words brought made his pulse quicken, though he managed a casual nod. “I just might do that,” he told her, before walking away to have a word with the captain of the guard.
Of course, over the next several hours, he could scarcely think of anything else.
Dusk had fallen, with darkness not too far behind. Almost everyone had retired to their tents, with the exception of the two men who were on guard duty and, of course, Chad.
As Ruben walked up to the jail-wagon, he gazed at the other man and waited for him to look up and acknowledge him. But Chad still sat cross-legged, his head down, as though lost in a deep meditation.
Finally, Ruben shrugged and moved away. Casually, he strolled to where the hobbled horses clustered. He went to his mount, scratching behind the animal’s ears, smiling as the horse rubbed its massive head against him for more.
He stepped around the cluster of horses, and his heart stuttered when he saw her, fast asleep on a pallet she’d made of horse blankets and a saddle. A sense of completeness filled him as he gazed down at her. Shocked at the depth of his feelings, he realized he could no longer run from the truth. Willow was his mate. Whether or not she came from his world was immaterial.
Once he’d worked through the remainder of his problems, he wanted to claim her as his.
He turned away, his chest tight. While he had finally faced the truth, he had a long way to go before he’d be worthy of her. He couldn’t exactly blame her if she wanted to take another path.
Returning to his tent, he debated going inside, but turned around, deciding to sleep by the fire instead. Though Eric and Tatiana’s magic had been contained, he wouldn’t put it past the other man to try something physical. If Ruben were in his tent, he’d have no way to see an attack coming.
And his intuition told him, Eric would try something soon. He just didn’t know what.
In the morning as they broke camp, the leader of King Drem’s guards came to Ruben. “Our border lies not more than a few paces south of here. We dare not ride onto Bright land. To do so could start a war. So at that point, we will return back to our own land.”
“I understand.” Turning to eye Chad who still slept inside his iron cage, he shook his head. “What about the coachman?”
“He can stay,” the captain said. “He’s human, so he’ll be safe.”
Human? Eyeing the man perched up on the odd wagon, he wondered why the man hadn’t spoken to him. Still, he was glad for the coachman’s assistance.
“He can’t speak,” the captain grimaced. “We found him as an infant, abandoned in the woods. Oftentimes he does work for us, traveling between our lands and into the human realm.”
Interesting. Ruben inclined his head in a nod to acknowledge the coachman. A moment later the other man did the same.
Shaking the captain’s hand, he thanked him for all his help.
As the man walked back to join his men, Tatiana emerged from her tent. Barely clothed, her lush figure on display for all to see, she sauntered over to Ruben, ignoring the lustful looks from the other men.
“I understand we have a few minutes before we ride,” she purred, running her finger down his chest. “My back is stiff and sore from the long ride yesterday and I have need of a massage. Would you mind helping me out?”
Ruben couldn’t help but laugh. “Get your fiancé to assist you. But you’d better be ready to leave when we ride out. And by that I mean fully dressed. Do you understand?”
Though she pouted at his harsh tone, he saw from her calculating expression that she really hadn’t expected him to capitulate so easily. “Of course I do.” Fluttering her eyelashes, she moved away.
She was up to something. But what?
Ruben watched as she strolled slowly past the guards on her way back to her tent. Being men, they all stared wistfully and when she crooked her little finger, he knew if they hadn’t been on duty, they’d have trampled each other on the way to her tent.
Instead, they stood with their feet planted in place, as she disappeared.
A moment later Eric came out. When Ruben saw what the other man was wearing—or, to be more accurate, what he wasn’t wearing—Ruben laughed out loud. This time, Eric approached Willow, who had her back to him as