Inside, the wall propped me up as I pressed a hand over my breast, willing my heartbeat to slow. I’d never had such a response to a man before, not even to Joseph, the village blacksmith’s apprentice who always smiled at me. I held my hands out and watched them tremble. Something about those warriors, the way they couldn’t take their eyes off me…my body buzzed, blood roaring. I felt I’d waited all my life to meet those men.
What was happening to me? I should’ve asked the warriors where they’d come from, and their purpose. I should’ve done something besides stand there like a fool, my face flushed and my heart racing.
Light filtered through the colored window above me, staining my hands red. What a fool. My encounter meant nothing. Warriors on a journey had found brief entertainment frigh
