Free Conquering Lazar by Alta Hensley

soft touch had made it blissfully easy for her. Hardly a hint of pain had surfaced to mar the majesty of that moment—a moment she knew she'd remember forever.
    She reached down and gently removed his hand from her hip, sliding the cover down so she could sit up. Just as her cheek lifted from the pillow, she felt something wrap around her waist, pulling her back down, pressing her against that warm, hard chest. She couldn't help the smile that crossed her face, the little giggle that escaped her lips when she felt his kisses on her shoulder.
    "Good morning," she breathed, his touch sending a thrill through her that she struggled, in her inexperience, to hide.
    "Good morning." His voice sounded so smooth, so easy, so different than it had the day before when he'd been angry with Mistress Tula. "How did you sleep?"
    "Fine… I slept fine. I, uh, I am going to go make some breakfast." She wasn't ungrateful for how sweet he was being to her, quite the opposite in fact, but she was very confused about how to act the next morning, after sex. She pulled away from him, sitting up and seeing her silk where she'd left it lying the night before. She stood and dressed quickly, rushing from the room as her cheeks began to burn red, leaving him as fast as possible to hide her awkward embarrassment.
    As the smell of bacon and coffee assaulted her nose, her stomach growled to remind her of how little she'd eaten the night before, but she didn't worry about it right now. No, she had other things on her mind.
    At the sound of the bedroom door opening, Elbi looked over her shoulder to see Malachi casually leaning against the frame. His eyes were fixed on her, her every movements, he seemed to be mesmerized by her. She blushed at the silent attention.
    She offered a sheepish smile as the blush grew on her cheeks. "Breakfast will be finished soon."
    He nodded at her, starting towards the door without any hesitation. "I will be back shortly. I am going to inform Nico that the harem needs a day of rest from training. I do not want exhaustion to take over. Plus, Donte has items he needs to address, as do I. I won't be long, stay inside," he warned again before he disappeared out the door, leaving her standing alone.
    She desperately wanted to go outside and find Briar, but she couldn't risk it. She was dying to know what had happened with Donte and Mistress Tula, but if Malachi's concerns were well founded—well, she didn't want to die. She resigned herself to staying put. For now she would busy herself cleaning the place, and feeding him the best breakfast she could. She went right to work on the dishes, setting everything she'd cooked out on the table, before turning to the basin where a few dirty plates still lay. She searched the room for a bucket of water, but found none, much to her dismay.
    Elbi vaguely remembered seeing a well outside, near the door, and made up her mind, forgetting his warning in her haste, to go and get the water herself. She collected an empty bucket she found and opened up the door, stepping out into the little yard in front of the house. Her eyes took in the large desert dunes in the distance, silhouetted in the early morning sunlight, expanding as far as she could see.
    She found the well not too far from the door, and before very much time had passed, she had drawn herself up a bucketful of water that would be sufficient to clean the dishes inside the house. Hefting it up by the rope, which bit terribly into her delicate fingers, she carried it back inside the house, pausing only to collect a few desert flowers which were growing near the door to liven the place up.
    It was some time before he returned, a bit more tense than he'd been before he left, and obviously hungry. He didn't waste any time moving over to the table and making himself a plate, offering her a wide smile as she came to sit across from him, until he saw the flowers in her hand, which she was arranging in a little jar she'd found.
    "What are