My Second Chance Mate is a Barbarian (Sera and Fenris) novel Chapter 472

Sera

"Runa! Runa!" A boy's voice called out from the yard gate. I felt her hands pause in their work, her fingers sticky with tallow as she scraped the hide stretched over the tanning frame. She turned her head towards the perky voice, a grin already forming on her young face.

"Wicket?" she called back. "What're you up to?"

"Come see!" His voice was lively, full of excitement. "And hurry!"

"Can't. Mother needs me to finish this hide."

"Aw, that's boring! Come on, it'll just take a minute. I found something amazing!"

I sensed her body tingle with the thrill of his words, the urge to abandon her chores and run after him. Her mother's voice cut through the air from inside the house.

"Runa! Where are you? You better not be talking to that boy again!"

I felt Runa tense, her cheeks flush hot with guilt. "I'm right here, Mama!" she called back, trying to keep her voice steady. "Just checking the fence posts."

"See that you finish that hide! I'll be checking on you!"

Runa let out a frustrated huff as her mother's footsteps faded back into the house. "I can't go," she told Wicket. "Mama's already angry with me."

"Blame it on me," Wicket suggested. "Tell her my dog got loose and you had to help me catch him."

I felt a sly smile spread across Runa's face at the idea. "Yeah, that'll work." She tossed her hair and marched to the door, sticking her head in. "Mama, Wicket's dog is loose again! I have to help him round it up!"

There was a pause from inside, then her mother's voice. "Be quick about it then."

"Not a problem!" Runa called cheerfully. Then she turned and ran, Wicket's waiting form dissolving into a blur as she hurtled towards him. I felt the rush of air in her face, the pounding of her feet on the ground, her young heart beating fast with the thrill of mischief and the perfect summer morning. It was nothing like running as a grown woman, lighter, more carefree, full of pure, unbridled joy. I envied her that feeling even as we tore out of the yard and down the village path together.

"A bone!" Wicket exclaimed. "Look at this bone!"

It was an ordinary enough object, bleached and brittle, half buried in the dirt. I suppose it might have belonged to a deer, or a sheep. Not that it mattered much. The girl was enchanted.

"It's a bone!" she agreed. "You found a bone!"

"You didn't know it was here. Neither did I! I only found it by accident, look, where I was digging..."

"You were digging for treasure?" Runa asked. Wicket's face was flushed with excitement.

"No!" He looked almost offended. "I was digging for a bone!"

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