Authors: Amanda Ashley
The blood was very bitter, but very filling.
“You about done there?” Nardik asked as Quinn drained the life out of the witch.
Wiping the blood from his lips, Quinn let the dry husk fall to the floor. “Never let a good meal go to waste.”
Nardik lifted one brow.
Was he amused, Quinn wondered, or repulsed? “Was that Annis’ husband?”
“I believe so. Where is Seleena?”
“Waiting for us at the Airship, with Steffon.” Quinn glanced around the room. “Where’s Alexxa?”
Looking sheepish, Nardik muttered, “She got away.”
“What? How the Hel did that happen?”
“There was a flurry of magic between Rajj and myself when I stepped into this room. In the confusion, she managed to slip out the door.”
Quinn cursed under his breath. “Do you think she’ll give us any trouble down the road?”
“If she is wise, she will stay out of my way.”
“And mine.” Looking at the dragon, Quinn held out his left arm. “Good job,” he murmured, as the dragon shrank to rat-size, scurried to its customary place on his left shoulder, and melted into his skin.
Nardik smiled down at the pretty, curly-haired baby grasping his finger. “Corrie, I believe our work here is done.”
* * *
Quinn felt the sting of tears in his eyes when he climbed on board and saw his son sleeping peacefully in Seleena’s arms. It had all been worth it, he thought, as he settled into the seat beside her. All the pain, all the worry and anguish of heart and soul, none of it mattered now that they were all together again.
Seleena smiled at him, tears shining brightly in her own eyes as she clasped his hand in hers. There were no words to convey her feelings, she thought, not words enough in the entire universe to express her gratitude or her love.
“I don’t need the words,” Quinn said, squeezing her hand. “I love you, too. You’re the bravest woman I’ve ever known.”
Nardik boarded the ship a few minutes later. He nodded in Seleena’s direction as he took the seat across the aisle.
Moments later, they were in the air, bound for home.
Annis couldn’t sit still, could scarcely contain her excitement. Ever since Nardik had sent word that the children were both safe and sound and were on their way home, she had been unable to relax or think of anything else. Corrie was safe! Soon, she would hold her precious daughter in her arms again. The thought made her so light-headed, she thought she might faint right there in front of everyone!
Oblivious to the others gathered in the Great Hall, she threw herself into Killian’s arms when he entered the room. “Did you hear the good news?”
All too aware that he was in the presence of the Queen and her consort, not to mention several servants and a couple of court visitors, Killian gently disengaged himself from her embrace. “Just now,” he said. “I’m so happy for you, Princess.”
She frowned at him when he backed up several steps, putting a discreet distance between them. “What’s wrong?”
Killian glanced around the room, hoping she would understand how unseemly it had been for her to throw herself at him when they weren’t alone.
Comprehension dawned as Annis followed his gaze. The servants looked shocked. Her mother appeared bewildered. Gryff looked amused, while Marri seemed merely resigned.
Annis breathed a sigh of relief when the doors to the Great Hall burst open and Nardik strode into view, a blanket-wrapped bundle in his arms, thereby giving the others in the room something else to think about. Seleena trailed behind the wizard. Steffon slept in her arms, his head resting on her shoulder. Quinn brought up the rear.
Annis ran toward Nardik, her arms outstretched. Joy blossomed in her heart as he placed her daughter in her arms. “Bless you, all of you!” She ran her fingertips over Corrie’s cheeks, then placed a kiss on her brow.
Looking up, Annis smiled at the three people who had risked their lives to find her daughter. “How can I ever repay you?” she asked, her voice thick with tears of gratitude.
“The look on your face is thanks enough, Princess,” Nardik assured her.
Seleena and Quinn nodded in agreement, then followed Nardik across the room.
The wizard sketched a bow in Marri’s direction, then went to stand beside Amerris.
Quinn also bowed to their Queen. Unable to curtsey properly with Steffon in her arms, Seleena bowed her head respectfully.
“We are forever in your debt,” Marri said. “If there is ever anything you want, anything you need, you have only to ask and it’s yours.”
“That’s most kind of you, your Majesty,” Seleena said, smiling at the baby cradled in her arms. “But we have everything we need.”
Marri looked at Quinn. “Have you any requests?”
He shook his head. “Like she said, we have everything we need.”
Marri nodded. “The offer stands, nevertheless.”
Gryff leaned forward. “One day, when you have the time, I’d like to hear about that dragon on your shoulder.”
“Someday, I’ll show it to you,” Quinn promised, slipping his arm around Seleena’s waist. “But not today. If you’ll excuse us, we’ve been away from home far too long.”
Gryff nodded his understanding. “Of course. Go with our thanks, both of you.” He took Marri’s hand and gave it a squeeze as Quinn and Seleena left the room.
After dismissing their visitors and the servants, Marri looked at Nardik. “I would like to know what happened while you were searching for Corrie. Are there likely to be repercussions?”
“None that I can foresee.”
“Were there deaths?”
He made a vague gesture with his hand. “It was necessary to...ah...dispose of a few rebellious witches.”
Marri glanced at Annis, who had taken a chair in the corner, her attention riveted on her daughter. Killian stood at her side, his gaze fixed on Annis’ face.
“What of Wyrick and his coven?” Gryff asked.
“Wyrick and his son are both dead,” Nardik said quietly. “The other witches fled. I do not foresee any trouble coming from any of them.”
“But it’s possible?” Marri asked.
“As well you know, Majesty,” Nardik answered with a rare grin, “anything is possible.”
Marri’s lips twitched in amusement. Truly an understatement. Her husband was a shapeshifter. Nardik was a wizard with extraordinary powers. Quinn was a vampire. Truly, anything was possible.
* * *
Annis stood at her chamber window, gazing at Brynn Tor’s twin moons. Corrie was safely home, asleep in her cradle, apparently none the worse for her ordeal.
Rajj was dead, as was his father.
She tried to feel sorrow, sympathy. But all she felt was an overwhelming sense of relief that neither Rajj nor Wyrick would ever be able to hurt her or Corrie or anyone else again.
She was free, Annis mused, free of Rajj’s enchantment. Free to marry again. She felt herself smiling as she thought of being Killian’s wife, sharing his bed, having his children.
Killian. Even though it was late and she was in her nightgown, she went to the door, intending to call him, only to find that he wasn’t standing guard in the corridor.
Frowning, she glanced up and down the long, narrow hallway, but he was nowhere to be seen.
He had been there every night these past weeks, she thought as she closed and locked the door. Why was he not there now?
* * *
When Killian was still absent in the morning, Annis went to Marri in search of answers. She found her sister in her private quarters, having breakfast with Rory while her infant daughter slept in her cradle.
Marri looked up as Annis entered the room. “Good morrow,” she said, smiling. “Will you join me for a cup of chocolate and toast?”
“No, thank you. I’ve eaten. I was wondering…that is…um, did you reassign Killian to some other duty?”
Marri nodded. “With Corrie’s return and the danger past, I didn’t think you needed a bodyguard anymore. Are you sure you won’t have something to eat? I can ring for Darrla.”
Annis shook her head. “Where’s Killian now?”
“Training with the other knights, I believe. How’s Corrie?”
“I want him back.”
“Annis, sit down.”
Scowling, Annis did as she was told. “I want him back,” she said again, more forcefully. “I need him.”
“What you
need
is to think of your reputation,” Marri chided gently. “The servants are already spreading gossip about the way you threw yourself into his arms yesterday.”
“I don’t care what they think. I don’t care what anyone thinks.”
“But I do. You’re my sister, Princess of Brynn Tor, and you need to behave appropriately in public.” Marri regarded Annis for a moment. “You’re not still thinking of marrying him, are you?”
“What if I am? I know he wants me...”
“I have no doubt that he wants you,” Marri said, choosing her words with care. “But are you sure he has marriage in mind?” She held up her hand when she saw the argument rising in her sister’s eyes. “I’m sure he cares for you, Annie, but are you certain he wants to marry into the royal family with all that it entails? This life isn’t for everyone, and it will be more difficult for him, not having been born to it.”
“Gryff is doing all right,” Annis said sullenly.
“Yes, he is, but it didn’t come easily to him. And he still chafes at the responsibility from time to time.”
“You just don’t want me to marry him because you don’t think he’s a suitable match. Well, Gryff wasn’t such a great match, either, until you made him a lord and awarded him several tracts of land in the North Country.”
Marri sipped her chocolate. “It was no more than he deserved. He saved my life and the lives of others more than once.”
“That’s not why you rewarded him.”
Annis was right, Marri admitted with a sigh. She had done it so she could marry Gryff. “Just promise me you won’t rush into anything. Or do anything foolish, like running off together. If you want to marry Killian, and he wants to marry you, then you have my blessing. For propriety’s sake, I ask that you wait at least six months. You’re a recent widow, after all. Since few outside of Brynn Castle know the full extent of Rajj’s treachery, to most it would appear unseemly for you to marry so quickly.”
Six months! It seemed a lifetime, but now that she thought about it, Annis knew Marri was right. Any court gossip directed at her behavior now might stain Corrie’s reputation in the future.
“The time will go fast,” Marri assured her.
Annis nodded dubiously.
“Remember who you are. Your wedding will be an occasion of state. We have much to do while you’re waiting, assuming Killian wants this marriage as much as you do. Announcements will have to be sent to heads of state. We’ll have to decide on a menu. We need to find a suitable position for Killian.”
Jumping to her feet, Annis threw her arms around Marri’s neck. “I said it before and I’ll say it again. You’re the best sister in the whole galaxy.”
“I’m glad you think so, but the man in question hasn’t yet asked for your hand.”
For the second time in his life, Killian found himself standing before his Queen.
“I’ll come right to the point,” Marri said. “Annis is in love with you. I know she was married before but she’s still very young. I need to know how you feel about her before things go any further. Or too far, if you take my meaning.”
Killian felt a wave of heat climb up the back of his neck and stain his cheeks. “Your Majesty, I...”
“You may speak freely. Anything you say will remain between the two of us.”
Killian cleared his throat. “I love Annis with all my heart. I know nothing can ever come of my feelings for her, but I swear to you that I haven’t defiled her in any way. I would never...”
“You misunderstand me. Annis wishes to marry you.”
“Marriage?” Stunned, Killian blinked at her. “Annis wants to marry
me
?”
“You seem surprised.”
“That doesn’t begin to cover it,” he said.
:“Do you love my sister?”
“Yes, Majesty, more than my own life.”
“Do you wish to marry her?”
He nodded, unable to speak, unable to believe he was being offered something he had never, in a thousand lifetimes, thought possible.
“Then I’ll leave the rest to you.”
Killian bowed, then turned and left the room, a spring in his step Marri had never seen before.
Sitting back, she closed her eyes, remembering how desperately she had yearned to be Gryff’s wife. They had been through Hel and back before they could be together, but it had been worth every pain, every sacrifice. Sometimes the road to love was strewn with rocks and thorns, she mused with a wry smile, but when that love was real, it always seemed to find a way to turn the thorns into roses.
* * *
Mind reeling, Killian left the Great Hall. He had the Queen’s permission to marry Annis, something he would never have foreseen. Doubts crowded his mind as he made his way up the stairs to Annis’ chambers. She was of royal blood. He came from peasant stock. It had taken years of arduous effort to work his way into service in Brynn Castle, to prove he was good enough, strong enough, loyal enough to wear the King’s colors. But to be part of the royal family...he shook his head. It was a miracle.
He paused outside Annis’ door, hoping the Queen wasn’t playing some cruel trick on him and that Annis truly wished to be his wife. He took a deep breath, and then another, before knocking.
Killian took a step back as the door flew open and Annis launched herself into his arms.
“I’m glad to see you, too,” he murmured.
“Where have you been?”
“I had an audience with the Queen.”
“With Marri?” Feeling suddenly sick to her stomach, Annis wrapped her arms around her waist. Had Marri changed her mind about allowing her and Killian to wed? Was she sending him away? Had he come to tell her goodbye? “What did she want?”
“Nothing bad. Maybe we should go inside,” he suggested as one of the castle maids came up the stairs.
Annis nodded woodenly. If it wasn’t bad news, why did they have to go inside? She walked to the window and looked out, flinched when he shut the door.
“Annis?”
She turned slowly to face him, only to blink in astonishment when she saw he was down on one knee. When he held out his hand, she walked toward him, felt her insides quiver when his fingers closed over hers.
“I love you, Annis,” he declared. “Will you do me the honor of being my wife?”
She tried to speak but her mouth was suddenly dry, her vision blurred by tears of joy. He loved her. She read the truth in the depths of his eyes. Honest brown eyes that would never deceive her. There was no dark magic in this man. None at all.
“Annis?”
“Of course I’ll marry you.”
The words were scarcely out of her mouth when he sprang to his feet, wrapped her in his arms, and twirled her around the floor.
Save for her daughter’s birth, it was the happiest moment of her life
* * *
Annis sighed as Killian kissed her cheek. Marri had been so wrong, she thought glumly. The time did
not
go by fast. True, there was much to do and every day was filled with wedding preparations of one kind or another, and still the hours seemed to crawl by. She felt as if she had been waiting for five years instead of five months. In a few weeks, Marri would announce their engagement, and they would wed the following month.
In the interim, by Marri’s degree, Killian had been given command of the Queen’s army. She had also granted him title to a grand estate located on a large parcel of verdant land adjacent to Brynn Castle. It was a lovely old place set among towering pines. Annis had visited there once, years ago, and fallen in love with the house, with its beautifully frescoed ceilings and stained glass windows.
Marri had forbidden Annis to be alone there with Killian until they were wed.
“It’s a beautiful night,” Killian murmured. “And there’s a beautiful woman at my side. What more could any man ask?”
Annis smiled up at him as they strolled hand-in-hand through the castle gardens. Killian was as different from Rajj as summer from winter. There was no guile in her beloved’s eyes, no deceit in his voice. She knew, with every fiber of her being, that he truly loved her, as she loved him.
She chafed at having to wait another two months to become his wife. Even though she understood Marri’s reasons for making them wait, the waiting grew harder with every passing day. What made it even worse was pretending to be in mourning for a husband she had never loved, a man who had kidnapped her daughter, then left Annis for dead in the bowels of the citadel.
But the worst part about not being Killian’s wife was being unable to share his nights. And his bed. Sometimes she thought she might go mad with wanting him.
“Annis?”
“I wish we could just run away and get married tonight.”
Drawing her into his arms, he said, “I know, sweeting. I know.” He kissed her again, his hand sliding up and down her back, pulling her closer as he deepened the kiss.
She leaned into him, her body aching with need as she slid her hands under his shirt. She was sorely tempted to sneak him into her room, might have done so if the lights strung through the trees in the garden hadn’t started flickering.
Annis grinned inwardly, knowing it was Marri’s not-so-subtle way of telling them that it was time for Killian to go home.
He groaned softly, as reluctant as she to say good night. “Until tomorrow,” he murmured.
“Tomorrow,” she repeated wistfully.
One last kiss and he was out the garden gate.
Annis sighed as she returned to her chambers.
Two more months until they could go home together and be a family. It seemed like forever.
* * *
And, suddenly, the day of the wedding was upon her.
Annis woke with butterflies in her stomach and a smile on her face. By tonight, she would be Killian’s wife, free to hold him and touch him and love him as much and as often as she wished.
Annis was too nervous to eat, but her mother and Marri urged her to do so.
After a quick breakfast, the three of them went into Annis’ room to get ready for the ceremony, which would take place in the Winter Grove Chapel, which wasn’t a chapel at all, but an ancient church hewn from glistening marble and onyx.
Amerris held Corrie, patting the baby’s back as she watched her two daughters.
Annis sat in front of her dressing table while Marri brushed her hair until it snapped and crackled. “Up?” she asked. “Or down?”
“Down,” Annis said, smiling at her sister in the mirror. “Killian likes it that way, you know.”
Marri smiled back, a silent prayer of thanksgiving rising in her heart. Annis was home again, apparently none the worse for her ordeal at Rajj’s hands, and happier than Marri had ever seen her. Her cheeks were pink, her eyes bright with hope for the future.
Annis’ wedding gown was made of yards and yards of pale pink silk and lace that fell to the floor in graceful folds. The bodice was square, the skirt sprinkled with crystals that twinkled in the lamplight. Matching crystals adorned her hair. A silver locket, wedding gift from her betrothed, nestled in the hollow of her throat.
“You look positively radiant,” Marri said as she set the floor-length veil in place.
Annis beamed at her. “I feel beautiful. And oh, so lucky.”
“If you ask me,” Amerris said, “it’s Killian who’s lucky.” She placed Corrie in her crib, kissed her forehead, then turned and gave her youngest daughter a hug. “I wish you every happiness, child.”
“As do I,” Marri said, wrapping her arms around her mother and sister. “We all have much to be thankful for this day.”
There was a knock at the door and then Gryff poked his head in. “Hey, bride, are you ready yet?” he asked with a wicked grin. “The groom’s getting impatient.”
* * *
The beautiful old church adjacent to the castle was filled with people, most of whom Annis had never met. Heads of state, clerics, dignitaries visiting from other planets, and the like. All dressed in their best. All hoping their presence would be noted and remembered by the Queen against the time they might need a private audience, a favor, a pardon.
Moonlight peeked through the stained glass windows, casting rainbow shadows on the floor and the ancient walls. The soft glow of a hundred candles filled the room with a pale golden light. Bouquets of white flowers and green ferns adorned the altar, a white runner covered the center aisle.
Marri sat in the front pew, along with Amerris and Nardik, Quinn and Seleena.
But Annis had eyes only for Killian. Clad in a fine black jacket, crisp white shirt, black trousers and boots, he stood in front of the altar, hands clasped in front of him, looking every bit as nervous as she felt. His hair was slicked back, save for one wayward lock that fell across his brow.
Gryff walked her down the aisle, kissed her lightly on the cheek, and then solemnly placed her hand in Killian’s.
Annis’ heart skipped a beat as Killian’s fingers closed around hers. At his touch, her nerves dissolved like morning dew. She scarcely heard the words the priest said until he asked, “Do you, Killian, take this woman to be your lawful wife according to the rites and laws of Brynn Tor?”
She held her breath as she waited for Killian’s answer.
“I do.”
“And do you, Annis, take this man to be your lawful husband according to the rites and laws of Brynn Tor?”
“I do!”
“Then, by the authority granted to me, I now pronounce you husband and wife.”
Butterflies took flight in Annis’ stomach as Killian drew her gently into his arms. “I will love you every day of my life for as long as I live,” he said fervently, and sealed his pledge with his first husbandly kiss.
Sitting in the front pew, Marri took Gryff’s hand and gave it a squeeze. “And just like the Queen and her handsome consort,” she murmured, wiping a tear from her eye, “they all lived happily ever after.”