Words That Bind by Ash Krafton

Author:Ash Krafton [Krafton, Ash]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Contemporary, Paranormal, Fantasy
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Published: 2014-11-08T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 19

It took her eyes a moment to adjust to the sudden disappearance of sunlight. She fanned herself and brushed her bare feet, wondering where her shoes had gone. Ah. There, by the door. Everything was just as it should be.

Almost.

“I have something for you.” She ducked into the kitchen, grabbing a small bundle from the counter. “It’s wrapped inside this handkerchief.”

Their fingers touched when she handed it to him. Chills tumbled up her arms.

His brows bunched lower and he eyed her, his fingers closing around the cloth reflexively. “I—”

“Open it.”

He plucked each corner of the handkerchief, lifting each flap with exaggerated care. Inside lay the ugly old ring, too dull to even catch the lamp light.

His breath snagged in his throat, his throat bobbing as he swallowed. “The ring. But why?”

“I want you to have it.” A warmth spread through her chest, a tingle of a glow. Pleasant and comforting, a sense of knowing she’d done the right thing. “It seemed to mean something to you.”

His eyes widened. “Tamarinda, this ring is too precious—”

“Well, take it.” She closed her fingers around his. “Really, you said yourself. I don’t have enough security. And I really can’t have a dragon in here. I signed a no-pets lease. Take it back to your place and keep it. It’s all yours.”

“Just like that?” His whispered words held infinite doubt.

“Sure.” She shrugged and released his hand. “Why not? You’ll feel better. So will I.”

He stared at her for a full minute, searching her face, his brows drawn.

Had she broken some kind of custom or committed some taboo act?

He slipped the ring into his breast pocket and patted it before performing a salute, a wave of his hand in front of his mouth, sweeping his hand down with a flourish that ended in a bow. “I humbly thank you.”

“Are you sure you wouldn’t like one of the prettier items? You said you liked treasure—that old thing looked like it fell out of a sink trap. Would you like something else?”

“You don’t understand. I have none of my own, Tamarinda. I had never been allowed. This ring is the closest I’ve ever come to having a treasure of my own.” He gently lifted her chin so she could look nowhere but into his green eyes. “I will cherish it every day of my life.”

“Okay.” She patted his hand and slipped from his grasp. “Glad it makes you happy. You’re easier to be with when you’re happy.”

“I don’t know what to say.”

“I do.” She tilted her head. “I’m sorry about making you think I banished you. I did that because I had to. I am a woman of principles, no matter how distasteful you find that to be. I can’t be your therapist because it would be unethical.”

“Unethical.” He laughed, a disdainful sound. “What could possibly be unethical about my coming to visit you?”

“You don’t visit, Burns. You sought counselling, in my office, where I work as a therapist. You didn’t pick me up in a bar. You came to me and said I need a counsellor.

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