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Authors: Donna Fletcher
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up, screaming for the one person who could keep her safe from her fear, “Paine!”
Chapter Seven
Paine sat up, his head turning to Anin and when he saw the fear that gripped her pale face, he did not hesitate. He hurried to her side and took her in his arms, tucking her close against him as he lay beside her on her sleeping pallet.
She clung to him and once again buried her face against his chest and mumbled, “Do not let me go. I beg you, do not let me go.”
Her shiver ran through him and he went to turn away from her for a moment.
“No,” she pleaded and made certain to keep tight hold of him.
“I am just reaching for my cloak to keep us warm. I will not let you go.”
She kept herself pressed against him as he stretched his arm out to his side and his hand took hold of his cloak. He had seen fear in people far too often, he usually being the cause of it. But he never allowed it to disturb him or keep him from carrying out his task. He did what was necessary without thought and without care. Here and now, seeing the fear on Anin’s face, feeling it in her every tremble, disturbed him and he wanted desperately to protect her from it.
After draping the cloak over her, he began to rub her back, hoping it would soothe her and it did. Her body, taut as a bowstring, began to loosen and go limp against him, though when another clap of thunder sounded, her body grew taut once again. He did not stop stroking her back even when her body turned limp, his large hand continued stroking, reassuring, comforting.
It was not until the thunder rolled off into the distance that Anin finally fell into an exhausted sleep still nestled in Paine’s protective arms. He thought to let her go and return to his sleeping pallet, but her words resonated in his head.
I beg you, do not let me go.
Never had anyone said that to him. They usually begged him to let them go, some to let them die, the suffering too great for them to bear. Their pleas never stopped him from doing what had to be done. Nothing ever stopped him from carrying out the King’s command, but then nothing ever stopped death from stalking him.
You lay with the future Queen.
The thought gripped him like a mighty hand, squeezing tighter and tighter. He would be made to suffer if the King learned of it. He had no right to touch her, hold her, and lay with her, though they did nothing wrong. But it was wrong, for no one but the King touched the Queen.
She was not Queen yet.
He shook his head. Future Queen or not, he could not dishonor her or wrong the King even though he did nothing but protect the future Queen from her own fears. It was not easy disengaging himself from her. She kept trying to slip back into his arms and he had a difficult time pushing her away, until finally he managed to settle her on her own.
A quick roll had him back on his own sleeping pallet, though not to sleep. He could not stop his thoughts. He told himself repeatedly that he had been tasked to bring the future Queen safely to the King. That meant doing what was necessary to protect her even from herself.
Or from him.
He shut his eyes against the thought. He needed no woman, nor did he want one, for it would only bring pain to them both. Why then did he grow aroused around her so often? A question he had no answer to nor did he want to dig too deep to find one.
She would be Queen or would she?
Paine knew King Talon before he became King. It had been easy to see that he was a man born to power. He was a fierce warrior, confident in his decisions and possessed great strength and courage and demanded the same of his warriors. He had dissolved two marriages since both failed to produce an heir and his two wives also had not cared for his insatiable need to mate. That was why this time when he searched for a wife, he made it known he wanted a woman of great strength. A Lammok woman, if possible, he had said with a touch of humor and a hint of command. One had been found for him... Anin.
How
Chapter Seven
Paine sat up, his head turning to Anin and when he saw the fear that gripped her pale face, he did not hesitate. He hurried to her side and took her in his arms, tucking her close against him as he lay beside her on her sleeping pallet.
She clung to him and once again buried her face against his chest and mumbled, “Do not let me go. I beg you, do not let me go.”
Her shiver ran through him and he went to turn away from her for a moment.
“No,” she pleaded and made certain to keep tight hold of him.
“I am just reaching for my cloak to keep us warm. I will not let you go.”
She kept herself pressed against him as he stretched his arm out to his side and his hand took hold of his cloak. He had seen fear in people far too often, he usually being the cause of it. But he never allowed it to disturb him or keep him from carrying out his task. He did what was necessary without thought and without care. Here and now, seeing the fear on Anin’s face, feeling it in her every tremble, disturbed him and he wanted desperately to protect her from it.
After draping the cloak over her, he began to rub her back, hoping it would soothe her and it did. Her body, taut as a bowstring, began to loosen and go limp against him, though when another clap of thunder sounded, her body grew taut once again. He did not stop stroking her back even when her body turned limp, his large hand continued stroking, reassuring, comforting.
It was not until the thunder rolled off into the distance that Anin finally fell into an exhausted sleep still nestled in Paine’s protective arms. He thought to let her go and return to his sleeping pallet, but her words resonated in his head.
I beg you, do not let me go.
Never had anyone said that to him. They usually begged him to let them go, some to let them die, the suffering too great for them to bear. Their pleas never stopped him from doing what had to be done. Nothing ever stopped him from carrying out the King’s command, but then nothing ever stopped death from stalking him.
You lay with the future Queen.
The thought gripped him like a mighty hand, squeezing tighter and tighter. He would be made to suffer if the King learned of it. He had no right to touch her, hold her, and lay with her, though they did nothing wrong. But it was wrong, for no one but the King touched the Queen.
She was not Queen yet.
He shook his head. Future Queen or not, he could not dishonor her or wrong the King even though he did nothing but protect the future Queen from her own fears. It was not easy disengaging himself from her. She kept trying to slip back into his arms and he had a difficult time pushing her away, until finally he managed to settle her on her own.
A quick roll had him back on his own sleeping pallet, though not to sleep. He could not stop his thoughts. He told himself repeatedly that he had been tasked to bring the future Queen safely to the King. That meant doing what was necessary to protect her even from herself.
Or from him.
He shut his eyes against the thought. He needed no woman, nor did he want one, for it would only bring pain to them both. Why then did he grow aroused around her so often? A question he had no answer to nor did he want to dig too deep to find one.
She would be Queen or would she?
Paine knew King Talon before he became King. It had been easy to see that he was a man born to power. He was a fierce warrior, confident in his decisions and possessed great strength and courage and demanded the same of his warriors. He had dissolved two marriages since both failed to produce an heir and his two wives also had not cared for his insatiable need to mate. That was why this time when he searched for a wife, he made it known he wanted a woman of great strength. A Lammok woman, if possible, he had said with a touch of humor and a hint of command. One had been found for him... Anin.
How
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