“And you returned here because I am one of the men whose name was mentioned.”
“Aye, you were one of the two.”
“And the other?” Magnus asked.
“Decimus.”
Reena felt Magnus tense, and she tightened her grip on his hand.
“I fear he will find her soon, which is the reason I returned here. You have much that concerns you now and it would not be wise for you to leave here. I can see to this matter for you and take Mary somewhere where she will be safe and where no one will find her.”
“Decimus will make her suffer if he finds her.”
“Then I will make certain he does not find her.”
“You should waste not a moment,” Reena said. “If you fear for her safety, then go now. See that she is kept well.”
“Tell her that her father sent you to her,” Magnus said. “When I first hid her away I explained that she must stay where she was until I came for her. And if I could not come myself then I would send someone and he would say, ‘Your father sent me to you.’ Say those words or she will go nowhere with you.”
“I will do as you say and you, my friend, take care. Kilkern will stop at nothing to take your land.”
His warning brought a smile to Magnus’s face. “He is a fool who will meet a foolish end.”
“Take care, mapmaker, and I will send word when Mary is safe.”
“Godspeed,” Magnus said and heard the door close, though he never heard the latch being lifted.
Magnus turned to Reena and took her into his arms, holding her to him while his hands stroked her back. She was safe here with him and he would make certain she remained safe. He would see to Kilkern on his own terms and settle a long-owed debt when he took Kilkern’s life. Then it would be done, and then he and Reena would wed and he would worry no more on the Kilkerns.
For now he would trust the Dark One to protect Mary and know that she was in safe hands. But he would not wait long to hear from the Dark One. Mary was his responsibility: he had given his word to his teacher to protect her, and his honor would allow him to do nothing less than to protect her with his life.
Reena rested her head on his chest. “Who is Decimus?”
“You do not want to know.”
“Is it safer that I do not know?”
Magnus took her by the shoulders and held her away from him. “It annoys you that I wish to protect you?”
“It annoys me that you do not let me help protect you.”
Magnus almost grinned, but a warning look from her blue eyes, which looked ready to storm, brought his grin to a sudden halt.
“You think to have your vengeance at any cost, you have planned for it, counted on it, and now the time is here and you can almost taste the victory. But you failed to realize one thing.”
Magnus waited in silence, curious as to what she thought he failed to consider.
“You failed to realize that falling in love changes everything. Now there is a reason for concern, for there is a person who loves you with all her heart and worries over your safety, praying every day that you remain well and alive, praying that she will share a long life with you. And when that is considered, then vengeance can be more costly than you thought possible and victory bitter in its futility.”
She pushed his hands off her and took a step closer. “I love you and will do whatever is necessary not to lose you, so do not tell me that keeping me ignorant to your plans is better for my safety, for there is no safety in ignorance.”
With a brief shake of his head and a slow smile surfacing, Magnus stared at the strong-willed woman he loved with an intensity that sometimes frightened him. “You are a rare woman.”
“Nay, I but speak my mind more often than most women.”
“And why do you think that is?” he asked, wanting to understand what made her different and thus all the more appealing to him.
She rested a hand over his heart and he covered her hand with his, sending a warmth of emotions racing through them.
After a brief moment of considering his question, Reena answered. “I think it is because I thought little of wedding and pleasing a man. I thought more about myself and what I wished to do, wished to accomplish, so therefore I could speak my mind without thought of offending a possible husband. I lived more for myself.”
“How can you say that when you placed yourself in danger, traveling to my land for the sake of all the tenants?”
“That was for the good of the whole, not one person. I had the foresight to see that there was a way that could possibly rectify a horrible situation. It would have been wrong of me not to at least attempt to try.” She shrugged. “Besides, I wished a bit of my own adventure. My mapping trips had been solely with my father, and my trip to your land was solely on my own, the beginning of my own mapping quests.”
“And that is the life you envisioned for yourself? A dangerous one?”
“Not if I mapped for the Legend.” She was fast to correct with a smile.
“So you came to find me not only for me to help your village but also to help free you to follow your dream?”
Her smile turned soft and she nodded. “And I found what I never expected or sought.”
“Love,” he said and leaned down to brush his lips across her moist ones. “That will never confine.”
“Not so,” she whispered before she tasted his lips. “You confine me when you do not share your plans.”
“Try to understand, Reena,” he said as though he pleaded with her. “I watched helpless as Robert Kilkern abused my mother and could do nothing. I will not have the same happen to you. If by chance I should suffer at Kilkern’s hands, then it is me who suffers—”
“Nay,” she said adamantly, tears rushing to fill her eyes as she pulled away from him. “I suffer along with you.”
She silenced any opposition with a gentle finger to his lips. “Aye, for that is love. I feel what you feel. I fear what you fear. I ache when you ache. I suffer when you suffer. Love will have it no other way, for we are part of each other, you and I. So do not tell me I will not feel your pain if you are made to suffer, for I know you will feel mine, therefore it remains for us both to protect, for in protecting one, we protect the other.”
He eased her finger away from his lips and held her hand in his. “I understand what you try to say to me, but my way is to protect what is mine—”
“You are mine, can I not protect you?” She sounded impatient and a bit fearful.
Magnus kept his patience. “Reena, listen to what you say. How can you ever protect me?”
She stepped away from him and pounded her fisted hand lightly to her chest. “By making me aware of everything that goes on, by trusting me, by loving me.”
“I do trust you and love you, but I believe that there are things you should not know for your own safety, and that is the way it must be. You must understand that and accept it.”
She stared at him and refused to shed the tears that gathered like a raging storm in her eyes. She could not speak, the lump in her throat constricting her voice, her stomach growing upset. She shook her head, choked back her tears, and fled the room as if being chased.
Magnus did not try to stop her; when she calmed down she would come to understand his decision and accept it. He thought on the wisdom of her words and realized how deeply she loved him, and he hoped that when she thought on his words she would realize how deeply he loved her.
Her tears blurring her vision, Reena could barely see the steps down which she fled. She was grateful when she entered her room and latched the door behind her. She flung herself on the bed and let herself cry long and hard, hoping the tears would ease her aching heart.
She did not hear the first tap on the door. The second was more a knock, and she sniffled, coughed and wiped away the last remnant of tears before answering it. Her hand was on the latch before she realized it could be Magnus, and at the moment she did not wish to speak with him, especially after crying. She did not
care if her eyes were swollen from her torrent of tears—she cared that he would know that their disagreement upset her terribly.
“Who is there?” she asked, keeping her voice as clear and calm as possible.
“Brigid. Let me in.”
Reena had never heard Brigid demand, and she immediately opened the door to her friend and stepped back, turning away toward the fireplace so that Brigid could not see her red-rimmed eyes.
“What is wrong?” The demand remained in Brigid’s tone. “Magnus entered the great hall only moments ago more temperamental than I have ever seen him, snapping and yelling at his men. He even became annoyed with Thomas, and I have never known him to do that.”
Reena turned with a flourish, a faint smile on her tear-stained face. “He was upset?”
Brigid rushed to her friend’s side. “You have been crying. What is wrong?”
More tears gathered in Reena’s eyes and she wiped at them with annoyance. “I am in love and about to wed.”
“And this causes tears?” Brigid shook her head. “You must explain, for I am confused, though happy.” She scratched her head. “Should I be happy for you?”
“Aye, you may be happy, but you can tell no one of the wedding. I am certain that all in the keep and village will know soon enough, but the wedding must remain a secret.”
Brigid reached out and hugged her friend. “I am happy for you and I will tell no one of the plans for you and Magnus to wed, but can you tell me why?”
Reena sat in one of the two chairs near the hearth, and Brigid took the other, ready to listen.
Reena detailed the events that had led to the decision to keep their wedding a secret, and by the time she finished, Brigid was nodding her approval.
“A wise decision for sure. Kilkern would see that he used such information to his advantage.”
“True enough, that was why I thought to postpone the wedding, but Magnus insists that we wed along with you and Thomas.”
Brigid pressed a hand to her chest. “Reena, it would be wonderful to share a wedding day with you and Magnus. Think of the celebration. And Thomas and I can wait until things settle down and this matter is seen to.”
“Magnus is certain this matter will be resolved shortly and that there is no reason to delay wedding plans.”
“You think otherwise?”
Reena jumped out of the chair and began pacing in front of the hearth. “He places himself in danger by going to Kilkern.” She bit at her bottom lip, knowing she could not reveal all she knew to Brigid: she had given her word. “He will be sure to imprison Magnus or, worse, kill him.”
“Magnus is the Legend. Kilkern would be a fool to think that he could capture the Legend,” Brigid said.
Reena stopped pacing and stared down at the flames. No one understood that Kilkern did not see Magnus as the Legend but as his half brother who was depriving him of land he felt rightfully belonged to him. This was about brother against brother and revenge, the worst kind of battle, for neither would settle in agreement. Blood would certainly be spilled.
“I love him,” Reena said softly.
Brigid stood and went to her friend’s side, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. “I understand.”
Reena turned and her tears started once again, but this time they fell for Brigid. “I suffered along with you when John died, but until now . . . until I have loved myself, I never truly understood how deep your pain and suffering was, and I am so terribly sorry for you.”
The two women hugged tightly before parting and wiping their tears away.
“I am lucky to have found love again and with such a kind and caring man. Thomas means the world to me and I love him dearly, but if I had the chance to go back to the day Kilkern attacked John I would have responded differently. I instinctively knew something was amiss and that John should have remained silent. I would have been more brave and stepped forward to silence my husband so that he did not have to lose his life so senselessly.” Brigid paused and fought back her tears.
Reena had to wipe at her own tears.
“I tell you this, Reena, for I understand your plight, and while I love you as a sister and do not wish to see any harm come to you, I would warn you to do whatever is necessary to protect the man you love. Death comes to us all, but unnecessary death, senseless death, is difficult to accept and understand. There was no reason for John to die. He died simply because a powerful and greedy man grew angry. And that man will kill again if he thinks it serves his purpose.
“After John died I blamed myself for not defending him and not dying along with him—”
“Nonsense,” Reena said, fast to correct her friend. “There was nothing you could do, and dying along with John would—”
“Would be a senseless death.” Brigid nodded. “It took me a while to understand that my living gave more meaning to John’s death. Falling in love with Thomas made me realize how important it was to live my life, to love again, to wed and have children. John’s love, my loving John, allowed me to love again. And I finally feel alive once more. But if you asked me if I had the chance to go back and change that fateful day, then I would tell you aye, most loudly. I would defend my husband at all costs.”
Brigid reached out and took hold of Reena’s arm. “So I tell you, Reena, defend the man you love at all costs and let no one stop you.”
Chapter 31
Reena needed to clear her mind after Brigid left her bedchamber. She needed to think on what to do. What choices did she have in this matter? Was there anything she could do to keep Magnus safe? Or how could she make him see reason and inform her of his plans, at least easing her mind and heart?
He probably felt that if she did know of his plans it would only cause her more worry. If that was so, then his plans were definitely dangerous and perhaps foolhardy. Either way, she wanted to know.
She decided to map in order to clear her mind completely. Her jumbled thoughts did her no good, and until she could settle them and think more rationally, she would get nowhere. So with candles lit across her drawing table and quill in hand, she proceeded to finish the map of the dungeons. There was not much left to complete: she had worked sporadically on it, the map intriguing her, as each time she returned to it her memory would recall another detail for her to add.
She was meticulous in her details and in attempting measurement. She wanted to draw the dimensions of the rooms and his land on a smaller scale yet provide adequate knowledge for him to understand the depth and width—not an easy task, but one she continued to work on.
After an hour she stopped and rubbed the back of her neck, the painful ache she suffered from bending over the table annoying her.
“You should stop and rest more often.”
Reena was not startled by Magnus’s presence. She’d lost all track of time, and she would hear nothing, not even the latch on the door being lifted, when she was deep in her mapping. And she had been expecting him—or at least she had hoped he would come to her.
“I needed to map.”
Magnus had come to realize that Reena’s work actually soothed her and she would often seek it out if feeling troubled or concerned. When he had entered quietly after receiving no response to his knock he had seen that she was concentrating deeply on her work and he had not wanted to disturb her. But as she needed to map to ease her upset, he needed to see her, if it was only to watch her work to ease his own concerns.
“I needed to see you,” he admitted to his own surprise.
Reena walked around the desk toward him, and Magnus met her as she rounded the edge of the bed.
“I do not wish to argue,” he said, his hands remaining at his sides though he ached to hug her tightly and to taste her sweet, warm lips. He would know she wished the same before he kissed or touched her. He wanted no anger between them when they loved, and he wished to love her, he ached to love her.
“Nor I,” she agreed, her hands itching to touch him, taste him and snuggle in his warmth.
�
��I do not like when we disagree. We often think much alike you and I,” he said, taking a step closer.
“Aye, we do.” She took a step that caused them to almost touch.
“I want to love you, Ree.”
She collapsed in his waiting arms, which he wrapped tightly around her. “And I want to love you, Magnus.”
“Then there is no longer any need for words,” he said and claimed her mouth with his in a kiss that went on and on and on as their hands frantically tugged and pulled at each other’s garments.
Their mouths only left each other’s long enough to rid themselves of their clothing. Once naked, they fell on the bed together, eager to touch and taste. And touch and taste they did, each one not seeming to get enough of the other.
It continued until Magnus finally slipped over Reena, threading his fingers with hers and drawing her arms up above her head.
“I am going to love you hard and long and until you beg me to stop.”
Her soft laughter drifted up and around him. “You will be the first to surrender.” She ground her hips against his and moaned with the hard feel of him against her.
He nipped at her lips. “We shall see who wins this.”
She laughed and wiggled against him. “There can be no loss in this.”
He nuzzled her neck. “Then on to victory.”
He settled himself inside her and kept his promise, loving her hard and long. In the end she begged, and he surrendered at the exact same moment, their united cries of pleasure filling the room and drifting down around them to wrap them in a gentle glow of contentment.
They snuggled in each other’s arms, neither making mention of their earlier debate, both wanting to linger in the satisfying aftermath of their lovemaking.
“You will map more before the evening meal?”
Her head rested on his shoulder, her hand on his chest and her leg across his leg, and it felt good being there and knowing they loved. “Aye, I wish to finish the dungeon before I eat. It is almost detailed, I have but one cell left and it is done. And you?”
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