Valen snarled with frustration. He stood up and strode through the fire, scattering sparks and embers in his wake. He grabbed her by the ropes that bound her motionless and hoisted her body into the air.
"Look at me, my lady. Look at me!" He shook her body in mid-air until her teeth rattled. "We go no further until I have some explanation."
He stared into her defiant grey eyes, gritting his teeth as he held the demon in check. She stared at him, as if willing him to violence. Then … then, she closed her eyes and her chin sank to her chest. She hung limply in his hands, no answers, no fear.
Valen's mind spun, trying to grapple with the puzzle of this woman in his arms. The demon backed away, yielding to the complexity of his thoughts. He lowered his hands, bringing her trussed body close. Threats were obviously not going to work.
"Fine, my lady. If you will not speak, then you will listen."
He lowered his giant body to the cold floor, cradling her in his lap. With one hand, he deftly released the buckles of his breastplate and tossed it aside with a clang. He felt her body stiffen as his heat crept up her spine.
He slid his cheek across her hair, burying his face in her neck. She bucked in his lap, twitched and snarled, but he held her firm.
"No. You will listen."
He tossed his gauntlets to the floor after his armour. He reached around her body and stroked his calloused fingers down her face until she whimpered.
"I didn't know where you came from and I didn't believe in you. And I didn't trust you. You could have been annoyed with that, but instead you smiled and winked and teased."
He kissed behind her ear. He breathed in the scent of her – like sandalwood and vanilla sweetcakes.
"Oh, my lady, you proved me so very wrong. When I would have turned back a hundred times, you pressed on. I was never sure if it was due to sheer bloody-mindedness or simple curiosity – but you couldn't leave a stone unturned or a door unopened. And you seemed to take joy in every step. When it was boring, when it was painful, when it should have been hopeless, you kept going."
His fingers brushed her lips, her cheeks, her temples. They threaded through her hair that shone like rubies in the firelight. He could feel her body shaking, trembling.
"You turned me inside out, my lady. When I thought the most I could hope for out of this life was an escape from pain, you showed me solace and cheer and laughter. You showed me music and dance. You showed me trust and respect."
His tail ceased its slow dance and wrapped itself around her ankle and slid up her calf. Her back arched and she slammed her head back into his chest, but he simply raised his hand and cupped the back of her head, his fingers digging lightly into her skull.
"I thought you foolish, but you were just fearless. You were so careless with yourself. I would have pounded that false avian priest into the ground for what he did to you, but you weren't even angry. His filthy curse raged through you; I could feel the heat from your body across the room … and you still laughed! I still remember your words – as if they'd been written on my skin. 'It's all right, Valen. We're just playing.' Even when you staggered and came so close to falling, you smiled. I loved you then, my lady. I couldn't help it."
Her body froze, ceased all movement, her breath and heartbeat itself seemed to stop. His fingers never stopped the slow, smooth caress of her hair.
"You drove me mad. You would touch me and I thought for sure you could hear my heart pound. I would have given years of my life to touch you. But what did I know about courtship? I know battle, my lady. I know slavery and I know pain. I didn't know what this music, this laughter, might mean. I didn't know if you desired my touch at all."
It might have been a laugh. It might have been a gasp, but it ended up as a sob as Brin collapsed into him. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close as all the rage of the past days erupted in weeping. She didn't even notice when he released the knots that held her, but she wrapped her arms around his neck as her body heaved against him with each ragged breath.
She grabbed his hand as he brushed tears from her face and pressed her face into his palm. Her breath squeezed through his fingers as she fought to steady herself. He simply kept stoking her hair until she fell silent and still, asleep. Slowly he regarded the hand she had grasped, wondering only if he had imagined the kiss she had placed there.