Enchanted Beauty

by Marly Mathews

  Could she walk through walls when she was in this form?

  “Yes.” She shivered when he spoke. Maybe they were meant to be married to each other after all. If she left Malachi she would never again find a man that wanted her for what she was, not who she happened to be the daughter of. He would never want her for the riches she would hold, or the lands she would reign over, he would want her for just being Annabelle.

  She had come to him, dressed in a plain blue and white working gown—he had fallen in love with her with her hair windswept around her, and no doubt sweat on her face. He had loved her in her most dour of states, and he would still love her when she was bedecked in silk and jewels. He was the one. The only one for her.

  Chapter Fourteen

  “How can you hear my thoughts?” Annabelle demanded.

  He looked startled. “I thought you asked the question aloud. If you didn’t—then yes, I heard your thoughts. This is an amazing and startling yet refreshing discovery. Do you know what this means? This means we were made for each other.”

  She smiled. Pursing her lips, she turned to face him. “You’re right. I’m a selfish bitch. I’ve been turning into that for the last two years. I’ve grown bitter—I thought I had found something to live for when I came up to this castle…I thought I’d finally found an adventure. Delbert always needed me and that’s what made me get out of bed each morning.

  I knew that if I didn’t, he would do something incredibly stupid. I knew he would self-destruct and end up in a dungeon somewhere most likely for the rest of his life. He was greedy in wanting to steal from you, but in doing so—he gave me the greatest gift. I was always pulling my hair out when I found out about his latest scheming…and, then, I found you.”

  He laughed. “Lucky you. I am not the greatest gift for a woman such as yourself to be given.”

  “Look, we’re both injured people. I’m not as badly off as you are—I was just living inside of myself, not thinking about others. I have to stop doing that. Right now, I’m just beautiful on the outside, but I don’t think I like the way I look on the inside. I know that you used to be beautiful on the outside and on the inside. I’m asking you to trust me. Help me to help you. If you leave me now—I don’t what I’ll do.”

  “I’m not your guiding star, Annabelle. I can’t live up to being that kind of a hero.”

  “Aren’t you? You wanted me from the first moment you saw me. You found a way to get me to agree to marry you. We’re married. We’re a team. Act like it!”

  “You aren’t acting like my wife.”

  “It’s been a bloody day! You expect too much, without offering me very much. You offer me matrimony, aye, you offer me this castle as a roof over my head, but you keep me at a safe distance, always watching to make sure that I don’t find out too much! How can you expect me to be your wife when you do that to me?”

  “Aye, and I don’t expect you to share my bed, but I do expect you to communicate with me. Do not leave me. Don’t even think about it. You can come with me, if that’s what it takes. I don’t think you’ll be safe—I will protect you. I will never ever let anyone hurt you.”

  “Or, I’ll protect you.” Taking her spectacles off, she tucked them into her pocket. Concentrating, she hoped she had lifted the veil. He had to learn that sometimes, she would be able to take care of herself. “Can you see me?”

  “Aye. I can see you. I’d warrant you couldn’t see me. Where are your spectacles?”

  “I’ve put them away. I won’t be needing them for the next little while.” She walked cautiously toward him. “I’ve become achingly aware of one thing. We don’t have much time. Time for us is of the essence. It will slip away on us before we can even savor each other’s company.

  Either way, the final battle will end up involving both of us. I’m not going to let my father win—you won’t let Blackburn win. We need to know that we are on each other’s side. You have to believe in my complete loyalty to you. I don’t want you questioning whether or not I will shove a dagger in your back at the earliest opportunity. I never want you double questioning my loyalty.”

  He frowned. “I would never believe you of such duplicity.”

  “And yet, Katrina turned on you.”

  “I…”

  “Don’t fight me, on this, Malachi. I know you cared for Katrina more than the way you would normally care for your cousin.”

  “My mother told you. That wasn’t her right—nor was it her place.”

  “Malachi, you shouldn’t speak ill of the dead. Your mother loves you so much—you should count your blessings on that. When we have children, I will never take them for granted. She never told me that you had a romantic love for Katrina. Though, I guess it’s not that unusual. She wasn’t even your first cousin, was she? I’m betting she’s a distant relative that was always jealous of everything you had—everything you commanded.

  When she decided that you were never going to marry her—that you didn’t love her that much—she decided she was going to make you pay. She was finally going to make the Hawthornes pay for everything that they have. She really did a great job of it. She almost ruined Thaliana in the process, and as far as I’m concerned, she is a traitor to the Crown.”

  “How can you be so astute?” Malachi asked unbelievably.

  “Because, for whatever reason the two of us, can read each other better than anyone else we’ve ever known. I am so sorry that Katrina betrayed your trust. I am. I will not do that to you.”

  Annabelle touched his cheek softly with her hand. “Katrina needs to be punished for what she has done to you. She must pay for it. She must…and the only way she will is if you let go of your hatred for her. Your hatred for Katrina and your hatred for Blackburn will blind you. You must not let yourself drown in it. You must hang onto me, lean on me, and know that you have finally found the woman that will stand by you in your darkest hours, just as I know that you will stand by me in my darkest hours.”

  “How can you look at me? You must be repulsed by my visage. She’s made me look hideous. Don’t deny it, I know you are close enough to me to see what I truly look like.”

  “You are not hideous. Believing in the way you look only feeds the power of your scars. Dark magic did this to you—only white magic can heal it. We will find a way to make you whole again. I will not rest easy until I know you are comfortable in your skin again.”

  “You are making me whole again—your presence in my life is making me see the light. I know I can’t hide myself away from the living world forever. I have a calling to answer. I have to make this world a safer place for us all.”

  “Then, we should come up with a plan.”

  “A plan? What sort of a plan?”

  “I think I should go to Roland on my own. Make him believe I am going to him of my own free will. Now, I can see the stormy look on your face. You must believe me—you must put your faith in me.”

  “I won’t let you go into that creature’s lair…you will be vulnerable to attack. I hate even letting you get within a few feet of Blackburn. If you go to your father, he will constantly be watching you. Roland might not harm you—Blackburn will.”

  “We’ve gone over this before—but Malachi, I disagree. I think it’s our best shot. How else do you expect to be able to get Blackburn and Katrina with their guard down? Let’s face it, if we can succeed in taking them out first, defeating Roland will be ten times easier.”

  “I can fight them without having the advantage of surprise on my side.”

  “I don’t think you can. We must look at the facts. We are strongly outnumbered. With the latest colossal defeat Queen Zara was served—they now have the odds on their side.”

  “Many battles have been won where the victor was outnumbered,” Malachi argued.

  “I know—but this time—I just don’t feel as if we can take the risk.”

  “I can’t send you in alone. I won’t be able to live with the consequences if anything should happen to you.”

>   “I’ll get in, and I’ll find a way to get to your sisters and brothers.”

  “Two sets of twins, they won’t be difficult to spot.”

  She smiled. “I didn’t realize you had twins in your family—where is your twin?”

  His eyes darkened. At first, he seemed unwilling to give her an answer.

  “I lost my twin.”

  She gasped, he caught her hand and held it against his cheek. Now all of the pieces of the puzzle fell into place. That’s why he seemed so tortured—he seemed so lost. Growing up, his siblings each had their respective twins to rely on—he had been alone.

  “Twin magic is a powerful force. I can’t understand how Roland was able to imprison them,” she murmured.

  He grimaced. “No doubt he used mind trickery on them, using their greatest weaknesses against them.”

  “Mind trickery. I must know how to fight that.”

  “He will not use it on you…it would be too risky as you are of his own blood—you should be able to immediately sense him using his magic on you. If I’m right—his magic will not be able to kill you. Blood relations can’t kill each other with magic, they can bewitch each other and hurt each other, but he won’t be able to kill you with his magic.”

  “That makes me feel a little better.”

  “He can, however, push you down a flight of stairs, or run you through with a dagger—”

  “Oh. Thanks for that.”

  His eyes grew dangerously serious. “I can’t stress the danger of your situation if you do decide to go to your father.”

  “If I decide—moments ago, you seemed hell bent on keeping me with you at all cost.”

  “I was—but I’ve determined fairly quickly that you will not obey anything I command. You are a strong, feisty woman. I can’t break you—and you can’t break me, so we will have to learn how to compromise with each other. Our marriage will certainly have its fair share of interesting moments.”

  “You mean bumpy moments.” She reveled in the magical waves that were passing between them. She could literally smell and taste his magic, and she was starting to feel the power of her own abilities burgeoning inside of her.

  “Did you know that when magic kind make love, they actually share each other’s magic for a brief period?”

  She smirked. “Are you trying to entice me with that statement?”

  “Perhaps. Your magic mark might actually reveal itself as well…I’d love to see your birth star.”

  “You are such a loose cannon. I don’t know what to do with you, half of the time. You should be training me.”

  “No. If you’re to go to Roland, it will be better if you go to him as an ingénue. If you are trained, he will sense the precision of your skills, if you do end up using your magic. I think you would be best going in untrained. That way, he won’t suspect you of duplicity. He will think you are there in the guise of being his long lost daughter.”

  “I am his long lost daughter. He didn’t give me up—my mother took that decision right out of his hands.”

  “You are doing it again, you are giving in to your resentment. You must clear your head, and have a rein on your emotions before you leave this castle. You might call me a loose cannon, but I can tell you right now that if you go to Roland in your current state, he will be able to manipulate you without you even realizing it until it is too late. If you allow him to bend your will to his—”

  “I won’t—”

  “You can’t say for certain what you will or will not do when you come face to face with Roland. He is a very charismatic man. Why do you think he has such blindly loyal followers? He inspires them to believe in his cause, they think his will is divined by the Fates.”

  “He is not a God.”

  “He might know that—but as far as his subjects are concerned, he is.”

  “He’s going to get a rude awakening when he comes face to face with me.”

  “Aye. But you’d better not blow your cover right away—or your reasons for going there will be moot.”

  She kissed him lightly on the lips. “Maybe we should make sure we’ve become better acquainted before I have to take my leave.”

  “I still don’t think this is a wise choice.”

  “Katrina will return in my dreams tonight, Malachi. What will I do? I can’t keep putting you at risk. I must leave.”

  “I—I will not try to change your mind, Annabelle. We have had so little time together. I hate being robbed of more time together. I shall end this battle between Blackburn and I quickly. I do not want anything keeping me from my happiness with you.”

  He kissed her, and pulled her closer to him so that their bodies lightly touched. A giddy sensation washed over her, she instantly recognized it as his transportation power. “If Katrina will be returning to you, tonight, than we simply must make the most out of the day.”

  “My sentiments exactly,” she murmured, sighing.

  “Thaliana will be forever in your debt.”

  “No. No, they won’t.” She smiled. Placing her spectacles back on her face, she watched the wrinkles in his forehead deepen with the intensity of his frown. “Don’t worry, my head feels better when I wear these, I don’t know why.”

  “Probably because you can feel the good magic emanating off of them. The witch that enchanted them was one of the pure of heart.”

  “Your mother.”

  *****

  “Indeed.” He watched Annabelle closely drinking in every detail of her face. She was the most beautifully enchanting woman he had ever laid eyes upon. He didn’t want her to wear the damnable spectacles that she wore at the moment, but she would have to wear them to Roland’s.

  “One final question, and then we’ll drop all discussion of the impending future altogether.”

  “Aye…what is your question?” He grinned like a manic fool. She was the only one to make him truly feel carefree.

  “How will I know how to find Roland? I take it he is on the move with his armies as we speak, he won’t be in his kingdom.”

  “Of course, he won’t. Seeing as you are his blood daughter, you don’t need to worry about that. Once you leave the protection of my lands, he will find you.”

  “You mean the only thing that has kept him from coming to me is the protection of your lands? How come he couldn’t get me when I was in my cottage?”

  “Your cottage is still on my land. Your adoptive father paid me rent. You must go beyond the borders of your village. I will send you there magically, if you so wish.”

  “I think that would be best. I never was very good at finding my own way.”

  “You did well enough when you came to find me.”

  “Aye, but I still think my heart led me to you. Is that why my village never fell to Roland’s forces?”

  “Aye. My mother placed you there on purpose. She knew that Hawthorne magic would keep you safe.” He let her take a hold of his hand she matched her hand to his so their palms touched.

  “All of this magic in you…” She touched their palms. A rushing jolt of power seared through his body, she inhaled sharply as the resulting wave slammed into her. They had connected. Swirls of iridescent light coalesced around the room. She smiled. “So, are we initiating the shared magic of intimacy?”

  “We are starting to—but once we become one in mind, body and soul, we shall be as one, in all meaning of the word.” One look from her sultry eyes was enough to arouse erotic sensations within him. He had to tightly reign in his desires, or else he would completely overwhelm her. She was an innocent. She had never known love, nor had she ever shared her body with any other man. He also had to be ready for her magic to unleash once her passions had been aroused.

  Annabelle knew a storm of grand proportions was starting inside of the room. They were literally bathing in Malachi’s magic. If she stopped now—she could save herself from being completely consumed by his rapture. “Malachi…I am afraid of what will happen to us once we—”

  “Do not fear.
You will never be able to hurt me. You will never be able to scar me the way that Katrina did. She betrayed me to Blackburn, and he did this to me. You will never be able to do that. You may not know it but your heart belongs to me. It always has. You were always meant to find me, up here in this castle. My mother must have known that we would one day find each other for she was dead set against Katrina.”

  “Nothing will ever exist between us again. We must cleave to each other through thick and thin. You are my husband and I am your wife. We have only known each other for but a flicker of a candle flame, and yet our hearts have always known each other. You are the man I’ve been dreaming of for my entire life. You are the partner that will be my strength while I am your strength. Together we can do anything.”

  “Together we can—apart, we will always be yearning for each other. I must warn you, Annabelle. Once you lie with me, once our bodies join, you will be linked to me in a way that transcends all other relationships. You will feel me inside of you, outside of you, you will always feel my presence wherever you are—no matter how far, or how close.”

  “I am ready.”

  *****

  Their lips met. His tongue danced against hers. She felt wonderfully euphoric. All of this was meant to be. They were meant to be.

  Her breath grew short as he left her mouth and started to trace his way over to her ear. She arched against the fire that ran through her at his touch. And, then when she thought she was at the highest peak, he caressed her breast. She tightened her hold on him. He seemed to be drugging her with every touch. She’d never felt like this before—and doubted she would have with any other man. Nay, it was Malachi’s magic that was getting into her blood. He started to unbutton her blouse, she cupped her hands on his face.

  “Don’t stop, just keep going. I feel like I’m on a cloud of ecstasy.

  “That’s good…it’s just the way you should feel.” His husky voice made her shiver with delight. She could feel the intensity of his love for her. Had someone told her she was going to fall in love at first sight and at first touch, she would have thought that person was insane. Now, she believed in the true power of a soul rocking love—a love that could never be broken, denied or explained. Only now did she understand her mother’s dilemma. Before she knew it, he had freed her of her top. She licked her lips, feeling the lingering touch of his kiss, and wanting more—so much more.