by Deanna Chase
“Every case you’ve been on tells me you don’t believe, or else you would have tried once, just once, to get one!”
His hands slammed on the table as he leaned across it, his face coming inches from hers. “I’ve never tried because I believe in love! Humans need love so much, who the hell was I to screw up two people in love to get them to HEA status? I could never forgive myself if two people in love missed out on each other because of my actions!”
All anger fled her face, and a hesitant, unsure look came over features. “What do you think a HEA is?”
He drew in a deep breath, sitting down once again. “I think happily ever after is a nice way to end a story, but in the world I remember, it’s a waste.”
Her hand was halfway towards him before she seemed to remember their roles, and she pulled it back to her side. “Love is wonderful, but only love alone is incomplete. You can love someone, but they can ultimately not be right for you. Even in love, people can still be led to believe the worst of each other, still hurt each other, still decide they are better without the other,” she began, her words hesitant, as if she was trying to define to herself what it all meant as much as to him. “But the Happily Ever After is so much more. It’s finding your perfect match, love purified, refined, to such an extent that it can never be sundered. With a Happily Ever After, men can achieve greatness, as can all the generations who follow growing up in its shadow.”
“And you think jeopardizing the surety of a love match now is worth it for only the possibility of a Happily Ever After?” he asked, his voice gentle, reverent, wanting nothing to break this intimacy their words were creating.
“I do. In your view, maybe that seems cruel, but in my view, there is no greater tragedy then two people who almost make this connection but fall short in the end.”
Such a hard exterior to cover such a tender heart. “I’m not sure if I can believe as you do,” he said after considering her words. “But I never want Sara... you... to feel as if I let you down. After we get this situation behind us, I want you proud of the job I do.”
And as his breath caught at the rare smile she bestowed upon him just then, he knew all she had to do was keep smiling at him like that, and anything she wanted, whether it be his beliefs or his blood, he would give her.
Her smile faded, and the moment ended. Reina cloaked herself in her position of authority as she handed him the file that had been sitting on her desk. It was already open to show a picture of a blond girl, pretty and vibrant with a mouth full of straight white teeth, all of which was evident even underneath the dirt. “I looked over this case earlier, before I realized what was going on,” she said. “It is a good, solid HEA case. There are several challenges to overcome, but also several sources of help for the client. It is about as perfect as a case can be for this purpose, as evenly balanced as I’ve ever seen. No one can accuse the council of favoring either side. The girl’s name is Cinderella. She lives with an abusive Stepmother and two rotten spoiled stepsisters. She is a very kind, generous girl—though a little too much of a doormat, if you ask me—but outside of that, not really any other character flaws. She is much beloved in her village, children and small animals flock to her daily. In short, we exist to give HEAs to mortals like her.”
Tiernan read the file quickly, then flipped the page and took in the photo of the male who would supply the HEA. “A prince, huh? That’s pretty standard.”
“Indeed, but for the most part, we don’t mess with the classics here.” The pointed look she gave him told him he was one of the exceptions, and she wasn’t necessarily thrilled about it. Ah yes, completely back to normal.
He returned that look with a flirty smile. “I used to serve royalty, Godmother Reina. Believe me when I say, sometimes the large crown is to compensate for something.”
“Oh really? Well, I assume we can say the same thing about your sword, eh, knight?”
Maybe not completely back to normal after all. The second those words passed her lips her eyes went saucer wide, and Tiernan couldn’t say who was more shocked, him or Reina herself. There was no way he was letting this pass. His voice coming out a low growl, he replied, “Why, Reina, I never knew you were interested in the size of my sword. Anytime you want a private viewing, I will be more than happy to oblige.”
Chapter Four
What in heavens above had caused her to make that comment?
Reina and Tiernan were amongst mortals as themselves, no glamours to change their appearances. Everyone who looked upon them saw a tall pretty woman with dark hair and dark eyes, and an even taller gorgeous man with thick blond hair and eyes the same color as the sky overhead.
They were walking through the local village on the way to Cinderella’s home, having decided that the best way to complete this assignment was to take positions of employment at the house and monitor everything from there. Of course, it just happened that the one maid and stable boy employed by Cinderella’s family ran away with each other only the night before, so they were sure they could get employment there. Funny how coincidences like that happened.
From all around them, appreciative murmurs found their way to Reina’s ears, and she knew from past experience it was from the women taking in Tiernan’s form, wondering to each other about his prowess and giggling like ninnies over their suggestions, as if they were the only ones who had ever put voice to such thoughts.
Really, no wonder he had such a fat head.
Something must have shown on her face because Tiernan spoke then. “Excellent way to keep up our charade, Godmother Reina. You truly look like a woman who is jealous of the other ladies’ attentions towards her husband.”
“Please don’t let the stress of this assignment cause you to lose what’s left of your sense,” she replied in a false sweet tone, and wished that Tiernan’s laughter didn’t cause her stomach to jump.
This was getting ridiculous.
Since their discussion yesterday, all manner of ridiculous thoughts invaded her brain. Thoughts about how it might not be so terrible to have a male as a FG. Thoughts about how he just might be different from what she assumed he was, different from the other males she had known.
The warmth of his hand coming to rest on the small of her back startled her from her musings and stopped her in her tracks. She looked at him, a question on her lips, but she noticed his lip curled into a snarl and his attention was elsewhere. Following his gaze, she noticed two men who were very obvious in looking at anything but her. She had been so absorbed within herself that she did not notice those men do anything, but they must have said something that Tiernan did not like.
He looked down at her, his eyes holding those last remaining vestiges of anger, and Reina wanted to jump back in instinctive protection against a superior predator.
His fingers curled into her skin, branding her where they lay, and all the while his eyes warned against her trying to reject his possession.
She turned her gaze back to the road, suddenly all too aware of his overwhelming maleness, the power in those thick legs, the strength in those corded arms.
It had been like this since they arrived in the mortal realm, as if returning to the place he had been born had affected a change in the man before her. No longer was he her subordinate. No, here he ruled, and demanded she follow him.
His hand traveled up her spine, the calloused fingertips drawing light patterns over the sensitive skin at the nape of her neck. Without thought, her eyes slightly closed, her head giving a small tilt back. An appreciative rumble of sound came from him, causing her eyes to close even more.
“Do you be needing help? Strangers aren’t common in these parts.”
The voice caused Reina to jerk away, her eyes flying open as an older man, burnt-skinned and shoulders hunched, appeared before them.
Tiernan recovered fastest. “Yes sir, my wife and I are looking for employment.”
“What be you looking for?”
“I can do anything outside a house, and my wi
fe can do anything inside it.”
The old man scratched his chin. “I heard the Baroness be needing help, her two run off. Cash poor, that one, so count your wages, but she’s excited over the Prince coming back. Needs the help, so won’t be too choosy about how she gets it. Only has her one little lass who she overworks. Such a good little girl, deserves better than the Baroness. Lives over the hill there.”
“Much thanks,” said Tiernan, inclining his head.
He waved the thanks off, and turned to Reina. “Missus, be warned, she has two daughters, and word is, both are fond of a handsome man.” He patted Tiernan’s broad back. “No one could deny you landed yourself a handsome one. Make sure you keep him happy.”
“Uh, yes,” said Reina, unsure how else to reply, and the old man wandered off.
Continuing up the road, Tiernan gave a happy sigh. “What?” Reina asked.
“Oh, I’m just imagining all the ways you can keep me happy. After all, you were lucky enough to land me.”
“After I landed you, I should have gutted you,” Reina murmured, which earned her nothing but delighted laughter from Tiernan.
They reached Cinderella’s home and approached the back door, as any servant looking for work would do. An older woman came to the door, the smell of baked goods clinging to her skin. “Yes?”
Tiernan spoke. “We were told work could be found here?” He kept his voice light and his manner hopeful, going for non-threatening, not seductive.
The woman took them both in with a long look, then slowly nodded her head. “There may be work. It would be my Mistress’s place to decide. Who are you?”
“We are a newly married couple who are trying to make our life together,” said Tiernan, putting his arm around Reina and hugging her to him. Surely the woman wouldn’t notice if Reina kicked Tiernan in the shin, right?
In contrast to Reina’s thoughts, this news was met by a smile from the old woman. “That’s grand, aye it is. Nothing like young love. Come in, I will call my Mistress. You’ll get your answer directly.”
They were seated in front of the hearth while the old woman went out. As soon as she vanished from sight, Reina started. “Could you be a little less demonstrative?”
“No.”
“No?” she repeated, flabbergasted. “What do you mean no? There is no reason to go on like you are. Just try to control yourself.”
His hand came up to bury itself in her hair, turning her to face him. “Control myself?” he asked softly. “Be aware, Reina, I am very definitely controlling myself. If we were truly married, I would have ripped the tongues out of the mouths of those two bastards who talked about you like you were a whore.”
He pulled his hand away, letting the dark strands slide over his tanned skin, letting her see the way he played with the heavy fall between his fingers, taking in the texture.
Finally, he seemed to satisfy his fascination enough that he tucked the strands behind her ears. His hold on her hair was gone, but he didn’t release her gaze. “I am leader here, Reina, completely in control. Don’t forget that.”
She wanted to refute him, but her voice didn’t work. All she could do was gaze at him and wonder when exactly that place between her thighs became so wet.
“Oh, now there is a handsome one, don’t you think, Serena?”
Two young women were at the doorway. Both short, one round, one thin, wearing identical airs of extreme entitlement.
They were also staring at Tiernan like he was the most decadent dessert they had ever seen in their lives and they wanted to devour him.
Just when Reina decided that the best way to help Cinderella would be to toss these two bitches down the nearest well, the old woman returned, followed by a lady Reina recognized as the Stepmother. Even if she hadn’t read the file, she would have loathed this woman on sight. Her daughters had nothing on her in the entitlement department, and her expression said that Reina and Tiernan had as much meaning to her as a pile of dung.
However, she had a handsome face, even in her advancing age, and her air could be misconstrued as regal for someone unaccustomed to reading people. Reina wasn’t surprised Cinderella’s father, an honest and simple man, had mistakenly married her to provide companionship and family for himself and his daughter.
“Serena, Melanie, what did I tell you about talking to the help?” she said to the girls, who looked chastised but not cowed. Turning to Reina and Tiernan, she said “I understand you are looking for work.”
“Yes, Madam. My wife and I heard you recently lost your help. We’re strong and work hard.” Tiernan’s voice held subservience, but Reina had known him long enough that she alone could pick up the slight undercurrent of contempt.
She looked at them long moments, obviously debating some point within herself. “Cinderella!” she suddenly yelled, causing Reina to give the slightest jump. Before Reina could even calm herself, the young woman appeared in the doorway.
She was even prettier than the picture showed, though Reina had no idea how that was possible. Cinderella gave her a warm smile, her welcome not dependent on the status of the person receiving it. Cinderella’s attention then turned to Tiernan.
Instead of the usual melting scene Reina usually observed when it involved Tiernan and the opposite sex, Cinderella gave him a warm but fleeting smile, her eyes quickly sliding from his.
“I indeed have work for you,” said the Stepmother, looking only at Tiernan as she spoke. “Cinderella will tell you your assignments. Girls, come with me.” With a swish of her skirts, and without any further acknowledgement, she was out of the room, her daughters in tow.
“Please excuse my Stepmother.” Cinderella’s quiet voice cut into Reina’s internal name calling of the older woman. “There are rumors that the Prince is returning home, and she is very stressed over all that must be done in preparation.”
Cinderella led them around the estate, familiarizing them with the layout, answering any questions they had. She was warm, quiet, efficient, everything the file told of and more.
Nevertheless, she never tried to converse with Tiernan. In fact, she went out of her way to avoid being around him, always having Reina between them.
Reina and Tiernan were eating dinner at the end of the first day. It was just the two of them. Reina could hear the distant laughter from the front of the house, where the Stepmother and her two daughters were. Cook had already gone to bed, and Cinderella mentioned something about wanting to visit the animals in the barn.
“She’s afraid of men,” Tiernan said, interrupting Reina’s recount of how many ways the stepsisters annoyed her today.
“What?”
“Cinderella. She’s afraid of men.” He took another bite of the bread, his eyes staring blankly at nothing in the distance. “Maybe afraid is the wrong word. Wary might be a better way to describe it.”
“And what would give you that idea?”
“She doesn’t come near me.”
Reina made a rude sound at that. “Because we have found the one woman in the world who isn’t aware of you, then automatically, she doesn’t like men?”
His head swung in her direction, and warm, lazy eyes swept over Reina’s body. Immediately her skin became sensitized, bringing with it the knowledge that they were sitting too close to one another, that their legs were almost touching. Tiernan leaned closer, his gaze intent on hers. “The one woman, Reina? And you?”
Flustered, she shook her head. “I don’t know...”
“She’s very aware of me, Reina,” he interrupted, his mouth now so close to hers that she felt his hot breath. “But there are two kinds of awareness...”
She swallowed, her throat tight. “Two kinds?” she asked, and was shocked at how husky her voice sounded.
“There is awareness where your body craves someone, no matter what your mind says is safe,” and he pulled back, leaving her space. For one moment, before she had the sense to stop herself, her body had wanted to follow his. His voice became brusque, “and then th
ere is the type of awareness when you absolutely want nothing to do with someone and you never want them to be able to surprise you.”
Needing to be away from him, she reached for a glass of water. She took a sip of water, using the moment to compose herself. “Why would she feel that way?” she asked, once she was sure her voice would be normal again.
“My guess? At best, she has almost no exposure to men in her day-to-day life, and as gorgeous as she is, the attention she does get the few times she is around men is the kind I guarantee a proper young lady would not want. She doesn’t know how to react to men. At worst, she has been the victim of some sort of attack.”
Negating that line of thinking with an emphatic shake of her head, Reina said, “No, thank heaven. If something of that magnitude had happened, it would have been in the report.”
Small lines of tension eased around his eyes. “I’m glad. I’d hate to think of that happening to her. We need to assume that she hasn’t been exposed to the best in male/female relationships then.”
Reina nodded. “I agree. Beyond that, she really doesn’t have a female to talk about things with.”
Tiernan arched a brow in interest. “What things exactly?”
“The secret things women talk to each other about,” she answered tartly.
“Secret, huh? What exactly would it take for you to tell me these secrets?”
She looked him up and down, then dismissed him with her glance. “I don’t think you could offer anything.”
Tiernan’s hands gently cradled her face, tilted her head back slightly, and she felt his mouth settle on her throat. “Don’t count on that, Reina,” he said, his tongue swiping across the sensitive skin. “I can be very persuasive when I want something.”
“What are you doing?” she asked, her voice raspy.
“Tasting my wife.”
“Tiernan...” she said, then groaned as his tongue explored the hollow of her throat. His mouth was so hot as it explored her neck, his hands gentle as they held her head in place.
He was not letting her escape, not that she had any desire to.
