Page 21 of The Barbarian's Claim
When she didn’t lunge, I carefully set the puppy down as close to her as I could without making her more angry. She watched me do it, and her stance shifted a little when I sat back. I wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not, and I found myself squeezing my eyes shut as I waited for the worst to happen. I felt awful for not listening to Einar. He’d looked so upset the last time I got hurt. I never meant to cause trouble for him.
Twigs snapped as the wolf got closer, and my shoulders came up instinctively as I waited for pain. It never came. When I got brave enough to peek one eye open, the wolf picked the pup up by the scruff and ran off toward the den, leaving me unharmed.
I got shakily to my feet, nearly jumping out of my skin when Einar appeared behind me. He was fast enough to get a hand over my mouth, muffling my shriek, and dragged me away without a word. When we were far enough, he released my mouth and took my hand instead, hurrying me along through the darkness. We ran through a stream and down its banks for a while before veering off in another direction. I had no hope of tracking where we were going. It was too dark to tell. But Einar seemed to know where to go and didn’t hesitate, despite the lack of light.
I was out of breath by the time we stopped, and sweat gathered at my temples. Einar released my hand, allowing me tolean against a tree to catch my breath as he looked around for danger. I couldn’t hear anything over my heavy breaths, but I trusted him to keep me safe while I took a short break.
“Up. In the tree,” Einar demanded after a moment. I didn’t even have time to turn around to look at him before he was lifting me. I scrambled to grab the branch overhead, lifting myself up once I got a good grip. I kept climbing, since Einar had to join me, and watched from the next branch as he leapt up and easily hoisted himself onto the branch I’d just been on. Then he climbed higher, joining me on my branch and pulling my back against his chest. I wanted to ask why, but he shushed me before I could get any words out and looked over his shoulder in the direction we’d come.
For a few moments, I wasn’t sure what was happening, but then I heard it. Howls in the distance and snapping twigs. They were chasing us. I shrank further against Einar’s chest, drawing my legs up despite being too high for a wolf to reach us. Einar’s grip on me tightened, one hand cupping my head and drawing it against his shoulder. He held me there, blocking out the sounds of the wolves as they came closer.
Just as I was sure they’d stumble upon our hiding place, the sounds of the pack changed directions, moving away from us. I held my breath, listening, but they didn’t turn around, and eventually, the forest fell silent once more.
Releasing a long breath, I let myself relax. No wonder Uttin was so against my coming with Einar. The forest was dangerous.
“Never again,” Einar growled against my ear, pulling me tighter against him. “From now on, you never leave my side. I never want to see you in danger like that again.”
That plan I would wholeheartedly agree with. I never wanted to leave his side, either.
We stayedin that tree for hours, long enough for the sun to come up and chase away some of the shadows of the forest. I nodded off a few times, but jerked awake before I could truly rest. It was hard to sleep in a tree. I didn’t trust myself not to fall out, despite the tight hold Einar had on me. When he finally allowed us to get down, my muscles were tight and aching, and the idea of walking for hours sounded almost daunting.
“Come. We need to get as far from the den as we can before nightfall. They will come back.”
That got me moving, albeit a little awkwardly. It took a while for my muscles to warm and loosen enough for me to walk right. I pushed through without complaint. It was worth it. The puppy was with his mother. Hopefully, that meant he would be okay.
I kept waiting for Einar to say something about how badly my plan had gone. It was my idea to return the puppy. I was the one who put us both at risk. But he never said anything. He didn’t even look angry. His eyes scanned the forest like always, and the few times he looked at me, his expression was calm and focused, not angry like I expected. It was so against what I was used to, I had to ask, “A-are you n-not m-m-mad?”
He glanced over his shoulder at me for a moment before turning forward again. “No.”
That was it. He didn't explain further, nor did he sound like he was holding back his true feelings on the matter. It was so far removed from what I normally experienced when I accidentally caused trouble, I wasn’t sure how to react. I fell silent again, biting at my thumbnail as I tried to figure out what to do next. I didn’t want him to think I would always cause him trouble. He’d done me a great favor, choosing me as his bondmate. I wantedto repay him somehow. Causing trouble and nearly getting us killed wasn’t what I had in mind.
We crested a small hill, and I almost crashed into Einar, I was so focused on how I could make it up to him. I stumbled to a halt, peeking around him to see what had caused him to stop. Sucking in a sharp breath, I gaped at the view. We were high enough to see over the forest. It went on and on, surrounding a range of mountains that was high enough that the white-capped tops disappeared into the clouds. Einar pointed in that direction.
“There is a safe place over there. The ulvor should not follow us past the lake, either. It is beyond their territory. But there are marvik in this area. You will need to stay close to me.”
I wasn’t entirely sure what that was. The barbarian clans used different words for animals, even when speaking the common tongue. But if Einar was warning me, it must be dangerous. I stayed in his shadow and kept vigilant as we walked down the hill and deeper into the forest. We stopped near the edge of a massive lake, and we ate dried meat and leftover bread from the other morning. I was starving since we’d skipped breakfast, and I happily ate whatever he gave me, my eyes locked on the pretty view.
While we were eating, Einar handed me the dagger I’d abandoned the night before, jerking his chin at me. “It is good for throwing at smaller game, like I did with the ithrak. Practice with a tree for now. You will not hunt with it until you can hit the same spot three times.”
I wasn’t comfortable learning to fight, but hunting was necessary, and it was unfair to make him feed me constantly. I finished my food and dusted off my hands, taking the dagger and moving a few feet to aim at a nearby tree. Einar stood with me, showing me how to hold the blade and when to release it for the best throw. His body was pressed against mine as he explained, one hand on my hip, and I had to fight the urge to sink into him.Was it really only a few days ago that he’d brought me to climax with his touch? It felt like longer, and I still hadn’t figured out how to ask for more.
“Matthew… Are you listening?”
I blinked a few times, looking up at him. I wasn’t sure when I’d lost track of the lesson, too busy reliving that morning in the bedroll, wrapped in his embrace. My cheeks pinkened as I realized my blunder, and I nodded my head quickly.
“Y-yes.”
“Then what did I say?” he challenged. Again, he didn't sound angry. He sounded amused, which surprised me. I wondered what his face would look like if he smiled. I bet to myself he would be beautiful. He raised an eyebrow at me, reminding me that I hadn’t answered his question, and my cheeks flushed deeper.
“I-I…” I wasn’t sure where he’d left off. Would he be angry if I admitted that out loud?
He reached for me, lifting my chin with one knuckle and brushing his thumb over the color on my cheeks. “You are flushed. What are you thinking about?”
“Y-you,” I admitted softly. I was trapped in his gaze, my stomach quickening when his thumb moved to brush my lip instead. What would it be like if he kissed me? Would it be just as intense as when he’d touched me?
“You are my bondmate. It is my job to care for you. To give you what you need.” His brows furrowed a little. “Except for the relationship you hoped for when you volunteered as tribute. I vowed to protect you. I cannot offer you more than that.”
I frowned, studying him. “I-I’m n-not sure what y-you m-m-mean. Y-your protection is m-m-more than I-I could have d-dreamed of.”
