Capture of a Heart Read Online Free Page B

the air until he could take hold of it.
    “Do not rush your progress. Your strength will return,” he promised, but the tears gathering in a glossy film over her beautiful amber eyes were filled with frustration.
    Initially she had been eager for conversation. While he prepared their meals, she had inquired about his kind, how long he had lived within the forest, and what he knew of the outside world. The act of being fed didn’t improve her mood any, but eventually her spells of lamenting independence passed. She would slurp away at the spoon he proffered her, never meeting his eyes, but her cheeks shinned with gratitude all the same.
    Gavenas had begun to look forward to her wakeful moments, few and diluted as they were, but that had changed the next night when she realized just how far his care had extended.
    He kept her clean, caring for her as a mother might a babe. The bedding and the pallet’s leafy stuffing were changed as needed and accidents were taken care of. That she had awakened during one such instant seeded her decline.
    His actions had chipped away at her fierce independence and pride, necessary as they were. She had struggled to help as he ran a cleansing cloth between her thighs, but Gavenas had told her that there was no cause for shame. He did not lament the intimate tasks. His thoughts ran only to her comfort and care…at least while he was in her presence.
    That night she insisted on feeding herself. Much to Gavenas’s surprise, she managed to prop herself up and accept the bowl of mushroom broth. Her movements were slow and careful as she ladled each spoonful to her lips.
    He watched her carefully for any sign of weakness, but Shoraya’s grip was firm upon the handle of her utensil and even surer around the base of the bowl. He was aware of the warrior’s spirit, the determination for control growing within her. Still, even as he left her side pretending as if other matters needed to be tended to, cleaning, organizing around the den, he kept his attention keen upon her.
    In a matter of days, she would regain her strength, and while it was certainly something to look forward to, Gavenas did not. Five days she had been with him under his care, and Gavenas had enjoyed every second. He looked forward to preparing her meals, washing her long, muscular limbs, and clothing her… He looked forward to having someone to pamper. Of course he had his forest and all its inhabitants to care for, but it simply was not the same.
    He heard the sound of the spoon rattling in the empty bowl as she set it down upon the earthen floor. Eagerly he returned to the pallet and was surprised to find the bowl empty. He thought to ask her if she wanted more, but with a whisper of thanks, Shoraya had already slid back down on the pallet, looking ready for slumber.
    He leaned over and took the bowl with him back to the table. Behind him, he could detect the evenness of her breathing as she sank into dreams.
    With darkness showing itself through the small openings of the den’s ceiling and walls, Gavenas dreaded another night out in the open. Sleeping on the earth and beneath the stars was no struggle, but dreaming had become an issue. Shoraya may have been asleep within the den, but her presence followed him, haunting him with needs he could not suppress. Of course there were tasks that he could have busied himself with and had. Since the night of her arrival and that initial slip, he had gathered several cords of firewood, picked enough vines, vegetables, and fruits to stuff his larder. He had arranged his potions and cleaned the den several times. He had even made busy with the few animals that needed healing, but there was no task that would erase his longing to check on her, to be near her and feel her warmth.
    Gavenas ate his broth and then cleaned up his cook kettle before retiring to his table with weary bones, curious for a solution to his own affliction. His dreams were solely of her, haunting, titillating phantoms