Tinker sighed at the nuances lost in the translation. This was how she ended up married to Windwolf - she accepted his betrothal gift without realizing he was proposing to her. "There is nothing wrong with my legs."
He eyed her bare legs draped over his arm. "No. There is not. They are very nice legs."
She studied him. All told, they had spent very little time with each other and she was still getting to know him. She was beginning to suspect, though, that he had a very subtle but strong sense of humor. "Are you teasing me?"
He said nothing but the corners of his eyes crinkled with a suppressed smile.
She smacked him lightly in the shoulder for teasing her. "You don't have to carry me!"
"But I like to."
"Windwolf," she whined.
He kissed her on her forehead. "You might think you are well, but you are in truth pale and wobbly. You have done what was needed. Let me care for you."
If she insisted on walking, she ran the risk of falling flat on her face. What harm could letting him carry her, except to her pride? Like so often since he charged into her life, Windwolf left only bad choices for her to make in order to protect her sense of free will - and she was too smart to choose stupidity. Sighing, she lay her head on his shoulder and let him carry her.
He tucked her into the Rolls and slid in beside her. Pony got into the front, alongside the sekasha who was driving.
She noticed that her T-shirt was shredded over her stomach. Under the tattered material, five shallow claw marks cut across her abdomen; barely breaking the skin, the wounds were already crusted over with scabs. A fraction of an inch deeper, and she would have been gutted. She started to shake.
"All is well, you are fine." Windwolf murmured, holding her.
"I felt so helpless. There was nothing I could do to hurt it. I wish I could do the things you do."
"You can. I gave you that ability when I made you a Wind Clan domana."
"I know, I know, I have the genetic key to the Wind Clan Spell Stones." Which was how the monster sucked power through her. "What I don't know is how to use the Spell Stones. I want to learn."
"I was wrong not to teach you earlier." He took her hand. "I allow myself to be distracted from my duties to you at Aum Renau; I should have started to teach you then."
"You'll teach me now?"
"Tomorrow we will start your lessons," he kissed her knuckles. "You will also have to learn how to use a sword."
"Shooting practice with a gun would probably be more useful."
"The sword is for your peers, not your enemies. Currently you have the queen's protection. No one can call insult on you or challenge you to a duel. But that protection will not last forever."
"Pfft, like random violence solves anything."
"True, it rarely does, but you need to know how to protect yourself and your beholden."
She made another noise of disgust. "What you elves-" she saw the look on his face and amended it to- "we elves call civilized. Can I still have the gun?"
"Yes, beloved, you may have the gun too. I will find comfort knowing you can defend yourself."
"Especially with a monster running around that sees me as some kind of power drink." She winced at her tone - he wasn't the one she was upset with.
"Reinforcements should be arriving soon, but until then Pittsburgh will not be safe."
"What reinforcements?"
"After you and Little Horse were kidnapped, I realized that there were more oni in the area than Sparrow previously led me to believe. I sent for reinforcements; the Queen is sending troops via airship from Easternlands. They should arrive shortly. Unfortunately, this will pull the Fire clan and the probably the Stone clan into the fight - which is why I'm thinking of you learning how to use a sword."
"Why is it a bad thing that other clans are going to help fight the oni? Isn't this everyone's problem?"
"We hold only what we can protect." Windwolf squeezed her hand; she wasn't sure if it was to comfort her or to seek comfort for himself. "By admitting that we need help, we have put our monopoly on Pittsburgh at risk. The other clans might want part of the city for services rendered in fixing this problem. The humans will fall under someone else's rule."
"You've got to be kidding! Why?"
"Because we can not protect all of Pittsburgh from the oni. The Crown will mediate a compromise."
"Couldn't your father-as head of the Wind clan - have sent us help?"
"He has. He sent domana to Aum Renau and the other East Coast settlements. It is a great comfort to me to know that they are protected. The domana aren't that numerous, and the clans that can help are limited to those who have spell stones within range of Pittsburgh."
"This is all my fault," Tinker whispered.
"Hush, this battle is part of a war that started before even I was born."
She snuggled against him, logic failing to squash the guilty feeling inside of her. She was distracted, however, by something very hard under her. "Do you have something in your pocket? Or are you just happy to see me?"
"What? Oh, yes." Windwolf pulled a small fabric bundle out of his pants pocket. "This is for you."
"What's this?" Tinker eyed it tentatively. Accepting a similar package from Windwolf had indicated her acceptance of his marriage proposal - when she didn't realize the significance of his gift. She still had mixed feelings about being married to Windwolf. As a lover, Windwolf was all that she would want-warm, gentle, and caring wrapped in a sexy body - and she loved him deeply.
It was the whole marriage thing - having someone else's will and future joined to hers. They were building 'their home' for 'their people' and someday, maybe, 'their children.' Being the Viceroy's wife, too, came with more responsibilities than she wanted; people were entrusting her with their lives. So far, the good outweighed the bad - but with elves "till death do us part" meant a very long time.