by Lucy Fear
“I should have told you long ago,” he said hoarsely. “I wanted to believe that it didn’t matter anymore, but I owe you an explanation.” Rowan nodded, and his shirt fell to the floor. The number of wounds clotted with dried blood made her want to cry, but she took a deep breath and dipped a clean cloth into the warm water that filled the tub.
“I’m not angry, but I do want to know the truth. Sit down here. I’ll try to be as gentle as I can, cleaning your wounds, and you keep talking.”
He nodded, swallowing thickly. She picked up the dark mass of his hair and tied it at the top of his head, and then started washing the dirt and blood away from his back.
“I was there when your father brought you to Lord Kennet, barely clinging to life. It was a good opportunity for him, buying the allegiance of a powerful mortal wizard, but he was hesitant. My father is not a healer, and to bring someone back who was already on the brink of the afterlife would be a significant use of power.
He was reluctant to weaken himself that way. I was young, not as young as you obviously,” he added with a small smile, “But I had only recently returned to my father’s side, and I was eager to be useful to him. Besides, I suppose I was moved by such a showing of parental love. Certainly, my father would never have sacrificed so much for me.”
“So you’re the one who brought me back,” she said, drawing a surprised breath. “I heard that my father went seeking the most powerful healer in the Otherworld, but I didn’t imagine it was you.”
“Healing is not my specialty, but I am one of the strongest magic users currently living,” he said, not as a boast but as a fact. She didn’t doubt him. “Still, you were so close to death that it took nearly all of my strength to call you back. And when you opened your eyes, you smiled at me and patted my cheek. You weren’t afraid.
I suppose I was moved, but probably nothing would have come of it, had my father not insisted that I continue to keep an eye on you. He wanted to ‘protect his investment.’ After all, if you died before your twenty-first birthday, the contract would be void.”
He winced as the cloth passed over a particularly ugly wound. She carefully wiped the clotted blood away and held her hand over the injury. In a moment, green light flowed from her palm and the wound closed. Aidan sighed with relief.
“Go on,” she prodded.
“I sent Fenella and others like her to be my eyes and ears. They gave me regular reports, but I didn’t give them much more than cursory interest until you started learning magic in earnest.”
“I was sixteen,” Rowan said thoughtfully. “My father finally consented and let me call my own familiar.” She moved to tend the wounds on Aidan’s chest, and he leaned back, his eyes closed.
“I’d never watched a mortal call a familiar before, so I decided to observe. But your father had intended to deceive you. He didn’t want you to learn magic, so he set magic dampening wards all around the house so that you would fail.” Rowan paused at this revelation. She didn’t want to think that her father was dishonest, but it sounded exactly like something he would do.
“I understood his motivation,” Aidan continued, “but I still thought it was cruel. Had I had time to prepare, I might have made you a little animal myself, but being pressed for time, I asked Fenella to take the place of your familiar.
She was a bit reluctant at first, but I think she actually came to enjoy those years,” he said with a smile. “Although I know she often wished she might speak to you as an actual friend and not a cat.”
Most of the wounds on his torso were gone, except for a few that seemed superficial enough to heal on their own. “Is there anything I need to see to on your legs?” she asked, carefully wiping a cut on his forehead.
“Nothing that needs healing,” he said, a little roughly. He wrapped his arms around her, pressing her against his chest, and she allowed him to kiss her once before she pulled away.
“You’re not done with your story,” she said sternly. “Into the tub with you. I’ll wash your hair.” He pouted a little, but did as she asked. She tried not to stare as he bared the rest of his body and climbed into the tub, but he was even more beautiful than she remembered. He wet his hair and sighed as she started to run her fingers through his hair.
“There isn’t much else to tell. Once Fenella became your familiar, I took more of an interest in your doings. It was curiosity at first; I knew very little about mortals, and I was interested to see how they managed with so little magic at their disposal, but I gradually came to admire your tenacity and intelligence.
I suppose I became…infatuated with you,” he admitted somewhat bashfully. “But I didn’t expect anything to come of it until you decided to bargain with my father.”
“But you treated me so coldly at first. I was sure you hated me, and I couldn’t understand why.”
Aidan chuckled softly. “Well, I was embarrassed, in part. I realized my father knew I’d been watching you with far more interest than was necessary. And I was angry at him for dragging you into Court politics.”
He reached his hands up to cup her face. “Also, I felt like it would only be honorable to give my brother a chance to get to know you first. After all, I knew nearly everything about you. I felt like I had cheated without knowing it.”
She leaned down and pressed her lips to his. “It wasn’t really a fair contest,” she agreed. “I suppose I ought to scold you; you’re quite the scoundrel, spying on a lady for years. But I love you, and I’m glad you found me, so I suppose I’ll forgive you.”
“I love you, Rowan. I apologize for not having been honest with you sooner. And even more so for sending you home. I was afraid for you, and I overreacted. I want to be with you. Not just for a year or two. Forever. As long as you’ll have me.”
“That’s all that I want, Aidan,” she said, sniffing back a surge of emotion. “But I feel cruel to ask it of you. You will live so much longer than me, and I…”
He kissed her fears away, pulling her halfway into the tub so that she was soaking wet, but she hardly cared. “Nothing is certain. I could be killed tomorrow, almost as easily as you. But I want to spend every moment that I can by your side. Right now, I think we should go to bed.”
“To sleep,” she said, holding up a finger in censure. “You need to rest.”
“You are a cruel mistress,” he said, but he was smiling. “As long as I can sleep next to you, it won’t feel like a punishment.”
CHAPTER 15
Rowan hadn’t thought she’d be able to sleep, considering the sun hadn’t even set. But as soon as she was in bed next to him, his skin still warm from the bath, his cool, masculine scent surrounding her, she felt such relief. This was where she belonged, curled into the curve of his body with his heartbeat against her back. Sleep came upon her quickly; it had been a busy day, after all.
When she woke to faint morning light creeping through the curtains, Aidan’s arms were still around her, but when she turned, he smiled at her. “Good morning. How long have you been awake?” she asked, slipping her arms around his neck.
“A little while,” he said. “But after thinking I would never see you again, I couldn’t bear to leave. If I let go, you might disappear like a dream.”
“I won’t leave you ever again. So, don’t even think about trying to get rid of me. I’ll just come back,” she said, frowning at him.
“Never again,” he agreed, and he kissed her, deep and gentle, until she had no breath left. Just that was enough to make her body ache for him, but as he had just been injured the day before, it felt like it would be rude to demand more. She started to pull away, but he held her close. “I have no intention of letting you out of this bed for several more hours,” he said, his voice a seductive purr.
Her face burned. “I wasn’t sure you would want…”
He laughed. “I would have to be on death’s literal door not to want you, Rowan. You healed the worst of it yesterday. I would be completely better already except that the poison has slowed my natural healing a
bilities.”
He left a trail of kisses down her jaw to her neck, making her shiver. “In short, I have missed you terribly, and now that you’re here, with your body pressed so close, I think if I don’t make love to you this minute, I will expire.”
“Well, we can’t have that,” she said somewhat breathlessly, hooking her leg around the back of his knee. When his mouth met hers again, she traced her tongue over his lower lip, and he let out a soft moan.
He returned the kiss fiercely, nipping her with his teeth, and then his body was pressing her into the mattress, his hands pinning her wrists above her head with one hand while the other slipped under her shift. She felt helpless before him in way that she did not dislike.
He kissed the hollow of her throat as he massaged her breast, and his mouth moved up her neck until he sucked at the skin just below her ear. It sent a shudder all the way through her; her back arched into him as she said his name, more of a moan than a word.
Aidan chuckled under his breath and released her hands to slide her shirt over her head. He kissed the peak of each breast, and his fingers whispered over her stomach, making her shiver in anticipation. When his hand reached between her legs, he smiled when he found her slick with need. Then, he rolled her onto her stomach.
Somewhat confused, she might have even protested except that his hand was between her legs again, this time brushing his fingers over the sensitive bud with a feather light touch. She could hardly speak, only uttering a mewling cry of want that deepened to a moan as he pulled her hips against him and entered deep inside her.
She rose up onto her hands, almost by instinct, and felt him shudder at the completeness of their joining. He rocked his hips, frustratingly slowly, and his fingers resumed their ministrations between her thighs.
If she had thought the times with him before were the height of pleasure, this was something else entirely. It came upon her slowly, a warm ember low in her belly that flared brightly each time their bodies came together.
But she felt her body growing tighter, hotter, thrumming with pleasure, and then it was like a dam broke and she was drowning in a flood of bliss. And it didn’t stop; Aidan moved inside her, faster now, and the press of his finger was relentless, wave after wave of ecstasy until she howled and shivered, feeling like she would cease to be if it went on a moment longer.
She heard his strangled cry as he found his release inside her, and they collapsed into a boneless, sweaty heap. After a moment, he curled his body around her, pressing a panting kiss to the back of her neck.
Rowan could do nothing but hum with approval. She was so sated that she might have even gone back to sleep. Aidan pulled her close against his chest and stroked her hair. “I feel more honored than I can say that you would choose to spend your life with me. I promise I will do everything I can to keep you safe, no matter what comes.”
She turned to face him, brushing her fingers over his cheek. “I know you will, Aidan. But I want to fight by your side as your partner. Tell me what you think is going to happen.”
He smiled. “You would’ve been wasted on the mortals. My warrior goddess would never be a meek little housewife. As for what comes next, I’m sure Niall will lodge some sort of formal complaint, outside of whatever personal revenge he might have planned. I can’t be sure of his exact plans until he takes action, but we may both be called up before the Council to defend ourselves.”
“Can’t we make a counter-claim? Surely his attempt to poison you is a punishable offense.”
He shrugged. “Not really. If he had actually killed someone or injured me permanently, I could have demanded restitution. But, especially because he attacked outside of Court boundaries, he’s not violating any laws. The Otherworld is a violent place, and our laws tend to encourage the strong to exploit the weak. I would like to change this, but first we have to subdue my brother into accepting it.”
************
What exactly Niall’s claims would be wasn’t clear until later that day when a messenger for Lord Kennet brought the official summons. Teague brought it to them when Fenella delivered their quite belated breakfast. Rowan had just been trying to convince her friend to leave it for an actual maid.
“Listen, compared to being a spy, this job is fantastically relaxing. It’s not as if I have to clean things by hand. And I get to treat you like my very own dress-up doll. It’s a win for everyone. Maybe now that you’re officially staying together, Aidan will let me dress him too?”
“Is there something wrong with the way I dress?” he asked with an arched eyebrow. Fenella opened her mouth, probably to tell the prince exactly what she thought of his fashion sense, but Teague’s arrival spared them all this fate.
“Lady Rowan has received an official summons to the Court,” the bard said, handing Aidan a tightly rolled scroll sealed with wax.
Aidan didn’t appear to be terribly surprised, but he gave the scroll to Rowan. “You’re the only one who is permitted to break the seal.”
Rowan could feel the hum of magic as she cracked the wax between her fingers, but nothing happened, except that she could unroll the parchment. “It says my presence is required in court tomorrow. To answer the charge of ‘interfering in a duel of honor.’”
“That is what I expected,” Aidan said, letting out a breath. “At least he didn’t feel the need to produce a list of misdeeds.”
“What else am I supposed to have done?” she exclaimed, indignant, and the prince laughed.
“I was not accusing you, my love,” he replied, and hearing the casual term of endearment was more than enough to mollify her, but he continued. “He might have complained that you injured him in the duel, though I suppose he is too proud to want that to get around.
I was somewhat concerned that he would blame you for the disappearance of Polaris, but I might have been overestimating his capacity to care for creatures other than himself. Besides those, there are many things he might have claimed you had done which would have been difficult to disprove.
He has chosen, thus far, to stick to the unvarnished truth, and I find that at least a little encouraging.”
“Then what are we going to do?” Rowan asked. Aidan took her hand in his.
“I will send Teague and Fenella to the court ahead of us to gather information. I’d like to gauge the attitudes of the councilors who will be sitting in judgment Although my father can always override the will of the Council, he does not like to do so, and I would rather not have to rely on him. However, you and I can do little but await the appointment at court. So, I thought we might go somewhere else to take your mind off things.”
It was true that Rowan couldn’t help but worry about what was to come, and so she nodded, and listened to Aidan give his instructions to Teague and Fenella. They left immediately, promising to bring back news as soon as they could.
“We will be at the other house, but will return this evening,” he told them. “Unless there is an emergency, you should wait for us here.” Rowan felt a small swell of relief, remembering the little tower at the edge of the mountain lake. If there was anywhere she would be able to truly relax with everything going on, it would be there.
CHAPTER 16
As soon as they arrived at the high meadow, there was a loud joyful whinny from the paddock where Polaris lived. “It sounds like I am not the only one who missed you,” Aidan said with a quiet smile.
Rowan grinned, but she shook her head skeptically as she approached the fence. “Are you sure she isn’t greeting you? I’ve been gone for two weeks, after all.”
“I came to visit every day, and she never once acted like that,” he said, laughing. He pulled an apple from his jacket, and Rowan held it out for the horse, who took it delicately from her hand and devoured it.
Polaris sniffed her hopefully, looking for more, but even after finding no treats in their pockets, the mare allowed Rowan to stroke her neck before walking back out to the field. “Perhaps when things are more settled, we ought to find her
a friend. Horses are herd animals, after all.”
“You just want a unicorn for yourself,” she teased. “Wouldn’t you be the picture of a prince of the fae then?”
“I have previously had no interest in riding as entertainment, but if you are going to be gallivanting all over the countryside, I’d like to be able to accompany you. Even well-trained horses do not generally tolerate the presence of dragons.”
He grasped her hand, and their fingers intertwined. By unspoken agreement, they walked toward the lakeshore, their pace unhurried.
“I am glad you so enjoy spending time with me that you will take up a new hobby,” she said, smiling over at him.
“I never want to be parted from you again,” he said, stopping in place and pulling her against his chest. “I would spend every moment in your presence, only I believe you would find that stifling,” he added with a small smile.
“Still, that does bring me to the other reason I wanted to bring you here.” Rowan had no notion of what he might mean, so she simply waited for him to continue. “My people do not typically marry, as it is considered rather silly and common to tie oneself to someone for the whole of a very long life, but I…”
He looked up at her, and her breath caught as their eyes met. “I would have no other. Whether we have fifty years together or five thousand, it is you I want by my side, Rowan.”
She was so enraptured by his expression that she almost didn’t notice the small object that he brought out of his jacket. A silver ring bearing a large round moonstone and flanked by sapphire crescent moons and stars of diamond and opal glittering in the afternoon sunlight. “Would you do me the honor of marrying me, once we get a moment of peace?”
She flung herself into his arms, nearly knocking him to the ground. “Of course, of course I will, Aidan. I love you,” she said, kissing him with passionate glee. He scooped her up into his arms, which she ought to have expected, and carried her, uncomplaining, into the tower by the lake just like a princess.