Page 35 of Upon Buried Embers (Upon Buried Embers #1)

“You piece of shit,” I hear Kaldar shout, wiggling to get out of his hold, and I hear Rohan laugh for the very first time.

His lips spread wide, head falling back, keeping a tight hold on Kaldar.

“Just admit I’m better. You’ve never won a fight against me.”

“That’s not true! There was that time last summer when I had you in a headlock and I would’ve won if it wasn’t for your horse distracting me!”

“She was eating grass nearby!” Rohan huffs, and Kaldar growls, but he raises his hand in surrender.

Rohan immediately lets go, both of them falling back into the dirt, chests heaving as everyone cheers for their Dragonbond.

Rohan gets to his feet a short while later, blood and sweat glisten off his chest, his muscles rippling with every harsh breath. His hair has come a little loose in his braids, and my hands twitch to fix them.

To put them back.

Then his eyes collide with mine as he wipes his hand down his chest, and my cheeks flush with heat. He smirks, tilting his head, and I rock back on my feet, clearing my throat.

“I’m not expected to go in there, am I?” I ask Cailan, and he shakes his head.

“No. We have several weeks before The Games, but we would need years to get you in there.”

Harsh, but true.

Rohan says something to Kaldar, and then he places his hand on top of the fence, leaping over it like it’s nothing before he strides toward us, the people around congratulating him.

I can’t take my eyes off him.

Bloodied and bruised, he’s never looked fiercer, and my stomach flips in a way I’m not sure I understand, but like as my eyes drift over him.

“Are you discussing training?” He asks Calian when he reaches us.

“Yes, weapons first, then Kaldar will train her in hand-to-hand combat after.”

He nods. “Weapons are more urgent, hand-to-hand will take much longer but we should be able to help her with the basics.”

They’re talking like I’m not even here. Why don’t I like him doing that all of a sudden?

I fold my arms and look away.

“I know some games won’t have weapons, but hopefully others can help defend her.”

“She will be defended,” Rohan replies. “Let’s start with something small, daggers will fit her best.”

Why don’t you ask me?

“Yes, I was thinking duel wield, that way both hands are armed,” Calian replies.

“Am I needed?” I ask, getting frustrated and daring to interrupt.

Rohan pauses, glancing down at me but his eyes light up. “Is there something you want, Elf?”

Calian looks between us. “I’ll see you later.” He walks off toward Kaldar, who’s receiving kisses from Olaf.

Rohan takes a step closer to me, and I breathe in his scent of burning wood.

“Well?”

“No… Nothing, it just seems I’m not needed.”

He huffs and comes closer to me, breath tickling my ear. “Come and bathe me, and I need my braids re-done.”

Why do I like that he’s asking me to braid his hair? It makes me feel useful.

Needed.

“Okay.” I go to turn back to the cabin, but he halts me with a hand on my arm.

“No, come to the spring pools.”

I frown, but I follow him as he turns down the hill and into the treeline to the right. We pass others, Rohan making sure some of the injured are alright on our way.

“Are you better?” Asseya asks, as she walks with us.

“I am, thank you.”

“So polite, girl.” She moves a few strands of hair from my face, and I pause as she places it behind my ear, giving me a soft smile. “I’m glad to see you looking well.”

Rohan grunts, folding his arms and looking away.

“Am I keeping you, Dragonbond?”

“Yes.”

“Then you can go on ahead while I talk.”

“No. She’s with me.”

Asseya shakes her head. “Better go and tame the Dragonbond before he gets even more grumpy.” She rolls her eyes, and Rohan frowns.

“I’m not grumpy.”

“Mmhmm,” she hums, patting my shoulder before walking off.

I lower my head, trying to hide my smile.

“You should do that more,” Rohan murmurs as he walks beside me, our arms brushing.

I look up at him. “Do what?”

“Smile.”

He doesn’t look at me when he says it, but his fingers graze mine, hooking them in his for a moment before he picks up speed.

Those were the same fingers that picked the rose I left for him this morning, and I came out unscathed, again. Not a single scratch from a thorn.

I grin then, my cheeks hurting.

I can’t remember the last time I smiled so wide. Maybe when Effy gave me some sweet berry bread. It was the best thing I’d ever tasted, especially after not eating for five days.

We pass through the treeline, moving deeper into the forest in silence. It isn’t long until we come to a pool of water, a stream trickling down into it from a rock wall at its back.

Rohan wastes no time stepping out of his pants, his bare ass on display and I look away, that funny feeling in my stomach returning.

“You’re not going to let me bathe on my own, are you?” Rohan asks, and my eyes come back to his.

He’s turned to me now.

“Why are you bathing so much?” I ask, but I’m already removing my cloak.

Master would let me bathe once a week and the water was freezing.

I untuck the long tunic, Rohan’s, and remove my pants. His tunic comes to my knees, and I look around, worrying my lip.

“We bathe a lot because we move a lot, train a lot. It’s important to warm the muscles.” He tilts his head at me. “No one is here, Elf. I wouldn’t let them look at you the way I do.”

I want to know what he means but I don’t ask.

Rohan turns his back and I lift the tunic off my body in one swoop then step into the pool. Warmth hits me instantly, and I dunk myself under, letting it swallow me.

My body loosens, relaxing instantly. It’s like the pool in The Pit with it being so warm.

A hand suddenly grabs my hair and pulls me up and out of the water. I gasp, blinking as Rohan looms over me.

“I told you once already!” he growls.

“What?” I ask, my hands going to his bare chest to steady myself.

His grip tightens in my hair and I hiss. “Do you have a death wish?”

Maybe.

“You do not go under the water for that long!”

My brows furrow as I take in his face. Anger is there, yes, but so is something else.

Almost… no… he can’t be that concerned?

“I didn’t think I was under for long,” I tell him softly, and he scans my face searching for the truth. “I like the warmth.”

“You will get your warmth from me.” He grunts. “You were under there for over two minutes.”

“I didn’t know,” I tell him honestly, and he relaxes the hold he has in my hair, believing me.

He sighs, and I clear my face of hair, undoing the braids. I run my fingers through the tangles, aware of Rohan’s eyes on me, which seems to be a normal thing.

The water comes up to my shoulders so I’m fully covered, but the way Rohan always watches me, it feels like I’m stripped bare.

“Come here, Elf,” he says after a while, his voice low. I peek over at him sitting against the bank, his arms stretched out on either side of him.

I pause, then let go of my hair and wade toward him.

When I’m close enough, he reaches out and grabs me, positioning me so I’m straddling his thick thighs.

His hands slide to my hips, curving around my waist. His thumbs brush the underside of my breasts and rest there, causing me to shiver at his touch.

He presses me down as he gets comfortable and I’m seated how he wants me, fully covered in the water.

Biting my lip, my hands rest on my thighs as he pulls me closer, his cock resting against my stomach. He never glances down, never looks at my body.

“Take out the rest of my hair,” he orders, and I begin straight away, his eyes never leaving my face.

I start with the three larger braids, undoing the knot that keeps them tied and run my fingers through it. My hand automatically massages the back of his head when they’re free, and he groans, eyes fluttering closed.

I pause for a moment, but when he peeks at me, a demand in his eyes, I continue.

I smile at the pleasure on his face. Even the mighty can fall with a head scratch.

I lift my other hand up to join in, which brings my small breasts to his chest, and he rumbles out a sigh, his hands splaying on my back. My nipples pebble at the contact, but I continue to massage the back of his head, unsure of my actions but knowing it’s something I want to do.

And I don’t want many things. I haven’t dared to because I don’t get what I want.

But I want to do this with him.

And he’s letting me.

And I like it.

So many take these small actions for granted because they have never been denied such simple pleasures in life.

When my hands begin to ache, I reluctantly remove them and pick up one of the many smaller braids on the side of his head that I practiced on. They’re scruffy and not even at all, but just as I’m about to begin to unravel them, a hand clamps down on my own, stilling my movement.

“They stay.” I look from him to the braids.

“They’re a mess, untidy.” They stand out among the braids Rohan has done himself. “They’re not done well.”

He shakes his head. “They stay.” He sits up and my hands fall to his stomach, feeling his abs ripple as he lifts his arms up, quickly gathers all of his hair and ties it into a short ponytail.

When he’s done, he runs his hands through my hair, and I sigh in pleasure at the gentleness of it. I don’t care if it’s a trap in this moment, or if there will be some sort of pain after… no one has touched me like this before.

I’m scared, but anticipation runs through me.

He continues to untangle my hair, playing with the curls.

“So long.”

“We weren’t allowed to cut it,” I say, my eyes staying closed.

“Why not?”

“More to grab.”

He stills, a harsh breath landing on my face. “Do you want to cut it?”

I think for a moment, and slowly shake my head.

“I like my hair, but I didn’t let anyone know that. They would have cut it on purpose then.” He growls and I peel my eyes open. “My hair was my secret joy, though I didn’t know how to take care of it, and I always had to have it down.” I eye him. “Will you make me cut it?”

“No, Little Whisperer, I won’t make you cut it, I like it too much.”

“You do?”

He hums and braids my hair in two sections. Close to my head, they run from the top to the bottom, leaving two tails on either side of my shoulders.

I pick them up, smiling softly at them and twirling them. They come down to just above my breasts, nearly covering me.

His touch on my ear has me jolting, and Rohan smiles down at me, never once stopping.

It makes me squirm, my breathing picking up. He knows what he’s doing, the delight in his eyes says so.

“Elf,” he mumbles, his head dipping. “Are you—

“Wildling!” Rohan’s head snaps up, and in an instant, he’s getting me and himself out the water.

“Get dressed.” He grabs his pants, putting them on quickly before he puts his fingers in his mouth, releasing a loud whistle.

“What’s happening?” I ask, voice shaky, tunic over my head, pants and boots back on.

Rohan grabs my hand and drags me toward the treeline as the sound of wing beats follows us. He’s bare-chested, pants undone, boot ties free, but he never once stops.

A roar fills the air just as we exit the forest and Drogonah is suddenly there, his powerful body landing directly in front of us.

“Quickly,” Rohan says as he lifts me onto Drogonah’s wing that he’s lowered, and I scramble up to the saddle, heart in my throat.

Rohan is behind me in an instant, arm banded around me, reins in hand, and then without a moment to spare, we’re up in the sky.