Hers to Choose Read Online Free PDF Page B

me. You are human—just like me.
    The constant inquiries from his soldiers into his condition, the casual conversations she overheard amongst the wounded, presented an inescapable conclusion. Your men love you, Eric DeStroia. The men under his command were hardened veterans of battle—most certainly hand-picked by her brother. Only the best of the best would escort his beloved sister. It took an uncommon individual to win their loyalty. This more than any other consideration, forced Sophi to soften her resistance and take a long, hard look at the recipient of her unceasing, diligent care. There is much to like about you.
     
    * * *
     
    A waft of air ran up Eric’s nude body. Gentle hands pressed at a painful area on his groin, pulling him into awareness. He muttered a vulgar oath.
    “I a m sorry. I know it hurts. The dressing must be changed and your wound cleaned.”
    He blinked repeatedly, willing his eyes to stop their unfocused wandering. “ Flight Leader . So, you are my torturer.”
    “ Your recovery shouldn’t take long. Your wounds are closing cleanly and your body is very strong, very fit.”
    A small cloth draped his genitals —otherwise, he was bare as a babe. “You are in a position to know. Obviously, I keep no secrets from you.”
    Eric watched color creep up her neck but her manner remained matter-of-fact as she continued to clean and flush his wounds. Her hands remained cool and steady on his body.
    By the seven hells ! Salt water. Goddess, preserve me. Throbbing burns erupted all over his body. They more or less kept time with the anvil blows punishing his head.
    “Petrina and Rhea have gone on reconnaissance to the east. By the time they return, you should be able to move about, though slowly. Take care not to stress the stitches on your groin and thigh. Otherwise, I think you’ll do, Commander.” Sophi looked up and smiled. “Hungry enough to eat something? Some journey bread and dried meat?”
    “Yes.”
    “Let those wounds air dry. I’ll get your food.” She rose and walked away. But for a piece of cloth the size of a hand towel, he lay naked to the entire world. At least three of her flight sauntered by, catching an eyeful. He closed his eyes and pretended he was too ill to care—not much of a stretch. Under normal circumstances—naked with a beautiful woman touching him—that small cloth would be completely inadequate.
    A shadow fell over him. “Here, let me help you sit up.” Sophi pulled the blanket up, covering his lower body.
    “I can sit,” he growled , but allowed her to help him when his arms threatened to give way under the strain of his attempt at rising.
    “Don’t overexert yourself.” For a brief moment, her cool hand rested on his shoulder. “Your strength will return. Drink as much water as you can.”
    He grunted in reply. Methodically chewing the tough, stringy meat, he swallowed it, washing it down with a long drink of water. The same thought looped endlessly through his mind: “Haarb soldiers in those numbers shouldn’t be here,” he said aloud.
    She knelt next to him , rocked back onto her heels. “I agree. A roving band of five to ten, possibly—not a well-armed infantry squadron of over a hundred.”
    Eric held her eyes steadily. “Well armed, but poorly skilled in the methods of battle necessary to Verdantia. It takes many months of training to accustom an off-world, high-tech army to fight with swords and axes when they are used to plazar rifles and pulse emitters. Off-world recruits are always surprised to discover no technology beyond a smith’s forge functions here. No, these are newly arrived. Where did they come from and how did they get here?”
    Sophi frowned. “We women know these desert wastelands as a beloved knows her lover’s face. They cannot have been here long, or we would have seen them. And you say they were unskilled?”
    “ Skilled troops in those numbers would have annihilated us.” An elusive memory of something he had