by Judith Leger
explained, she looked on either side of her much the same
way she had the first day in Gilliesport. But instead of the
uncomfortable insecurity, the surprise and shock, all evident
on her features back then, she now stared with wonder and
pleasure.
She pointed at so many objects, animals and places,
comparing them to many similarities on Earth. Halfway to
the residence of his merchant friend and wizard, Ren
Murdock, she stopped. “Oh, that looks just like a monkey.”
The ‘monkey’ she referred to was a lemur, it’s white and
black coat shining in the sol light. Round, wide brown eyes
studied them from the awning over a street booth. A long tail
curled on a corner post.
“It is a flying lemur.”
She shot a glance at him, excitement edging her words.
“We have those on Earth...only, I don’t think they fly.”
“These do.”
“Cool.”
He lifted a brow. “Are you cold?”
She laughed and shook her head. “No, it’s just an
expression.”
Understanding dawned on him. He tugged her past the
lemur to continue down the bricked street. “I have a friend
who lives deep in the city. He is well placed in power and
wealth, a renowned wizard. With these behind him, he is
very capable of seeing to your protection until I return from
Velhaven. His name is Ren Murdock.”
When she remained silent in response, he glanced at her.
A slight frown marred her brow. “You are not pleased.”
“I don’t want you to leave me here.”
“It’s for your safety.”
“I want to go with you.” She stopped and faced him. “I’ll
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worry about you. Velhaven doesn’t sound like it’ll welcome
you with open arms.”
He shook his head. “No. I do not suppose it will, but it is
my duty to return my wife. I cannot ask anyone to do so in
my place.”
Frustration radiated from her tense body. She nodded. “I
know...I just want to go with you.”
Facing her, he stared, the noise of the crowded street
fading in his awareness as he fell into the depths of her gray
eyes. Sweat and spices mingled with aromas of cooked meats
and vegetables, but her scent rose to him, overwhelming all
else. He shifted nearer, seeing her driving need in the sincere
expression on her face and echoed deep in her eyes.
He cupped her chin, his thumbs brushing the rise of her
cheeks. “I would that I could, but...”
Her shoulders slumped. “I know. You don’t have to say it.
I have to stay here because we don’t know how they’re going
to react.”
She wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her
cheek against his heart. “Doesn’t make me feel better.”
“I will return to you as swiftly as I can. Believe this in
your heart, Seren, I will not be separated from you for long
unless some force prevents me from returning.” Her head
moved and the friction of her skin over his drove his mental
need for her deeper than before. “Come, we must go. The
sooner I depart, the swifter I will return to you.”
She smiled, the movement sweet to him. “So you’re going
to dump me and haul it, huh, bub?”
He chuckled, fully understanding what her strange
phrases meant, and gave her a tight squeeze before releasing
her. He lifted her face to his. “No, I fully intend to leave you
something to tide you over until we meet once more.”
She rolled her eyes and twirled away. “Promises,
promises, you had better keep ’em.”
“Always,” he murmured, following behind.
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* * * *
Seren stood in the doorway opening out onto the terrace.
Her room—no, she shook her head, a smile tugging at her
lips—their room was adjacent to the terrace overlooking the
walled gardens below.
With her body still humming from their latest round of
lovemaking, she waited for Paladin to rejoin her. He’d gone
below to speak with several of his crew members about their
departure in the morning. She didn’t want him to leave her
but who was she to stop him.
She moaned and rubbed her temples. How the hell had
she become so involved with him? She hadn’t meant for it to
happen this way. Even though she wanted to deny it, she
couldn’t. Paladin had become a very important part of her
life and not just for the sex. Yet, what did she really know
about him? Not much, but before he left her, she intended to
change that fact.
The bedroom door opened and the object of her thoughts
walked in, closing the door behind him. She watched him
over her shoulder, trying to decide what she did feel about
him. Was it love? He moved toward her, a slight smile on his
lips. Her legs grew weak and threatened to give out on her. If
it wasn’t love then it was awfully close.
“It’s chilly tonight,” he said once he reached her side. He
wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her to his
side.
“I suppose. It’s pleasant.”
She listened to the quiet of his breathing and enjoyed the
secure feeling she got from having him so close.
He gave her a little squeeze. “What was your saying?
Penny for your thoughts?”
A laugh escaped her. “You don’t want to know.”
“Yes, I do. You seem troubled by something.”
Releasing a sigh, she turned away. The absence of his arm
reminded her of how really alone she was in this world.
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Without him, she would be lost, unable to assimilate the way
she’d need to with the cultures on this planet. She looked
back at him.
A gentle breeze stirred the sheer curtains on either side of
where he stood framed in the doorway. She didn’t believe she
would ever tire of looking at him.
“Come join me,” she said, holding a hand out. “We need
to talk. Tonight, before you leave.”
He took her hand and allowed her to lead him to the
rumpled bed. As they sat side-by-side, he asked, “What are
we talking about?” He touched her face.
She ignored the gentle sweep of his fingertips along her
jaw. “Why did your wife do what she did?” The very thought
of saying the words he had said the morning after she arrived
bothered her. How could a mother kill their child? But his
wife had, and Seren wanted to understand why. The reason
wasn’t Paladin. She was positive about that.
For a second, his entire body went stiff. Even his features
hardened into a grim façade. He drew in a deep breath, and
when he released it, some of the tension loosened. “Why do
you want to know?”
“Do you know the reason why? I believe you do. I have to
know; to be sure I have nothing to worry about with this
baby.”
“Our child is well.” He stopped and swallowed once
before he continued. Was it this hard for him to speak about?
Her heart ached because she knew exactly what it felt like to
lose someone close.
“My dead wife never cared for me. She desired my
brother. I am sure she destroyed our child as a way to prove
to my brother how much she cared for him. Besides, she
never wanted the child.”
Seren sat in silence. Her own words came back to haunt
her. She had told him almost the same thing that morning so
long ago. His child was not what she wanted. But fear of
losing the child lay behind her reasons, not desire for
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another man.
“And your brother? What do you believe he thinks about
what she did? “
Paladin shrugged. “I do not believe he thinks much on it.
He never cared for her. She was simply a means to strike a
blow at me. Or so Master Largin thinks.”
This piece of news surprised her. “Largin knew what was
happening? But how?”
“Wizards have their ways. It is common for them to
discuss the coming and goings of royalty. My family is
included in the conversations. The rumors are that I
murdered my wife.” He stared at her. “I give you my word on
my honor I had nothing to do with her death.”
She waved away his explanation. “I’d sooner believe pigs
fly than that you murdered your wife.”
His eyebrows rose. “Pigs flying? You have those on Earth
also?”
Unable to stop the laughter from spilling out, she leaned
against his chest while she giggled. “Please tell me that’s a
joke.”
“But they do fly near the southern end of Avaris. Do they
not on Earth?”
“No, not at all.”
Several moments went by without either of them
speaking. Seren thought about what he’d told her. It helped
her understand why Paladin was so defensive when asked
about his dead wife. Her heart ached for what he must have
suffered when he heard she’d died.
He put a finger under her chin and raised her face so she
could meet his gaze. “Why were you never able to let go of
your lost child?”
Crap. She fought hard to remain relaxed, but the familiar
defensive tension came over her. She thought about telling
him none of this was his business. No, she wouldn’t do that
to him. He’d opened up to her about his wife. How could she
not do the same for him?
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“I lived for two years alone after my daughter died. I
wanted to be alone to wallow in my own self-pity. Isn’t it
strange that I can see this now? If someone back then were to
tell me to move on, to be thankful for my life, I probably
would have despised them and told them to mind their own
business. My grief belonged to me. I wanted to suffer
because of the guilt I felt in not being able to save her.” She
trembled and he wrapped his arms about her.
“Her death was not your fault.”
She laughed shakily. “Oh, I know that.” She touched the
spot over her heart. “Here, I know that here. It’s my head
that wouldn’t accept it.”
“And now, with our child, do you still believe you were at
fault?”
“No, not really. After the conversation with our son, it’s
like my pain vanished. I wanted it to come back but it was
gone. All I found was the happy times with Mandy. I will
always miss her, but I have to move forward for our baby.”
“And this is a good thing to you?”
She grinned at him. “Yes, a very good thing. Oh, I forgot
tell you. I decided on a name for the baby.”
His right brow went up in question.
“What do you think of Legion?”
“Legion?”
“Yes. He has the power of seven dragons in him. I
thought it’d be appropriate.”
“If that is your desire, then so be it. I will not argue.”
She frowned. “You don’t like.”
He gave her a quick squeeze, dipped his head and pressed
a gentle kiss on her mouth.
“I like it.” She said and started to argue her reasoning
behind the name, but he cut her off with a longer pass of his
lips over hers.
Another giggle escaped her. “Are you trying to distract
me?”
“Never,” he murmured against her lips as he pressed her
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onto her back. “I just think there are other things we might
be doing rather than discussing Legion’s name.”
With those words, Seren forgot all about his reaction to
the name she’d chosen for their son.
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Chapter Seventeen
Two days later, Seren huddled under the soft comforter
on the canopied bed, her arms wrapped around her drawn
up knees. She stared out the terrace doors overlooking a
walled garden. Paladin had been gone for a whole day and
she missed him so much all she wanted to do was to give in
to her tears.
Memories of the night before he left arose in her mind.
He’d made love to her with a fierce possessiveness meant,
she was sure, to relieve her fears, but instead, she
experienced even more anxiety.
Goodbye, that’s what it had felt like—a final ending to
their relationship. Had he deserted her here? Had he
satisfied his desire with her body and then decided he didn’t
need her any more? No, he didn’t seem the love ’em and
leave ’em type. She had to stop this constant internal battle.
Denying her doubts about whether he would or even could
return for her wasn’t helping. From what she’d understood,
his life meant very little to the people of the country he
traveled to, and even now, he might be lying dead far away
from her. Throbbing set up in her temples. She had to stop
the constant worrying about him.
With a deep sigh, she threw the covers back and rose
from the bed. The soft gown she wore floated around her legs
then fluttered against her ankles. She lifted her arms above
her head and stretched, hoping to loosen tense muscles.
Even though this place was peaceful, she still yearned for the
familiar surroundings of her home. A wave of homesickness
came over her. She had to return home. Paladin would come
back for her—he had to. He’d sworn to her he’d find a way to
send her home.
Even with her emotions in such turmoil, she still had to
function. She dreaded having to dress to go below to meet
Leo and Calis, both of whom Paladin had left to protect her.
She didn’t know Calis very well. Paladin had insisted on
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leaving several of his sailors to watch the perimeter of the
property. He’d said all of them were capable of guarding the
house. She didn’t even recognize any of these men from the
ship. Her gaze wandered over the light blue area rug to
where the doors, opened to the sea
breezes, let in the
brilliant sunlight. Day had arrived. She should have made
Bask open a way for her to return home. On Earth, she
wouldn’t have all these worries. She could return to her
normal routine.
A small foot kicked her. She rubbed the spot and smiled,
silently thrilled that her baby was moving.
Knowing that moping around all day was no real excuse
to stay in bed, she moved to the tall wardrobe at the back of
the room. An array of colorful clothing waited for her there.
Each one was a reminder of Paladin’s generosity to her.
They’d gone shopping yesterday before he’d departed, and he
had given his approval for all the clothes.
Not in the mood for brightness, she chose the dullest, an
olive green pant set. She couldn’t seem to shake the
listlessness. The way she felt must be because of the way the
baby was growing so fast. She wasn’t sure she liked it. With a
shake of her head, she dressed and then ran her hands over
the smooth front of the tunic. Thin with a silky feel, the long
slit-sided shirt was thicker at the chest, but gaped in the back
by one long opening from neck to waist. Panels of see-
through cloth hung in the front and back of the shirt, split
from the waist to hem on the sides. They stopped below her
knees. The pants hung loose on her body and allowed her to
remain cool in Durfalin’s dry, hot climate.
Once ready, she wrapped a dull gold sash around her
head to hide her short hair. The long ends of the sash
dangled down her back to her waist. Leo had cautioned her
that the people here might take offense at seeing a woman
with her glory removed. Seren had frowned at him, but he
explained the women here never cut their hair unless
convicted of a crime. She hadn’t argued with him afterward.
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The other sash, the same color and texture of the first, she
twined around her thickening waist.
For a moment, she wondered what Paladin would think
of the way she looked dressed in these strange clothes.
Would he find her exotic, even beautiful? A rush of need to
have him with her almost forced her back to the bed. For the
first time in a long time, she wanted her psychic ability to
work long enough for her to see if Paladin was all right. But
what if he wasn’t? She moaned at the possibility that he
might, even at this moment, be dead somewhere. Tears
