"It's nearly time, isn't it?" Agamori narrowed his eyes at the men training before them then glanced to Daniel. "You are aware that the moon is full tonight, aren't you?"Wrinkling his nose at the question, Daniel looked at Agamori and shrugged. "What does that have to do with anything?"Agamori twisted his lips and shook his head with his arrogant scowl never far behind his disapproving expression. "It's as if you've learned nothing at all since you've come, Daniel. When we finally do take the castle, you need to spend more time learning the old texts. You are a warrior, without a doubt, but you know so little about the religion. It's a tragedy, really.""Tragedy?" Daniel chuckled to himself. "I'm a fighter, that's what I need to learn now. I can't read the langua
“They outnumber us three to one, Daniel. Perhaps, we should think of a different plan.” Agamori spoke softly as he peered from behind the tree.A huff shot from Daniel’s throat as he drew up his face at the silliness of such an idea. “No, it will work.”Agi squinted his eyes and took another look. “It’s my job to tell you when the odds are not in your favor.”
The faint vibration in Daniel’s fingers and toes moved swiftly through his body until the click-click of horse hooves on the cobblestone path and the Sentry’s alarm reached his ears. “Her Majesty’s approaching.”A flutter in Daniel’s chest wiggled its way up to his throat and no matter how he tried to swallow it down, the nervous rush overwhelmed him. Six long months had passed since he’d taken his kingdom and the castle was finally worthy enough for his family to join him.
The whole dining hall was awash in the scent of the smokey, stone fireplace and the week’s worth of food set before them in honor of Rosemary and Sigrid’s arrival. Daniel’s eyes were bathed in the light of the fire as he held Sigrid on his lap and she slapped joyfully at the table before her while her uncles and cousins took their turns entertaining her with their silly faces. Always a hero to Rosemary, she rested her chin on her hand and gazed at the warm amber and gold that flicke
“Riders approaching.” The soles of the Sentry’s leather boots were thick with mud already, and stepping out of his shack to greet the two men climbing down from their horses wasn’t making them any cleaner.He lifted his chin to the man with long, sun-bleached hair and threw out his hand to shake. “It’s been a long time, Your Highness.”With his helmet in his hand, Eason gave his other to the Sentry and shook his head with a smirk. “I just go by Eason these days.” His brown eyes rolled to the man coming to his side as he tipped his head to him. “My friend and I are looking for lodging and work if you have it.”The blue-eyed stranger gave his hand to the Sentry and nodded his head once. “Good to meet you.”With Sigrid’s chubby palm slapping Daniel’s lips as he tried to answer the library guardian, it took a few tries to get the door to open. “Rosema
Haldir stretched his neck from side to side until he got a fair crack, then he pointed up at the ceiling. “What’s this all about?”Weaving his long blonde hair around his hand, Eason knotted it, then crossed his arms as he glanced upwards. “This is the ancestral home of King Asnamar. He was one of the great old kings that battled the Evil. He was struck down before the end of it all.”From the corner of his eye, he caught a flash of red hair and heard the excited squeal of the little girl he knew. Rosemary slapped her hands over her mouth as he gave her a wave of his hand and lifted his chin. “It appears its under new management these days.”The little slaps of the soles of Rosemary’s shoes raced against the stone floor as they came closer, making Haldir turn to face the noise barreling towards him. “Haldir! Oh, is that really you?”A curl of his lips became a toothy grin through hi
“I think it’s time to I got this little girl to bed.” With her chin resting on her fist, Rosemary watched Sigrid yawn against Daniel’s neck as he patted her back. “She’s had quite a long day.”Her little lips pouted against his shirt as he pulled his face back to peek at her and nodded. “She’s out.” His chin lifted to the nearby guests. “If you’ll excuse us.”When he shifted forward to push his chair back, Rosemary placed her hand on his arm. “Please, stay and entertain our guests. The night is still young.”Slumping back in his seat, Daniel narrowed his eyes, and a sigh came from his nose as he hesitantly handed his daughter over. “Are you certain? I’m sure no one here will miss me.”Hot breath blew across his neck that made his shoulders shudder as she bent down to kiss his cheek. “Tomorrow night, my love. I’m exhausted.&
The racing beats of her heart echoed in Daniel’s brain, and he could even feel her fingernails digging into her palms. Rosemary tried to control the rage building inside her, but the King could sense the anger barreling toward him before he ever heard the pounding of her feet against the stone floor outside the throne room.He sighed before he looked to Agmori and motioned toward the door with his head. “You should leave now. Apparently, someone has spilled the news of last night to your sister, and she’s on her way to discuss it with me.”A sympathetic smirk rose on the old warlock’s lips as he tipped his head and backed away with his hands up. “Good luck.”While Rosemary ran past him, Agamori bowed his head then pulled the doors closed behind him. She gasped and panted through her teary eyes and shaking head. “What did you do? Please tell me it isn’t true!”His shoulder shrugged just a li
The noon sun was high in the sky, drying the last of the evidence of the stormy night and Rosemary’s tears. A cool breeze that was still a bit too chilly blew through the opening between the buildings, so she leaned over and fastened Sigrid’s sweater. “There you go, my love. That’s better.” The stray footsteps could be heard kicking up the stones that lined the courtyard, but she felt Daniel in her bones and didn’t need to turn around to understand that none of them belonged to him.If the dark shadow with the bushy beard and the clean scent of lavender mixed with bergamot hadn’t given him away, then the husky Norweigian drawl left no doubt who stood behind her. “Good afternoon, Your Majesty.” With her hand cupped over her eyes to shield them from the sun, she glanced up from w
Barefoot in a gray, lifeless forest, Rosemary glanced over her shoulder and bent her finger to the man in black that followed. “Come with me.”While she whimpered and struggled beneath her bedsheets, the Darke Queen’s pretty pink lips pulled down into a pouty frown, and her voice mumbled low enough not to disturb the faithful Sir Eason keeping guard outside the door. “No. Where did you go? Come back.”When the horses passed the Sentry’s post, Rosemary’s eyes snapped open, and she gasped. “Daniel.”Pressing her elbows into the mattress, she sat up and threw her legs over the side of the bed as she fumbled for her slippers. Once she pushed her feet into them, she rushed past Eason and ran as fast as her shaking legs would carry her down the hall.When Daniel stepped down from his saddle, his wobbly body shivered, and he pressed his hands into his knees as he bent ove
With not even a sword on his hip, Daniel stalked to the stables, took the saddle horn in his hand, and then mounted his horse in a single motion. His heels dug deep into the animal’s sides, and it carried the King away with a jolt that startled the other horses.His Riders gave chase to Daniel, who was nearly a furlong from the gates already. The Darke King rode fast and bound over streams and downed trees that blocked his path. Like a torch in a windstorm, flecks of charred pieces of Daniel’s fear and devastation blew off him and blanketed everyone who followed.Every scorching bit that slapped Haldir’s face was a hint of the Hell about to rain down on the unsuspecting rapist hiding in the encampment they were barrelling towards.In all the years that he’d been traveling back and forth between the worlds, Haldir never encountered a Firebreather, and the anticipation of seeing one in all its glory made his whole body numb.
The evening chill chased away all the lovely warmth of the Spring day, and Haldir took a sharp breath of bitterness into his nose as he rested against the castle wall beside the front door’s guards.When the horse hooves’ click-clacks met the path below the castle, he pushed his foot into the stone fortress and catapulted himself down the stairs.Little puffs of white steam huffed from his mouth as he jogged down the road, and every time his foot hit the ground, it was another kick to his pride. He promised Rosemary on her infirmary bed that he’d get the man who hurt her and letting him slip through his fingers yet again was just another insult to his manhood.He dodged the riders leaving the stables to hurry to dinner and found Daniel and Agamori still tending to their horses. “Your Majesty, a word, please.”Daniel yanked off his cloak with a pull of his neck, and his eyes shot to Haldir. “What is it?” The racing
Haldir’s freckled fingers bent rapidly as he motioned for the next patient. “Come on over, child.”The young blonde-haired man was hardly a man at all, and Haldir gave him a quick smile. “What seems to be the problem?”He shrugged his shoulders and leaned into Haldir’s ear. The Viking huffed through his nose and nodded, then pointed his thumb over his shoulder to the Dining Hall. “Go ahead. The soups quite good today.”As the next patient stepped forward, Haldir lifted his chin. “My, that’s quite a bruise.” While he did a quick assessment on the woman before him, the tingly hand of Fate pulled his eyes right to a small group of men standing together in the triage line. The foggy sensation that he’d met them before poked at him, and he shook it off before he narrowed his eyes to them and tried to place their faces.It wasn’t like Haldir to forget anything and the little voice in
“Haldir! Can you come here for a moment?” Rosemary cupped her shaking hands over her mouth and stepped back from the mirror.She hiccupped out a sound into her hands that was half a sob and half a laugh, and when Haldir peeked around the corner of her bedroom door, he wasn’t sure which it was until he saw the silver and orange colors melting into her skin. “Is everything alright?”Her eyes checked over her reflection one more time before her blank expression met his eyes, and she nodded. “Yes, everything’s fine.” She rubbed her fingertips over her forehead and rushed past him. “Please stay with Sigrid until I return.”He tipped his head to her and smiled. “Of course.”While Sigrid bounced and tossed toys across her bed, Haldir pulled the rocking chair closer and wiggled his finger between the slats as he pressed his forehead against them. “By the looks of it, I think you’r
The hiss of his hot breath and beastly grunts against her ear was enough to push Rosemary over the edge again. She slid back and forth against the rug and moaned into his hand with each thrust. Every slap of his hips against her ass made her whole body tremble, and she whimpered for more through his fingers. “Please!”The Season made her the most potent force in his world, and even Daniel wasn’t immune to the enchantment, not that he wanted to be. His mind was constantly in motion, and having his rightful family surrounding him again was the single focus of his life. Every spare moment they found in private, they spent wrapped up together like this.When he filled her once again, he backed away and wrapped his arm around her waist, then pulled her up with him and kissed her neck. “Until later.”He playfully smacked her bottom, and she grabbed it in her hand.”Ow!” With her teeth d
“Riders approaching!” The clacks of the horse's hooves beat on the ground as they approached the town's gates below the castle. The Sentry held out the lamp to light the path for Daniel and his men when they reached the cobblestone road and bowed his head. “Good evening, Your Majesty, Lord Commander.”Agamori returned his nod, but Daniel’s eyes lifted to the window of his bedroom just in time to see the lights dim. “Dammit!” He rubbed at the pain in his chest, knowing it would be another night spent alone in the library for him.“She’s a tenderhearted woman, Daniel.” When he glanced over his shoulder, he met Agamori’s eyes. The Lord Commander wrapped the reins around his fist as he nudged the horse forward to catch up to Daniel. “In that meadow and when we took this land, those things were necessary. She understood that. What you did to your guest, that’s not something she will ever be comfor
The noon sun was high in the sky, drying the last of the evidence of the stormy night and Rosemary’s tears. A cool breeze that was still a bit too chilly blew through the opening between the buildings, so she leaned over and fastened Sigrid’s sweater. “There you go, my love. That’s better.” The stray footsteps could be heard kicking up the stones that lined the courtyard, but she felt Daniel in her bones and didn’t need to turn around to understand that none of them belonged to him.If the dark shadow with the bushy beard and the clean scent of lavender mixed with bergamot hadn’t given him away, then the husky Norweigian drawl left no doubt who stood behind her. “Good afternoon, Your Majesty.” With her hand cupped over her eyes to shield them from the sun, she glanced up from w
The racing beats of her heart echoed in Daniel’s brain, and he could even feel her fingernails digging into her palms. Rosemary tried to control the rage building inside her, but the King could sense the anger barreling toward him before he ever heard the pounding of her feet against the stone floor outside the throne room.He sighed before he looked to Agmori and motioned toward the door with his head. “You should leave now. Apparently, someone has spilled the news of last night to your sister, and she’s on her way to discuss it with me.”A sympathetic smirk rose on the old warlock’s lips as he tipped his head and backed away with his hands up. “Good luck.”While Rosemary ran past him, Agamori bowed his head then pulled the doors closed behind him. She gasped and panted through her teary eyes and shaking head. “What did you do? Please tell me it isn’t true!”His shoulder shrugged just a li