“I should have never touched you with my madness,” he said, the thought of her suffering endlessly with it tearing at his gut.
She’d had enough talk of madness. “You suffer from no madness. It is hurt and pain that torments your soul and the fear that you will give it to others. And you will if you allow it to rule you. You did nothing to me that I didn’t want you to do, that I didn’t ache for you to do.”
“I gave my word that it would be your decision when we became intimate again—”
She stopped him before he could go any further. “And it was my decision.”
“I didn’t give you a choice,” he argued.
She laughed. “I don’t recall denying you or telling you to stop. My need was as great as yours.”
“I had a need to possess you, wife. I thought of nothing else, only my need,” he said, not surprised that he felt his shaft stir. He’d have her again shortly if he allowed himself to.
She took the few short steps that brought her to stand in front of him. “And why was that—the need to possess me?”
No words came to him.
“I’ll tell you,” she said with a poke of her finger at his naked chest. “It wasn’t that you wanted to possess me. It was that you wanted to love me and be loved so that our love could devour your pain. Why do you think I rushed to you? I couldn’t bear to hear the pain in your roar. I wanted to rid you of that pain as much as you wanted it gone. My heart hurt at the thought of you out here in the woods suffering alone. Nothing, not the devil himself, would have stopped me from coming to you and easing that pain—not madness but pain. So think what you will but know that from this moment on you will never suffer that pain alone again—I will be there for you—always.”
Odran’s green eyes grew intense in color as he slowly lowered his head to plant his face in front of his wife’s face.
Elysia stared at him, praying her love had penetrated his maddening pain.
He whispered as if sharing a secret. “I am still in pain, wife.”
Elysia smiled. “As am I.”
Odran scooped her up in his arms and gently kissed her lips. “I love you, Elysia. Never forget that. Promise me you’ll never forget that.”
“I promise, though it’s not necessary. Never. Not ever would I doubt your love or forget how much you love me.” She dropped her head to rest on his bare chest as he hurried them out of the woods, his strong steady heartbeat a soothing melody to her ear.
She hadn’t given thought to the sight they made with her in his arms until she saw how people stared, some turning away to whisper, some scurrying away, some unable to hide their shock and dismay.
Finch stepped in their path. “Lord Odran.”
“Not now!” Odran snapped, pivoting to step around the man who looked ready to speak again. “I won’t repeat myself, Finch.”
Elysia turned a smile on Finch, hoping it would ease the concern she saw on his face. Unfortunately, she winced as she smiled, her sore lip catching with pain.
The servants in the Great Hall ran when Odran entered, but he paid them no heed. He rushed up the stairs and kicked the door shut to their bedchamber so hard, she was certain it could be heard throughout the keep.
He set her on her feet and when she shivered, he hurried to the hearth to add more logs. When he turned her tunic lay at her feet and she struggled with her torn shift caught on her arm. He went to her.
Elysia smiled when her husband’s hands reached out to help her and an ‘Oh!’ rushed from her lips when he tore the shift completely off her and tossed it aside.
“It’s time for new garments,” he said and quickly rid himself of his plaid and boots.
Elysia hurried out of her shoes and with gooseflesh rushing over her, she hurried to the warmth of the bed. She didn’t get far, her husband bringing her to a halt with his strong hand catching her arm.
He looked to her other arm, a cloth still wrapped around it. “No blood.”
She pointed to her mouth, reminding him where the blood on her sleeve had come from. His eyes narrowed and she wished she hadn’t reminded him of his unintentional bite. He scooped her up in his arms once again and she cuddled close, eager for his warmth. He laid her on the bed and she was surprised when he pulled the blanket over her and walked over to the hearth. She expected him to join her and cover her with his warm body.
He returned with a bucket of water that was kept full and a cloth, setting the bucket on the floor beside the bed. He nudged her with his hip when he sat and she scooted over some, giving him room. He dunked the cloth in the water, rinsed it, and proceeded to wash, ever so gently, her wound.