“Something Wolf and I don’t have,” Raven said, a sudden sadness creeping up to tug at her.
“There must be a touch of something—concern, caring—since he made a point of coming after you.”
“More like annoyance for me not obeying his word,” Raven argued. “He cares not a whit about me. A good, dutiful wife is what he looks for and Eria fits that perfectly.”
“The woman you mentioned that Wolf was to wed.”
Raven nodded. “She’s everything I’m not.”
“Would you want to be like her?”
“Good Lord, no!” Raven said.
“Then what should it matter. You make a far better wife for such a powerful and fearless man. And from what Wren told me, Wolf was genuinely concerned about you when you suffered that arrow to your arm.”
“He sent his men after the culprit, but he stayed with me while the arrow was removed from my arm,” Raven said, recalling how it had surprised her.
“You sacrificed much for your brothers’ freedom, don’t sacrifice anymore,” Purity warned.
“What else is left for me to sacrifice?” Raven said with a defeated laugh.
“A future,” Purity said softly. “It does us no good to continue to think of Wolf as our enemy. He has helped not only Royden rescue Oria, but helped Arran protect our clan against Brynjar. Some of us may not be able to forgive, but we can adapt. You may never love your husband, but at least make him your friend rather than your foe so you can share a good life together and finally know some peace.”
Raven gave her words thought.
“One other thing you must always remember,” Purity urged. “You are not alone. You have your family and you have your men who have become family to you. You are well loved, Raven.”
“That was a foolish thing you did today, wife,” Wolf said as he stripped off his garments in their bedchamber.
Raven stood by the hearth warming herself, the cold having seeped and settled into her bones on their return ride home earlier. He hadn’t spoken a word to her the whole way home, but she expected his chastising tongue to strike sooner or later.
She remained silent, too tired to exchange barbs with him tonight.
“I would have taken you to see your brother if you had asked.”
“I doubt that,” she said. “You would have told me it was too dangerous.”
“So you admit to it being dangerous but not foolish.”
She walked right into that trap. “Think what you will of it. I do as I please.”
“And that’s the problem, especially with your life in danger,” he said and walked over to her.
Raven was growing accustomed to seeing him naked, though she wasn’t happy how her body had been responding to it. At first it was just a stirring in her, then it expanded to more of a tingle that rushed over her and enticed. Lately, however, she had felt herself grow wet in the most intimate of places and that had upset her. How could she desire her enemy?
Adapt.
The old man would advise that and Purity had advised it today as well. And she should know better than anyone that sometimes that’s the only choice left to one.
“We need to come to terms with each other,” he said.
He stood far too close to her and damn her thoughts, since all she wanted to do was rest herself against him, have his arms wrap around her, and let his warmth seep into her. She shivered at the thought.
“You’re cold. You need to get in bed where you’ll be warm,” he said and his hands went to her plaid and began to unwrap it.
Raven stood there stunned for a moment, her eyes on his fingers, long and lean and powerful, as they worked on stripping her of her plaid. She should stop him, tell him she could undress herself, but she said nothing. She let him undress her, ready to stop him if he should try to slip her shirt off.
“Do you realize the repercussions if you should die shortly after we wed?” he asked but didn’t bother to wait for her response. “Your brothers would wage war against me. Once again people—family and friends—would die.” He dropped her plaid to the floor. “And if you’ve forgotten, I have more warriors. The odds wouldn’t be good for your family.”
His fingers curled around her hand with a firm possessiveness, nearly capturing all of it, and led her to the bed. He rested his hands on her shoulders and eased her to sit, then hunched down in front of her. His hand reached for her leg and she went to pull it away but she wasn’t fast enough, he captured it in his hand. His fingers curled firm around her calf.
“I can do that,” she snapped, uncomfortable with the unexpected sense of intimacy between them.
“I know you can, but you’re going to let me do it for you to show that we can work together without difficulty or protest.” His hand moved to her boot and he pulled it off along with the sock and the other boot and sock followed quickly. “Under the blankets,” he ordered.