“We just—” My words are cut off by a kiss unlike any we’ve shared before. Not slow, not careful, but hard and eager. Our tongues tangle as he begins to move. Before long, his full length fills me as we repeat the dance that I’ve only just learned.
This time is shorter but no less intense as my hands attempt to grasp his wide shoulders. He wraps my legs around him, and we come together as one.
For tonight.
For forever.
Epilogue Aedre
“My hand is slipping,” I call up to him, but Vanni pulls me atop Dex as effortlessly as he did back in Murwood. This time we ride north, to Highburn Castle. To meet with the man who is attempting to take Meria from his uncle.
“I would never drop you,” he says, pulling me onto his lap. “Did I not tell you that?”
I settle in front of him, remembering his words clearly.
“Aye, you did, husband.”
He leans forward to kiss me just below my ear, something that surprises me given his men are with us, but none of them seem to notice or care.
“Are outward shows of affection not frowned upon here?”
I may never have been to the capital before but am well aware of their customs. There is a strict code of conduct here, and kissing your wife publicly is frowned upon.
“You are a Voyager, are you not?”
“Aye,” I agree as we begin to move. “But this is certainly not Murwood End.”
Our entire village could likely fit inside the courtyard of Castle d’Almerita.
“A pity. There’s much I came to love there, though I can’t remember being so enamored with it on my previous visit.”
Smiling, I turn to look at him.
“Do you ever wonder if our paths crossed then? When you were there as a child? I often spent time escaping the forge to watch ships come into port.”
One of the men calls out to Vanni. He answers and then turns his attention back to me. Of the twenty or so people assembled for the journey, I am the only woman.
“I have thought of that. And also of our first meeting . . . you said you did not like me.”
I watch the courtyard, teeming with activity, as we leave and pass through the inner ward.
“I did not like what you represented,” I correct him. “Do you really believe I will be welcomed here in Meria?”
Our hastily arranged wedding, with the king in attendance no less, was nonetheless much more opulent than I’d ever expected my wedding to be. Surrounded by glittering gold and warm colors. But Father was there, and Vanni, of course, and that’s what mattered.
We ride past the gatehouse now, its walls so thick I cannot imagine them ever being penetrated, and into the open fields. The land is flat here, another thing that will take some getting used to. I was raised with a view of the Northern Loigh Mountains surrounding us, but here, you could see for miles, the city center off to the right but still visible.
We veer in the opposite direction.
“Lady Edrys lived in a different time,” he says gently. “There may still be some resistance from the church, but we’ll navigate that together.”
Which reminds me.
“I never did see Father Beald again after Lord Bailor’s. I wonder what happened to him?”
Vanni makes a sound behind me. “Do not wonder about him overly much. The man hardly deserves it.”
I wiggle my bottom, attempting to get more comfortable, when Vanni groans.
“Do not do that, wife.”
His words are harsh, but his tone is not. And precisely because he told me not to, I do it again. “You mean this?”
Growling, he leans into me and whispers into my ear. “You’re unaccustomed to riding, and no doubt your backside will be sore by the time we stop. Keep that up, Aedre, and I cannot guarantee I will take that fact into consideration.”
Because I’ve been bold these last two nights, and he’s rewarded me well for it, I lean back and say, “Then ’tis good it will not be my backside you find pleasure in this night.”
His arms tense around my waist.
“Aedre,” he warns.
“And thankfully there are many ways a man and woman can find pleasure. I believe you are familiar with some of them, but there are others, forbidden by the church, of course, that I would like to explore.” I may not have tried them, but I know of them.
His face is suddenly buried in my neck.
“You are a temptress.”
I turn toward him, finding his lips easily. As we canter along, Vanni’s mouth covers mine. His tongue slashing, tasting. Until the men begin to holler.
Laughing, I straighten myself once again.
“You worried once about having a wife, a distraction,” I muse, not wanting to ruin the moment but also curious about Vanni’s change in thinking.
“I’ve solved that problem easily enough. You will come with me everywhere I go. Though your knife skills might need some honing.”
I like that idea.
“Even into battle?”
Though I’d said it in jest, Vanni suddenly becomes quiet. When I spin around in the saddle, he’s regarding me with a curious look.
“I fear you’ve come to the capital at a more eventful time than I’d like. There may be battles ahead, Aedre. And no, you’ll not be coming to them. But I vow to you . . .”
He holds his chin high, reminding me of the proud man I first approached on the docks of Murwood End, an outsider who nonetheless stood his ground.
“Whatever happens in the days ahead, I will protect you and your father as fiercely as I will the king. You accused me once of loving him more than anyone, but I give you this truth. You taught me to love.”
That he mentions Father too . . .
“I love you, Vanni.”
“And I love you, Aedre.” He kisses me on the nose, and I settle in for a long day’s journey.
All will be well, indeed.
