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God almighty. I’m in love with this woman.
Not even on the battlefield have I encountered a human being with more heart or compassion or perseverance.
Something in front of me catches my eye and I manage to drag my attention from Gwen momentarily, noticing that three other children have joined Gwen’s sisters at my feet in the grass. Two older ones holding a toddler, unkempt but smiling, fair-haired.
Gwen’s youngest sister puts an arm around the slight shoulders of the toddler and all five of them kind of scoot together, like one big support unit, and honestly, I don’t know what is taking place in my chest, but it’s not…comfortable. All I know for certain is that the values Gwen has taught her sisters are on display. She’s led by example. It’s obvious.
What I’m asking her to do goes against all of that, doesn’t it?
I lift the heavy gold crown off my head so I can rake agitated fingers through my hair.
And I force myself to remember the pain a marriage can bring.
How I sat in the dark night after night, unfed and on the verge of freezing to death, vowing I would never allow someone the weapon of matrimony to use against me. I can’t be changing my mind after only one day of knowing this woman. I can’t. I’ve lived with this vow my entire life. To relinquish a promise to oneself to easily is without honor, isn’t it?
Gwen reaches the top of the hill, although she has fallen to last place in order to help her friend, and soldiers rush forward to remove the buckets from her shoulders, along with those of the other woman, who immediately throws her arms around Gwen’s neck and holds tight. I feel a kinship with Gwen that cannot be described with mere words when she hesitantly pats the woman on the back, uncomfortable with the display of emotion.
I begin to approach Gwen when I notice something that causes alarm to pulse in my chest. The king of Lavere is watching Gwen closely. Far too closely.
Thoughtfully, as well.
Jealousy rips through me like a juggernaut, turning every soft emotion that has been plaguing me during the competition and flipping them upside down. A roar pulls at my vocal cords, demanding to be let free, but I swallow it when Gwen sails right past the other king without so much as a curtsy, not even noticing his attempt to engage her with a smile. That alone saves this entire valley from being ripped to shreds by my bare hands, but I’m still overcome by possessiveness. The need to have her to myself, away from all these eyes, underneath me, is fierce and won’t be ignored.
Gwen’s step slows a little when she sees her two sisters in front of me, but she continues to approach, hand in hand with the fair-haired woman. That’s when the children all start talking at once in a chorus of high-pitched voices.
“Gwen, can we go to their tent and play?”
“Yes, please, Gwen? Can we?”
“Now, we’re not going to impose—”
“Oh it wouldn’t be imposing,” the fair-haired woman rushes to say. “No, it would be the least I could do to entertain them for a while after everything you’ve done for me and my family. And goodness knows you deserve a rest.”
Gwen’s gaze drifts to mine and I let her know, without words, that she’s not going to get any sort of rest. I also let her know that she’s coming with me, come hell or high water, and her pink cheeks and glassy eyes tell me the message has been received, loud and clear.
“Just for a little while, then,” she says breathily.7GwenCorbet glowers at a group of soldiers as they pass, stepping closer to me as if claiming his property. “Do you have to walk right beside me the whole way to the tent?” I whisper out of the corner of my mouth, earning me the same grumpy glower. “Everyone is going to think there’s something going on between us.”
“There is something going on between us,” he growls.
“I’ve agreed to a conversation.” I regard him warily. “Unless that’s some kind of code for…relations.”
“Just hearing you talk that way makes me stiff.” He doesn’t seem at all bothered by my scandalized gasp. “There will be a conversation, yes. An important one. But you know damn well what else is going to happen in my tent, woman. I’ve told you in plain detail. And still you follow me there. We’ve been honest with each other all along. Let’s not start lying now.”
The king has me there. His words echoed stubbornly in the back of my mind all throughout the water carrying competition.
This sugary little cunt belongs to the fucking king and the king means to have it.
I can still feel his mouth moving over mine in that starving barbarian manner and there is no sense in pretending to myself that I don’t love what Corbet stirs in me physically. I’ve never paid a lot of attention to my sexual urges, mainly because the farm work tires me out to the point that I collapse with exhaustion at the end of every day. But they’ve been awoken quite dramatically since last night. Since the king used his tongue between my thighs and conquered my mouth so boldly.
