Chapter Eleven

ASH

They rode through the midday meal, hoping to put a good distance between themselves and Pershing.

Ash doubted the man would be brave enough to come after them, and it would be an easy fight if he did, but it was a good excuse, and he was eager to get home.

He was also enjoying having her close to him. He could feel how relaxed she was as well, and he was pleased she wasn’t too frightened.

Ash gave Keyara a few pieces of dried venison to keep her hunger at bay, which she nibbled wordlessly.

As the sun started to get low in the sky, they stopped by a creek to rest and water the horses.

He helped Keyara slip off the horse and watched her appreciatively as she stretched, weary from the ride. She caught him staring and blushed, turning away from his gaze.

He cleared his throat softly. “Are you hungry?” he asked, dismounting the horse. She looked back at him shyly and nodded.

He retrieved the small bundle of food her sister had packed her and handed it to her. She thanked him softly, then turned and walked away, settling down in the soft grass some distance away and unwrapping her meal.

He watched her, considering if he should go to her. He had so much he wanted to tell her, but barely knew where to begin.

How could he explain she was his mate without frightening the girl? She didn’t know such a creature as himself even existed.

Finally he decided to leave her in peace and led his horse to the water to drink with the others.

“How are things progressing with your mate, Alpha?” Luca inquired as he approached.

Ash frowned. “We haven’t really spoken,” he replied. “I don’t want to frighten her, and I am not sure what to say.”

Luca laughed softly. “The big bad alpha, at a loss for words. I never thought I would see that.”

“She’s human,” Ash growled softly, harsher than he intended. “It will be hard for her to understand,” he continued, watching his tone.

Luca could be helpful, having a human mate himself. “How did you explain it to Jill?”

Luca shrugged. “I didn’t, at first. I just marked her. After that, she couldn’t resist anyway.”

Ash frowned. He hardly thought that was the best way to go about it, though the urge to mark her was growing stronger and more difficult to resist the more time he spent with her.

Shouldn’t he acquire her permission before doing something so…permanent? Ash certainly thought so, though he had to admit Jill certainly didn’t seem to mind the arrangement with Luca, when all was said and done.

“Well, I can hardly do that on the road,” he said, avoiding the deeper discussion with his beta.

“That’s true,” Luca admitted.

They stood quietly as the horses drank their fill, until Luca finally broke the silence. “We can ride ahead, give you two some privacy, if you’d like?”

Ash considered it. She would have little reason to flee in disbelief, as isolated as they were, and she would have to listen to him. “I believe that would be a good idea,” he replied.

Luca smirked, which made Ash frown. The alpha in him didn’t like being the inexperienced one.

Luca made his expression serious. “Very well, Alpha,” he replied. “I will ride ahead with the others. We will eat on the road.” He winked as he walked away, which made Ash want to throw something at him.

He watched Luca depart, frowning. ~Here we go~, he thought. ~I can’t avoid this forever.~

KEYARA

Key was just finishing her modest meal when she heard the sound of horses snorting and stomping. She looked up to see the men mounting up, the man called Luca barking brief orders.

She stood, dusting off her clothes, assuming it was time to leave, just to notice King Ash tying off his mighty horse to a nearby tree.

“My lord,” she asked as he approached, “is it time to continue our journey?”

He shook his head, which made her crease her brow in confusion.

“No, Keyara, sit back down,” he said softly. “Please.”

She did, too confused to argue.

“Remember how I promised you an explanation?” he asked her.

Of course she did. She had thought of little else during the past few hours, feeling the tingle of his body as acutely as she had.

He sat across from her, an intense look on his face. She stared back at his brilliant green eyes. They sat that way for a long time, it felt to Keyara, but the silence wasn’t uncomfortable.

It was quite the opposite. She felt as if she could simply stare at him forever.

Finally, he broke their gaze, moving closer to her and taking her hands in his. “What I tell you is going to seem very strange,” he warned.

~Well, this is intriguing~, she thought. She nodded, waiting for him to continue.

He hesitated, as if he was unsure what to say next.

He suddenly changed course. “Tell me, Keyara,” he asked. “What have you heard about our kingdom?”

“My…my lord?” she asked.

“Rumors,” he said seriously. “I know there are many rumors about us. Tell me what you have heard.”

What she had heard was not at all flattering. She removed her hands from his and wrung them nervously. ~Where was this going?~

“My lord, they are nothing but silly stories,” she replied. “I would not care to offend.”

He shook his head sternly. “You will not offend me,” he assured. “I just want to see what you already know.”

“What I know, my lord?” This hardly made any sense.

“Please, Keyara,” he said softly, staring at her intently and grasping her hands once more. “Tell me.” He stroked the back of one of her hands with his thumb slowly, and she felt the trail of sparks left behind on her skin.

The feeling relaxed her. She stared back into his captivating eyes.

“That you use magic to earn your fortunes,” she began, judging his reaction to her words.

He nodded encouragingly, and she cleared her throat and continued.

“That your land is barely inhabitable, and that you must use dark magic to survive.” Her voice dropped to barely a whisper. “That you house men who turn into wolves who do your bidding.”

He closed his eyes. She leaned back, barely aware she had drawn so near to him. Was he angry with her words?

“Yes,” he said in relief, opening his eyes again. “That is not the whole truth, but this will be easier than I thought.”

His words confused her more than ever.