Chapter 2

Hold him, she did. She held him to her, felt the bones of his ribs as if there wasn't a heavy robe between her skin and his. She sighed quietly and shook her satiny head. "I don't understand such cruelty. My people would relish his strength and praise him for the fine warrior he is. Instead, his kind jails him and makes him live in squalor." She shook her head sadly, her chin rubbing against his back.

"Are you doing the impossible and actually growing a heart?" Jarvis burst out laughing when he saw her reaction to his barb. The gesture she gave him after that dissuaded him of the notions. "I do understand what you're saying, Jade. If they'd let someone like King Daxton roam around the castle, Cassianna would already be out on her plump white bottom.

"How do you know what her bottom looks like?"

This time Jarvis did a bit of squirming. "Hey, she's a female, I'm gonna look. Do I have to qualify my every look or word?" A small bit of anger escaped the firm control he usually had.

"So you are allowed to look at and fantasize about a woman's bottom, even a woman as horrid as Cassianna and I'm not allowed to feel a bit of sympathy for our dinner ticket?" She shook her head slowly and clicked her tongue. "It's a shame the double standards you place upon women in society, Jarvis, especially since you and I work together so often." She glanced down at what little she was wearing and then looked back at him. "You ... You don't think ... about me ... like that?"

"Jade, did I ever tell you about what a royal bitch you can be?" His teeth ground as she burst out laughing. "That's it, I mean it. We aren't working together ever again!"

"Oh come on, Jarvis. You love me and you wouldn't stop working with me. I am the most fun you have in life." She shifted on the edge of the saddle when the King moved in his sleep and threw out his arm.

"No ... No! Stop!" He began to moan, shake and move violently. He shouted more words, disjointed sentences that left Jade swearing as she finally caught what was going on in his sleep. She stopped her horse with a subtle move of her knees and slid down, bringing Dax with her. She caught him before he hit the ground and slowly lowered him.

"Highness! Highness, wake up. You're safe."

The cowl from his robe had fallen back, as did the mass of stringy matted hair that had protected his face from her sight. His eyes opened slowly and blinked even as he tried to pull away before he recognized her. "Wha..."

"You were dreaming, highness. You're safe now." She looked up as booted feet came to a stop on Dax's other side. "Tell him, Jarvis."

Jarvis dropped down next to the couple, his hand reached out to touch the King's shoulder. "You are away, Dax. You are out from under Cassianna's thumb. You are safe."

Dax seemed to need to hear that and he reached out, grabbed Jarvis's hand and turned his face to his. His eyes opened and then fluttered closed before opening again. He was close to the end of his strength.

Jade glanced up at Jarvis. "Can we chance camping here?"

Jarvis shook his head. "Too accessible, Jade. We can't trust it. I know a place if we can get him back on your horse. You hold him for a while longer and then I'll get us someplace where he can rest."

Jade nodded. She bent a little closer to the King and whispered in his ear. "Just a bit longer, Dax. I'll put you on Storm and you can lean against me until we get there. Just use my strength and relax."

He nodded again and she felt his weight relax into her arms. If he hadn't been so emaciated by his time as Cassianna's guest, she wouldn't have been able to do what she did next. She took a deep breath and rose with him still in her arms.

Dax's eyes opened wide and he reached out to her with arms that were weak and shaking. "No ... no, you can't!"

Jade smiled even as she slid him back into her saddle. "I can't, highness? Are you sure about that? I hate to say this, sire, but I don't think you are half the man you used to be." She slid her hand over his cheek, feeling the sharp thrust of the bone beneath the skin. "You aren't all that weighty sire." She kept him in the saddle with one hand and leapt up behind him. "Lead on, Jarvis."

Jarvis got on his own horse and glanced back at Jade as Storm, her half-wild pony whinnied and then tossed his head, dancing in his ire at the extra weight on his back. She got him under control before he had the chance to buck or show his displeasure. "Let's go, Jarvis."

Dax leaned back against her, his head tipping enough to turn into her throat. She could feel the heat of his breath, the long, slow rasp of it against her jaw. Her arms moved around his waist, holding him against her. She could feel a shiver shudder through her and forced herself to pay attention to the trail Jarvis was foraging in front of them.

About thirty minutes later, Jarvis pulled his horse to a halt and turned to glance back at Jade. "We should be far enough off the regular trail for us to remain undetected for the night."

She nodded. "You want to give me a hand with him?"

"Yes, of course." He slid off his horse, tossing his reins over a low hanging branch. Storm wasn't happy when Jarvis moved in front of the high-strung beast but he calmed with a single word from Jade. Dax barely opened his eyes when he was slid from the saddle and into Jarvis's arms. Jade was down a second later and let Storm's reins dangle into the dirt. The big animal didn't move a muscle until they'd carried Dax over to a cleared place between two big trees. Jade hurried back to Storm and pulled off his saddlebags and her bedroll.

"I have some salve that might help those wounds. Can you start a fire?"

Jarvis nodded and left the small clearing to find wood for the smokeless fire he was an expert making...

Jade hurried over to Dax, stroking her hand over his brow. His eyes opened and blearily stared up at her as she spread her blankets over him. He opened his mouth to speak but Jade placed her fingers gently over his mouth. "You're safe, sire. Try not to speak. I am going to dress your wounds and then we'll get some tea into you. It will make you feel better."

Dax nodded. "Why?" His voice was a hoarse croak.

"Why?" She blinked, confused.

"Why are you..."

"Helping you?"

He nodded again.

"Well, I could say that I'm just a good Samaritan, but I don't think you'll believe me." She smiled down at him, her hand pushing his hair off his forehead. "I ... well, I don't like it when someone throws her weight around and hurts innocent people. I was in a place to do something about it and I did. Oh, and it didn't hurt that I'm being paid a hefty fee to deliver you safely."

She turned and pulled out a plethora of the things she needed to brew her teas as well as mix up the salve that would keep his wounds from becoming infected. The tea she would brew for him was made from the bark of a jahura tree that grew only in the remote area southeast of her village. Well, it was southeast of the area where her village used to be.

A handful of small packets were in her hand. They were of different colors and the flaps were held down by ties that were tied in different ways with different style knots. Jade could tell what was in each packet with just a touch. She quickly sorted out which she needed and dropped the rest back into the saddlebag.

When Jarvis returned with an armful of wood, she helped him start a small, smoke-less fire. The flames were quickly dancing among the branches and she turned and grabbed a pot from Jarvis's bags and went to the small, gurgling stream to get water.

By the time the water was bubbling, she'd mixed her herbs into a small pot of animal fat. Then she mixed different herbs and put them into a small wooden cup. She poured some of the water into the cup and stirred it well before setting it to the side. Jarvis had gotten more water and had left a cloth next to Dax.

The injured king tried to sit up, to bathe himself but he was weak and his floundering movements were pulling open his wounds. He only calmed when Jade settled next to him, her hand stroking over his cheek.

"Allow me, highness?"

He nodded and sighed. "I shall never be able to repay you..."

"Nobody is asking you too." She dampened the cloth and stroked it slowly over his face, turning to rinse it ... Little by little she cleaned him, moving the blankets just enough to reach his skin and replacing it when she was done. She only hesitated when she reached loins and felt the hard brush of his cock against her hand. Her eyes flew to his face, but his were closed, his face grim.