completely—naked.
“Oh, right. Which one was he? I’m assuming he was one of the younger ones. The dark-haired one? With dark eyes?”
I crossed my arms across my middle and tried to stay calm and unaffected by the fact that if I turned around I might see all of his naked body. I’d never seen one before and I had to admit to myself that I was incredibly curious—especially about his.
“Why haven’t you married him yet?”
“I only just accepted him.”
“I see. Why is it that your race waits to marry? If you decide you want to marry someone, why not do it then and there?”
I sighed. “Will you please cover yourself so I can turn around?”
“Go ahead. I’m decent.”
I turned around and saw him lying in bed with a fur blanket over his middle and his upper thighs. “Please tell me you’re wearing something other than that blanket?”
“Would you like to take a peek?” he said without a smile. I couldn’t tell if he was teasing me or not. I assumed he was, but then again…
Frowning, I propped my hands on my hips. “Please behave.”
“Fine. Now answer my question.”
“I don’t know,” I began. “It’s just the way we do things. We get engaged and plan a wedding and then we have a ceremony a fortnight later. We invite friends and family and celebrate with food and wine. The husband and his bride then ride off to their new home on horseback. It’s quite a big event really.”
“It sounds riveting.”
“You’re making fun.”
The corners of his eyes crinkled and his face softened as he smiled brighter and wider than I’d ever seen him. It made my heart quicken and my muscles ache in places that made me tingle. “So tell me, Remmie, what do your people do when they decide to marry?”
“If I want a woman forever I would tell her and we’d be done with it. She’d cut my hair and keep it as a token and I’d enter her over and over until I fell asleep.”
My eyes widened and my jaw dropped. “Please, sir, you can spare me those details.”
“And your fiancé won’t be entering you on your wedding night?”
“Can we not talk about anyone entering anyone else right now? Or ever? Please.”
“Suit yourself.” He shifted in bed and closed his eyes, yawning widely before rubbing his chest with his hand. For a second I imagined his hand as mine. I shook my head furiously to stop myself.
“The ink on yours arms and neck? Does it really indicate how many men you’ve killed?”
He stared at me so long that I had to look away. Just when I assumed he wouldn’t respond, he did.
“Your people call us savages. They assume we are ruthless and have no hearts. That we kill all that stand in our way.”
“Don’t you?”
He scoffed and put his hands behind his head. The muscles in his arms stretched and expanded, causing the tingling low and deep in my stomach to return. It made me want to sit, to cross my legs, to run away. Anything but stay here and look at him for another second. I didn’t trust myself with him.
“Those of us with a speck of a conscience mark our flesh to remind us of the lives we have taken and the families we’ve affected. I can kill without hesitation, but that doesn’t mean when I have a moment to think about my actions that I don’t wish things turned out differently. Taking someone’s life is not easy. To see the life drain from their eyes…” Remmie glanced at the window and his face changed. It softened somehow. “Well,” he continued, “it’s the hardest part of who I am and what I do.”
“And James?”
“He’s the only man I’ll never regret killing. I’d have pissed on his body if I thought the others wouldn’t stop me. I’ll not mark my skin for him.”
“So the marks aren’t at all like trophies.”
He looked at me like I’d slapped him. “It’s amazing the lies your race believe about mine.”
I suppose it really was. I knew nothing about these men, other than what I’d read, and I’d believed it all. I was almost
“Oh, right. Which one was he? I’m assuming he was one of the younger ones. The dark-haired one? With dark eyes?”
I crossed my arms across my middle and tried to stay calm and unaffected by the fact that if I turned around I might see all of his naked body. I’d never seen one before and I had to admit to myself that I was incredibly curious—especially about his.
“Why haven’t you married him yet?”
“I only just accepted him.”
“I see. Why is it that your race waits to marry? If you decide you want to marry someone, why not do it then and there?”
I sighed. “Will you please cover yourself so I can turn around?”
“Go ahead. I’m decent.”
I turned around and saw him lying in bed with a fur blanket over his middle and his upper thighs. “Please tell me you’re wearing something other than that blanket?”
“Would you like to take a peek?” he said without a smile. I couldn’t tell if he was teasing me or not. I assumed he was, but then again…
Frowning, I propped my hands on my hips. “Please behave.”
“Fine. Now answer my question.”
“I don’t know,” I began. “It’s just the way we do things. We get engaged and plan a wedding and then we have a ceremony a fortnight later. We invite friends and family and celebrate with food and wine. The husband and his bride then ride off to their new home on horseback. It’s quite a big event really.”
“It sounds riveting.”
“You’re making fun.”
The corners of his eyes crinkled and his face softened as he smiled brighter and wider than I’d ever seen him. It made my heart quicken and my muscles ache in places that made me tingle. “So tell me, Remmie, what do your people do when they decide to marry?”
“If I want a woman forever I would tell her and we’d be done with it. She’d cut my hair and keep it as a token and I’d enter her over and over until I fell asleep.”
My eyes widened and my jaw dropped. “Please, sir, you can spare me those details.”
“And your fiancé won’t be entering you on your wedding night?”
“Can we not talk about anyone entering anyone else right now? Or ever? Please.”
“Suit yourself.” He shifted in bed and closed his eyes, yawning widely before rubbing his chest with his hand. For a second I imagined his hand as mine. I shook my head furiously to stop myself.
“The ink on yours arms and neck? Does it really indicate how many men you’ve killed?”
He stared at me so long that I had to look away. Just when I assumed he wouldn’t respond, he did.
“Your people call us savages. They assume we are ruthless and have no hearts. That we kill all that stand in our way.”
“Don’t you?”
He scoffed and put his hands behind his head. The muscles in his arms stretched and expanded, causing the tingling low and deep in my stomach to return. It made me want to sit, to cross my legs, to run away. Anything but stay here and look at him for another second. I didn’t trust myself with him.
“Those of us with a speck of a conscience mark our flesh to remind us of the lives we have taken and the families we’ve affected. I can kill without hesitation, but that doesn’t mean when I have a moment to think about my actions that I don’t wish things turned out differently. Taking someone’s life is not easy. To see the life drain from their eyes…” Remmie glanced at the window and his face changed. It softened somehow. “Well,” he continued, “it’s the hardest part of who I am and what I do.”
“And James?”
“He’s the only man I’ll never regret killing. I’d have pissed on his body if I thought the others wouldn’t stop me. I’ll not mark my skin for him.”
“So the marks aren’t at all like trophies.”
He looked at me like I’d slapped him. “It’s amazing the lies your race believe about mine.”
I suppose it really was. I knew nothing about these men, other than what I’d read, and I’d believed it all. I was almost
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