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52
“I don’t care. I don’t want to learn to ride it. I’d rather walk!”
There was only one cure for her defeatist attitude. “I never thought you were weak.”
She gasped and rounded on him. “How dare you! It wasn’t my idea to come to your stupid planet in the first place.” She swatted a bug unwise enough to land on her cheek. “Look at this place! It’s barely civilized. I should have run back while I had the chance.”
In a low, ominous tone, he told her, “We all have regrets.” He turned and walked away.
She watched him go. Had he meant what s
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Scent of Danger 53
Their loving was angry and needy, tender yet fierce. Time and again she had bury her face in his shoulder to muffle her screams of pleasure. If possible, it was even better than the first time.He deliberately made it last for a long, long while.When they were finished she was naked, sweaty, unable to move. Limp and exhausted, she lay draped over his chest where he’d put her. Though she couldn’t forget her lingering resentment at him, he’d certainly proved she still wanted him. Still, the original problem remained unresolved.Mathin stroked her silken back, temporarily sated, but unhappy. She still hadn’t forgiven him. Inexperienced as he was with long term relationships
Scent of Danger 54
“Is there a lot of protocol and stuff I ought to know? I mean, I’m not exactly princess material.”He laughed and nuzzled her throat. “You’ll do fine, my love. Don’t worry so.”Andrea shrugged her shoulder, dislodging him. “I’m serious! What’s expected of a...what am I now, anyway?”“Lady wife. And as for what’s expected...you can have charge of running the household affairs of the citadel, if you like.”“You want me to be a housewife?” she inquired dryly. It didn’t sound like much of a challenge. She felt him smile again
Scent of Danger 55
Aghast, Andrea stared at the items as if they were instruments of torture. “Don’t you remember? I nearly flunked sewing.” Visions of ugly granny squares danced in her head.Matilda sniffed. “Every self-respecting woman should know how to crochet and sew. Besides, where do you think you’re going to find baby clothes in this wasteland? There are no stores.”A flush of heat warmed Andrea from her shoulders to the tips of her ears. “Grandma!”“Don’t be a ninny, girl. I know what you’ve been up to. Now be quiet and listen.”Someone coughed, and there was m
Scent of Danger 56
“What did you do?” Startled by her own voice, she looked down, confirming the damage. Hands trembling, she lifted them. The age spots and fragile look of raised veins had completely disappeared. One hand flew to her mouth, the back pressed against her lips.Scared at Matilda’s drastic reaction, Andrea quickly fetched a mirror, hoping to reassure her. “It’s okay, Grandma. The symbiont just made you young again.”Matilda took the glass and stared at it, stone still. Then she threw it, shattering it against the side of the wagon, narrowly missing Raziel’s thigh. “How could you?” Tears of fury welling in her eyes, she rushed past Andrea and into the woods.
Scent of Danger 57
A root tripped her up, and Matilda immediately placed a supporting hand under her elbow. Grateful for the help, Andrea looked up and saw Mathin coming toward her, concern on his face.She stumbled in her haste to avoid him. “No.”Confused, he stopped. “I just want to help.”“No! I’m fine. I don’t need help.” Before he could stop her, she stumbled to the wagon and clambered up the ladder.Concerned, Mathin tried to follow.Matilda grabbed his arm. “Don’t. You’ll just make it worse. Gi
Scent of Danger 58
“Your father’s brothers and your cousins have argued for some time over who should succeed you should you die without issue.” Tomlin looked at Andrea as he picked and raised his brows.“Not yet.” Mathin said quietly. He wouldn’t have Andrea pressured into an attempt to conceive.A grunt expressed Tomlin’s thoughts on that. “Pity. One of your more hotheaded cousins has stepped forward to assume the roll. Although no one’s officially endorsed his claim, none have refuted it. He’s made much noise about assuming your duties in your absence. We expect him to make a show here before the storms hit.”“Do you?” Mathin asked, v
Scent of Danger 59
Puzzled, she halted and looked him. “I’ve got to get something to clean this up.”He slowly shook his head. “I don’t think you grasp the scope of your new duties. You’ve got far too much to do to finish by yourself, and Mathin never meant for you to be down on your knees scrubbing. We’ll go to the village, hire girls with mops, buy supplies and return here so you can take a tour and see what else needs to be done.”Since he seemed to know more of what was expected than she did, Andrea followed him into the village, doing most of the talking at his insistence. Soon she had four girls and a strapping young man marching off to the castle to battle the chaos under Matilda’s supervision.
Scent of Danger 60
By the time she sat down to a simple dinner of stew and flatbread with Matilda and Raziel, she was almost too tired to eat. Matilda wasn’t much better. They’d put in a hard day cleaning up the worst of the citadel, making it livable if not cozy. New bedding covered the two mattresses they’d been able to scrounge up, with more promised for delivery over the next several days. Jell candles lit the table, since the lighting system still wasn’t repaired. Even the table was only a makeshift affair, nothing more than a couple of wide planks propped on boxes. More crates served as seats.Mathin still hadn’t come home.It wasn’t very good, but Andrea finished her stew anyway, too hungry to worry about it. With luck, she could find someone wi
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