The Way He Said Her Name

Amory walked to the cabin where Yavanna was residing and found Rune talking with the healer. The small woman stank of dog. Rune flashed his eyes to meet his, "What did you do to that poor girl?"

Amory raised a brow at the anger in his voice. "I assure you that I was not the sole inflictor of injury."

"She has bruises all over her face and body, her neck has gotten the worst of it, and a cut on her thigh. You're her husband, it's your job to protect her!" His voice grew to a growl and Amory rolled his eyes.

"She's alive, is she not?"

"Barely." Rune spat, "You've let her be abused to the point that she's lost herself."

Amory raised his chin and blinked calmly. "There wasn't much of herself to begin with." A chilling wind was gusting off of the lake and up the slope, tossing both he and Rune's cloaks. The healer hugged her pelt closer to herself.

Without breaking his gaze from Amory, Rune said, "Go home, Danica." The healer nodded and walked away and into the trees. Amory stared after her for a moment before returning his attention to Rune. "Are you going back to your castle?" He asked.

Amory looked behind him when he heard the sound of water splashing inside the cabin. "No. I don't trust you."

"So what? You'll stay here and watch her?"

"She's my queen. And she belongs in that castle as well. I will stay here with her for the night, and we will return to Harkburg in the morning."

Rune's nostrils flared, "Fine. Just don't touch her. She's in shock, and she's been through too much."

Amory narrowed his eyes and watched as the dog walked up the slope and to his den. He felt suspicious of why the dog was being so protective of Yavanna until he realized that it must have been for Mirella.

He shrugged it off and walked up the single step and opened the door. His eyes flitted up when his senses came alive. His heart stopped and he felt his lungs compress and his mouth run dry.

Yavanna stood beside in the centre of the cabin covered scantily with a pelt, her body on the show. How could he have ever thought she wasn't enticing? He felt immense desire, and yet disgust. He shouldn't be feeling such things towards her. Yavanna. She wasn't attractive to him, yet…

His eyes trailed over her body of their own volition; her long legs glistening with water, the nest of hair that rested at the crux of her thighs that she attempted to cover with her hands. He raised his eyes quickly to the plane of her abdomen and her nearly bare breasts. His hands began to twitch at his sides and he began to look for something to distract him, so he looked at her face.

Her wide, round eyes. Lips pressed tightly together. Her long hair was dripping over her shoulders and down her back, her body covered with a small pelt.

She was uncomfortable. He was as well. He wanted to leave, the door was right behind him, but his feet were locked in her power. He'd fallen into her enchantment again and he could feel the walls closing in. He was allowing the trap to trap him.

He inhaled deeply and swallowed hard. To say he didn't find her attractive at that moment was a lie. To say he didn't want to run his hands down her skin and watch as her soft flesh flushed was a lie as well. And to say that he didn't want to plunge into her, that he didn't want to know how she would feel around his cock, was the greatest lie.

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Yavanna allowed the healer to treat her wounds all while staring into the fire. She pondered for a long time whether she was warm or cold. But she couldn't figure it out. She felt nothing.

"There you go. All patched up." The healer said and she began packing up her equipment. "The bath is still warm, if you'd like to clean yourself."

Yavanna nodded and the healer pulled out a pelt that she said could be used as a towel and a few soaps. Then she left and Yavanna was left alone in the dim cabin. She didn't feel like Yavanna; Yavanna usually had something to say or something to do. Whoever this person was, she had nothing to say or do.

She climbed into the tub and began to methodically wash her body then her hair. When she stepped out she reached for the pelt and began drying herself. She jumped upon hearing the door open and her eyes widened when she saw that the king was standing there, staring at her naked body unabashedly.

Her chest immediately clenched in distress and she clutched the pelt closer around her body. He was still looking at her; his blue eyes trailing over her skin. Her heart beat faster but nothing happened. Her feet didn't move and her hands stayed still. When his eyes dragged over her chest and up to her face she saw something she didn't like in them. Something heated.

'What are you doing here?' She wanted to ask. Or, 'Leave.' But she couldn't utter either of them and her body was becoming chilly just standing in the middle of the room.

"Are you not going to get dressed?" He finally asked and she shrank at the harshness to his tone.

'I'm certainly not going to get dressed with you watching.' She answered and began to back away and to the corner where a dresser stood. Her foot landed on something and it flew out from under her, she shrieked and shut her eyes, but the ground never came.

A few seconds passed with her attempting to catch her breath. Eventually she realized that she must still be conscious and she parted one eye open and looked up to see the king, directly above her. He was watching her with that same expression and she quickly scrambled out of his arms and he released her. Her eyes stayed locked on his for a long while before she snapped herself out of her stupor and lunged for the blankets.

"Get out." She rasped and he tilted his head as though confused by her words. She swallowed, her eyes going wider, "Please."

"Why, Yavanna?"

Her skin goodpebbled at the way he said her name. She allowed her eyes to become pleading and she saw something slip into his expression. He turned and left out the door and she sagged against the wall.

That event had drained what little energy she had left. Why had he stared at her in such a way? It must've been because of how ugly she was to him. But as she dressed herself in a warm nightgown she thought of his expression; it hadn't held an ounce of disgust in it.

She breathed out a slow breath as she crawled beneath the warm covers.

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IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ AUTHOR'S NOTE!

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