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

arms, using the movement to delicately raise them to his neck. The backs of his hands skimmed down the curved lines of her ribs, lingered in the hollow of her waist.

By the time they stilled at her hips, she was breathless. She licked her lips, looking up at him with surprise. He waited for her to nod then dragged her legs up over his hips so that he could start the long climb down.

Their journey took longer than it usually would. The wounds from the stones pained him and climbing took a toll that he would not admit to. But once they were safely on the ground, he grasped her hand once more and started towards the cave.

He had not chosen to explore here often in the past few years. Not until her. It seemed right to bring her here where the light glittered along the ceiling of the cave as it reflected the bright water. He liked to see the expression of awe on her face. She found beauty in the things he had always admired. She was not afraid to show that admiration whereas he could not as a warrior.

But this trip was not about beauty. Jane had scared him just as much as he had scared her. Crawling through that small hole, he had known that he might die. Ruric had always known that he might die at any point. It was his profession to know this. He would welcome death when it came for him with open arms.

He had heard her shouting to warn him. None of the others had for they knew that if the stone was falling it would be a swift death.

If she had not started forward he would have died. Ruric had no question about that. Catching the stone had been foolish. He could have been mortally wounded and lingering upon this earth for longer than any warrior would wish.

But he had held the stone away from him knowing one thing.

She was there.

He did not want her to see him die. That memory would be too much for her and he could not die knowing that he was the one to give her more nightmares. She was plagued already with the memories of her parents and siblings. She was not yet as close to him as she had been to them, however he saw the look in her eyes every now and then.

The stone like woman that he admired was softening towards the warrior.

Bringing her here was perhaps foolish for both of them. He did not want to push her or to expose her to parts of his world that were darker than she had imagined. This place was meant to be a safe haven for the both of them. A place they could both talk without worry.

Today it would be a place of healing for the two of them. He needed to make certain that she was not harmed as well. Logically he knew she had been too far from the stones to hurt herself in any permanent way. Perhaps it was an excuse but he needed to see for himself.

They squeezed through the small opening to the cave, stopping as they usually did at the mouth once they were through. He bent slowly, his ribs protesting as he took a knee in front of her.

Silence hung between them as he took off the soft leather bindings on her feet. The backs of his claws lingered in the delicate arch of each foot. Slowly he brushed his fingers over them, savoring the knowledge that she could still walk with the strength he so admired.

When he looked up at her, he saw the glowing goddess before him. “Bright one,” he murmured in his language.

His hand raised as he stood, a perfect place for her to balance herself as their footprints left glowing marks behind them. The moss glittered. A map to the movements they made.

The room was familiar to both of them. They did not need the light to guide them as they walk towards the water. Nothing was said. Both of their souls called out for the other and they only let go of their hands once their bare feet touched the water.

Blue light shimmered from the slight disturbance upon its surface. Waves of blue moved out from their ankles as they both turned towards each other.

As they always did, he reached out to pull the knot from her shoulder. But this time was different. The knot gave way to his claws, the fabric drifting lazily as it slid slowly down her arm. His fingers followed the floating path, freeing the silken fabric as he went.

When she was finally bare, she reached forward. This was also unlike their routine. He did not bathe with her. He remained always on the edges of her vision. A solitary shadow that lingered to comfort and protect.

Her palms were soft when they removed the leather from his shoulders. They glided across skin that was still slightly too warm, pausing to unbuckle the bits and pieces that fabricated the armor he always wore.

His eyes watched her avidly, watched as the expressions danced across her features. He thought, perhaps, she found him as beautiful as he found her. Without thinking he moved a leg, his foot gliding across the water so that he could have more light to see her. His eyes would always be better than hers yet there was never enough light to compete with her.

Slowly she moved, her fingers lingering up on scars that decorated his flesh. She left the bindings where they were, though he felt the barest moth like touch as she moved past them.

He inhaled slowly, the warm scent of her that seemed so familiar and yet so foreign. There was no scent of moss or green things growing on her. She smelled of warmth and sunlight, of powerful winds and gold glittering through the darkness.

Together they moved into the water. Azure burst around them, the glowing fish fluttering away from