Page 41 of Saved By a Barbarian

I heard his laugh behind me as I practically ran for the cooking tent. I would have run outright if the pain in my leg would allow it. Instead, I walked quickly with the help of the cane, and hoped Yamileth wouldn’t regret agreeing to adopt someone so careless.

Thankfully,Yamileth wasn’t angry with me. She did tease me mercilessly, pointing out a bruise on my neck that Verus had put there with his mouth the night prior. I took the teasing in stride, just grateful she wasn’t angry with me.

We got breakfast out on time and made preparations for lunch and supper before she dragged me from the cooking tent to meet her sons. I was nervous to meet them, worried they’d protest someone so soft joining their family, but they were a friendly bunch. The older two were warriors who had moved to another village to experience the world. The youngest was a scout and not with the clan very often. It was a matter of luck that he happened to be home in time for the adoption ceremony. I was apparently going to be the only son of Yamileth’s that didn't feel the urge to wander.

“So, Patrick. Our mother rarely compliments someone else’s cooking. It’s high praise that she’s willing to eat your food. Will you make us a meal?” Rheinris, the middle child, asked with a grin.

Yamileth whacked him across the back of the head, scowling at him. “He is not your personal cook. Behave.”

Rheinris rubbed the sore spot with a frown at his mother. “We’re to be his family. Isn’t it only fair we get to try this food you keep praising so much?”

I felt my cheeks flush as they continued to bicker. I had no idea Yamileth talked about me to them. I thought she would just tell them her intentions. That she would praise my cooking meant the world to me.

Daezal, the youngest, leaned to whisper to me. “If you wish to stay out of trouble, beware of Rheinris. He enjoys pushing our mother’s buttons.”

“Is there a reason?” I asked quietly.

He rolled his eyes, taking a sip of his ale. “He says it is because Father asked him to keep her on her toes. I think he just enjoys the attention.”

“Like you’re any better,” Jakr growled.

He’d been a little intimidating when I first met him, easily the same size as Tavik, but his handshake had been gentle and he yanked Rheinris away when he tried to wrestle with me upon our first meeting. He was protective by nature, and that seemed to extend to me now.

Daezal pouted at his eldest brother. “I am. I do not purposely irritate her.”

“No, you just do it without thinking about it. You are the reason she has gray hairs.”

Pursing my lips, I fought back a snicker. Orthorr had been right that they were a rambunctious group, but despite the frown on Yamileth’s face, she was pleased to have her sons with her.

Verus poked his head into Yamileth’s tent, his eyebrows raised. “Are you ready?”

Sucking in an unsteady breath, I nodded. Yamileth refused to leave the ceremony to adopt me into her family until a later time. She wanted me brought into the clan as soon as possible. Which was why she gave control of the cooking to someone else. Shewas the head of her family, so she needed to be there. She was none too pleased about not being the one to cook dinner, and I got the feeling after the ceremony was over, she’d be back in that tent to watch over things.

Yamileth and her sons left the tent first, each of them patting Verus’s shoulder as they walked past. They knew who he was to me; I didn’t hide it when I met them. I told them of my intention to bond with him. They were looking forward to that ceremony. Apparently, there was a lot more alcohol involved in that one.

Verus offered me his arm when I finally came to stand beside him. I took it, leaning into him when he kissed my temple.

“Relax, ravsol. The clan already loves you. I’ve heard nothing but praise about your cooking and your kindness while I was away. This is just to make things official.”

“You promise?” I couldn’t help but ask, my voice unsteady. Even when my business was doing well in my old town, I wasn’t well liked. People put up with me because my food was good. They never would have had a celebration for me, no matter the occasion. And no one would invite me into their families willingly. My own wanted little to do with me. And I wasn’t unaware that none had come looking for me since I ran away. Finn told me his brother came to fetch him; I knew it was possible for them to figure it out. They didn’t care enough to do that.

I wouldn’t have gone with them even if they had. This was my home now. After this ceremony, I would have a family who cared for me, a clan who would protect me, and the man I loved at my side. If there was a better recipe for a happy life, I couldn’t think of one.

“I promise, my Patrick. Are you ready?”

“I’m ready,” I agreed, squeezing his arm as he led me toward the village center where the ceremony would take place.

It turned out running away from my home was the best decision I ever made.

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