by Kresley Cole
Rydstrom turned, barreling down the corridor stairs, before remembering he could now teleport as well. He traced Sabine into the bowels of the castle. But there were chambers everywhere, connected by a twisting labyrinth of passages. He turned in a circle, bellowing, "Hag, where the hell are you?"
"In here," she called. He followed the sound of her voice to a chamber that was exactly like he imagined a poisoner's laboratory. Atop long tables were dissected creatures, fermenting potions, bubbling brews. Bats' wings and frogs' legs hung from the ceiling.
The Hag, however, was not what he was expecting. Instead of the crone, a pretty elven brunette stood before him, the woman he'd glimpsed before.
And she was packing.
"Save her . . ." Rydstrom rasped. "You have to save
her."
Without glancing up, she said, "And why should I?" "Because I defeated Omort. I think his death has
freed you."
"Well, there is that." She met his gaze. "For five hundred years, I've waited for the sorcerer's curse to end. Lay Sabine on the table." Rooting through a safe, she withdrew two wooden cases, opening the first one. Within it lay a vial of black liquid.
When the Hag offered the antidote, Rydstrom accepted it, then propped Sabine up, holding the vial to her pale lips. He glanced at the Hag. "Do you vow this will cure her?"
"Cure her of the morsus? Yes, I vow it. But I can't help her with the bitchiness."
He scowled at her, then dripped the contents between Sabine's lips.
Waiting . . . nothing . . . "Why's it not doing anything?" he snapped.
She shook her head, baffled. "It should have worked by now. It must be too late."
48
Are her cheeks pinkening? Is she healing?"
Sabine heard Rydstrom's harried voice as she
woke by degrees.
"They are." Was that the Hag? "It figures the sorceress would milk the tension for all it was worth."
When Sabine murmured Rydstrom's name, he exhaled. "Ah, gods, cwena. I'm here with you." When she opened her eyes, she found his were fierce but tender as he gazed down at her. He brushed the backs of his fingers against her cheek.
The Hag muttered, "I'll leave you two alone."
"Wait," Sabine said. Who was this female that sounded like the Hag? Was this the Hag? "Where's Lanthe's cure?"
"I left her vial on the table beside the rhinoceros testicles."
"Oh." Free. They were finally free of Omort. Of the poison that had befouled their blood. And the Hag was apparently free as well. "How is it that you are . . . different?"
"Omort stole my foresight, cursing me to live as a crone in this hellhole. All for a foretelling I gave about a sorceress Omort would fall in love with. At least, as much as he was capable of it. Sabine, your brother didn't seek you out for the demon-he sought you for himself. But as soon as I saw you, the prophecy came to me that you and the demon king would wed and have a son who would unlock the well's power."
"But not in the way Omort said?" Sabine asked.
"Not in the least. Omort used the prophecy, embel-lished on it, until even he believed his own lies. Now, if you don't mind, I've got a portal to catch. And I'm five hundred years late for a date."
"But wait-"
"The battle's still going on upstairs, sorceress." She swept out of the room.
Sabine turned to Rydstrom. "Trace me to my sister!"
In an instant, he traced her to the court. But Lanthe had already felled Hettiah and was kicking her lifeless body, telling it, "For centuries, I put up with your shit! Day after day!"
That's my sister. . . .
Sabine saw Rydstrom gazing at his own sibling in the melee, looking torn, clearly wanting to be with her but needing to help his brother. "I need to get Cadeon's back."
"Oh no, you don't, demon!" With an angry flick of her hand, Sabine made the mercenaries invisible to the fire demons. "We have things to discuss."
Cadeon roared, "Hell, yeah!"
After a few moments observing Cadeon's joyful slaying and Lanthe's therapy, Rydstrom said, "I think they've got it." He shoved his sword under his belt again, then traced Sabine from the court to her room in the castle, to the balcony overlooking the sea.
Once Rydstrom had steadied her from the teleporta-tion, she said, "You didn't believe Omort about the well and the sacrifice? That I was a part of that plan?"
"Of course not. Just as I don't believe this was all some plot you concocted ahead of time. The last week between us was real."
"Like our marriage?"
Sabine's expression was inscrutable, eyes glowing blue with emotion. He couldn't predict what she would do about his deception, had no idea . . .
To be this close to all he'd ever wanted.
"Did Omort lie?"
He, ran his hand over his mouth. "I-cwena .. ." . "You can't call me that, can you? I'm not your queen. What had you promised that night? What did you say to me so solemnly?"
"That I would exact my revenge on you."
Her brows drew together, and her bottom lip trembled.
Rydstrom's heart fell. "Ah, gods, Sabine." She was crushed. She should be. To act as if he'd wed her....
"Demon. I. Am"-she shook her head and swallowed hard-"so proud of you." Her eyes were misty. "You got one over on me."
He parted his lips with astonishment. "You're not... you-" He swept her up in his arms.
"Well, it did anger me at first. But luckily for you, I'm not a tool. When someone decides to sacrifice his life for mine, I can be forgiving."
"I'd do it gladly, Sabine. Always." "Yes, well, I also realized that I can hold this over your head-for eternity. Think of the leverage, demon!" In a feigned innocent tone, she said, "But whatever do you mean we're not instituting a kingdom mini-skirt day? Don't you remember when you deceived me about our marriage vows?"
He cupped her nape. "Do it, hold it over my head. Wear me out on it. Just as long as you stay with me."
"I don't have a choice, since I seem to have accidentally fallen in love with you."
That line between his brows deepened. "I love you, too, sorceress. I want to remedy this lack of a marriage right now."
She laid her palms on the sides of his face. "Good, because I need the authority to make some serious changes around here. Oh, and this time, make it in English."
Epilogue
Two months later New Tornin, The Kingdom of Rothkalina
Lke taking candy from a baby!" Rydstrom's wife cried as she swung her bag of stolen loot over her shoulder.
Lanthe answered, "Shooting fish in a barrel!"
Sabine and her sister still hadn't seen Rydstrom sitting quietly on his throne in the empty court. Lanthe had created her portal in here-the one place no one was supposed to be today. But Rydstrom had finished up with a construction project early, and had come here merely to relax and enjoy the renovated court until his wife returned from "shopping."
"Your shopping went well?" he said, his voice booming.
Sabine and Lanthe froze midstride, then slowly craned their heads to him.
"I hope you paid for all that."
"Busted," Lanthe muttered. "I'll be in my tower." She scurried out.
Sabine recovered from her surprise and sauntered up to him. "We didn't pay for these with money per se. But we paid back some karma."
"Who did you steal from?"
"This half demon Nïx told us about. A drug lord down in Colombia."
Rydstrom steepled his fingers. "And why would you do this?"
"She said we should 'have at him.' Since I owe her for helping me in a tight spot, I thought I should be accommodating to her. This one time. And we didn't think you'd be mad if we stole from a bad guy."
"I'm not. But I'm furious that you put yourself in danger."
"No one ever saw us! And Lanthe even managed a tiny bit of persuasion, just to make sure we were extra safe."
Rydstrom sighed. "Then let me see what you got." He could never stay cr
oss with her, not when she was so happy here with him and with their new life together.
When she settled on his lap, he wrapped his arms around her, and she proudly showed him a bag of gold coins of an ancient cast.
Of course, this wasn't his little queen's first heist since they'd wed. He knew it wouldn't be her last.
But then, she could get away with anything. All of Lorekind knew that if anyone harmed a hair on her head they'd be dealing with a maddened rage demon out for blood. Sabine took full advantage of that fact.
"This is a respectable take," he said.
"Lanthe and I are exactly like Robin Hood." She nod-
ded winningly with laughing amber eyes. "Except we don't give to the poor."
"You will be now. I'm seizing forty percent of this." When she grumbled, he said, "Or we could use that percentage for another new road project."
During the days, the sound of hammers, building, and restoration rang out over the kingdom. His people were thriving once more. "Just think, you'll be helping us ease out of medieval times." Into the sixteen hundreds. But they were taking it slow. "And we could even name a major thoroughfare after you."
The people certainly wouldn't object to that. They loved their merry and clever queen, who'd helped her king defeat an evil tyrant, and who only wanted a bit of gold.
She nibbled her bottom lip. "And one after Lanthe, too?"
"Of course."
"Do you think I don't know you're managing me?" "I do. But I think you like it." He drew her in closer, savoring the smell of her hair. "By the way, Puck came by just after you'd left this morning."
The boy had been fostered with Durinda and her new husband, but Sabine got to see Puck whenever she liked because he and his new family had returned to Rothkalina-many refugees had, as well as families from other factions of the Lore. "Puck was sad you weren't here, so I showed him the presents you're having sent to Durinda's."
A full drum set and a year's supply of sugary candies. The demoness was going to love that.
Since Rydstrom and Sabine had officially moved back into the renovated castle, they'd continually had guests. Old friends and trusted allies visited often. Even Mia and Zoe, Rydstrom's younger sisters, were coming to stay with them in the spring.
"And Cadeon dropped by the work site today," Rydstrom said. "I invited him and Holly to dinner."
"Tonight?" Sabine sighed, though Rydstrom knew she grudgingly liked her in-laws. "Great. I get to watch Holly battle all through dinner to keep her meal down."
Holly's unrelenting queasiness wasn't surprising since they'd learned she was carrying Cadeon's twins. Two warriors of ultimate good.
Sabine continued, "The last time they were here, Cadeon followed her around like she'd break. He carried her down a set of three steps. You better not do anything like that once we decide to have a kid."
Rydstrom and Sabine were waiting to have their own son until they'd gotten the kingdom settled. They'd decided the power of the well had gone untapped for eons, so a little while longer wouldn't make a difference. Especially when Rydstrom was savoring the indescribable satisfaction of protecting his little queen, spoiling her.
"Sorceress, you know I'll be worse."
"Then expect me to make fun of you. It won't be
avoidable."
There was another factor in their decision to wait. As Sabine had put it, "We'll be having no firstborns, demon, until that vampire Lothaire is contained." As a surprise castle-warming gift to Rydstrom, Sabine had
used a good deal of her own personal jewelry to pay Cadeon's mercenaries to hunt down the Enemy of Old.
The crew had strong leads already, and it was only a matter of time before they found the cunning vampire. .. .
When Rydstrom dropped Sabine's bag of gold on the floor and turned her in his arms, she said, "Earlier, I was thinking about the first night we met. You'd had no idea what was about to hit you when you saw me on the road that night."
"You wrecked my car, my life as I knew it."
"But now you have me, and your crown. You look very kingly on this throne, by the way."
"I practice in the mirror every day."
She grinned. "No, you don't. You're too busy staring at the scratches running up and down your back." Then she said with a purr, "I could add to them, my liege."
He inhaled sharply-and had her traced to their bed before he'd released that breath. As he began the pleasure of undressing her, the sea winds rushed in over them, and she stretched her arms over her head with a languid smile.
He dipped a kiss to her neck while he unraveled the laces of her top. With approval in his tone, he murmured, "This one's complicated."
Sabine sighed, "I'll be worth the wait, demon."
Rydstrom met her gaze, needing her to see all that he was feeling for her.
She did. Her expression grew soft when he grazed the backs of his fingers along her silky cheek. "Cwena, you always are. . . ."
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