The Battle Lord's Lady (18 page)

Guards at the top of the gate saw the two
horses heading their way at a fast pace and mistook their haste as
an emergency. Which was why MaGrath, Batuset, and several of
Yulen’s men were waiting just inside the compound when Yulen’s
stallion thundered through the doors.

Reining in, Yulen lowered Atty down off the
horse and into MaGrath’s welcoming embrace. The physician cast the
Battle Lord a grateful look as he threw his coat over the shivering
girl’s shoulders and hurried her into the main lodge.

“Are you telling me that mere slip of a girl
is your incredible Mutah bow master?” Batuset queried, eyebrows
arched into his forehead.

“She’s a woman of twenty years with the
inborn experience of men three times her age.” He tossed the loose
weapons to Mastin, who had dismounted and walked over to join them.
“Have these taken to my room.”

“I’ll see a room’s prepared for her,” Batuset
mentioned, and turned to leave.

“No need. She’s staying with me tonight,”
Yulen informed him softly.

Several of the men paused to stare
open-mouthed. Yulen acted as if he hadn’t just dropped a lightning
bolt on them. However, Batuset wasn’t about to let it go.

“She’s spending the night in your room?”
Foster City’s Battle Lord restated.

“That’s right.” Yulen turned his back on the
man to concentrate on getting the saddle off his mount.

“In your bed?”

“If she wishes.”

“A
Mutah?
”

He turned to stare at the man who had been
one of his father’s best friends. “If you have something to say,
say it,” he snapped.

Batuset gave the young Lord a look that was
part disgust and part shock. “What’s come over you, Yulen? Are you
ill?”

“Maybe. Or maybe it’s worse than an illness.
Either way, it’s none of your business. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I
want to get out of these wet clothes before I catch my death.”
Giving his Second a cautioning eye, Yulen added, “Remind the men
we’re leaving for Alta Novis at first light. And see to it that
someone comes to waken me if I’m not already up.” That being said,
he walked away from the cluster of men who stared after him in
disbelief.

Seeing as how he had just put his two years
of leadership to the ultimate test, it would be interesting to see
how MaGrath accepted his news.

Chapter Nineteen

Bath

Yulen found Atty and MaGrath stopped before
the big stone fireplace in the common room. The physician had
replaced his coat with one of the blankets given to the troops when
they’d first arrived. MaGrath glanced up as the Battle Lord strode
into the room.

“She’s soaked to the bone and needs to be
kept warm. If possible, can you order a hot bath and some dry
clothes? Where is Batuset billeting her tonight?”

“She’s staying in my room tonight,” Yulen
informed him, and proceeded up the stairs, not looking back to see
if MaGrath followed. He knew he would.

He reached the landing as a servant was about
to let himself into the Battle Lord’s bedroom, an armload of towels
and blankets under his arm. Yulen relieved the man of his burden
and ordered him to have the tub refilled with hot water. The man
hurried off to obey, and Yulen held the door open to let MaGrath
lead in the warrior girl. He dumped the bundle on a side table just
inside the door as the physician sat Atty on the edge of the bed,
facing the small fireplace blazing in the corner, and sat down
beside her.

“Yulen, is this a good idea?”

“I’m not going to take any more chances of
her leaving again,” he told the man.

“By holding her hostage in your bedroom? I’m
sure Batuset has a few windowless rooms where she could be
comfortable and still have a guard posted at the door.”

Yulen gave the man a dark look. “Why all of a
sudden is your idea of protecting her and my idea of protecting her
at odds this evening?” he asked.

MaGrath paused. “I’m sorry, Yulen. I had to
be certain.” Glancing down at the shivering girl, he asked, “Are
you here of your own volition?”

She nodded.

“Atty, are you sure? Remember what you told
me.”

She cut her eyes toward Yulen, then back at
the physician. “You told him, didn’t you?”

“He had to know.”

“It’s okay.” She laid a cold hand on the
man’s chest and nodded again. “He’s a hard man to kill.”

Laughing softly, MaGrath gave the hand a
squeeze. “And an even harder man to love. Are you hungry? Want me
to send up something?”

“Something to drink would be nice.”

“Anything in particular?”

She gazed at him with a little-girl
expression, as if she were afraid she’d get into trouble for
asking. “Do you have any milk?”

“Milk? That’s all?” At her nod, he dropped a
kiss to her hand. “Not a problem. I’ll have it sent up immediately.
If there’s anything else you need me for, I’ll be downstairs in the
room directly below this one.” Getting to his feet, he stopped in
front of Yulen and faced him squarely. “And you, if you hurt her
again...”

Yulen gave his friend a sincere smile.
Amazingly, the cut on his face didn’t give him any pain. “From now
on, my sole purpose will be to keep her from being hurt, not the
other way around. Don’t worry, Liam. Today she aimed an arrow at my
heart, and she didn’t miss.”

MaGrath chuckled again and patted the young
man on the shoulder as he headed out the door, passing the woman
servant who had come to the room earlier. She carried a large pot
of hot water straight from the kitchen. Behind her, two younger
women brought empty buckets to scoop out the tepid water from the
tub sitting in the wide area between the bed and the far wall.
Yulen watched calmly as they tried to keep from casting furtive
glances at the girl huddled beneath the blanket. The gossip mill
would be working overtime tonight, he realized. Between what
everyone had seen and heard in the courtyard, and what the servants
had witnessed in his bedroom, he had a pretty good idea what the
verdict would be in the morning.

They wouldn’t be returning to Alta Novis soon
enough.

Once the water had been refreshed, the
servants hurried out of the room, and Yulen closed the door behind
them. He walked over to the warrior girl, helping her to her feet,
and took away the blanket. “Take off your clothes and climb in the
tub,” he ordered.

She stared at him, then proceeded over to the
tub and began to shed her wet things. Yulen watched from the other
side of the room as she kept her back to him until she was totally
nude, then gingerly stepped into the warm water, easing herself
down into its depths. He smiled as she settled her head against the
lip of the tub and her face broke into a relaxed smile. A little
sigh of contentment escaped her.

“Feel good?” he asked nonchalantly. He
dragged a small footstool over by the fire and parked himself so
that he got the advantage of the warming flames on one side, and a
perfect view of her bathing on the other.

Eyes closed, Atty’s reply was a loud sigh.
How long had it been since she’d had the luxury of taking a warm,
uninterrupted bath? The tub was an old, battered brass one, but it
was large enough to easily hold two people—

Her eyes flew open at the realization, and
she searched the room to find him sitting over by the fireplace,
examining one of her new arrows. There was enough light in the room
from the half-dozen candles and the fireplace to prevent her from
hiding anything from his sharp eyes.

Not that there would ever be anything they
wouldn’t know about each other after tonight.

Yulen noticed her looking over the edge of
the tub and surmised what she was seeking. He got up and walked
over to where he’d dumped the load of towels and found the bar of
soap wrapped in a washcloth.

“Looking for this?” he asked, holding it up.
He casually tossed it in her direction. She deftly caught it, but
not before she’d had to stretch upward for it, revealing a
glistening, round breast. He threw the washcloth directly into the
water.

“Thanks.”

He started to return to the fire when a knock
on the door alerted him to the servant girl bringing up a covered
mug of milk. Condensation had formed on the outside of the metal
tankard. Yulen thanked her, and this time he locked the door
securely before taking the mug over to the tub.

For a long moment he watched as Atty drank
deeply, and the simple act made him realize how different her life
growing up had been from his. He always took the food and drink on
the main table for granted, where she had been forced to go out and
kill her dinner or face going hungry. Turning away from her, he hid
the scowl that came over his face. From now on, he swore to
himself, she’d never have to go out and kill for food unless she
desired to. She’d never want for anything, not as long as he could
help it.

He retook his seat and watched as she
unbraided her hair, freeing it so she could wash it. Once it was
cleaned, he knew its color would be more evident
. How will it look in the morning with the sunlight streaming
over it?
he thought to himself as he visualized her
asleep, lying across the sheets, her hair spread unbound across the
pillows. The thought of her sleeping naked on the white linens sent
a bolt of hunger through him, and he could feel himself tightening
between his legs. Without realizing it, his gaze had fastened on
the bed, and she noticed him staring at it.

“Are you going to make love to me tonight?”
she asked outright, a small quiver in her voice.

His concentration broken, Yulen glanced at
her. “Why do you ask?” he teased, giving her a small smile. She had
a tiny milk mustache on her upper lip.

She shrugged and lifted a knee to scrub the
calf and foot. “I don’t know. Just wanted to know, I guess.”

“Lovemaking is supposed to be spontaneous,”
he told her, still amused. “Besides, I want our first time to be
special.” He enjoyed the surprised look she gave him.

“So you’re not going to...I mean, we’re not
going to, uhh...”

Yulen chuckled. “Do you want us to?”

“Tonight?” she whispered, wide-eyed.

“We’re not going to be disturbed again until
the morning. We have all of tonight...if that’s what you wish.”

Her gaze involuntarily went to the locked
door before traveling back to him. “I...don’t know what I want,”
she admitted honestly. Nervously.

Lifting an eyebrow at her, he leaned back
until his shoulders rested against the stone wall. He still held
one of her crude arrows in his hand. Holding it up, he commented,
“You did a good job making more of these in the short time you
had.”

“They’ll do in a pinch. I can do much better
with the right tools.”

“Don’t get angry at me for this next
question, but did you intend on snagging my scabbard? Or was that a
happy coincidence? Were you aiming elsewhere?”

She threw a double handful of water over her
face, erasing the soap and the mustache, then smiled. “I was aiming
for your trouser leg, but I’d forgotten you lead with your left. So
I got the scabbard instead.”

“I lead with my left?”

Atty nodded. “Don’t you notice such things
with your enemies? Which hand they prefer? Which foot they lead
with? Which ear they favor, or if they squint if they’re looking in
the distance?” She blinked through the droplets trailing over her
skin. “Yul?”

“Uhh, somewhat,” he managed to find his
voice. Her skin had taken on a flushed hue from the warm water.
With her hair down, and the playful twinkle in her eyes, she no
longer resembled the trembling warrior girl who had faced him down
in the forest clearing.

Rising slowly to his feet, he walked over to
the tub and kneeled down beside it. He dipped a hand in the water
as he kept his eyes on her face. Atty watched him, curious but
unafraid.

“Yul?”

He leaned over and found her lips. She
hesitated for only a moment before lifting her wet hands and
gingerly touching his face. Pulling back, Yulen searched her eyes
as the tips of her fingers played over the several days’ growth
covering his cheeks and chin. “Does it scratch?” he murmured.

“Uh-huh.”

“Sorry. When I take my bath, I’ll shave.”

She pulled back slightly in surprise. “You’re
taking a bath?”

“Yes,” he chuckled at her expression. “You
weren’t the only one soaked to the bone today, you know.”

“Do you want me to get out now?”

“No,” he shook his head. “Enjoy yourself.
I’ll get in after you’re through.” He moved the hand he’d dipped
into the water and his fingers found a smooth silkiness. Slowly he
let them glide over the firm skin until he reached the inside of a
knee. Atty kept her eyes locked on his, but he knew he was now in
territory where she couldn’t claim expertise.

She moved her leg slightly, away from his
fingers. Undeterred, Yulen lowered his hand further, unmindful of
the water wrapping itself around his arm and already soaked shirt
sleeve. He reached her leg again and knew it had nowhere else to
retreat. The tips of his fingers stroked the tendons under her
knee, then began to draw slow circles over her skin as he gently,
carefully followed a secret path toward her belly.

Atty moved slightly, making the water splash
against the side of the tub. Her gaze danced between his eyes and
his lips as she began to feel things she’d never felt before. His
touch tickled, yet it also sent little prickles of heat into the
pit of her stomach and lower. She took a ragged breath, too
frightened to move. Afraid that if she did again, he’d stop
whatever he was doing.

“Yul?”

“Shhh.” He leaned inward again to kiss the
side of her mouth, mindful of his rough exterior. His right hand
lay across her shoulder, barely touching her neck as her wet hair
lay like heavy silk across his fingers.