She nodded quickly and whispered, “No, Master,” then poked her own small hand from underneath the fur and placed it in his.
With barely any effort he hauled her to her feet. The fur fell from her shoulders and she stood exposed to him again.
Still holding her hand as if she were a princess at a dance, his eyes roamed down her slender frame.
She blushed, but couldn’t ignore that his attention stoked something to life inside her.
“Barval,” he said, turning toward the entrance.
Leola hunched her shoulders, readying herself for another hot swell of shame at Barval ogling her nakedness. She drew in a soft breath as Sedrak turned and put himself between her body and Barval’s gaze.
“Yes, my lord?” Barval asked as he walked in.
“Go to the women’s quarters and see if there is a spare dress to be had. She needs clothes for the rest of our journey.”
“Of course, my lord. Shall I take her with me?”
Peeking over his shoulder Leola saw Barval reaching for the leash that hung next to the entrance.
Sedrak raised a hand. “No. She will stay here with me.” His voice was firm and certain.
She was certain something about that irritated Barval, the way he hesitated before bowing his head. “Of course, my lord.”
Once he’d left, Sedrak turned to her again. Their eyes met and now she found it easier to hold his gaze. His lips parted and she waited for him to speak. He turned instead, busying himself with keeping the fire burning.
She stood with her fingers hooked together in front of her lap, uneasily shifting her weight from one foot to the other. The silence between them became almost unbearable. “Master?”
“Hm?” he asked, turning to look at her.
“Are you taking me somewhere?”
“The men and horses need rest. We passed a border village yesterday. This week is carnival. Tonight we feast. I thought you might do well with a walk after all that time spent in your cage.”
It sent a slight excitement pulsing through her. Was it carnival already? It seemed like just yesterday they were in the dead of winter.
Barval came barging in, his hungry gaze turned toward her, a green fabric draped across his arm.
Sedrak stood up tall, his chest seeming to widen even broader as he stepped between her and Barval again. “A knock next time, perhaps, Barval?”
“Of course,” Barval replied, bowing his head in deference. “I forget myself.”
Sedrak took the dress from him. “Thank you, Barval. You may have the day to yourself.”
Barval glanced up, eyes wide with surprise. “Thank… thank you, my lord,” he said. He stole a glance at Leola before backing out of the tent.
Sedrak turned and walked to where Leola was standing. Unfurling the dress, he pressed it against her frame. “A good fit, I would think,” he mused. He folded the dress, handed it to her, and turned to busy himself at the fire again.
Leola let out a sigh of relief as she started donning the garment. When he’d mentioned a walk her chest had constricted, fearing it meant more depravity. Being led naked in front of the hungry eyes of his men. The dress was a blessing.
It was a pleasant fabric, soft on her skin and made her feel closer to a lady than the animal she’d felt like these past days in Sedrak’s care. With the dress hanging loosely off her shoulders she stretched her arms around her back, trying to work the buttons into loops to keep it in place. It was futile. She couldn’t reach.
Sedrak turned to her. His lips parted as he took in the sight of his plaything in her new green garment. “It seems… loose on you. Will it fit?”
She blushed, though why she couldn’t say, her modesty having finally been returned. “I’m afraid I can’t reach to do it up,” she said softly.
He answered with a grunt and nod. Stepping around her, he started fiddling with the buttons, his thick fingers barely able to press the dainty things in place. “Bloody women’s clothing,” he muttered.
Leola suppressed a smile at this. Something about the warrior who had routed Ryken’s army struggling to button up a dress tickled her.
When he’d finally wrestled the last button through the top hoop, he put his hands on her shoulders and turned her toward himself. Stepping back he let his eyes wander down her figure, then back up to meet hers again. Once more his lips parted and he drew in a breath, as if he meant to speak. Once more he said nothing. He turned to the tent flap and ducked out. “Ingen! Go fetch Dorva and tell her I require her assistance.”
A muttered “Yes, my lord” was followed by the sound of footsteps running off into the distance. When Sedrak reentered the tent he was followed by Dorva, who met Leola’s eyes and smiled knowingly, as if they shared some secret between them.
“My lord?” the woman said, bowing her head toward Sedrak.
“I nearly broke a finger with the buttons of that dress, Dorva,” he muttered, pointing to Leola. Dorva smiled and touched a finger to her lips. “Yes, my lord,” she whispered.
“I mean to take her out of the tent today. For some fresh air. What would you suggest?”
Dorva smiled pleasantly at Leola. “Shall I take her to bathe, and comb her hair?”
Sedrak nodded. “Let it be so.”
Dorva’s eyes dropped to the leash, briefly, and then to Sedrak, questioningly. He also cast a quick look at the leash, and then met Dorva’s eyes.
“Get going, woman,” Sedrak said, gesturing at the door. “I do not have all day!”
Dorva smiled and stepped toward the flap of the tent, gesturing at Leola to follow her. Leola hesitated, glanced at the leash, and then looked to Sedrak questioningly. He flapped a hand at her dismissively. “Get going, I said!”
“Yes, Master,” Leola mumbled, gave a curtsy, which she immediately knew was silly, because Dorva laughed, and they scurried from the tent.
Chapter 7
“So,” Dorva prompted
