Flame Thrower by Alice Wade Page A

get near us without a small army shooting them down one hundred yards from our door. I promise I won’t go far and will return immediately when Edda says I’m allowed.“ He paused searching one last time for a sign that he should stay. “It’s time I leave, but are you sure you’re all right with that choice?”
    His words brought on another wave of gratitude that he watched roll across her features. He even saw it flash in her green eyes. Seeing that calmed Ryan’s frayed emotions slightly. At least she appeared to be calming down, but he remained undecided about leaving.
    Tillian knew that and added confidently, “Aye, I’m all right.”
    He was unaware that he’d been caressing her cheek this entire time. It wasn’t until she pressed her cheek against his fingers that he realized it. With a sigh he released her and stood, thus breaking contact, and felt the immediate loss.
    Again, he fought the need to control the magic that welled up at the intensity of their separation and he moved towards the door. He looked back at her and tried to reason what was it about this woman that had such a violent reaction on his composure? Fighting the urge to remain; to hold her while they finished their examination, he forced himself by putting one foot before the other until he was back outside with Wallace eyeing him cautiously.
    Having a conversation on the topic was the last thing he wanted so he released a warning snarl to his friend and turned away while he calmed down. With the distance put between him and Tillian, Ryan felt the magic boil up, sending a tingling pulse to his finger tips. It itched to be released, and Ryan walked a fine line of control until he could temper the desire to unleash it.
    “Sir?” Wallace said against all better judgment.
    “Not now,” Ryan growled, his broad back turned to his Captain. He stood at the precipice and would dearly regret it if Wallace was the one who felt the brunt if he lost control of his magic.
    Sensing his struggle, Wallace backed down. It wasn’t typical for Ryan to be this avoidant, or blunt. Seeing his turned stiff back was disquieting. Giving the woman inside another cursory glance, Wallace inwardly groaned. He went back to looking out at the night, waiting for his friend and liege to regain his composure.

    * * * *
    When the door closed behind Ryan, Tillian sighed. “Well, that was humiliating,” she said more to herself than anyone else.
    “He didn’t seem to find anything in this situation to be humorous or shameful, so why are you humiliated?” Edda asked. She immediately resumed the actions Ryan interrupted by carefully cleaning the cuts crossing her body. Girdie likewise approached with a newly warmed bowl of water to finish Tillian’s bath.
    Hearing Edda’s reply only made Tillian feel more ashamed. Ryan’s reaction matched what the healer said, but still, she should have been stronger, more composed. Instead Tillian fell apart at the first sign of compassion and crumbled when his warm eyes bathed her in his affection. “I’m a Princess of Folkyn. I’m supposed to be more reserved.” She turned her face to meet the matron healer while Girdie resumed her gentle washing. Tillian’s eyes narrowed in defiance. “I showed more self-control even when I received these lashings.”
    She knew the answer to why she was stronger back then. At the time, she didn’t carry the heavy weight of feeling tainted, ruined. She was still pure. She wasn’t pure any longer, that was for sure. That was supported by her desire to have Ryan stay so he could touch her like the others had, but that thought immediately revolted her. Such thoughts only further confirmed just how far she slipped into the role of a whore. Instead of facing that truth, Tillian hid behind the story of being weak, which she equally felt so it wasn’t entirely a lie. She was weak, mostly because her family had broken her, and those men ruined her because now she wanted more.
    Edda knew there was