Page 39 (1/2)

Back at the Brotherhood mansion, No&039;One sat upon the bed she shared with Tohr on the duvet next to her, her shift covering her flesh

Silent So silent this room ithout him

Wherever was he?

When she had returned herein following her work down in the training center, she had expected to find hi upon her, warm and mayhap asleep upon the duvet Instead, the covers were all arranged, the pillows ordered at the headboard, the extra comforter, the one he used to warm himself, still folded neatly at the foot of the ht rooym Nor had he been in the kitchen when she had stopped briefly to gather a refreshment for herself Or the billiards room or library

And he had not appeared for First Meal, either

The knob turned and she ju exhale Her blood in the warrior&039;s body announced his arrival even before his scent came upon her nose or his body filled the jambs

He still didn&039;t have a shirt on Or boots upon his feet

And his stare was dark and desolate as the corridors of Dhund

"Where have you been," she whispered

He ducked both her eyes and the question by going into the bathroo"

As the shower caathered her robe and drew it over her shoulders, knowing that he was uncomfortable with her in any manner of undress out of bed But that wasn&039;t the cause of his mood; he&039;d been as such afore he&039;d even looked her way

His beloved, she thought It had to have so to do with his beloved

And she should probably leave him be

But she did not

When he came out, he had a torapped around his hips, and he went directly to the closet without sparing her a glance Propping a palm on the doorjamb, he opened up and leaned in, the na fixture above hi out He hung his head and fell still

"I went home today," he said abruptly

"Today? As in during the daylight hours?"

"Fritz took ht of him exposed to sunshine - Wait, hadn&039;t they lived together here?

"We had our own place," he said "We didn&039;t stay here with everyone else"

So this was not his mated room Or hisfurther, she pro Absolutely fucking nothing"

"It had been es?"

"No, I left it all exactly as it was the night she died Down to the dishes that are clean in the dishwasher, the ht before she took off for the last tiht

"I went there looking for her, and all I got was an exhibition of the past"

"But you are never far from her - your Wellesandra is ever with you She breathes in your heart"

Tohrment pivoted around, his eyes hooded, intense "Not like she used to"

Abruptly, she straightened under his gaze Fiddled with the edge of her robe Crossed her legs Uncrossed the at me like that"

"I want to fuck you That&039;s why I went back hoh-octane shock, Tohr didn&039;t bother to teies or any kind of fanfare He was just too done with everything: fighting his body, arguing with destiny, wrestling with an inevitability that he had been refusing to yield to for too long

Standing in front of her, he was naked in a way that had nothing to do with a lack of clothes Naked and tired and hungry for her -

"Then you may have me," she said in a soft voice

As her words sank in, he felt himself pale "Do you understand what I said?"

"You were blunt enough"

"You&039;re supposed to tell o to hell"

There was a short pause "Well, we do not have to proceed"

No rancor No begging No disappointment - it was all about him and where he was at

How could she be so kind? he wondered

"I don&039;t want to hurt you," he said, feeling like he wanted to return the favor

"You won&039;t I know you are still in love with your mate, and I do not blame you What you had with her is a once-in-a-lifetime love"

"What about you?"

"I have no need or desire to take her place And I accept you just as you are, in any fashion you choose to come to me Or not, if that is the way it must be"

Tohr cursed as a part of his pain unexpectedly eased "That isn&039;t fair to you"

"Yes, it is I ah - and more than I could ever have expected out of my fate These past few months have been a co for If it oes further then I am luckier than I deserve And if it puts you in some small way at peace then I have served my only purpose"

As she fell silent, that quiet dignity of hers slayed him, it truly did And it ith a sense of utter unreality that he walked over to her, bent down and took her face into his pal her cheek with his thumb, he stared into her eyes "You are" His voice broke "You are such a female of worth"

No&039;One put her hands up to his thick wrists, her touch soft and light "Listen to my words and believe them Do not worry about me Take care of your heart and your soul first - that is whatin front of her, he worked his way in between her legs, filling the space he created with his body As alith her, he felt both aard and at ease being so close

With his eyes, he traced her face, that beautiful, kind face And then he zeroed in on her lips

Moving slowly, he leaned in, not really sure what the hell he was doing He had never kissed her Not once For all he knew about her body, he knew nothing of her mouth, and as her eyes flared, it was obvious she had never expected the inti his head to the side, he shut his lids and closed the distance until he met a whole lot of velvet

Softly, chastely, he pressed in and pulled back

Not enough

Dipping down again, he lingered at herThen he abruptly broke off the contact and shoved himself to his feet If he didn&039;t stop now, he wouldn&039;t at all, and he was already running late for Wrath and his brothers Besides, this wasn&039;t about a quick sex session

It was et dressed," he told her "I have to go"

"And I shall be here when you return If you wantaway, he wasted no ti his weapons, and as soon as he nabbed his leather jacket, he had every intention of going right out the door Instead, he stopped and looked at her She had her fingertips up to her lips, her eyes wide and full of wonder as if she had never felt anything even close to what she just had

He went back to the bed "Was that your first kiss?"

She blushed in theshyly to the carpet "Yes"

For ashe had been through