This Battle Lord's Quest (27 page)

He kissed her again. It wasn’t as short as the
first one, but it was still as chaste. His muscles clenched as he fought the need
to dive into her mouth, to taste her and to suck sexily on her tongue. He
trembled as he battled against himself not to breach her lips, or force himself
between her teeth.

Keep it soft. Keep it gentle.
He repeated it over and over in his head as her scent
filled his nostrils and enveloped his soul. Somehow, he managed to pry his
hands open, releasing her wrists before he accidentally crushed her.

With tremendous effort, he pulled away to watch
her, but this time when she reached up, it was to thread her fingers through
his wet hair. The gesture was one she’d performed a hundred times. A thousand
times.

Push it behind my neck, Atty. Gather it behind my
head like you always do, and let your arms continue to wrap around me.

She combed his thick locks, her eyes gazing into
his. Her hands moved around his neck, tickling, driving him insane with the
desire to pull her into his lap and take her. In the past, he would, and she
would ride him with maddened passion.

Her fingers found the braided length he used to
keep his hair pulled back. Her eyes widened as she freed it from his locks and
brought it close to her face to stare at it.

“My hair. My love lock.”

“You gave that to me.”

“As a bracelet, until it frayed.” She lifted her
eyes. “I did it because I loved you.”

His body trembled. Her touch burned him, making him
hotter than the bubbling springs. Yulen clenched his jaws and waited.

Take all the time you need, my beloved.

She reached up again to gather his shoulder-length
hair at his nape and held it there. Her mouth lingered so close to his, her
breath feathered his lips. Yulen closed his eyes, and that’s when she initiated
the next kiss. Her mouth moved slightly. He felt the tip of her tongue lick his
upper lip, flicking it. In his mind, he choreographed her next move.

Now, you’ll nip it. You’ll tease me, wanting me to
crack.

Her teeth lightly closed over his lip, then
released it without biting down. Her body floated against his. Her knees slid
over his. She continued to hold back his hair, tempting him to rub his cheek
over the baby soft skin of her inner arm, but he knew his stubble would abrade
it.

He felt her legs drift around his waist, and
something firm brushed against the head of his erection. Atty removed one arm
from his neck and reached down between them where her fingers grasped his thick
length. She squeezed him, making Yulen jump. He gasped, balling his hands into
fists and pressing them into the side of his thighs.

Atty kissed him again, another light meeting of the
lips, then laid her cheek to his.

“I have memories of us making love.” Her voice and
breath warmed his ear. “Make love to me, Yulen. Show me how we do it. Don’t
hold back. Take me. Show me.”

He groaned and clutched her waist with one hand.
With his other hand, he rubbed his palm down her belly, down to the pillow of
soft blue hair between her thighs. Further down, between her lower lips, he
discovered the excited little nub already stiff and ready. He stroked it, and
was rewarded with her quick intake of breath and a subtle jutting of her hips.

“Atrilan. Beloved.”

Her hair tickled where it was plastered to his neck
and jaw. She pressed her breasts to his chest and squeezed his erection harder.

Digging his knees into the pool’s muddy, sloping
side, Yulen pulled her hand away from his hardness and spread her lower lips.
Finding her entrance with his middle finger, he gradually slid it inside her,
working in and out with slow, smooth strokes. Strumming her taut little clit
with every movement. Atty shivered again and pressed her face into the curve of
his neck.

“More. I want to feel you inside me.”

He groaned at the invitation. Removing his finger,
he guided his swollen head to her opening. Atty adjusted her hips to push his
length into her, and she continued to work him, not stopping until he was all
the way within her tight channel.

He couldn’t hold back. Not anymore. She wanted him
to love her, and it was all he could do not to pound himself inside her.

His caution was quickly discarded as Atty took
control. She rode him hard, a soft keening sound coming from her throat as her
orgasm gathered strength. Yulen knew he couldn’t last long, especially with her
sweet body rubbing over his as his thrusts intensified. He grunted with every
stroke, holding her firm buttocks to keep them from separating. The pool
churned with their frenzy. Water sloshed onto the pathway and evaporated on the
heated rocks.

He knew he was about to burst, when she convulsed.
Her channel clamped around his erection, strangling it, and Yulen groaned with
his release. Her hips jerked spasmodically as she continued to ride her orgasm,
drawing out every ounce of pleasure until her deathly grip around his neck
loosened. A sting of pain below his ear told him she had nipped him when she
came, and he smiled.

“Yul!”

His soul convulsed. For the first time since this
whole nightmare had begun, she used her love name for him. Tenderly, he pulled
her off his chest just far enough to where he could look down into her languid
gaze.

“Yul.” She smiled.

“Atrilan.”

“I remember.”

“I’m glad. Does this mean there are no more doubts?
Are you willing to return to Alta Novis? If not for me, for the sake of our
child?” he asked, praying, hoping, almost believing. If their love wasn’t
enough to convince her, maybe her love for their son would. Mattox needed her
more than any other child needed his mother, because Atty understood more about
his differences than his father ever could. All Yulen needed was for her to say
what he would give his life to hear.

“For the sake of both our children,” she murmured,
dropping her head to nuzzle under his chin.

Yulen closed his eyes, momentarily dumbfounded.
“Both?” Did he hear her right? Was she saying what he thought he heard?

“Both,” she whispered. “Mattox...and the one I’m carrying.”

Joy burst through him with waves of overwhelming
brightness, leaving him feeling lightheaded. Unconsciously, he pulled her
tightly against him and fought the tears already filling his eyes.

A child. When they had almost given up hope that
she could conceive again after the difficulty she’d had with Mattox, she was
going to give him another child.

“Atrilan.” He tried to say more, but his throat
closed up. Instead, he pressed his lips to her face.

A hand touched the scar on his face. A thumb wiped
away a tear.

“Why are you crying?”

He tried to answer, but his breath hitched in his
chest, forcing him to try again.

“I feel...blessed.”

Her soft laugh made her breasts jiggle against his.

“That’s why I love you, Yul. We’ve both been
blessed.”

He froze. “Are you sure you love me?” he repeated.
“No more doubt?” He need her to say it again. Over and over. He would never
tire of hearing it.

Her mouth sought his, and when they met, she parted
her lips for him. This time when he kissed her, he did it in the way he knew
would remove any final, lingering qualms. She’d often said she couldn’t think,
that she couldn’t do anything when he kissed her. He made this kiss one of
those moments. When he finally released her mouth, she was limp in his embrace.

“Atrilan, I will love you forever.”

“And I will love you longer than that,” she
promised. Wiping away more tears from his cheeks, she gave him a look of pure
devotion. “Let’s go home, beloved. Take me home.”

Yulen wept.

Chapter
Thirty-Nine

Home

Snow was falling in flakes so tiny, they were
almost invisible until they landed on the ground to form ice crystals. It made
her steps crunch, and the resulting wetness began to seep into her clothes.

She had been traveling for five days, moving slower
than usual through the forest as it was strange and frightening terrain for
her. She’d also had to search for the marks on the tree to show her she was on
the right trail, but the marks had stopped two days ago. Trusting what she’d
been told, she had pushed onward, toward the west. Toward the uncertainty that
worried her, but with the hope she’d find him.

The trees suddenly opened up, and she found herself
on the shoulder of a packed dirt road that ran north and south. The road was
well-used. Even with its light layer of snow, she could tell the resulting
water wouldn’t turn it into a muddy mess.

She glanced both ways. He hadn’t mentioned a road.
Neither had Droo and Briallen when they had returned with the small cadre of
men from the Battle Lord’s compound. Men sent as protection because of the
promise D’Jacques had given Dahyan.

Confusion worried her. Should she continue forward
and keep going westward? Or should she take the road? She gripped her spear
more tightly and tried to remember if there had been any other directions she
might have forgotten.

To her relief, a wagon crested the rise, and headed
toward her. Eagerly, she jogged up to it, unwilling to wait for it to reach
her.

A young couple with a child were in the wagon,
drawn by a scruffy mule. They eyed her with trepidation, and she noticed the
man bring out his sword, laying it across his lap. The woman shooed the child
into hiding behind her.

“Hello! Excuse me, but I’m hoping you’ll give me
some direction,” she called out.

The man brought the wagon to a halt, and he and his
women studied her for a long moment. He checked the forest behind her. “Are you
alone?”

“Yes.”

“What is it you need to know?”

“I’m a stranger in these parts. I’m looking for a
place called Alta Novis. Have you heard of it?”

They appeared to relax. The woman smiled and
pointed in the direction where they’d come from. “It’s back that way, about a
mile or so.”

She glanced that way. “Where are you headed?”

“New Bearinger,” the man responded. “Alta Novis is
getting too big, and the Battle Lord is offering some good incentives for those
willing to settle at the new compound.”

“Who is the Battle Lord?” She bit her lip, hoping
to hear the right answer.

“His name is Yulen D’Jacques,” the man replied
again. “He’s the Battle Lord over both compounds, although he lives at Alta
Novis.”

“If you’re looking for him, you’re in luck,” the
woman commented. “He and the Battle Lady just got back a few weeks ago from an
expedition.”

“Actually, it’s not him I’m needing to see.”

“What is your business in Alta Novis?” the woman
inquired.

“Frieda, that is none of
our
business,” the
man gently rebuked her.

The woman’s face turned a bright red. “Forgive me.”

“No, no. It’s all right. I’m just looking for
someone who lives there,” she told the couple.

“Well, it’s back that way. Just stay on the road.
You won’t miss it. Look for the blue and red banner. That’s the Battle Lord’s
colors.”

She thanked them, and the man slapped the reins
over the mule’s back, urging it to continue forward. She stepped away to let
them pass, then started down the road herself, heading north.

She was close, and getting nearer with every step
toward her goal. After Droo returned with the Battle Lord’s troops, he’d told
her everything he could about the well-fortified compound. Barely two weeks
after that, after realizing her life would never again be the same without him,
she’d made her decision. When she told her mother what she intended, to her
surprise, the woman gave her a warm hug and her blessings, but made her promise
to come back on occasion to visit.

Now, all that was left was for her unexpected
appearance to be welcomed.

The terrain was hilly. Trees lined the road in
dense columns, bordering the wide path on both sides. It was quiet; the wind
was stilled. She met no other traffic on her way, but that didn’t surprise her.
This time of the year, it was to be expected, since most people kept to their
homes and huddled around their fires.

She came to a tall rise and trudged to the top.
Once she got there, she stopped and gazed in awe at the sight below.

The village nearly filled the whole valley. Judging
from its size, it had to be Alta Novis. The compound was immense, at least ten
times, maybe twenty times bigger than her own. A tall wall surrounded the
place, a barricade of wood and metal that towered a good twenty-five feet above
the ground.

From where she stood, she could see a set of wide
double doors facing the roadway. The doors were open, but she knew they were
also guarded. Movement at the top of the wall told her the road was under
constant surveillance.

The worry in the pit of her stomach morphed into trepidation
and excitement. She had arrived at her intended destination, but her journey
was only half over. The next few minutes would tell her whether her decision
had been the worst she’d ever made in her life, or the best.

She kept to the road until she drew almost opposite
of the open doors. Long before she approached, her presence had been
scrutinized by the soldiers standing guard along the parapet. The compound also
had towers situated every thirty yards along the inside of the wall. To say the
place was well-fortified was an understatement.

Taking a deep, calming breath, she squared her
shoulders and started toward the main gate.

“Ho, stranger! Identify!”

She stopped in her tracks and glanced upward,
looking for the man who’d addressed her. Spotting him, she answered.

“I am called Paas, of the Lanta tribe.”

“What is your business here?”

From the tone in the man’s voice, she got the
impression that she was not unwelcome. Instead, they were being cautious about
an armed stranger’s intent. If she gave them any signal or reason that she
could be a danger, she had no doubt they would not hesitate to attack her and
kill her outright, or permanently drive her away.

“I came to see one of your soldiers. His name is
Cole Mastin, and I understand he is the Battle Lord’s Second in command.”

The man disappeared momentarily from his position.
Paas took the time to glance through the open doors at the inner workings of
the compound. From her vantage point, she could see a wide avenue flanked by
long, low buildings. At the end of the thoroughfare sat a large two-story wood
structure, also bearing a set of wide double doors in its center. Her eyes
lifted to the pennant hanging limply from the top of a pole seated on the roof
of the lodge. Even without the wind to open the banner, she could see its half
blue, half red colors.

She lowered her eyes, and froze at the sight of the
man standing at the gates. Slowly, he started walking toward her. She was
unable to move, unable to go to him, or even to call out to him. Her heart
pounded so hard in her chest, she felt as though she was smothering.

This was the moment she’d been dreading and
anticipating ever since she left her home. This was the moment that would
either begin her new life, or send her back to her tribe in broken and brittle
defeat.

Mastin wore a grin on his face that grew wider as
he neared. Four feet away, he halted, and she noticed he was breathing as
heavily as she was.

“You came!” By his tone, he sounded surprised and
delighted.

“I came,” she finally managed to whisper.

“For how long?” he asked. Their words were misty
clouds rising in the cold air.

She scanned his face for a sign that would tell her
if the smile was a facade put there for the sake of his men, but all she saw
was a warm and genuine happiness. And in his eyes, a gentle glow that she
realized was meant only for her.

“For as long as you want me to,” she answered.

“How about for a lifetime?” He stepped closer, his
eyes riveting on her mouth.

Her last shred of trepidation melted away.

“Okay, but I get to row.”

He chuckled, reaching for her, and pulled her hard
against him as his lips claimed hers. She dropped her spear to throw her arms
around his neck, unashamed of the tears that began to trickle down her face.
And there, before the guards and all who stopped to stare, she pledged herself
to him.

She was in his heart, the only place she could ever
truly call home.

Her new home. Her only home.

Her new life could begin.

Her quest was over.

Her journey was done.