Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 83946 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 420(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83946 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 420(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
“Yes, somewhere just for me and you,” he says.
“That thought is enough to make me finished with my meal.”
I watch Bothaki put the saddle on and then he lifts me into it. I grab the saddle knob meant to help keep me steady as Bothaki brushes his hand down the Kahla’s neck just below its mane of shuddering feathers.
“You be good to my mate,” he tells it, then looks at me. “We’ll go slow, no more than a trot.”
“We can go a little—”
“No more than a trot,” he repeats.
I smile, and with how tall the Kahla is, I only need to lean over a little to kiss him. He places a bag across the other Kahla’s back and then swings himself onto it with a grace I don’t think I could ever have on this animal. Then, we set off. I expect us to have to go through the city like usual, but instead when we reach the base of the mountain, we veer to walk on the path behind the homes that curve along the side of it. Hallans wave at us from where they do their daily chores as we pass, and children run up to pet the Kahlas. But then we reach a clearing where a river pool is filling, and I look pointedly at Bothaki, thinking we’ll stop here, but he just smiles and shakes his head. So, we continue on, and I just enjoy the ride.
The pink sky above me, green grass below me, a storm within the clouds, and utter peace within my heart.
“Here,” Bothaki says softly.
I blink from staring up at the moons to try and tell what time of the day it is and look at him. He’s already getting off his Kahla and placing the bag on his shoulder before he comes over to me. His hands come to my waist to lift me and I wrap my arms around him, not wanting him to put me down. Of course, he doesn’t, and simply carries me through his secret spot. The grass here is so tall that it brushes against my calves as we go, until we reach an area where the grass lowers to show the riverbank. Instantly, I know why he brought me here. The green and blue flowers.
“My father sent me here years ago,” Bothaki begins. “To see if homes could be built further out this way, but when I saw this spot, I told him it was better to leave the land alone. He accepted my words as we do not disturb what’s thriving such as it is here. But I came back, sat here often and thought of you. I told myself that when I finally found you, I would plant flowers for you here, and bring you here when they bloomed. I planted these a few days after I brought you home, and now that they’ve bloomed, here we are.”
Tears cloud my eyes as he settles me right before the water.
“So often I wish I had known my fate,” I admit. “That I could have dreamed of you all my life. That I could have known someone made just for me was waiting for me, was coming for me. But in this moment, I realize, in a way, I did dream of you. I dreamed of being loved, unconditionally. Of being cherished, each and every day. Of someone coming and taking all my pain away. I longed for you, without knowing I would ever find the one I longed for.”
“And now we have forever.”
He kisses me before opening the bag to pull a blanket out. Placing it over the grass, he sits on it and extends his hand to me. I take it and use my other hand to bring my dress up so I can straddle him. He only has on a loincloth today, and already I can feel him pressed against me, and his raised brows show me he’s clearly discovered I’m not wearing any panties.
“They feel too tight now,” I explain.
He chuckles. “Do you think you’ll hear me complaining, Zawla?”
“I expect not.”
Then, he pulls me close, careful of my belly as he wraps his arms around me. There’s no sound but the breeze rustling grass and trees as we sit here. It’s one of the things I’ve truly come to love about Hallalah. The sound of … peace, or at least, that’s what it feels like. The breezes, the river rushing, the children laughing and playing somewhere in the distance. It feels, at times, like I can even hear things growing, living, being. I wouldn’t be surprised if I could.
“Sometimes, I still can’t believe you’re here with me,” Bothaki says, breaking the silence. But his voice brings me just as much peace as any of those sounds. More peace, really. “Sometimes, I fear I’ll wake up and still be strapped to your father’s table, just pretending to be back here with you.”