Page 56 of Vows Forged in Blood

“You had…chocolate just there,” he says, voice low and rough, like saying the words takes great effort. His body is almost vibrating with tension, that same tension echoing through the bond and sending shivers up my spine. His throat works as if it’s hard to swallow, and he softly and ever so slowly grazes his fingers along my cheek until he’s cupping my facegently. I can’t breathe. I can’t move. I can’t ever let him stop touching me.

I curl my fingers into his shirt, holding on for dear life as he moves his thumb in lazy strokes across my cheekbone, seeming to revel in the contact, eyes sliding closed in what appears to be pure bliss. He holds himself completely still save the movement of his thumb. I don’t even think he’s breathing. All of his vast stores of focus trained on that one, small motion.

“Alaric,” I whisper. It sounds like a prayer, like a plea.

He exhales slowly. “When you say my name like that, it makes everything else in the world fade away,” he says quietly. He opens his eyes and as his gaze falls to my lips, I wonder if he’s finally going to kiss me the way I’ve been dreaming of for weeks. Well, since the Choosing, if I’m being honest with myself. He starts to move his face towards mine, again with that slow, practiced deliberation that I know comes from his centuries of training, of learning to master every inch of his body, and now I stop breathing.

“Keeva,” he whispers as he moves closer…closer…

“Sir,” a voice calls from the other side of the rise and we spring apart. I grab Xerxes’ reins again and run a hand over my braid, though I’m not sure why. Alaric didn’t even touch my hair.But hedidtouch me…I shudder at the thought but try to put a mask of normalcy on before whoever is coming crests the hill. Alaric must have far more practice than me at masking his emotions because he looks completely fine, as if we hadn’t been about to kiss, as if that moment between us hadn’t meant something far more than a simple touch.

“What is it, Caldwell?”

“Captain LaRouche has just arrived, sir. He awaits you in the war room.”

Alaric’s lips thin. “He’s early,” he nearly growls. The young squire, Caldwell, looks terrified, as if this Captain arriving early is his fault and Alaric is going to take it out on him.

“I-I’m sorry, sir. I didn’t realize?—”

Alaric holds up his hand. “It isn’t your fault. The bastard likes to make an entrance,” Alric says with a roll of his eyes. “Either early or late, never on time, and usually in ridiculous finery that has no place in a war camp.” Caldwell seems to relax, even smiling a bit.

“He is indeed in…finery, of a sort, sir, though I don’t know what region uses quite so many feathers in their formal dress…”

Alaric’s lips quirk and I huff out a laugh.

“Take Xanthus to the barn, please, Caldwell. I’ll go greet Captain LaRouche.” The lad takes the horse, bowing to Alaric. He turns to me in question, clearly wondering if he should take Xerxes as well, but the horse answers the question by stomping angrily in the squire’s direction, flaring his nostrils and generally acting like an ass.

“I’ve got him, it’s alright,” I assure the man. He bows to me, looking more than a little relieved, and heads off with Xanthus in tow. Alaric turns to me.

“I have to go. I’m not sure how long I’ll be stuck entertaining the Captain…”

“It’s alright. I’ll see you…when I see you.”

It looks as if he wants to say more, as if he wants nothing more than to fall right back into the moment from before, but he quickly pulls his gaze from mine and stalks off towards the cabin.

Xerxes noses me again and I give him a pat before heading in the other direction towards the barn. I can’t stop replaying that moment in my mind, the feel of Alaric’s fingers on my cheek, the feelings rushing through my chest as he leaned down…

I puff out my cheeks and let out a long, shaky breath. Xerxes looks at me, a question in those too-intelligent eyes.

“I am in need of something strong to drink and a very, very cold shower,” I tell the horse.

Captain LaRouche,who I have nicknamed La Roach because he has bug eyes and irks me, remains for three days. Though of course Alaric and I have been parted for longer when he leaves the camp, we’ve never been parted afteralmost kissing. Not having been able to be alone with him since then, to make sure that he isn’t having some internal crisis and pulling away from me again, is driving me mad.

To make matters worse, Nova and Wesley have both been put on a training exercise for the week to the south. So, I don’t even have training or time with them to take my mind off of things. I couldn’t seem to concentrate in the shop this morning, nearly setting Braddock’s beard on fire, and Takara is spending a much-deserved afternoon doing ungodly things with Malcom. So, I’d decided to come spend the afternoon soaking up what might be the last bit of warmth of the season before winter arrives in the field beside the pond. I brought a blanket and a few books and Reginald packed me a small picnic as well.

I try to read, but find that I’m scanning the same page over and over without actually absorbing anything at all. I groan and toss the book aside, flopping onto my back and staring up at the clouds. The breeze blows in and though it’s cool enough to make bumps erupt across my skin, it feels good. I start making shapes from the clouds, the way Enid and I did when we were young: a rabbit, a crocodile, a sword. My lids get heavy and I let themslide closed, the gentle sound of the breeze through the grass around me quickly lulling me to sleep.

I dream of fields of flowers and gently swaying oceans, of snow-covered mountains and babbling brooks. Everything bends and changes every few minutes, never fully settling into one specific dream. I’m alone in the dream, but I can feel Alaric nearby and I feel safe and whole. The dream shifts again and I’m standing on top of what appears to be a giant beehive. I laugh at the absurdity. The buzzing sends shudders up through my feet, small shivers through my entire body. The buzzing gets louder and louder, the vibrations rumbling beneath me now, making me lose my footing. I nearly stumble and then?—

KEEVA!

I jolt awake, groggy and confused, but with my heart hammering against my chest, panic churning like acid through my veins. I blink, trying to clear the fog of dreams from my mind…and frown. I still feel the buzzing, still feel the shudders beneath my body.

“KEEVA!!” Alaric’s voice thunders in my ears and I realize that the voice isn’t an echo from the dream. He’s speeding towards me across the field, so fast he’s nearly a blur. There’s panic in his eyes and when I glance over my shoulder, I see why: there’s an entire herd of hellcats stampeding towards me.Oh gods, that’s what the buzzing was. My heart leaps into my throat, but somehow, I flip my body and push myself to my feet, the training I’ve been doing all these weeks paying off in unexpected ways. But my blood turns cold as I watch the enormous creatures barrel towards me, their spiked tails flicking behind them, their claws digging into the ground and shaking the very earth beneath my feet. I know that no amount of training will let me outrun these beasts. I whirl back and meet Alaric’s eyes.

He's still too far away.

He’s never going to make it in time.

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