Fully nude, his cock stood out from his body, curving in slightly from his belly, his hetier twitching eagerly, one going so far as to uncurl long enough to slide against the underside of his cock, sending a shiver through him, before curling once more.
Yes, he was very ready.
Grinning wolfishly, he stalked past the stalls, heading toward the last stall in the back where he had arranged their cloaks and packs for the most comfort.
“Songbird,” he murmured as he turned and stepped into the stall.
She had her back to him, her pale hair flowing down her back. He frowned. Why wasn’t she naked? She lifted her arm, and he caught sight of a bottle of black liquid that reeked of magic, its power sending a terrible sense of wrongness through him. Ashul paused for only a moment in surprise and then burst forward with a snarl, slapping the bottle out of Robyn’s hands. It careened into the wall, spilling its contents before it shattered completely.
Robyn spun around to face, her eyes at first wide but they narrowed quickly into a familiar expression of annoyance.
“Ashul! What are you doing? I paid an entire silver for that!”
He gritted his teeth furiously, rage pouring through him. His mate was about to drink that poison—whatever it was. He stepped back a pace and then another, a growl rumbling in his throat, growing increasingly louder.
His mate’s expression slowly shifted to concern as she stepped toward him. “What’s wrong? Where are you going?”
He shook his head, unable to contain his rage enough to explain and put his worry into words. For whatever reason, the sorceress had sought to destroy them both. Not only that but she had thought to kill his mate in the most terrible way possible. He did not understand how she had convinced Robyn to drink it, but it did not matter.
“She is dead!” he hissed violently and spun around, storming through the barn back toward its entrance.
“What?Ashul, wait! Don’t you dare,” Robyn shouted, her frantic footsteps following after him.
Vibrating with fury, he picked up his pace, sprinting ahead until he felt the power of his leash suddenly constrict, dragging him back and completely off his feet. He twisted in the air, his back connecting with the ground. He turned to glare with betrayal at the female who held his heart. She panted for breath as she stared back at him and shook her head.
“Ashul, you can’t, you enormous ass,” she snapped. “What the hell are you thinking? She’s powerful and is friends with a troll, for all that’s holy. What exactly do you think you are going to do?”
“Avenge my mate!” he bellowed in reply, and they both jerked back, stiffening in surprise.
She blinked at him, her lips parting. “Your… mate?”
He stared back at her, caught off guard. He had not meant to simply announce it. He had planned to tell her what was in his heart and ask her to be his, preferably with his cock buried in her so that there was a chance she might overlook some aspects of his nature that were less agreeable. His eyes dropped to the floor, and he scowled, uncertain of how to salvage the situation. He needed to make that damn sorceress pay for her treachery, but then he would bend all effort into winning his female’s heart.
“Yes,” he muttered uncomfortably. His eyes flicked up to her and narrowed. “We can discuss it when I get back, after I see to it that justice is done for her attempt at poisoning you. Just wait here. This should not take long. I may not have much in the way of advanced magic, but I am not completely without abilities.”
Robyn’s brow puckered in confusion. “What are you talking about? She didn’t try to poison me. She gave me a potion at my request. A potion I paid a silver for, I’ll remind you.” Her lips tightened with displeasure. “One you not only spilled everywhere but also shattered the bottle, ruining any chance of salvaging a drop from it.” She groaned, rubbing her hand over her face, and the nape of Ashul’s neck prickled as if he had just distinctly overlooked something important.
But what conclusion should he have drawn seeing that? He knew that Robyn did not make the potion herself and that the feel of the magic had disturbed him. It seemed logical to assume that it was dangerous and take matters into his own hands.
“It was meant to harm you. I am certain of it,” he protested. “I could feel the magic coming off it, the wrongness of it. I was protecting you as I should.”
Her hand dropped, and she glanced up at him in bemusement. “Seriously? You thought she was trying to kill me?”
He nodded firmly, and a smile stretched across her face.
“Because I am your mate and you wanted to protect me?”
He scowled but nodded again. “I refuse to let anyone kill the one being who holds my heart and is my only source of joy and peace. I would burn this world down first if it meant not losing you.”
“Awww!” She pressed a hand to her heart and beamed up at him, and he peered down at her in surprise.
What was this? Normally, she squawked in outrage every time he threatened violence. He had heard “no, you can’t kill them” so many times that he had been certain that he would never hear anything else. And yet… she was pleased?
“Not that you can do that,” she amended, and he refrained from snorting in response.Of course.“But it’s still very sweet that you care that much.”
He sighed and stepped closer, gathering her hands in his, aware of how small and soft they were in his large, calloused palms. He might as well just do this now.
“It is more than caring, songbird,” he rumbled as he peered intently down at her. “In all the darkness in my life, everything that has been foisted on me not of my choosing, you are the one thing that I’ve truly chosen for myself. And not out of a sense of revenge as I felt when I overthrew my queen, but out of a true desire to hold, protect and cherish the one thing in my life that is beautiful and means something. And to hope that I can be that for you as well.”