The Goblin Warrior (Beneath Sands Book 2) by Emma Hamm (100 books to read txt) 📕

The tone implied nothing. She did not know what was going through his head, but she was certain she could guess. Jane had been avoiding him since her family had returned. She used them like a shield between the two of them to protect her from the uncertain future.

Everyone around her paused as well, their wide eyes flicking back and forth between the goblin and human.

She straightened slowly and turned.

“Yes?”

He did not give her an order as he would have long ago. He did not even seem to ask for anything. Instead, Ruric simply shifted to the side and held a hand out towards her.

He was letting this be her decision. To choose a goblin over the safety and warmth of her family tent.

A bubble of laughter nearly escaped her mouth. The situation was far too close to what it would have been like should she have married someone in the mining camp. Her family tent would have been traded for his, and likely a human man would have looked at her with the same expression in his eyes.

The difference now was the large size of her husband, the alien aspects of his body and mine, and that her people considered him to be a monster.

But they weren’t her only people, where they? The small life that grew inside her was of both people and could very well be the future of both.

Her feet shifted without her mind thinking about the consequences. Jane gravitated towards him like the twin moons above her.

There were a few murmurs from the other humans as they watched her glide towards him. Barefoot and caked in sand, she was less the beautiful bride and more the conquest finally being consumed by the captor.

They worried for her. Surely the goblin had some nefarious actions in mind.

Jaws dropped as Ruric reached out for her and gently slid a hand down her arm and spine as she passed into the tent. They had seen the two interact, but many refused to believe the tenderness with which he touched her. This time, they were unable to avoid the stark truth that the goblin was infinitely gentle when it came to his bride.

He ducked in after her, and the humans watched with rapt attention even as his wide back disappeared from view.

“What’s going on with that I wonder?” Frank murmured to Luther as they both stared at the tent that did not move.

“Considering he’s her husband, I don’t want to know.” Was the grumbled reply.

“Husband? I forgot he mentioned that. Seemed odd to have a human married to a… Well.”

“Goblin.”

“Right.”

They both stared at the tent for a little while longer before seeming to remember themselves. Both men’s cheeks flared red as their imaginations raced to fill in the blanks.

A fire was built in the center of the ring of tents, the first they had managed while traveling. The humans gathered around it and tried to remain as quiet as possible. They all secretly hoped to hear what exchange happened in the tent and at the same time, dreaded that they might hear it as well.

Jane settled herself down next to Ruric’s pack, propping her spine against it and staring at the large goblin that always seemed to fill a space a little too much.

His eye had healed as well as it could. A jagged scar stretched from the top corner of his forehead down to meet his lip. He had no sight in the eye which was significantly flattened since his ordeal. Ruric had requested to keep the dead eye rather than have one of the doctor’s here remove it and sew it shut.

He said he should at least have a small bit of vanity left.

The humans were more afraid of him than they would have been without the scar. He looked fearsome with his constant scowl and war-torn face.

To Jane, he had never been more beautiful.

The marks upon his body had been for her. And though she still ached to know he had suffered for her, Jane also was incredibly proud to call him hers. His strength was something that she would never take for granted.

She waited for him to speak. If he had called her into his tent, surely he had something that he wished to say. But Ruric said nothing as he readied himself for sleep. The cloak on his shoulders was removed and carefully folded. The shoes strapped onto his feet were carefully stored next to the tent opening.

Silence remained until Jane realized that he was simply enjoying having her near him.

And she was doing the same.

Finally the tension in her spine relaxed and she slumped against the pack behind her. There was to be no argument, no guilt, no fighting. She had assumed the worst for nothing.

As in tune to her body as he was, Ruric noticed when she finally eased. He hadn’t wanted to scare her but he had missed her as they traveled. Her laughter had rung in ears for many nights now and Ruric wanted that laughter to be because of his words.

Jealous was an ugly emotion. He hated that he was jealous of her family when she hadn’t seen them for so long. She had every right to want to spend time with them. There was so much time that had been stolen from the three of them.

But every night she went to them. Every night he waited for her to return to him and was disappointed when she did not.

Only when he couldn’t stand it any longer did he ask her to return to him. Thankfully, she had. Ruric still wasn’t certain if she understood why he had asked her to his tent, but he was pleased she had.

Now he had her all to himself for the first time in longer than he could remember.

With a rumbling groan, he laid down on the sand and gently placed his head in her lap. His most desired wish came true when her fingers started combing through the tangles of his long black