Heart of Fire (16 page)

His tongue caressed hers and sparks
shot through her. She balled her fists in his hair, arching against
him. She quivered at the unexpected touch, her spine tingling with
fire as he tasted her.

He released her, closing his eyes
and breathing deeply.

She lay quietly in his arms for a
moment. “I liked that very much.”

“As did I.” He smiled at her and
glanced down as he lifted her slightly. “Overmuch,
perhaps.”

“What do you mean?”

“Nothing.” He kissed her forehead.
“Are you hungry?”

She shook her head. “I don’t want
food yet. I want a bath.”

“A bath? The stream we passed last
night doesn’t look deep enough for that. Perhaps it pools
somewhere. When I take the animals out, I’ll have a
look.”

“Thank you.” If she didn’t get some
relief for her aching muscles, today’s ride would be
torture.

He stood up with her still in his
arms. “I’m going to set you down so you best keep your eyes toward
the wall.”

Although she did as he suggested,
she saw movement out of the corner of her eye. She turned her head
slightly and glimpsed his exquisite backside as he pulled his
trousers up. With heat creeping into her cheeks, she decided naked
suited him well. She spun back toward the wall before he
turned.

He walked past on his way to the
animals, grinning wickedly. “Did you enjoy peeking at
me?”

Her jaw dropped. “I did
not...”

He tapped a finger to one ear.
“These never lie to me, you saucy wench. Your heartbeat and your
breathing quickened. Besides, the flush on your face betrays you.”
He kept walking, shaking his head as he went. “The
impertinence…”

She stuck her tongue out at his
back.

“I heard that too,” he called
out.

As soon as he left with Dragon and
Petal, she dug out the salve from her pack. She was glad to be
alone. The agony of two days’ ride was hard to hide from Ertemis
but the pleasure of his kiss had dampened the pain considerably.
Now it throbbed to life as she rubbed the last of the salve into
her bruised thighs and backside, each stroke freshening the pain.
She didn’t want him thinking her unable to manage the
journey.

With the salve used up, she worked
on securing the bedrolls. She wound them twice before they looked
right. Rain had kept the night air damp and her skirt was still
damp. She stoked the fire, adding some of the remaining brush and
twigs to the coals. It sparked to life and she moved the tripod of
branches a little closer.

Ertemis walked back inside. “I found
a place where the stream pools enough for bathing, but the water is
frigid.”

“It will be hot before I bath in
it.” She took a shard of soap from her pack, the remnant of her
bath at Valduuk’s.

They walked past Dragon and Petal
grazing on a small mound of oats. Ertemis grabbed her hand,
bringing them to a stop. He scanned the horizon, a finger to his
lips.

She looked at him, questions in her
eyes.

He shook his head. “I thought I
heard something.” They walked a little further and he pointed to a
spot where the stream curved into a quiet pool.

“Wonderful.” Jessalyne started
toward the water, but Ertemis held her hand.

“There’s room enough for
two.”

Just like Valduuk’s tub. She
shivered at the memory.

He gently tugged her close and
filled his hands with her hair. “I’ll be on my best behavior. Or
not. You may decide.” He winked and added, “On my honor as a
gentleman.”

“Since when are mercenaries
gentlemen?” His hands in her hair dissolved the urge to pull
away.

He clutched at his heart. “I’m
wounded you think so lowly of me.”

“Ertemis...” She hesitated. If she
told him about her mother’s letter, he might stop kissing her. If
she told him what she’d done to her father, he would undoubtedly
never touch her again.

“I didn’t mean to distress you. Take
your bath and when you come back, I’ll have breakfast
ready.”

“Thank you.” She looked into his
starry sky eyes and saw he spoke the truth.

She picked her way across the rocky
bank, moving as well as her legs would allow. Kept thinking how
lovely the hot water would feel.

When she got to the pool, she set
her soap on a rock and crouched close to the water’s surface. She
dipped her fingers in. Icy cold. The stream must be snow fed from
the mountains. Cupping her hand, she drank her fill.

Raising her hands over the pool, she
started to close her eyes. No, she must practice. Eyes open this
time; she beckoned heat into the water. Power surged up her spine
and into her hands.

Wisps of steam rose off the surface.
She trailed her fingers through the water, delighting in the warmth
it now held. She stood and looked back toward the fissure in the
ridge. She saw Dragon and Petal but nothing of Ertemis.

She lifted her tunic over her head
and let it drop to the bank before easing into the water. The
warmth soothed her and when she reached the full depth of the pool,
she sunk beneath the surface. When she came up, she grabbed her
soap and started scrubbing.

She dipped under to rinse her hair,
then stayed submerged up to her neck. The water’s heat relaxed her
muscles. She closed her eyes and leaned her head against one of the
larger rocks edging the bank, letting the warmth sink into
her.

Her legs kept floating up, so she
stopped fighting the buoyancy and let them rise. Something wriggled
over her toes. Her eyes went wide. A red and black striped water
serpent curved across the rippling surface. The same kind of
serpent that had killed one of the cervidae.

Heart pounding, she froze. Her
dagger was in her saddlebag. Now she wished Ertemis were bathing
with her.

Panic rose in her but she held her
tongue. Screaming had not helped the cervidae. She would not risk
drawing the serpent any faster by sending sound vibrations through
the water.

Ertemis, where are you when I need
you? She called out to him in her head, wishing him to her side.
This wasn’t the way she wanted to die.

From behind her, a voice. “I’m
here.”

“Ertemis,” she whispered. How had he
known?

“I see the serpent. Stay
still.”

She heard him moving but kept her
eyes on the creature slithering toward her. It passed the middle of
the pool, almost close enough to touch. A moan caught in her
throat.

The brief glimmer of sun-struck
steel flashed before her. Swirls of red bloomed from the two
wriggling halves of the serpent as it sunk.

His hands slipped beneath her arms
and lifted her out of the blood-clouded water.

Water ran off her naked body in
rivulets, but that didn’t stop him from holding her tight. She
tucked her face against his hard chest and inhaled his comforting
fragrance. A man like this was good to have around.

“You’re safe now.” He kissed the top
of her head.

“Thank you.” She reveled in the
press of his hands on her bare back.

“You’re shivering. I’ll fetch your
gown.”

Ertemis jumped down and grabbed her
tunic off the bank. He held it up, keeping his eyes averted. She
raised her brows at his refusal to take advantage of the situation.
The gown clung as she tugged it over her wet body. “I’m dressed.
How did you know to come?”

* * *

He looked up and the breath left
him. Sunshine filtered through her gown, outlining her in light.
The fabric hugged her damp skin, sheer where it was soaked
through.

Desire welled in him. The fabric
cupped her breasts the way his hands ached to. Sweeping over the
curve of her stomach, his gaze went lower before he could stop
himself. Painful need course through him. He was lost and he knew
it.

Turning away, he struggled to keep
the desire from his voice. “I was saddling Dragon when a feeling of
panic came over me. I opened my senses and I heard you calling. I
came as fast as I could.”

“You heard me? But I only spoke to
you in my head. I was afraid to call out for fear I’d draw the
serpent faster.” She shivered as a breeze swept past.

“The elves call it mindsight. But no
one’s ever called me as clearly as you did.” He stepped up onto the
rock next to her. “You need to be by the fire.”

Jessalyne faltered on a wobbly rock
and Ertemis grabbed her arm before she fell. “You’re handy to have
around. If that serpent had bitten me...” She shuddered.

He squeezed her hand and turned the
conversation to something lighter. “So I’m an agreeable kisser and
handy to have around. I’m beginning to bore myself.”

She cuffed him lightly on the
shoulder. “That’s not what I meant.”

He slipped his arm beneath her legs
and picked her up. “Since I’m so handy, I’ll just carry you back.
You’ve used up all your rescuing for the day and I can’t risk you
breaking something on your way to breakfast.”

She wrapped her arms around his neck
and rested her head on his shoulder. Her fingers played in his
hair, but the ripples of pleasure affect his entire body. “Very
well. I’m too hungry to be contrary.” She paused. “And I do want to
get my money’s worth.”

He slanted his eyes at her. “Saucy
wench,” he muttered, unable to repress a grin.

He didn’t set her down until he
reached the fire. “I’ll finish saddling Petal while you change.
Then we’ll eat and be on our way.”

As soon as he left, she dressed in
the pale green skirt and blouse, cinching the leather bodice
tightly around her waist. She finger-combed her hair by the fire to
dry it. Her hands went to his beautiful gift about her neck. She
smiled. Black Death, indeed. The name really didn’t suit
him.

“Jessalyne!” Ertemis called. “I am
nigh to death with hunger, woman! Are you dressed yet?”

“Yes, come in.” Hands on hips, she
stared at him. “I thought you were getting breakfast for
me?”

“Patience, mistress. Your handy
hireling is overloaded with so many chores.” He held up a linen
square full of food. “Saddle the mounts, save you from serpents,
carry you, serve your breakfast...” He opened the linen cloth
across one of the larger boulders and set out their meal, sighing
with the great effort.

She laughed at his teasing,
snatching a pear off the cloth. “Do you think we’ll make a town by
this evening?”

Finishing a bite of cheese and
bread, he answered. “Sleeping aground not to your
liking?”

“I prefer the comforts of an
inn.”

“The closer we get to Shaldar City,
the more towns there will be.” He finished the last of his
breakfast, tucking an apple into his pouch.

She gathered up her tunic, still
drying by the fire, and stuffed it into her pack while he covered
the coals over with sand. The combination of the salve and the hot
water had lessened the ache in her legs but the thought of more
riding bothered her. She was out of salve and by nightfall, she
might not be able to walk at all.

The land grew more mountainous the
farther they traveled. Bruised clouds drifted across the midday
sun.

“Ertemis, can we stop? It’s chilly.
I want to get my cloak out of my pack.”

“Aye.” He turned Dragon around,
reaching to get her cloak for her. He fished it out and tossed it
around her shoulders, brushing her cheek with his hand.

She fastened the clasp and opened
her mouth to thank him but he put a finger to his lips. He scanned
the landscape, his face stern.

After a moment, he spoke in a low
voice. “We’re being watched. I sense it. Stay close.” Wheeling
Dragon back around, he scanned their surroundings as they traveled.
Ahead of them, the passage narrowed between sheered rock
walls.

A stone fell in the distance and
they turned. Four figures on horseback stood on a ridge behind
them. Ertemis reached over and grabbed Petal’s reins. “Hold on,” he
yelled, urging Dragon and Petal faster.

Jessalyne looked over her shoulder.
The men charged down the ridge after them. Fear shot through her.
“Who are they?” she yelled.

He ignored her question. “We need to
get through the pass.”

Wind whistled in her ears as she
looked again. Their pursuers were gaining, the two nearest now
brandished blades, bloodlust in their eyes. She glanced ahead. The
pass was so far away.

Jessalyne gulped air. The ground
passed rapidly beneath them. She clung to Petal, her heart pounding
in her chest. Tyber was right. All the realm was not Fairleigh
Grove.

She saw Ertemis tug on Dragon’s
reins, slowing the warhorse down to stay beside her. Petal’s
nostrils flared and foam speckled her mouth. Jessalyne’s stomach
sank. They weren’t going to make it.

“Stay behind me,” Ertemis commanded,
wheeling around to face the four horsemen, dust
billowing.

“We’re going to fight them?”
Jessalyne pulled Petal around.