Heart Duel (44 page)

For the first time in her life she realized what the “sparking” was, it was her own capacity for violence that she'd never dealt with, never acknowledged or channeled. She let it go—all the pent-up anger at the constraints upon her all her life. She let it free, but she directed it. She was no longer and never again simply T'Hawthorn's daughter. She was Mayblossom Larkspur Bélla Hawthorn Collinson, HeartMate to Holm Holly. She let the words roll in her mind, her name, her inner-core self, and backed her name with the force of her newly found fight.

The dagger whipped from T'Hawthorn's hand, flew against a wall and shattered, disintegrated into shards of gold and gems.

T'Hawthorn drew his blaser.

Lark shrieked, which she'd never done before. It felt good, so she screamed again. Her father gaped at her. She shouted, “He is my HeartMate! If you kill him I will die.” She 'ported in front of Holm to shield him. Lark heard Laev's and Cratag's steps running down the stairs.

“You have not HeartBonded.” T'Hawthorn slowly lowered the blaser, each word equally measured. “I am your father, I would know when you bonded so with another man.”

She raised her chin. She loved her father, but she would never be manipulated by him again. “Nevertheless, he is my HeartMate. Will you kill my man?”

Holm choked behind her.

Lark lifted her head. “Will you hurt my HeartMate? Holm Holly is my HeartMate. I declare Holm is my HeartMate, I accept Holm as my HeartMate. I will HeartBond with my HeartMate, Holm, and my HeartMate Holm and I will marry. That's five times.”

Holm made another gurgling sound.

Think!
Black Pierre's command to T'Hawthorn was loud enough for everyone to hear. The cat extended the claws of his front paws and pricked them into T'Hawthorn's boot.

T'Hawthorn looked around with an anguished gaze, at the FirstFamily Lords and Ladies who watched him with stony expressions and angry gazes, power and Flair visibly radiating from them. Then at Laev who stared at him with steady, serious eyes in a pale face.

T'Hawthorn's fingers released the blaser and it clattered to the flagstones. He passed a weary hand across his eyes, then his violet gaze pinned Lark and Holm. Through stiff lips T'Hawthorn said, “I have lost my dear and only son. My heir. I will not lose my beloved daughter, too. Chains break!”

Lark pressed back until she was against Holm. His muscles were stiff with tension.

T'Hawthorn inclined his head to Lark and Holm. “Blessings upon you. HollyHeir, tell T'Holly the feud is over. You can take my sword to him.”

Lark heard Holm swallow twice before his voice rasped. “I have been disowned. T'Holly is set against me, and even this will not quench his anger.”

T'Hawthorn's face twisted. “So I have damaged your Family, too. T'Blackthorn, you are T'Holly's nephew.”

Straif jerked a nod.

“You can take my sword. This feud was foolhardy. My valley can be weathershielded to produce prime cinnamon. I wanted the riches and the status that it would give me, perhaps consideration as the next Captain of the FirstFamilies Council. But the feud has cost me my son and others of my Family. It has tainted the Hollys.” He turned a haggard face to Lark. “But I had sense enough not to let it cost me my daughter.”

Lark flung herself into his arms, and he held her close, closer than he had since she was a young child.

With great dignity he nodded to the other Nobles. “You are my guests and welcome. The amenities of my Residence are yours.”

He stretched out his hand to Laev. The boy ran to him, ignoring his hand, and flung himself upon his FatherSire. T'Hawthorn hugged Laev.

Love passed among Lark and T'Hawthorn and Laev. She sensed T'Hawthorn and Laev were closer than they'd ever been. After a moment she withdrew. T'Hawthorn kept an arm around Laev.

Black Pierre mewed and T'Hawthorn stilled. “I accept you as my Fam,” he said.

The cat eyed him, then leapt to his shoulder.

T'Hawthorn waved a hand. “Cratag, see to my guests. I'm tired. Laev and I will meditate in T'Hawthorn Grove.” Slowly, without looking back, he walked away through an arch.

“Yes, T'Hawthorn,” Cratag said. He nodded to Straif Blackthorn. “Come with me. I'll give you the GreatHouse Hawthorn Family Sword.”

Straif swept a glance around at everyone in the courtyard, then followed Cratag up the steps and into the keep.

T'Ash, D'Ash, and SupremeJudge D'Elder came forward. Ailim's face was serene, her hands tucked in opposite sleeves. She stopped a pace from them and tilted her head.

“GentleLady Collinson, I advise you that you have acknowledged this man, Holm, as your HeartMate. Legally, you are now bound to him, just as if the HeartBond had been consummated.”

“I know. I accept that,” Lark said. She reached back for Holm, but he wasn't there. He'd slipped away and stood near the broken doors of the courtyard. He didn't look at her and had angled his body from her.

He blocked her telepathy. Panic chilled her. She widened the bond between them until it was the size of a thick golden rope.

He narrowed it to a microfilament. Just as she had done before.

Twenty-eight

Lark swallowed and straightened her spine. So he rejected
her, just as she had done earlier, as she had done so many times before. Well, just as he had persevered in the face of her rejection—he'd known they were HeartMates and that was something they'd need to discuss—so, she would persevere.

She walked to him as he pretended to study the remnants of the courtyard door. “I thought we had an agreement, Holm.”

He stiffened but said nothing.

“Either physical or mental-emotional connection,” she reminded. She felt his surprise, but before he could recover, she stepped behind him, put her arms around him, and laid her head against his back. He smelled more essentially Holm than ever. His scent made her blood pulse faster.

Holm inhaled sharply. When he spoke, his voice was harsh. “You violated that agreement often enough.”

“Maybe I did,” she agreed. “But you didn't, until now.” His dampened shirt clung to his back. So many ordeals he'd survived today. She pulled all the love she had for him and encased the two of them in a sphere. His breathing turned ragged. Even through the minuscule fiber that connected them, she sensed his confusion and pain. He was torn up inside, doing his best to function in a world gone mad—where he didn't know who he was, how to act.

She hurt for him, and sent her complete acceptance of him through their bond.

He shook his head in denial, as if he didn't understand her, and doubted her feelings. That stung, but she kept the minor pain to herself. She must have hurt him equally over the last eightdays.

Then he stepped away. “No. I can't handle this right now.”

And she realized he was close to breaking and that it would wound his pride to be seen as weak.

Lark sighed. “Mental or physical, Holm?

He turned from her.

She bit her lip but remained close.

After a moment he widened the conduit between them to a small cord. Lark smiled and sent him approval and relief. He didn't look at her, but his neck pinkened, embarrassed because he was glad she was proud of him. She smiled and blinked back tears. Somehow she'd figure out how to win him.

She turned to see the Ashes watching them. Lark inclined her head. T'Ash jerked his in an obvious wish that she join them. She was oddly touched that T'Ash and his lady gave Holm the space he needed to come to terms with the day's events. Obviously T'Ash and Holm's friendship was closer than she'd imagined. She was grateful for that, because she trusted Holm's instincts regarding his Family, and he was sure that his disinheritance was permanent.

Lark shivered a little. Even at her most bitter, she hadn't renounced her Family, and at his most furious T'Hawthorn hadn't disowned her. The irony was incredible.

She joined T'Ash and D'Ash, but kept an eye on her HeartMate.
HeartMate!
What a wonderful thing. An idea she'd abandoned. How had it happened? The notion would take time to accept.

“We're going home to prepare a guestsuite for you and Holm. You can stay with us indefinitely. Lord and Lady knows we have plenty of room,” said T'Ash. He sent his HeartMate a twinkling glance. “I hope you like animals.”

That surprised a smile from Lark. Holm's shoulders relaxed a bit, his shirt had dried, a good sign.

She sobered. “We haven't talked at all. Holm's aware I've been offered the position of Head of Gael City HealingHall.” She shrugged. “I wanted that job very much, once. But I want Holm more. He will make the decision whether we stay in Druida or go to Gael City. A Healer is welcome anywhere.”

“As is a fighter,” T'Ash said dryly.

Lark winced. She knew Holm listened. “I would rather he didn't hire on as a household guard. Another thing we must discuss.”

T'Ash glanced at Holm, also aware of his interest. “I don't think that Gael City has a fencing salon. One run by Holm would draw plenty of youngbloods.”

“You're right,” Lark said.

The door from the keep opened. Cratag Maytree and Straif Blackthorn stepped out. Straif carried a long sword in an intricately figured golden sheath.

Lark said, “I want to say goodbye to Cratag and let him know I'll be moving to your Residence and staying there. I'll bring my things as soon as I gather them.”

“T'Furze could transport the contents of your apartment.”

Lark smiled and shook her head. “True, but I'm used to counting cost. His charges are outrageous.” She looked at Holm and sighed again. The mental-emotional cord still cycled between them, but he didn't want her near. He'd braced himself to go to T'Holly Residence and confront his father and get his belongings.

“I'll see you later,” she said and ran to Cratag.

 
 
Holm and Straif walked several city squares in silence.
Straif was used to wandering Celta looking for a cure to his flawed physical heritage. He'd have spent plenty of time alone. The chill in Holm settled a little deeper. T'Ash and Straif had lost their entire families. Now he'd lost his Family, too.

“Nice to be able to walk and not worry about an ambush,” Straif said.

It brought back the earlier fight in vivid detail. “Neither you nor T'Ash looked like you were hurt.”

“Not a scratch,” Straif said cheerfully. “They were after you and Tinne.”

“Huathe fell. The other Hawthorns?”

“They were Healed here or at Primary HealingHall. No other casualties. Tinne is resting in his suite—with his wife.” Straif winked.

Holm grunted and got his mouth around the words he wanted to say. “T'Holly is not going to forgive me and take me back into the Family.”

Straif tensed and sent Holm a slanting gaze. “You sure?”

“Yes,” Holm said. Bleakness surged, then subsided. Those emotions were getting easier to bear. A pulse of caring came from Lark through their tie. Holm held on to the feeling until it dispersed into his system.

“The problem,” Holm said carefully, “is that a couple of eightdays ago both T'Holly and D'Holly vowed upon their Words of Honor to welcome my HeartMate into the Family.”

Straif's stride checked. He stared at Holm and whistled. “Violated Words of Honor are not a good thing. Slowly but surely they cause malaise in the individual.”

“True. That's why I'm asking you to stay here in Druida and keep an eye on them. Tinne will have a very busy life. I'd like you to look out for my Mamá and father, too. And, dear cuz, it's time you accepted your own responsibilities. Have you visited T'Blackthorn Residence lately? It's
moldering
.” Holm thought he got the lightness of his old tone right, almost as if he was the same man he'd been in the morning.

“Moldering!” Straif grimaced.

“That's right. Once
the
showplace of all FirstFamily Residences. It's now in poor shape. At least from the outside. I'm sorry, but you had to know.”

They walked through a square in silence. Straif sighed. “Right. I'll stay and take care of it. What of you and your HeartMate?”

A little spurt of joy whipped through Holm at the word
HeartMate
. Despite all the horrible things that had gone wrong today, one thing was better. Everyone knew he had a HeartMate now. It wasn't a silent secret to be guarded. A HeartMate. He was legally HeartBonded. He stopped in his tracks. Legally HeartBonded. No. He wasn't ready. He might have thought he was, but that was when he was Holm Holly.