| |
––––––––
THE SUN WASN’T yet up when Trinity and Hugh stepped out of his tent, hands still intertwined. Trinity now understood why her parents and others risked everything for their mate. Last night had been...indescribably fantastic. When she thought about it, she couldn’t stop blushing or wanting to go back into his tent and do it all again, but they didn’t have time. The day of war had arrived.
“Someone might see.” She tugged gently, trying to release her hand.
“I don’t care. I want everyone to know you’re mine.” He pulled her close.
He lowered his head and she wrapped her arms around his neck. They shouldn’t let anyone see them, at least not until they talked to her parents, but she couldn’t stop herself. His lips brushed against hers and then his head snapped forward, slamming into her forehead before he was ripped from her arms.
“She’s my daughter!” Dad sat on Hugh’s chest, punching him in the face, torso, anywhere he could reach. “I thought you were my friend.”
“It’s not what you think.” Hugh blocked the blows the best he could but he didn’t fight back.
“Dad, don’t!” She yanked on her dad’s shoulder but she couldn’t drag him off Hugh.
Jackson raced across camp, grabbing one of Dad’s arms. She clung to the other and they pulled Dad off Hugh.
“I trusted you.” Dad struggled in their grasp.
Hugh stood. He had a fat lip and a large scratch across his cheek. One of his eyes was already starting to swell. It’d color soon.
“Do you have him?” She glanced at Jackson.
“Yeah.” The Guard grabbed Dad’s other arm, pulling it behind his back.
She ran to Hugh’s side, touching his face. “Are you okay?”
“I’ll kill you.” Dad struggled harder to get free.
Hugh kissed her hand and then stepped in front of her. She smiled at his protectiveness. It was sweet but foolish. Dad wasn’t going to hit her.
“This wasn’t exactly how I wanted to tell you,” said Hugh.
“I’ll bet not,” said Dad. “You probably didn’t want me to find out at all. How could you do this to her? To me? I’ll kill you!” He almost squirmed free from Jackson’s grasp.
“Dad, stop it.” She stepped up beside Hugh. “I chose him.”
“You were like a brother to me and you...you used her.” Dad’s face reddened, but his eyes were hurt.
“We didn’t...mate,” said Hugh.
“I’m not an idiot. I went by her tent earlier and her bed hasn’t been slept in.”
“Dad, we didn’t do anything.” She couldn’t stop the heat from flooding her face at the lie. She should’ve stuck with Hugh’s words because they did a lot of things, but they didn’t mate.
“Ha. You’ve never been a good liar, Trinity,” said Dad.
“You don’t understand. Hugh wouldn’t. He didn’t want to risk getting me pregnant.” That was true but she still blushed.
“So, I’m supposed to believe you spent the entire night, alone in his tent and you did nothing?”
Her face had to be beet red by now.
“I knew it.” Dad burst forward, breaking free from Jackson and launching himself at Hugh again, but Jackson grabbed him around the waist, yanking him away.
“We’re getting married.” Hugh took her hand, kissed it and pulled her close.
“That’s an Almighty custom, not ours. It means nothing to me.”
“I’ll do whatever you want me to do as long as it means we can be together.” He wrapped his arm around her.
She knew she had a silly smile on her face but didn’t even try to hide it. She’d never been this happy in her entire life.
“Do you love her?” Dad’s face was pinched and his eyes brittle. “I won’t let her bond with anyone who doesn’t love her.”
She moved from Hugh’s side and hugged her father. “He loves me Dad and I love him.”
Jackson let go of her father and Dad hugged her back.
“Then, I’m glad for you.” Dad glared at Hugh. “You still could’ve waited.”
Hugh blushed slightly and she laughed.
“He wanted to but I didn’t.” She kissed her father on the cheek.
“Stop. I don’t want to hear about it,” grumbled Dad.
“About time you two figured things out.” Jackson patted Hugh on the shoulder.
“You told me not to—”
“Yeah. Well, I was wrong. Kind of.” Jackson shrugged. “That was before me and Kim...” He shrugged again and smiled. “Congratulations.”
“What is your custom to bond two people together?” Hugh held out his hand and she went to him.
“You have to commit to one another in front of family and friends. That way everyone knows you belong to each other,” said Dad.
“You could say we just did that.” Hugh’s eyes darkened when they looked at her.
“Her mother needs to be here too.” Dad’s voice was getting angry again.
“Of course.” Hugh looked away as his fingers closed around hers. “We can do this as often as you like.”
“I’ll make sure you honor your commitment. I don’t care if you are an Almighty,” said Dad.
Hugh’s smile fled and she followed his gaze. A group of soldiers were heading into the forest. It was time. The night was over and the time for war was upon them.
“When do we leave?” she asked.
“I want you to go to base camp.” Hugh’s face was pale as he stared after the disappearing troops.
She touched his chin, turning his gaze to her. “I’m not leaving you.”
“Hugh’s right,” said Dad. “You should go—”
“No. I’m not running off to base camp.”
“Please, Trinity.” Hugh grabbed her shoulders. “I love you. I can’t lose you.”
“And I don’t get to feel that way about you? I’m not some innocent”—she blushed at the double entendre—“who doesn’t know what she’s doing in battle. I can help.”
“I know you can, but if you’re fighting, then I won’t be able to focus. I’ll be worried about you.”
“Don’t be. I’ll be fine.”
“Please,” he said. “I need to know you’re safe.”
She wanted to do anything he asked, but she couldn’t. “I’m sorry. I can’t go to base camp. Please don’t push me on this.”
“Fine. Then stay with Gaar and Mirra.” He turned and went into his tent.
Dad and Jackson glanced at each other, obviously uncomfortable.
“Hugh’s right,” said Dad.
“You’re being unfair.” She strode to her tent. She wanted to be alone. No, she wanted to be in Hugh’s arms but he was mad at her again. Why couldn’t he understand that she had to do this? She wanted him safe too, but she accepted he had to fight. She packed her backpack with the few items she’d left out for the morning and then sat on her bed. Jackson stepped inside.
“Don’t even start. I don’t care what any of you say, I’m going with you to the city.”
“I know.” Jackson stayed in the doorway.
“Then what do you want? I’m busy.”
“Yeah, I can see that.” He struggled not to smile.
“It was the best excuse to get rid of you that I could come up with at the moment,” she muttered.
“Try harder next time. I expect more from you.”
She rolled her eyes at him. The big Guard always knew how to lighten her mood, when he wasn’t annoying her.
“You’re a great help in battle and Hugh knows that.”
She stared at her feet. Here comes the annoying part.
“But he also loves you and if something happens to you...”
“That’s how I feel about him, but no one is telling him he shouldn’t go.”
“We tried that already, remember?”
“Yeah, but you aren’t trying it again. You all tried it with me too.”
Jackson moved into the tent and sat next to her. “It’s because you’re female.”
“What does that have to do with anything? Nirankan isn’t trying to stop Mirra from fighting.”
“Well, they’re Trackers.”
“So?”
He sighed. “Truthfully, I wouldn’t be surprised if Nirankan did try to persuade Mirra not to go, and we didn’t see it.”
“I doubt that. Mirra can take care of herself and he knows it.”
“Is that what you think this is about? You know Hugh respects your abilities in the forest.”
“He sure never acts like it.” He was always nagging her to not go alone, to be careful. She’d been traveling these woods for years she knew what she was doing.
“Males want to protect their females. It’s nature. We can’t help it.”
“But I can take care of myself.”
“Yes, but you can still get hurt, captured, killed.”
He was right. Trackers had been killed and she wasn’t as good in the forest as a Tracker. “I’m still going.”
He snorted. “I didn’t think this conversation would change your mind.”
“Then why did you come to my tent?”
“I wanted to tell you that Hugh will get over his anger. I know your...relationship is new and sometimes when it’s new you think that little fights will end what you have. I just want you to know that he’s upset because he’s scared but he’ll get over it.”
“Thank you.” That had been eating away at her gut. Hugh had accused her of not listening to him and then the first time he asked her to do something, she’d had to refuse.
“And, I wanted to say, goodbye.”
“You’re leaving already?”
“Yeah. We’re the second team to go.”
“Be careful.” She hugged him.
“You too.” He squeezed her tight and stood.
“Jackson, Jethro isn’t the same boy he used to be. Don’t forget that.”
“I know, but he’s not all bad either.”
“Don’t give him the chance to prove you wrong.” She’d thought that too on the other side of Harbor Point but it’d all been a trick.
“I can take care of myself too, you know.” He winked at her.
“Yeah, but sometimes you’re too loyal.”
“You’re one to talk.” He laughed and then sobered. “See you later.” He left her tent.
She wished someone besides Jackson was going to confront Jethro. It was too dangerous for him. He’d give Jethro the benefit of their past and Jethro didn’t deserve that.