His Abducted Bride (12 page)

There was no denying the threat. He wished Sandy could tell him more about Petros. If she could, it’d give him a better understanding of what he was up against.

He returned the missive to his cabinet, locked it and left his planning room. When he reached the top of the castle where a couple of his guards stood, he peered over the land. The sun would soon be setting but enough sunlight showed him there was no immediate threat. Undoubtedly, King Petros had taken his silence as refusal to meet his demands. And he’d be right. Gavin had no intention of sending Sandy back to her world. If he did, then they’d no longer be together and that was the last thing he wanted.

“My lord, is there something troubling you?” one of his guards asked, approaching him.

Nodding, he said, “King Petros is likely to come here. I don’t know when, but it’s safe to assume he’s either on his way or making plans to. We need to exercise diligence. I don’t trust him. Put guards along every station on the walls with round the clock watch. I also want a couple of your most trusted men to infiltrate the surrounding villages to see if anything’s amiss. ”

The guard nodded. “It’ll be done as you say, my lord.”

Scanning the land surrounding the castle, he wondered how soon it’d be before the peace his kingdom had enjoyed since he’d brought Sandy to their world was upset by King Petros’ arrival. He released his breath and hurried back inside the castle. Sandy would be done dressing for dinner, and he didn’t wish to keep her waiting.

When he neared his bedchamber, he saw that she was staring out of a window along the hallway. His gaze went to the sparkling red gown she’d chosen. It accentuated her curves in a way that stirred his desire for her. His heart sped up as he drew closer to her, stopping within inches of actually touching her.

“What’s going on?” she asked, motioning to the castle walls where guards moved about in a flurry of activity.

“Nothing you need to be concerned with,” he replied. “You look stunning this evening. I’d like to think you went through all the work of styling your hair, putting on make-up and wearing that dress just for me. But I already know that’s not the case.” He leaned forward and kissed her cheek. She’d also taken the time to put on perfume, something she hadn’t done before. “You smell as nice as you look.”

“Yeah, well,” though her cheeks were a lovely shade of pink, she shrugged, “I figured there was no reason why I should let the stuff in the bedchamber go to waste.”

“Wise decision.” He extended his arm. “May I escort you to the banquet hall?”

She accepted his arm. “Like I have a choice.” Though she sighed, he detected humor in her voice.

Smiling, he led her down the hall then down the stairs. She was no longer angry about being in this world. Good. It looked like his new strategy was working. If he’d known all he had to do was kiss her a few times, he would have saved himself a lot of time—not to mention trouble—and just kissed her the night he brought her here. At least he figured out the secret to getting her to be more agreeable.

Drawing her closer, he winked. “I hope you don’t mind but I took the liberty of requesting fried apples. Noel said you told her you like those so I gave one of the cooks the recipe.”

“And how did you do that?”

Stopping, he put his arms around her and kissed her. He hoped to distract her. If he told her that he got into one of her computer files to dig out the recipe, she wouldn’t like it. Then she’d start asking more questions about how she could get back to her world, and he’d rather distract her in any way he could so she’d focus on staying in this world. To his pleasure, she yielded to him and responded to his kiss. Yes, he was definitely much closer to his goal by showering her with affection. And he enjoyed being affectionate with her.

When he ended the kiss, he brushed her cheek with the back of his hand, noting the way the evening sun softened her features. “I meant what I said. You are stunning. I can’t think of anything more beautiful in this world.”

“You’re laying it on a little thick.”

“Maybe.” He shrugged. “But it’s certainly a lot nicer than arguing with you.” She didn’t protest so he assumed she agreed with him. Gently taking her by the arm, he whispered, “I like things better this way,” and led her the rest of the way to the banquet hall.

***

When it was time for bed, Sandy slowed her steps as she and Gavin walked down the dark corridor. Gavin matched her new pace and glanced at her. “Did you wish to stay longer in the banquet hall? Did you wish to ask Gen Evermore about the Courageous Knight?”

“No.” That story went way longer than it should have. The description of the Courageous Knight’s journey through the dark valley took thirty minutes to tell. Had it not been for the food she was eating, she would have fallen asleep. “I know more than I’ll ever need to know about the Courageous Knight.”

“Then do you wish to go for a stroll in the gardens? They’re lovely in the moonlight.”

She fought back a yawn and shook her head. “I’m tired. I’d like to go to my bedchamber.”

His smile widened, making her wonder if he’d been hoping she’d want to go to bed.

“I intend to sleep,” she clarified, just so there weren’t any misunderstandings. True, they’d had a somewhat pleasant day together once she transformed back into her human form, but she saw no reason to jump right into bed with him. “I’m not using ‘bed’ as code for sex.”

“Oh, I know that. I didn’t plan on consummating our marriage tonight.” Before she could ask when he planned it, he added, “However, your things are in my bedchamber. That means we’ll be sharing a bed.”

“So you’re assuming we’ll be consummating the marriage soon.”

“You’ve already taken advantage of me by looking at me without my clothes on. The only decent thing you can do is make an honest man out of me.”

“An honest man out of—” She quickly scanned the empty hallway, relieved no one was nearby to hear them. “I hardly doubt your virtue is on the line.”

“Sure, it is. You think it was easy to bare myself to you?”

“Yes.”

After a moment, he broke down and laughed. “Okay. You got me. It was easy.”

She crossed her arms and shot him a pointed look. “Delighted in showing off your body, didn’t you?”

“You liked it. Admit it.”

“I think the wine you had at dinner is going to your head.”

“To be fair,” he began as he brought her into his arms, “I said I wouldn’t be intimately engaged with you tonight. However, I do want to sleep in the same bed with you. We’re husband and wife. It’s only right we share the same bed.”

“I don’t know.”

He kissed her. “I have enough willpower to behave. I won’t make love to you until I get your permission. I understand with the way the day started—what with you being a mouse and all—that it’s too soon.”

She was going to have to tell him why they couldn’t be married. It had more to do with the heir he wanted than anything else, but she didn’t have the energy to explain the situation to him tonight. All she wanted to do was go to sleep. Tomorrow when she was refreshed, she’d deal with it. “We’re not going to do anything? We’re just going to sleep?”

“You have my word.”

Sighing, she nodded. “Okay.”

***

The next day, Sandy decided it was time she saw more of the kingdom. While she and Gavin were enjoying the warm, sunny weather in the courtyard, she slipped her arm around his and smiled at him.

His eyebrows rose in interest. “Uh oh.”

She chuckled. “‘Uh oh’ what?”

“You want something.”

“How can you tell that?”

“My warrior senses are on high alert. Are you going to tell me I’m wrong?”

Giving in, she shrugged. “Alright. There is something I want.” Before he could congratulate himself on being super smart, she continued, “I want to see the kingdom. Up to now, I’ve been confined to this castle. Will you take me on a tour?”

“Yeah, I could do that.”

“Great! It’s a perfect day for a carriage ride.”

“You wouldn’t rather go in my sports car?”

She studied his face to determine if he was joking but his gaze held hers, his expression as serious as could be. “I didn’t write anything about a sports car,” she finally replied. “In fact, I didn’t include anything in the story with motorized transportation.”

The corner of his lip turned up into a smile and he brought her into his arms. “There is no sports car, though it’s an interesting concept. I wouldn’t mind having one. It sounds like a lot of fun.”

“How are you finding out so much about my world?”

He kissed her. “It helps me to know more about you.”

“I never had a sports car.”

“I might have gotten distracted while browsing items from your world.”

“If you’re so clever, why don’t you put a car into this story?”

“Because I don’t understand how it works. Giving the cooks recipes is one thing. We have all the ingredients here in this world. But the things that make a car? We don’t have it, and even if we did, I don’t know who’d make it.”

“Well, I guess that just proves no matter where you go, no world is perfect.” She kissed his cheek and took his arm. “Come on. Take me on a carriage ride. It’ll be romantic.”

***

“And this is the marketplace where all the commerce happens,” Gavin said as the carriage approached the center of the village.

The villagers noticed them and bowed, an action which made Sandy blush. Though she’d written her story and had her people honor her this way, it was different when it really happened. She was, after all, just a waitress in a diner.

“Would you like to stop and see some of the things people are selling?” Gavin asked.

“Yeah,” she replied, thinking it’d be fun to see more of the world she had created.

He tapped the top of the carriage and the driver stopped the horses. She waited for the driver to open the door and let him help her out. Gavin followed and instructed the driver to wait for them. Taking her by the arm, he led her to the market. Feeling self-conscious, she smiled and nodded as they passed the villagers.

“Those are nice,” Gavin said, gesturing to a booth with an assortment of jewelry. “Perhaps my lady would like something to complement the red gown you wore last night?”

“Did you like it?”

“I did. Red is a wonderful color. Passionate, intense, powerful, strong. I can’t help but notice there’s a necklace that would be perfect for you.”

She followed his gaze to the oval ruby embedded into an onyx stone. She glanced back at the carriage and couldn’t believe she didn’t pick up on it sooner. Black and red were his colors. The carriage door displayed his trademark red flag with a black heart and two swords beneath it. “No wonder you liked the red dress.”

“Well, to be fair, it was the way you filled the dress that got my attention more than the color.” His grin widened. “Now I have to get the necklace for you.”

He led her to the booth and purchased the necklace, complimenting the merchant on his taste in colors. She scanned the large gathering and noticed that some actors were on a stage. Curious, she tapped his arm. “Do they perform plays here?”

“Sometimes, yes. The marketplace is also for entertainment.” He lifted the necklace and unclasped it. “May I?”

Lifting her hair up, she turned and waited as he put the necklace around her neck. A couple of people were still staring at them but most of them had turned back to their business. In her story, the people in this kingdom were terrified of Gavin and his men. They would run off and hide if he set foot in the marketplace. But since he changed the story, they were comfortable with him being among them, and she couldn’t help but notice how happy they were. She wasn’t sure how he pulled it off, but he established safety and peace.

The sun reflected off of something shiny to her right, so her gaze went in that direction. An old man hobbled from a booth, the metal in the tip of his cane catching the sunlight, causing the sun to hit her eyes again. He glanced over his shoulder and made eye contact with her. His gaze quickly turned the other way and he limped behind a booth.

Her eyebrows furrowed. There was something familiar about him, though she couldn’t put her finger on it. While the man selling jewelry asked Gavin a question, she followed the strange man. She had a vague suspicion he didn’t belong in this kingdom. As the author, she should know the characters in the story, even those who played small parts.

She wove through the crowd, surprised she lost sight of him since he couldn’t move that fast, not considering his age and cane. Pausing, she turned to a woman. “Excuse me, but have you seen an old man wearing a brown tattered robe? He has a cane?”

“I’m sorry, my lady, but I haven’t seen anyone like that,” she replied.

Thanking her, Sandy continued her search through the crowd. She was sure he passed the woman but there were so many people, she might have been mistaken. From nearby, music started up, but she didn’t pay much mind to the fiddles and lutes. Sunlight bounced off a metal object and hit her eyes again and she knew it was him. She headed in his direction and finally found him entering a small building on the edge of the marketplace.

She hurried and slipped into the building, surprised when she didn’t see him. Around her, objects in various states of repair lined the walls. Stepping further into the cluttered room, she scanned the area until she saw a room. It was too dark for her to see if anyone was in there, but he had to be there. Where else would he go? It wasn’t like he could vanish into thin air.

“Hello?” she called out. “Is someone here?”

She waited but no one said anything. She hesitated for a moment, tapping her fingers together. It was weird that an old man scurried off as fast as he did and hid in the back room. Maybe it was too weird. Freaky even. She wasn’t in her world. This was a fantasy world, and it was possible people could vanish if they got a hold of a magician’s potion. And even if she was the author and couldn’t be hurt, she saw no reason to ask for trouble. Deciding it best to leave, she turned back to the entrance when someone cleared his throat.