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She stared at him. ‘If you hope to use your power of persuasions with me, I will warn you my mind is made up. I am going.’
He shook his head. ‘I know enough about you not to try that. Less chance of objections from Valdar. I wanted to spend tonight with you, rather than countering his arguments. I had to show him the fortifications so that he could test you would be properly guarded.’
‘Then he is not entirely your uncle’s creature.’
‘You have a point, Kara. You are far more than a pretty face.’
Kara frowned at the way the warmth curled about her insides at his hooded look. She wasn’t going to fall into bed with him, just yet. She wanted to make sure he understood her terms first. ‘I’m sure Valdar will see the necessity and he would far rather I travelled with him and you, instead of making the journey on my own.’
‘Stubborn. Just the way I like you.’ He moved closer. ‘Do I have to provoke another fight before you will kiss me?’
‘I’m finished with fighting you.’
He lifted her chin. ‘You will see, Kara, I will prove I’m worthy of you. A few short weeks and we will return.’
Her heart panged. The echo of seven years ago rang loudly in his words.
‘It will take as long as it takes.’ Her voice trembled on the last word. She screwed her eyes up tightly, silently cursing. ‘I know that, Ash. I have accepted it.’
She hoped he believed it more than she did.
‘I’ve stopped thinking about the future, Kara. I want to live in the here and now.’ He smoothed the hair off her forehead and her entire body tingled with an acute awareness of him and what they had shared earlier.
She wanted that sharing again, that feeling of closeness.
‘Can you do that?’ he rasped, gently tugging at her earlobe. Little flames licked at her inner core, igniting her senses in a way that only Ash could. It amazed her that she could feel so alive. Like a moth drawn to a flame, she found the movement of his mouth impossible to resist.
She knew it was impossible to explain her feelings for him in words, but she could allow her body to speak.
‘I will try.’ She looped her arms about his neck. ‘Enough thinking for tonight, I want to feel.’
Chapter Fourteen
The early morning mist rising from the lake hung in the valley. Ash glanced up at the hall looming behind. He’d left Kara sleeping. Nothing had felt right between them when he’d made love to her last night—far too frantic and forced, as if they both knew that he might not ever get another chance.
Lying next to her afterwards, he had struggled to breathe and knew he had to escape the airless room. His leg had throbbed, making sleep impossible. He had given her naked shoulder one last kiss and slipped away.
He had dressed quickly and started towards the lake, intending to swim and loosen the knots in his leg. When he reached the tuntreet with its now-naked spreading branches, he sank down to his knees and buried his face in his hands. Somehow he had to find a way to keep the people he loved safe.
Coming home was supposed to be simple. But every time he turned around, he saw other ways in which he could never measure up. A dull pain formed behind his eyes.
‘Here I find you, Ash.’ Valdar’s cold tone rang out across the lake, causing several geese to rise up. ‘Thinking of leaving? Or making a stand here? Or are you praying to the gods for a swift and merciful release?’
Ash slowly rose and faced the man who had once been his friend. ‘I gave you my word. I will be going to Sand. Voluntarily and not in chains or with my feet dragging. My men have their orders. They will obey them. It should be enough.’
‘Does that bother you?’
‘Not in the slightest.’ Ash inclined his head. He wondered briefly how many battles Valdar had fought or if he ever felt uncertain or afraid. If he failed, Kara would need a strong arm.
Ash pressed his lips together. Now was the right time to begin his move and see if he could separate Valdar from his uncle.
‘Kara intends to take Rurik to Sand. Will you allow her to travel with us or will she be forced to travel on her own?’ He looked the man in the eye. ‘I need to know how to deploy my men.’
The other man’s lip curled. ‘The Lady Kara is supposed to remain here. Is this one of your mad ideas?’
‘Far from it. It’s Kara’s. I wish you better luck than I had at persuading her to stay.’
