By Vengeance Guided (The Lost Shrines Book 1) (14 page)

He'd barely taken two bites when Gui walked in. The last to arrive, as usual, he stopped to pose in the doorway. His immaculate, well-tailored clothes looked brand new, his hair pulled back into a perfect queue that probably meant he'd spent hours in the mirror getting it exactly right. Caerwyn was almost certain a hint of rouge tinted the olive-toned skin. The pensive frown and sense of entitlement oozing off the bastard was enough to kill what was left of the Milesan's appetite.

"Good morning, everyone. I do hope some of you managed to get some sleep after yesterday's horrible events. Every time I closed my eyes, the possibilities of what could have happened ran rampant through my mind. I stayed up into the wee hours trying to figure out how to bring the miscreant to justice."

Caerwyn glanced at Lia from under the cover of his eyelashes, biting his cheek while he observed. Her only apparent reaction was a sharply raised eyebrow. Her eyes, however, had gone dark and the fingers wrapped around her fork had gone white from the grip she had on it. He was pretty sure Gui should consider himself lucky he wasn't within striking distant of its tines.

Of course, the lanky bastard seemed oblivious to Lia's ire and her tone remained calm, despite the provocation. "I believe I told you yesterday Keneally and I would take care of it. That your…help was neither wanted nor necessary."

The fop waved a slice of sweet bread around with an airy carelessness. "Yes, yes, I know. I assumed by this morning you'd have gotten over your emotional reaction and cooler heads would prevail. I should have realized it might take a little longer for the hysteria of the horrific event to fade."

The fork dropped out of her hand with a tinny ring and, while Caerwyn would be amused to see her reach for the bread knife in front of her, he figured he should do something to head off bloodshed at the breakfast table.

"I don't know about you, but since I took the arrow intended for Lia, I'm feeling a little over-emotional myself." Lia turned her glare on him and Gui's lips twitched upward in triumph. "But it won't stop me from coldly, logically hunting down the bastard and seeing he gets suitable justice. I'm sure Lia feels the same."

Gui choked on the hunk of beef he'd been chewing and glared over the chalice while he washed it down.

"Still, you'd have to agree, more heads working on a problem the faster it will be solved."

"More likely the quicker we'll trip over each other. Stay out of it, Gui." Lia settled back into her chair and resumed her breakfast, once again the calm Handmaiden of the valley, confident the final word had been spoken.

"Of course. I was only going to suggest Daen should be contacted."

This time, Caerwyn choked on his breakfast when he inhaled too fast around a bite of crumbly toast.

Gui was once again in danger from the cutlery as Lia's hand tightened around the silver implement and she leaned towards her brother-in-law with a fierce scowl. "Why?"

"Because he is your fiancé. He should be informed of the threat to you." Smugness hardened his eyes and pulled his lips into a sneer. "He's used to dealing with the problems of a large kingdom. I'm sure he knows how to address this sort of unpleasantness."

The room went silent, eyes flicking between the seething Lia and the self-satisfied Gui.

Caerwyn wanted to step in, to put Gui in his place, but he couldn't. Lia was already facing one challenge, she wouldn't appreciate him stepping on her toes.

Still, he did not want Daen showing up in the valley. Daen's presence would lead to questions and explanations on both sides he didn't yet have any answers for.

His gut told him Lia wasn't a sorceress hell-bent on seducing and charming her way into power and wealth. Yet here he was bound to her and willing to do whatever he had to do to make her happy and protect her.

Chills slid down his spine when he considered that he'd all but given up on his search for the truth. Actually felt guilty for keeping secrets from her. When she hadn't told him a damn thing. She knew he had seen the strangeness. Felt the difference in her land. Hell, he was wrapped up in its magic at the moment. Yet she wouldn't even tell him the first thing about it.

Daen's presence wouldn't help any of that. He'd be demanding and taking over and that would fuel Lia's stubbornness like nothing else. Caer needed more time to ferret out the truth for himself.

He had no idea where this bond with Lia would lead. Or even where he wanted it to go. If it was real at all. He wanted those answers for himself, and he needed to get them before Daen became part of the picture again.

At the head of the table, Lia held Gui's eyes with burning fury until her brother-in-law looked away. Then she got to her feet with slow, purposeful grace. Her back stretched iron-straight and she tilted her chin to stare down at the interfering bastard.

"You. Will. Stay. Out. Of. This. Do you understand?"

Still not looking at her, Gui nodded, though his mouth curled in satisfaction. "However, I should tell you I've already sent a message off to him. Dyffen left about an hour ago. I'd imagine the Prince will be here in a few days."

*****

The silent room erupted in whispers around her and Lia pressed her lips tight. She very much wanted to give in to the explosion of curses dancing on her tongue. That would only prove her impulsive, overly emotional nature, though.

Instead, she continued to glare. The son of a bitch had done it on purpose. Her inadvertent bond with Wyn had stuck in his craw. Especially after she had rejected his offer.

He had to know this would make a huge mess. It could destroy the valley. It probably would destroy her. She risked a glance at Wyn, who looked as stunned as she felt by the revelation.

It was one thing to accidentally bond with a woman who was already betrothed. It was another thing entirely to have to face an angry, powerful prince whose bride-to-be you knew intimately. She wondered how long it would be until he fled into the night. If she would survive the crushing despair in the weeks until the next full moon broke the bond.

She looked back at the carefully studied slouch Gui had assumed in his chair. He knew he had won this round. There wasn't much she could do about it now. But she could have the last word.

Lia tightened her shoulders and tried her best to mimic her mother's glacial stare. "Thank you so much for informing us of your action. However, Gui, if you
help
any more, I will have you confined to the unused pig stable until Tanis turns eighteen."

She didn't wait for him to finish sputtering before turning to one of the grooms hovering in the doorway. "Please find Keneally and let him know Nel needs to speak to him in the library."

She turned in a swirl of skirts and left the breakfast room without a backward glance. Halfway done the hall, she realized Wyn was on her heels. He wasn't chasing, didn't even seem to be hurrying. But his longer legs caught up to her even with his casual saunter.

"Wyn. I can't." She stopped, pulled her shoulders back and did her best impression of actually feeling like she was in charge. Even if she couldn't see them, she knew many ears were listening. "I don't need your help. I'm sure Danny could use a hand in the garden."

His eyes narrowed, his lips thinned to a straight line but he kept his voice low when he leaned closer to speak.

"Perhaps we could have this conversation in your office. Behind closed doors."

"Wyn." She didn't know how to make him understand. Everything in her wanted to lean on him. Yet she couldn't. Because she couldn't show weakness. And because she didn't know how much longer he'd stick around for her to lean on.

He eased back, determination in his eyes but his voice was still soft and low. "Just five minutes, Lia. I think I deserve that much before I meet your fiancé."

She flinched at the stark way he stressed the final word but she didn't have time to soothe his ruffled feathers.

"Fine. Five minutes. Come on."

By the door, she smiled guiltily at the cold, disapproving scowl Nel focused on Wyn. "Knock as soon as Keneally gets here. Don't let anyone close."

Once the door shut firmly behind them, she turned on Wyn, talking before he had a chance. "Look, I know this isn't your problem. If you want to leave, I'll give you one of our horses and some traveling money. It's not enough… I can never repay you for saving Tanis."

He opened his mouth to speak, but Lia talked over him, not wanting to hear goodbyes or regrets or platitudes.

"The bond will be uncomfortable for a few weeks. Once the next full moon passes, it will break and you'll be free—"

Wyn stepped forward then, and Lia's words caught in her throat when he boxed her in between his broad chest and the desk at her back.

His face was unreadable when he looked down at her but she thought she saw something like disappointment flash before he shut it all down.

"Is that what you want, Lia? Do you want me to leave? One less complication in your valley?"

"Yes. No. I don't know." She shook her head, at a loss. Truthfully, she wanted him to stay. But he
was
a complication. In so many ways. "I didn't think you'd want to stay."

His voice softened, his head dipped so the words whispered against her ear. "Do you want me to stay?"

Her eyes fell closed and she let herself lean forward. Rested her forehead on his chest so she didn't have to look at him when she spoke.

"Yes. Goddess help me. It's foolish. Impulsive. Reckless. It's going to blow up in my face. I want you to stay."

"Good." His arms slid around her and his lips brushed against her hair. "Because I wasn't planning on going anywhere."

"It's not going to be safe, you know. If anyone slips and Daen finds out we have a moon-bond, he'll be furious. He's obsessed with me, you know."

"I heard." Wyn's voice was clipped and his arms tightened almost painfully for a second, then abruptly loosened. "We'll have to make sure he doesn't hear. Gui may have convinced a few you're not fit but none of them want to end up as part of Galwei either. They'll be careful."

Before she could suggest locking Gui in the pig stable, just in case, a loud, solid knock reverberated through her door. Keneally and Nel were waiting.

Wyn let go of her and stepped back and she smoothed the front of her dress before answering the door. He made to leave when her two closest advisors walked in, but she stopped him with a hand on his arm.

"Stay. I think we could use an outsider's view."

She caught Keneally and the chatelaine exchanging inscrutable glances from the corner of her eye. Neither of them said a word, though, when Wyn shut the door and leaned against it, ready for a council of war.

*****

Caerwyn worked side by side with Danny, ostensibly fixing one of the small gardening sheds. Mostly, though, his attention focused on straining to hear the sound of approaching hooves. Daen's arrival was expected at any moment and the frustrated anticipation hummed through him like a living thing.

In the two days since Gui had dropped his bombshell, the manor and the valley had become a hive of activity. Caer still wasn't sure what all was happening. Despite being part of the odd, stilted meeting with Lia, Nel, and Keneally, he knew more had been left unsaid in that little room than had been spoken.

The buzz of suspicion and nuance wove in and out of every word said while they'd worked together to figure out the best way to deal with Daen's imminent arrival.

When Keneally pointed out it would be better if Caer moved at least into the laborers' quarters, Lia had nodded sagely in agreement. The look she gave Caer, though, had reluctantly said,
And you'll have to stay the night there, as well.

He'd answered with a simple, reserved, "Of course." Then he'd flashed a smirk behind the groundkeeper's back that said,
We'll see.

Later Nel and Lia had a stilted and ultimately aborted conversation about the herbarium that had Lia avoiding his eyes and Nel glaring at him.

Now, the entire manor, the entire valley, waited on edge for Prince Daen to arrive and upset the status quo. Caerwyn still wasn't sure how Keneally
knew
the man would be arriving soon. Or that he traveled with only a handful of ceremonial guards. Caer didn't doubt the information for a second, though.

Right on time, the first faint hints of horseshoes on hard-packed dirt rang in the distance. The dusty group, moving in perfect formation, came into sight along the road a few minutes later. Though he knew Lia waited impatiently by the window in her office, she remained inside until the men had dismounted. Then she appeared, regal and unyielding, at the top step of the porch. Nel, glaring and disapproving, stood at her shoulder, much like the position Daen's Captain of the Guard took up behind his prince.

"Your highness, what an expected surprise." Lia’s cool voice belied the words, however, delivering more of a rebuke than a welcome.

Daen dipped his head, looking sheepish for the moment. "I apologize for our precipitous arrival. I heard you were in danger and I forgot myself in the rushing need to check your safety."

"Of course. But, as you can see, I am just fine."

"I am more grateful than words can convey to see you whole and unharmed." He bounded up the steps two at a time until he stood inches from Lia. With a careful hand, he gripped her fingers and raised them to his lips.