Page 32 of Dawn to Dusk
“Which one?”
“Don’t know, but they dispatched the soldiers last night to protect the village.”
I couldn’t help but think that they needed to put Esmerey’s wards around all the communities. Attacks on the compound were reduced by at least eighty percent since she put them up around the perimeter; the defensive warriors sat on their hands most days now.
“They need to get the witch out to all our compounds.” Sorin continued.
“I was thinking the same thing.” I said, dipping my spoon into my grits and wondering why Balthazar had not already implemented this.
“Foolishness. These youngins are all so easily manipulated by fear. Everyone thinks she needs to stay under Balthazar’s thumb.” He shook his head. “They assume she will murder us all in our sleep.
“Understanding will come with time.”
“We did not make it this far by fearing the wrong thing.” He was right. Only those with good instincts and a level head survived as long as we had.
How many times did I see someone die because they were eyeing the small predator in front of them and ignoring the giant one at their back? Too many to count.
My species was a good example of that. Too focused on carnivores and ignoring the night witches coming to harvest our horns. The ones who say witches are terrifying clearly never met Jetros’s servants. “When you are right, you are right.”
“Is that a lovely witch I smell on you?” He chuckled at his own sarcastic question. Balthazar strategically placed Esmerey’s room between himself and Sorin for everyone’s comfort. We didn’t care about being close to her, and everyone was happy she was under Balthazar’s watchful eye. He undoubtedly heard everything, but goblins loved to be menaces in any way they could, including annoying their friends. “Good. You needed it.”
“That I did.” I needed more than the sex though. The intimacy of being held by someone soothed me. Maybe it was the centuries spent alone, but she eased my soul in a way I never felt before. The war on mages hit me hard, because witches were typically the ones who were less afraid of my cock. They were an adventurous and curious breed.
I smirked when, after a full sweep of the room, I discovered Edur missing with the other soldiers to protect the village. Esmerey was all mine for a few days. It was only fair since he hogged her beforehand.
Sorin surveyed the room, assuming I was searching for Esmerey. “You cad, did you not offer to escort her to breakfast? Do not mistreat a lady like that.”
“I did, but she thinks everyone hates her. She went to work.”
He nodded. “Many do. I would not want to socialize with this crowd either.”
Sorin fabricated trouble wherever he went. Ira sends hunters after him all the time to get him to straighten up, but he stays ahead of them. He told me of one particular time Pylo chased him. Sorin was not concerned because he had a good head start. Only to find Esmerey leaned up against a boulder, smirking at him. She anticipated him picking a terrain that Pylo would be powerless in. He thought he met his match, but all her fireballs missed with the kind of precision that said he was never her target.
Anytime someone claimed to survive the monstrous Esmerey, he snorted and rolled his eyes. He considered Edur a damn fool for believing he ever went toe to toe with her. Especially after we witnessed her put down a crazed giant tearing up a village about a decade ago. She accomplished the job with ease and efficiency that said she was leagues above most creatures. No one outsmarted her. They were blinded by pride, youth, and arrogance. She let them go.
“You should take her something to eat at least. No one has seen evidence of her hunting. She may be a survivalist, but she needs more than berries and foliage.” Sorin suggested with a critical eye.
“That’s a good idea.” I intended to monopolize her time in Edur’s absence anyway. Might as well treat her like the exquisite goddess she embodied while I was at it.
I gathered food for her and followed Esmerey’s mouthwatering scent until I found her on top of a prayer tower.
“Enchantress.” I sang to her.
Her words halted with a chuckle, and she climbed down without further prompting. “Yes?”
“I brought you breakfast.” I held up the plate.
“Thank you.” She smiled and sat with me on the ground nearby.
Once she finished eating and stood up to go back to work, I spoke up. “May I selfishly hoard your attention when you are done for the day?”
Guilt pressed her lips together, and she looked off to the side with wide eyes. “About that.”
Her abrupt decision to leave came back to me. She was a relaxed puddle in my arms, then she suddenly stiffened, but she shook off whatever emotions she felt before it saturated her scent. “You don’t work today, do you?”
“No.” She confessed.
“If you are not committed to working on the wards, I can help with that.” I figured she did not want to stay longer than I wanted her to and inconvenience me. If she had simply asked, I would have stayed in bed with her all day.
