Page 121 of North Queen
A low chuckle vibrated from the commander as he pulled the wrap down from his face and lowered the head of his battle-axe to rest on the ground.
Norah glared at him. “I’m sure you find this all very amusing.”
“Some of it,” he answered with a smirk.
“Ah, you found your tongue.”
She turned from him, but he caught her arm. “Return to Salar today.”
“What?” She pulled her arm away. “Why would I do that?”
“I know a desperate man when I see one.”
“Alexander’s not desperate,” she cut back. “He’s thinking about what this means for Mercia.”
“He’s thinking about you in his enemy’s bed.”
She slapped him sharply across the face.
He bared his teeth against the sting, but his eyes blazed back at her. “He’s making stupid mistakes. He should have marched through Bahoul. That would have been the smart choice.”
Norah swallowed. That’s why the Shadow King had taken her to Bahoul. They had expected Alexander to go there. It had beenthe smart choice.
“But instead, he marched straight through the Tribelands,” he told her. “And he drove your army much faster than he should have. Look at your men. They’re tired, spent.” He paused, with a slight curve of his lips. “His emotion controls him. And that makes him easily beaten.”
He leaned closer to her. “Would you like to make a wager, North Queen? If you stay here tonight, there will be war. You give him time—time to think, to plot, to plan, for the madness to take hold—and he won’t let you go.” He smiled. “And I’ll kill him.”
Norah’s pulse quickened again. She wasn’t confident Alexander could stand against the king’s brute. If she went back now, the commander would go with her, keeping Alexander safe.
“And if I return today?” she asked. “You won’t harm him?”
His eyes burned with an unsatisfied fire, but finally, he gave a single nod.
Tears stung her eyes, threatening to fall. “Let me write my letter, then. And I’ll go.”
Norah folded her penned letter, pouring the wax and stamping it slowly. This wasn’t a letter of good news, but her grandmother would be relieved at her safety, and Norah was sure she would understand. This marriage changed everything, for everyone.
Alexander stepped into the tent and eyed the commander, finding him as he had left him, with the head of his axe resting at his feet and his hand on the handle. Then his gaze found Norah. She stood and stepped close to him. He was silent, hesitant to speak in front of the commander, but his eyes bore into hers, and she could see the sadness inside him.
“So this is why they call you the Bear,” she whispered, touching the crown head of the beast on his shoulder.
His voice came in barely a breath. “I was so afraid I wouldn’t see you again.”
Her lip trembled, and he stepped closer. She couldn’t stop herself—she swept forward and threw her arms around him. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly. Tears fell as she breathed him in. If this was the last she’d see of him, she wanted to remember everything about him—how he felt, how he smelled. She only wished she could kiss him. She wished she could tell him she loved him. But that wouldn’t help either of them now. Especially not with the commander so near.
The commander.
Remembering his presence, she pulled back, wiping her cheeks and inhaling deeply. “I’m going back today,” she told Alexander.
His breath quickened, and he shook his head. “No, stay. You said you would stay until tomorrow.”
She swallowed the lump in her throat and held the letter out to him. “For my grandmother.”
He reached out and took the letter. “Norah, you can’t.”
“Will you tell her I’m well?”
Alexander reached up and gently brushed the bruise that still marred her cheek. His eyes were thick with emotion. She’d forgotten about her face. It had healed mostly, but there was still evidence of a fight. How difficult it must be for him to see her this way.
