First Forest - Viola Grace Page 0,9
murmured, “Let me help.”
He moved around her, tugged, smoothed, and wrapped, and she was dressed in under ten minutes with the wide sash knotted behind her. Even her hair was pinned up but in a much looser bun.
He was already dressed and looking devastatingly intimidating in his robes. How he had gotten them settled so quickly was a mystery, but then, he was a mystery.
She stepped into her shoes and looked at him. “So, how do we get back to the village?”
“You want to go back there?”
“Sure. I mean, it is the only place I know of where I can get food prepared for me.”
He nodded. “To the teahouse then.”
He held her hand, and they walked through the woods, popping out near the temple and heading into the main drag of the village.
“So, if you have nowhere to live, would you like me to build you a house in the woods? I believe that I could make something with ceilings that would accommodate me. I will think on it.”
She chuckled and tried to remove her hand from his grip subtly. That did not go well.
They passed her family home, and it didn’t look like there was anyone at home. Abiha got slightly nervous as they walked into the center of the village and toward the teahouse. They found the crowd of people, and they were all gossiping at high speed. When they saw Kiloh approaching, they broke apart and bowed low.
Kiloh spoke. “I have been given to understand that I can procure food here.”
The servers bowed and quickly sprinted back into the shop proper. Kiloh walked up the steps with Abiha, and they took a seat at one of the tables. Everyone was staring.
The server came back with a tray and a cup of hot green tea. She set it in front of Kiloh with diffidence and backed away. Kiloh smiled and lifted the cup, passing it to Abiha.
She smiled and sipped at the tea, blowing on it before taking a proper sip. It was just as she remembered.
Her mother and sister approached and bowed to Kiloh. “Honoured Master. It is good to see you with your people again.” Madame Alwe was elegant and earnest.
“Thank you, Madame Alwe, for inviting my mate to return. I was only waiting for her to return. It is a shame that her arrival was delayed.”
Abiha watched her mother’s expression go from flushed to pale. “There was no need for her here.”
“And yet, I had already expressed to you that your eldest was my chosen bride. Did any of the elders know?” He looked to Abiha and smiled. “The tea smells good.”
She offered him the cup, but he shook his head.
Abiha looked around, blushed, took a sip, and then went up on her knees to deliver the sip of the green tea to his mouth. He placed his hand on her back and held her against him while he swirled the taste in his mouth before swallowing. He smiled. “You are right; it is good tea.”
She had to wait for him to release her, but he finally moved his hand from her back, and she was able to sink to her knees. Abiha was blushing at the attention that one move had gotten when a selection of the teahouse specialities was set out in front of Kiloh. Her stomach roared.
He lifted each dish and set it in front of her quite squarely. She picked up the sticks and set them to work.
The meal took on a weird quality. She took a few bites, then he touched her hand, and she put a bite in her mouth before going up to him and feeding it to him in a kiss. If she missed a sauce, she would have to do it again.
Her mother was looking at her in confusion, but Abiha just shrugged and went in for her favourite type of rice ball. It was filled with sweet fruit and a fun variance from the meat and vegetables. He glanced over at her. “Is there another one of those?”
She wanted to growl over it, but she picked it up, set it in her teeth, and went up on her knees, and she turned her head to set the rice ball against his lips. He waited, and she slowly released it.
When she backed off, she gave him a grumpy look. “You are lucky I released that.”
He chewed slowly. “I can see why. These are really good.”
She smiled and resumed her position as keeper of the snacks. She