Chapter 95

95 You Delight Me

~ HARTH ~

She hadn’t anticipated the emotion of it. To have him walk her into this beautiful place that felt so peaceful and private. To feel finally free. And to know it all came because of him... the furniture, the furs, the little shelves set against the wall and more of those books he clearly loved. It squeezed her heart to see his little touches in every corner. Even under the dust of lack of use, even in the litter left by animals who’d discovered the spot while it was empty... he was here. She could feel it.

It was like walking into his home for the first time all over again, and yet somehow felt even more personal.

“You’re the only one I’ve brought here,” he’d told her while they were still walking through the forest, a slow smile starting on his face. “I’ve imagined you here every time I’ve come.”

“Me?” she’d laughed.

And he’d turned, his face serious even behind the smile. “You, Harth. My heart knew you, even if I didn’t. Every time I came here it wasn’t just a break for me. It felt like... preparation. As if this place wouldn’t be truly right until there were two of us. And now...”

Harth blinked out of the memory to find him staring down at her worried, using his thumbs to brush away her tears.

“What is it, love?”

In answer, she just grabbed him and pulled him down into a kiss-chaste and desperate. Then she buried her face in his chest and held him as he tightened his strong arms around her.

.....

“Harth–” His voice was tight with worry.

“I’m just so glad to be here, Tarkyn,” she breathed against his chest, then inhaled his gorgeous scent as he stroked hands up and down her back. “It’s beautiful. You did such a great job. I wish we could stay here forever.”

He gave a little grunt then, like she’d caught him with an elbow to the ribs. She pulled back to make sure he was okay, and found him looking doubtfully around the cave, his Adam’s apple bobbing.

“I’m sorry it’s so messy...”

Harth spluttered a laugh. Only a male of immense self-discipline would look at this cave-abandoned for months, yet neat as a pin-and see a mess.

She knew that he must focus on the fact that it was dusty, and with a few small piles of bones where animals had used it for shelter, and one pile in the corner where things had been knocked from a shelf.

But Harth remembered her tent back at the settlement, the piles of furs and clothing, and the occasional dirty mug... she swallowed a bit herself and gave another nervous laugh.

“I think it’s beautiful, Tarkyn. But let’s clean it up so you feel comfortable and... just show me how you live here. I want to share this life with you.”

He touched her face then, his warm eyes burning so she thought he might kiss her. But then he smiled and turned away to pull a broom out of a small alcove at the back and start sweeping.

They both busied themselves, dusting and sweeping, picking up a pile of books something that had been knocked from the shelf, and shaking and beating the furs.

Then, while Harth was still finishing up the last fur-her stomach beginning to tingle with the thought of what lay in store for them there-Tarkyn turned to the fireplace and frowned. “I guess I didn’t restock the wood before I left last time. I hope we can find enough that’s dry. It rains more here near the hills.”

“Let’s go look,” she said, eager to explore this place with him.

Tarkyn grinned and offered his hand, so she gave the fur one last shake, then threw it over the sleeping platform and hurried to take it.

*****

~ TARKYN ~

She was stunning. He’d led her back down the trail, answering her questions as much as he could about the trees and the mountain range, the birds they saw perched on a crag above the waterfall, and why the dirt was almost red.

She was like a cub, devouring information and squealing with pleasure at every new discovery. Being near her when she found one of the last Skyblue flowers in the clearing was a joy.

He’d been in the middle of describing the two kinds of wood in the forest and how to tell them apart-one was good for the cave fire, the other too light and created too much smoke-when she gave a little gasp and yanked out of his grip.

He’d jumped, thinking something had frightened her. But instead found her hurrying forward to the grass and getting to her knees. “Tarkyn, look. They’re blue.”

Tarkyn gave a little chuckle and walked over to where she knelt, touching one of the small flowers with a fingertip.

“They feel like velvet!” she said breathlessly.

Her joy at this tiny piece of creation took his breath away.

Joining her down in a squat, he watched her rather than the flowers, finding his own joy there. “They’re called Skyblues. In the spring and summer they cover the meadow-though late in the season there’s only a few because they get too shadowed by the grasses that grow faster. But these must be a hardy little bunch. I wouldn’t have expected to see them now that it’s growing cold at night.”

“I’ve never seen a blue flower before, not like this,” she said breathlessly.

“Really?” Tarkyn had never really thought about how Creation might differ in the human world, but... no blue flowers?

“Oh, I’m sure they exist,” she said with a little self-deprecating laugh. “I just haven’t seen them. Where I lived in the human world there were only a few flowers, mostly white and yellow, a few pink or red. And in Thana it was snowy nine or ten months of the year. Our spring lasted about three weeks. I don’t remember ever seeing blue flowers there. But we were so busy at that time of year...”

They got caught up then, comparing their worlds and lives. Tarkyn found her so fascinating, and was stunned to watch her flicker between jaded, abused woman, and thrilled, joyful child, depending what she spoke about or remembered.

She was a heady mix... and she was his.

“Tarkyn... are you okay?”

He blinked. She was staring up at him, her brows high and eyes wide, slightly worried.

He realized she’d been talking and he’d been so deep in thought, he’d just stared at her.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

“I’m fine! I’m fine. I’m just... I just love hearing you, Harth. I love watching you. Your heart... I love the way your heart shines when you smile.”

She blinked, then covered her mouth with one hand. “I think that’s the sweetest thing anyone’s ever said about me,” she whispered.

Tarkyn dropped his chin and smiled at her out from under his heavy brow. “I have more,” he said, tracing her jaw, letting his thumb tug at her lip. “There’s so many things about you that are beautiful, Harth. But I want to get the wood and get into the cave where I can show you properly.”

He could feel his desire-which had been at a low simmer ever since they stepped into solitude-blazing in his veins.

And he could feel her, sensing it and responding.

With a breathless prayer of thanks to the Creator, they both stood. Harth looked at him out from under her lashes, a delightful smile creeping up on her face. “Well, let’s find the wood, Tarkyn. And let’s get you fed. Because once you start, I don’t want you to stop.”

He groaned and pulled her into his chest for a kiss, but made himself release her quickly.

Harth gave a giggle that was so full of delight and abandon, he almost said to hell with the wood. But they’d need it for cooking as well as heat during the cold night.

So he clenched his fists and made himself keep his hands away from her as they walked towards the woods together and he made certain she understood which of the fallen branches made the best wood-and which of the dead underbrush to strip for kindling.

But he might have broken into a run more than once, as he searched for the wood.

He didn’t want to waste a single, precious moment.

*****

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