Page 23 of The Physician's Barbarian
Barking out a laugh, I nodded. He loved to make jokes, and he’d embarrassed me once by teaching me the wrong word for something and telling me to tell Simon what I’d learned. My pranks weren’t as good as his, but I did enjoy teasing him the same way. It made being here with him feel… good. And I’d never expected to feel that way after I was taken from my home.
Sixteen
GODR
At this time of year, as the seasons began to change, clouds blocked out the sun and the winds grew stronger. It wouldn’t be long before snow covered the ground, and keeping the stallions warm would become my priority. Their coats were thicker than the stallions from the towns I’d seen when Finn’s family came to try to take him away, but I still didn’t like them cold. I’d once requested permission from Orthorr to set up a tent big enough for all of them, but he’d refused. He’d said it would be too difficult to move. Rath had suggested leaving it since we only needed it during the cold months, but then I’d wondered if it would be good during the rain too, and Orthorr had gotten annoyed with me pestering him.
Instead of a tent, I requested blankets for the stallions. Since many of my brothers left the care of their stallions in my hands, they agreed to support my request, and the weavers put everyone to work making them together. There were new additions to the herd every year, so new blankets had to be madeand old ones had to be mended. It was a good way to get tributes involved in the clan without pressure.
Even Ambrose joined in, sitting in the village center next to Finn and Zoya, practicing his language while the three of them worked on the large loom that had been set out for others to help alongside the weavers.
“Is it wrong that the weavers can have many looms but I cannot have a tent for the stallions?” I complained to Rath as we went to join the three seated on the pillows.
Rath rolled his eyes. “The looms are easy to move. Your tent would have been larger than six family tents combined. You truly wish to make the stallions move that each moon cycle each travelling season?”
I grimaced. He had a point. While the tent was a good idea in theory, I didn’t want to strain the horses by forcing them to haul such a heavy tent. They hauled enough each time we moved. I cycled who was hauling and who could run with their rider during the journeys to make it fair.
Sitting on the cushion beside Ambrose, I nodded at his work. “It is… nice.”
My lips twitched, and I tried my best not to laugh, but he noticed and shoved me with a playful scowl. “Quiet. I am trying.”
While Finn and Zoya’s blankets were a little rough thanks to their inexperience, Ambrose’s blanket looked as though it was created by a toddler. He seemed to struggle to use the loom and gave up with an exasperated sigh after a few more minutes.
“Stupid,” he complained. That word was new for him, and I raised an accusing eyebrow at Finn, who shrugged sheepishly.
“He was frustrated. I taught him some words to express that.”
“Simon would teach him better words,” I pointed out with a grin.
Ambrose, listening to our speaking, rolled his eyes. “Simon taught me ‘Wanna fuck?’ and ‘Go fuck yourself’.”
Finn choked in surprise while I barked out a laugh. Simon was such a brat. I looked around for him eagerly, hoping he could teach me the same in the common tongue, but I didn’t see him. I did my best to ignore the way my body reacted to Ambrose saying ‘Wanna fuck?’ in his smooth voice. It made me want things I couldn’t have.
Zoya shook her head with a sigh. “He cannot be trusted to teach anything. He plays tricks like you do.”
“He’s good at teaching some things…” Finn murmured, flushing dark red.
Before I could tease him for his reaction, Ambrose asked, “Good at teaching what?”
We all went quiet, and I bit my lip to stop myself from blurting it out. I’d been careful not to make advances toward Ambrose after what had happened. As much as I wished to flirt with him, I didn’t want him to be uncomfortable with me.
When none of us answered, Rath spoke up, his voice emotionless. “Simon teaches sex.”
If I didn’t know my brother well, I would have thought this bothered him, but I could see the way he was looking at Finn with heat in his eyes. He enjoyed whatever lessons Simon taught the smaller man and wouldn’t complain about them.
“He… Why?” Ambrose asked, his cheeks darkening almost more than Finn’s.
I couldn’t help myself. I had to answer. “Because he loves it, and he wants us all to enjoy ourselves. You should ask him. He is not shy.”
Ambrose gave me a dry look. “No, thank you. I don’t need lessons.”
No, he didn’t. Despite his nervousness, he knew how to touch me to make me mindless with desire. The memory of it mademe shiver, and I couldn’t help locking eyes with Ambrose to see if he was thinking of the same thing. He sucked in a breath, eyes widening, and jerked to look back at his work, but the redness of the tips of his ears told me he remembered it well.
I wanted to ask if he was willing to try again. To experience sharing lust together without fear or perceived responsibility. Lying next to him each night, I ached to reach for him, to feel his lips against mine again, but I didn’t want to do anything he didn’t want to do. If he wanted me, he had to tell me.
Standing suddenly, Ambrose said, “I will go river to bath.”
“You will go to the river to bathe,” Zoya corrected and stood. “I believe now is best to do so, before the sun sets and it gets too cold.”
