Read The Choosing (The Pruxnae Book 1) Online
Authors: Lucy Varna
The Choosing (The Pruxnae Book 1) (27 page)
Ryn woke slowly,
coaxed into consciousness by a softly sung lullaby. He was warm, too warm, and
dull pain throbbed through a handful of points along his torso. The lullaby
stopped, fabric shushed, and whatever he was lying on tilted to the side.
“Ziri?” The word
croaked out of his parched throat. He grimaced and swallowed and groped a hand
toward the cause of the list. “Ziri?”
A cool hand
wrapped around his. “She’s resting.”
“Mama?”
“Ryn.” The word
wavered and broke, and soft lips touched his forehead. “We were so worried
about you. The Sweepers… You nearly died.”
He prodded the
hazy wool filling his head. Luden, angry. Ziri, smiling. Sweepers firing on an
undeserving populace. Cold dread snapped into place around his heart and Ryn
shoved himself upright through the warm layers pressing him down. “Ziri!”
Gentle hands caught
him, holding him in place. “There, my son, no worries. She’s safe.”
His energy
flagged and he flopped back down. “I need her.”
“I know. She’ll
wake soon, and then you can tell her how much you love her.”
“I didn’t. I
wanted to, but I couldn’t, and then, it was too late.” He opened his eyes, and
Alna’s face swam into focus. Beyond her, he glimpsed a wide, rock-faced
fireplace set into freshly stained wooden walls. “How did I get home?”
“Ziri brought
you. After the attack, she found a healer for you, and when you were well
enough, she piloted the
Yarinska
home.”
“Alone?”
“Tyelu helped.”
Tyelu
voluntarily helping Ziri? That must’ve been something. “What about the Tersii
we were bringing here?”
“All well and
good and searching for new homes among the Pruxnæ.” Alna skimmed her fingers
across Ryn’s jaw and her expression softened into a smile. “You did well
there.”
“It was Enel’s
doing. His idea. He was right, though. We need strong women here. We need to
build ourselves up.”
“You chose a
strong wife.”
Ryn managed a
hoarse laugh. “She chose me.”
“And she chose
well, too.” Alna tweaked Ryn’s chin and slid off the bed. “I’ll wake her now.
She’ll want to know you’re ok.”
He gripped her
hand, held it tight. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For loving me.”
She dipped low and
touched her forehead to his. “How could I not?”
She padded out
of the room, her footsteps shuffling quietly along the hardwood floor. Ryn
shoved the covers down to his waist and scrubbed shaky hands over his face. No
fever. The bedroom was just hot. He maneuvered himself upright, ignoring the
dizziness sweeping over him, and ran cautious fingers over the points of pain
dotting his body. Thick bandages covered each spot. He glanced down and
grinned. Nearly every bit of his skin was covered in self-adhesive bandages and
gauze. Ziri had been taking care of him again. How many merchants had she
cleaned out of medical supplies in the doing?
A strangled gasp
caught his attention, and he swiveled toward it, wincing as agony ricocheted
inside his skull. Ziri stood in the doorway, her skin white as snow, one hand
clutching the doorframe. “You’re awake.”
“Yeah.”
“You’ve been out
for days.” She glided hesitantly toward him. “We were worried you’d never wake
up.”
“I’m sorry,
beauty.” He patted the bed beside him. “Come here. I’ve missed you.”
She sniffed and
launched herself at him, scrambling across the bed. He caught her close and
held her tight, breathing in the sweet scent of her skin, and they sat there
for long, long ticks, her sobbing quietly into his throat, him fighting back
the tears clogging his.
“I was so
afraid,” she whispered. “You lost so much blood. The healer said if I hadn’t
gotten to you in time…”
He smoothed a
hand over the back of her head, tangling his fingers in her silky hair. “None
of that, now. We’re safe. Everything’s going to be ok.”
She breathed out
a laugh. “That’s what I kept telling myself. If I can just get to Ryn,
everything will be ok.”
“And it is.” He
kissed her soft cheek, nuzzled her throat, sank into the warmth she exuded as
easily as a sun in the dawn of its youth. “I love you, Ziri. You don’t have to
say it back. I don’t expect that, but I hope someday you’ll love me as much as
I love you.”
“Ryn.” Her
breath feathered over his skin, light as air, right as rain. “I love you, too,
so much. More than I thought I’d ever love anybody.”
Her words
exploded through him, filling him to the brim with the solid joy of her love.
“Now you tell me, when I can’t do anything to show you how I feel.”
“We’ll do that
later, after you’ve healed and things have settled down a little.”
“Promise?”
“I do.”
He sighed into
her hair, content to hold her, content to be with her. She loved him, and now
that she did, they could begin their life together and build the family they
both longed for.
Days passed.
Snow fell in smaller and smaller quantities and the air outside their home
slowly warmed. Ryn pushed himself a little farther each day, tending the
molnog, mending fences and repairing equipment. Spring approached and the snow
became hard squalls of rain lashing against the earth, and still, Ziri
demurred. He hadn’t healed enough yet, the time wasn’t right, and though she
told him every day how much she loved him, showed him in the tender care she
gave him, she held herself back.
Finally, Ryn lost
his patience. He wasn’t completely healed, but he was close enough, and he
wanted to be with her, wanted so much to finalize their union and be her
husband. One night ten days after he’d awakened with his skin covered in
bandages, he cornered her in their bedroom. No more talking, no more delays. Tonight,
they were going to settle their relationship once and for all in the best way a
man and woman could.
* * *
Night fell in a
gentle wave of darkness across the land. Ziri washed the last supper dish and
set it on the counter to dry. Ryn had tried to elbow his way into the small
chore, and she’d promptly chased him away. They could divide out domestic and
farm duties when he was fully healed and not a tick sooner.
A small smile
curved her mouth. Duties weren’t the only things they’d see to once he’d
healed. Every day, Ryn grew a little stronger. Soon, he’d be well enough to
consummate their love and seal Ziri’s place in his life. She hugged herself,
spun around, and bustled toward their bedroom. How lucky had she been the day
he’d stolen her out of her home and carried her into his heart?
She wanted so
much to show him how happy he’d made her, to give him some of that happiness
back.
Ryn ducked out
of the bathroom when she entered their chamber. “Ready for bed?”
“Almost. I need
to cleanse my teeth and…” She laughed and bounced toward him, lifted on her
tiptoes and bussed his cheek. “I won’t be long. I thought maybe I could read to
you before we go to sleep.”
“Mmm.”
He captured her
mouth in a lingering kiss and his hands tightened on her waist. Heat zinged
through her, strong and sure, and she blossomed for him. Oh, she’d missed this,
the slow slide of his lips on hers, the pleasure twining between them, and the
new certainty that she held his heart as only the woman he loved could.
As only she
could.
She skimmed a
hand up his chest and around his nape, and threaded her fingers in the cool
strands of his hair. Yes, she’d been lucky the day Ryn found her, and she was
going to show her appreciation. Later, when he was healed. She tugged his hair
and broke their kiss. “Let me get ready for bed and I’ll read to you.”
He shook his
head slowly and pressed his body into hers, walking her backward. An odd gleam
glinted in his dark eyes. “We’re ready.”
“Of course,
we’re not, Ryn. I haven’t even brushed my teeth.”
The back of her
legs hit the bed and down they went. Ryn twisted around, landing on the bed
beneath her, cushioning her fall. His fingers dug into her hips and he arched
into her, pushing his erection into the cradle of her body.
Her eyes
widened. “Ryn, what is this?”
He laughed and
rolled her onto her back, bracing himself above her. “We’re ready, Ziri, beyond
ready. It’s time for us to finish what we started on the Choosing field.”
“But you’re
not—”
“Yes, Ziri, I am,
and I can’t wait another tick to have you.” He brushed the tip of his nose
across hers. “Say you’re ready, beauty. Say you want me forever. Let me be
yours.”
Her heart
flopped over and surrendered, and she melted into his love. “Always.”
He kissed her
then, softly, slowly. They made love to the rain’s steady rhythm pounding down
around them, and from that night on, Ziri never again doubted that she’d found
her home in the man who’d stolen her heart and given his in return.
*
* * * *
Thank you for reading
The Choosing
(A Novel of the
Pruxnæ). If you enjoyed this story, please leave a review for it at your
favorite online retailer.
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Dedication:
For Caleb, my
heart.
About the Author:
Lucy
Varna lives in the Blue Ridge Mountains of northeast Georgia, surrounded by her
large, extended family. Visit Lucy online at
her
website
or
Facebook page
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* * * * *
The Daughters of
the People Series
Immortal Amazons unjustly cursed,
struggling to save their People, and their hearts.
The Prophecy
(Book 1)
Maya Bellegarde journeys to Sweden on behalf of the
People. There, she meets James Terhune, an attractive language expert. Together,
they must uncover the secrets of the grave and protect them from an ancient
enemy, and Maya must decide whether or not to trust James with
her
deepest secret.
Read
The Prophecy
now:
Light’s Bane
(Book 2)
When Daniella Nehring teams up with Dave Winstead to
track down and recover stolen artifacts, her task is complicated by the
attraction sparking between her and the stalwart undercover FBI agent, and by
her own sinister heritage.
Read
Light’s Bane
now:
The Enemy Within
(Book 3)
Indigo Dupree and Bobby Upton are drawn into a deadly game involving the
Prophecy of Light, forcing Indigo to choose between her duty and her heart.
Read
The Enemy Within
now:
Tempered
(Book 3.5)
For Hawthorne the Chronicler, a strong arm and a
sharp blade have always been her primary recourses against a cold and callous
world. When her untrusting heart is tempted by handsome comic book illustrator
Aaron Kesselman, Hawthorne learns that those may not be the best weapons in her
arsenal, particularly when her family is targeted by a member of the Eternal
Order.
Read
Tempered
now:
In All Things,
Balance
(Book 4)
Moira Firebrand
is intrigued by Tom Fairfax, the man her mother tasked with sorting through the
IECS Archives for clues to the near-mythical Sanctuary. Nothing is ever as easy
as it should be. The Archives is in disarray, odd artifacts show up in the
strangest places, and Moira’s own past wedges its way between her and Tom, the
one man she believes may have the strength to capture her heart.
Read
In All
Things, Balance
now:
Sanctuary
(Book 5)
Jerusha
Mankiller and Drew Martin continue the People’s search for Sanctuary and the
Bones of the Just.
Coming soon!
* * * * *
Say Yes
(Book 1)
Single mom Sera
Noland wasn’t looking for love the day Levi Ewart walked into her life,
especially when her heart, and her son’s, had already endured enough hurt to
last a lifetime.
Read
Say Yes
now:
* * * * *
The Choosing
(Book 1)
Ziri Mokuru was
looking for her place in the wide, wide universe. Ryn abid Alna knew exactly
where she belonged: In his heart.
* * * * *
What would you
do if you discovered you were descended from a witch, and that you might have
inherited some of her otherness?
A Higher Purpose
(Book 1)
The
day Adam Cowan walked into the coffeehouse she managed, Ella Southards
panicked. Here was the man of her dreams, literally, but he had made his
appearance twenty years and a failed marriage too late for her bruised heart.
Adam came to Cullowhee to take a much needed breather from his past. In the
reluctant Ella, he sees the possibility for a fresh chance at love, if only he
can convince her to gamble on him.
As Adam persuades Ella to make a place for him in her life, she begins to
wonder at the timing of his arrival there, and if her life might hold more
promise than she'd ever dared to dream.
A Wicked Love
(Book 2)
Lacey Monahan is in a tough place in her life. After being
betrayed by her boyfriend and fired from her job as a teacher in Portland, she
seeks refuge in the mountains of western North Carolina, where she hopes to
discover the origins of her great-great-grandmother, Abigail Pendergrass Lowry.
While there, she meets Rafe Prewitt, a former
Motocross racer with a sensual smile who sets his sights on Lacey. Though
Rafe's touch sends her over the moon, she's afraid to let another man close,
especially a good-looking, smooth-talking man with hot eyes and wicked hands.
When she's given a chance to stay in Cullowhee
and discover more about her mysterious ancestress, Lacey must make a decision:
Stay and risk having her heart broken, or return to Portland without ever
knowing if she could love again.