N. Walters - Fabric of Fate

Today had been a waste of time. Better they’d locked her in a tower room when she’d arrived and left her there until the tapestry arrived to take her home.

She laughed at something Heroc said and he wanted to fling his mug against the wall and watch it shatter into a million pieces.

No one watching him would guess at the scope of his inner turmoil. He sat at the head of the table with his legs stretched out before him, the picture of relaxed masculinity.

He’d even dressed for her last night here, wearing an embroidered shirt that his mother had made him. A heavy silver torque rested over his heart—a symbol of his authority as lord here. It had belonged to his father and his father before him, and so on, going back into the mists of time.

“Why do you wear two skinny braids in your hair while Heroc doesn’t?”

He turned his head slowly and studied Audrey. She was smiling, but there was a ring of falseness in her good spirits. Her eyes were sad and her cheeks flushed. “I am the eldest.”

“Oh.” She nibbled on her bottom lip. “So it denotes your status and isn’t a fashion statement.”

He wasn’t certain what she meant, so he said nothing. Her hand trembled when she picked up her cup and his gut clenched. He disliked seeing her upset. It didn’t matter that he was angry with her for choosing to leave.

Abrah debated with himself for a short while and then shoved back his chair, coming to his feet. “We will retire.” There was no point in putting off the inevitable and he wanted to be alone with her when the tapestry appeared, not in front of an avid audience.

He took Audrey’s hand and pulled her to stand beside him. There were no cheers from the others in the room. They all knew she planned to return home.

She hesitated and then raised her chin, facing the group that had joined them for the evening meal. “Thank you all for everything.”

No one replied, but several of the men inclined their heads in respect. Tara was swiping at her eyes with the back of her hand. Audrey’s chin wobbled before firming again. There was no doubting she had a backbone of steel.

Abrah nodded at Heroc, who fell in beside them, and they made their way up the stairs to his room with Carn at their heels. He led Audrey to the chair beside the fireplace and indicated she should sit there. Heroc closed and locked the door.

“Why are you leaving? What is your objection to staying here?” He should have asked this question the first time she’d told him she was going home.

“It doesn’t matter now.”

“It does!” Audrey jumped when he roared. Even he was shocked by his outburst. “It does,” he said more quietly. Their very future was on the line.

She shrugged. “I don’t know what to do here. I mean, I can’t cook and you don’t need me to manage your household. Not that I’d know what to do there. Everything is so different than in my world.”

“Is that all?” Abrah wanted to grip her shoulders and shake her but clenched his hands into fists by his sides instead, knowing he’d never do anything that might harm her.

She surged from the seat, anger bringing color to her cheeks and a flash of fire to her blue eyes. “No, that is not all. I don’t want to be dependent on a man for anything. To have to go to him for money, to wonder if he’s going to up and leave me someday.”

She slapped her hand over her mouth as though she’d said too much.

“Who left you?” Abrah softly asked. Whoever it was, Abrah wanted to find him and beat him to within an inch of his life. He had helped shape Audrey and her beliefs toward men and life in general. So much in her past had made her afraid to trust and time was too short to change her mind.

Audrey wanted to scream or cry. Maybe even both. She couldn’t believe she’d just blurted that out, had never quite articulated in that way before. That was her mother’s life, not hers. She’d worked hard to make certain her fate was different. It had been a long, hard road for her mother when Audrey’s father left. She’d never had a job and didn’t have much schooling. She’d depended on her husband for everything and when he’d left her she’d been lost.

“Who?” Abrah prompted again.

“My father.” A tear rolled down her cheek and she swiped it away before Abrah could. His hand dropped back by his side. “He took off one day, leaving my mother with nothing. She didn’t know what to do without him.”

“I am sorry for that, Audrey. But not all men are like that.”

“I know. But how do you know for sure? How can you tell?” What she was really asking was how could she trust them and from the pained expression on his face, Abrah understood that all too well.

“You have to trust your heart.” This was the first Heroc had spoken and his words shook her to her core because she didn’t know how to trust her heart.

Abrah cursed and strode to the chest at the foot of the bed. He threw back the lid and lifted out a small, wooden cask. He carried it back to her and held it toward her. “If you stay this is yours. You can trade what is inside it for food and goods. You will never be dependent on us, but know that we will always provide for you.”

She didn’t want to take whatever was in the wooden cask, didn’t want him to think he had to buy her love. Her mouth went dry and her head spun. Oh, dear God, she loved him. And she loved Heroc too. What had she done?

Abrah grew impatient and flipped back the lid to reveal a small pile of silver and jewels. She had no idea what it was worth in this world, but in hers it would be a small fortune.

“People value silver because it is rare and the jewels for their beauty.” Abrah removed the silver torque from around his neck and place it in the chest along with the rest.

She tucked her hands under her arms and shook her head. “No. I won’t take it. I can’t.” She backed away, her limbs weak and trembling. Everything had been so clear only days before. She knew who she was and where her life was going. Now every cell in her body ached with indecision.

Who was she and what did she want?

Abrah slammed the small cask shut, tossed it back into the chest and slammed the lid. “Nothing will make you stay?”

She shook her head again, not because she was disagreeing with him but because she was so confused.

“So be it.” He came toward her and for the first time since she arrived she was truly afraid. She threw up her hands to ward him off and backed away until her spine hit the wall.

He was so much bigger than she, his sheer sense of will almost overpowering. It would take a strong woman to stand up to these men, not to lose herself to the overwhelming strength of their personalities.

What was wrong with her? She wasn’t a coward. Never had been. She pushed away from the wall and took a step forward, drilling her finger against his chest. “Stop trying to bully me. Just because you’re bigger than me doesn’t mean you can intimidate me.”

He growled and grabbed her hand, tugging her toward him. She was off balance and fell forward. Abrah took advantage of the situation, scooped her into his arms and carried her to the bed. “What are you doing?” she asked even though there was no real question in her mind.

“Taking you to bed. If you are bent on leaving I want one more time with you.” He stood her beside the bed and had her tunic over her head before she could blink. His eyes darkened and his pupils dilated as his gaze wandered over her breasts, stopping on her taut nipples.

He groaned and bent forward, capturing a tight nub between his lips. His tongue teased the hard bud and she gripped his head, holding him to her.

How would she live without him?

Strong hands eased her pants down her thighs and over her feet. Heroc was busy stripping the rest of her clothing from her. She tugged at Abrah’s shirt, wanting it off him, needing to see him naked. Wanting both their hands and mouths on her. The mood was frantic. There was no time left to play or explore.