Free Aura by M.A. Abraham Page B

entrance then, slowly walked to the side of the fire to warm his body as he continued his perusal.  She looked different with her hair loose and hanging down, and he stared at her as if he was mesmerized.

Damn but she was beautiful, he thought.  Why did she hide it?  Half the women he knew at court would kill to look half as well as she did.  He felt a heat rising within his body as he continued to watch her, and without realizing it, he was striding swiftly around the fire.

Aura had watched him warily as he had entered the cave.  He looked as if he was feeling better and completely refreshed, the bath had done him a lot of good in that respect. It had also loaned him an air of danger, giving her the impression that she was trapped, which was ridiculous as she was very well protected with Roger and Wolf as allies.  She watched how he looked at her and she felt, and saw his change of mood, which was reflected in his eyes.  He could rape her in his present state of mind.  She was not about to let that happen.  She sprinted to the other side of the fire as he stalked her and called to her wolf for help.

Wolf, hearing his mistress scream his name in panic, ran to her side.  He could sense her fear and determined it was the man who was to blame for it.  He gave a deep throaty growl of warning at him and bared his teeth at the perceived danger.

The man's attention immediately shifted from the woman to the wolf.  Under the circumstances the wolf was not an adversary that the man was prepared to face at the moment.  He was neither dressed, armed, or in any condition for a confrontation.  At another time he might have considered it, but not in the shape his body was in, even if the woman looked as if she might be worth it.  He backed off and she retreated into a different corner of the cave, where she finished combing her hair then braided it in her usual style.  He frowned his disapproval, as he watched her.

When Aura felt safe again, she came out of her corner to make a stew, which they shared in silence.  She, however, continued to watch him.  There was no trust left between them.  He had tried to force himself on her.  She was afraid to have him nearby.  What if he came after her again?  Wolf might not be close enough to save her the next time.  Her mind filtered though all the possibilities.  The bottom line, however, was that she thought he wasn’t strong enough to travel on his own.  It was a problem she would have to do some serious thinking about.  So when they finished eating she cleaned up, and spent the rest of her day divided between Wolf and Roger as she decided what she was going to do.

The man could only stare and wonder at her manner as she played with her pets.  She was, he was sure, trying to ignore him and keep him at a distance.  She was different than any woman he had known.  He wondered what it was that made her seem so special.  He knew that tonight he would sleep alone and he sighed in regret.  She had been nice to wake up to, with her curled up next to him, even if he knew she had done it to keep him warm in the night, while she had sought to break his fever.  She had smelled so fresh and clean, and the scent in her hair had reminded him of a field of fragrant wild flowers.  He would miss her by his side, strange to think he could grow to need her so quickly.  He had never felt so dependent on another human being before.

He felt his body respond to the memories of her lying close to him, and frowned at the emptiness her distance and silence made him feel.  He had, along with other things, found that he rather liked her voice, it was syrupy, yet clear, and he was sure he had never heard anyone with that particular accent before.  To try to fill the void within himself, he spoke, in an attempt to draw her out again.

"I should leave in the morning.  I have pressing matters to attend to."  It was time, although he sought more of a reaction to his