Bee Among the Clover (206 page)

Roman bowed his head, the sobs he’d been holding back shaking his body. What were they going to do now? Aron had returned, but he was even more unreachable than ever. He’d heard Wulfgar’s words; as long as Aron’s indenture continued, Roman had no doubt Wulfgar would keep them separated. He’d remain in the slaves’ quarters, and Aron would be by Wulfgar’s side, and the most they could hope for was to catch an occasional glimpse of each other.
He pulled himself together, dragging the back of his hand over his cheeks. It would be in his own best interests to be out of sight when the thane returned. He paused to examine the burn. It was puffy and red, blisters already forming, obscuring the mark. He gritted his teeth as he began getting dressed, the brush of cloth over his brand sending fresh waves of pain over him. By the time he was done, he was sweating again.
Roman hauled himself to his feet and cast a glance at Wulfgar’s room. His herbs and clean bandages were in there, but he didn’t dare enter to retrieve them. He would have to barter with the other slaves to see if he could get what he needed. He began to hobble toward the door, holding onto the wall for support. The slaves’ quarters were quite a distance behind the hall, and the gate was in the opposite direction. He could hear the crowd jeering, and he bit his lip hard to hold back his scream of rage against them as he turned his back on Aron’s own trial and made his painful journey to his place of exile.