Authors: Christina Phillips
Tainted (28 page)
Didn’t he owe it to his people to return to the land of his
birth, the land where his ancestors had lived since the time of Creation?
Didn’t he owe it to all those who had died defending their land to ensure their
ways and beliefs were preserved for future generations?
Would he ever have seen beyond his thirst for vengeance and
crippling guilt at having failed Caratacus if Antonia had not entered his life?
Her quiet strength and courage had opened his eyes.
Lugus had not abandoned him. He was the one who had led
Gawain to Antonia.
He pressed the palm of her hand against his chest. His heart
ached with everything he wanted to say to her. But in the end, there was only
one thing she needed to know.
“I love you, Antonia. You brought the light back into my
world.”
In the last glowing rays of the sun as it sank beneath the
far horizon, he saw the shimmer of tears in her beautiful eyes.
“And I love you, Gawain.” Her whisper sank into his soul, a
healing balm. “You and Cassia
are
my world.”
Two Weeks Later, Londinium
Gawain stood at the dockside beside Antonia as the
passengers on the ship bringing her daughter disembarked.
Since that night at the crossroads, he’d spread the word
that he would lead any displaced Celt back to Cymru. Several of the Druids he
had met through Rhys had come forward. By the end of this week, they would
return to their homeland.
The queen, along with several of her Druids, had decided to
accompany them. With her connection to Carys, who had helped avert genocide,
and Maximus, whose name carried great weight in the Roman world, they would
receive due respect from the invaders when they returned as the exiled rulers.
Gawain caught the stony glare of Antonia’s adoptive father
as he stood on the other side of her. The older man did not approve of either
Gawain or their plans to move to Cymru. But he had given his daughter his
blessing. And intended to join them in their new life.
He looked at Antonia. There was an aura of excitement
surrounding her, of anticipation and relief but threaded through there was also
a tremor of fear.
Will Cassia still remember me?
Her whisper from last
night haunted him.
He disregarded Roman protocol and threaded his fingers
through hers. Her hand was chilled but she turned to look at him, and the love
in her eyes stilled the breath in his throat.
Tomorrow this woman would be his wife in the eyes of Rome.
But she was already his wife in his heart, where it truly mattered.
An elderly couple emerged from the crowds and Antonia
stiffened. The old woman held a small child, a replica of Antonia in miniature.
The baby caught sight of them and a smile illuminated her face.
“She remembers you, my sweet Antonia.” He squeezed her
fingers and she laughed, and finally the last shadow died from the depths of
her eyes.
Together, they went to greet their daughter.
The End
Christina Phillips is an ex-pat Brit who now lives in sunny
Western Australia. She has always loved writing, and while her efforts in
eighth grade usually involved space ships, time travel and unfortunate endings,
as soon as she discovered romance novels a whole new world opened up.
She writes hot ancient historical romances about tough Roman
warriors, sexy Highland warriors and deliciously bad vampires who, no matter
how torturous their journey, are always guaranteed their happily-ever-after.
Christina welcomes comments from readers. You can find her
website and email addresses on her
author
bio page
at
www.ellorascave.com
.
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Christina
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Ellora’s Cave Publishing
Tainted
ISBN 9781419940347
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Tainted Copyright © 2013 Christina Phillips
Edited by Victoria Reese
Cover design by Syneca
Cover photography by Diniz/shutterstock.com,
romancenovelcovers.com
Electronic book publication August 2013
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