Chapter 369 - So What?
Kaizan stood at a distance with a rabbit he had hunted, hanging in his left hand. He was looking at Ileus who appeared to have been caught in a whirlwind of confusion and utter disbelief.
Ileus turned his head over his shoulder to look at him and Kaizan could sense his raised heartbeat. The bitterness of his confusion was mixed with… fear. Ileus' expressions were tight as he looked from him to Anastasia. His body sank on the rock he was sitting on.
Kaizan pursed his lips. He walked to him and the friends' clasped forearms and then gave each other a bear hug, clapping each other on the back. "How are you?" he asked in a low voice even as he felt Anastasia watching them with curiosity.
Ileus' throat choked. He didn't know what to say to him. Instead, he asked, "How are you?" The man had been taking care of his wife for more than a month in this wilderness. His wife had lost her memories and still his friend didn't leave her side. He remained so committed to her. Had it been normal circumstances, Ileus would have ripped apart Kaizan limb by limb for even touching his wife, but he knew better than that. In the wilderness of the Mountain of Tibris, he stayed with her, goaded her, fed her and protected her, like he had always… His lips quivered as he stopped the tears to fall from his eyes.
Understanding his emotions very well, Kaizan said in a low voice, "You should be happy that she is alive and kicking." He looked at the blood on his brow and chuckled.
Ileus shook his head and then again gave a bear hug to his friend. "We have to catch up a lot!"
Kaizan nodded. "Give me a few minutes," he said. He went to Anastasia who was sitting on the fur, brushing her hair with a wooden comb that he had crafted for her from pinewood and watching him with interest. "Anastasia, can you roast this?" he asked, lifting the rabbit. "I have also got a few herbs to season it."
She gave one tight nod. Keeping the comb down on the fur, she asked him to skin it. And while he did that, she reignited the fire. All the while she could feel the golden eyes staring at her intensely, so intensely that she blushed to her neck.
And Ileus, he wanted to trace that blush, he wanted to hold her against his chest, he wanted to get inside her and bury himself deep. He didn't even try to cover the stiffness of his shaft and in fact, opened his legs to show it to her and make her feel the effect she had on him.
When Kaizan came back, she asked, "Who is 'golden eyes'?" Then she dipped her voice and said, "He is such a louche, shameless. How could a man like you be friends to a man like him?" She didn't narrate the events of the pool but was sure that if the golden eyes as much as dared to touch her again, she would go all feral. Though the vokudlak had brute strength… she would manage.
Kaizan leaned forward to speak with her in the same low voice. "He is a very close friend, but I have to agree with you—he is a louche." A snarl interfered with their conversation. Kaizan shrugged. "See? He is like that. But what can I do? I have to tolerate him." He tsked. "I have to go and talk to him. Do you think you can manage for a few minutes?"
"Of course, I can!" she replied. Why was it that she was feeling excited? In so many days she had only felt miserable and gloomy, but with the arrival of golden eyes, she felt as if the air was charged.
"Ah, thanks Anastasia," he said with a smile that earned yet another growl. He sauntered to the man who was sitting on the rock and patted his shoulders. "Come, let's take a walk."
"And leave her alone in this wilderness? Not a chance," Ileus replied, panic setting in. His wife was delicate like a flower and moreover she was carrying his baby. Gods! So, what if she punted him?
"She can take care of herself. And we are going to stay around. I do have to talk to you… a lot!" Kaizan said exasperatedly. He was actually so relieved to see Ileus that when he didn't stop to talk to him in order to meet Anastasia, Kaizan only slowed his pace. He had sat down against the trunk of a gnarled tree for a while, relaxed, sagging with relief, before he started his journey back to the cave.
After giving her a look of concern, Ileus took a deep breath and followed his friend in the thick woods ahead. The mist that was swirling up to the tree tops had reduced and swirled near the ground. The fresh smell of pines and mist was heavy in the air.
Kaizan stopped near a small gentle waterfall, which fell into a pool that Ileus realized was the place Anastasia was taking a bath. He saw his satchel over there and picked it up. "You need a good bath, Ileus," said Kaizan. "What is that blood all about?"
Ileus was already stripping. "The one on the shoulder is that of a bear I killed and the one on the brow is from my sweet little wife." He dived in the pool and submerged completely. The water was cold but he needed to calm his senses and his shaft was aching painfully. Even in this wild, she looked beautiful as hell and so fucking voluptuous. The glow on her face was incredible. He had heard that when women were pregnant, they had a glow on their face. Gods, his woman was glowing everywhere. When he came out, he smoothed his hair back and looked at Kaizan. He needed answers.
As if understanding what he wanted, Kaizan started speaking. "Anastasia has lost most of her memories, Ileus. After she plunged the Evindal sword in Iona, the dark spirits evacuated her body, but it came with a heavy price. She used so much energy from her body to save your sister that it seems she has lost her memories out of shock. I am glad that she is still pregnant."
A shudder passed through Ileus' body. It tore him apart with its icy claws. The pain that had haunted him for the past month increased at the thought that she could lose their baby. He loosed a shaky breath.
"She is taking time to recuperate. Over the last days, I have been extremely patient with her and not telling anything about the past, nor she has asked me about the past. But I can see that she is conflicted a lot and the only thing that she needs at the moment is patience." Kaizan bit his lip and closed his eyes. He lowered his legs, leaned back with palms braced behind him on the rock.
Ileus let the information sink in him. "Why are you going northwest?"
"There's a small abandoned fortress that I discovered. I want to take her to the confines of that," he replied.
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When Iona woke up next, she was ravenous. And thankfully clothed. Surprise flitted through when she directly peered into those emerald eyes. Gods.