N. Walters - Fabric of Fate

She automatically opened her mouth and took a sip of the tea. She couldn’t quite place the flavor but it was surprisingly good. Audrey pondered what he’d told her. She supposed any culture would do what it had to in order to survive. After all, humans had adapted over the centuries as well, the cultural norms changing as the state of the world did.

Heroc placed the cup back on the table. “Women are treated well here. Abuse, if it becomes known, is not tolerated. Women are too precious to us.” He ran a single finger down her neck and over her collarbone. The blanket slipped and was resting just above her breasts, a slight curve showing over the edge.

“Only one brother can claim the woman as wife. It is always her choice. The children are all his even though they may be sired by his brothers. Each brother gets one night a week in her bed.” His fingers dipped lower, pushing the blanket in their wake and exposing her nipples. He touched one with the tip of his finger. “Although some families are more fluid than that, sharing as they choose.”

She swallowed hard as her nipple puckered beneath his touch. “I’m not staying,” she reminded him.

His smile was gentle. “But I have more than two days to change your mind. And I have hope.” Before his words had sunk in, his hand closed gently around her breast and he kissed her, stealing the breath from her lungs.

Heroc savored the feel of Audrey beneath his lips and his hand. She was everything he’d ever wanted—intelligent, sensual, kind and giving. Her reaction to the loss of his family had been genuine. She knew what it was like to lose a loved one.

He still couldn’t believe she was alone in her world. What was wrong with the men there? They didn’t deserve such a treasure. Didn’t know what to do with it. But he did.

He deepened the kiss, sliding his tongue over her lips and through the slight opening. She tasted of tea and bread and cheese. Of desire, hot and potent.

He had wanted to kick Abrah’s ass when he’d stalked out of the room after making his cutting comments. He’d made Audrey cry and the memory angered him. But he understood his brother better than Abrah understood himself, knew Abrah wanted her to stay so badly he was afraid to reach out and take what was in their grasp. The tapestry had not yet returned and, until it did, Heroc planned to do everything in his power to convince Audrey to stay.

To that end, he fed her, comforted her and talked to her about his life here in Javara. He wanted to hear all about her world and what her life was like there, but that would have to wait. The quickest way to build a relationship with her was through touch and sexual desire. Heroc wasn’t about to miss the opportunity that had presented itself.

She needed a gentle touch after the shock she’d had. It was only last evening she’d almost lost her life to the storm. He shuddered at the thought of finding her near lifeless body lying in the dirt. Thank the gods for Carn and his canine senses.

Audrey made a slight whimpering sound and he tightened his grip around her, continuing to kiss her, to explore her sensual mouth. The fire crackled in the hearth warming the air around them. The wind continued to whip up outside, but in this room only the murmurs of lovers and the occasional gasp could be heard.

They were cocooned in a time out of time. Heroc gave thanks for the inclement weather. It would keep news of Audrey’s arrival from spreading to other families until it was too late. She’d either be returned to her home or claimed by one of them before any other castle knew of her arrival. That might be selfish of him, but he didn’t care. Audrey had come to them and it was with them she belonged.

He released her breast and tugged the blanket from her grasp. She clung to the fabric, her knuckles tightening until they turned white, and then she slowly released it. He broke the kiss, wanting to examine every inch of her.

Bruises still smudged her delicate skin, ranging up and down her arms. There were a few on her stomach, but what concerned him more was how slender she was. “Have you been ill?”

She shrugged and glanced away, peering into the fire.

He caught her chin between his fingers and tugged her gaze back to him. “Tell me.” It was a demand, one he couldn’t stop himself from making. The thought of her being ill was more than he could bear.

She absently rubbed her chest as if it hurt. “I had some minor health problems and ended up home in bed. Nothing serious.”

Heroc felt certain she was downplaying what was wrong. “How long ago?” She must have been sick a long time to be so skinny.

“A few days.”

His jaw dropped and he quickly shut it. “Should you be out of bed? Does anything hurt?” He wasn’t sure what to do and wondered if he should send Abrah for their healer.

She touched his jaw, her fingers sliding along the thick cords of his neck. “I’m fine. Just a little tired and undernourished. The doctor told me to rest and take better care of myself. I was actually taking a few days away from work when I landed here.”

He frowned, wondering if there was more she wasn’t telling him. “That does not explain why you are so slender.” He rubbed his hands up and down her ribcage.

She looked uncomfortable beneath his regard but she answered him. “I’d been working hard for a long time at my job. I hadn’t been taking good care of myself.” She offered him a smile that fell flat. “I got too caught up in getting ahead and making money.”

“This money is your means of barter?”

“Yes.”

“Having a lot of it is important in your world?” Heroc couldn’t imagine anything being more important that a female’s health. Where would the next generation come from if all the women were ill?

“Too much so.” She sighed and he could sense her struggling to find the right words. “I live in a world where I have to work to get money so I can buy shelter and food and whatever else I need. Our society is a fast-paced one, always pushing harder and faster. If you slack off work there is someone waiting to take your job from you. If that happens you can end up hungry or homeless.”

She laughed, but Heroc could hear the bitterness beneath it and it hurt him. He hugged her to him, cradling her head on his shoulder. “Our worlds are very different. Money does not matter so much here.”

She raised her head. “Then how do you live?”

He smiled at her, more than happy to tell her about his home. “Dannon Keep and the lands surrounding it give us everything we need to survive. The castle itself is small compared to some but it is well built. We are more isolated than most but that means there is not much threat from others. The lakes and rivers are filled with fish, the forest and mountain teeming with game. We raise some animals ourselves and till the field for the rest. We have orchards filled with fruit and keep bees for honey.”

“You and your brother do all that?”

He laughed at the amazement in her voice and reached out to tuck a lock of her curly hair behind her ear. “No. We are the lords of the keep. We have many families that live here and we all work to bring prosperity to the land.”

“Wow.” She frowned and he rubbed the lines between her eyes. Her eyelashes fluttered downward when she blinked and he admired her long lashes. “Your world seems much like mine about six hundred years ago, except for the lack of women, that is.”

He did not wish to talk about this barbaric world she hailed from any longer. Heroc could not imagine any man letting his woman work herself into ill health or allowing her to end up homeless or hungry. Unthinkable.

The time had come for action, not talking. Heroc shifted Audrey, turning her so she was facing him, her legs straddling his lap. She clutched his shoulders for balance as he untangled the blanket from her lower body and tossed it to the floor.