“Don’t ever leave like that again.” He stomped across the room, stopped in front of me, crossed his arms, and proceeded to scowl at me.
I studied him for a moment, suppressing my natural indignant response and going with the unexpected.
“All right.”
His arms lost some of their rigidity.
“All right?”
“Yes. All right. I understand that you were worried, and your request is only so you don’t worry in the future. It’s a reasonable request.”
I smiled and moved to check the supplies as if to decide what to make for our midday meal.
“Oh,” I said stopping and looking back at him. “And don’t ever again command Mary to do something for your own personal gain. It’s beneath you. Mary, I’ll help you move your stuff back into our room.”
Thomas didn’t react as I expected. He didn’t try to say his presence was to protect me. He neither denied what he’d done nor tried to excuse it. Instead, he laughed.
“Fair enough.” He glanced at Mary. “I will make sure Gregory understands.”
She smiled at him and nodded gratefully.
“I’ll return with some meat for the meal. Did you, by any chance, find something to help keep your birds in their coup.”
I reluctantly shook my head. He nodded and left.
As soon as the door closed, Mary got up and hugged me.
“I was so worried you’d be mad.”
“About him making you leave the room? No. I understand everyone’s reasons.”
“Do you want help?” she asked, nodding toward the stove.
“No. I think I’ll do another stew, over plain rice this time, and set some water to boil. I want a bath, and there’s a pile of dirty clothes to wash.”
I spent the rest of my day at the stove or washing something—myself, dishes, laundry. By the time the sun set, I wanted nothing more than my bed.
I shuffled into my room and froze. Mary’s bed was there, as were her things, but so was Thomas. He leaned against the wall just under the window.
“What are you doing here?”
“Keeping you safe.”
“I thought I told you...” I realized I hadn’t told him I didn’t want him in our room. Only that I wanted Mary back and that he shouldn’t command her about for no good reason.
He stood, taking up too much space in the room, and approached me slowly. His gaze never left me, not even when he had to bend his head down because he towered over me.
“You told me what I needed to hear, the truth. Someday I will figure out how to make you mine, and I can only hope I’ll be worthy of you then.” He lifted his hand and gently brushed his fingers over my cheek.
Pretty words meant to please, a part of me whispered. But did he really know what they meant?
“What will it take to be worthy?” I asked.
He considered me for several long moments. “I don’t know.”
“If you don’t know, how will you know if you’re worthy?” I gave him a small smile to take the sting from my words. “Be honest, not just with others, but yourself. Be loyal, not just to those you love, but to those who need you. Work hard to improve the lives of those around you. Don’t waver from your integrity. And, above all...” I leaned toward him and lowered my voice to a whisper. “Don’t assume you can sleep in my room again.”
His gaze dropped to my mouth.
“Kiss me and I’ll leave.”
“In your world, my age is acceptable for Claiming and Mating. In my world, while you helped my father clean his gun, he would tell you to wait another year then come back and speak to him again. And, that would be to take me on a date. A kiss would be months after that.” I stepped back, putting space between us. “Since you’ve kissed me twice already, I think that’s enough of a compromise, for now.”
“Not nearly.” He tugged me forward. Off balance, I braced my palms on his chest. He wrapped an arm around me and lifted my chin with a finger before I could blink. His lips touched mine. Soft and sweet and full of promise, his warm mouth brushed over mine twice. My eyes fluttered shut, and my heart went crazy.
Every time we stood too close, I secretly hoped for this. My heart and stomach said yes while my mind hesitated. Yet, when his lips touched mine, doubt fled. He felt right. We felt right. I could understand his persistence when we kissed.
He pulled back enough to kiss my cheek.
“I will be worthy,” he said softly. Then, he let me go and left the room.
I stood there with a hammering heart. I wasn’t sure if it was due to the excitement of the kiss or the fear that he would be worthy, and I’d need to face an uncertain future with these people.
Eleven
Early Sunday morning, Winifred left with her empty cookie plate and a truck bed full of metal. I leaned in the doorway, watching the taillights pass through the trees.