“You’ll watch over me today?” she asked expectantly.
“Yes,” he promised.
““Of the men coming, are there any that you know who wouldn’t mind that I can’t give them my heart right now?” she asked him, though the answer hardly mattered. Not many men would be alright with their wife loving another, even if her love was doomed.
Zorin shook his head no.
Her heart sank a little. “And how many of them would be fine knowing that no matter who they were, my brother comes first?” she pressed him.
He sighed. “You know the answer to that already. None of them would accept such a marriage.”
She met his gaze briefly before looking away. She didn’t even care anymore that Meggie was forcing a much too lavish dress over her head.
“What can you offer me, Zorin?” she asked him seriously.
He sighed. “Not much,” his voice was strong and honest, but it was obvious that he was tired of it all. “Give them all a chance. That’s all I’m asking.”
She pressed her lips together irritably and stared him down. “But what can you offer me in a marriage?”
“If none of the others catches your eye even remotely?” he asked.
She nodded and hissed as Meggie pulled her hair into a tight bun.
* * * *
He leaned back, considering all of the reasons she would be better off without him. But under his mother’s watchful eye he considered what it could be like to have a family. Or as close to one that he had ever had. So, knowing that it was selfish and not caring anyway, he told her exactly what he knew she wanted to know. “I’m the most powerful being in existence. You can’t get much more protected than that for both you and Caden.”
She gave him a soft smile. “And Sebastian, too?”
Zorin blinked at her. Protect another man’s son? He wasn’t a saint by any means, but seeing the pleading hope in her eyes made something inside him crumble. He nodded slowly. “Sebastian, too. But Faolan is old enough to protect him all by himself. Don’t ask me to take care of that boy, too. It would be too much.”
Her smile broadened. “Of course.” She shook off the women still bustling around her. “Show me these men you think would be better for me than you,” she told him, extending her small hand to him.
He looked at her hand and then to her eyes before slowly rising to his feet and tucking her hand into the crook of his much larger arm. “Do you really want me?” he asked her.
“As a protector that won’t ask more of me than I can give, yes,” she told him honestly.
He nodded, expecting as much. “But as a man?”
She sighed and shook her head. “Thadius asked me the same thing about Faolan.”
“Your answer to that old Draconian doesn’t matter to me. What I want to know is if you can ever see me as more than just protection for those you care about? Will I ever be considered among those you love?” he asked her seriously as he pulled her to a stop just inside the last alcove before they stepped out into the bright sunlight and the already loud commotion just beyond.
* * * *
She eyed him warily. “Do you want to be?”
He shrugged though she could tell her answer meant much more to him than he wanted her to believe.
She laid a hand gently on the hard strength of his forearm. When he still refused to relax, she went against everything she knew that she should be doing and leaned into him, pressing her much smaller frame against the hard planes of his chest. He was warm and smelled of horses and the salt air of the sea that tickled her nose.
“What are you doing?” he whispered to her even as his arms came around her and pulled her tightly against him.
“I don’t deny an attraction to you, Zorin,” she whispered back as she turned slowly in his arms, finding herself unwillingly moving closer to him. His hand slipped down the small of her back as he pressed her against him.
“But?” his voice was rough, sending shivers down her spine.
Blushing, she
“Yes,” he promised.
““Of the men coming, are there any that you know who wouldn’t mind that I can’t give them my heart right now?” she asked him, though the answer hardly mattered. Not many men would be alright with their wife loving another, even if her love was doomed.
Zorin shook his head no.
Her heart sank a little. “And how many of them would be fine knowing that no matter who they were, my brother comes first?” she pressed him.
He sighed. “You know the answer to that already. None of them would accept such a marriage.”
She met his gaze briefly before looking away. She didn’t even care anymore that Meggie was forcing a much too lavish dress over her head.
“What can you offer me, Zorin?” she asked him seriously.
He sighed. “Not much,” his voice was strong and honest, but it was obvious that he was tired of it all. “Give them all a chance. That’s all I’m asking.”
She pressed her lips together irritably and stared him down. “But what can you offer me in a marriage?”
“If none of the others catches your eye even remotely?” he asked.
She nodded and hissed as Meggie pulled her hair into a tight bun.
* * * *
He leaned back, considering all of the reasons she would be better off without him. But under his mother’s watchful eye he considered what it could be like to have a family. Or as close to one that he had ever had. So, knowing that it was selfish and not caring anyway, he told her exactly what he knew she wanted to know. “I’m the most powerful being in existence. You can’t get much more protected than that for both you and Caden.”
She gave him a soft smile. “And Sebastian, too?”
Zorin blinked at her. Protect another man’s son? He wasn’t a saint by any means, but seeing the pleading hope in her eyes made something inside him crumble. He nodded slowly. “Sebastian, too. But Faolan is old enough to protect him all by himself. Don’t ask me to take care of that boy, too. It would be too much.”
Her smile broadened. “Of course.” She shook off the women still bustling around her. “Show me these men you think would be better for me than you,” she told him, extending her small hand to him.
He looked at her hand and then to her eyes before slowly rising to his feet and tucking her hand into the crook of his much larger arm. “Do you really want me?” he asked her.
“As a protector that won’t ask more of me than I can give, yes,” she told him honestly.
He nodded, expecting as much. “But as a man?”
She sighed and shook her head. “Thadius asked me the same thing about Faolan.”
“Your answer to that old Draconian doesn’t matter to me. What I want to know is if you can ever see me as more than just protection for those you care about? Will I ever be considered among those you love?” he asked her seriously as he pulled her to a stop just inside the last alcove before they stepped out into the bright sunlight and the already loud commotion just beyond.
* * * *
She eyed him warily. “Do you want to be?”
He shrugged though she could tell her answer meant much more to him than he wanted her to believe.
She laid a hand gently on the hard strength of his forearm. When he still refused to relax, she went against everything she knew that she should be doing and leaned into him, pressing her much smaller frame against the hard planes of his chest. He was warm and smelled of horses and the salt air of the sea that tickled her nose.
“What are you doing?” he whispered to her even as his arms came around her and pulled her tightly against him.
“I don’t deny an attraction to you, Zorin,” she whispered back as she turned slowly in his arms, finding herself unwillingly moving closer to him. His hand slipped down the small of her back as he pressed her against him.
“But?” his voice was rough, sending shivers down her spine.
Blushing, she
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