The Heartwood Box: A Fairy Tale (54 page)

Damian smiled at Declan, who’d watched generations of his descendants cope with these dark, unruly passions, always guiding them with love and patience
.
“I used to, but not since I met her.”

Declan’s eyes grew hazy
.
“I used to curse Titania for banishing me—and to find
love
of all things
.
And then a little thief fell into my arms, cursed me out, and tried to break my nose.” 

Damian was astonished
.
Declan never spoke of the woman who had won his heart so long ago
.
“I always imagined your wife was like our mother.”

Declan barked out a laugh and then said ruefully, “I’ve seen few women who could match your mother for gentleness; not my wife, certainly.”  He chuckled at some memory
.
“Desire is a great mystery, Damian
.
You can trust Derek.”

Damian examined his heart and found that he did trust Derek, so he had adapted
.
When another explosion occurred six weeks later and then a third eight weeks after that, he accepted that this would be a regular occurrence in his life
.

He learned during those interludes to throw himself into his work, keep as busy as possible, not dwell on what was happening, and ultimately accept the mystery that was Genevieve, his gentle, sweet, tenderhearted wife, who every so often flew into violent rages that could only be sated by equally violent responses by his brother who had nothing sweet or gentle about him
.

Invariably at some point during those days, Damian would find time to visit Titania’s Altar to thank the queen of light for the gift of the heartwood and for blessing not only him, but his brothers, with the woman who had made the happiness of each of them
.

The End

At different times, Lilia Ford has worked as a cashier, paralegal (sometimes called the fourth circle of hell), doctoral student, and English professor.   Now she divides her time between herding cats (otherwise known as being a mom to two lunatic boys) and writing.  Though she does enjoy the occasional moonlit walk or candlelit dinner, for romance she and her husband generally opt for watching old sci-fi shows on TV or going to rock concerts.  They do not join the mosh pit, however.  She and her family live in New York City.

Lilia
loves to hear from readers
.
Visit her
website at
http://liliafordromance.com/

on
Facebook

http://www.facebook.com/LiliaFordRomance

or
on Goodreads
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6469805.Lilia_Ford

A Word on Self-Published Books

Like most people, I never used to pay much attention to who published the books I liked: now that I’ve self-published I am much more aware.  It turns out that I’ve read hundreds of indie books over the past few years (I read
a lot
).  So I thought I’d reach out and first say a hearty thank you for giving this indie book a chance.  And next, I wanted to ask a favor: that you let people know when you find a book you like.  Far more than mainstream books, indie sales are driven by their readers, mostly through reviews and ratings on sites like Amazon, Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads.  Every review, every mention makes a difference—no exaggeration.  In this brave new world of publishing, the reader has more power than ever.  So I hope you are enjoying it as much as I am, and once again, thank you!

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