When Eleta woke, she was surprised to see that it was dark outside the windows. The stars shone brightly in the sky, and the light of a full moon sent silver rays through the glass panes.
She snuggled deeper beneath the covers and closed her eyes as she took inventory of her body. She was deliciously sore in some very delicate areas. As she stretched cautiously, she winced from a multitude of tiny abrasions and bruises across her breasts and between her thighs. The memory of how her wounds had been acquired made her smile rather smugly. She debated reaching for Rafe to rekindle their mutual fires, but decided she didn't quite have the energy right at that moment.
The thought of fires made her open her eyes once again. She glanced at the fireplace and saw that Rafe had added logs recently, for the flames were leaping merrily in the grate. She smiled again, this time with mischief. She would have to reward him somehow.
Her stomach gave a loud growl, and she sighed. As much as she didn't want to leave the cozy confines of the bed, she really did need sustenance, and Rafe was likely hungry too. She turned over to wake him and frowned at the empty place beside her in bed. She sat up in confusion. She couldn't see him anywhere in the room.
"Rafe?" she called, thinking he might be making use of the chamber pot behind the screen. "Rafe!"
There was no response. Her eyes opened wide with shock, and she scrambled to the end of the bed and looked down at the chain. The attached shackle should have been wrapped around Rafe's ankle, but instead, it lay open on the floor. The iron lock lay open too, and there was a fork with a bent tine and several of her hairpins nearby. Obviously he had picked the lock to gain his freedom.
Despair struck her like a heavy weight in her chest. She felt forlorn and abandoned. She had given him everything, and he had left her. She was devastated by his desertion! She gave a keening cry. Tears ran down her cheeks in rivulets, and she curled into a miserable ball on the bed. She sobbed loudly as she clutched the quilts to her face. His scent clung to the bedding, and she buried her face, gulping in huge breaths of air as she wept.
Suddenly, Rafe was there, lifting her across his lap and cradling her like a child. "There now, love. What's the matter?" he crooned. He shook her gently, when it looked like she hadn't heard him. "Eleta, what's wrong? Are you hurt?"
She gaped up at him with huge, tearful eyes and then flung her arms around his neck. "I thought you had gone," she cried. She continued bawling as she clung to him. "I thought you had left me. I thought I would never see you again."
"Hush now," he ordered gently, brushing her hair back from her face and kissing her brow. He lifted her chin and gave her a teasing smile. "You can't get rid of me that easily, love."
She tried to smile in response, but the best she could manage was a trembling sniffle. However, she did begin to calm. Her sobs subsided into hiccupping whimpers, and her breathing gradually settled. The whole time, he rocked her on his lap, stroking her hair and lavishing kisses on the top of her head. He murmured endearments in a soothing voice, and she cuddled contentedly against his chest. In the dim recesses of her mind, she realized that she had not even been worried that the prophecy would not have come true, she had only been concerned that Rafe had left her. Knowing she had forgotten about her mission even temporarily was disturbing, but she refused to think about it at that moment. Her emotions were too raw to be examined too closely.
When the storm had finally passed, he wiped her face with the edge of the sheet. He made no move to oust her from her comfy perch, and instead tucked her head beneath his chin. Rafe had found his clothes in the wardrobe and gotten dressed. Now, the entire front of his shirt was wet from her tears. She nibbled her bottom lip and ran her palm across his chest self-consciously.
"I'm sorry for getting you all wet," she whispered.
Rafe clasped her hand against him, squeezing her fingers gently. "Don't give it a thought, Eleta." He lifted her chin so he could look into her eyes. "You didn't really think I would leave you, did you?" he asked softly.
She nodded and tucked her head beneath his chin once more. "I caught you trying to escape once before, from the inn. I had no reason to think you would not escape now if you found a chance. You told me yesterday that you wanted to leave."
Rafe lifted her chin, insisting that she look at him. He gave her a puzzled frown, as if her reasoning was obviously flawed. "That was before," he murmured.
"Before what?" she asked with wide eyes. Her eyes were huge and full of confusion and uncertainty.
He cupped her jaw and ran a thumb across her lower lip. "Don't you understand, Eleta? When I wanted to escape, that was before you gave yourself to me. Now, you are mine," he said softly. "I don't walk away from what's mine. You are mine, and I will never leave you. I simply refused to be chained like some beast any longer."
She shivered with pleasure. Hearing him say she belonged to him filled her with deep satisfaction. She reached to kiss him, and their lips melded in the gentlest of caresses. It was clear that they both approved of his claim. She finally drew back with a sigh and her eyes were glowing when she met his gaze.
"So now that you are free, you won't leave me?" she asked.
He gave a self-deprecating chuckle and squeezed her lightly. " My God, do you honestly not know how desirable you are?" When she shook her head, he continued. "I could sooner cut off my right arm than to walk away from you, Eleta. You are like the most intoxicating elixir. I can't seem to get enough of you." As if to prove the truth of his words, he caressed her breast, gently pinching and twisting her nipple until it stood stiffly erect. "Your body calls to me constantly. There is no way I could walk away now."
Eleta blushed prettily, greatly pleased by his words. "Where did you go then?"
Rafe kissed her forehead briefly and then lifted her from his lap and sat her in the middle of the huge bed. He rose and brought a plate of food that he had set aside when he saw her weeping. He lit several candles around the bed. Then, he plopped down beside her, fed her a piece of roasted chicken, and took another bite for himself.
"I was starving," he said as he chewed. He winked at her. "I thought you might be too."
He shared another bite with her, and they ate for a few moments in companionable silence. He brought over a bottle of wine from the table, and they took turns drinking directly from the bottle. When the plate was nearly empty, he gave her a look from beneath his brows as he dredged a piece of bread through some sauce.
"I noticed there is a lot of food in the cold storage off the kitchen." He fed her the bread and met her eye. "Looks like meals have been prepared in advance to last us for several days."
Even though he had phrased it as a statement, Eleta knew what he was asking. She chewed carefully and took a sip of wine to swallow the bite before she answered him. When she did, her voice was soft with dread. She didn't want to anger him.
"Yes, I had the cook prepare meals for us to last at least a week if not more. I had hoped you wouldn't mind if we stayed here that long."
To her surprise, Rafe grinned widely and waggled his brows in a suggestive manner. He let his eyes drop down her body, lewdly eyeing her naked form. He covered his heart with one hand and gave her a teasing smile.
"Of course, your Majesty! Your every wish is my command. I am most happily at your service."
Eleta couldn't help but laugh, and her musical giggle was infectious. Soon, Rafe joined in, and it was several moments before they sobered. Their shining eyes met and held, and he reached out to caress the graceful line of her jaw with the backs of his fingers.
"Seriously," he whispered, "there's nowhere I would rather be than here with you."
Eleta had to swallow against a lump in her throat. "Me neither," she whispered.
Their gazes held for several more moments and then Rafe blinked and cleared his throat. He rose with the empty plate and wine bottle and put them on the dining table.
"Now, I was going to prepare a bath for us, but I wasn't sure how this contraption works. Any idea how to use it?"
He was referring to a pipe that extended from the wall in the bathing area. It was supported on a metal hinged arm that could be pulled so that the pipe extended out over the copper tub.
"That's easy," Eleta said, hopping up from the bed with renewed energy. She grasped his hand in hers and led him to the bathing corner. "This lodge was built over a hot spring. The temperature of the water stays the same all year round, because it comes from deep beneath the ground. There is a pump to bring hot water up here for bathing, and there is another pipe beneath the tub to drain the water when you are done. No one ever has to boil water, haul buckets, or clean up afterward. Isn't that wonderful?"
She plugged a hole in the bottom of the tub with a large cork, and then she showed him how to operate a hand pump hidden within a small wooden cabinet. Within moments, steaming water began gushing into the huge copper tub.
"Ingenious!" Rafe declared with a grin.
Eleta glowed with pleasure as if the design and plumbing had been all her doing. Rafe took over pumping, and within a short time, the tub was full of steaming spring water. He stripped off his clothes, tested the temperature, and then stepped in. As he sank down in the water, he gave a loud sigh of contentment. He leaned back against the rim, and motioned impatiently for Eleta to join him.
"What are you waiting for? Get in."
Eleta giggled and went to gather a few towels, a washcloth, and a bar of lightly scented soap and laid them on a low table within easy reach of the tub. She brought a candelabrum and set it nearby. Using a twig from the fireplace, she lit the candles, and they cast a flickering glow over the tub. She paused to twist her hair into a loose knot on top of her head. Then, she held his hand and stepped over the high edge.
