Here She Rules: The Chronicles of Erla: Book 1 (45 page)

“No, my friend. You and the others will now go to eat and then rest. If Lady Cassandra does not return, I will lead the unit which will find her, and another squad will leave now to retrieve our dead and to look for survivors. Time is of the essence!” Kara replied. The exhausted women rose and dispersed. Slaves carried Kara’s orders back to the warriors’ barracks.
 

Within half an hour, the lead warrior in charge of retrieval left Nera’s suite and headed up her warriors as they began their task to find the survivors and bring back their dead.
 

Kara and Nera paced restlessly across the room as they worried for their friend. A knock sounded at the door, and both women jumped. Kara raced to open it, hoping to see Cassie’s grin on the other side, but was met with the worried faces of Cassie’s slaves instead. Motioning them in, she stood back and let Nera handle the situation.

“Your Mistress has not yet returned,” Nera said, and their faces fell. She recounted an abbreviated version of the tale and watched fear and panic light their faces. “You will all return to your quarters and wait. I will brook no disobedience, so do not take it into your pretty heads to try and look for her yourselves. I will share information as often as possible.” Nera then dismissed them, and they filed out silently to return home and wait.

“Well done, Highness. I was afraid we would have an open revolt on our hands,” Kara said, smiling humorlessly.

“I will have to post a guard to watch them I think; they almost love her
too
much,” Nera said, smiling bitterly. “Tell me she will walk through those doors any minute now, Kara,” Nera nearly demanded as she looked Cassie’s Second-in-Command in the eyes.
 

“She could not be bested by a savage Trevian. She. Could. Not.” The Queen was close to tears.

“With your permission, I will go and ready my squad; it has been nearly an hour.” Kara purposely avoided her friend and monarch’s question and refused to meet her eyes.
 

“My Commander is a powerful warrior, and I know in my soul that she still lives,” Kara said, and bowing, she quickly left the room before her own misgivings led her to an emotional outburst. Within moments, she and her warriors were mounted and off to find their beloved Commander.

The woman stirred softly, eyes fluttering open. The room was softly lit by the fire burning low in the fireplace, so she was able to see that she was in a rustic, yet well-appointed bedchamber.

Snuggling back down into the warmth of the bed, she realized she was in the warm embrace of a man.
 

Sitting up, she looked down into his sleeping face and gasped softly.
 

The man was an angel! Long, white-blond hair spilled across the pillow, and the coverlet had fallen far enough down for his hip bones to be displayed, so she was able to see nearly every inch of his chiseled flesh. Brawny muscles covered his shoulders and chest, and they tapered down into a tight abdomen and an impossibly small waist. The only visible body hair was the white line that grew down from his belly button. Her breath escaped her as he shifted in his sleep, turning his head away from her. She couldn’t remember how she had gotten here, but it was evident that this man was her rescuer, and she thanked God for sending such a beautiful man to save her.
 

Her eyes lit on a goblet of water on the table next to the bed, and she reached carefully across him and slaked her thirst with the precious liquid. Her movements, though soft, woke him, and he looked up at her as she sat next to him on the bed.
 

His full lips quirked in a sweet, sleepy smile, and her belly quivered in response. She could not make out the color of his eyes in the dim light, but she could see they were dark and hot.

“How do you feel?” he inquired. His deep, husky voice sent tremors throughout her body, and when she opened her mouth to reply, no sound came out. Gulping softly, she nodded her head, her eyes dipping down to where the covers slid dangerously low.
 

Nall followed the line of her sight and laughed huskily as he adjusted the blankets more securely.

“The healer left a tincture which will ease any headache you may be having. What happened to you? How did you come to be horseless and lying face-down in my forest?”

“My head is better, though I could use some more water as I am so very thirsty. I’m hungry too. You wouldn’t happen to have any food available, would you?”
 

She eyed him hopefully, and he chuckled, reaching over and pouring water from the pitcher into her goblet and handing it to her.
 

“Sir, I cannot tell you how I got into this predicament. My oldest memory is of waking in the forest days ago with no memory. Then, I walked on and on, looking for someone who may be able to help me.” Handing him back the empty goblet, she folded her hands primly on her lap and lowered her eyes.
 

Nall’s mouth dropped open in astonishment.

“You mean to tell me you have no memory of who you are or where you have come from?” he gasped out, snapping his mouth shut.

“No, Sir. I evidently hit my head somehow and have lost my memory. I was hoping you would be able to help me—that you might know who I am.” She looked up at him earnestly with her exquisite eyes, which appeared richly green in the low lighting.
 

Nall stared at her. She was clad in a sleeveless, white nightshift. Her hair tumbled loose and wavy around her shoulders, and she was looking at him with such a nervous, sweet look. It was totally contrary to the woman he knew so well. It was almost as if this wasn’t Cassandra at all.
 

A dark thought came over Nall, and he sat speechless, staring at her as he considered it. As they locked eyes and she smiled sweetly at him, all sense of what was right fled. No one at this outpost had ever met Lady Cassandra of Erla, and it was removed enough to allow him to keep her here secluded and away from the outside world for an indefinite amount of time. His conscience pained him at the thought, but when her hand clutched his and her face twisted in concern, he put his conscience aside and smiled at her.

“Is something the matter?” she asked, stroking the back of his hand gently.

“No, nothing. I am just wondering what I shall do with you, My Lady.” He grinned devilishly at her, and she blushed deeply. Nall was enchanted by her embarrassment. “I am Nall, Prince of Serlenn. I discovered you in the forest and had you brought here. My healer has seen you and has assured me you will be well, so have no fear regarding your health.”

“Thank you, My Lord. So, I have been rescued by a handsome prince,” she said, grinning at him mischievously, “and now, I find myself in his bed.” Her eyes sparkled in the firelight, and a renewed surge of desire shot through him.

“Indeed you do, My Lady. Hmm.” He smiled wickedly and ran a finger across her lower lip, pleased to see an answering flare of desire in her eyes.
 

Suddenly, she laughed and he joined her in her laughter.

“My Lord Prince, I thank you for rescuing me. I wish I could tell you who I am or where I have come from, but I cannot even give you a name to call me.” Suddenly, she put her hand to her head as pain shot through it.

“Here, you must take some of the medicine the healer left; it will help.” Nall rose from the bed in all his naked glory in order to retrieve the tincture and bring her a dose.
 

Her eyes took in every detail of his gorgeous body and gasped as his manhood reacted to her gaze. She dragged her eyes to his, and he laughed at her surprised expression.
 

“Lady, how else am I to respond when you ravish me with your gaze?” he asked, grinning.

“My Lord, how am I to respond when you stand there naked and so desirable?” she quipped and then grinned right back at him. Nall laughed and pulled on his pants. She loved the sound of his laughter; it was deep and warm.

“I will remove the temptation, then. I wouldn’t want you to lose control of your senses . . . yet.” His grin turned wicked and one eyebrow lifted. “I will go and find you some food. It appears to be nearly dawn, and the cook should already be working.”
 

He put on some fur-lined slippers and a coat, throwing a smile her way as he left the room.

She rose and went to the fire, stirring it before she put more wood onto it. The flames blazed up, and she went back to the warmth of the bed. She snuggled into the depression left by his body and inhaled his scent, dozing while she waited for his return.

Nall strode to the kitchens, struggling with his conscience the whole way. Guilt and love battled within him. He could say nothing and keep her or tell her and lose her. If he kept her and her memory eventually returned, then she would hate him and leave. If he told her, then she would leave now. He nearly ran into the little healer in his distraction.

“Your Highness, how is our patient?” the little man asked.

“She is awake and seems well. She has lost her memory from the head injury, and when she tried to call on her memory, it caused her pain. I gave her the tincture, though. Tell me, will she recover her memory, do you think?” Nall asked.
 

The healer scratched his head slowly.

“No memory whatsoever?” Nall shook his head. “I have heard of this, but I have never heard of someone regaining what they’ve lost. I will send a letter to a healer further north; it seems to me he has had experience with this type of injury.”

“So you are telling me she may never regain her memory, then?” Hope and guilt flared in Nall’s chest.

“It may be so. Time will tell. I will go check on her now,” the man said.

“Very well. She is asking for food, and I go now to get her something to eat,” Nall replied.

“Well, well, she has our Prince playing page for her already. How interesting,” the little man teased, and Nall smiled in return.

“I believe her to be well worth it, my friend.” Nall turned and headed back towards the kitchens in search of her food.
 

The healer grinned and rubbed his head again as he made his way to the Prince’s quarters. When he entered, he saw the woman on the bed, and when she saw him, she sat up slowly. There was no fear in her direct gaze—only curiosity.

“I am the healer, child. I have just spoken with the Prince, and he tells me you have no memory prior to your head injury.” She nodded at the little man.
 

The man approached and did a quick exam. He looked into her eyes and checked her head wound.
 

“Everything looks good. The Prince said you experienced pain when you tried to remember. Did the potion help?”

“Yes, sir. It did. Do you think I will regain my memory?” she asked.

“I do not know. I will write to a fellow healer who has more experience with this type of condition and see what advice he has. In the meantime . . .”

“In the meantime, you will be a very welcome guest of the Prince of Serlenn. Have no fear,” Nall said as he came into the room followed by maids who carried trays of food and tea.
 

She smiled at him and rose from the bed to sit at a table by the fire where he had indicated. The maids lay the trays down and set a plate in front of her, heaping it with food before laying another plate out for their Prince and then setting a hot cup of herbal tea and a cold mug of milk in front of them both.

Nall sat across from her and returned her smile.

“You should rest today, my dear. Remain in bed, keep warm, and get as much sleep as you can. I will come again tomorrow to see about you.” The little healer bowed to Nall as he left. “The snow falls heavily today, Your Highness,” he said significantly as he pulled the door closed behind himself and the departing maids.

“I believe that is his way of telling me I should stay in and watch over you,” Nall said wryly, and she smiled around a mouthful of food.
 

Nall watched her eat her meal with a voracious appetite and wondered just how long she had been without adequate nourishment. She did appear thinner, and her muscles stood out in stark relief against her frame.
 

He ate slowly as she worked steadily through the food on her plate, finally leaning back and groaning as she rubbed her full belly. She belched softly, and her hand flew up to cover her mouth as she blushed and bit her lip in embarrassment.
 

Nall threw back his head and laughed heartily, increasing her embarrassment to the point that she threw her napkin at him. Finally, Nall stood and offered her his hand and led her back to the bed.

“You are a very good nursemaid—if a somewhat rude breakfast partner,” she said, wrinkling her nose at him.

“Me, rude? You were the one who belched loud enough for the entire fortress to hear!”

“I did not!” she seethed in mock indignation.
 

Nall watched as she settled herself into his soft down-filled mattress, pulling the covers up around herself. Her eyes were drifting shut when she held a hand out to him.
 

“Will you stay with me again, Your Highness?” Her drowsy blue-green eyes, pleaded with him. Unable to resist, Nall slid out of his shoes and pants and slipped naked into her waiting arms. She fell asleep quickly with her head pillowed on his broad chest.