Threads of Gold (Tales of the Latter Kingdoms Book 6) Page 25

  “Then let us make it so.”

  * * *

  We rode more quickly after that, and in time came to the town he had spoken of, a pretty little place with buildings of stone and wood, nestled in a pleasant valley where the River Marden cut through. And after asking several of the townspeople we came across, we did find a priest. He seemed somewhat startled by our urgency — or perhaps was somewhat annoyed that we had sought him out just as he was about to sit down to his evening meal — but he did perform the ceremony for us, with his exasperated wife standing as witness. We made sure to give the priest an extra silver coin for his trouble, although I was not sure that was enough to mollify his wife over her cold dinner.

  And then we went to the town’s finest inn, and took its finest room for the night, and had our own little feast of venison stew, washed down with the strong local red wine. After that, we were alone in our room, the two of us gazing at each other, neither wishing to be the one to speak first.

  At last I said, “Perhaps I should be grateful that this gown laces on the side.” I pulled at the cords, and it came loose enough so that it fell to the floor in a puddle of green linen, leaving me standing there in my chemise.

  Tobyn had already taken off his cloak, since we’d barred the door behind us. His green eyes glinted with desire in the light from the candles in their sconces on the wall, but he did not move. “Annora — ”

  I stepped out of the folds of my discarded dress and went to him, fingers working at the buttons on his doublet. He did not stop me, and shrugged out of it once it was completely unfastened. But when I went to tug at the ties that held his shirt closed at his throat, his hand closed on mine. “Annora, you must know — ”

  His intention seemed clear enough to me. Even in the uncertain candlelight, I could see the scarring on the hand that held my fingers so tightly. I wondered that it should be scarred, when the other was quite unblemished. “It is all right, Tobyn,” I whispered. “Whatever that fire did to you…I do not care. Unless it was so bad that….” I had to break off then. My knowledge of such matters was meager at best, but I had heard whispers of how sometimes a man could not be a true husband to his wife.

  “No,” he said at once, his words calming my fears. “No, it was not that bad. I can still…love you.”

  “Then show me, Tobyn,” I replied, still clinging to his shirt. “Show me, my husband.”

  That seemed to be the only encouragement he required, for he gathered me in his arms and took me to the bed. Our mouths met, even as our hands worked to remove our remaining pieces of clothing and fling them to the floor. And then it was his skin against mine, and yes, he was scarred, but I did not care, because that was part of who he’d become. The king could not destroy him. Instead, he had only made the man I loved that much stronger.

  Two bodies became one, perfect, whole. He healed me, and I healed him, and we fell asleep in one another’s arms.

  We would wake with the dawn, and go on to forge one life together, shining, golden, and bright.

  The End

  * * *

  The Tales of the Latter Kingdoms series will continue with The Wolf of Harrow Hall, due out in early spring 2016.

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  Also by Christine Pope

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  THE DJINN WARS

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  Chosen

  Taken

  Fallen

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  THE SEDONA FILES

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  Bad Vibrations

  Desert Hearts

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  The first three books of this series are also available in an omnibus edition at a special low price!

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  TALES OF THE LATTER KINGDOMS

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  THE GAIAN CONSORTIUM SERIES

  (Science Fiction Romance)

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  About the Author

  Christine Pope has been writing stories ever since she commandeered her family’s Smith-Corona typewriter back in the sixth grade. Her work includes paranormal romance, and fantasy and science fiction/space opera romance. She fell in love with Sedona, Arizona, while researching the Sedona Files series and now makes her home there, surrounded by the red rocks. No alien sightings, though...not yet, anyway!

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  Christine Pope on the Web:

  @ChristineJPope

  ChristinePopeAuthor

  www.christinepope.com