Warlord's Ward

Cries

The Mating Moon was closing in. Killian had gone a distance in every direction. Sniffing to see where more wolves might be. Using his superior smell under the Mating Moon to his advantage, in this instance.

He found that North, he was catching whiffs of them.

They were close.

He returned to the mage encampment. "At first light we'll be moving."

"This coming morn?" A female mage asked astonished. Clearly not ready for it to be so soon.

"Why not tonight?" Rampage asked.

"You even have to ask?" Killian demanded.

Rampage tossed his head in confusion. "I apologize. I'm having problems focusing. I want to go find other wolves. I'm...Craving them."

Warlord nodded toward Tanya. "What about her?"

"I might kill her."

Killian snorted. Still staring at her. "She may prefer that, to you going elsewhere."

"Have you met her?" Rampage's voice rose askance.

"Fair point."

Deciding to mind his own, Killian returned to the hut. Finding Jade there cooking. Looking as delicious as a meal herself, in his mind.

***

"I'm roasting some bird." I explained. As I plucked bits of feather, near the messy fireplace. Yanking them free to get to the bits of meat in the center. The stick I intend to skewer them with nearby.

"I see that. Smells delightful."

I looked up and beamed at his tender tone. "Did you figure out where they are?"

"A bit North, I think. There are wolves there, anyhow. I'm not certain if they're the ones we're looking for, but packs aren't generally terribly far apart. They tend to camp near each other."

"To make it easier to fight."

"I don't think they see it that way. I think it's a subconscious thing."

They're clustering. I nodded thoughtfully.

That'll make getting through them far harder.

I can feel the tension in you. I said without looking over my shoulder when I heard him taking a seat behind me.

He pulled it up nearly to my back and when he sat, he situated me between them as his hands fell to my shoulders to massage them coaxingly.

He desires me. I was learning that he had a particular way of touching me. Not necessarily how he did it, but the pressure he used.

Tense but gentle at the same time.

"Can you feel her out there?" I queried thoughtfully. Looking up from the bird to stare into the dancing flames before me.

"My baby sister?"

"Yes."

"No." There was the hint of sorrow in his voice. "Not yet."

"What will you say to her?"

"I'll hug her."

We were both quiet a moment.

"She used to scramble up my back to sit on my shoulders. Always tossing herself off chairs at me, just knowing I would catch her."

"She trusted you."

"Beyond all things." His voice dropped. "And I abandoned her."

"Your father sent you away to protect you." I drew a long breath. Finding the next words hard to say. "He did the right thing. Had you been in that house with them, they'd not have missed killing the heir of the Gallions."