Page 133 of Sands of Atonement

My palms, which were pressed against his chest, relaxed. “Yes, what?”

“Yes, I know that you’re equally capable as any man.” He pulled me tighter against him, and I nearly winced. He shook my body. “Is that what you wanted to hear? Is that what you wanted me to say? Because it doesn’t change anything. It will never change anything. The law is bigger than you, bigger than I. It’s the Atrove we’re talking about, the law above the laws.”

“It changes everything,” I challenged. His closeness sent a shudder down my spine. “You can choose both. I’ve been trained by one of the greatest trainers in Mongah. I… We…”

We could be together was what I didn’t say.

“Eshe…”

“Just think about it.”

“No one would accept you.”

“Then let me fight them and prove my worth.”

His body went even more rigid, and he almost pulled away. “I would never let a man beat you.”

“They wouldn’t, Ezra, trust me. You beat me once, and I survived.” I winked at him, reliving the moment I pushed him to fight me. But something that looked a lot like pain flashed across his eyes. Like he didn’t find it as funny.

“Well… that’s what you and I do: we fight. But I won’t allow another man to touch you like that in training, or I’ll have to kill them with my bare hands. You see now how that’s a problem? I’d kill each one of my men if they so much as touched a hair on your head. I won’t allow it.”

“Ezra—“

“I won’t hear it⁠—”

I pulled his head closer to me, his forehead touching mine, and I was so close I could almost taste his lips. “Don’t be such a pious bastard.”

He tugged my hips closer to his, and I gasped when I felt hardness against my core.

“Don’t be such a brat.”

My heart raced.

“But I’m so good at it,” I breathed.

His head lowered to my neck. “You sound like you’re bragging about something you should be on your knees apologizing for.”

I tightened my grip on his hair. “And you sound like you need a few lessons on how to talk to women.”

“Oh yeah? Because it looks to me like you can’t get enough of me, Eshe.” His lips touched my neck, his spot, and I let out a shudder. An aching sensation spread between my legs. Oh God, I was so weak to his touch. I nearly whimpered at a kiss.

“And it sounds to me like you enjoy it when I touch you.”

Despite how much I wanted him on me, I mustered as much strength as I could and pushed him off me. He had a smirk on his face as if he just knew he was my weakness too. Leaving him behind me, I threw out, “I’m going to sleep, don’t bother me anymore,” and left him to deal with the fire.

Chapter 33

Ezra

I wanted to be alone. Too many people were near the fire on the sandy cliffside.

Okay, maybe I just wanted Eshe to myself. When she said goodnight to everyone, I wondered if I would find her in my bed or not. She never gave me an answer. I hated the look on her face after I had pulled away from her in the water. I had contemplated Casimir’s words all day, and unfortunately, I found myself once again acknowledging the weight of truth in his words.

Pushing Eshe away from me was only making me weaker.

I needed her close to me. It gave me a different kind of strength, one I was trying to become accustomed to.

Once we arrived at the oasis below, the servants mentioned the horses being restless, so Casimir and I checked in on them.