The horse sniffed the air, then nuzzled Sedrak’s neck, which made him laugh.
Leola, eyes wide with wonder, watched in awe the connection this fearsome warrior shared with the animal. Yet again something softened inside of her. A pang of need and longing made her belly ache.
Sedrak was nothing of the man she thought he’d be when they met. Each moment they spent together opened her eyes to that. While fearsome, he was neither rude, nor arrogant, nor nearly as barbaric as she’d dreaded. Beneath his rough exterior lay a kind and gentle man. A man she could admire. A man she felt she was…
She clenched her jaw and chided herself for her foolish thinking. She reminded herself of Dorva’s revelation about the woman from the Eastern lands that Sedrak was to marry. Her throat tightened at the thought.
“Are you alright?” Sedrak’s deep voice stirred her from her trance.
She looked up and flashed the most genuine smile she could muster. She hoped he wouldn’t notice the sheen of moisture that had formed at the corners of her eyes. “Quite,” she replied.
His eyes narrowed but his half-smile didn’t fade. “Do you forget yourself?” he asked.
“I beg your pardon, Master?”
“No lies,” he growled.
She bit her tongue to keep her lip from quivering and smiled wider still. “No lies,” she echoed. “What would you have me do while your men are resting, Master?” she asked.
One corner of his mouth turned up a little higher. “If I were being honest, I’d have you on that riverbank, over there.”
The pressure that had been building inside her came out in an embarrassed burst of laughter instead of a sob. Her eyes darted to the side and she covered her mouth as she stifled her chuckling.
Sedrak reached up and pulled her hand away from her lips. “Don’t. You’re even prettier when you smile.”
Leola’s eyes darted to his. She held his stare with her heart thumping inside her chest. “Thank you, Master,” she finally whispered.
Sedrak drew in a long breath and held it. He let go of her hand and stepped around the stallion. “Unfortunately for both of us, I’ve made other arrangements.” Without asking he picked her up by the waist and seated her onto the horse before mounting it himself. He leaned over her and pressed his cheek against hers.
His stubble tickled and scratched but she didn’t shy away from his touch.
“Hold on tight, Leola Grace. We’re going to see my uncle.”
Chapter 13
Her heart still beating from the thundering gallop across the plain to the castle, Leola stood next to Sedrak as quietly and still as she could manage in the courtyard of the castle.
The giant oak doors in front of them opened with a groan. Through them spilled a small battalion of men wielding spears. They formed two lines. A hunched figure shuffled out of the darkness and walked toward them. He sighed and leaned on the staff he was carrying before turning his eyes up to look at Sedrak. A crooked smile formed on his lips. “Sedrak,” he said, his voice raspy.
“Uncle Grudin,” Sedrak said. He stepped forward, arms outstretched, put his hands on the frail man’s shoulders and gently kissed him on each cheek. “You shouldn’t have come down,” he said.
Leola could hardly believe the caring, tender tone in which he spoke. Clearly this man meant a lot to him.
“Nonsense,” the old man grunted, waving away Sedrak’s concern. “Must keep this body moving or it starts to rot.” He turned and regarded Leola. His eyes wandered down her frame, then back up to meet hers.
Only when he cast her a stern stare did she remember herself and look down at the ground.
“Is this the souvenir you plucked for your efforts?” Uncle Grudin asked with a wry smile.
Leola’s eyes fluttered up just in time to see Sedrak glance back at her and sigh.
“This is… a friend, Uncle Grudin,” he explained.
Grudin’s eyes moved in their sockets, thinking deeply of what Sedrak had said. He fixed his gaze again upon Leola, and she looked down after a few moments, for she could not read what was in his mind, but he seemed at the point of fury.
“Hmmph,” he grunted at last. Leola looked up to see him give Sedrak a hard stare, before turning slowly to walk back through the doors. “Come!” he barked. “Luncheon has been waiting for you and I’m hungry.”
Suddenly Leola felt not at all in the right place. As much as it had warmed her, hearing Sedrak call her a friend, she felt no warmth or welcome from the old man.
Why should I? I’m merely Sedrak’s toy for all he knows… she mused as she followed Sedrak through the massive doors.
Inside, through a cavernous foyer and another set of doors, they came into a room with a long table overflowing with food and drink.
Grudin made his way slowly to a throne-like chair at the far end and sank into it with a sigh.
Sedrak followed patiently behind, waiting until his uncle was seated before turning to escort Leola to a seat. He led her to the table and pulled out a chair, pausing when he heard his uncle harrumph. “Is something the matter, Uncle?” he asked.
Grudin raised an eyebrow at Leola. “Perhaps we could make a plate for the young lady and escort her to the kitchen?” he said. “We have business to discuss.”
Leola shrank beneath the weight of Grudin’s stare. She lowered her eyes and her cheeks burned with shame. Why had Sedrak brought her here? To be humiliated?
Sedrak straightened, drew in a breath, then sighed. He tilted his chin with some defiance. The warmth between the two men seemed to have evaporated, and Leola sensed it was because of her presence, though she could not fathom why then Sedrak had brought her there. “She is here as my guest.”
Grudin’s expression hardened. “Your manners don’t fail you, nephew,” he mused. “As pleasant as she is to look at, however, the blood that courses in her veins is Southern.
