by Donna Grant
Braith asked, “Where?”
Jarin’s lips curved slightly. “To my home. Do not worry, Warden, I will make sure your stallion is returned.”
A strong wind began around the warlock. Braith let Leoma pull him back a few steps. Within a heartbeat, Jarin was gone.
Leoma shuddered. “I’m glad he didn’t offer to take us with him. The last time he used magic to transport us, I thought I was dying.”
Braith wiped blood from the side of her face. “It’s good to have you with me again.”
“I’m sorry,” she said and put her hand on his chest. “I should never have gone after Roger at the castle. He wanted us separated, and I gave him exactly what he desired.”
“Do not blame yourself. One way or another, they would have separated us.”
Leoma glanced at his chest. “I killed Roger.”
“That saves me having to return to Falk Castle.”
“You do understand that the skull has made you into a weapon?”
Braith nodded slowly. “I felt it as soon as I took the relic into my hands. The first witch asked me to trust her. She told me what the Coven planned to do with me, and she showed me what I needed to do to keep you safe. She also told me you would be there.”
“What are you going to do with it now?”
He adjusted the skull against him. “I’ll guard it for the rest of my days. In exchange, she spelled my sword.”
Leoma let her hand slide down his chest before it fell to her side. “I suppose we should head toward the abbey now.”
“Aye.”
She turned and began walking. Braith fell in step beside her. They covered ground quickly as she told him all that had occurred with Jarin, including how the warlock healed her after Roger threw a dagger at her.
Braith’s fury was substantial, but he seemed appeased by the knowledge that Leoma had punished his old friend. She’d questioned them going to the castle. Next time, he would listen to her.
Once she finished her tale, he began his. Relaying all that happened with Eleanor and the Blood Skull was hard enough, but reliving the battle with the Coven elders was challenging.
He had known that he would die by their hand, but it only strengthened his resolve to deliver as many blows to them as he could.
It was nearing dusk when they found a place next to a lake to bed down. Leoma was silent as she gathered wood and started a fire. He set aside the skull and watched her, utterly enamored. And it was time he told her.
He returned from hunting to find her in the water. And while he wanted nothing more than to join her, he sat and waited until she finished her swim. She walked to the shore with her hair wet and her skin gleaming from being scrubbed. Their eyes met briefly as she halted at the edge of the water.
Braith rose and undressed, never taking his eyes from her. He walked to stand beside her, shoulder-to-shoulder as he faced the water, and she the land.
He wanted so much to pull her into his arms, but first, he needed to wash off the smell of battle. He walked a few paces and dove into the chilly water before scrubbing himself clean. After he’d rinsed, he turned to make his way back to shore and halted when his gaze landed on Leoma who now faced him.
He walked to her, stopping before her. She linked her fingers with his, and they walked from the water together. His mouth watered at the sight of her damp skin. She bent to gather his clothes before she shot him a seductive smile.
After he’d grabbed his boots and sword, they returned to the fire. With each step, desire rose, and need burned. He hungered for a taste of her, craved to run his palms over her silken skin.
Longed to join their bodies—and hearts—once more.
He’d lost everything, yet he’d found the most precious thing of all. Leoma.
Chapter 34
The time had come. Leoma put her hands on Braith’s bare chest. She looked into his indigo eyes while his fingers slipped into her wet hair and held her head.
“The morning we woke at the castle, I told you I wanted many more such days,” he said.
Her heart leapt at his words. “I remember.”
“There was more I wanted to say, more I would’ve said.” He drew in a deep breath. “I never envisioned myself with a family. It seemed like it was out of the realm of possibility, so I never contemplated looking for a wife.”
She smoothed her hand over his chest, her body hungry for him. “I had the same feeling.”
“Had?” he asked.
Leoma parted her lips but hesitated when the words began to form. She had never spoken anything like it to another before, and it frightened her. It also motivated her.
“My heart broke when I saw you with Eleanor,” Leoma said. “I knew magic was being used, and I didn’t think I would ever be able to get to you to break it. I should’ve known you were stronger than that. I should have realized you would see through it on your own.
“I thought I got you back at the cavern, but then you were gone again. You were days ahead of us, and I could imagine all sorts of things happening to you. Then Jarin used his magic.”
One side of Braith’s mouth lifted in a smile. “He brought you to me.”
“And I saw you fight. I was in awe of you. Then my heart was ripped out of my chest when you died. You would never hear of the feelings I was too afraid to share. I wanted to stop time and have the opportunity to tell you.”
His gaze bore into hers. “Tell me what?” he urged.
Leoma rose up on her tiptoes and pressed her lips against his for a soft kiss. “That I love you. With all my heart, with all that I am.”
His mouth was suddenly on hers, his tongue slipping inside her mouth while his arms held her tightly against him. Passion exploded between them. He lifted her in his arms before dropping onto his knees and laying her on the ground.
The feel of his skin against hers was heavenly. She wrapped her legs around him and gazed into his eyes. With one thrust, he filled her, joining their bodies. She dug her fingers into the flesh of his shoulders and arched her back at the exquisite sensation of him inside her.
“I love you,” he whispered reverently.
She sighed and looked at him as he pulled out and drove back inside her.
“I’ve never said those words before, but I feel them all the way to my bones,” he said.
“I never want us to be apart again.”
His hips shifted, and he once more filled her. “Never.”
Her eyes closed, and desire tightened low in her belly as his rhythm quickened.
Jarin made his way to the tall black gates. Valdr walked by his side as Andi soared above him. As he reached the gates, he rested the tip of his staff against them and let his magic spread outward into the iron.
The massive doors swung open, and he strode inside. His gaze immediately went to the cliff where the tower stood. Varroki came out of their cottages to watch him as he began the journey through the winding streets to the tower.
He saw a spark of blue light from one of the top tower windows. Malene. Few had seen her since her arrival five years prior. Jarin had been one of them, but the meeting was brief. In fact, he could go the rest of his life without ever laying eyes on the Lady of the Varroki again.
Andi called loudly above him. No one stopped him or spoke. A Varroki warrior spent most of their lives in solitude. They kept to the shadows, watching enemies and relaying reports. And they fought.
All died in battle eventually.
It was a rite of passage that began with their Viking ancestors and continued in the Varroki culture hidden on an isle in northern Scotland. And just as the Norse welcomed their women fighting beside them, so did the Varroki.
When Jarin finally reached the base of the tower, he wasn’t surprised to find Armir waiting for him.
“She said you were alive,” Armir stated.
Jarin cocked his head to the side. “Who?”
“Malene.”
“I didn’t know peering through another’s eyes was one
of her powers.”
“It isn’t,” Armir said. “And she didn’t. She saw the battle with the Coven elders as if watching from above.”
Jarin’s frowned at the news. “That is...significant.”
“And just a bit of what’s been happening. She wants to see you.”
He nodded to Armir as the commander led the way up the stairs. Valdr yawned and lay down at the door where he would wait until Jarin returned.
Halfway up the stairs, Jarin said, “You seem worried.”
“Concerned,” Armir corrected. “Malene hasn’t asked to see anyone since she came to Blackglade. Whatever you see inside her chamber—”
“I’ll keep to myself,” Jarin interrupted.
Armir glanced over his shoulder and nodded.
Jarin smoothed out his frown when they reached the top of the tower. Armir knocked twice and opened the door. Jarin stepped inside and came face-to-face with one of the most beautiful beings he had ever laid eyes on.
“Hello, Jarin,” Malene said with a smile.
He was awestruck by her soft gray eyes and long, flaxen hair interwoven in an impressive array of braids that pulled back one side back while the rest hung free. She stood with her hands held together before her, gowned in sky blue with a silver ring girdle around her hips that dropped down the front of the dress.
Belatedly, he realized he was staring. He bowed his head. “My lady.”
“I saw you found one of those I wished you to seek out.”
“Her name is Leoma,” Jarin explained. “She calls herself a Hunter.”
Malene raised a brow, her interest clear. “A Hunter,” she repeated. “Did you find out more?”
“She was raised by a witch who fights against the Coven. Whoever trained Leoma, did a fine job. She’s very skilled. Even for one without magic.”
Armir asked, “What does she do when she finds a witch? It’s not as if she can kill them.”
“Actually, she can. Her sword was spelled by her witch guardian,” Jarin said.
Malene turned, her long, pale yellow tresses swinging out behind her. “How did she react to you?”
Jarin glanced at Armir. “Leoma was hesitant to trust me at first, and to be honest, I still don’t believe she fully does. And she was shocked to learn I was a warlock.”
“We should change that,” Malene said. “I believe we’re going to need these Hunters. And they’re going to need us.”
Leoma was giddy. It was the only word she could come up with that came close to describing the emotions running through her. The night with Braith held many things, but sleep wasn’t one of them.
They made love and dozed, only for her to wake and reach for him again. They talked and ate and made love some more. Except the next time, he was the one to rouse her. And so it went until dawn when they dressed and set out for the abbey.
“Will they accept me?” Braith asked with a frown.
Leoma smiled and nodded. “They will welcome you with open arms. Not only are you a skilled knight, but you’re also the Warden of the Blood Skull. Not to mention, you saved my life.”
“Only after you saved mine,” he said with a wink.
She thought she might burst, she was so happy. They kept off main roads and traveled quickly across the country. Though they tried to keep to the trees, there were vast open spaces that offered no shelter. They teased and talked, walked and ran.
And the closer they got to the abbey, the faster Leoma walked. She couldn’t wait to get home. Not only to bring Braith into the fold, but there was so much information to share with the others, as well as preparations to be made.
Braith grew quiet as he followed her through the forest. She looked back at him and grabbed his hand as she came to stand before the entrance to the abbey.
“I don’t see anything,” he said.
She tugged him after her as she walked beneath an arch of ivy that had grown over the stones. Once through the barrier, the magic hiding the abbey was gone, and the structure visible.
Braith turned around in a circle, taking it all in. Leoma watched him, recalling how awed she’d been the first time she saw the ruins. Except it was no longer crumbling. The abbey had been rebuilt and was a spectacular sight of arches, peaked roofs, and life.
“Leoma!”
At the sound of her name, she turned and spotted her family. The younger children rushed her, throwing their arms around her while Edra, Asa, and Ravyn made their way over a bit slower. Behind them on the steps stood Radnar, staring at Braith.
As Edra approached, the children scattered. Leoma gazed into the blue eyes of the woman who had assumed the role of mother. Edra still looked as young and beautiful as the day she plucked Leoma off the streets.
“Leoma,” Edra said and opened her arms.
Leoma rushed to Edra and hugged her. “I’ve so much to tell you. But first,” she said and stepped back. “This is Braith. He’s a knight who...”
Her words trailed away when Edra left her to walk to Braith, her gaze on the skull in the crook of his arm.
“My love?” Radnar said as he strode to Edra and put an arm around her.
Braith bowed his head to the couple. “Sir Radnar, I’ve looked forward to meeting you. All of you. Leoma has told me so much about you. I may have begun life as a knight turned earl, but my calling is with you, fighting witches.”
Leoma moved to stand beside Braith. “Braith has become the Warden of the Blood Skull.”
Edra gasped as she jerked back. “It’s not a myth, then?”
“Nay,” Braith said. “I’m proof of that. It helped kill an elder of the Coven and spelled my sword so I could kill another.”
Radnar’s brows snapped together. “Two are dead?”
“By his hand,” Leoma said proudly. “And he learned the names of the other two while fighting them.”
Edra looked between them before asking Braith, “That’s impressive. Are you sure you want to leave your world behind to join us?”
“I’ve found my calling, and I’ll not be parted from Leoma.”
“I see,” Radnar said in a low voice.
Leoma smiled at the man who had been a father to her. He raised a brow in question, silently asking her if she indeed loved Braith. She nodded, letting her love shine on her face for all to see.
“We can certainly use another knight,” Radnar said and held out his arm.
Braith clasped Radnar’s forearm as the two men smiled at each other.
Edra turned so everyone could hear her. “Our ranks have grown again. Braith is now welcome among us as a Hunter.”
Radnar leaned close to them. “If you want any privacy, then I suggest you take him the back way to your quarters, Leoma. We’ll see you later where you can tell us your story.”
Leoma flashed Radnar and Edra a smile and grabbed Braith’s hand. They were laughing as they ran through the abbey, turning this way and that, running up stairs and down long corridors until they came to her chamber.
She flung open the door and turned once inside. Braith walked in slowly and shut the door, then he set the skull down and made his way to her where he drew her against him and gave her a long, slow kiss that made her knees weak and curled her toes.
“You never answered me this morning,” he said as he nuzzled her neck.
She unfastened his cloak and let it fall away. “You actually expected me to give an answer when you were giving me such pleasure that I couldn’t string two words together?”
“It’s why I’m asking again. Will you be my wife? Will you carry my name, our hearts and bodies bound for all eternity?”
Leoma smoothed her hands over his face, his whiskers scraping her hand. She slid her fingers into the cool strands of his hair and felt her heart bursting with so much love and happiness it was almost overwhelming. “Aye. There is nothing I want more.”
His indigo eyes blazed with happiness and love. “I hope they don’t expect us for dinner because you’re not leaving that bed once I get you in it
.”
“Is that a threat?” she asked with a grin as she backed out of his arms and began to undress.
“It’s a bloody promise,” he stated, stalking her.
Her vest dropped to the floor. “Then come and get me.”
Epilogue
Three days later...
“That’s quite an adventurous tale,” Radnar said as he paced the area they had turned into a dining hall. “And you’re an earl?”
Braith rested his arms on the table and looked at the knights, Hunters, and the others of the abbey. “There were times I didn’t think I would survive, and times I didn’t want to.”
“But he did,” Leoma said. “We both did.”
Edra rose from her seat to stand with Radnar. “When I was running from the Coven all those years ago, I came across a witch who told me a tale of the Blood Skull. We’re fortunate the Coven didn’t get their hands on it, but what worries me more is their plans.”
“Your arrival got me thinking,” Radnar said to Braith as he glanced at Edra. “Now that I know you hold a title, my thoughts have turned down a particular path.”
Braith nodded. “I have land and a keep, if that is what you wish to know.”
“I’m more interested if you know others who might join us?”
Braith reached over and linked his fingers with Leoma’s. “I do. I told Leoma that your coven needs an army. However, I’ve been doing some thinking of my own.”
Leoma frowned at him, a question in her dark eyes.
He squeezed her hand, letting her know that it was time to let the others know. He turned his attention to Radnar and Edra and took a deep breath. “The two of you may not have birthed Leoma, but you are her parents nonetheless. As you might have guessed, I love her, and she loves me. I ask your permission to marry her.”
“If that is Leoma’s wish,” Radnar said.
Edra smiled widely when Leoma nodded her head.
But Braith couldn’t smile, not yet. He waited until everyone quieted down from their excited cheers before he swallowed. Leoma moved closer to him and put her other hand on his arm, giving him the courage to voice what they had agreed upon the night before.
