Forget Me Not Read Free Page A

place. They had tortured her and taken something important from her. He was not about to allow her to take him there. “No.”
    “What do you mean no? No to letting me go or no to the hospital?”
    He didn’t want to do either, but he sensed her growing agitation at his nearness, and decided that it was best to do as she requested and release her.
    As soon as his hands left her body, cold air stole her warmth from him. Irritation grated just under his skin, but he hid it. “I have requirements.”
    One dark eyebrow lifted as she stared at him with some kind of expectation he could not translate. Her voice was quiet, but the tone of contempt running through it confused him. “Requirements? You crash my first vacation in years and you have requirements?”
    Perhaps that was the wrong word. It certainly seemed to be the wrong one. “Needs?” he asked, hoping for her approval.
    She still appeared skeptical. “What kind of needs?”
    Toren opened his mouth to answer, but found he had no words she would understand for what he required. He could have shown her, but touching her again was likely not the wisest course of action. Making this woman trust him was of the utmost importance for his return home.
    He finally settled on, “Food,” hoping that a shared meal would help ease her mistrust of him.
    Sympathy drew her brows together, and her lovely lips parted on a soft sound of offered comfort. The dent left by her teeth kept drawing his attention, urging him to lick away the mark.
    “I didn’t even stop to think how long you might have been trapped in that hole,” she said. “Were you even conscious the whole time? Come inside and we’ll get you what you need.”
    Her acceptance drove back some of his anger at being cast out of his home world unjustly. She seemed willing to help, and right now, his options were few. He had no clothes, no food, no family or friends, and very little magic left within him. If he was going to make it out of this prison and back to where he belonged, he was going to need this fragile human’s aid.
    “Have you already killed the food?” he asked her.
    She looked at him as though puzzled by his question. “Uh. No.”
    “I will do it for you,” he offered. He had no weapons, but he was strong. Surely any world where a creature as delicate as Adreeahbenwah could survive would not have predators too dangerous to kill with his bare hands.
    She opened a hidden metal compartment in a large wheeled box, and pulled from it several sacks. “Just carry in a couple of bags and keep yourself covered. That’s all the help I need. No killing required.”
    He took the sacks she handed him and clutched the blanket closed as requested. Trailing behind her like a pet was not something he was used to doing. His lineage was noble, his bloodline powerful. Crowds parted to allow him to pass. And yet as he watched her move, he could not help but enjoy the way her sweetly rounded hips swayed slightly as she walked. If he had to slink along behind someone, he was glad it was a creature as captivating as Adreeahbenwah.
    The small home was dark, but smelled of soap and fruit. She moved twigs protruding from the wall as she passed, causing lamps to ignite in the ceiling.
    The walls were rough logs, ornamented with images of wild seas and mountains. A colorful rug filled the center of the room, separating a cold hearth filled with logs from a narrow bed and several padded chairs. All of the furniture was wrapped in brightly colored fabric. Perhaps skin as supple as hers needed such padding to prevent damage.
    Her lilting voice pulled his attention away from the strange furnishings. “I’m renting this place for a couple of weeks. The owner said that the kitchen was stocked with everything but food, so I had to bring my own. I wasn’t expecting company, so I hope you like canned soup.”
    Soup he knew. He’d never heard of an animal called a “canned” before, but he would eat what she put in front of him,