart race. The man deserved to laugh. I was more than happy to be the one to help him do it.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
HENRY
It became a habit for me to sit with Garrun while he slept and play for him. Most days in our spot where the weather was cool and Ekkar could join us. He seemed to like the music just as much as Garrun did, curling up against my back while Garrun slept on the ground near my feet where he could stretch out. The few times I’d gone with him to his tent again, I’d always fallen asleep thanks to the intense heat. It was during one of these days when I’d missed lunch while napping with Garrun that he brought me to the cooking tent for something to eat. It was between meal times, and Finn had told us when we arrived that the cooks didn’t like to feed people between meals because they deserved breaks too, but Garrun wouldn’t be deterred. He didn’t want me skipping meals.
“What about you? You don’t normally wake up to eat, do you? Don’t you miss meals all the time?” I pointed out.
“I eat three meals, just like you,” he corrected. “While I’m doing my duty for the clan, I take a break to eat with my brothers while others take my place.”
“Oh.” I made a face. That was the only point I could think to make about not pestering the cooks. Had his tent not been so warm that it put me to sleep, I would’ve eaten at a normal time. “I wonder if Alice came looking for me,” I murmured absently.
We’d been spending less time together than usual lately, what with her getting to know Vaddarr better and me spending all my time with Garrun. We met for lessons but split up when reading lessons began, and I returned to Garrun to make sure he was sleeping through the afternoon. She hadn’t sent the entire clan in search of me, so I assumed someone told her where I was, but if she came looking for me and couldn’t find me, I knew I’d hear about it later. What were the chances she was distracted with Vaddarr and I would escape the lecture?
“Do you wish to check? I can leave you with her while I fetch your meal.”
“Our meal,” I corrected. “You’re awake, so you should eat with me.”
He chuckled, taking my hand and letting me feel the tent entrance before leading me inside. He was a natural at guiding me, never pulling me somewhere without giving me a chance to get my bearings first. I still didn’t like that I couldn’t get anywhere on my own, but it wasn’t that bad if Garrun was around.
