by Rebecca King
“Will?” Mallory whispered as she fell to her knees beside him.
Because it was so dark on the street it was difficult to identify which of the men had fallen onto their back on the road and who had landed on top of him. Mallory closed her eyes and began to pray. She opened them again in time to watch Will roll the uppermost man over.
“Will?” Mallory gulped.
Will watched Callum flop lifelessly over and cursed once more. Edward was staring lifelessly at the night sky, far beyond help. Will didn’t even give him a second glance. Instead, he shuffled around until he was kneeling beside his colleague. Dropping his head, he listened for a heartbeat.
Mallory watched him. “Tell me.”
“He is alive – just,” Will growled. “He landed on Edward.”
Callum groaned and sucked in a huge breath as he opened his eyes. He stared up at the sky but saw nothing except for Will.
“Jesus,” he hissed.
“Don’t do that to me,” Will growled. “What in the Hell?”
Callum stared at his friend for many years. He struggled to comprehend what had happened. It had all happened so fast. One moment he had been stepping backward with Edward’s shoulder in his stomach and the next he had been falling.
“What happened?”
Will huffed a laugh. “I think you have the luck of the Irish, that’s what happened.”
“What?” Callum frowned at him.
Mentally, he took stock of his injuries. Apart from some soreness around his ribs, he was fine apart from his head, which pounded fiercely.
“You landed on Edward,” Will grinned. “It says everything that the man who tried to take your life actually saved it instead.”
Callum groaned when he tried to look around and see for himself where Edward had landed. Every bone in his body ached, but he was blessedly alive.
“Mallory.”
When Callum forced himself upright, he saw Mallory on her knees beside him. She didn’t move or speak as she watched him. Instead, tears trickled steadily down her face as she stared at him with such mute appeal that Callum wondered briefly if she had been hurt.
Without saying a word, she lunged forward and threw her arms around him.
Callum gathered her against him and held her tightly. Mallory buried her head in his neck and clung to him with every ounce of strength she possessed. She couldn’t comprehend just how much the last few moments had proven the depth of love she felt for him. She wasn’t at all sure she could describe to anybody how she felt, even herself. What Mallory did know was that Callum was more precious to her than life.
“You nearly died,” Mallory whispered.
“I am here,” Callum replied, his voice shaking with the strength of his own restrained emotions.
Leaning back, he forced her to look at him.
“We are alive,” he said, as if either of them needed it confirming.
Mallory stared at him. All sorts of thoughts, feelings, and emotions coursed through her. She wasn’t at all sure which to talk about first. Out of the swirling fog of confusion, fear, and torment, came the certainty that she loved him. This wasn’t any passing phase, or brief connection. This was something much, much more.
“I nearly lost you,” she breathed.
Mallory blinked because her view of him was blurred by her tears. When she still couldn’t see him, she cupped his face with her hands and rested her forehead against his.
“I nearly lost you,” she repeated tearfully.
“You won’t get rid of me that easily,” Callum growled.
“I don’t want to get rid of you,” she cried. “I want to keep you.”
Callum slid a hand into her hair to keep her head against him. There wasn’t an inch of space between them, but he didn’t mind. He wanted her to be as close as physically possible, not least because he needed her beside him forever. Only Mallory could introduce him to a life outside of the Star Elite. He had been working with them for so long now that it had become who he was – or so he had thought.
“I want a life; a life that is more than just work,” he whispered. “I want a chance of a future with you.”
Mallory leaned back to look up at him. The words were Heaven to her ears. He was saying what she so desperately wanted to hear. However, Callum’s words were also the very worst she could listen to as well.
“I don’t want you to say things you might regret later,” she whispered.
“How could I regret wanting a future? Did you when you had been kidnapped?”
“Of course not, but you almost died just now. I don’t want you to look at your survival as a second chance or anything. Don’t make any hasty decisions about your future, or do something, or say something, that you are likely to regret later.”
Callum lifted his brows. “Now you sound like me.”
Mallory grinned at him. “I have been accused of worse.”
Callum gathered her closer once again. This time, he rested his cheek against her hair and simply held her.
“I have never been a particularly affectionate man,” he began.
“No?” Mallory’s lips quirked as she looked down at just how close they were.
“Before you, that is,” he added. “With you, I am. I want to hold you. I want to be with you. Being like this, here, now, is enjoying life. It doesn’t have to be complicated. It can be healing, peaceful, calming even. In a world which challenges us every day, a simple hug from someone who means the world to you can be so incredibly healing that words are impossible to describe it.”
Mallory knew what he meant. She knew he understood more than anybody what she had been through, mostly because she had faced some of her ordeal with him. He had seen the brutality of her kidnappers and had witnessed just how trapped she had been. Still, he hadn’t judged her, or questioned her strengths or capabilities. Instead, he had offered her encouragement, quiet support, and guidance along the way while he had helped her escape.
“Thank you, by the way,” he murmured.
“What for? I haven’t done anything.”
“You are very inventive with weapons, you know,” Callum added. “I would never have thought of using a sheet to cover their heads like that.”
“No, because you are used to having guns to help you.”
“And knives.”
Mallory looked ruefully up at him. “You love this life, don’t you?”
Mallory couldn’t think of anything worse.
“I thought I did,” Callum replied honestly.
“Falling out of the window has made you question if it is all worth it?”
“No. Falling out of the window has made me realise that I love something far more than the Star Elite.”
The more Callum contemplated what he did truly love the more he knew it was the absolute truth. He refused to shy away from it, deny it, or ignore it. He wanted to acknowledge it because he knew it was an essential part of forming his future; his happiness; his life.
“Life.” It wasn’t a guess.
“You,” Callum replied honestly. “I love you, Mallory. I know you are going to deny it or think I have just taken a hit to the head that was too heavy, but I know what I am doing, and saying. It is the truth. I love you.”
Mallory began to cry again. “Are you sure?”
“Of course I am sure. How could you doubt it?” Callum asked with a slight frown.
“Because we have barely been alone together since we met. When we have been together, we have been chased, shot at, threatened, and running away from people. It has hardly been a normal courtship, has it? I mean, I know you work for the Star Elite and everything but there has to be some normality in your life, don’t you think?”
Callum leaned back to look down at her. “Do you want a proper courtship?”
“Well, I don’t really see the purpose now. I mean, we know each other, don’t we?”
“We know enough. There are people who begin marriages and don’t know as much about each other as we do. In
fact, there are people who have been married for many years and haven’t faced as many challenges as we have. We have gotten through them, haven’t we?”
“We wouldn’t be here now if we hadn’t, would we?”
“Exactly. So, we are meant to be together, aren’t we?” Callum asked.
He really wanted to ask her if she could ever foresee a time where she might love him in return, but he didn’t want to push her. He wanted her to realise how she felt about him in her own time, preferably when she wasn’t scared out of her mind.
“I think we are,” Mallory whispered.
“You don’t sound so sure,” Callum murmured.
“That is because I want you to be sure of what you are saying,” Mallory burst out. “Do you need to see a doctor or anything?”
“Because I said I love you, you think I need to see a doctor?”
“No, but you have just fallen several feet out of a window,” Mallory argued.
“That has nothing to do with the way I feel about you,” Callum protested. “How could falling out of a window affect my not wanting to leave you behind when I have to leave Cornwall? If I do have to return to duties in Leicestershire, I want to be able to leave you at home and know you will be there when I get back. I don’t want you as my mistress. I wouldn’t insult you like that.”
Mallory was aware that while Callum had been talking, the doors to the yard beside the tavern had opened. She could hear the jangle of harnesses and the clip clopping of horses’ hooves.
“Will you stay at my house in Cornwall?” Callum asked. “I will stay with my friend. We can spend some time together. When you are sure you know what you want, we can make plans for a future together.”
Mallory knew what she wanted. She slid her arms around is shoulders and held him tightly.
“I know what I want. I want a future with you as well. After tonight, I am going to worry myself sick, of course, but I know that you have a good group of men working with you. Just promise me that you will come back home whenever you can.”
Callum leaned back to smile at her. “Does that mean you will stay at my house?”
“If Sir Hugo agrees that I can without putting myself or anyone else in danger, then yes. I cannot think of anything I should like more.”
“I want you to use the time you are there to turn the place into the kind of home you would like to call your own,” Callum said.
“That sounds awfully permanent,” Mallory whispered.
“That is because it is,” Callum breathed. “I want us to be a together forever.”
Mallory swiped tears off her cheeks. She contemplated the future before her and what she could expect from it.
“You can have anything you want out of life,” Callum whispered.
Her reticence was a little disheartening, but he was determined not to give up. He would do whatever it took to keep her a part of his life.
“You can live wherever you want.”
He pressed a kiss onto her shoulder.
“You can decide what kind of work you want to do, or if you want a life of leisure.”
Callum pressed another kiss into her neck.
“You could decide if you want a slow, formal courtship.”
He kissed her jaw.
“You can decide what time of year you want to marry.”
He slid another kiss along her cheek.
“You can decide where we should marry.”
“Callum.”
“You can decide how many children we should have.”
He pressed a kiss on the corner of her mouth.
“Callum.”
“You can decide if we settle permanently in Cornwall.”
Mallory cupped his cheeks in her palms and pressed a kiss to his lips mainly to silence him. She carefully ignored the carriage that had rumbled to a stop beside them.
Will jumped down and opened the door to allow Sir Hugo to get out if he wished. Together, the men waited for Callum and Mallory to join them.
Mallory didn’t even glance at them. Instead, she stared steadily into Callum’s eyes.
“Do you know what I truly want?” she whispered.
“What?” he asked, prepared to agree to anything as long as Mallory gave him some hint of hope.
“You. That’s all. The only thing I want is to spend my life with you. I don’t care where we live if I am honest. If you want to live in Leicestershire we can move. If you want to live in Cornwall, then I am happy to live there although I confess that I know nothing about the county. I don’t care what time of year we marry, or where. I don’t even mind how many children we are blessed with. If we can spend our lives together, I know I am going to be as happy as I could ever be. I have everything I have ever wished for in life if I am with you.”
Callum gathered her into a tight hug, for once too choked to be able to speak.
“Come on, mate. It is time we left,” Will urged gently. “Sir Hugo is going to ride on the driver’s seat with me so he can keep watch. You need to rest for a while.”
Mallory realised then that Callum was sitting on a cold cobbled floor and was starting to feel icy. Easing off his lap, she reluctantly stood up and held a hand out to him.
“Ready?” she asked quietly.
Callum winced when he tried to stand up only for his aching body to protest.
“Need a hand?” Will asked suddenly.
Before Callum could reply, Will rammed a shoulder under his arm and hauled Callum to his feet.
“Let’s get you inside,” he said before physically carrying Callum into the carriage.
“Do you think he will be all right?” Mallory asked of Sir Hugo who was holding the door open.
“I think he will be fine now,” Sir Hugo mused with a smile.
Mallory watched Callum climb into the carriage and quickly clambered in behind him. Once settled, Will slammed the door closed and helped Sir Hugo onto the seat beside him. When they were both covered with a blanket, he flicked the horses into a steady walk and guided the carriage out of the village.
Inside the vehicle, Callum moved until he was sitting beside Mallory. Propping his shoulders against the wall, he sat sideways on the seat and rested his long leg against the back of the seat while bracing himself by resting one booted foot on the floor. He then gathered Mallory closer and urged her to lie against his chest.
Together, they simple cuddled closer and enjoyed the peace within the carriage as they made their way through the winding country lanes toward Cornwall. They were quiet for such a long time that Mallory began to wonder if Callum had fallen asleep. She knew he must be exhausted after everything he had been through over the last couple of days, and so didn’t disturb him. Instead, she allowed her thoughts to wander over what had happened and, more importantly, what she wanted to happen now.
“Penny for them,” he murmured so suddenly that he made her jump.
“I was just thinking over everything we spoke about on the street just now.”
“Do you regret it?” he asked.
“No. I meant every word,” she announced suddenly. “I think I forgot something, though.”
“Oh?”
It was difficult to see him in the darkness of the carriage, but Mallory had memorised his wonderful face. She leaned up and pressed a kiss to his chiselled lips. Rather than ease away again, she hovered before him, and deepened the kiss the exact same way he had in the barn just a few days before. When she did ease away, Callum tightened his arms around her.
“What did you forget?” he murmured.
It took Mallory a moment to remember. When she did, she smiled but was very glad that he couldn’t see it because it was a smile of mischief.
“I forgot to tell you that I love you,” she replied honestly. “It is true. I do. It has nothing to do with gratitude before you suggest it. When you fell out of the window you took all my dreams, and my heart, with you. My entire life was suspended as you fell. If you had died you would have taken my future with you. It wa
s then that I knew I must be with you, no matter what. I am going to worry when you are away because I know the dangers you face. I know you are going to do everything you can to get back to me as often as you can, but I am still going to dread the day you must leave me. I like being with you. I want to know everything there is about you. I want to spend the rest of my life finding out everything there is to know about you.”
“I have been thinking that it might be time for me to make a few changes in life, and I don’t just mean marrying. Of course I want to get married, but only to you. I would like it if we could live in Cornwall. My house isn’t massive, but it is big enough for us to raise a family in. It is in a pretty village that overlooks the sea. The locals are friendly and will look out for you when I cannot be there.”
“It sounds wonderful,” she breathed.
“Of course, I intend to be there as often as I can. For that to be possible, I am going to ask Sir Hugo if I can join the Cornish team. I think that after what he has been through, he is going to want to spend more time in Cornwall and is likely to take over the running of the team there. I want to join them.”
“Are you sure?” Mallory whispered, battling tears once more.
“I want nothing more,” he assured her.
Mallory didn’t have to think twice about reaching up to tug his head down to hers. It was some time later that he lifted his head to look down at her. When Callum realised that he couldn’t see her beautiful face, he reached up to lift the blind.
“You are stunning, do you know that?” he whispered.
Mallory smiled at him.
“I love you,” she murmured lovingly.
“I love you too,” he replied.
Mallory looked up at the moonlit sky. She had no idea what time it was, but the night didn’t seem as dark as it had an hour ago.
“It is going to be dawn soon.”
“A brand-new day.”
“A brand-new future,” she agreed.
“In Cornwall?” he lifted his brows.
“I cannot think of anywhere else I would rather be.”
“As long as we are together, I cannot ask for anything else from life,” he whispered a little while longer.
