woman?
She immediately noted how no one, not even Orestes, blinked an eye at Kephas’s words. Was she the only one taken aback by them? The Masters never seemed to have women . At least, not one at a time for any length of time. To be called a Master’s woman was unheard of and…intriguing.
Chapter Five
“You’ve grown quiet.” Orestes chuckled at his own words and the confusion on Astrid’s face. “Well, more quiet than usual, that is.”
She chewed on her bottom lip and set her cup of water aside. He had made a place for them to picnic before the fireplace, covering it with many hides lest her fragile skin grow cold. So far she seemed to be enjoying the food and his nearness. He had finally allowed her to put on one of his shirts after making love to her again, laughing at how it draped her like a sheet. A quiet word in their native tongue to one of his brothers secured her clothes for the coming days, but they had to be handcrafted. For now, he would simply enjoy her in his garments.
“Um,” she said quietly.
“Yes?”
“I have a question but I don’t want to anger you.”
She looked so honestly worried that he found himself moving toward her without a second thought. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and she leaned into his chest.
“Astrid, I swear to you, there is no question in creation that would make me angry enough to harm you in any way. I can’t promise I won’t be upset, or even that I will answer all of your questions. But I can’t think of anything you could ask to really anger me.”
She looked up into his eyes and gave a slow nod before taking a deep breath. For a moment, the movement of her breasts distracted him. Though his shirt billowed away from her, it was a white shirt with loose buttons. Even the barest hint of her cleavage enticed him.
“Well, it’s about your brother…Nel.”
He stiffened and she began to pull away, but then he tightened his hold and softened his expression.
“What about him?” he asked.
She searched his face a moment before continuing. “You seem very close to him. Perhaps more so than the others?”
Ah, so she had noticed. He would have chuckled over her cleverness if they weren’t discussing such a sore subject.
“Yes. I love and cherish all eleven of my brothers. But Nel and I were created together. In human terms, we would be twins if we had been born of a woman. As it is, we do many things together…usually.”
“But not lately? I don’t remember seeing him much in my time here.”
“How long have you worked in the castle?”
Her brow furrowed and he ran a finger between her beautiful brown eyes to soothe the wrinkled skin. When she glanced at him his breath caught. Would he always feel so arrested from a mere glance?
“Not for very long,” she replied, and it took a moment for him to realize she wasn’t answering his internal question but the one he’d asked her aloud. “Simon took me from the village just after Samhain. I had been working at the pub during the festivities but once they were over I had no other work.”
“Samhain was nearly a month ago. You say Simon took you. Did he do so against your will?”
She shook her head but frowned uncertainly. “No…not really.”
He lifted a brow in question. “That’s not the sort of thing one would normally be unsure of.”
She smiled weakly. “I know. What I mean is, he didn’t kidnap me but he did lie about where I would be working. I didn’t realize he meant to bring me into the castle until we were already here. It was dark and storming. I simply followed his lead and didn’t even know where he had led me until I met Master Wynnston the first time.”
“Where did Simon say you would be working?”
“One of the wizard’s homes. He said he worked for a protector of the realm, but I swear to you, he named one of The Twenty. I can’t remember now which one. I had no other work and hadn’t eaten in a couple of days. I really couldn’t refuse his
She immediately noted how no one, not even Orestes, blinked an eye at Kephas’s words. Was she the only one taken aback by them? The Masters never seemed to have women . At least, not one at a time for any length of time. To be called a Master’s woman was unheard of and…intriguing.
Chapter Five
“You’ve grown quiet.” Orestes chuckled at his own words and the confusion on Astrid’s face. “Well, more quiet than usual, that is.”
She chewed on her bottom lip and set her cup of water aside. He had made a place for them to picnic before the fireplace, covering it with many hides lest her fragile skin grow cold. So far she seemed to be enjoying the food and his nearness. He had finally allowed her to put on one of his shirts after making love to her again, laughing at how it draped her like a sheet. A quiet word in their native tongue to one of his brothers secured her clothes for the coming days, but they had to be handcrafted. For now, he would simply enjoy her in his garments.
“Um,” she said quietly.
“Yes?”
“I have a question but I don’t want to anger you.”
She looked so honestly worried that he found himself moving toward her without a second thought. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and she leaned into his chest.
“Astrid, I swear to you, there is no question in creation that would make me angry enough to harm you in any way. I can’t promise I won’t be upset, or even that I will answer all of your questions. But I can’t think of anything you could ask to really anger me.”
She looked up into his eyes and gave a slow nod before taking a deep breath. For a moment, the movement of her breasts distracted him. Though his shirt billowed away from her, it was a white shirt with loose buttons. Even the barest hint of her cleavage enticed him.
“Well, it’s about your brother…Nel.”
He stiffened and she began to pull away, but then he tightened his hold and softened his expression.
“What about him?” he asked.
She searched his face a moment before continuing. “You seem very close to him. Perhaps more so than the others?”
Ah, so she had noticed. He would have chuckled over her cleverness if they weren’t discussing such a sore subject.
“Yes. I love and cherish all eleven of my brothers. But Nel and I were created together. In human terms, we would be twins if we had been born of a woman. As it is, we do many things together…usually.”
“But not lately? I don’t remember seeing him much in my time here.”
“How long have you worked in the castle?”
Her brow furrowed and he ran a finger between her beautiful brown eyes to soothe the wrinkled skin. When she glanced at him his breath caught. Would he always feel so arrested from a mere glance?
“Not for very long,” she replied, and it took a moment for him to realize she wasn’t answering his internal question but the one he’d asked her aloud. “Simon took me from the village just after Samhain. I had been working at the pub during the festivities but once they were over I had no other work.”
“Samhain was nearly a month ago. You say Simon took you. Did he do so against your will?”
She shook her head but frowned uncertainly. “No…not really.”
He lifted a brow in question. “That’s not the sort of thing one would normally be unsure of.”
She smiled weakly. “I know. What I mean is, he didn’t kidnap me but he did lie about where I would be working. I didn’t realize he meant to bring me into the castle until we were already here. It was dark and storming. I simply followed his lead and didn’t even know where he had led me until I met Master Wynnston the first time.”
“Where did Simon say you would be working?”
“One of the wizard’s homes. He said he worked for a protector of the realm, but I swear to you, he named one of The Twenty. I can’t remember now which one. I had no other work and hadn’t eaten in a couple of days. I really couldn’t refuse his
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