protected the food within it … what little there was of it. She barely had a bite in there, he realized as he immediately found himself looking for more food to satisfy his appetite. Then again, as tiny as she was, she probably didn’t eat all that much.
He turned back to her. “I’m truly sorry for that, I am. I wasn’t in my right mind. Where am I? What is this place?” Then he moved and a blinding, fiery pain came over him, nearly bringing him to his knees. If not for the counter near him he would have fallen straight to the floor with the sudden unexpectedness of it. And quick as that, like the dart of a bee to a flower, she was off the counter and working herself under one of his arms asthough to hold him upright. It made him chuckle in spite of the wave of pain. Did she think a wee thing such as herself could help a man of his size by doing that?
“You’re injured,” she said with haste and, he had to admit, obviousness.
“I can see that,” he said dryly. He didn’t bother to ask her what had happened. He knew well enough. He had broken free of that devil’s prison with the help of another brave lass …
Ahnvil shoved away any thoughts of that escape and the woman who had made it possible. He would access his feelings about it later. Right now he had someone else’s feelings to consider. “Come, get away,” he said, shoving her away from him and looking around at the windows hastily as if his pursuers were right beyond the glass. They might well be, and then he would have brought hell down on this innocent woman and maybe she too would end up … dead.
“Stop it,” she said, stubbornly dodging his efforts to put her aside. She was up against his uninjured side quick as a flash. “You need to lie down and rest. You’re going to be here awhile,” she said, nodding toward the storm outside. “So you may as well relax and take the time to rest. If you’ll let me get you to bed I’ll make you another steak,” she tempted him.
And damn it, he really wanted another steak. He was still famished and, he argued with himself, he couldn’t afford to be weakened by hunger. She had a point about the storm. Between that and the fact that it was daylight beyond the storm, it was very unlikely he had been followed. But that didn’t change the fact that time was running very short for him. Dangerously short. He didn’t have the time to spend on eating and convalescing.
But that storm … that would hold him back. Especially wounded as he was.
“How long?” he asked, nodding toward the windows as well. “When can you expect a lull?”
“I don’t know. Not for at least twenty-four hours, I promise you that much. These storms are fierce and long here. It could last as long as two or three days. And then after that it will take a good deal of time before the plows can come through and allow us the ability to go anywhere. So you need to face the fact that you’re stuck here for a while. May as well rest, heal, and,” she made sure to add, “eat.”
Her logic and her lures were inescapable. With a nod of assent he let her help him down the hall to a bedroom and a freshly made up bed. By the time they got there, he felt as weak as a newborn lamb and his legs were shaking with the effort of remaining upright. As they traveled she told him the story of how she had found him and what kind of state he was in. Fever. Likely infection. Wounded. All of which he could easily take care of … if not for the dangerous time constraint looming over his head. It was best to remain as he was, remain human and helpless, than it was to change to his stone self, a state where he would heal far more rapidly. But he had to play it safe. After three days away from his touchstone, he had to play it safe.
She had him tucked in in a flash, her speed and strength pretty impressive. She pressed some pills on him and followed them up with water so fast that he had them swallowed and gone before he could even think
He turned back to her. “I’m truly sorry for that, I am. I wasn’t in my right mind. Where am I? What is this place?” Then he moved and a blinding, fiery pain came over him, nearly bringing him to his knees. If not for the counter near him he would have fallen straight to the floor with the sudden unexpectedness of it. And quick as that, like the dart of a bee to a flower, she was off the counter and working herself under one of his arms asthough to hold him upright. It made him chuckle in spite of the wave of pain. Did she think a wee thing such as herself could help a man of his size by doing that?
“You’re injured,” she said with haste and, he had to admit, obviousness.
“I can see that,” he said dryly. He didn’t bother to ask her what had happened. He knew well enough. He had broken free of that devil’s prison with the help of another brave lass …
Ahnvil shoved away any thoughts of that escape and the woman who had made it possible. He would access his feelings about it later. Right now he had someone else’s feelings to consider. “Come, get away,” he said, shoving her away from him and looking around at the windows hastily as if his pursuers were right beyond the glass. They might well be, and then he would have brought hell down on this innocent woman and maybe she too would end up … dead.
“Stop it,” she said, stubbornly dodging his efforts to put her aside. She was up against his uninjured side quick as a flash. “You need to lie down and rest. You’re going to be here awhile,” she said, nodding toward the storm outside. “So you may as well relax and take the time to rest. If you’ll let me get you to bed I’ll make you another steak,” she tempted him.
And damn it, he really wanted another steak. He was still famished and, he argued with himself, he couldn’t afford to be weakened by hunger. She had a point about the storm. Between that and the fact that it was daylight beyond the storm, it was very unlikely he had been followed. But that didn’t change the fact that time was running very short for him. Dangerously short. He didn’t have the time to spend on eating and convalescing.
But that storm … that would hold him back. Especially wounded as he was.
“How long?” he asked, nodding toward the windows as well. “When can you expect a lull?”
“I don’t know. Not for at least twenty-four hours, I promise you that much. These storms are fierce and long here. It could last as long as two or three days. And then after that it will take a good deal of time before the plows can come through and allow us the ability to go anywhere. So you need to face the fact that you’re stuck here for a while. May as well rest, heal, and,” she made sure to add, “eat.”
Her logic and her lures were inescapable. With a nod of assent he let her help him down the hall to a bedroom and a freshly made up bed. By the time they got there, he felt as weak as a newborn lamb and his legs were shaking with the effort of remaining upright. As they traveled she told him the story of how she had found him and what kind of state he was in. Fever. Likely infection. Wounded. All of which he could easily take care of … if not for the dangerous time constraint looming over his head. It was best to remain as he was, remain human and helpless, than it was to change to his stone self, a state where he would heal far more rapidly. But he had to play it safe. After three days away from his touchstone, he had to play it safe.
She had him tucked in in a flash, her speed and strength pretty impressive. She pressed some pills on him and followed them up with water so fast that he had them swallowed and gone before he could even think
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