Land of Strength and Sorrow

by Cassandra Fear

  Groans sang through the air and clanks from weapons pierced her ears. She had to move. No longer would she stay in the back. She had the means to help and by God, she would.

  So she ran, her hand wrapping around her necklace as she did. Bastien yelled for her to stop, but she ignored him. The metallic scent of blood floated through the air as she danced into the fray and wove around weapons while dodging fireballs. She didn’t stop until she stood right in the middle with only a little space between Belisandre and her. The warmth of her necklace pulsated in her palm, building and building, like a heartbeat that throbbed through her skin.

  She dropped her hands as a fireball scorched the side of her face, and even through the sting and the smell of her burnt hair, she unleashed the magic in her necklace.

  A blast of pink shot through the air, sliced through the enemy, and hacked at each and every one of them. The power changed shape, morphing from a cloud into a long arc with sharpened edges, larger than a sword but with the same resemblance. And it decapitated Fire Mages, one by one, sometimes groups at a time.

  Belisandre stared at her, her mouth gaping wide as the power pushed closer and closer to her. She put her hand out toward Cappa, and he stopped, moving back toward her as if a spell had taken over him. When he stood beside her again, she wrapped her arm around him and disappeared. Jovi growled.

  After Belisandre had left, the Fire Mages fled. One by one they tucked their tails and ran as fast as they could. Jovi swayed on her feet, barely able to keep her eyes open. The power from her necklace—although it didn’t come straight from her—took so much out of her. When no enemies stood in the forest, she took her hand away, and the power slammed back into her. She dropped to the ground and allowed a solid black darkness to drag her down into a deep, deep sleep.

  Jovi woke in bed. She rubbed her eyes before she opened them wide, taking in the contents of her tent. The tent she shared with her husband. When did she get here?

  She had no clue. The last thing she remembered was Belisandre and her army running away. They’d won the battle, but the war was far from over.

  “Jovi. Are you okay?” Malador rushed to her side and slumped down on the bed.

  She sat up and pulled her knees to her chest. “Never mind me. Are you okay?” Blood covered almost every inch of his body. Her heart thundered as she ran her fingers over him and searched his skin for wounds.

  Malador shrugged her off. “I’m fine. You’ve no need to worry about me. I’m a seasoned fighter, with or without my magic. My concern is for you. You are the one who fainted.”

  Her necklace beat against her chest as if it had a life of its own. Who knew? Maybe it did.

  Jovi glanced down and flinched against the bright pink stone that still glowed bright and vibrant against the dim candlelight in the tent. “It was the power from the necklace. It took a lot out of me, but it saved everyone. Sure, I fainted. But so what. If that is the worst thing that happened, we should be grateful.”

  Malador chuckled. “Will wonders never end with you? I married a Princess, but instead I got a battle-seeking warrior.” Jovi glared at him as he grinned. “How did I get so lucky?”

  Jovi hadn’t expected those words. She’d expected him to tell her she’d never be allowed near another battle. To explain she would have to stay here from now on and never leave Frostspher again. How wrong she’d been. Maybe Malador understood her more than she’d ever thought he could. She wanted to live. Not hide. She wanted to rule at his side, fight at his side, and be with him through the good and the bad. And he no longer seemed opposed to any of those things.

  She leaned forward and planted a soft kiss on his lips. “Thank you. For understanding who I am.”

  Malador raised an eyebrow. “I’m just sorry it took me so long.” He sighed. “I might not like you rushing into battle, but I will never hold you back. From this day forward, if we go into battle, we do it side by side.”

  He hadn’t held her back to begin with. No, he’d been fine with her marching beside him into battle, but when the need arose to watch the back, he’d asked her instead of ordering her. And for that, she’d forever be grateful.

  Butterflies skated around her stomach. Her heart thumped hard. But, even as her fingers shook, she rose on her knees and straddled him, knowing only a thin nightgown covered her. “Thank you.” She gave him a kiss on a cheek. “Thank you.” Another kiss to the other cheek. “Thank you.” Yet another to his forehead. “Thank you.” And another to his chin. “Thank you” One more to his nose. “Thank you.” She leaned back and waited as her heart galloped into her throat.

  He growled and laid her flat on her back as he crushed his lips to hers with such fiery passion she couldn’t help it, she matched his with her own. She kissed him, ran her hands under his shirt, and up his back until his shirt fell to the floor, thrown by her own hands. Her nightgown came off and landed right on top of his shirt, exposing her whole self to him.

  He pulled back as his eyes roamed over her. She wanted to use her arms as cover, but this was her husband, and she would never be ashamed of herself in front of him, so she resisted the urge and let him look. After seconds had passed, he smiled. “Jovi. You are something else entirely. How did I ever get so lucky?”

  “I don’t think luck had anything to do with it.” She chuckled. “Pretty sure I didn’t have a choice…”

  He winced.

  She stroked his cheek. “It’s okay. I think, given time, I would have made this choice myself.”

  He growled again and covered her, his chest rubbing against her own. She wrapped her arms around him and let him keep going, trailing kisses all over her body. Jovi couldn’t think, didn’t know if she wanted to, even if she could. But, she knew she didn’t want to stop. A fire burned through her core, and she needed something to put it out, anything. She felt that Malador had exactly what she needed.

  She crawled to her knees, and he followed, not taking his lips from hers. She ran her hands over his muscled chest and down his lean, flat stomach. She dragged her fingertips over his thick shoulders and finally up through his soft, silver hair. She’d never seen a naked man, let alone felt one. Not that he was naked but close enough.

  She couldn’t stop kissing him. Didn’t know if she’d ever want to and hoped she never had to

  He pulled back. “Jovi. We have to stop, or I’m not going to be able to.”

  She bit her lip. “Good. I don’t want you to.”

  No hesitation. He fell into her and knocked her back onto the bed. She no longer wore any clothes and didn’t think it fair that he did, so she removed his pants, taking in all his manliness with wide eyes. She knew how this worked. How babies were made. But, she had no clue how that thing would fit inside her. She gulped.

  “Are you sure?” Malador asked, his words breathy.

  She took a deep breath then met his eyes in a hard stare before she nodded.

  But just as she leaned in to kiss him again, he froze above her like a perfect statue. She tapped him. His eyes were still open. His lips still parted. But he didn’t breathe and hadn’t moved.

  Had she killed him?

  She didn’t know, but her heart thumped in her ears as she slid from under him. He still didn’t budge.

  Jovi tried to climb out of the bed, but strong arms grabbed her instead. She gasped and tried to spin around, but those arms locked around her and held her in place. She couldn’t even cover her naked body, instead had to stand there, exposed to Fire Mages who stood throughout the tent. Her stomach dropped.

  Belisandre strolled inside. “Take her. Just the girl. Leave the rest. I don’t want to kill them unless it is a fair fight. And this is far from fair.”

  “I didn’t think you cared about that sort of thing,” Jovi spat at her, not sure how the sorceress had gotten in her tent, let alone in the camp. And how had she not heard them enter? Her chest hurt like someone had sat on it and wouldn’t move.

  Belisandre strolled forward, running her long fingernail u
nder Jovi’s chin. “Oh, but child, of course I do. I didn’t come for them. They are nothing but a nuisance. I came for you. The power you have; I need to know how you do the things you do.”

  Jovi narrowed her eyes. “Even if I knew, I’d never tell you.”

  Belisandre tapped her nose. “Perhaps not, but you’ll tell him.”

  “Who?”

  “Me.” The deep voice behind her stuck a knife through her heart. The arms around her loosened, and she turned, slowly, as her eyes fell on Cappa.

  A lump rose in the back of her throat. “Cap. How could you? Why are you doing this?”

  Jovi’s cheeks heated. She’d been about to experience her first time with her husband, but she now stood naked in front of a man she’d once thought she loved. How could she have been so wrong about someone? He didn’t try to grab her as she scooped down and picked up her nightgown, spreading it over her exposed skin. Not that it covered much, but it was better than nothing, although her modesty had been thrown out the door when Cappa yanked her from her husband’s bed.

  “I’m doing this because you don’t belong with him. You belong with me. And it is high time we got our happy ending. Now stop using your clothes as a cover and put them on.”

  Not one of them turned to give her any privacy, so she glared right at them as she pulled her sleeping gown over her body. Cappa shoved her cloak at her, and she wrapped it around herself. He grabbed her elbow and roughly jerked her from the tent.

  She didn’t know what would come next, but she had a feeling it wouldn’t be anything good.

  About The Author

  Cassandra Fear lives in the only state one can experience all four seasons in one day: Ohio. She has a husband and two beautiful children she spends her days with, along with two dogs she adores. Her favorite hobby, besides reading, is taking care of her fish tank. Ever since she was a kid she’s known she’d be a writer. She just didn’t know when it would happen. Breaking down, she finally bought her first laptop and never looked back. Now, she writes well into the night—while her kids are asleep—because it’s the only quiet time she can find. She loves chocolate, hates driving in the snow and could eat macaroni and cheese every day.

  www.cassandrafear.com

  www.facebook.com/cassandrafearauthor

  www.twitter.com/CassieFear

  www.instagram.com/cfear_27/

  Acknowledgments

  Every book I write, I have so many people to thank. That hasn’t changed with this one.

  First, this book would have never been written if it wasn’t for my amazing husband. You sat up, late in the night, helping me plot this story, not letting me go to sleep until I got every single detail right. I never thought I would turn you in to a reader, but I might have done that with this book. Then again, I never thought I’d get you to listen to Country music, either, but how’d that turn out? Yup…it happened. Anyway, thank you for everything you do to make it possible for me to dream. I will love you forever.

  I also want to give a huge shout-out to the best Mom a girl could ever hope for. Things haven’t been easy, but I’m so glad we have ended up where we are. You have a range of masks you wear in my life, from beta reader to reviewer to best friend. I couldn’t be happier with how close we are.

  And to my brother, Chuck. Thank you for being a nanny for our kids, for taking care of the house and cooking so I can write. It means the world to me.

  To my editor, Jane Curry, for being there whenever I had a question, for helping me through ideas and for bringing out more potential than I ever knew I had inside me. You, my friend, are what an editor should be. Reach for those stars and one day, you’ll bring them down.

  To Ariana McWilliams, my best friend. Even though I met you only a year ago, I couldn’t imagine my life without you. You are my friend, my cheerleader, and you make me believe I can do anything. If it wasn’t for you, I might not have pursued this writing thing, but thankfully, you gave me the swift kick I needed! Thank you for your faith, for your friendship, and for making me believe there are people out there worth taking a chance on!

  To my kids. Thank you for giving me the time I need to write and edit and edit again. I know I’m not available as much as I used to be, but for some reason, I was blessed with two of the most understanding children in the world. They know their Mom has a dream and they want to see her follow through with it. And, for that, I will forever be grateful. Also, I hope you both reach for your dreams, too.

  And last, but never least, to my fans. So many people have reached out to me through this process and told me how much my words inspired them. How much they love my books. It means more than any of you will ever know. All I ever wanted was to write, for people to read my stories and feel something, and because of all of you, I know I’m on the right path.

  If I’ve forgotten anyone, I want to thank you, too. There are so many heads involved in publishing a book, and I didn’t mean to forget any of them, but just in case, this is for you!