Orthorr’s bondmate chuckled, shaking his head at me. “You barbarians are so sweet. I used to wonder why so many women never came back. I assumed they were tied up or threatened to stay, which was likely what the rumor mongers wanted me to think. If we knew the truth, that the women stayed because you barbarians are criminally sweet and cherish your bondmates, I think a lot more people would have been volunteering.”
My lip twitched against a scowl remembering the way Arlen was treated by the Ilvos Clan. “Not all clans are good.”
“True,” the redhaired man agreed. “But that’s human nature. I’ve only been here a few weeks, and I can already tell that a majority of you are good to your cores. Some people would be willing to take the risk if it meant finding the kind of happiness you offer.” He gestured to the tent where Arlen was. “Take your man for instance. He had no proof of your good will. He only had a rumor that things were better than the gossips made it seem. He took a leap of faith, and he found you. That feels like more than luck to me.”
To me as well. For me, it felt like fate. Had I not insisted on going back to Arlen’s town, he would not have escaped unscathed. With the way those who chased him had looked, they likely would have murdered him for the insult. My overprotective nature and a sense of unease drove me to return and rescue him before he got hurt. Like fate had intervened and pointed me back to where I would find my happiness.
When Arlen ducked out of the learning tent, my chest swelled with warmth, and a smile tugged at my lips. He looked around with a frown, but when his gaze finally landed on me, he litup and immediately headed in my direction. That warmth I felt when looking at him only spread, and I moved toward him without thinking, meeting him half way and pulling him into my arms.
“Velren… How your lessons?”
“Good,” he replied breathlessly, eyes taking me in with a now-familiar hunger I recognized. “You aren’t wearing your tunic.”
“Too hot,” I complained, though that would not be the only reason in the future. I liked the way he looked at me. I would never wear a tunic again if it meant he kept looking at me like that.
It took him a long moment to pull his gaze away from my chest, his cheeks flushed with arousal as he looked up at me and blinked a few times. It was when I smirked at him that he snapped out of his daze, sucking in a sharp breath as he blushed furiously. “Oh, um… yes, I said I’d look into that. They told us we’d been leaving this area after Uttin and his company returned, but that we’d have a chance to explore the city before that happened. Can we go? I’d like to look at the fabric and see what the locals wear–”
Cutting him off with a kiss, I smiled against his lips when his hands rested on my chest and he sighed happily. “I will take Arlen into city so that can look. Tomorrow. Tonight, I wish to show my tent. Join me?”
He swallowed hard and nodded, but didn’t leave the circle of my arms until I released him and took his hand instead. I was going to lead him away and to my tent when Orthorr’s bondmate spoke, his attention on his papers but a smile tugging at his lips. “Feed him first. Neither of you will want to leave your tent after you start, and he’ll need the energy.”
Arlen’s face turned a dark shade of red, and he made a strangled sound, but I only grinned at the red haired man. He wasn’t wrong. “Thank you. I do this.”
His brows snapped together, and he looked up at me with a frown. “You need to work on your common tongue. They’ve got lessons for you too, you know. I–” He cut himself off and sighed when I looked away at Arlen and couldn’t force myself to look back. “I can see this isn’t the time. Go feed your man before whisking him away. And go to the common tongue lessons in the morning. Arlen will have his own lessons to attend, and you can’t hide away forever.”
I hummed in acknowledgement but didn’t fully agree. If I had my way, we could hide away for at least a little while. I knew what Arlen wanted from me. It was best if we took our time. I would not rush it just to receive common tongue lessons. Arlen took on that duty just fine.
ARLEN
Tyos took me to get our evening meal, and we sat at a small fire with his clan brothers, some of which I knew from the journey, but most I was unfamiliar with. They spoke mostly in their language, laughing and teasing, but I didn’t mind that I couldn’t follow along. It was already work to concentrate on finishing my meal. The way Tyos kept looking at me, his gaze filled with heat and promise, made me breathless and an army of butterflies took up residence in my belly. It made finishing my meal difficult, to say the very least.
Leaning close enough that his lips brushed my ear, Tyos asked, “Is Arlen finished eating?”
“Y-yes,” I replied, a shiver wracking my body as his breath teased my ear. “Should we…”
He didn't force me to finish the sentence, grabbing my hand and pulling me off the log we’d been sitting on. It wasn’t until he got close to his tent that I remembered what I’d discussed with Melanie during our lessons earlier. I dug my heels in, giving him an apologetic look when I asked, “Can we wash up first? The teachers told us the river water is nice and deep enough to get clean…”
I didn’t want to delay, but I didn't want to have the experience Tyos’s gaze promised ruined because I felt too dirty to enjoy it. It wouldn’t be a real bath, though I heard there was a wonderful community bath in the capital that I wanted to ask Tyos to visit when we went into the city, but if we were doing what I hoped we were doing, I wanted to be clean first. Wiping up with a bit of water and a cloth during a several day trek through the desert wasn’t what I considered clean.
Tyos hesitated for just long enough to make me breathless, wondering if perhaps he’d refuse and drag me into his bed despite my protest. I couldn’t decide if I would be upset about that. He’d always given me what I needed, but imagining him going all barbarian on me was oddly titillating.
That wasn’t Tyos, though, and eventually he sighed and nodded. “You right, velren. We get clean first. We go to river to bathe, then return my tent for night.”
The promise was clear in his tone. Whatever he had planned for us in his tent, I would enjoy it. If I didn’t wish to delay, it was best if I didn’t dilly dally while bathing.
I’d never bathed so quickly and so thoroughly in my life.
I wasn’t the only one in a hurry. Tyos joined me in the water, scrubbing himself clean while invading my personal space until each movement caused us to bump into each other and a gasp to escape me. I felt his arousal swell against my belly, felt hiswarmth sink into my skin. It took everything in my power not to climb him right there in the middle of the creek the clans washed up in. The only reason I didn’t was because we weren’t the only ones out there. With several clans all gathered together using the same water source, the river was busy.
My body was still damp when I pulled my clothes back on and stuffed my feet into my boots. I didn't have the patience to dry myself properly. Especially when Tyos’s big hands settled on my hips to balance me as I tied my trousers and I felt his erection even through his legwear pressed up against my ass. I was practically shaking with lust when we finally reached Tyos’s tent, and I didn’t spare the space more than a glance when I ducked inside before I spun around and threw myself at him.
Tyos was quick and caught me effortlessly, lifting me off the ground and into his arms so I had an easier time reaching his lips. We traded hungry kisses, my fingers digging into his hair, keeping him close so that even when he sank to his knees and laid me on a pallet on blankets, he couldn’t pull away. I felt him smile against my lips, tasted his joy and happiness like a sweet nectar, and felt my own smile blossom in return. I wasn’t sure I’d ever been this happy in my life.
My tunic, damp from the river water, was yanked over my head without much finesse and tossed aside. Boots were kicked off, and we both struggled removing our trousers thanks to our haste to get back here making them damp enough to stick to our skin. I didn’t care. I kicked free of my trousers and scrambled to help Tyos, getting distracted part way when his cock escaped the confines of his trousers and I could get a hand on him like I desperately wanted.
“Arlen–” Tyos choked, hips thrusting in response to my touch.
Lifting my head to capture his lips, I continued stroking his shaft, marveling at the thick length that seemed to drip from thetip with sticky precum. It seemed like Tyos was as worked up as I felt.