“Take him to our private chambers, please. Put him in our bed… and please tell my husband to meet me there. Time is critical.”
“Yes, M’lady.”
Adonia turned and took Angelica’s hand. “Come, Dr. Giverny. I’ll introduce you to Jolie. She’ll show you to your rooms and give you the layout of the castle. You must have a bath and some rest, a meal, and then I’ll be very happy to have your advice and help with Tristan.”
As Adonia withdrew her hand, Angelica nodded. It occurred to Angelica she hadn’t spoken a wordto Adonia in the two days since they’d left Sh’r Un Kree. “He said you have a magick wand,” she blurted. She buried her face in her hand and shook her head. “That’s not what I meant to say. Can you save him? Is it possible?”
Adonia held her in a steady gaze of empathy. “I heal no one. Our great mother, Verdantia, is the true healer. I am only Her conduit. I will examine Tris more extensively, but I was encouraged by my initial findings, and the DeHelios bloodline is beloved to Her. Is that enough?” The slender woman’s brow wrinkled and her eyes searched Angelica’s face.
An arrow of hope pierced the ice of despair that had encased her heart for the last seven days and she nodded. “Yes. I must find Mage, Captain DeLan, and tell him. He will welcome the news.”
The women stepped out of the vehicle onto the flagstone courtyard. Unaccustomed to stable ground, it took a few moments for Angelica to convince her feet the ground didn’t shift underneath her. Adonia steadied her and then motioned to a sweet-faced, young blond woman.
“Lord DeKieran’s message said the three of you were a triad?” said Adonia, glancing at Angelica for confirmation. When the doctor nodded, Adonia smiled slightly and sighed. “I’m glad I got that right. I’ve put you and Captain DeLan in Tristan’s apartments. She relaxed and wrapped her arms around her waist. “Dr. Giverny, this is Jolie. Jolie, Dr. Giverny is a noted healer of the mind and kept Prince Tristan alive on his journey to us. Please treat her as you would me.”
“Yes, your Highness.” The young woman dipped into a shallow curtsey and then smiled at Angelica, “I’m pleased to be of service, ma’am.”
Adonia straightened and with a briskness she’d lacked before said, “I’m going to get Tristan settled in and resume his healing.” She paused. “Thank you for saving his life. Hel would never say, but Tris is dear to us.”
Angelica shook her head. “I didn’t do anything but fight to keep his body functioning until we got him to you.”
Adonia nodded. “Yes. And that saved his life.” With a shy smile, she turned and strode quickly up the broad steps to the castle’s double doors.
***
“We haven’t seen Adonia or Tristan since we arrived and I’m beginning to think his older brother, Hel, is simply a myth.” Angelica regarded Mage across a small dining table in Tristan’s apartments. “It’s been six days and all the staff will tell me is that “the Healer” has locked herapartment door and admits only food and drink. I’m so on edge with anxiety I can hardly stay in my skin. Do you think Tris has taken a turn for the worse or died, and we weren’t told?”
Mage swallowed a savory pastry and wiped his mouth with a cloth napkin. “I admit I share your worry, but I do trust what Lord DeKieran—and every living soul in Nyth Uchel, for that matter—has told us of Adonia’s abilities.” He chuckled under his breath. “And I assure you, Hel exists. When you see someone who resembles an eight-foot ice bear with the aloof disdain of a Dhakarian emperor, that’s Hel. You can’t mistake him for anyone else.”
“Jolie tells me he and his wife frequently work together when healing those gravely ill.” Angelica sighed. “Perhaps he’s shut away with Adonia and Tristan.”
Mage reached across the table and laid his hand on hers. “I must hope for the best. It’s the only way I can get through the day. I’m certain the castle staff will inform us of any change in Tris—better or worse. It helps to stay busy.”
“Yes. I think I’d have lost my mind if I couldn’t assist in the castle’s medical clinic. I find the homeopathic medicines intriguing. I’m not much help, though. Adonia has things so well organized and her nurses so well trained, the clinic practically runs itself.”
Mage squeezed her hand. “Will you come for a ride with me? It will get you out of the clinic, and the fresh air will clear your mind.”
Alarm straightened her in her chair. “On a horse? Ride on top of a horse?”
A slow smile spread across her lover’s face. “Yes. I’ve inquired, and Adonia has a two-year old son. You can ride his pony. You’re small and light enough. If Hel and Adonia entrust their tiny child to the mount, it’s bound to be gentle.”
“You must be insane. Defy death if you want to, but don’t invite me to join you. No. Absolutely not. No. I’ll walk in the gardens if I want fresh air.”
Mage’s smile grew wider. “The trip here frightened you that much? You’ll face down murdering cartel leaders and torture from alien mekanikos, yet you are frightened of sitting on a gentle pony? How about if I lead you?”
She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him. He threw up his hands with a laugh.
“Fine, fine. I won’t force you, but you should get over that. Life on this planet will be far easier for you if you do.”
She glowered at him in silence, lips pressed tightly together. She would choose how she died, and it wouldn’t be on a horse. A low rap on the door interrupted their conversation.
“Come in,” Mage called.
The door opened and the largest human male Angelica had ever seen entered the room. His resemblance to Tristan was unmistakable. While Mage established the standard for masculine beauty in her mind, the virile male standing before her was definitely easy on the eyes. Are there no ugly men on this planet? He bowed slightly in her direction and dipped his chin in acknowledgement of Mage.“Magellan, you’re a welcome sight. And you would be Dr. Giverny?”
Angelica nodded.
“I am Prince Hel, Tristan’s brother. Thank you for the life of my brother.”
Angelica squirmed in discomfort, took a deep breath and confessed, “I’m responsible for the condition he’s in. He was trying to save me from the mekanikos and was critically wounded in the exchange.”
“He was doing his job. It was unfortunate you were captured while under Tristan’s care.”
She couldn’t let the inference that Tristan had somehow been responsible for her situation pass. “It wasn’t his fault. These mekanikos are almost impossible…”
Mage rose from his chair with such violence the chair fell over and faced the man. “A job you thrust him into. A job he had little preparation for. A job like dozens of others over the years that you, in your arrogance, passed off on Tristan simply to get him out of your hair. Jobs which he performed with an outstanding degree of competence completely disregarded by you. But don’t believe me, Prince DeHelios.Ask Lord DeKieran. Ask our High Lord and queen’s consort, Ari DeTano, who thoroughly examined Tristan’s background before assigning him as bodyguard to Dr. Giverny. Ask any number of Verdantians grateful for the presence of Tristan DeHelios.To further drive home your lack of esteem, you neglected to invite him to your marriage when you invited everyone else on Verdantia. How could you exclude your own brother? How could you think he wouldn’t care—wouldn’t be hurt by that exclusion?” Mage hurled his final words at Prince DeHelios and the man flinched.
With a soft sigh, he pulled out a chair from the table and gently lowered his heavy frame into it. He appeared shaken and weary. Leaning back, he motioned to the fallen chair. “Have a seat, Mage.” His head swung to Angelica. “Magellan loves my brother too well. Tristan does little wrong in his eyes. You, I expect, have a more objective viewpoint. So, tell me, Dr. Giverny, tell me about my brother.”
She did.
When she’d had her say, the timekeeper showed several hours had elapsed, and to his credit, Hel had done nothing but absorb her words.
In the silence that followed, Hel s
hifted in his chair and pursed his lips. His fingers drummed on the arms, then ceased. He stood. “I see my brother has won your love as well.” The ruler of Nyth Uchel gave each of them a vague smile and left the room, his brows drawn together in thought.
Angelica exchanged a long glance with Mage. “Well… at least we gave him something to consider,” she said.
Chapter Twenty
Tristan reveledin the delicious heat enveloping his body. He’d been cold for an eternity. He’d been in pain for an eternity. That, too, was gone. He floated in a warm sea of bliss. Awareness crept in, though his subconscious urged him to fight it. His mind, muddled for so long, cleared, and with it came memories. A hovercraft with medics… and Mage. The mek walking out of the safe room with an unconscious Angelica slung over its shoulder. The keen blade of reality scythed a devastating swath through the blissful numbness that enwrapped him and cleared a path for crippling grief. Oh, Goddess. Angelica.
He hadn’t protected her. He’d been forced to watch as her enemy strode in andsimply took her away. She was certainly dead by now. Why wasn’t he dead? He was supposed to die. He’d wanted to. It would have been cosmic justice. He’d fulfilled his brother’s predictions. He wasa supreme disappointment, but this time the cost had been someone of irreplaceable value, both to him and to Verdantia. Angelica. She’d never known what she’d meant to him. He’d been too much of a coward to tell her. The emotional pain of her loss clogged his throat and tears threatened behind his eyelids. He took a deep, shuddering breath.
“Tris?” The side of his bed sagged and a large hand enveloped his. He knew the voice—Hel. The higher powers truly despised him. “Tris, I know you can hear me. You’re in Nyth Uchel in my bed. Adonia won’t move you until you regain consciousness, so I’d appreciate it if you would open your eyes and talk to me. I’d like to have my wife and my bed to myself again.”
The dry voice of his brother completed Tristan’s rude emergence to reality. He supposed he must open his eyes and face the vilification, the scathing denigration that he richly deserved for failing to protect Angelica. By the Goddess, he’d welcome it. He opened his eyes, blinked to clear the tears from his vision and focused on his brother.
“There. My eyes are open. Happy now?”
“Yes. I’m overjoyed you aren’t dead.” Hel smiled solemnly. He sat on the side of the bed and studied Tris as if he’d forgotten what his brother looked like and was memorizing his features. He’d yet to release Tristan’s hand. “Don’t scare me like that again, please. I think I’ve aged ten years. Adonia spent upwards of three weeks doing nothing but healing you. It was a close thing.”
“You? Scared?” What the fuck? Hel sounded genuinely moved. Tris grunted. “She should have saved her talents for someone worthy.”
“There can be no one more worthy than my much loved brother.”
Tris eyed Hel in disbelief. “Right. The sole warton our illustrious lineage.” Hel hung his head. For a moment, he looked… embarrassed? Tris blinked to clear his eyes. He had to have imagined it. His arrogant prick of a brother was never embarrassed. No… the expression remained.
“I have been wrong in my behavior toward you—a fact I have had my nose vigorously rubbed in. A number of people think quite highly of you. It’s long overdue, but I’m sorry. I’m sorry for so many things. I intend to do better. I love you, Tris. I’m proud you’re my brother. I’m proud of what you have accomplished with your life, and I’m ashamed that you’re just now hearing those words from me.”
Tris supposed he should feel something; after all, he’d waited over thirty years to hear Hel saythem, but nothing could pierce the numbness surrounding his heart. She’s dead.“I failed to keep her safe,” he whispered. “I finally found a woman I loved, a woman I would give my life for, and I failedher.”
A corner of Hel’s mouth lifted. “I think Dr. Giverny disagrees with you. She told me she felt safer with you and Captain DeLan than at any other time in her life.”
“What?”
His brother squeezed his hand and stood. “Why don’t I let her tell you?” He stepped back to reveal Mageand Angelicastanding in the doorway. They walked toward Tris, smiling, and stood beside his bed. Hel nodded at the pair and slipped out of the room.
Tris attempted to regroup from the staggering shock just dealt him.“Guess I didn’t disappoint you after all, princess.”
A crooked smile stretched Mage’s lips. “No, just scared the shit out of me. You weren’t supposed to get all heroic… and don’t call me princess.”
Tris squinted at Angelica. He forced words through the riot of emotions clogging his throat. “You’re not dead. I was certain the meks would kill you.”
She sat on his bed and leaned in to kiss his lips.He placed his hands on her waist, her warm alive waist, to hold her to him.“No. I’m not dead.” Angelica’s glorious face clouded. “But you almost died, you know.”
“Yeah. Kinda thought I was headed in that direction.” He’d been given another chance. He wasn’t stupid enough to waste it. “I love you,” he whispered.
“I know,” she whispered back. “I love you, too.”
“Marry me.”
She watched her forefinger trace his mouth and then she replaced her finger with her lips in a kiss. “Yes,” she murmured against his mouth. “What about Mage?”
“I’m feeling magnanimous. You can marry him, too, if you want.”
Mage smiled at their interchange. Tris caught Mage’s eyes and lifted his eyebrows in expectation. Mage rolled his eyes in good humor, straightened and addressed Angelica formally. “Dr. Angelica Giverny, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife? My life would be meaningless without you.” His expression softened. “I do mean that.”
She chuckled softly. “Yes, Captain DeLan, I would be delighted.”
Mage grinned. “Good. That’s settled.”
Angelica nuzzled Tristan’s cheek, placing delicate kisses along his jaw. “You have a kick-ass sister-in-law. She does too have a magick wand—and it is much bigger than yours.”
Tris drew back and scoffed. “Never.”
Mage choked on laughter. “Don’t worry. We like yours better.”
Tris chuckled, hugged Angelica closer and then reached for Mage’s hand and pulled him in. “Give me a day or two and I’ll remind you why.”
“I think you are being optimistic, Tris,” Adonia said as she walked through the door. Hel followed on her heels with several stout men behind him. “Perhaps a week or two… we’ll see. But these gentlemen will move you to your own apartments so at least the three of you can share the same bed.”
“Thank you, Carissime Medica… for everything,” Tris said, and grinned when Adonia blushed to the roots of her hair. She paused, linked hands with Heland then cleared her throat. “Your brother helped me significantly. He refused to leave our chamber until you were out of danger. Just thought you should know.”
Tris sobered. “Thank you, big brother.”
Hel nodded. A slight smile tugged at his lips. “Anytime.” Hel turned to the extra muscle.“Now, will you please get him out of here.”
The End
Epilogue
Anger fuelled his purposeful walk as Ram sought out the gangway to Tok’s private vessel. When Primus G’hed had dismembered the meks and Adonia had restored him and his beloved vixen to health, he’d returned to Arkodaenia with one thing burning in his brain.Ensure the Haarb and their vile pets were off the face of his planet. In this one instance, he rejected the thought that the end excused the means. There was never a reason good enough to allow the presence of Haarb to desecrate the surface of his Mother.
There… there Tok was, boarding his vessel. Good. Ram marched to the beginning of the gangway, halted, and stared a hole through the Khlossian.
“Have you come to kill me, Verdantian? You are welcome to try.” Devilry gleamed in Tok’s eyes. Ram clamped vicious restrain on his desire to pull his sword and answer the behemoth’s challenge. “I did serve noti
ce you would not like my methods. I grant you have cause for your anger. I violated your trust. I felt the ultimate goal of saving Dr. Angel’s life worth your wrath.”
“You are testing my self-control, Khlossian. I’m hereto take pleasure in watching you leave.” Ramsey crossed his arms over his chest and glared at Tok. “Turn around, get on your ship and go.”
“I am leaving Verdantia, but not because I fear your anger.”A look of pain crossed the blunt features of the Khlossian. “The Haarb have struck a crueler blow than one of your daggers. They have stolen Sweet Eva. I am leaving to get her back.” Tok turned away and took afew steps toward the open hatch.
To have someone you cared for ripped out of your life in an untimely fashion—Ramsey had experienced that agony. The great being in front of Ramhad found that person and hauled Ram halfway across the galaxy to be reunited. “Tok.” The Khlossian turned back, halfway through the hatch, his expression quizzical. Ram straightened, uncrossed his arms and held Tok’s gaze for a long moment. He released a long sigh and with it most of his rage. He ran a hand through his scalp and shook his head before gazing at Tok once more. “If I can… help…”Ram gestured awkwardly with one arm.
The corner of Tok’s mouth lifted. “Yes, Verdantian. I will call you.” With that, Tok entered his ship and the opening in the hull closed and sealed.
Ram stood and watched until the craft lifted from the gantry tower, thundered into the sky and became a mere dot of orange. “Her light go with you, Khlossian.”
Dear Readers,
Thank you all for your fascination with my world of Verdantia. It warms my heart to know there are others for whom the Second Tetriarch, et al, are living, breathing characters.
I have heard your desire to know how to pronounce characters’ names, terminology and places as the author would like them pronounced, and to that end, I have included a Glossary of Terms in the back of this book. Yeah!
Hers to Captivate Page 21