Page 39 of Between Two Barbarians

“He said Simon mentioned a specific place he wanted to fuck, and going too early would have been cold. He was waiting for the weather to heat up.”

“Go where?”

“A waterfall,” Simon replied, switching back to Erabi. “It's further south and a bit of a journey, but I’ve heard it's amazing, and there’s a spot on the rocks behind it where we can be as loud as we want, and no one would hear us thanks to the noise of the falls. I want to go there.” He wrinkled his nose at his bondmate. “If you don’t bring me, I’m going to be pissed, I hope you know.”

He only got a kiss on the tip of his nose in response, but I could tell Simon wouldn’t let this go easily. I didn’t blame him. I wanted to go there as well now that I knew of it. It sounded fun.

When Brenek sat down beside us, handing us each a bowl, Torgrind told him about the conversation and the waterfall. Brenek didn’t even hesitate to suggest going ourselves the following day. We weren’t going to interrupt Simon’s fun today after he was nice enough to share the location with us.

Leaning against Torgrind’s chest, I popped a fruit into my mouth, looking around the village center. It wasn’t the life I thought I’d have, but I didn’t mind. I’d give up the castle and the capital and all that came with it just for these two barbarians.

A huff of laughter drew my focus to Zakai. He raised an amused eyebrow at me. “You really have changed.”

I opened my mouth to argue, then shut it again. I didn’t know what to say to that. It still felt like judgment to me.

Simon snorted from his spot on his bondmate’s lap. “What? Like you weren’t completely smitten with your own barbarian and allowing him to do things you’d never let anyone else get away with? Need I remind you what questions you asked me when it was your turn?”

Despite his complexion, Zakai’s cheeks pinkened, and he elbowed his friend with a scowl. “Shut up. You’re no better.”

Simon didn’t even argue with that. “I happen to like the constant attention Feigrind gives me,” he grinned, unrepentant. “He can ‘handle’ me all he wants.”

Sitting back, I took in their words with a frown. When they’d spoken before, I’d assumed judgment. I thought they’d been pointing out a flaw when they said I was being handled by my barbarians. But apparently, it was a common thing amongst barbarians, and now that I was paying attention, their tone was commiserating, not judgmental like I thought.

“I happen to like the pampering,” I said, testing the waters.

Simon pointed at me with a smirk. “See? He gets it.”

Zakai rolled his eyes. “We all get it. They spoil us. Who would wish to argue otherwise?”

Snickering, I relaxed a little more. I was a little embarrassed that I’d reacted the way I had the last time we had this conversation, realizing now that they hadn’t meant it like I thought, but neither drew attention to my tantrum.

When I looked over my shoulder at my barbarians, I smiled to find them both conversing easily with each other, no snark or snide comments to be found. When Brenek handed me a cup of water, I took it without question, offering him a piece of fruit from my bowl and grinning when his lips wrapped around my fingers.

Perhaps I had changed a little. But I no longer saw it as a bad thing. They weren’t trying to control me or stifle me. They were protecting me and caring for me in the ways they knew how. When it grew too hot, they moved us to a spot under more shade. When I got hungry, they brought me food. And when I took water over ale during the afternoon meal, they both gave me these soft proud smiles that lit me up inside.

I wasn’t the only one who changed. Torgrind softened his stance a little, joining a card game with me and telling Brenek to distract me so he could win a few rounds. The cheat. Brenek too was more patient and didn’t leap to anger if Torgrind poked at him. Their competitiveness was still alive and well, but they were kinder about it, their comments teasing instead of inciting. And when we all were in bed together, their whole focus was on me and making me feel good. I had no complaints about that.

I expected some pushback when it came to my father. He’d had me working beside him since I was just a child, and my refusal to return wasn’t accepted immediately. He rode out to the clan with my mother, intent on forcing me home, but between my barbarians protecting me and my mother seeing how happy I was, he didn’t stand a chance getting his way. The clan leader threw our bonding ceremony while they were visiting and sealed the deal too, just to ensure no one else could intervene.

I’d expected after we were properly bonded that I would be forced to find a job in the clan. All I ever knew was working, stealing as much freedom as I could in my off hours before returning to the grind again the next morning. But apparently, according to many in the clan, since I ended the rivalry between Torgrind and Brenek, I’d done my job, and keeping them from fighting was enough. I wasn’t required to work. I got teased about it sometimes, and Simon said I leaned into the ‘bedwarmer’ idea harder than any other male bondmates he’d ever met, but I ignored him. I helped when I felt like it, mostly with the horses because I enjoyed their company, but I liked that I wasn’t required to do more. After over twenty years of working in the castle, I figured I deserved the break. Here, in the clan, with the barbarians who’d stolen my heart, where no one expected me to change or make myself smaller, I felt like I could finally breathe. I wasn’t going to give that up for anything.

Now, I felt like I had a more interesting job to focus on. Getting my barbarians to admit they love each other as well. They’d yet to accept it. I looked forward to proving that to them next.