The Lord of the Clans

  Doing her best to ignore his distrustful expression, she spread the mixture in the centre of the linen, folded it into a square, and placed it gently on his open wound. A lump raised the cloth covering his crotch as soon as she touched him. Her stomach lurched.

  Their eyes met. He shrugged his shoulders.

  “Looks like you’re going to blush again.”

  “You’re an animal.”

  She blurted out her reply without thinking, and regretted it at once. He was her ruler. As a member of a tribe, she owed him respect and allegiance. She had no right to talk to him this way, and she’d give anything to take the harsh words back. But he heard them.

  “No, I’m a man. As such, I respond to softness and beauty. You’re a very desirable woman, Ariana.”

  “I apologise, my lord. I didn’t mean to be so rude.”

  “Don’t worry. I’m not going to raid your settlement because you addressed me like a regular nobody.”

  Cheeks warm, pulse wild, she looked down to break eye contact. She shouldn’t have. The thick lump under the cloth had turned into a stiff spike and seemed to be pushing toward her.

  For the love of the Creators, why didn’t he get a grip on himself? Control his instincts? Although she focused on holding the concoction against his injury, she couldn’t help muttering.

  “Stop doing that.”

  His chortle sounded like he was making fun of her. When he spoke, his tone matched the amused sound.

  “I can’t. As I said, I’m a man and this is nothing but proof of my longing for your natural charms.”

  “You’re hurt. All you need is rest.”

  “Don’t you want to please your lord?”

  Was he threatening her? If he ordered, she’d have to submit. Yet her obedience remained beside the point, because the more his hard-on taunted her, the hotter she felt. Wishing his erection would die down, she loosened her grip on the square linen and faced him.

  “Would you hold this for me?”

  A slow grin curved his full lips. Just when she feared he wouldn’t comply, he reached out. She whisked her hand off. He only had one topic in mind, and she needed a diversion to cool him down.

  She fumbled with the strings of her pouch, but soon found some rosemary. The cut on her arm wasn’t deep, so she rolled the green leaves between her fingers and applied them directly on the slash.

  She’d need to be strong for the day to come. That was if he decided to let her resume her journey.

  Reluctant to look at his very healthy manhood, she turned away from him and grabbed the clean shirt. She’d feel much safer in his presence if he allowed her to wear this garment.

  Keeping her eyes on the fabric, she held it higher for him to see.

  “Is it for me?”

  “Absolutely. You may change in front of me. I don’t mind.”

  She glanced at him. The expression of lust painted on his face mirrored his teasing tone. No wonder numerous tales were recounted about him—the man was so compelling. She stood up while fighting off the sudden urge to undress, spread her legs before his rigid staff and ask him to take her right there.

  “My lord, I’d rather be alone.”

  His smile vanished. Not a single muscle in his body bulged, but the colour of his eyes turned to dark ashes.

  “And I’d rather not.”

  Chapter Four

  She hesitated. The idea of him running his eyes over her body, of his steely gaze caressing her breasts, made her ache with desire. Yet she didn’t want to be ruled by the low throb between her thighs.

  “Is it an order?”

  The cloth over his loins looked like a tent. The scar on his cheek paled, but she knew it wasn’t due to pain this time. Although keeping the mixture in place didn’t require much effort, his chest and arm muscles stiffened.

  “Would you like it to be an order?”

  “You know I’m a loyal subject.”

  “That’s not what I asked.”

  No, but the real question bore too many implications. Had circumstances been different, she might have agreed.

  But he would always be the Lord of the Clans, the ruler who possessed the power of life and death over his people. She’d never be anything but a simple healer. With any luck, an agreeable recollection buried in the back of his mind. And Kelton was waiting for her return.

  “My lord, I’d be grateful if you’d allow me to spend the rest of the night in one of your caves. I’ll be gone in the morning.”

  Although his countenance didn’t change, she felt hit by a potent sensation of disappointment. His or hers?

  “As you wish, Ariana. I’ll be happy to provide shelter for you. Now, you can put your shirt on. I won’t peek.”

  He closed his eyes. Positive he wouldn’t try to cheat, she discarded the ruined garment before donning the new shirt. She watched him the whole time, but he stayed true to his word.

  Once properly dressed, she noticed his weary features. Even though he desired her, a long day, a battle and a severe wound got the better of him. He looked tired at present, somehow vulnerable, and the realisation stirred a new feeling in the pit of her stomach. She wanted to cuddle him.

  He’d lay still as she would slide an arm under the nape of his neck, draw his face into the crook of her shoulder, and hold him until dawn. Until the beginning of a new day shattered the illusions of the night. Throughout the remaining darkest hours, he wouldn’t be a mighty ruler anymore, but a mere man taking comfort in the arms of a woman.

  For the love of the Creators, what was she thinking and what brought this on? If she didn’t want to end up at the bottom of the long list of his used and forgotten conquests, she really needed to come back to reality.

  Shaking her head to dispel the sweet aftertaste of her unexpected reverie, she pinched the back of her hand.

  “Thank you for the privacy.”

  He opened his eyes at the sound of her voice. Struck anew by the intensity of his gaze, she shivered. He was no mere man, but her lord.

  “You’re welcome.”

  Switching hands to hold the healing concoction against his thigh, he patted the empty spot beside him. Surely he didn’t mean for her to lie at his side? Not after she rejected his offer? The palms of her hands itched.

  “I don’t understand.”

  “You want shelter, you have my cavern. Could you blow out the candles on your way, please?”

  Stunned by his boldness, mind blank, she did as she was told. A comfortable gloom fell over the cave. She let the fire smoulder, a thin column of smoke rising into a hole dug through the ceiling.

  While the light dimmed and shadows lengthened, she approached his pallet with slow steps. He tapped the nearest fur.

  “Come on, I won’t eat you.”

  She wasn’t exactly concerned about being eaten. He didn’t appear about to jump on her, so she sat on the edge of the bed to remove her boots, lie down beside him, and bring a heavy pelt over her. He also covered himself, yet the distance between them remained the same.

  “See? I’m not the big bad wolf.”

  His comment made her smile. If she wasn’t careful, she might get addicted to his company. A wave of tiredness seeped into her bones. Her heavy eyelids drooped and then popped up when he broke the silence.

  “Where are you going tomorrow?”

  “To pay a visit to my aunt. She’s ill.”

  “Oh yes, the story of your sick aunt. I guess it slipped my mind for a while. Blahort loved it though.”

  His ironic tone wasn’t lost on her, and she wondered why everyone around here seemed so keen on doubting her motives.

  “It isn’t a story. I have to get to her as soon as possible. By the way, I thought you believed me earlier.”

  “I trusted you weren’t a spy, but a healer. Whether you’re a good one remains to be seen, given that I can’t feel my leg.”

  While delivered with a soft tone, his words nevertheless hurt her. She sat up in bed, irritation stiffening her neck.

/>   “I can revive your leg and make the pain come back anytime. Would you like that, my lord? All you have to do is ask.”

  “Hey, don’t get your britches twisted, flower. I’m sure you’re a good healer, I was just teasing.”

  Her resentment died out the second he called her flower. Resisting the urge to reach out to him, she feigned bitterness.

  “Well, I don’t appreciate your sense of humour.”

  “That’s what makes it all the more enjoyable.”

  She shot him a dark glance. So close to his warm body, she couldn’t miss the sparkles of mirth lighting his eyes. He sighed.

  “Where does your aunt live?”

  “In a village called Frahern. She belonged to my tribe until she married an outsider and left with him.”

  “I can’t say I’ve heard the name. How far is it?”

  “I’m not sure. My shaman told me to go straight west, all the way to the border with the kingdom of Agravar.”

  “What?”

  He straightened up in spite of his sleeping leg. All trace of fun gone from his face, he shook his head in a negative gesture.

  “You can’t go there. The border is crawling with soldiers from Borgom and Agravar. They’ll capture you in a heartbeat.”

  “In that case, I’ll have to be extra careful.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous. You’re just a girl.”

  His solicitude ignited her anger. She was so tired of always being treated like a weak kitten, simply because she had been born a woman. In the Four Kingdoms, only men were considered worthwhile and the unfairness of it revolted her. Slight contractions knotted her belly.

  “I’m not helpless or stupid. I can fight better than most men, and I also have no intention to go as far as the border with Agravar. Why do you think my shaman selected me for this task?”

  “From what you said about him, I assumed he was a wise man. Now I understand he’s a fool.”

  “You have no right to insult my shaman.”

  “On the contrary, I have all the rights. Not only will I speak my mind, but I forbid you to go there.”

  “You can’t!”

  “I can, and you will obey me.”

  Brow furrowed, he regarded her like a spoiled, featherbrained princess child. She cringed when his features turned to stone.

  Not a muscle in his body twitched. The tone of his voice suddenly as cold and hard as his silver gaze, he indicated the spot around her wrists where the metal rings had left a reddish tinge.

  “Do you not remember the first cave you were brought into? The chains can be used on you again, and I won’t lose a wink of sleep over it.”

  Air departed her lungs. Shock numbed her. He wasn’t making fun of her now, and she wondered whether the wounded man whose company she gradually came to enjoy had ever existed.

  In his place, eyes flashing, a commanding ruler caused her insides to flutter with growing alarm. She took a deep breath, the tips of her fingers rubbing the straw mattress.

  “My aunt will die if I don’t heal her.”

  “If I let you go, you’ll both die.”

  “You don’t know that. I might get lucky.”

  “Don’t you see what goes on around you? The Four Kingdoms were at war for over a year before Palance and Moonstill decided to form an alliance against the territories of Borgom and Agravar.”

  His explanation sounded familiar. She rarely listened to talk of war, but maybe her shaman had discussed the matter before her departure and she’d registered parts of his discourse. Still, she didn’t view herself as an expert on strategic manoeuvres, so she let him continue.

  “There was a truce a few months ago, but don’t think for an instant that the soldiers guarding the borders are cute farm boys. They still kill and fight every day. As it happens, the village of Frahern is rather close.”

  “So? I don’t mean to make their acquaintance.”

  The strain tightening his features loosened. He either figured she wouldn’t see her plan through, or he pictured her waving at hordes of barbaric soldiers, and the idea entertained him.

  “Just out of curiosity, tell me something. Your shaman instructed you to ride due west toward Agravar, didn’t he?”

  “Yes, my lord.”

  “So you left your settlement and followed the Longrocks Mountains. Eventually, you ended up here.”

  “That’s what happened.”

  “I thought so. Given that our mountains range is to the north, at which point exactly did you intend to veer west?”

  She opened her mouth, then closed it when the implication contained in his question hit home. Hadn’t she been riding west for the past three days? Could it be possible that she followed the wrong course?

  Glad he wasn’t able to see her toes curling with embarrassment, she swallowed, and then stuttered a little.

  “I might have gone...astray from the original plan...somehow, but it doesn’t mean I wouldn’t—”

  “Save it, Ariana. You have no sense of direction whatsoever.”

  “Are you saying this because I can’t find my way out of your tunnels?”

  She left him speechless this time, but not for long. He laughed and ruffled her hair with light fingers.

  “What am I going to do with you?”

  His tone sounded softer, although she didn’t do an astounding job of arguing her case.

  “Does it mean I have your permission to leave?”

  “No.”

  He rolled onto his side without another word. Gathering the conversation was over, she watched his bare back, the long muscles she longed to stroke with the palm of her hand.

  She’d never been torn between frustration and desire before. He puzzled her a lot more than she cared to admit, and she had no idea how to fall asleep with such conflicted emotions coursing through her.

  He obviously didn’t have the same problem. Yet as she tried to slow down her frenzied heartbeats, he let out a deep sigh.

  “I’ll provide a guide for you in the morning.”

  She crossed her fingers over her stomach and, unwilling to say anything that might change his mind, smiled at the ceiling.

  From what she could tell, his main concern would always be to protect his people. So the stories about him must be true. He was the fierce defender of the tribes, the Lord of the Clans who would die for them.

  Something pulled her out of her slumber. She didn’t remember falling asleep, yet a tingling heat coming from her hand woke her.

  She opened her eyes partway, exhaustion clinging to her more forcefully than a heavy cloak. Thanks to ambers glowing in the dying fire, she could still make out the outline of his motionless body.

  He slept on his side, whereas she had moved during the night. Her breasts and belly were pressed against his strong back, the whole length of her legs touching his. Somehow, she had slung her free arm over his hip and the reason for the warmth along her fingers made her gasp.

  She was holding his cock in her hand. His hard cock.

  Chapter Five

  His rigid flesh radiated heat, and so did her flushed cheeks. Her hand felt like an independent limb intent on stroking and squeezing the thick shaft that lengthened by the second. As if a blaze ravaged her body, her nipples itched to be rubbed, and the place between her thighs yearned to be fondled.

  She caught the flow of his regular breathing, in spite of the cacophonous thuds of her heart. Oh, dear Creators, what had gotten into her to grab his manhood? Sleep certainly wasn’t a valid excuse, and she’d better release the erect matter at hand before it roused him.

  Inch by inch, she loosened her grip. Her fingers twitched from maintaining the same position. She ceased breathing. Then she flexed her hand a little, hovered over his hip, and drew her arm toward her. When she felt certain he remained fast asleep, she unglued herself from his back and rolled away.

  Sweat dampened her brow. Wetness ran out of her fluttering pussy. Wild with desire, her pulse competed with the furious rise and fall of her chest. W
hat had she done? He might have woken up to find her fingers coiled around his erection, and what then? She’d have died of shame.

  Near darkness reigned over the cave. The fire gave off its last sparks while she willed herself to cool down.

  She wouldn’t have succeeded after a full night’s rest, but she thought only a short moment had elapsed since she’d fallen asleep, and a deep weariness settled in her limbs. Listening to his steady respiration, picturing a peaceful meadow in the countryside, she closed her eyes.

  She woke up with a start. When only silence welcomed her into a new day, she prayed and fervently wished for the indecent scene to be a dream but already knew that wasn’t the case.

  Last night, in a state of semi consciousness, she had been about to jerk off the Lord of the Clans. Who did that? Which woman, in her right mind, would perform an act so shameful, offensive, and unworthy of such a mighty man? Apparently, she almost did.

  Even without looking beside her, she perceived he’d already deserted the pallet. His warmth was gone, leaving a vague coldness in its wake. Lit candles diffused enough light for her to spot the bucket of water sitting in front of the fire. Very thoughtful of him.

  She cleaned up before putting her clothes back on. Once refreshed, she appeased her hunger with bread, cheese, and fruit. The food filled her stomach and helped take her mind off last night. Sex with a mate wouldn’t have troubled her, but masturbating one of the most powerful men in the Four Kingdoms reached a whole new level.

  Where was he? Already outside and busy doing whatever he did with his time? A sensation of restlessness got her on her feet. She sheathed her swords, fastened the double sling across her back, and pulled the entrance curtain open. Lit with candles every ten feet or so, the tunnel in front of his chamber stretched both ways. Right or left?

  The previous evening she’d followed the beautiful tribeswoman without paying too much attention. She’d better turn left and retrace her steps, if memory served. Although that might only lead her back to the cave with the chains, she didn’t have a whole lot of other options.