“I told you nothing has changed, and you try to work your magic on me. Magic you cannot control,” Er’it snarled, feet slapping the wet grass as he paced away.
“But you can, after you steal it from my lifeless body. Is that it?” Aida brought her legs up despite the stinging pain, covering as much of her nakedness as she could, though she pushed her hair back to keep him in view. “Why tell me all of those things if it ends the same? What purpose is there in making me feel this way?”
“Put the tunic on. We are leaving this place.”
Er’it crossed his arms over his chest, imperial and cold in a way Aida did not expect. His anger burned, molten and cruel, and she had grown used to its vicious heat. This new austerity scraped raw nerves, shards of ice ripping into the delicate strands that still worked their way through her. The cobwebby threads connecting her to Er’it thinned to faint glimmers. The frozen ocean of her sorrow rose within her chest, cooling whatever fires burned between them.
Brows drawing down, his arms eased from their stern pose and drifted to his sides as Er’it came a step toward her, casting his long shadow over her shivering body. Years of being under Otaso’s rule flared in the back of her mind, causing her to duck her head and cower. Aida hugged her knees tight to her chest, presenting a small target for the hand coming toward her, no matter its slow procession. The slap of his palm made her flinch, though it was against his thigh. Strides carrying him away from her, Aida swore she could feel the earth trembling beneath her with each of his heavy footfalls.
“Rise and dress. We depart now.” Tone no less curt, he kept his distance, giving her a wide berth as he stalked around the bank. Eyes turned toward the patch of lush forest in the direction of their small camp, his brow furrowed deeper still.
Struggling into the soaked tunic, Aida wrapped it around her body. Wet fabric turned sheer and sucked at her skin, showing the soft terrain of her body and leaving her feeling more exposed and vulnerable as she climbed to her feet.
Aida followed in his wake with head lowered as Er’it crashed through the undergrowth to the camp, causing a trail of destruction that hurt her heart more than seemed warranted. Chilled to the bone from the soft breeze whispering over her damp skin as much as the frozen wasteland that resided within her chest, tears trickled down Aida’s cheeks as she stroked the broken branches and stems as they passed. Apology and grief sitting thick on her tongue, unspoken words clogged her throat.
Er’it grabbed her about the hips as soon as she cleared the last line of torn bracken. Lifting Aida high into the air despite her sputtering protests and slapping hands, he slung her weight over Kal’s broad back to sit astride his wide shoulders. Unable to even scream for the pain radiating from between her thighs, Aida collapsed over Kal’s silky mane, fisting the long strands in both hands as her body trembled and clenched.
“What is wrong with you?” Er’it demanded in a low hiss, hand enveloping Aida’s arm to pull her upright.
“Hurts.” Voice little more than a hiccup as a sob caught in her throat, Aida squeezed her eyes tight and tried to ignore the shimmering bands of sickening crimson rolling through her.
“Serves you right for acting so foolish.” While the words stung, his tone did not match them. Strangled down to a prolonged rumble, it failed to impart the vicious bite.
Springing from the ground onto Kal’s back, Er’it startled at Aida’s breathless wail when he jostled her further where he pressed so tight against her back. Snarling a curse against her tangled hair, he brought them both to stillness. Kal sat frozen beneath them, seemingly reluctant to even twitch his ear back to listen for fear of hurting Aida more.
“Please, I will walk,” Aida mumbled into Kal’s feathery mane. Stomach twisting into endless knots, it threatened to empty whatever contents remained as another painful tide rippled through her core. “I will keep up, I swear it.”
“Perfectly idiotic,” Er’it said through a growl, cupping the back of Aida’s thigh. Ignoring her weak protests as he guided her leg over Kal’s neck, his thunderous rumbling became richer, deeper as he adjusted Aida’s stiff body to sit sideways across his lap.
Neither uttered a word as Er’it nudged Kal into motion. The purr reverberated through her entire body where he held Aida tight against his chest, easing the hard bounce of Kal’s stride by cradling her close as they made their way onto the road and headed south.
Aida wasn’t sure when it began during the dreary hours under the brilliant sun, the silence stretching on between them. Fingers so slow she didn’t realize their touch at first, Er’it stroked her thigh. Petting her in easy passes, his other hand began doing the same at her arm.
Combined with the rich resonance, Aida drifted. It was not true sleep but a hazy space in between, one where she lost herself in the quiet thunder laced with cedar and musk. It soothed her into a calm she was not sure she wanted but was helpless to resist. The tangled web around her heart grew thicker, an abundance of glittering strands weaving an endless pattern. It grew stronger by the moment, connecting her even closer to Er’it. She felt the steady thump of his heartbeat not just against her cheek but within her breast. Lungs working to take in breath, air filled his lungs as well as hers.
Letting her eyes drift shut, she dared to curl closer to him. Despite the heat and the sweat sheening her brow, Aida pressed closer to Er’it’s warmth and lent her delicate hum to underscore the depth of his purr.
Chapter 10
Aida
Dusk crept across the horizon as they came upon Ath’asho and the others lumbering down the road. Prickling with blades and spears, the deep emerald light of magic crackled with lightning within a tight sphere of blue. A protection against whatever power came against them from Miyenth, or anyone else for that matter.
“My king,” Ath’asho bellowed, kicking his horse into a reckless gallop toward Er’it, several of the others a mere breath behind as they stormed to encircle their ruler.
Something about their presence rankled, making the space between Aida’s shoulders itch with a prickle of awareness. As they closed ranks around Kal, the sensation worsened. Trying to remove even the thought of space between them, Aida clung to Er’it’s broad chest. Feeling too small, too exposed, she tried to curl up in his shadow as they all began speaking at once in their native tongue.
“Enough,” Er’it snapped, the crushing weight of his arm falling across Aida’s chest. Enfolding her in his heat and body, he urged Kal to break through the warriors toward the carts still making their way forward. “We make camp here.”
“My king, are you certain that is wise with—”
“Do not make me repeat myself, Ath’asho.”
Reaching the wagon loaded with their supplies, Er’it snapped his fingers and pointed. Zaec scrambled over the driving bench, tugging the thick blanket free and holding it out to Er’it with eyes downcast. The boy had the good sense to keep quiet when Er’it snatched it away and bundled Aida in the heavy wool before he snapped again. Another imperial pointing of his finger brought a waterskin and dried meat. Feeding her with his own hand, Er’it kept them atop Kal while the rest scrambled to unload the tents and the few things they would need for the night. There were far fewer crates and barrels loading the carts, the rest stolen away by Rhyn and his men.
Aida’s brow creased as she realized Er’it continued to purr. Near silent, it was a distant rumble against her ear, but it remained all the same. His free hand caressed her warming skin while he fed her torn pieces of the spiced meat and held the water to her lips for small drinks, keeping the display well hidden from his people.
Did it matter, so long as he offered it? Aida let out a gusty sigh that earned her a brief nuzzle to her hair. Little more than a brush of his lips, it settled over her in a blanket of cloudy softness, keeping Aida pliant in his arms until his tent stood tall among the shambles of the rest. Then he became nothing but decisive actions. Sliding from Kal’s back, he hauled Aida after him as soon as his feet touched the ground. Tucking the blanket tight around her, Er’it slung his arm across her back and hurried Aida toward the dark opening.
