The Goblin Bride (Beneath Sands Book 1) by Emma Hamm (good short books TXT) 📕

But her fingers desperately needed to feel his warmth. Her hands needed to know that he was still alive. Her arms had to hold him, to feel every breath he took. It was likely that her heart also needed to feel the beat of his own against her breast. Everything thump was an answering call to her own.

“I am alive and well.” His voice vibrated against the top of her head. She could hear the sound of amusement in it, as well as something she couldn’t quite put her finger on.

A shuddering sigh was her answer, a slow nod against his skin lingering until she could manage to pull herself away from him. She didn’t know what had gotten into her. It wasn’t like Jane to worry or be nervous. Even when her little sister had broken her arm, Jane had been a steady rock as they set the bone back in place.

She didn’t know what it was about this man that called to her. All she knew was that hollow space that had grown so large in his absence was now full once more. She had an ocean inside of her that only thrived when he was near.

“You need to see a healer.”

Instead of moving to do as she said, he stepped forward once more. One thick thumb smoothed the lines between her eyes, the other catching a few of the tears on her cheeks that she hadn’t noticed had fallen.

He said nothing, of which she was appreciative. Jane was not a woman that liked to have others see her cry. Ruric had already seen her do so more than she wanted to admit. But somehow crying in front of him was not so much of a dishonor as it would have been for others. He made her feel safe enough to cry and strong enough to not fear them.

“Let us go to the healer.” He murmured slowly, those large eyes searching hers for something that she did not know or understand.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

THE HEALER BANDAGED him well. Jane hovered over his shoulder the entire time. If anyone was going to approve the healer’s work, it would be her. Thankfully most of his injuries would heal quickly. Ruric complained much more than she expected during the entire process. For such a stoic man, he did not like to be poked and prodded.

He translated for her as the healer spoke, though there were a few times that he gave her one word answers after the goblin had been speaking for a long amount of time.

She was coming to realize that she had stopped thinking of Ruric as a goblin. Though he was the same as the rest of them, she had set him apart in her mind as though he was something more. Or perhaps something else. The others still unnerved her with their murky eyes and long toothed smiles. But with him, she found she could make eye contact without flinching.

The connection between them was something she was willing to foster. Strange how quickly things could change. He had almost died, the grave face of the healer told her that it was likely others had.

And when they were finally allowed to go back to Ruric’s cave, she sighed with relief. They were released from the clutches of worry once they were back in his home. The familiar walls and warm colored tapestries soothed the muscles in her spine. It was an odd thing to make her calmer but she was finding that this place was starting to feel like home.

“You should rest.” She said quietly, her worried eyes looking over him.

He nodded, heading towards the back of the cave where she slept.

“I don’t mind if you want my bed, that’s fine.” Her words echoed.

“It is my bed.” She heard his voice echo through the cave, startling her into looking up and wondering how he had managed to hide that from her.

“It’s yours?”

Jane was quick to follow him deeper into the cave as he wandered away from her. By the time she had caught up, he was already seating himself on the edge of the hammock, swinging slightly with a balance she was slowly starting to master.

“Why did you let me sleep here, if this was yours Ruric?” She asked when he did not respond to her initial question.

He shrugged. “You needed sleep.”

“Well you need sleep now. You rest here, I’ll sleep where ever you have been sleeping.” She paused. “Which is…”

Instead of answering her, he remained quiet and opened his arms.

It was a request that she would never have considered a few days ago. The hammock simply wasn’t big enough for the two of them. She would have to press against him in a way that was too close. It wasn’t what a friend would do.

Now she felt too raw to deny him. She wanted to know that he was safe. Sleeping near him would give her the opportunity to hear his heart was beating against her for the rest of the night. Besides, nothing would happen between them. A hammock wasn’t exactly the best place for that sort of thing.

She placed her hand in his, allowing him to guide her as he lay back in the hammock and took her with him. She had thought it would have been an awkward movement. The uncontrollable swinging of the hammock had been a war she had waged since arriving here. But he leaned back with ease, one of his legs drifting over the side to toe the ground and set them at an easy swing.

He tucked her into his side. They fit surprisingly well despite the large difference in size. He took up a lot of the space and she was hardly the soft kind of pillow men usually liked. But his claws traced circles upon her skin and the wide stretch of his chest made for a comfortable resting place.

Silence stretched between them. She