Page 7

In thanks for his assistance, I put my fist over my chest and bowed my head in a respectful gesture. “Brother. Praise be your return. Thank you for your help.”

His response was difficult to notice unless you were paying attention, a tiny chin dip before he strode off toward the village again. I turned to the male, but he was already following sedately, his expression defeated and angry. I doubted he would explain anything to a translator so that I could understand him.It wouldn’t matter. He would not return to Finn’s teachings until he could apologize and behave.

When we entered the village center and I saw the tributes being led away from the receiving tent, I sighed. I figured that would happen. Finn looked too upset to continue. We would need to avoid Rath for a few days, or until the male was ready to apologize; otherwise, he would be at risk. Finn’s bondmate was not a gentle spirit and took significant issue with anyone upsetting his Finn.

Taking the male’s arm to lead him to my tent, I was surprised when he flinched away and hissed. I frowned. For what reason did he react like that? Had he gotten hurt by the ulvor before Einar could reach him?

I waited until we were back in my tent to check. When I pushed up his sleeve, he protested, but his fight was diminished after his attempted escape. From fear of the ulvor or Einar, I could not know. Even I thought Einar was scary, and he was a clan brother to me. But any who could fight gronnok without losing a limb was someone to treat with great respect. And avoidance.

There was bruising on his arm. Not from a bite. It was in the shape of Einar’s hand. He was too rough with the male. Thankfully, I had a salve given to me by Zoya after I was injured during a fight. It would help with the pain. If I had to go to her now and ask for help, I got the feeling she’d refuse me. She and Finn were friends, and she would be angry when she heard that the male had made Finn cry.

“Sit on the bed,” I said, urging him to sit. He went where I led him, but I knew better than to think he would be obedient. His face said it all. He was angry that his attempt failed. Maybe he even realized he would need a new plan now that he had needed to be rescued. He wasn’t the first tribute to think that if they ran into the forest during the day, they would be safe.

After retrieving the salve from my things, I sat in front of him, gently applying it to the mottled skin. Afterward, I wrapped it so he would not need to worry about the salve getting on his furs. He scooted away from me the first chance he got, sitting on the bed with his glare in place, but he didn’t speak. Too angry to do so yet.

For a few hours, we sat in silence. I sharpened my weapons and tended to my leather, and he glared. For hours.

When he finally spoke up, it was in his native tongue, sharp and angry. I looked up at him, my expression blank.

“You would know how to ask for what you need if you had been kinder to Finn. You will not regain your privilege to learn from him until you apologize for making him cry.”

He crossed his arms, glaring at me. He didn’t understand, and he didn’t like that I refused to figure out what he was saying in his tongue. I did this on purpose. If I knew their language, they would refuse to learn mine. I forced them to learn, and they were happier for it in the end. He would be the same.

Frustrated, he mimicked eating and glared at me again. Ah. He was hungry.

“You will eat when they bring us our meals. You cannot be trusted to be left alone.”

His expression grew darker with the frustration of not understanding and the hunger. Thankfully, Patrick brought our meals before he could start yelling again. I would consider a gag if he tried.

With a polite nod to Verus’s bondmate, I took the food bowls and ducked back into the tent. The tribute had not yet moved, but I wasn’t allowing him to eat in bed. I’d had petulant tributes purposely make a mess, hoping to anger me into sending them back. That never worked, and they only complained for days when I took away the furs to have them cleaned.

“You can sit here or not eat,” I said as I got comfortable beside the table. That morning, he had used me as a chair in an attempt to be a brat. It only amused me, so I was fully prepared for him to do it again. I couldn’t say why I was disappointed when he didn’t. He sat beside me, far enough away to avoid touching, and glared at the table as he ate instead.

While we ate, I took a moment to study him. I’d never considered a male as beautiful, but this one was. He had sharp cheekbones, a slim face, and long lashes framing his multicolored eyes. They were brown in the middle, but faded to blue around the outside. It was something I had never seen before. Though always drawn into a frown or a scowl, his lips were pillowy and soft-looking. And his silky hair was a strange color. Like the petals of a summer flower.

“How?” I asked, despite knowing he wouldn’t be able to understand me. I followed up with a gentle tug on his locks to make myself clearer.

He batted my hand away and scowled, saying something in his language. When I only stared at him blankly, he rolled his eyes and grabbed a fruit out of his bowl, squeezing the juice into his palm. The juice came out more red than pink, but I understood his meaning. He dyed it like the cloth makers did with clothing. It was strange. I had never seen someone do so with their hair before.

When I nodded to show I understood, he used the fruit juice to pinken his lips before wiping his hands off. That was… distracting and a little unnerving. It drew my focus constantly to his mouth, and I wondered if he tasted like the fruit or something sweeter.

I banished the thoughts with a frown. I had never thought of a male in such a way. I wasn’t sure why I was thinking about it now.

It didn’t matter. I was only with the male for long enough to get him to understand his place here and ensure his safety. He would move on to another male eventually. One who would better be able to keep him happy.

I would not admit, even to myself, how much that idea bothered me.

The male sleptin like he had the day before. I felt no need to rush him. It gave me time to relieve myself and fetch our breakfast, so no one had to deliver it for us. He was still sleeping when I came back. I ate my food, used what space I had for a little exercise, and considered my options. I needed to check on my mother today. I had hoped the male would be in the receiving tent for Finn’s teaching, so I could visit with her. Now I knew that would not happen. I could either send someone else to check on her, who would no doubt be cowed by her forceful nature and not care for her properly, or bring the male with me.

A soft snuffling sound came from the pile of furs, telling me the male would wake soon. It would be a risk to bring him. She spoke his tongue. If he said something cruel to her like he had to Finn, I would not be so patient and kind. I did not want to scare him.

He sat up, bleary-eyed and already frowning. His hair was in disarray, and there was a trail of drool on his cheek. I had to bite the inside of my cheek to stop myself from laughing. It would only anger him.

“Food?” I prompted, showing him the bowl. He looked at it for a moment, then at me, almost like he was not quite awake enough to comprehend my meaning. Again, my mouth twitched with an urge to laugh. He did not wake well.

“Trench.”

Surprised, I raised my eyebrows at him. I had repeated the word every time we went to relieve ourselves, but I didn’t think he was listening. And he said it surprisingly well. Maybe he was good with languages like Finn was.