Sinking down to my chest in the creek caused me to wince noticeably. All the small cuts and scrapes scattered across my skin burned as they came into contact with the warm water. I thought I would be used to this sort of pain after all this time. I was not.

I heard sloshes that signified Connor's descent behind me. After a moment, I felt his hands grip my shoulders. I began to relax as he kneaded my tense muscles expertly. Why he insisted on giving me a massage every night was beyond me. I was thankful for his consideration to my comfort, but the extra attention was not needed. I had rarely done as much for him after a day of training. I didn't feel I deserved such curtesy from him.

I hissed as my husband's hands moved to my neck. That being the epicenter of my tension made the firm pressure almost painful. Fearing he may have hurt me, Connor paused for a moment, then continued rubbing using a tad less force than before.

"Regretting your decision?"

It wasn't the first time he had asked me that. I doubted it would be the last. Connor did not want this life for me. He held strong to the hope that I would give up on my endeavor to learn the ways of the Brotherhood. I, however, had no intention of doing any such a thing. After coming to terms with the fact that I was sent here as a ploy for some unknown purpose, I refused to let the remainder of my time here be meaningless. No longer having a family to care for made my existence miserable. Learning to be an Assassin distracted me.

"The only thing I regret is letting Abby go swimming alone."

I didn't need to see Connor's face to know he was frowning. He got that expression every time I brought up our daughter. It wasn't that Connor didn't like remembering her, he just disliked expressing his grief. He never let anyone see him cry. Not even me. But I knew he wept every time he visited our little girl's grave. I knew he spoke to her in Mohawk. I heard him whisper softly to the tombstone when he thought he was alone. He also left gifts on Abby's grave. Mostly it was flowers or feathers, but occasionally he would make a doll and place it at the marker.

In an attempt to change the subject, I stated that I needed to go make supper for Achilles. Connor and I had moved back into the main house after Abby's death. Not only so that I could better care for the man who was like a father to me, but also to escape the painful reminders of the life I would never again have. Our house was full of her. I couldn't stand to be there for very long at a time. After only a few minutes, I would be a blubbering, crying mess. And I did not like being that way. I had spent enough time in the company of depression. It was time for me to fight.

"Diana is tending to him," Connor reminded me. His hands moved to my lower back. His thumbs circled each vertebra at a perfectly steady pace. I let out a soft moan as all my tension melted away. Closing my eyes, I gave in to the serenity.

Connor's lips pressed against my neck. He kissed the sensitive spot between my jaw and shoulder repeatedly. I tilted my head, letting him do as he wanted. He began to nibble gently. His hands stopped their massage and circled my waist, pulling my back to his chest. I knew he was aroused. I also knew it had been some time since we had been intimate. That was mostly my own fault. I just didn't want to be with him like that. Not often, anyway.

As his embrace strengthened, Connor's palms caressed my body and the light bites turned to instant sucking. I didn't push him away. I also didn't encourage him.

"Ratonhnhake:ton," I whispered, wondering if wanted to let him continue.

After a moment, his mouth withdrew, and he spoke words in Kanien'keha that I didn't understand. I asked him what he said. Connor put his lips close to my ear and stroked the spot he had been giving attention to with one finger.

"I marked you," he told me.

I couldn't keep from chuckling. "Don't you think we're a little old for hickeys?"

"Never too old to remind everyone that you are mine," Connor replied.

I twisted in his grasp so that I could face him. I straddled his legs, seating myself on his lap. I draped my right arm over his shoulder and held up my left hand, indicating the band on my ring finger. "I thought that's what this was for."

Connor grinned at me. "Then consider the love bite payback."

I frowned. It took me a few moments to remember the time I had left a hickey on him. That had been so long ago. Before we were married, before I had gotten pregnant. We had been trying to keep our love a secret then. We were unaware of what a poor job we were doing to hide our relationship.

"I can't believe you remember that," I mused.

Connor brushed a lock of hair behind my ear. He gazed into my eyes, a soft smile on his handsome features. "I remember everything."

I wrapped my arms around him and rested my forehead against his. The lengths he went to in an effort to show how much I meant to him was astounding. Connor was not an overly affectionate person. The sweet things he did were few and far between, yet they were profound. I never doubted that his feelings for me were genuine, but I occasionally wondered at their depth. When he said things like that, it reminded me just how true his love was.

"I don't know what I would do without you," I admitted.

"That's not something you need to worry about, Faith. You will always have me."

I kissed him, loving the way it felt as he returned it.

"Konnorónhkwa, riksten:ha."

"Konnorónhkwa, kheksten:ha."

I awakened suddenly, bolting upright in the bed. My heart was racing, and my body was trembling. A film of perspiration covered my skin. My moist hair was sticking to my head. I struggled to control my erratic breathing as I felt Connor sat up beside me. He placed a gentle hand on my back and spoke my name softly. I could hear the worry in his voice.

"I'm fine," I told him, feeling anything but fine. Forcing myself to calm down, I slowly sank back onto the mattress. My hands shook as I pulled the sheet up to my chin. I continued to clutch the fabric tightly for reasons unknow. The fear inside me refused to fade. I had an urge to cry, but a solid refusal to let my emotions get the better of me.

"It was just a dream," I told myself.

Connor lay beside me, resting on his elbow as he watched me in the darkness. I could feel his gaze searching my face, even if I couldn't see it. Not certain if he could make out my features in the dim light, I donned and expression of indifference. My dream had affected me deeply, but I didn't want him to know that. I didn't want to cause him more concern than he already had.

I forced a smile and looked at where Connor's face should be. "Go back to sleep, baby."

My voice was shakier than I would have liked. I knew he heard the waver. He didn't comment on it, thought. He lowered himself to the pillow. I felt his breath next to my ear as his arm rested on my waist.

"Your dreams are becoming more common," he said.

I shrugged, unsure of what to say. He was right. In the last few months, the strange visions that had plagued my sleep had become a weekly occurrence. Though I wasn't sure at their meaning, I had an idea the dreams were a product of the force that had brought me here. That they were becoming more frequent bothered me. I remembered the being saying I had only a little time left and wondered if the recurrent nightmares somehow coincided with that. The thought brought me even more fear. If my dreams had anything to do with my existence, what would it mean when they came nightly? Would that mean my time was almost up?

I frowned, not wanting to think such thoughts. I rolled toward my husband and wrapped him in a tight embrace. The idea of never seeing Connor again terrified me. He had been the biggest part of my life for eight years now. He was the only family I had left. I didn't know how to live without him. I didn't want to live without him.

Connor kissed the top of my head and whispered something in his native language that I didn't even try to translate. I nuzzled closer to his chest and inhaled the pleasant aroma of his skin. After the rude awakening I'd had, I thought it would take me forever to get back to sleep. It didn't. The rest of my slumber was blissfully dreamless.