Afraid he’d want to prove how fearsome he could be, I said, “You know I’ve discovered something interesting on this quest of ours.” Wolfe grunted at having been interrupted. “What’s that?”
I drew away from him to lean up on my elbow and meet his gaze. “Mage, Wolfe. Quite a few of them.” Wolfe frowned. “Wel, there have been some…”
I shook my head impatiently. “For a world whose mage are apparently dying out, I find it strange to have come across over a handful of mage since leaving Silvera. I mean, it seems like too much of a coincidence.”
“Meaning?”
“There are mage out there. Lots of them. I’d bet Haydyn’s Somna Plant on that.”
Wolfe raised his eyebrows. “Perhaps you’re right. If so then…”
I sighed. “It has to be taken into consideration with everything else.”
“Everything else?”
Lying back down in his arms, I went on to tel Wolfe about al I had discovered, what I thought of the people of Phaedra and the way we governed.
“What’s the use in the evocation if we don’t solidify its properties with good government? There are places in Phaedra, Alvernia for one, where good people are lumped in with the bad, and nothing is done to help them.”
“You know my feelings on the subject. I agree that people are people no matter their situation or location, good, bad; it’s al to do with the person. And there are certain people I intend to see punished for their crimes, such as Markiz Solom and those damn Iavi. But the bad people wil stop being bad when the evocation strengthens again. When Haydyn is wel.”
I growled in frustration. “Not in Alvernia. Haydyn’s evocation begins to wane, and people like L and her family are the ones who suffer for that, having to live side by side with uncivilised, foul people who need laws and consequences. What if the evocation is wrong, Wolfe? Do you realy think it gives us peace and freedom? Or is it just the pretence of it?”
His chest rose and fel beneath my ear with deep exhalation. “That’s a philosophical question that not only needs time to mul over but… can realy only be posed to one person.”
“Haydyn.”
“Yes. Haydyn.” Wolfe kissed me lightly on the lips and slid out of bed.
I took delicious enjoyment watching him dress. I bit my lip. It was al just as Haydyn promised it would be. “Where are you going?” Wolfe grinned back at me as he buttoned his shirt, and then leaned over to kiss me deeply. I moaned at the taste of him and wrapped my arms around him, trying to pul him back down. If he left the room… my heart beat unsteadily in panic.
Laughing against my mouth, Wolfe puled away, his eyes teling me it was with great reluctance that he did so. “I have to leave before someone finds me here.” I dropped my arms at that. That was true. We couldn’t be caught together. I bit my lip. That was something I’d have to think about if we did begin an affair.
I nodded numbly, wrapping my arms around my drawn up knees so I wouldn’t touch him again.
“You are so beautiful,” he told me hoarsely, his eyes running over me, making my skin blush. I smiled shyly back at him. With a heavy sigh, Wolfe picked up his jacket and strode to the door. Just as he was about to disappear out of it, he turned back to me.
“We’l work it out al, Rogan,” he promised, his expression tender. “After Haydyn is wel and good, we’l get married, and then we can take al the time we need convincing Haydyn of what’s right.”
Wolfe was gone before I could respond, my heart thumping hard in my chest. I groaned and flopped back on my pilow. Damn it. I’d have to tel him.
I was not looking forward to that. Not one little bit.
Ariana was quite possibly the sweetest person I had ever met; even more so than Haydyn which was quite a feat. In contrast to L, it was almost shocking to sit and converse with Ariana; one so gruff and straightforward, the other so gentle and affable. Despite the effaceable impact L and the Moss’ had made on my life, I found it soothing to sit at a beautiful breakfast table, with refined people, and eat sumptuous food. I almost snorted, thinking of al the times I’d argued with Wolfe for caling me Lady Rogan instead of Miss. He’d be happy to know in the end he was right. I’d been raised a lady since I was a girl and that had made more of a mark on me than I’d come to realise. It was time to accept who I was.
We ate companionably, just Ariana and I, as Grof Kril had business to attend to. He stil hadn’t returned by the time I was readying to leave, so I told Ariana to thank him for his hospitality and to tel him that I looked forward to seeing them both at the bal during the Autumn Season.
“I cannot wait to meet again, Lady Rogan,” Ariana hugged me quickly, informaly, “It’s been such a pleasure, I do wish you could stay longer.” I thought of the pack that was being tied to Midnight as we spoke. The pack with the Somna Plant. Haydyn was waiting. We were so close now. I smiled softly.
“We wil see each other soon.” Catching sight of Wolfe out of the corner of my eye as he mounted his horse, my body woke up. Tingles shot out of my nerve endings and my heart began to race like a galoping horse. My stomach fluttered with nerves. I needed to tel him. Mind you, I narrowed my eyes in thought, it wasn’t as if he’d actualy
asked
me to marry him. He’d just
told
me. With another farewel to Ariana, I lifted my skirts and tried to act casualy as I strode over to Wolfe. I touched his leg, and he glanced down, his mouth widening into the warmest smile he’d ever bestowed on me. I was struck dumb for a moment.
“Lady Rogan?”
For once I didn’t argue with the title. “Wolfe,” I responded in a low voice, glancing around to make sure no one was close enough to overhear. “Marriage?” I asked, raising my eyebrow indignantly.
He exhaled heavily, sensing my tone. Wolfe dismounted and towered over me, standing far too close to me than propriety alowed. “We made love, Rogan,” he hissed in my ear, “I took your virginity. We
have
to marry.”
I flinched back. “No.” I told him stubbornly, crossing my arms over my chest and glaring into his face. Al the reasons I had for not marrying him flew out the window. The only one prickling my pride was… wel… he hadn’t
asked
me!
In his usual exasperation, Wolfe roled his eyes, scraping a hand through his thick hair. “Rogan, don’t do this.” He glanced around, catching Chaeron’s eye (who quickly looked away, whistling under his breath as if he hadn’t been trying to eavesdrop). “We’l discuss this later.” He eyed me sternly.
I harrumphed, “There’s nothing to discuss. I’m not marrying you.”
And like the society girl I tried to tel myself I was nothing like, I flounced away in a dramatic air of petulance and mounted Midnight without looking at Wolfe again. I kept seeing that smile he’d given me when I’d first approached him. It made me want to throw al my sily reasons out the window! I was such a befuddled mess. With no one to confide in without Haydyn, it seemed I was incapable of processing my emotions, sorting out the truths from the excuses. I smiled wearily at the Lieutenant as we set off through Raphizya.
Once Haydyn was administered the cure I could think about my feelings for Wolfe. Talk them over with her. I just needed time.
***
Wolfe wasn’t as convinced. He clipped orders at me like I was one of his men and snapped at me when I dared to wander away from the Guard when we took our lunch break. My whole body felt wrecked with the tension between us, and my chest ached every time I saw that damnable hurt flickering in his eyes.
When we crossed the border into Sabithia and began making our way through Lumberland, I found my head thumping from overuse. Despite my resolve to put aside my worries over Wolfe until we returned to Silvera, al the questions kept creeping back, mixed in with my anxiety over reaching Haydyn. I was stil no closer to an answer when we came upon the vilage of WoodMil again. Wolfe sidled his horse next to Midnight.
“Lieutenant Chaeron, perhaps you can speak with Mr Dena again about accommodation for Lady Rogan.” Chaeron grinned at Wolfe’s pointed dismissal and trotted off ahead of the Guard, dismounting as Jac Dena came out of his factory to greet him. I felt tense as ever, my body longing to lean across the distance between Wolfe and I.
“Rogan,” Wolfe said so softly I had to look at him.
Expecting to see pain and panic in his features I was surprised to see angry determination. I knew that look. Wolfe was ready to do anything to get what he wanted.
I jerked back a little from him. “What?” I asked warily.
“Not marrying me… that means some time in the future you’l marry someone else. I’l marry someone else.”
“I have no intention of marrying anyone, Wolfe. That’s what I was trying to explain earlier.” He nodded, as if he was actualy listening to what I was teling him. “But I’l marry, Rogan. I must, for the title. And I want a family. Could you stand to watch me marry someone else, Rogan?” His voice deepened. “Because I wil.”
Now I was the one panicking. A deep, ragged cut splicing my chest open. I thought how painful it had been when I’d suspected he’d bedded Winter. If he married, I’d have to go through that pain every single day. “Why are you doing this?!” I snapped. “It’s unkind.” Wolfe searched my face for a long moment and then he nodded. “You’re right. I apologise. I just wanted to prepare you for the future.” Snapping his stalion’s reins, Wolfe took off to meet up with Chaeron and Dena, leaving me on Midnight, hyperventilating at the thought of Wolfe with someone else.
Mayhap he’d marry Winter.
I struggled to draw breath.
***
Although the Dena’s were on their best behaviour, after their sons, Leon and Jac Jnr’s, performances last time, I pushed my food around my plate, not able to eat under the heavy emotional weight I carried. It didn’t help that Wolfe hadn’t taken his eyes off me the entire meal. The Dena’s had been surprised and happy to have Wolfe at the table this time rather than Chaeron, but I would have given anything for Chaeron’s easy company, and was thankful when dinner was over and enough time had passed for it to be polite to retire to my room.
This time I slept in the extra bedroom by myself. Or tried to sleep. I sat huddled on the bed, my brain refusing to shut down as I went over and over Wolfe’s warning.
What would Haydyn say?
I worried my lip.
I shook my head, snorting out loud. Haydyn was a romantic. I knew exactly what she’d say. She’d tel me to throw off al my concerns. I held one palm out. On the one hand there was the pain I’d experience when I inevitably lost Wolfe. I held my right palm out. On the other, there was the pain I’d experience at having to watch him live his life with another woman; the children he’d have down the years that wouldn’t be mine.
“This is it, Rogan,” I whispered at myself angrily. “You’ve managed to overcome the fact that he’s the son of the man who kiled your family but you can’t overcome your own fears?” I was a coward. How could I be a coward after al I’d gone through? Yes, I had made mistakes! Yes, there had been moments during this entire rescue mission that I’d fumbled and hated myself for it. But I retrieved the plant! I escaped ruthless gypsies, dirty rookery thugs, a perverted mountain man, and saved L’s life to boot! I’d even brought two star-crossed lovers together. I had faced a great deal in my life. How could I not find the courage to do the simplest thing of al…
… love Wolfe?
I loved Wolfe.
I
loved
Wolfe…
…
it be as simple as that
, I heard L’s smirking, know-it-al voice in my head.
At the sound of the door handle rattling, I froze. When it rattled again I slid one leg out of the bed, thinking of the hunting knife I stil carried in my pack. Just as my foot touched the cold wooden floor, the door opened and shut quickly, a familiar shadowed figure leaning against it.
“Wolfe?” I whispered, half relieved, half stunned.
The floorboards creaked as he tip-toed over to the bed, sliding in next to me without a by your leave.
“
Wolfe
!” I tried to act outraged but inside my heart was hammering, my body already tingling with anticipation.
His eyes sparkled in the light from the moon outside the window and he grinned at me, playfuly yanking me under him. My cry of surprise was swalowed by his mouth.
Oh wel, I thought. Hadn’t I already decided? I smiled against his lips and kissed him back. When he took a breath, I eased a hand down his face, afraid to stop touching him. “What made you think I’d be amenable to you sneaking into my room?”
Wolfe shrugged, stil grinning wickedly down at me. “I thought perhaps I’d finaly gotten through to you. And… I don’t know.” He frowned now. “Something told me you wanted me here.”
My lips parted in shocked realisation. “Your magic? Can you read my mind now?”
He laughed against my cheek, shaking his head, his words whispering seductively against my ear, “No. Intuition again.” He nibbled my earlobe and I shivered. “I gather, my intuition assumed correct. You want me here?”
I gasped under him as he deliberately tried to seduce an answer from me. With a growl of indignation I pushed his head back. “What do you think?” I replied sarcasticaly, pushing him onto his back, straddling him. “I’m not throwing you out am I.”
***
Wolfe looked guilty as he leaned over me after our lovemaking. I frowned up at him and reached out to smooth his furrowed brow. “What?” He exhaled slowly. “You might be carrying my child, Rogan. You
have
to marry me now.” I took more pleasure than I should have at the way he almost closed his eyes, his features wincing, waiting for the coming hysterics. But before Wolfe had even come into my room – intent on seducing me to his wil, the scoundrel! – I had decided I was going to marry him. I wanted a life with him, even at the risk of losing everything we would build together. I wasn’t a coward. I could doubt myself and the choices I had made in this life, but deep down, I had always prided myself on the fact that I wasn’t a weak-wiled society girl. I wasn’t a coward. Not yesterday. Not today. And definitely not tomorrow.
I nodded sombrely up at Wolfe, teasing him. “I guess it does.”