Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 97306 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 487(@200wpm)___ 389(@250wpm)___ 324(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97306 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 487(@200wpm)___ 389(@250wpm)___ 324(@300wpm)
Without even thinking, he said, “To remain wed to me forever.”
She was so shocked that she stumbled, and he righted her before she could fall. Her reaction made him realize that remaining wed to him would truly be a severe punishment for her.
The shock of his remark robbed her of any sound reasoning. Never had she expected him to say that.
“You would like the alternative even less,” Varrick snapped when she remained silent. “Or perhaps you would prefer death than remaining wed to me.”
She responded quickly. “Remaining wed to you would be no chore.”
It was his turn to be surprised, though his stoic nature refused to show it.
“Your commanding way takes some getting used to, but then you are a clan leader and carry the burdens of such authority, and that cannot be easy. You do what you must to keep your clan safe.”
“And you are now part of that clan,” he reminded.
“But for how long?”
He did not answer, having reached the keep and hurried to usher her through the Great Hall to his solar, calling out as he did. “A hot brew in my solar now!”
He removed her cloak and ordered, “Sit close to the hearth to keep yourself warm.”
Fia chose the bench at the table that would provide the most heat, and she sat.
A servant hurried in after a rapid tap on the door and placed tankards on the table, then rushed out.
Varrick joined her, sitting opposite her and asked her something he had given thought to. “Have you ever come up against the God of Death’s hell hounds before the other day?”
That he ignored her question made her determined to get an answer, but for now she responded to his question. “Nay, but my grandmother told me how she dealt with Death. She argued with him, told him that she refused to surrender the soul she was healing, insisted she would battle him no matter how long it took. Her courage gave me courage to do the same… battle Death.”
“Battles are not fought with words,” he said.
“Battles are born of words and end with them as well, the victor having the last word.”
“I cannot argue with that,” Varrick said.
He also could not argue that she had proven she could fight Death, leaving him no choice but to allow her to do so. It was a thought that angered him and caused him to scowl.
Instinct to comfort had Fia reaching across the table to gently caress the creases between his eyes. “Yet the truth makes you scowl. Why?”
Her unexpected and tender touch took him by surprise as did the pleasure he got from it, but he warned himself to beware. She proved herself a witch in the woods, hadn’t she? Or was she a knowledgeable woman who used the wisdom she had learned?
“The truth does not always please me,” he said and wondered if he preferred that she was not a witch but simply a wise woman.
Fia smiled softly. “I cannot argue with that.”
Her gentle smile sparked an unexpected shot of passion that stirred an instant arousal in him, and an overwhelming desire to kiss her, and with concern of surrendering to it, he stood. “Rest. There are things I must see to.”
He was almost at the door when she called out to him, and he turned.
“You never answered my question. “How long will I be part of this clan?”
Her question had disturbed him, the answer once simple, but not any longer.
“You are my fate, so tell me what my fate will be.”
Varrick did not hesitate. He went to her, yanked her off the bench, and before he brought his mouth down on hers in a scorching kiss, commanded, “You belong to me.”
CHAPTER 16
The shock of his lips on hers lasted only a moment, after that his arms circled her and yanked her against him, planting her firmly in his embrace. Never, in all his years, had he felt as he did now as she responded to him with as much desire as he did her. It was as if something inside them had cried out to each other demanding they unite. And once their lips touched, once he felt her body tight against his, there was no turning back. It was as if he had waited forever for her and now, he never wanted to let her go.
Fia’s grandmother had told her that little, true magic existed in the world, but at this moment she disagreed. Varrick’s kiss, his body hard against hers, was pure magic. Never had she known such an indescribable feeling, a feeling that consumed her with a pleasure she could not even imagine existed, but it did… and she had found it in her husband’s arms.
Varrick’s hands strayed down along Fia to grip her backside, easing her against his swollen manhood. The kiss would never be enough. He wanted more, needed more, ached for more. His one hand remained on her firm backside, squeezing it while his other hand went and cupped the back of her head to keep her lips locked with his. A simple kiss was not enough. He wanted more from her. His tongue coaxed her lips apart and she opened to him. It was more than a spark that ignited when his tongue met hers, a fiery passion was let loose, and he feared he would not be able to contain it.