Her shaking gradually slowed. A bit later it stopped. She sat in his arms, leaning against him, her head bowed, her eyes closed, her gold lashes long on her tear-stained cheeks. Cobalt wondered how a woman could look so much like an angel and yet fight like a warrior. He realized he was rocking her back and forth. Confused, he slowed down and then stopped moving.
Mel lifted her head to look at him. He still had his head bowed over hers, and her face was only a finger span away from his. She regarded him with large, moist eyes, but she didn’t flinch or recoil. He did then what he had wanted to do since the Bishop of Orbs first offered him the opportunity. He kissed his wife.
She could have jerked away. He wouldn’t have blamed her after everything that had happened. Instead she sighed and relaxed against him. Her lips were warm. She tasted of light and strength, tart and sweet. He rubbed his hand down her back, over her hair. His tongue rasped across her lips until finally she relented and parted them so he could kiss her more deeply, with his tongue. That she had no idea how to return such a kiss only made him want her more.
Mel eventually pulled her head away, not much, just enough to see his face.
“Sweet Mel,” Cobalt murmured.
“I’m sorry.” Her voice trembled. “I didn’t mean to fall apart.”
“Don’t.” Sorry. Unbidden, a memory came to him: He was a boy cowering on the cold stone floor in the Diamond Palace while the king disciplined him with fists and a leather belt. He had crouched there, too small and skinny to fight back, shaking and crying, saying he was sorry over and over again, though he hadn’t known what he had done wrong—other than just existing and being so much less than a king deserved for his heir.
“You never have to apologize to me,” he said.
She traced a circle embroidered on his vest. The sunlight played tricks on his sight and made the circle glow green. Then he saw it reflected on her fingers and realized the green light was real.
Cobalt jerked and pushed away her hand. “What are you doing?”
Her eyes were luminous with tears. “What hells have you lived?” she murmured, “that you need such heavy armor to protect your emotions?”
“What did you do to me?” Thoroughly alarmed, Cobalt rubbed his hand over his vest. It had stopped glowing.
“It was a mood spell.”
“You cursed my mood?” He had expected something more dire. His mood was usually bad anyway.
“Well, no. I can’t curse anyone.” She leaned her head back on his chest. “I can make light or warmth. A little. I can sense someone’s mood, vaguely, though my interpretation isn’t always accurate. Sometimes I can soothe a person or help heal a minor injury.”
Cobalt found it hard to credit, but it was clear she believed her words. And he had seen the green light. “I heard you are a mage.” It made him feel both uneasy and foolish to say the words.
“Not a very practiced one, I’m afraid.”
“It is hard to believe the tales of Aronsdale sorceresses.”
She wrinkled her nose. “I’m afraid to ask what you’ve heard.”
He didn’t want to relate tales of harridans inflicting blights on unsuspecting travelers. He didn’t believe them anyway, even less after meeting Mel and her mother. He had always told himself that this business of magecraft was no more than a sham, but a part of him wondered if it could be possible. Behind all the lurid tales, he had also heard that mages were healers. He couldn’t admit any of that, however. All this talking made him feel exposed. Either she was a mage or she wasn’t. Time would reveal the truth.
After his silence went on for a while, Mel sighed and closed her eyes. Cobalt liked sitting here, holding her, surrounding her with his legs. He brushed his hand over her shoulder and pulled down the edge of her dress. “Do you still want to bathe?”
“I—I think so.” She didn’t move, though.
He bared her shoulder. “I can help.”
“Ah. Oh.” She swallowed.
He brushed the tangles of her hair off her face. “If you wish me to leave, I will.”
She did look up at him then. She touched him tentatively on the cheek. “Will you swim with me?”
“Yes.” Oh, yes.
She smiled then, one of the few times she had done so specifically for him. The expression trembled and vanished as fast as it had come, but while it lasted, it was wonderful. Astonishing that a simple flash of teeth could be so arresting.
He slowly pulled down the top of her gown. She averted her eyes, but she didn’t pull away. The skin of her shoulders was pale and soft. And unmarked. She had no scars from fights or a leather strap. He touched her arm where it met her shoulder, wondering at her perfect skin. Then he pulled the silk more and uncovered her breasts. Beautiful breasts, large and erect. No, she definitely did not look like a man. He filled his hand with one of them and she drew in a sharp breath.
“Do you want me to stop?” he asked.
Mel shook her head, her eyes averted. He stroked her, first one breast, then the other. He was on the verge of laying her on the ground when she eased out of his arms. Before he could pull her back, she stood up. The dress fell down past her waist and draped around her hips, leaving her upper body bare. She reminded him of the ancient statues he had seen of the goddesses his ancestors had worshiped, except that instead of marble, she was golden and warm. Alive.
“Saints almighty,” Cobalt muttered. He wanted to look and look at her body, and then pull her down under his own.
Mel froze like a deer mesmerized by a lamp—except he was the one who riveted her in place. He rose to his feet, towering over her, and reached for his wife, hungry, no longer thinking clearly. Mel shied away. She wouldn’t meet his gaze, but she tugged down the gown and let it fall to the ground. He wanted to look at her more, but she splayed her hand to cover the triangle of hair between her thighs. Then she crossed to the pool and eased into it. It was deep enough for her to submerge up to her shoulders, leaving her body no more than a blur under the water.
He almost groaned. Why couldn’t she just lie down with him? In truth, he knew the answer. She was nervous. His impatience would scare her away. He didn’t know how to approach her, though. The only talk he ever heard about women was the crude jokes among his men, and that hardly seemed useful now.
Well, she had asked him to swim, which he wouldn’t do in his clothes. Cobalt took off his cape and dropped it next to her silks. He unbuttoned and removed his vest and then his shirt. The sun was warm on the bare skin of his torso. Mel watched, her eyes large. He had never been self-conscious about his body before, but now he wondered if she found him desirable.
He pulled off his boots while he was standing up, which was no small feat of balance. Then he unfastened his trousers and removed them as well, along with his undergarments. Her eyes widened and she swam backward, staring at him. He hoped his arousal didn’t frighten her. He couldn’t do anything about it without her help. Actually, he could, but he didn’t want to. From the way she watched him, he wasn’t sure if she would swim closer when he came into the water or scramble out and run away.
Cobalt eased into the pool, and she backed all the way to the other side. He walked out to the middle, where the water came most of the way up his chest.
“It’s warm,” he said.
“F-freezing.” Either her voice was shaking or her teeth were chattering, he wasn’t certain which.
“Here.” He held out his hand and his arm floated on the water. “I can help.”
She pushed off the edge of the pool and drifted toward him. He caught her easily, sliding his arm around her waist. Her body felt soft and hard at the same time, her skin like velvet and her muscles firm under that provocative layer of softness. Her breasts pressed against his chest. He didn’t know how much longer he could hold back from taking her, hard and fast. He didn’t want to damage her and she was so small, but it was becoming difficult to control himself.
He pulled Mel against him and bent his head next to hers.
As he bit at her neck, his breath quickened.
She set her palms against his shoulders. “Wait.”
“Don’t say no,” he murmured.
“I—I’m afraid.”
He teased her earlobe with his teeth. “Put your legs around my waist.”
She wrapped her long legs around him and he groaned. He knew he should take the time to figure out what she needed, because he had never done this with a woman who had no experience and he didn’t want to ruin her first time. If it was her first time. In all of the negotiations, it had never occurred to him to ask, though it should have. He would worry about that later; right now he didn’t want to think.
The top of her head brushed his chin. “Tell me what to do,” she whispered, as if afraid to say it louder.
Love me. He held her with his left arm and slid his right hand down to hold her behind. It fit neatly into his palm. When she moved in his arms, rubbing against him, he lost his final shreds of control. His hips jerked as his seed spurted against her stomach in the water, and his mind blanked with pleasure and relief. He stopped thinking altogether.
Coherency returned slowly. His breath stirred her hair.
“Cobalt,” she gasped. “I can’t breathe.”
Bloody hell. He loosened his hold and she gulped in air.
“Better?” he asked.
“Much better.” She inhaled deeply. “Did something just happen?”
He gave an uneven laugh. “Oh, yes.”
“Ah.”
He nuzzled her hair. “Are you broken?”
“Broken?” She sounded perplexed. “Well, no.”
His pulse surged. He hadn’t hurt her. He hadn’t caused harm. He hadn’t violated her or ruined the trust she had offered when she asked him to “swim” with her. It relieved him so much that it took a moment to remember he hadn’t done anything else for her, either.
“Ach,” Cobalt muttered. He was a coarse rogue if ever there was one, thinking only of his own pleasure.
“Ach?” Mel smiled. “Does that have a translation?”
With her hair damp and tousled, and her blue eyes wide, she was so appealing that he wanted to stay here forever. When they left this hollow, they would have to face reality, the deaths of the men last night, Stonebreaker and Varqelle, and all the harsh uncertainties that went with his life. But right now he had just Mel, his astonishing, unexpected wife, and he could forget the rest for a while.
Something odd was happening to his face, as if his features were arranging themselves into new expressions. Gentle ones. He kept one arm around her waist and lifted his other to touch her cheek. “Ach means we need more time.”
“We do?”
“Yes.” Still holding her, with her legs around his waist, he walked to the edge of the pool where they had left their clothes. He lifted her up and sat her on the rocky shelf. Water cascaded off her body and sparkled in the sunlight. As Cobalt climbed out next to her, she crossed her arms over her breasts, hiding herself.
“Don’t,” he murmured. He spread his clothes on the rocks and nudged her down until she lay on top of them, on her back. She stared up at him, still nervous, but she seemed curious, too. Encouraged, he tugged on her arms until she let him pull them down. Then he lay on his side next to her, his head propped up on one hand, and just looked. Her face turned red. So pretty. Even her blushes were pretty. Drops of water beaded on her nipples and ran down her breasts.
He lowered his head and took her nipple into his mouth. Mel exhaled, stroking his hair while he suckled. When he slid his hand between her thighs, he found another surprise; she was ready for him. He hadn’t expected that. Here he was, finished, and she was waiting. He rolled against her, half lying on her body, and moved up so he could put his lips against her ear. “I need more time.”
“Time?” She sounded confused.
“Umm…” Cobalt wished they could stay here all day.
When Mel moved her pelvis against his hand, he stroked her, using his fingers to help satisfy a need in her he didn’t think she even understood. He also found the answer to his question about her experience; she was a virgin. It didn’t surprise him. She had been betrothed to the crown prince of Aronsdale. The women of that country might be freer in many ways, but when it came to ensuring the royal line remained true, Aronsdale princes would be just as obsessive as any others. He was probably the only heir in centuries, in any of the settled lands, who had forgotten to verify that his bride was untouched. Well, hell. It was an intrusive question. He was glad he hadn’t asked.
He took his time with her, enjoying the process of exciting her almost as much as he had for himself. The uncertain motions of her hips became more urgent, more demanding. She rocked against his hand, her eyes closed, breathing fast. Suddenly she stiffened and cried out. She stayed that way for several seconds, her hips pushed up off the ground, against his hand. Then her entire body went limp. It was more erotic than any deliberate seduction any courtesan had ever tried on him.
“Ah…” Her voice trailed off. She had her arms around him, though he didn’t remember when she had put them there. She stroked his back the way she had petted her kitten earlier. It made him want to laugh, which was a response rare enough that he didn’t know what to do with it.
He slid his hand over her breasts and kissed her ear. “Better?”
“Much…better.” She sounded embarrassed. But happy. “I didn’t know it could be that way.”
“I could tell.”
“Does that bother you, that I don’t know anything?”
Bother him? She was an angel. A miracle.
“No,” he said. Cobalt raised his head to look at her. Her face was flushed, this time from exertion, and her hair was even more mussed than before. So sensual. Here he was, ready again, and now she was finished. They would have to learn to time themselves better. Such sweet lessons those would be. Maybe this marriage idea hadn’t been such a bad one after all.
She touched his lips. “You say so little. What are you thinking?”
That I want to stay right here, forever, with you.
“We should go back,” he said. If they were gone too long, his men would look for them, which could be embarrassing.
“All right.” She sat up slowly and gave him an apologetic look. “I got your clothes wet.”
He smiled and it didn’t even crack his face. “They’ll be fine.”
Mel stared at him with the oddest expression.
“Really.” He felt his shirt. It was damp, but it would dry quickly. She was still staring, though. He spoke uncomfortably. “What?”
She touched his lips. “You have an incredible smile. It lights up your whole face. You should use it more often.”
I rarely have reason. Perhaps that would change. He knew he was deluding himself, that when they reached his home, he would have to deal with the same miserable life he had owned before he married her. Maybe with her it could be just a little different, enough that he might smile every now and then.
“But, Mel.” He stood up, drawing her with him. “It would ruin my reputation.”
She gave a startled laugh. She seemed less…wary? Less something. It was a good thing.
Mel gathered up her fresh clothes, a blue tunic with gold trim and blue leggings, and began to dress. His clothes were damp where they had soaked up water from her body, but it didn’t bother him as he put them on. It made him think of the drops rolling down her breasts, pooling in her navel, dampening her hair. It didn’t help that her tunic and leggings clung to her, an inescapable reminder of the body underneath. This wasn’t going to be easy. She made it difficult to concentrate. Such pleasant distraction, though.
“What do you think when you stare like that?” Mel asked.
Stare indeed. “I’m wondering how long it will take us to reach the Cloud.” The ride up to the castle was a long one.
She smiled uncertainly, as if she thought he was making fun of her. Then she headed back into the woods. Cobalt didn’t know why his
answer bothered her, or even if it really did, but she said nothing when he caught up with her. A few paces ahead of them, a man was leaning against a tree, sharpening a dagger.
“Matthew.” Cobalt walked over to him. “What are you doing here?”
Matthew glanced up. “Keeping watch.”
Like a bodyguard. Cobalt had spent most of his life with such protection. He didn’t know who they were supposed to have protected him from, given that the only person who ever hurt him had been the king, whom none of his bodyguards would have dared to defy. Only Matthew had sheltered him during those days. Today, Matthew undoubtedly had posted himself for a far milder reason: to keep the other men from looking in on the newlyweds. Matthew seemed pleased, though why, Cobalt didn’t know. This stop had delayed them over an hour. He had no objections, but then, he had reasons no one else shared.
As they all walked together, Cobalt thought of Mel and felt that strangeness happen to his face again, the gentling. She didn’t see, fortunately; she was looking up ahead, through the trees. His fear that he would hurt her was abating. Perhaps it would be safe for him to ride with her after all. He wanted to hold her in his arms for the rest of the day.
The forest soon thinned out enough to show the open land up ahead. His honor guard waited out there and throughout the woods, pacing and probably impatient to get moving. His good mood faded. They had fewer men than before. They couldn’t carry the bodies, so they had buried the six who had died last night. The task of telling their families would be his.
“Your men seem restless,” Mel said.
“Yes.” Cobalt was walking with Mel to one side and Matthew to the other. The sun filtered through the trees. “Would you like to ride with me on Admiral?”
She smiled. “I would like that.”
For some reason, Matthew scowled at him.
Cobalt let Mel pull ahead until he and Matthew were a good ten paces behind her. Then he spoke in a low voice. “What?”
“This is hardly a time for her to ride a horse,” Matthew said.
“Why not? I’m sure she knows how.”
“I was thinking of her comfort.”