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Chapter 34

       I watched with a small pout as Eirik turned to climb off the large bed, the bare muscles of his back flashing daringly across my vision. He had only been back for a couple of hours, but was already forcing both of us awake.

       Not that I minded watching his half-naked body walk around the room. I blushed at the thought and curled my fingers into the blankets still draped around my waist.

       He only wore black cotton shorts to sleep, and I could tell he did it for my benefit alone. If watching him continuously toss, and turn, and throw the blankets on and off all night was anything to go by. My gaze followed him in awe, watched as his skin tightened and pulled over various muscles with every movement. It should be a sin to be that beautiful.

       "You look like him." I hadn't meant to say the thought out loud, and regretted the words as soon as they passed my lips. My cheeks stained a bright, dangerous red as he turned to me with one dark eyebrow raised.

       "Like who?"

       I kept my eyes focused at anything but his. I gulped, my palms sweating nervously as the ruby warmed against my chest. Would it be weird to admit he looked almost exactly like the other man I had been dreaming of? Of the one my heart seemed to beat nearly as ecstatic for as it did for Eirik?

       "Uh, um..." I sat up nervously, and ran a shaky hand through my long, dark hair, my cheeks hot with nerves. I caught a glimpse of his lips pulling into a small smile, his blue eyes flashing against the pale light of dawn.

       "Adranus?" He chuckled, and I glanced over at him long enough to see the light slowly fade from those blue eyes. "He is, technically, a part of me. I suppose it would be natural for us to look alike."

       That made sense, of course it would, but I was just surprised at the calm, almost bored manner, he seemed to take on the subject. "I am curious though," He started softly, those strong, warm hands of his pulling a plain, black shirt over his handsome head. "How you know what he looks like." The light in his eyes were back, but it was more sneaky than anything.

       "Are you remembering a past life, my Emrie? Or, maybe, receiving interesting little visions?"

       I bit my lip and glanced away as that large body of his leaned causally against the wall beside the bed, his bright gaze staring unwaveringly down at me. "I don't... I don't really know."

       Which wasn't a lie. Just because I was dreaming of the god, didn't make the visions real. They could possibly not look anything alike, and I was just portraying Eirik as him for my heart's benefit.

       "Hm..." His voice was low, but his tone came out as a mocking thoughtfulness, one that didn't settle easily in my stomach. I glared at him as he leaned off the wall and walked over to the large wardrobe on the other side of the room.

       "Aeyron, Delos, and I will be busy searching the Mountain today. Terif and the others will be around if you need them, or me."

       I watched with a small frown as he grabbed those signature black pants from the drawer and turn towards the bath chambers. "North..." I called softly as he opened the door and stepped in. He paused and turned back to look at me with those bright blues.

       "Why do I always feel like you know more than what you want me to believe you do?"

       His gaze darkened at my words, but his lips pulled into a small, sad, smile as he turned back towards the bathroom. "Have a good day, my little Emrie."

-&-

       "There you are! I have been looking all over for you." I smiled at the large General walking casually down the grand staircase, his hands resting deep in his pants pockets.

       He paused half way down a step, his strong shoulders going rigid as I hurried after him. I had just started down the steps when I heard him let out a long, drawn out sigh, before starting down the stairs once again.

       "Did Finn not tell you I was looking for you?" I asked Terif casually when I finally caught up with him, but he didn't even spare me a glance.

       "He did." He all but growled beside me, those golden eyes pointed forwards as his tensed framed stayed angled away from mine. I stared up at him with a frown, but he refused to acknowledge it as he continued stomping down the stairs.

       "Have you been busy then?"

       "No."

       There was a harsh snap in his tone, one that only made my frown turn into a small pout as I lifted my dress away from my feet. He couldn't possibly still be upset about me going to the cave. That was days ago, and even Eirik had forgiven me.

       "Are you mad at me- AH!" I shrieked when the dress I hadn't pulled up enough snagged beneath my foot, and I started to fall face first down the few stairs that were left.

       Terif's hand shot out of nowhere and wrapped tightly around my upper arm before yanking me back to a standing position beside him. His golden eyes were blazing in fury. "Fucking damn it, Emrie!" He snapped and ripped his hand from my arm to run it viciously through his hair.

       "Can you not do anything without having to be fucking saved all the time?!"

       I blinked up at him with wide, startled, eyes as he turned from me and stomped brutishly down the rest of the steps. I watched as his large, angry form stalked away the second he hit the main floor.

       Okay then...

       I had no idea what I did to prompt such anger from him this time, and despite the tight feeling at the back of my throat, I tried to push the little encounter to the back of my mind. The last thing I needed was to be worrying about his temper when I was too busy dealing with North and Adranus.

       I gripped onto the handrail beside me for some form of balance, before lowering gently to the step where my ankle was now throbbing. I let a pout breech my lips, just because I could, and lifted the skirts of my dress high enough to rub a soothing hand around the dull ache. Well, isn't that just perfect?

       "My lady."

       My eyes snapped up to the large, still brooding male in front of me, although his golden eyes had softened some. "Come back to yell at me some more, have you?" I grumbled before dropping my gaze back down to my ankle. I had twisted it just barely, and could already feel the pain start to fade away.

       I heard him let out another long sigh, before crouching down in front of me, his knees resting a few steps below mine. "I am sorry, Lady Emrie." His voice was just as grumbly as mine, but I knew the apology in his eyes was genuine enough.

       "I do not mean to take out my grievances against you, and yet I always do."

       My eyes flickered up and locked with his, although that dark, saddened look in his golden gaze did not ease the nerves in my stomach. That was the most genuine, and remorseful I had ever seen him.

       "What grievances?" I asked softly as his hands pushed mine out of the way to feel the small bruise of my ankle himself.

       "They do not matter." He grumbled more to himself than me, as his eyes scanned the no-longer hurting bone. "You only twisted it a little. It should be fine in an hour or so."

       "I figured. Thank you." I sighed as he stood to his feet once again, his hand reaching down to help me to my own. I gave him a small smile and let him ease me to my feet.

       It was quiet between us for a few moments after that, and he held onto my arm to help me down the rest of the stairs, no matter how many times I reassured him I was fine. "I am not mad at you." He finally spoke again when my feet hit the main floor and he let go of my arm.

       "I have a hard time believing that."

       He rolled his eyes before pocketing his hands once again. "I grow angered at your decisions, and at your mannerisms." He paused, cast a thoughtful look down the hall, then nodded his head. "And at your blatant disregard for anything you're told-"

       "Gee, that sure doesn't sound like you're mad at me at all-"

       "But I have a hard time being mad at you specifically."

       The frustration his previous comments brought, seemed to fade away as those eyes softened again. "Is there a reason you wanted to see me?" He asked casually, his tone trying a little too hard to seem nonchalant.

       "Yes, I was hoping we could talk for a while." I spoke softly as I let my hands ease out the wrinkles on the front of my dress.

       "About what?"

       I shrugged at his raised eyebrow, and let my gaze flicker around the main, grand, foyer. I had no idea how I was going to approach the whole 'healing me' topic, or if I even wanted to, and I definitely knew asking about his lost-mate was probably a no-go. But I couldn't help the sharp curiosity strumming through me.

       "About anything really. I rather miss your company." Which wasn't a total lie. I loved spending time with Aeyron, and even though Terif and I had our rough spots, I did enjoy some of the time we had once spent together.

       He snorted, and I could practically feel his want to roll his eyes again as he turned towards the hall opposite the stairs. I followed slowly after him. "Now, that I find hard to believe."

       "It's true." I grumbled at his large back as he kept just a few feet in front of me. He shot me a look over his shoulder before slowing down.

       "Why do I have the feeling you want something?"

       I shrugged again, just because I wasn't sure how to answer that. I did want something, answers, even if it was only out of curiosity. He shook his head, and grumbled something under his breath before running his large hand through his hair. "Alright. Let's take a walk." I couldn't hide my elated smile as I fell into step beside him, and the tension in his shoulders slowly eased.

       We walked in silence for a while, not with a set destination, that I knew of at least. Terif seemed to be off in his own little world, and it wasn't too hard to get lost in my own.

       Eirik had gone off to search for the missing seer hours ago, and I couldn't help but worry for him. He had Aeyron and the others, but what if something happened and I wasn't there with the gold power to save him? If he got hurt and then didn't bring him back in time? I shuddered.

       "North told me about how you saved my life in the Lower Kingdom." I finally broke the silence between us, even if it wasn't in the easiest way possible. I just had to get out of the dark thoughts my mind had fallen into. His large body tensed beside me once again.

       "Did he now?" His voice came out as a disgruntled growl as his hand reached up to run through his disheveled hair once again. A nervous habit, I noted. His bright eyes refused to glance over at mine, and his brow furrowed in what looked like frustration.

       "Yes, and I know I've thanked you before, but I never realized the extent of the matter-"

       "Stop. Just stop." His voice wasn't hard, nor angry like I was used to, but rather- tired. "The situation was handled, and I would rather just leave it at that."

       "You saved my life, Terif." I spoke low, soft even, as I reached between us to lay a gentle hand on his upper arm. He stepped away from me.

       "I bit you, that is a betrayal-"

       "Of the highest regard. I know, but that doesn't change the fact that it saved my life. And for that, I will be eternally grateful." He let out a displeased growl and paused just beside a large bay window etched into the castle's stone wall, his golden stare glancing down at the world hidden in the darkness of the night.

       "North should have never forgiven me." He admitted softly a moment later, his voice nearly as distant as his gaze.

       "Don't say that." I murmured as I leaned against the stone wall behind the window, and glanced down at the dimly lit town shining below us.

       "It is true. He should have thrown me from the council, from the kingdom. He should have killed me." There was a dark snarl to his voice, and a heavy set in his gaze. It made my stomach flip painfully.

       "I would have never forgiven him." Which was one hundred percent true. I knew how serious they took their customs, and traditions. Knew how important mates were, but if Eirik had actually killed him over it, I would have never given him a chance.

       "I know." He said on a haggard sigh before turning away from the window and leaning heavily against the stone wall. "Which I'm sure is part of the reason why he did not."

       I didn't respond to that disgruntled remark, and copied his stance on the other side of the window. "For all his rough personas, I fear the King cares too much for you and the others to ever kill you."

       He made a sound close to a snort and scoff before crossing his thick arms over his chest. "What you must understand, Lady Emrie," He started low, his voice gruff as his eyes flashed over to mine. "Is that North will do anything when it comes to you. Will do anything for you."

       That heat that I was becoming way too familiar with stained my cheeks as I forced my gaze from his. It was hard believing that North held such high feelings for me, no matter how many times he told me so.

       "Even if he has to kill one of us."

       The delighted flutter in my stomach died as his voice turned somber once again. North would never kill one of the General's because of me, he couldn't. They meant too much to him, and he to them.

       "Yes, well," I cleared my throat to get rid of the dark tension that suddenly filled the hall, and rolled my shoulders as he glanced over at me. "I understand the risk you took in healing me, so again, um, thank you."

       His sudden laugh threw me off guard, and my eyes snapped to his on their own accord. "You need to stop thanking me. I would have saved you regardless of the risk."

       "Yes, because North wouldn't have handled my death well-"

       "Because, besides how much you annoy me, I am rather fond of you."

       I jumped at his words, and my eyes grew wide as I watched him run his hand down his hard face. I knew Aeyron always said that the grumpy General had a soft spot for me, but I never believed it before. I'm still not sure if I believed it.

       "I didn't save you because the King demanded it. I did it because I didn't want you to die."

       His jaw was shut tight, and his golden eyes seemed to glow in the dim light of the hall. His words were soft enough, but his face looked tense and poised for an argument. I bit my lip and glanced away. So, he actually did have a soft heart. Who would have thought?

       "Perhaps that is another reason why he did not punish me." He murmured thoughtfully before leaning back against the wall once again.

       I didn't know what to say after that, so I stayed silent and wrung my hands together. If I talked, I feared it would disrupt the words he kept speaking. I never expected him to share so much, and I doubted after this conversation he ever would again.

       "How did... How did you become a General?" I asked softly a moment later, the tension between us slowly fading away. I caught his shrug out of the corner of my eye.

       "I did not see any meaning in life, until North. He gave me a purpose."

       His tone had turned hard, but when I glanced over at him his eyes looked so heartbreakingly sad that it tore holes into my chest. "Was that after your mate passed?" His eyes snapped to mine so fast it made my head spin, but the sudden dark, furious look clouding them made me want to ease carefully away.

       "How do you know about her?" He snarled, those golden eyes flashing black as a growl started deep in his chest.

     I never feared North when he got like that, but Terif was a whole other mattered. No matter how much he 'cared' about me, he did not have the mate obligation keeping him from tearing out my throat.

       I gulped and sidestepped a little along the wall as he pushed away from it. "Uh, um- Uh, one of the others might have mentioned something about it..." The growl that rose from his lips was frightening, and his eyes were now pitch black as his large shoulders started to shake.

       "Aeyron, that mutt, needs to learn to keep his fucking mouth shut."

       I watched with wide, and rather scared eyes, as he turned towards the window, his shaking hands clenching craters into its sill. Mental note for next time, his mate was not a topic for discussion.

       The ruby suddenly pulsed against my chest, and heat shot straight through me from its heart as the window sill practically crumbled beneath his fury. I hurriedly pulled the stone through the top of my dress so the heat would not burn my skin.

       "Emerense." I gasped at the voice that suddenly shot through my mind, that dark, amused tumble of the man who I had been dreaming about for more than a week. Except, he wasn't amused now.

       My fingers clutched around the stone in a grip as tight as a vise, and I had to close my eyes against the light of the hall as my head began to throb. "Emrie?" I heard Terif ask what seemed like a thousand leagues away, but I was too focused on the pain stinging through my mind to respond, or wonder if he was still as furious as a moment ago.

       "My lady?"

       "My little star." The voice spoke again, softer this time, before images started flying across my mind's eyes. Images of a thousand loving smiles and gentle whispers. Images that were almost like a soft caress to my heart. But they did nothing to ease the pain in my head.

       "Emrie." The minute that familiar voice I loved so much reached my ears, the images stopped, and Adranus's voice fell away like the dreams he haunted. Strong hands were gripping tightly onto my upper arm, holding me steady as I swayed like a numb bag of air.

       "Little one..." North murmured softly, his arms wrapping securely around my back as I fell against his hard chest. My head still throbbed, and the stone was still hot as glowing embers in my hand, but I couldn't let it go.

       I hadn't realized there were tears streaming down my cheeks until Eirik used one hand to wipe them gently from my face. I clung desperately to him, and prayed the pain away as my fingers wrapped impossibly tight around the ruby.

       "It's alright." He practically cooed as those soft lips rubbed gently over my forehead before he reached up to wrap his hand around mine and the stone. "Perhaps you should take this off for a while." He offered softly, his strong fingers easily prying mine away. I whimpered and shook my head viciously against his chest.

       "N-No, it's mine. It stays with- me..." My head continued to throb, the pain like a steel hammer smashing against my skull. Adranus gave the stone to me, told me to keep it close to my heart, to never take it off. His heart, my stone, my-

       "I'm sure he will understand. Just for a little while. It is hurting you, my love."

       "But Eirik-" I practically sobbed as his fingers continued to try and pry the ruby from my hand. I was too upset to sense the tension strumming between the King and his General.

       "Just for a little while. I promise I'll give it back." He soothed softly into my ear, his voice warm and gentle as my fingers finally released their death grip around the stone, its heat and power finally dimming.

       "What did she just call you?" I heard Terif ask somewhere at the back of my mind, but I was too wrapped up in my own head to really pay attention. North ignored him also.

       Some part of me, at the back of my head, knew what I did next was inappropriate on a number of levels, but that didn't stop me from wrapping both of my arms tightly around his bare waist and holding onto his strong body for dear life. The tears were no longer falling, but my breathing was still rather erratic as he put the ruby in his short's pocket and wrapped both of his arms tightly around my back.

       "Sh, it's okay." He murmured softly as I clung to him, my arms shaking and my eyes throbbing in my skull. "It will pass, don't worry."

       I pressed my face against his skin and breathed in the scent of the woods and snow that still clung to him, it helped ease the convulsions strumming through my body. "Why don't we go lie down for a while?" He whispered gently into my ear, his large hand running soothingly down my back as I rubbed my face against him.

       I nodded, and didn't bother objecting as he bent down and picked me right of the ground. I wrapped my arms tightly around his neck, and buried my face into his strong shoulder as he began walking down the hall. My head still throbbing in pain.

       "North." Terif growled behind us, his voice loud as it echoed around the empty hall.

       "We will talk later." There was a hard bite in Eirik's tone, one I tried to ignore as his arms tightened around me.

       "What's wrong?" I mumbled into his shoulder as he started towards the staircase, his hold gentle even as tension now thrummed through him.

       "Nothing I cannot handle."

-&-