Dragonlands(64)

Bastian raised an eyebrow. "Not to seduce me?"

"Maybe. Only if you found me pleasing." She shifted on the bed, leaving room for Bastian. "Do I please you?" She dropped the shawl again and began untying the remainder of her laces. Eyelashes fluttered as she looked up at Bastian with deep brown eyes.

He fought his instincts as her breasts spilled out of her top.

"Is this what you want, Christa?" Bastian forced his eyes to look at hers and not one bit lower. "If you pulled my ribbon at the next ceremony, would you be happy?"

"Of course. I'd be proud to be your mate. I know I could produce more heirs for you. A boy this time. I promise I'd give you more than Vinya ever did." She slipped her arms out of the sleeves and let the dress fall to her waist.

Bastian couldn't help but look at her. She was beautiful. So young and pure. He could teach her so much.

But she wasn't Tressa. Bastian shook his head. "Pull your dress up. I won't do this."

"It's too soon, I understand." Within moments she'd covered herself again.

But she didn't understand. None of them did. Just Adam. Only he knew how desperate he was to rescue Tressa. Maybe Udor, but he never understood love. To him, Tressa would have been a possession.

In the end, it would be better for none of them to know everything he was doing in Hutton's Bridge was for Tressa. He no longer cared if the villagers stayed in the fog or left it. As soon as he found Tressa, he'd turn his back on everything and everyone in the village.

"Dada." The voice as small as its owner pushed open the door.

"Farah." Bastian squatted and scooped the little girl up in his arms.

"Who that?" Farah pointed one fat finger at Christa, who thankfully, was fully clothed and presentable again.

"That's Christa. She came over to play with you and help you get off to sleep. Didn't you Christa?"

She stood up and curtsied. "Yes, I did." A smile spread across her face as she sat on the floor next to Farah. "Why are you still up, little one? Do you want me to tell you a bedtime story?"

Farah clapped her hands together and giggled. "Oh, yes! Momma no tell stories. I like stories!" She grabbed Christa's hand and pulled her back into her bedroom.

Bastian sank into his bed, relieved Christa was gone. If she'd gone too much farther, he might have had to leave the cottage and spend the night at Adam's. He was in love with Tressa, but he was a man too. He'd never been any good at saying no to a willing woman.

He let his thoughts drift to the night he and Tressa had reunited. He slipped one hand under the covers and let the memories overtake him. When he was done, he rolled over and fell into a sound sleep.





Chapter Forty-One


Tressa woke before the dawn, sleeping only in fits and spurts through the night. She had to be up and ready for the competition to join the Black Guard before the sun lit the ground to the west. Leo told her to get good sleep and he’d make sure she was up early enough. She’d tried to follow his advice, but nerves got the best of her. The night was spent in a fitful sleep. Nightmares punctuated by real concerns. Images of her death. Blood. Severed limbs. Connor’s face floated in and out of the haze, reminding her why she was going ahead with her foolish plan.

Or lack of a plan. She had nothing more than a vague idea of how she was going to get close to Stacia, much less kill her. The woman’s braid and its deadly spikes shredded through every scene, ripping apart everyone in her dream.

Leo still slept in the bed across the room. His arm rested on top of his head. Tressa analyzed him, determining she could kill him with one strike of a sword under his arm. She shook her head and threw off the wool cover. It landed on the wooden floor without a sound.

She tiptoed over to Leo and reached out to touch his arm. He leapt up, grabbing her shoulders. Tressa stumbled backward, balanced only by the grip he had on her.

“You scared me!”

Leo chuckled. “You must be ready for everything.”

“I thought you were asleep.”

“Hardly. After listening to you moan in your sleep all night? I couldn’t have slept even if I’d been awake for the previous five days.” He tilted his head to the side. “Are you going to be okay today? You don’t have to go through with this.”

She spun out of his grasp. Every moment with him was a test. It was one she wasn’t willing to fail. “Yes, I do.” She slipped behind the screen, took off her bedclothes, and pulled her leather battle clothes on. Leo had purchased them for her from a local merchant with the money she’d earned working for Ira. A man could buy combat clothing without anyone batting an eyelash. Tressa would have been noticed. Talked about. It could have ended her plan before she had a chance to place it into motion.