Page 111 of Bruised MC Bear
She searched his eyes, confused. “Are you not the alpha of your soldiers?”
“I am, but you should know how Minassus operates. All it would take is one talkative soldier or trainee to say more than he needs to, and Minassus will know. And it is not that I fear the man. I’m more concerned about what he may do to you.”
“I understand.”
With a nod, he passed through the gates with an emotionless expression on his face, as though he had every right to bring her here. He gestured at the sentry, and acknowledges the soldiers who greeted him as they passed. No one gave Kiera a second look. Xander walked the length of the camp with her until they were almost at the back of the compound, stopping the mare at a hitching post close to a row of tiny log cabins. He helped Kiera down, tied up the animal, and pointed to the structure she guessed was his, no larger than any of the others she had seen on the way.
“I live alone,” he informed her, opening the door a few inches. “Go in. Have a seat while I get my horse settled for the night. I will be back soon.”
She watched him guide the mare away, disappearing around a corner a few yards away. Turning back to Xander’s home, she headed inside. Kiera was barely over the threshold when she heard a sound coming from inside the cabin. She snapped her head around the room, but it was too dark. No candles were lit yet.
“Who’s there?” she asked, although she was not sure she really wanted to know.
Slowly, her eyes adjusted to the darkness, but not before the sound of two large, heavy footsteps approached her. The first thing she saw was a broad, solid, naked chest, and had to look up, way up to the smiling man it was attached to.
“Good night, miss,” he said, and for a second, Kiera hoped he was dressed from the waist down.
She let her eyes drift down from the stranger’s short, black hair past his chest and ripped abs, and breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of dark pants. He was a giant, a strapping ox of a man, all muscle, and took up Kiera’s entire field of vision with his size.
“Good evening,” she eventually replied, stepping back into the doorway, hoping he had not seen her face in the darkness, although at this distance, she was not sure. “May I ask why you are here? Commander Oslo assured me he lived alone.”
“I was waiting for the Commander.”
“In the dark?”
“It was not dark when I first arrived, miss. And I can see well enough.” He stepped to his right, Kiera’s left, and a moment later, struck a match and lit a candle. “There. This should help you. I understand now that Commander Oslo is going to be …too busy to speak to me at this time. Not to worry. I will take my leave now… if you would allow me to pass.”
“Of course,” she answered, stepping aside to make room for the enormous man.
He stepped through the doorway, lowering his head to fit through, on account of the fact that he was at least five or six inches taller than the height of the door. “Enjoy your evening, miss,” he told her, not looking back as he pulled the door closed behind him.
While she waited for Xander to arrive, she took the opportunity to check out his place. It was neat, clean and cozy. The stone fireplace was straight ahead. On her left was a small eating area with a wooden counter for preparing food. A pitcher of water sat on the countertop, with a cup beside it. A small table with two chairs was at the corner, and beside it, a shelving unit that held a few plates, cups, glasses, and beer mugs on the top level. The other shelves were filled with jars and bags of grain, herbs and spices, and other food supplies. On her right, directly beside the door was a small, narrow table with a washbasin filled with clean water on top. A closed, two-door mahogany garment wardrobe was beside it. A long, wide bed was up against the side wall, with a mahogany headboard that matched the wardrobe just below a small window. The foot of the bed had a wooden bench the same width as the bed, and three feet away from that was the fireplace.
Kiera took a seat at the kitchen table, and wished she had taken the time to have lunch before storming out of the fortress earlier. She had not had a thing to eat or drink since morning.
Xander came inside just then. “I am sorry about the unexpected guest. I did not know Liam was here.”
“No problem. He left as soon as I got in.”
He nodded from his spot at the center of the room. “Yes. He is a trusted friend, so you do not need to worry about…anything.”
“All right.”
“Are you hungry?” he asked, stepping around to the other side of the table. “Thirsty?”
“Yes,” she admitted, looking up at his face now that he was closer. “Both, but I’d love some water, please.”
He filled the cup with water from the pitcher beside it. Passing her the cup, he took a seat in the chair.
“Thank you.” Now that the water was in front of her, Kiera could not ignore her thirst. She lifted the cup to her lips, holding it with both hands to gulp it down.
Xander raised his eyebrows and smiled. “Okay, so you are very thirsty.” He turned his chair slightly, reaching his arm backward for the pitcher. “Here you go. When was the last time you had something to eat or drink?”
Self-conscious now, she placed the cup on the table. “This morning…before we met at the Great Hall.”
“I did not know they starved you witches at the fortress,” Xander said, refilling her cup.
“They do not. I meant to eat, but…well, time flew by during my walk, and then I saw you.”
“It sounds like you had quite a day.” He got to his feet. “Wait here. The cook staff just served supper in the main dining hall. I will bring us some.”
Kiera got up and made herself useful after he left. She set the table with two place settings using what she could find on the kitchen shelves. The only thing she could not find was napkins, so she set the cutlery in small saucers, then filled her glass with more water and waited. Xander was back within less than ten minutes, carrying three covered wooden bowls stacked one on top of the other.
“Lucky for you, there is beef stew tonight,” he announced. Setting the top bowl between them, he lifted the flat lid and revealed several pieces of bread. He carefully placed the next bowl on her plate, then the last one on his. Xander was about to take a seat when Kiera noticed him peering down into the empty water pitcher. He returned to the door. “Go ahead and eat. I’ll get us more water.”
Kiera would have waited if she could, but God, she was starving. She wolfed down one spoonful of stew after the other, dipping the bread in the savory liquid for each bite until her bowl was empty and the bread was all gone. Still hungry, she eyes Xander’s plate, but thought against devouring his meal. She sat back in her chair then, closing her eyes as she waited for Xander to return.
