“And what happens when beauty fades?”
His eyes opened and his hands reached down to restrain hers. He rolled onto his side and tilted her face to his. “Your face and body are gorgeous, Lily, but I meant your whole person aroused me. You are beautiful through to your soul. That’s why I needed you so badly.”
Lily’s heart fluttered. How could she ever have disliked him?
“Close your eyes,” Crag ordered.
Lily did as he asked and felt the gentle sweeping of the horse hair brush over her eyelids. He’d mixed dye from the petals of crushed flowers, and they sat by the fountain at the crossroads while he painted her face. Using the brush he’d made from several strands of hair from Pale Feet’s tail, he drew across Lily’s cheekbones, around her eyes, and down the length of her nose.
“And this is some kind of warrior symbolism?” she asked.
“Yes. Not
Zaltanian
. My village was on the southern most shore of the continent. It was taken over by
Zaltana
when I was a boy, but the warriors there still kept the face painting tradition even after they fought for the
Zaltanian
army. When I decided to join the Ruby Order, I stopped wearing the paint.”
“Do you miss it?” She opened her eyes to look at him.
He laughed. “Hell, no. It was an annoyance smearing on this mask all the time.”
“It doesn’t feel like you’re just smearing this on. When can I look?”
“In a moment.” He took her chin in his hand and placed a dot above each of her eyebrows.
“So do you really consider yourself
Zaltanian
?”
“Not anymore.”
“I mean before you joined the Order.”
“Yes. As I said, I was very young.
Zaltana
was all I knew.” He sat back on his heels. “Finished.”
She jumped up and leaned over the fountain, staring into the still water. What he’d done was by no means a simple smearing of paint. Her face was a beautiful mask of lines, circles, triangles, and spirals.
He stood behind her, his body warm against her back. “The more intricate the design, the more respected the warrior.”
She smiled and turned, tilting her face up to him. “Then why did you put on so much? I wouldn’t be so respected – if I was a warrior.”
“After all you’ve been through, I’ve no doubt you’re a warrior, Lily.”
She gazed back into the water. His fingertips swept her hair across her back and draped it over her shoulder, baring her neck. She felt his lips on her skin and shivered with desire, her eyes slipping shut as his mouth trailed down her neck. He slipped her tunic partway down her arm and kissed her shoulder. She turned, locking her arms around his neck as their mouths met.
“Maybe I should wash this paint off before it smudges all over us,” she said.
“You can’t.” He smiled against her lips. “It’ll wear off in a couple of days.”
“A couple of days!” The string of complaints that would have followed were silenced by a kiss so deep she forgot about everything but the sensation of his lips and tongue and the love she felt for him.
Lily buried her fingers in his hair as his tongue stroked hers. She licked the soft flesh inside his mouth and ran her tongue over the smoothness of his teeth. To her, everything about Crag was something to be explored and rediscovered.
“You’re so beautiful, Lily,” he said, taking her face in his hands. Her eyes opened, gazing into his. “Sometimes I wonder why we had to go through hell to find each other. I might have deserved everything I’ve gotten, but not you.”
“Nobody deserved this war, Crag, but finding you has changed my life in a way I never thought possible. I never imagined finding love again. I didn’t think I wanted to.”
“I promise to love you always.” His lips brushed her forehead before he kissed the tip of her nose then whispered against her lips. “Always.”
Lily kissed him before slipping from his grasp and running toward the woods.
“What are you doing?” he called.
“Want me? You have to catch me!”
Lily grinned as she enjoyed her head start. Hoof beats sounded and she laughed. The cheat!
Suddenly she felt Crag’s arm around her and she was hauled onto Pale Feet. Crag held her close, and she felt the sensual pressure of his thighs and chest against her.
He nuzzled her neck. “I like this kind of hunting. The prey is prettier than usual.”
He kicked Pale Feet to a canter until they passed the crest of the next hill, then slowed the horse to a walk. Crag released the reins and placed his hands on Lily’s hips and slid them up her ribs. He cupped her breasts, his thumbs stroking her nipples through her dress. Lily sighed, leaning against him and tilting her neck so he could kiss it.
He slipped her dress down her shoulders and over her arms so it draped her waist, baring her torso. His callused palms roamed over the soft skin and he tenderly rolled her nipples before using his forefinger to circle them. He teased and rubbed the tight little peaks, stabbing her with desire through to her core.
Lily's breathing deepened and she squirmed, yet he didn't stop caressing. He kneaded her soft breasts, gently rubbing his callused palms over her nipples.
“Lily, my beautiful Lily,” he said close to her ear, moving one of his hands from her breasts and tracing each of her ribs with his fingertips. He tickled her navel before sliding his hand down the front of her dress. His skilled fingers gathered moisture from her pussy and circled her clit while his other hand continued rolling her nipple to the same rhythm.
Lily leaned against him, panting, her bottom squirming. Beneath them, Pale Feet lurched. Crag held Lily steady and nibbled her ear. He licked the back of her neck and covered her shoulder with kisses. She surrendered to him completely, lost in her need for this man whom she once thought she hated.
“Oh, Crag!” she panted, writhing beneath his ministrations, her heart racing with a combination of excitement and embarrassment. They were on the back of a horse and he was teasing her to climax, yet she was past the point of wanting to stop!
"Yes, Lily," he purred close to her ear. "It's all right. Come for me, my love. Come for me."
Lily mewled, her head arching against his shoulder, her breasts thrust forward as his fingers quickened between her legs. Lily panted, momentarily fearful of tumbling off Pale Feet in her moment of crisis. She needn’t have worried. Though the hand between her legs continued drawing out her pleasure until the last ripple, Crag’s other arm left her breast and held her steady as he whispered endearments.
Lily sighed, resting quietly against him.
Suddenly Pale Feet snorted and Lily jumped, startled. She'd been so lost in pleasure that for a moment she'd forgotten - and hadn't cared – where she was.
"This is disgraceful, you know." She glanced around at him, warmed by the masculine smile on his lips and the glow of passion in his eyes.
Crag tugged up her dress and helped her back into it. "A little late to worry about it."
"You're right about that." Lily kissed him. "And I'm really not worried."
He grinned. "Somehow I didn't think so."
* * * * *
The next morning Crag and Lily mounted Pale Feet and galloped across the fields. Crag sat behind her, and she relished the strength of his arms around her, the warmth of his chest, and the pressure of his steely legs.
He slowed the stallion as they crossed a brook, the water spraying their boots and drenching his trousers and the hem of her tunic. They stopped at a cliff overlooking the sea. Waves splashed against the rocks below, and wind blew hair across their faces. She drew a deep breath and smiled at him. He kissed her, then turned Pale Feet back toward the crossroads where he released the horse to graze.
Crag sat beneath a willow tree, tugging Lily between his knees. She rested against his chest.
Slipping his arms around her waist, he said, “Sing for me?”
She sang the folk songs of her village and lullabies she’d sung for
Vina
. It was the first time she could indulge those memories and not cry. Lily still ached from the loss of her daughter, but she realized she always would. She would never forget her, nor did she want to.
“I could listen to you forever,” he murmured when she’d finished.
“Why don’t you join me?”
He laughed. “I can’t sing.”
She tilted her head to face him. “Of course you can.” She knew by the lovely, rich tone of his speaking voice he could sing. “What can it hurt to try?”
He shrugged. “If you want me to. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
She sang a few lines, and he mimicked her, softly, almost hesitantly. As she guessed, he sang as beautifully as he spoke. With some practice, he’d be better than most of the musicians in her village.
They sang for most of the afternoon then fished for dinner in the brook. As they sat side-by-side, fishing poles dangling over the water, he said, “How can I thank you for all you’ve done for me? I feel like my entire life was nighttime with a moon hidden by clouds, and you’ve just pushed the clouds away and made everything light again.”
His words warmed her entire body, and her stomach tightened with joy. “No one’s ever said anything like that to me before.”
He leaned closer and whispered against her lips, “Where did you come from, Lily?”
“Part of me feels like I’ve waited for you all my life. I never imagined loving a man as I love you.”
“I’ll have a crazy life serving in the Order, Lily, but I swear I’ll always love you. I’ll always try to make you happy.”
They reached for each other simultaneously, starving for one another, each seeking nourishment from the other’s soul.
“Oh, Crag… ”
“Lily… ”
“Crag, I think I’ve got a bite.”
“Um hmm.” He said absently, kissing her lips and throat.
“No, I mean it!” She pushed away as her line jerked hard. She yanked on her makeshift rod and flipped the fish directly into Crag’s face.
Spitting, he grasped the slippery fish while Lily sat back on her heels and laughed.
Crag shot her an annoyed look, but it was impossible for him to look intimidating with a fish flopping wildly in his hands. He snickered as well, and the fish squirmed back into the water.
“There goes dinner,” Lily groaned.
“Forget dinner.” He tugged her into his arms. “Let's just have the sweets.”
“I’m going to love being your wife.”
“I hope so, Lily.”
She didn’t have to hope. She knew.
“Isn’t this lovely!” A gruff voice taunted.
Lily’s eyes flew open as she and Crag stared over their shoulders at a group of
Zaltanian
soldiers in tattered uniforms. Several of them ogled her and laughed at her painted face. Fear twisted Lily’s gut, and she clutched Crag’s arm.
“You.” One of the soldiers, apparently the leader by the yellow marks embroidered on his collar, pointed at Crag.
“
Jarib
,” Crag said. “You look like you and your men can use help. I know where you can get food and—”
Jarib
threw back his head and laughed, exposing chipped teeth. His black hair was cut short, and his face smeared with dirt. His bulky hand closed over his sword, and the others reached for their weapons as well.
“Lily, go to the horse and get out of here,” Crag said calmly.
She shook her head, groping for the nearest rock, preparing to fight alongside him if the need arose, though she knew they wouldn’t have a chance. They were outnumbered by armed soldiers, and neither she nor Crag carried a weapon.
“Go back to the settlement,” he repeated.
Yes, the settlement! She’d go to Sir Rain and return with Knights. But by then Crag could be dead.
“Luscious little thing.”
Jarib
pointed his blade at her and licked his cracked lips.
“The war is over,” Crag stated, rising to his full height. He was taller than the soldiers, and she knew he was a strong, able fighter, but it wouldn’t be enough. Not against those odds.
“Yes, the war is over. Out here. But the
Zaltanian
army is all over the world. You know it, and I know it, Crag. You are a former captain turned traitor. As the only
Zaltanian
authority out here, it’s my duty to punish you. Execution.” He glanced at the soldiers. “Take the woman”
Two of the men moved forward. Crag shoved Lily behind him and bellowed for her to run for Pale Feet as he dodged the blades. As she fled, one of the men followed her, but she leapt on the horse’s back and kicked the soldier in the face before galloping off. She noticed Crag had disarmed the two men who’d attacked him, but he didn’t pick up a weapon to defend himself.
She cursed his integrity and the green sash faction he sought to join.
The hot wind stung Lily’s face as Pale Feet galloped across the field toward the settlement. Blaze was the first Knight she found. He stood by the well, drawing water.
“
Zaltanian
soldiers,” she gasped, not bothering to dismount. “By the river. They have Crag and want to execute him as a traitor.”