Guardian (Sequel to Fearless)

Chapter Forty Two

"Fair enough," Iris conceded. "Your turn."

Hench thought for a minute. "Alright, girl... what happened to your first engagement? Tell me about that."

"Oh gods." Iris palmed her face for a minute before meeting her mentor's gaze. "Well, I was a fool, I guess. I got engaged after five months to a man I thought I loved. We were nothing. I truly see that now in hindsight. I guess he saw it then," Iris paused. "I guessed he decided I was boring and that it'd be more fun to lay down with painted whores. Oh! And other village girls, too."

"He was unfaithful to you." Hench looked beyond irritated. "Did you hit him?"

Iris laughed. "No," she answered. "But I wish that I had. I didn't even end things. He did, when he decided Emery was better than me. I suppose I was afraid of the shame. I suppose I was afraid of the judgment." Iris looked away for a minute. "Didn't matter. I got all that anyway. I was a bit of an outcast after that. For a while, actually. No one wanted to talk to me --mind for my aunt and my father."

"Piece of shit," Hench grumbled. "All of them --except for your family, of course. I would've talked to you." Now, a smile lit the mighty woman's face. "It's good you got the last laugh."

"I sure did," Iris said. "Now for you! Since we're talking about betrothals, tell me about Azabela. Was it ever strange that you're both female?"

"It was strange at first, but it was never because of that." Hench sucked in a breath. "It was very hard for me to trust or love anyone after all the shit I'd been through. I went pretty crazy for a while, actually. I still have bolts rattling loose up in my head, I think. But I'm a great deal better than I was."

Iris's next expression was a shit-eating grin. "How much do you trust her with?"

Hench narrowed her eyes. "I get an extra question after this," she pointed out. "But what do you mean? I trust her with everything I have."

"Everything?" Iris asked with a raised brow, and looked Hench top to bottom to top again.

"I sense you're being foul." Hench clucked her tongue at Iris.

"I completely am, but it's leading up to my real question so bear with me," Iris admitted freely. "I'm curious. I've asked before, and I'll ask again. How does all that stuff work? I've never seen the likes of you and Azabela anywhere else I've been. Usually a ship pulls up to port and docks. But how does it work when there's two ports instead and no ship in sight? I mean... is it even possible? "

Hench couldn't help herself, she let out a bellowing laugh that scared some of the birds out of the trees. "That's an analogy if I've yet heard one," she finally got out. She sobered enough to talk. "Girl, I'm not giving you a play by play. But it's indeed possible. If you don't know by now that there's more than one way to skin a cat, then I don't know what to tell you, girl. Use your wildest imagination." Hench suggested, and Iris was surprised her mentor had answered that at all. "What's the real question?"

"The real question is this," Iris paused, sobering. "After what happened, was it hard to let Azabela love you that way?" It was a real, honest question, one that put the conversation back on a serious note. "I can't imagine I'd let anyone near me again after... well..."

"I see," Hench sighed. "The answer to that is yes. That part took years. For me. But she was always patient with me. I truly couldn't ask for someone better than her. For me." Hench met Iris's eyes. "My question now. And you can be honest. Does my choice of partner bother you at all? Even a little bit?"

Iris was taken aback at the question. She could see that somewhere within Hench, she was perhaps worried. "Why should it?" Iris finally answered. "I only care that you're happy. And if you are, then I'm happy for you. By what right should I do anything but love you? You're perfectly fine the way you are."