The Goblin Bride (Beneath Sands Book 1)

not brought the lights for her? Had he not healed her at every chance that he could?
He treated her as though she was made of the finest crystal and the thanks he got was silence and a stone thrown at him. His shoulder still smarted where the pebble had connected with his flesh.
If it had been any of his men, Ruric would have challenged them. He would have ended the argument with a fight that would have left the both of them sore in the morning. They would have parted amiably with the issue resolved. Goblins enjoyed using physical fighting as a way to settle arguments. Their teeth and claws were put to good use in many a situation.
But with her, there was nothing he could do. He could only glower and exert a patience he did not feel until eventually there was nothing left for him to draw upon.
Or at least so he had thought. His arms shook around her to keep himself away from her. She was so small compared to him, so delicate that he could have crushed her if he tried. Yet she stood strong beneath him. If he moved forward she refused to move back. A warrior in every regard.
It was why he did not kill her then.
It was why he found himself dragging his nose along the length of her neck and inhaling her sweet scent that he had found on everything that he owned. His bed, his clothing, even the crystals that lit his cave held the scent of her. Warm and flavored like the flowers that only bloomed once a year deep in the depths of the caves, she smelled like what he imagined the sun was like.
“Ruric.”
Both of them started at the sound, another voice ringing loudly in the cave.
His head turned slowly over his shoulder, dark eyes reflecting the light the old man carried. Hunched as he was, he looked very much like a beast curled over its prey. Teeth bared, chest still heaving, it was only natural for Micah to be concerned for her well being.
But the beast would remained locked in its cage for now. Growling low in his throat, Ruric reached over her head to slide the cloth closer to the edge before he wrapped it around her shoulders.
Jane had but a moment to realize that even in his anger, his hands were as gentle as ever before. He reached underneath the water to anchor his hands on her waist, fingers nearly touching as he lifted her out of the water and set her on the edge of the pool. She was no small woman, yet he made her feel small.
The towel was situated around her waist before he turned to leave. He said nothing as he stalked out of the bathing cave, leaving puddles in his wake.

CHAPTER EIGHT
HER EYES LINGERED upon the mouth of the cave as she wondered how far Ruric had gone. No matter how much she did not want to be here, Jane knew how unfair it was of her to treat him like that. He had been thoughtful and caring. She simply could not stop thinking of him as anything other than a kind jailor. And in the end, did a kind jailor deserve any better treatment than an unkind one?
“My dear?”
Her head snapped towards the man standing in the corner, having forgotten that he was there.
“Micah. It is good to see you.”
She tucked wet strands of hair behind her ear. She had never unbraided her hair to wash it before this place. However, it had not escaped Jane’s notice that Ruric watched it avidly whenever she allowed it to swing free. Perhaps it was her way of tormenting him just as much as he was tormenting her.
“How are you doing, Jane?”
“I have been trying to inform that brute that I need to go home.”
“Have you now?” He asked wryly, moving into the bathing chamber to settle on the other side of the pool.
“I cannot stay here, Micah. I have a family Above. They need me to take care of them.”
He finished gingerly setting himself down on the stone. She watched as he let out a soft sigh and hiked up the robe he wore to rest his feet and calves in the water.
“I did not know you were married. You do not wear a ring.”
“I’m not married. I’m talking about my brother and sister. Our parents are… No longer with us.”
“Ah.” He said quietly, smiling at her. “Your siblings will do just fine without you.”
Jane was speechless for a moment, staring at him with her mouth gaping open.
“I don’t need to sit here listening to this. I need to go home. If one of you won’t help me then I will find my own way out.” She started to stand, fully planning on going somewhere that would hopefully lead her out of this abyss.
“Sit back down, Jane. There is much we have to talk about. Or did you not want to hear about the ceremony? I have heard you have been asking about it.”
It was enough to peak her interest. Logically she knew that the likelihood of finding a way out was zero to none. She couldn’t even see without the globes they had provided her with. She did not even know how long they actually lasted.
As she slowly sank back down, he nodded at her.
“I thought perhaps you would be curious.”
“I want to know about the ceremony, Micah. Then I am leaving.” She recognized a man gearing up to tell her a story. Jane did not have the patience for it.
“The ceremony is… well a binding of sorts. It ties Ruric to you as protector and provider.”
Jane narrowed her eyes at him. “Sounds a lot like marriage.”
“In a way…” He wasn’t meeting her eyes at that, considering whether he should tell her the entire truth before he sighed. “Goblins have a different way of thinking than we do.