Total pages in book: 55
Estimated words: 50898 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 254(@200wpm)___ 204(@250wpm)___ 170(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 50898 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 254(@200wpm)___ 204(@250wpm)___ 170(@300wpm)
Sara’s hand flew protectively to her belly, her brow furrowing as Boyce, standing beside her, cast Cander a sharp glance. But the old man only hunched further over his staff, muttering as if to himself.
Rhodes pressed on, blind to the murmurs, his face carved in stone. Once they reached the keep, he swung the door open as if it had no weight to it, then hurried Fawn to his solar. The heavy door thudded shut behind them, the sound echoing in the chamber. The fire in the hearth cast restless shadows across the stone walls.
Rhodes paced two steps, then turned, his dark eyes fixed on her as though she were both answer and threat. “You should have told me.”
Fawn stood her ground, her chin lifted though her heart hammered. “Told you what? That my mother meddles in others’ lives as though she alone knows what is best? That she—”
“That you are one of them.” The words snapped sharper than he intended, and he forced his tone lower, his jaw tight. “A witch.”
Her breath caught, but she flung the word back at him. “Aye, witch if that is what you want to call me. A woman who listens to the forest, who heals creatures others would leave to die. Is that so monstrous to you?”
“You think it is that simple?” he bit out, pacing again before slamming his hand flat against the edge of the table. “Damn it, Fawn, it will take but one voice, one shout of witch, and the clan will burn with fear.”
She saw it then, the flash of fear in his eyes. He worried that he couldn’t protect her, keep her safe, more than he cared that she was a witch, and that he still loved her made all the difference.
She stepped closer, her eyes softening and a slight smile touching her lips as she confirmed, “You bloody hell love me.”
His heart clenched at her words, memory striking hard—last night, her skin warm against him, his vow of love breaking free without permission.
“Aye, I meant it and still mean it, though love does not make this simple,” he argued, his eyes sparking. “Confirm again for me that your mum had nothing to do with us falling in love.”
“My mum warned me away from you, insisted I should not wed you.”
He filled in the small space between them, though he did not touch her. “You defied her.”
“As I have most of my life,” she said with a soft laugh. “Though her intentions were misguided and done so out of impatience, they were also done out of love.”
“How so?”
“My mum thought my sisters and I were taking too long to find a husband and wed.”
He shook his head. “So, she chose three drunken warriors to wed her daughters?”
“She didn’t see three drunken warriors. She saw three strong warriors wishing for what they thought would make them happy. So, she let them live their wishes until they realized their wishes were—”
“Empty,” Rhodes said.
He closed the space between them, towering over her and keeping his voice low. “My life was empty until you walked into the Great Hall and demanded I stop killing the animals in the forest.”
She leaned her body against his. “And you demanded I wed you.”
“And you did as I ordered.” He pressed his finger to her lips to stop her from responding. “But I never expected to fall so deeply in love with you or that you would return that love, and I never want us to lose the love born of its own accord and growing ever stronger by the day.”
“A love I cherish with my heart and will always keep safe,” she whispered and brushed her lips faintly over his.
His eyes darkened, torn between fury and fear. “How do I keep you safe, protected, Fawn? How do I shield a wife who is a—”
She stole the word from him in a whisper, “Witch.”
He drew in a sharp breath as if the truth just now struck him.
“As much as I hate to admit it, we need to speak with my mum. I believe she knows more than she says, more that can help us.”
Rhodes’s hand came up, brushing the back of his fingers against her cheek, as though the feel of her steadied him. “Then we better not delay, for talk spreads quickly about a witch in the area and I will not see you condemned as one simply because you tend animals. But hear me, Fawn—until we do, stay close, and let no one see reason to question you.”
Her hand caught his, holding it firm against her face. “I fear no one so long as you stand beside me.”
For a long breath, his eyes lingered on hers, storm and devotion colliding. He bent his head, his lips a breath from hers. “By my side you will always remain.”