I nodded and turned around. Lahn said something to Diandra and I looked her way to see her smiling at me, eyes alight, as they would be considering she was my Korwahk crazy romantic friend and I just stopped myself from rolling mine. Then her horse faded back into the warriors.

I looked forward and tried to focus on the landscape and my next trauma and anything else that entered my brain that was not the words my husband just said to me.

But this was difficult when his arm slanted across my chest again, fingers curling around my neck in order to hold me close, his thumb sliding up and down my throat in an idle caress I tried not to think was sweet (but it was).

So, the fact was, it wasn’t difficult.

It was impossible.

Chapter Seventeen

The Challenge

I was turned and lifted then moving cradled in Lahn’s arms.

I opened my eyes to see the Daxshee was up around us, torchlight glowing everywhere.

We’d stopped by a small, rushing creek where there was an abundance of spiked grass and bowing, wispy willow trees, their green so green against the backdrop of the stark cream stone, dirt and sand landscape that it was stunning.

It became clear to me in short order that the Dahksahna didn’t assist her slaves in setting up the cham. This became clear when hides and cushions were produced, a small jug of wine, another of water, a platter of food and Ghost, who had (my poor baby) been caged for nearly six days, was let loose so I could feed and watch over her while my girls worked and the young men erected our tent. And this was clear because Teetru made it clear with lots of shakes of her head and hands up pressing the air to tell me I was to take a load off while they worked their asses off.

This did not sit well with me but, again, I had no choice. And, truth be told, I was exhausted from the ride. And I was exhausted from my chats with Diandra and Lahn. And after I had three glasses of wine while I ate, watched with no small amount of fascination what could only be described as a practiced dance of the Daxshee rising (they didn’t mess around, they clearly did this often, it was swift and also weirdly graceful) and played with Ghost, it wasn’t a surprise that, when Ghost grew drowsy, I grew drowsy with her, tucked her to my front, settled in on the hides and cushions and fell asleep.

Now I was half-awake, in Lahn’s arms and heading to our cham which was glowing with the candlelight dancing within.

I turned my head, whispered, “Ghost,” and got a squeeze of Lahn’s arms as my eyes found my pet who was being scooped up by Gaal and carried away.

Well, I guessed that meant Ghost was sleeping elsewhere that night. Not unusual. Lahn had allowed me my cub but he had yet to allow her in our bed.

He bent low, me in his arms, entered the tent and I sleepily took it in.

It looked exactly the same and everything was set up, everything. It had to have been only a couple of hours and it was all done.

Jeez, these people knew what they were doing.

Lahn set me on my feet by the bed, moved away and Jacanda and Beetus were there immediately. I tried to blink away the exhaustion that fogged my mind and the dull ache of fatigue that made my body heavy and helped them disrobe me. Packa came forward with a warm, wet cloth and glided it over my limbs which felt like heaven. Except for quick wash ups, I had no bath for five days and had been wearing the same clothes since we left. When they packed up our belongings, they stayed packed while we rode and only the bare necessities were produced to eat, drink and sleep.

Jacanda dropped a Korwahkian-style nightgown over my head, this one a lilac so pale it was nearly cream. She tied the drawstring over my br**sts then looked up at me and gave me a tired smile. I lifted a hand to cup her cheek and smiled back at her.

“Shahsha, kah Jacanda, boh na trahyay, kah fauna,”* I whispered and was too tired to see the warm surprise flash in her eyes.

I just turned, pulled back the silk, collapsed into bed, pulled the silk up and closed my eyes. I was out within seconds.

And I was back in what felt like no more than a minute. And I was back because the silk was pulled off me and there were big hands at my h*ps turning me to my back. My eyes opened as those hands spread my legs and my fatigue disappeared when my eyes focused on Lahn settling between them, his hands pulling the silk of my nightgown up to my hips.

“What are you doing?” I asked, it came out breathy but he didn’t answer. His weight hit me but he was taking most of it in a forearm in the bed, one of his hands came up and, quickly, his fingers yanked the drawstring above my br**sts and the tie came undone.

I wrapped a hand around his wrist tight and snapped a repeated, “What are you doing?”

His eyes came to mine and his were burning.

Oh shit. I already pretty much knew what he was doing but now I seriously knew what he was doing.

His head started to descend, I blinked because it was doing it in a way that it looked like he intended to kiss me and I turned my head swiftly to the side at the last minute. I also put my hands on his shoulders and pushed at the same time I bucked but the massive weight of his hard body didn’t move.

“No,” I stated firmly when his lips touched my neck, “this isn’t happening. I’m tired, kah Dax, and I need sleep.”

His head came up sharply and his hand rounded my jaw, turning my head and forcing me to look at him.

“Kah Lahn,” he growled.

Oh no. No, he didn’t. He didn’t get to do this and he didn’t get to tell me what he was to me. No… he… did… not.

“Kah Dax,” I hissed.

His face got close to mine so his eyes were all I could see and when his mouth moved, I could almost feel it against my lips.

“Kah Lahn,” he growled again.

I glared into his eyes and whispered furiously, “Never.”

“Oh no, Circe, not never. Boh,” he returned quietly, his head slanted and I swear to God, he intended to kiss me.

Before his lips could touch mine, my hands pressed down on his shoulders and I heaved myself upward, sliding up the pillows.

This was a mistake. My nightgown was loosened and it slid down, exposing my br**sts and my heave had taken that area right into the target zone of his mouth.

And being Lahn, he didn’t miss the opportunity. His hand left my jaw, curved under my breast and lifted it as his other arm pushed under me, locked around me and then his mouth closed over my nipple where he instantly sucked hard.

Automatically, my back arched.

Oh man, that felt good. Fire shot through me and before I knew what I was doing, the fingers on both hands curled around his head.

Damn, no, no, he didn’t get to do this.