He closes his eyes, obviously wanting to hide them from me and turns toward the wall. He braces his hand against it, dropping his head on his own arm for a moment. Shit. I shouldn’t have brought her up.
Even in my jealousy, my hand reaches out, wanting to comfort him. I might be hurting, but I can’t stand to see him in pain. My hand touches the warm skin of his back and he spins around, taking my hand in his, and yanks me against his body.
He leans down so close that his lips brush against mine with every word as he says, “Eirabella Kaye, you are without a shadow of a doubt, the craziest, nuttiest, most infuriatingly insane, and yet, adorable woman I have ever had both the pleasure and frustration of ever knowing in my entire life.”
Okay…
“Um… thanks?”
He shakes his head and a reluctant smile spreads over it. “Val is not short for Valora. Her name was Valynia. Valora is a word in Kaldoran.” Celador’s ancient language. The one his grandfather had taught him, that he has tattooed around his bicep.
“Oh.”
He nods. “Yes. And what does ‘valora’ mean?”
I shrug. “How am I supposed to know?”
“Think about it, you’re smart. You can figure it out. What other words in Kaldoran do you know?”
My mouth shuts tight. I’m not in the mood for a language test.
He sighs again, and then spins me into his arms, so that my back is pressed to his chest and he wraps his arm around my front. With a soft urging of his thumb on my chin, he tilts my face to face his inked bicep. “Read it.”
“Rylan…”
“Read the fucking words, Eirabella. Before I, I swear to Morath, bend you over this tub and fuck the stubborn right out of you.”
My core clenches at the threat, liquefying. But I do as he says and recite the saying without needing to read the words. Iknow it by heart.“Thros virendis, soltar; thros elandor, kareth; thros valinthar, valoris."
“Exactly, ‘thros valinthar, valoris’. From heart, courage. Any of those words sound familiar?”
Oh. Shit. Realisation dawns. “Valora means…”
“...courageous heart. Yes.” He nods, his chin brushing against the top of my head. “It’s what I callyou. Secretly. In my head. And apparently, in my sleep. Always have, always will.”
I let my head fall back against the wide expanse of his strong chest and let out a whoosh of pent-up air. “Really?”
A chuckle vibrates through his lungs and against the back of my head. “Yes, you insane, impossible woman. You are the bravest person I’ve ever known.”
The corner of my mouth twitches. “But… at the inn. You whisperedvalorathat morning too.”
His arm drops to my stomach, pulling me in closer, his face in the curve of my neck. “That’s because I already thought you were the bravest person I’ve ever known. I have since the moment you ran away from me into the woods.Twice. Difficult and damn near impossible to shut up. But brave.”
This time, I do smile as I feel my heart stitch itself up. “Oh.” I turn the word over in my head. “Valora.” He nods again. “I like it. I wouldn’t mind actually hearing you call me that sometime.”
“Done.”
I reach up behind me, tilting my head up and he lowers his lips to mine, kissing me softly. When we pull apart, I shake my head, pointing at the pile of ashes in the middle of my room.
“But seriously, Rylan, what in Morath’s name was that about?”
He steps forward, taking me with him, and then spins me around, until the back of my legs brace against my bed and I fall back onto it. He follows me, laying his body on top of me. “Thatwas a warning,” he says, his voice carrying the edge that backs up the statement. “That is what will happen to any other man who so much as puts his jacket… or hands on you ever again. So, unless you want to be constantly sweeping up ashes, you’ll make it known to other men just who you belong to.”
I shake my head, but I can’t help grinning at his over-the-top possessiveness. “You’re the crazy one.”
He smirks, and then drops his head, dragging his mouth against my throat with a snarl. “I am when it comes to you. Because here’s something else I apparently need to make crystal fucking clear. You are mine, Eirabella Kaye. And Idon’tshare.”
His mouth drops down onto mine and kisses me again, hard, hungrily, only pulling away when I’m breathless. Then, he flips me onto all fours and positions himself behind me. With rough hands, he tears away what’s left of my skirt, ripping it from my body. Grabbing my hips, he pulls my ass back against his hardness, grinding his arousal against me, making me weak at what’s about to happen. Hands reaching under me, he finds me already wet for him, and he growls approvingly. “And now, disciple, first lesson of the day. Because you didn’t seem to have learned it last night, I’m going to fuck you until you have no doubt in your mind about just who you belong to.”
