Entanglements

Chapter 14

Sami couldn't help it and grimaced slightly as EJ finally withdrew from her body after their second foray of lovemaking. While she had tried to hide it she was quickly discovering that it was near impossible for her to get anything past EJ. It was like he was connected to her in a way she had never felt with anyone else before in her life.

Then she tried to chuckle in an attempt to think of something else beyond the soreness that seemed to be increasing ever since EJ had taken her the first time she had ever lain with a man. At least she thought she was now a woman, no longer was she the inexperienced little girl who had been completely ignorant about what took place between a man and a woman when they were joined together.

EJ saw her expression and he hated the pain she had experienced and was afraid he had hurt her once more since he had lost some of his restraint before he had climaxed this second time even though she had cum more than once after she had asked him to make love to her again.

"Darling, are you all right?" EJ asked his voice laced with concern as he brushed away a lock of hair that was close to covering one side of her face.

All Samantha could do was nod while EJ thought she was blessed with such beautiful hair and then he felt himself stirring again when he touched her tresses and tried his best to calm his suddenly raging libido. It was plain to see she was hurting even if she wasn't readily admitting it to him.

"You can tell me the truth, I can see it written upon your face," EJ continued to run his fingers of one hand through her hair while she lay beside him.

"I'm not hurting, but it feels…" she paused trying to find the correct word to explain exactly what she was feeling, but how could she compare this to anything else in her life, nothing had felt like this before.

"Are you tender my love?" EJ asked and Samantha immediately blushed a bright shade of red when he knew precisely what was going on with her body. It made her feel once more even with her sudden awareness she was a woman that she still had so many other things to learn about her body and how she wanted to learn all about his body too.

He wished she wouldn't be embarrassed, especially in front of him, this was normal, completely normal and he guessed if her mother had still be alive and her father not so oppressive of wanting his daughter to learn the ways of the world that she would have already been told these things long ago.

"Do you have a basin of water?" EJ asked and Samantha furrowed her brow wondering why he would be asking for such a thing at a time like this between them.

"Yes, it is on the counter in the other room. I can go fetch it for you," she began to try to rise on her arms but he immediately halted her progress.

"No, I can get it. I'll be right back," EJ stated and arose from the bed they had shared, never bothering to cover his nakedness as he walked away from her to go into the other room.

For a brief moment, she wondered if he was using this as an attempt to escape from her after he had slaked his lust, but then felt ashamed to think such traitorous thoughts about the man who had vowed to her he was forsaking all others to be with her. She had to trust him completely even if only the day before she had considered him her slave.

He returned quickly with the basin and a cloth and she was puzzled until he placed the cloth into it and then wrung the excess water out of the cloth. He climbed back into bed with her, the cloth in hand.

"Open your legs for me, my sweet angel," EJ instructed her even though she wasn't sure why he was asking her to do so.

She hesitated momentarily even though she had eventually let him do whatever he had wanted to do with her body only minutes before.

"I'm going to be gentle with you," EJ informed her quietly and she finally relented and opened up her legs for him.

EJ smiled at her when she did as he had asked. While he knew she was always going to be a woman who questioned things instead of blindly accepting things as being her fate in life he had always wanted a mate who didn't cower when he asked something of them like most women tended to do.

He took the cloth and slowly began to swab it over the place she was most sensitive, his touch was light and soothing as he cleansed her, wiping away the residue of blood that had resulted from him taking her virginity. He felt a swelling of pride even though he didn't need to speak of it to her that he had and was to be the one to teach her the fiery ways of passion. Something that struck him odd though was he had never attempted to do this for any other human being so even if she didn't know it she was teaching him things too. Important things like compassion something he wasn't used to showing to anyone because allowing emotions like that could get you killed.

"Is that better?" he asked after a few minutes.

"Yes," she answered even if she averted her eyes, this was too intimate of an act and she was overwhelmed by the intensity of feelings that were growing within her for this man, "although you didn't have to do that for me because I could have done it myself."

He dropped the cloth into the basin of water and reached back to turn her face up to his, "I wanted to do it for you. I want to always take care of you."

"Because you took my virginity?" Sami asked before she thought better of it.

His face hardened since her question had completely taken him off guard. How could she think it was only because of that when they had shared something he had never felt with anyone else before her?

"No, because I love you" he replied without hesitation. "I have never said those things to anyone that I said to you earlier. Before I met you it was beyond my comprehension that I would give my heart to anyone, but you own it now. I cannot take it back."

She felt the tears forming in her eyes; he was everything she had ever dreamed about having in her life, more than she had ever thought she would find. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it the way it came out. I'm not used to expressing such things, much less feeling them. "

"What do you feel? Is it regret for what we did now that it is over? Do you want to go back to your family and leave me?" EJ asked hoping she wasn't going to decide to go back to her former way of life without him. While initially he had only went with her because he had thought it would be an easier way to escape the bonds of servitude that had been forced upon him with his capture, now he didn't think he could let her go, much less go off without her by his side.

Sami sat up so that she could touch his face, her hand upon his cheek as her fingers trailed down his face and ended up on his neck, "I will never regret what we have done today. I gave you my heart also. I'll not be able to take it back anymore than you could. I love you EJ."

"Then come away with me, it's the only way we will be able to be together. You know your father will not allow you to be wed to a man he considers to be a slave." EJ stated solemnly.

Samantha knew what he was saying was the truth. If her father found out what she had did with EJ, he would kill him and most likely her too for bringing shame upon the family. "Where will we go? I've never been beyond the borders of my clan's land; my father wouldn't allow us girls to travel like he has my brothers."

"Oh sweetheart there is so much I want to show you. The place where I come from is beautiful, my family's land stretches on as far as the eye can see and my mother and sister will need me now that my father and older brother have been slain."

"I want to go, but if my father realizes I have left he will not stop until he finds me and he will kill you. I can't abide to be the one to cause your death."

"I'd gladly die for you," EJ began and Samantha put her fingers to his lips.

"Don't speak of such, I can't lose you," she began to cry no longer able to stop the tears from flowing down her face. He gently wiped her tears away.

EJ touched the amulet that was around his neck and pulled the leather strap that held it around his neck over his head, bringing it out for Samantha to look at more closely.

"What does this mean?" Sami touched the etching of some kind of exotic bird that she had never seen before which was on one side of the amulet, words of another language were on the other side so she couldn't read what was written on it.

"Nos mos orior oriri ortus ex cinis cineris." EJ spoke the phrase that was inscribed. "It's Latin for we rise from the ashes. It's my family motto. Samantha I'm next in line for the throne in my kingdom since my father and brother were killed in battle. If I don't get back my mother will think I have fallen too and then the throne will go to my youngest brother Chadwick and he is a mere boy, no where ready to take over such responsiblities. "

"You're a prince?" Sami asked trying to wrap her head around this new piece of information that EJ had imparted to her.

"I told you earlier you'd be surprised if you knew who I really was," EJ said quietly. "I have to go back; my family needs me now more than ever."

"You need to go without me," Samantha began even though the thought of being without him was already breaking her heart. "I don't belong in your world anymore than you do in mine."

"You belong to me, you're mine!" EJ stated fiercely as he pulled her into his lap. "I belong to you too sweetheart. I'm bound to you as surely as the chains that I was wearing when you found me standing before you."

"Your family isn't going to accept me anymore than mine will you," Samantha replied sadly.

"You are my family now. Please come with me," EJ started to kiss her neck before he made his way to her lips. He kissed her with a fervor that she instantly responded to as soon as she opened her mouth.

EJ pulled back from the kiss before it grew into something they wouldn't be able to stop because each minute they continued to stay here in her hideaway was dangerous for them both in very different ways.

"Come with me," EJ urged her once more.

Sami finally nodded her head, "I'll go with you."

EJ hugged her close to him, "I'll protect you with my life."

Sami clung to him for what seemed like hours, but it was only a few short minutes. They finally released one another and got out of bed, both going to find their discarded clothes. They dressed hastily. Samantha handing EJ a tunic of Eric's she found in one of the rooms. While they weren't exactly the same size it fit enough for EJ to wear.

She stood in the room looking around, knowing if she left with EJ she would never be welcomed back here ever again.

"We've got to go Samantha."

She blinked back the tears and turned placing her hand in his, "Let's go then."

EJ kissed her cheek and they started out the door but before they could leave there was Eric blocking their escape.