A Battle Lord’s Heart Read online

Page 6


  Yulen’s expression remained blank, although she could tell a hundred thoughts were going through his head. “Feast before famine?” he reiterated in a deeper voice than usual.

  “You know. Near the end of the pregnancy, when you can no longer make love. And then the few weeks afterwards, after the baby comes, when she has to heal enough before you can resume.” Tory took a deep breath, suddenly glad to have gotten that part out in the open.

  “Does it affect other men?” Yulen asked her.

  “Actually, no, because we don’t tend to exude them until our husbands are around. And even then the husband is the only person affected. They’re kind of selective.” Her eyes glanced toward the bedroom door. “I noticed that back at the big lodge you seemed to keep your distance from Atty. Is it because you can’t keep your hands off of her when you’re together?”

  He finally seemed to let go of a bit of his stiffness. Slowly shaking his head, a small grin came over his face. “You have no idea how many times I’ve wished I could come right out and ask you what in the hell you told Atty back in Wallis.”

  The remark was so off the wall, Tory burst out in laughter. “Surprised you, did she?”

  “Very.”

  Tory tried to swallow her joy. “I didn’t do anything more than any mother would have done for her daughter. Atty never got the proper...let’s call it ‘explanation’. She never got the proper explanation about making love. Eenoi gave her the rudimentary discussion about babies and sex and contraception, but that was all. But there’s a huge difference between procreation and recreation. You know that. Or, at least, I’m assuming that you’ve had the experience to know the difference. After talking for hours with Atty, and being very open with each other, I realized two things about you. I found out you were very, very patient with her. I also found out you were not the kind of man who took sex as simply another basic drive, like eating or sleeping. You love the exploration and discovery as much as a gourmet chef discovering a new dish. So I just gave Atty some suggestions. That’s all. She took it from there. You know how Atty is.”

  Yulen crossed his arms over his chest and smiled. Tory felt herself melting under his gaze. No wonder Atty had fallen so hard for this incredibly handsome and strong man, especially if he was as passionate as she said he was in bed. Even the glaring scar down the side of his face seemed to emphasize his masculinity.

  “She also told me about how she lost her virginity,” Tory confessed. Her nose tickled, letting her know she was on the verge of tearing up. “As a mother, as her pseudo-mother, and as someone who cares for her as deeply as any mother could, I want to thank you for loving her that much. For all you’ve done for her. I’ll never forget it.”

  He bowed his head to her without a word.

  Getting to her feet, she swiped at the tears in her eyes and sniffed loudly. “Oh, gosh, look at me, getting all maudlin. We’d better be getting back before Fortune comes looking for us. Heaven knows he’s probably having a hard time trying to keep Atty occupied.”

  “Tory?”

  She paused to look up at him.

  “Does Atty know about this thing about her second trimester?”

  Shrugging, Tory said, “I don’t believe so. It wasn’t something we discussed, or discussed with Teal.”

  “Teal?”

  “The woman with the baby, back in Wallis.”

  Yulen’s smile grew wider. “That was deliberate, wasn’t it?” he accused her.

  “Oh, yeah,” Tory nodded.

  “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome. So, do you still want us to stay here with you?”

  “What do you mean?”

  Tory pointed a finger upward. “You know. New bed. I’m assuming you’ve yet to spend your first night in it.”

  This time Yulen chuckled. “Don’t worry, Tory. The walls are well insulated. I made sure of it.”

  “We’ll see about that,” she challenged him, adding a wink.

  Laughing out loud, Yulen grabbed her hand and led her back into the living room where Atty and Fortune were waiting for them beside the fireplace.

  Seeing her husband and Tory emerge from the back in such good spirits, she asked them what they’d talked about. For some reason, her inquiry only made Yulen laugh harder. She didn’t mind, though, when he picked her up and whirled her about, and promised to tell her later. They were finally in their new home, away from the kitchen, away from the curious eyes watching their every move when they went in and out of their bedroom.

  And soon, they would find out how comfortable their new bed was.

  Chapter Six

  Surprise Attack

  It was quiet. Too quiet.

  It was because there was no muffled clanking of pots and pans coming from the kitchen below. There was no softened laughter or the murmur of a hundred voices seeping through the bedroom door.

  This was their new home. Peaceful. Secluded. Private. Perfect.

  Atty rolled over in bed and opened her eyes to a glittering morning. Laughing throatily to herself, she tried to scoot over to the edge of the mattress, except her body had a little more trouble than normal obeying her. That’s what having a baby will do to you. And I’m not even close to my due date.

  Of course, the lengthy amount of lovemaking they’d done last night might also have something to do with her layabout lateness in rising.

  Getting up, she first went to the bathroom before grabbing a gown from the closet and padding barefoot downstairs to find a breakfast tray sitting on the side table by the front door. Amazingly, the oatmeal was still steaming beneath its lid.

  “You have no business going barefoot this time of year,” a voice behind her fussed.

  Atty giggled and popped a piece of bacon in her mouth. “Hush. If you don’t tell, he’ll never know.”

  Tory emerged from the hallway. She was dressed and looking like she always did, which made Atty wonder how long she’d been awake. “It’s a crying shame,” Tory smiled.

  “What is?”

  “That you should look this beautiful when you’ve just woken up. I know women who would kill for that ability.”

  Atty gave her a playful wink. “Maybe it’s my pheromones.”

  “He told you.”

  “We don’t keep secrets from each.” Grabbing one of the bowls of oatmeal, Atty poured a generous amount of milk into it and carried it over to one of the large stuffed chairs by the fire. She replenished the wood, then crawled into one of the chairs and began to eat. Tory followed her with a bowl as well, and parked herself in the chair opposite.

  “You haven’t eaten?” Atty asked in mild amazement.

  “Fortune and I have been out and about sightseeing. I’m still trying to get used to the size of this compound,” the older woman confessed. “I just came back a few minutes ago to get another sweater. It’s going to be a gorgeous day, but it’s definitely nippy.”

  “Do you know where Yulen is?”

  “Yeah,” Tory smiled over her bowl. “He’s having sword practice with his men. Fortune’s over there now, watching.” She licked her spoon and gave Atty a lopsided look. “I was planning on going over to watch, too. Do you mind?”

  “Give me a couple of minutes to get dressed, and I’ll join you.” As she got up from the chair, she threw Tory an exasperated grimace. “How come you and Teal didn’t tell me about the aggravation involved with becoming overloaded? I feel like I’m carrying a backpack across my middle.”

  Giggling, Tory warned her, “It’s only going to get worse. But trust me, Atty, it’s worth it.”

  “All my actions are delayed. I can’t move as quickly as I used to. I feel like I’m running against a heavy wind.” Atty continued to complain to her as she went upstairs to dress for warmth. Tory listened to the woman gripe about her difficulties, even though she knew Atty was only talking to be talking. There was no irritation in her words, nor was there any remorse. Clearly Atty was as much in love with the thought of becoming a mother as she was in love with
her husband.

  Once the woman was ready, which definitely took more than a couple of minutes, they left the lodge and walked over to the rear compound wall where the narrow door would let them out onto the field beyond.

  On the other side of the wall sat a small set of risers for people to sit and watch as the soldiers took sword practice. Farther away, at the top of the small rise, was the archery field where Atty realized she hadn’t practiced in several days. As the flush of guilt faded away, she let Tory lead her over to the seats where a group of soldiers readily relinquished an extra pair for them.

  Yulen was out among the small group of men. His back was to her, so he wasn’t yet aware of them being there. It was clear he’d already had a turn. His shirt was off, and his upper body glistened with sweat, despite the near-freezing temperature. Atty eyed the expanse of his shoulders, the hard muscles knotted like burled wood beneath the skin. So much strength, she mused to herself, and so much gentleness. Corianne was right. He does have great looking buns.

  Off to the side, Baylynn, one of the sub-lieutenants, barked off adversaries. The men sparred with wooden swords with the same heft and weight as their own swords. Yet, because their weapons were wood, there was no chance of an accident. At the moment a man Atty vaguely recognized and one of the soldiers she knew as Verdella were circling each other, throwing lunges and parrying. The slap of wood blade on wood blade was a loud, flat sound. The clashing continued until the new man managed to graze Verdella across the shoulder. Symbolic first blood drawn ended each match, and Atty wondered how her husband had fared earlier.

  “This is fascinating!” Tory confessed sotto voce. She glanced at Atty to see the woman was equally enthralled. “I bet you love coming out here to watch, don’t you?”

  “I’ve never watched before,” Atty admitted, not taking her eyes off the circle of men.

  “You’re kidding, right?”

  This time Atty cut her eyes to the older woman. “I’m not kidding. I usually take practice at the same time. Yulen often comes to watch me. I just haven’t had the chance to reciprocate.”

  “I’ll bet you he’s good,” Tory challenged. The remark, meant to get a rise out her, only made the young woman chuckle.

  “He’d better be,” Atty said. “If not, he doesn’t deserve the job or the title.”

  “That’s not what I meant,” came the insinuation.

  “I know, Tory. Now hush and watch.”

  Baylynn glanced up and noticed the Battle Lady sitting in the stands. He gave her a slight nod, then announced the next pair. As she’d half-suspected, it was to be Yulen and Mastin.

  Neither man reacted to the call. Neither knew how closely they were being watched. The other soldiers around them, however, seemed to perk up as the two men entered the ring. This was the Battle Lord against his Second, and that suddenly made the stakes very high. As Second, Mastin would be expected to run the compound and all the territorial compounds under Alta Novis’s banner in the event Yulen went down in battle or was unable to perform his duties.

  Atty drew her coat closer around her. This was going to be good.

  Slowly the men circled each other, both in a crouched position. Mastin took the first swing, which Yulen expertly avoided. Coming back with a side cut, the Battle Lord’s sword barely missed grazing Mastin’s shoulder. The near miss brought out a small cheer from the crowd.

  “You know, this is the first time I’ve seen him without a tunic on,” Tory tried to mention nonchalantly. Atty threw her a humorous smile.

  “Nice, huh?”

  “He’s so...golden. Not quite a redhead. But blond.”

  “Strawberry blond,” Atty quickly corrected her. Tory tore her eyes away to see Atty’s sparkling in fun. She giggled.

  “Right. Strawberry blond. Sooo, is it that color all the way down?” At Atty’s deep blush she grinned. “Thought so.”

  It was also the first time Atty had seen Mastin shirtless. As light as Yulen was, the Second was equally dark. It was like watching complete opposites at war, as neither man expected to lose.

  Wooden sword met wooden sword with hard, unrelenting smacks. First Yulen would advance, forcing Mastin to retreat, then it would be the other way around. Sometimes they held their faux weapons with one hand, sometimes with two, depending on how quick they wanted to strike. Around them the men yelled out encouragement and taunts to try and break the opponents’ concentration.

  At one point Yulen lunged and almost snagged the inside calf of Mastin’s breeches. The Second barely managed to dance out of the way, avoiding the fatalistic first blood. Several men booed. Mastin wiped the sweat off his face with the back of one arm, and resumed his stance. Yulen had tied his hair behind his neck, but it didn’t stop the tiny trickle of sweat from rolling down the side of his face. Atty wondered if it stung when it reached the scar.

  Again, sword descending met sword parrying. By now both men were breathing heavily, their arms burning from the weight of their weapons. Mastin tried to uppercut, but met the edge of Yulen’s blade, knocking his own blade aside. Knowing the Second suddenly had left an opening, the Battle Lord pivoted and brought his sword downward, aiming for the man’s upper arm.

  Miraculously, Mastin managed to duck as the dull wooden weapon slid over him within a hair’s breadth. The near miss drew another round of catcalls from the crowd. Even Atty joined in the intimidation.

  “Good heavens, Yulen! Getting slow in your old age?”

  At the sound of his wife’s voice, Yulen started and paused, turning his head toward the risers. The hesitation cost him, and Mastin’s blade caught the small of the Battle Lord’s back with a loud and definitely painful sounding fwack! Yulen flinched and hissed at the pain, falling forward slightly until he caught himself from stumbling, and straightened up. Once he readied himself, he turned to give Atty a definitely irritated look.

  She knew that expression too well. Her remark had managed to distract him, and it had cost him the match. Around her, the other soldiers backed off slightly, knowing what was to follow would be worth every second.

  Atty gave her husband an impish smile. “Oooohhhh ho ho. Lost that one, didn’t you?” she teased. To one side, she noticed that Mastin had backed away, a big smile already on his face. Suddenly the confrontation had shifted from the two leaders to the Battle Lord and his Lady.

  “Old age?” Yulen finally echoed in his deep voice. “How dare you criticize me, when the sword isn’t even your weapon.” Although his words were cutting, his tone was not. Atty, as well as everyone else, realized he was playing with her.

  “Hey, given the right weapon, there would be no match,” she taunted.

  He paused only for a fraction of a second. “Care to put a wager on that?”

  The dare immediately set the crowd around them into an eager and alert mode. Atty could only blink unbelievingly at her husband.

  “Hey, no fair! I’m middle heavy!”

  Slowly Yulen raised his hand and, with three fingers, gestured for her to come join him. He swung his sword in wide arches overhead to keep his muscles from tightening up. “Come on, Atty. Just a little practice to keep your arm limber.”

  “Yulen, what are you doing?” This came from Tory, who wanted it made known she didn’t like where this challenge was going.

  Ignoring her, the Battle Lord turned his head and issued a curt order to Mastin, who dropped his weapon and hurried off. Turning back around, he gave Atty a slow grin. “You’re quick with the mouth. Now let’s see if you can back all those words.”

  To the crowd’s surprise, Atty got to her feet and proceeded toward the circle. “All right,” she acquiesced. “But I want it on the record that you waited until I was under a severe handicap before you issued the challenge. What’s the matter, Yulen? Afraid that when I was still skinny you couldn’t best me?”

  The soldiers roared with laughter as Mastin finally returned with the two foils he’d procured from the wall inside the main lodge. Yulen thanked him as he took the
weapons and made sure the tips were securely covered. Giving his wife a smile, he tossed one to her.

  “You told me once you detested a sword because of its weight. Fair enough. But you also mentioned you’d gotten quite good with a foil. Well, I know for a fact you haven’t had a chance to renew your acquaintance with the weapon, and I haven’t worked with one for a couple of years. So we should be pretty much on equal footing, my love. Now, nothing daring. Nothing dangerous. The tips are nicely blunted.” He saluted her, then waited.

  Atty stared at her weapon, then glanced up at him. She dropped her coat on the ground and took a stance. “What if I still manage to kick your butt?” she mocked him, laughing.

  “Are you still willing to make that wager, my love?”

  “Damn right, I am.”

  Yulen chuckled. “What could I possibly have that I wouldn’t already give you willingly?”

  “Our son’s name.”

  The announcement caught everyone off-guard. Lifting an eyebrow, Yulen asked for clarification. “You want to give our son his name, without me saying yea or nay on the matter?”

  Atty nodded. “Yeah.”

  “And if I win, the same condition applies? I get to name him, without you being able to agree or disagree on my choice?”

  “Fair enough.”

  “Okay. I accept your terms. En guarde, my love.”

  They crossed tips, and Yulen backed off slightly to give her a little more room. From the first thrust, he realized she was better than he’d expected, and he chided himself for once again underestimating his wife’s abilities.

  Although the added weight in her belly made her slower than she normally would be, she still managed to keep him on his toes. Several times she almost managed to peg him, but Yulen danced out of her range at the last second. The group of bystanders cheered and jeered and kept their bets going as to who would win. In the meantime, Yulen kept his eyes drilled on her to make sure she didn’t over-extend herself. This was meant to be all in fun, and nothing more.