Chapter 27: 27_Jealous

“Oh, it’s a storm,” Amie said quietly, hugging herself as she watched the pretty rain. It made her think of home and a soft smile curved her lips. “I don’t know if you’ve heard but Gadon has some intense storms. It pours relentlessly, drenching everything it touches.” She sighed, suddenly homesick. “A lot of people find it annoying but, when I had no choice but to spend hours on end in bed, I loved the storms. They brought excitement, even if I couldn’t feel the raindrops on my own skin.”

Behind her, he quickly got the satchel of clothes he’d provided together with the womanly undergarments which Frank had brought from the same place he’d gotten her that dingy little bed and mosquito net. Thoran hoped she was grateful for Frank. If the man hadn’t served a lady for most of his life, Amethyst’s stay with them would’ve been far more uncomfortable. Finally, he grabbed the blindfold, listening to the gentle sound of her sleepy voice as she spoke. For some strange reason, her voice complimented the sound of rain. Both were soothing to listen to.

He approached while she gazed at the rain. “I’m going to blindfold you.”

Blinking, she glanced back at him. “What?” Her gaze dropped to the white cloth in his hand. “Why?”

“Because the contents of this cave are a secret, that’s why. You insisted on bathing here, so you must obey.”

She hesitated, her lips gathering in a thoughtful pout.

His head tilted. “Of course, you could bathe in the rain.”

She closed her eyes, turning around. “Make sure I don’t bump into anything.”

Satisfied, he wrapped the blindfold over her eyes and tied it at the back of her head. “There.”

He left her there for a short moment to open the cave door and then he took her hand. Carefully, they made their way into the cave, stopping at every torch so he could light it.

By the time they reached the inner dome, she was unbearably curious. “What’s in here? Is it your headquarters?”

“Don’t worry about that.”

“How will I bathe if I’m blindfolded? And you? You… you won’t watch, will you?”

“What do you take me for?” He stopped just before the pool, looking at her. “I’ll be outside whilst you bathe.”

“Oh.” She raised her chin, kicking off her boots. “Good. Make sure you don’t see anything.”

Glancing blankly at her, he dropped her clothes on a stack of gold bars by the edge of the pool. “I’m not trying to see anything.”

She frowned behind the blindfold. What was that supposed to mean? That she wasn’t desirable as a woman? A mild scoff parted her lips, her chin jutting.

“Call me when you’re done and don’t remove the blindfold.”

He turned to leave

“Wait!” She raised both hands, feeling blindly before her. “How do I get in the pool? I can’t…”

Realizing his mistake, he sighed and came back. She gasped when he took her hand. “Come.”

He turned her around and she let herself be led. His hand on hers suddenly lowered and she heard the sound of water. He’d gotten into the pool.

“Slowly,” he said.

His hands circled her waist and she leaned into them, oddly trusting him to hold her. He pulled her toward him and swiftly lowered her into the water.

She gasped at the first touch of the warm liquid, gripping his shoulders in alarm.

The moment her feet touched the stone bottom of the pool, his hands vanished. Unease flooded her heart. The sound of the splashing pool surrounded her and then silence, broken only by the gentle lapping of the water around her.

She turned her head, anxiously listening. “Thoran?”

Thoran halted, his back turned to her and his gaze fixed on the exit of the cave just a few steps away. He knew he should leave. But how could he, when she called his name?

He turned. “Yes, *prencessi?”*

Amie swallowed hard, the vulnerability of her position becoming embarrassingly apparent.

Having her eyes covered and darkness around her in a place she couldn’t even mentally picture was daunting. Her body tensed in trepidation. “Where are you?”

She strained to hear his movements, to confirm that she wasn’t alone. Maybe it was due to the nature of his profession, she couldn’t hear his steps at all.

“I’m right here.”

She turned in the direction of his voice, closer than when he’d answered her. “Oh! Oh, I thought you’d left.” Grasping at nothing, she took careful steps in his direction.

Silently, he watched her. Her damned hands. Why did they keep reaching for him that way? Something more than his cock was stirring now. Something deeper. He clenched his jaw against it.

“Bathe,” he told her curtly. “That’s why you wanted to come here, disrupting my entire day. I’ll be outside.”

She stopped, her ease morphing back into anxiousness. “But what if I need you? What if a snake—”

“There are no snakes here.”

She crossed her arms stubbornly. “There might still be another unforeseen reason I might need you.”

Silence hung between them. Uncrossing her arms, she listened anxiously. Had he left? “Hello?”

Suddenly, a hand touched her head, fingers gently brushing back her hair. The gesture was as unexpected as the ease it brought to her frazzled nerves. Every knot of tension simply melted out of her body. It had caught her off guard and, against her will, a stream of relief coursed through her. It was as if his touch could dispel her doubts and fears.

“You’re very fearful for a Barbarian hunter,” his deep voice rumbled.

She remained silent, listening intently, her guard still up. His hand retreated and, as the warmth near her dissipated, she knew he’d moved away.

“If you need me,” he said from a distance. “Call my name.”

With his departure, the cave became filled with thick silence and she shivered stiffly. The urge to call him back in was strangled by her little remaining pride. She’d already practically begged him to stay, preposterous enough considering that she was in a bathing pool. With the water lapping gently around her shoulders, however, Amie did feel covered enough, she wouldn’t have been completely exposed had he stayed.

Regardless of that, he was gone and the best thing she could do was bathe quickly so she could get out of the darkness. Peeling off the dress, she got to cleaning herself, taking care of her hair too. It was unbelievably inconvenient to not have any of her hair or body oils with her, but she was grateful enough to not be in a river with fish swimming around her ankles.

Unbeknownst to her, there was something far more terrifying than a fish awaiting her.

********

Outside, Thoran stood solidly in the entrance of the cave, staring out into the thick sheet of rain that poured. Not a single one of his thoughts had to do with the rain.

And he wished they did. He wished his thoughts would be focused on the rain, or his horse, the trees, the damned birds in the trees, anything that had nothing to do with the thought of getting in that pool with her. He’d been in there for half a minute, getting her steady, and her hands on his shoulders had nearly done more damage to his self-control than the taunts of a spiteful opponent in the ring. What on earth was wrong with him?

His head fell back, eyes staring into the void emptiness of the foggy sky above him.

His name was Thoran Steel. He’d been born with that name and his mother called him by that name. Why in the hell did his name sound bloody brand new just because she’d said it?

A low groan of frustration made him clench his jaw. He was losing his mind.

Riona. When he finally got to her, he would purge himself of every trace of lust that was dulling his usually sharp wits. That was if he reached her in time. As things stood, he would probably have to make a stop in one of the neighbouring towns to find himself a skilled bawd to calm his raging body. The matter was pressing.

With a sigh, he crossed his arms over his chest and closed his eyes, resembling a statue of meditation.

With the soothing sound of rain, he attempted to cleanse his mind. All he got for his efforts was thoughts of Amie’s lips on his. His body tightened. How would it feel to repeat last night’s actions in the pool? He muttered a curse, opening his eyes and pacing at the entrance.

He had to get his head on right. He would never be kissing her again, not only because she wouldn’t want to but also because the girl had a damned William waiting for her once she returned to her life of royalty. He scoffed. The bastard was probably some fair-faced twit with princely charms and clean, waxed nails betrothed to marry her. His teeth grinded.

Not that he cared about who she was betrothed to marry.

Like a spanner in the works of his thought process, a sharp scream suddenly cut through the air.

*Amethyst.*