A Sinless Betrayal - Cherie Benjamin (paper ebook reader .TXT) 📗

into battle, and the enemies always want to take down the captains first," Ivona whines to the group, but no one seems to care. They have all been at the brunt of the aggressive prince's wrath and have no positive feelings towards him.

Camellia nods. "All of our men will be joining the war. There is an equal risk that we might lose our lovers." She chews her lip and looks down at her knees. "Nobody likes a war. But if it's necessary, then I suppose we must prepare ourselves the best we can for the worst."

I frown. All this talk of war makes me feel quite sullen. Michelle is cradling her stomach as she tries to focus on her knitting but I can see that she's trying to hide the fact that she's feeling rather ill. "I think I shall retire…to my room." She says, her voice strained a little.

As the ladies resume talking about how terrifying and real the war is, I decide to follow Michelle to escape back to my own chambers. She hears me scurrying behind her and stops to talk to me. "I heard about your baby and Abigor's marriage proposal. Congratulations to you, Elizabella."

I blush in the darkness and nod my head. "Thank you. And how has your pregnancy been?"

"Rocky," Michelle replies. "I must get up at ungodly hours of the morning to retch into the chamber pots due to my nausea. Tristan feels horrid because there's nothing he can do, but it's okay. All I need from him is support and I'm getting plenty of that from him. He is so loving."

We begin to walk down the dark hallways, our dresses dragging against the cold tile of the floor. "Abigor? Likewise. When we first came here he was superior, intimidating, and cold towards me…now he treats me as if I am his exact equal. Can you believe it, Michelle? Me, the queen of the Barbarian country."

She chuckles lightly. "And me, a lowly peasant maid turned high-class, wealthy wife of a nobleman. I would never have thought that those words would appear in my title." We both laugh at our little revelation.

We kiss each other goodbye on the cheek as we part separate ways down two different hallways. One I reach Abigor's room, I collapse on the bed, burying my face in the pillows. I'm exhausted and the war has tired me even more.

Without planning it, I fall into a deep sleep just before dinner.

0o0o0o0o

I wake to the sound of rustling in the corner of my room. Out of the corner of my eye, I can see a huge grey figure moving around beside me. It looks like a giant wolf. I gasp and scatter to the end of my bed. As soon as I do this, it catches his attention and he turns around.

"I didn't mean to startle you," he laughs a little at my wide-eyed expression. "I am home now, honey."

I nod my head before trailing my eyes upwards onto the pelt he wears on his back. Surely it is not a wolf because of the sheer size…but by the look of the face, it cannot be a bear either. "What in the name of Azazel do you wear upon your head and back?"

"Ah." He reaches up behind himself and pulls the animal skin cloak off of his pack. The animal is fully intact, with the head eyes and teeth very existent. The paws and the claws hand at its side. "A giant wolf from northern territories. Tried to attack us, and Iron Coyote drove a spear through its belly before I could stop him."

I look at the dead animal with fascination. "It is a beautiful wolf." He nods his head and lays it down on his chair.

"Black Bear is quite victorious this evening. He, himself, caught a bear that just happened to be black. He says it is a gift from the gods." Abigor chuckles and shakes his head. "We caught three deer and two caribou for tonight's supper."

I move to sit at the edge of the bed, pulling my warm shawl over my shoulders. I look down at my feet, my hair spilling in front of my eyes. "You provide well for us," I whisper.

He grins before turning around to strip naked out of wet, snow-filled boots and breechcloth. As he bends down slightly, his black hair sweeps off to the side and reveals another bloody gash along his scar-covered back. I gasp and jump to my feet.

He jumps slightly before turning around to look at me with a confused look in his eyes. My shawl falls to the ground and the strap of my silk dress slides down my shoulder. I'm gazing at his glorious naked body, the valleys between his copper muscles, the tautness of his backside. "I see you are enjoying the view."

There's no doubt in my mind that I'm enjoying the view. I have to inhale to grasp hold of my breath again and tell him what I truly mean to tell him and stop looking like I want sex from him. "You…you're bleeding."

His amusement falls away as concern takes over. "Where?"

I point a shaky finger. It's rather deep and blood gushes from the wound. "On your back," I say. "How do you not feel that, Abigor?"

I walk to him, touching my fingers to his skin. When our skin meets, I'm the one to pull away first. My fingertip sizzles. His eyes widen as he reaches out, grabbing my hand in order to inspect the wound. There is a bright red patch on the tip of my finger and it stings. He's burned me, and the expression on his face shows how clearly horrified he is.

I see some cloth in the corner and I rush to pick it up. I press it to the wound and watch as the white colour of the rag quickly fades into a deep crimson. "Your temperature is raging," I say to him, trying to stop the bleeding from his wound. "And this wound is so big that even the tallest giant would have felt it! How do you work? I do not understand."

His face is red and steam rolls off of his skin. "It's okay."

I want to laugh. "It's okay?!" I toss the bloodied rag into the laundry basket and pick up a new, clean one to dab at his wound with. "This isn't okay. You need to go to the medic, or the healer and—"

Abigor moves away from me and retreats towards the bed. "Just leave it alone," he murmurs, his naked body glistening with sweat.

I shake my head violently. "You can't leave it alone, Abigor! You could die from the amount of blood you're losing and, at this rate, you'll be dead before dinner!"

He whirls around, his sweet brown eyes no longer pleading with me—his eyes have turned black and his face is menacing. "I said just leave it alone!" The force of his voice physically shoves me back a few steps.

My mouth falls open in shock, chills raising up my spine. He's shaking with all of the anger he feels. Every breath he takes his massive shoulders vibrate. I'm petrified. "What's going on with you? I'm so worried. Please…"

My begging seems to trigger something inside of him. Instantly his face falls and those dark black eyes fall to sweet chocolate once more. "Gods, I'm sorry. I lost my temper…I haven't lost my temper in months. Please go down to dinner and wait for me there. I'll deal with the wound on my own and I'll meet you down at the dinner table."

My breathing is rapid and my heart beats uncontrollably in my chest. This is the first time I've ever been afraid of the Barbarian King. I turn around slowly and make my way over to the door. As soon as I place my hand on the doorknob, he clears his throat.

"Know I love you more than anything," he whispers brokenly. "I didn't mean to snap at you like that."

I turn my head so that he's only visible through my peripheral vision. "I know. I love you too." And I slip out of the room, the events from just a few seconds ago still haunting my mind.

0o0o0o0o

It is a half hour into the dinner service when Abigor finally arrives. I know that it is him when everyone stops talking and I hear the squeaking of chairs as people stand. He silently makes his way over to his place next to me. When he sits, he nods at everyone else to tell them that it's okay to proceed to eat.

He leans over and kisses me on the cheek. His temperature is back to normal and he, himself, seems to be back to normal. I turn my head and smile at him, stroking a finger down his cheek. He's got a white cloth bandage on his back and the bleeding has stopped altogether.

"Are you alright?" he asks me. He seems to notice my uneasiness and silence and it's making him anxious. "Please." He gulps a little.

I nod my head and smile reassuringly at him. "I'm okay. But what I want to know is if you…" I trail off, realizing the touchy subject that's being brought up again. I gulp and shake my head. "Never mind."

"No, I know." Abigor rips into caribou meat with his teeth. "You shouldn't worry. It's just another scar." Then he laughs darkly. "Like I don't already have enough."

I lick my lips and use my fork to spear one of the long, green beans drenched in delectable sauce. I don't necessarily know what to say to that sort of remark; with him joking about the numerous times his father had whipped him.

I finish eating my dinner quickly but I stay by Abigor's side as he is still eating. With his permission, people start to leave the table. Black Bear and his sister Radiant Moon come and sit near us. Black Bear looks a little detached but Radiant Moon is very interested in talking to me.

"I am coming to your wedding," she says to me with a bright smile on her face. "You have big, beautiful cake and decor…decorations like lights. I makin' your wedding dress, Tiger Claw. Gonna be beautiful."

I smile at her and nod my head. "I can't wait to see it. I'm sure it's quite lovely."

"Lovely, yes," she repeats it back to me. "'De wedding will be 'de best anyone ever seen in Stauckana."

I see Black Bear pick up his animal cloak and drape it over his shoulders. He looks proud of his catch and wears a slight grin on his face. Radiant Moon notices me staring at her brother. "I suppose he is proud of his catch," I say to her, a bit of humour laced through my voice.

"Oh yes." Radiant Moon says. "He talks 'bout you all 'de time. He says you are his first female friend. 'Sides me, o' course."

Black Bear looks into the mirror with a powerful look in his eyes. He is obviously proud of his catch and that he wears his victory on his back. I excuse myself from the table to go and greet him. At first, he doesn't notice me as he's admiring himself in front of the great mirror like a fascinated child. I poke the fur and he nearly jumps out of his own skin. I have broken him from his trance.

"You have caught quite the animal," I tell him, stroking the smooth fur of the deceased bear. He looks at me with uneasiness in his eyes before glancing towards Abigor, who isn't even paying attention. "It is all right," I whisper. "We are friends, remember?"

He swallows thickly before cracking a small smile. "Yes. I remember." He takes the pelt off and places it over my shoulders. "You look…cold." His assumption is true, but I could never accept this gift.

I shake my head and pull the pelt off of my back. "You are Black Bear. This was your calling. I could never have this." I