TOVAWe waited, hearing Brut shout at both the King and Loki, and we could hear Loki shouting back. I strained my ears, hoping to hear Erik’s voice, but could not. My heart was pounding erratically in my chest. I wanted to rush in to make sure he was okay, but I knew that it wasn’t the time. Garth spent his time looking back at the forest where Leila had disappeared, watching me, and then looking at the barn where the shouting was taking place. I could sense that he was torn. I was, too. Brut finally came out of the barn and he mounted his horse, trotting back the way he had come. Garth and I dropped to the forest floor and watched as he hurried down the trail, a mere ten feet from us, not even looking in our direction. I wasn’t sure where Leila was waiting for him, but I knew she would do her best to take care of him. I just had to trust. We waited while the sky above us got progressively darker and the thunder roared above us. We could hear nothing coming from the trail
ERIKTova launched herself into my arms and I held them wide to catch her. I grunted, wincing against the pain of my broken ribs and she pulled back, once again in control. She gave me a look of sympathy but said nothing to me, instead throwing her head back and yelling.“Garth!” I knew that Brut had said that she had left with the healer and a warrior. I was still surprised when the healer came in, bowing deeply before approaching. “May I see, your majesty?” he asked.I nodded, relaxing. Tova backed away, one eye on the door to the barn and the other watching Garth. Bo dropped to his knees and leaned into me. I absently patted his neck.Garth came forward and used his thumb to pry open the eye that was swollen shut. To my relief, I could see from it, albeit it was blurry. He clicked his tongue and then proceeded to run his hands over my body, asking mundane questions.“Does this hurt? How about this? Breathe deep for me. Cough.” I obeyed as best I could, though the cough
TOVAErik’s head lolled against my chest, and I had to fight the panic down. I looked over at Garth.“He will be okay,” he said. “Let’s get him settled before he wakes up. It will be easier for him.”I nodded, and Troi took off, led by Leila. We followed.Thank goodness Bo was such a gentle and tame animal when he wanted to be. I concentrated on holding Erik and keeping him comfortable, and Bo followed Troi. When we started climbing the rocks, I gripped with my knees tighter and held Erik a little closer.I had to duck to get into the cave but I saw that Leila had piled up our supplies against the far wall and had started a fire. The temperature of the cave was pleasantly warm, considering we had a cold spring storm raging outside. Garth and Leila silently came to Bo’s side and I slid Erik into their arms. Garth hurried him over to a pile of rushes and lay him gently on it.I left Erik to Garth’s ministrations, taking the pot from my saddlebags and turned to head into the sto
ERIKI tried to convince Garth that I was ready to travel that day, but he insisted that we hold for a few days. He used the excuse that I needed to recover, but I knew that he just wanted a few days with Leila without any other distractions. My suspicions were confirmed when they kept sneaking off together.Tova proved to be quite the huntress. She took Leila’s bow and came back with a doe that she efficiently skinned and quartered. I looked at her with amazement, blood up to her elbows as she arranged spits of steaks around the fire.“Where on earth did you learn to do that?” I asked. “Birgir,” she answered. “He wanted me to learn how to take care of myself and how to survive if I had to. This is the biggest animal I’ve ever cleaned but it’s not much different than a smaller one. It just takes longer.”I could smell the meat roasting. “I need to thank Birgir for making sure you got a good education. That smells amazing.”She smiled shyly. “Thanks,” she murmured.The smell
TOVA It took most of the rest of the day to get Erik down the mountain. Despite his jocularity, he was sore and tired, and we had to take it slow. No one complained. We all knew how close we had come to losing our king. Some of the warriors had ridden ahead to make sure that the accommodations were ready for Erik when he arrived. When we finally made it off from the mountain and out of the trees, we were greeted with hundreds of warriors gathered around, cheering for their king. Erik sat straight upright in his saddle, waving and thanking them. I followed, a smile plastered on my face. Someone came to take Troi’s bridle and help Erik off his mount. Another warrior came to my side, but I waved him away. “I will take care of my steed myself, but thank you,” I said with a smile. He bowed deeply and disappeared. I watched to make sure Erik was being helped into his tent and relaxed when I saw Garth hurrying towards him, ready to settle him into his bed. I took my time wash
TOVA I walked to the bed, stopping at the side. Erik reached out a hand and grabbed me around the waist, pulling me into the bed. “I want you so bad,” he said. “I want to make you scream.” “Whatever will the warriors think?” I asked with a grin. He didn’t answer, just pressed his lips against mine. I opened my mouth and felt his tongue. I moaned and his kiss deepened. His hand was running up and down my side, fingers dancing over my nipples and then down to my mound. I spread my legs and arched myself up a little, moaning into his mouth and begging for him to take me. He circled my clit with his fingers before plunging three of them into me, hard. I arched my back and opened my mouth in a wordless scream. His fingers started slamming in and out of me quickly and hard. I spread my legs wider and arched my hips up more, changing the angle slightly so that he was curving a little inside me. I started shaking; the pressure was building inside me, and I didn’t want him to s
ERIKI dreamed last night. I dreamed of being hit over the head and dragged out of my tent. I dreamed of being back in the barn, afraid for my Realm, sure I was going to die. I thrashed around in my sleep, finding a soft body in my bed. In my blind panic I felt the need to be in control, to dominate. I climbed on top of the body and ruthlessly jammed my rod inside, pounding in and out, finding a release for all the fear and anxiety that was riddling my body. When I opened my eyes and my senses returned, I saw that Tova was under me, looking up at me with wide eyes, silent. I rolled off her in horror.Neither of us said anything for a moment and then I asked quietly, “Did I hurt you?”She paused a moment before answering. “No.” I could hear something else in her voice, but I was too far gone in my emotions to worry about hers in this moment. She lay very still next to me, barely breathing, waiting for me to make the first move or to break the silence. I considered things I c
TOVAI woke up to Erik thrashing in the bed and groping around. I half sat up, looking at him. He was dreaming.I stroked his hair, trying to calm him, when he suddenly rolled over the top of me and yanked up my nightgown. His knee forced in between my legs and I shifted, trying to get comfortable, when he rammed his c^ck into me, violently. A small cry escaped my lips. It hurt. I was dry and not ready.I looked at him, not understanding, and then realized he was still caught in the throws of his nightmare. He had his eyes closed and his head turned, and he wasn’t looking at me. He grunted, spilling his seed inside me, and then finally awoke, turning to see me. His eyes darkened for a moment and then he rolled off from me. I said nothing.“Did I hurt you?” he finally asked. I was quiet for a moment before answering. “No,” I said. It seemed the only acceptable answer. He was sleeping, having a nightmare, and he had lashed out. The sheer power of it scared me but I calmed