Beauty In Darkness

25

“Of course.” He sniffed, as if he was offended I was even asking.

“And the ball?”

“Everything is in order.” He paused, his mouth curling in distaste. “Your cousin has accepted the invitation.”

“A pity, but not a surprise. He’ll want to see if my new wife is a threat to him.”

He dodged my next blow easily. “And is she?”

“Most definitely.”

We finished that round with another point going to Oren, to no one’s surprise. He’d taught me everything I knew about using a sword from the time I was a child. I preferred to use magic, but it was prudent to have many ways to defend yourself and those one was responsible for. Not that it had helped me protect Silena, but that only spurred me to practice harder.

As I wiped sweat off my brow, I caught sight of Rose standing to the side, staring at me as if she’d never seen me before. Staring at my bare chest, to be precise. Her cheeks were flushed, though I had a feeling that wasn’t from the heat, and a rush of lust rolled through me at the way her thin gown hugged her hips and her ample breasts. Our gazes locked and heat passed between us, and I became aware of how much I wanted her, and how I could tell she wanted me too.

“What are you doing here?” I asked, my voice rough.

The heat in her eyes flared into annoyance. “Finding a secluded place to cast spells in the garden, as you told me to do. I heard some noises here and thought to investigate. The better question is, what are you doing?” Her eyes dropped to my chest again, like she couldn’t help herself, and I got a tiny glimpse of her tongue as it ran across her lower lips.

“Practicing, obviously,” I said, trying not to let show what the sight of her pink tongue did to me. Needless to say, my trousers were a lot tighter than they’d been a minute ago.

She crossed her arms. “It looked like Oren was practicing, and you were getting smacked on your rear.”

My eyes narrowed. “And it looked like you were staring at my chest instead of doing magic.”

Her arms dropped. “I most definitely was not! I was simply blinded by your pale skin and had to stop to shade my eyes from it.”

“More like you were wondering what else I could do with a sword.” I slid my blade into my sheath slowly and deliberately, while her eyes widened.

Oren cleared his throat. “My queen, was there something you needed? I think we’re about finished here.”

“No, I’m quite all right. You can carry on playing with your big sticks.” She cast me one last look that was something between amused and irritated, before taking her skirts in hand and continuing on her stroll. The path twisted around a hedge, and within seconds she’d vanished from sight. I found myself wishing she’d return, while also feeling relieved she was gone.

I let out a long breath and wiped my forehead again, feeling ten times hotter than when I’d been sparring. Rose had the ability to make my blood boil like no one else could. And not just with anger either.

“It seems the two of you are getting along then,” Oren said, with a knowing smile. “Ah, I remember when my wife would look at me like that. Sun and Moon, I miss her.”

I grabbed my shirt off the grass. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Don’t play the fool with me.” He rested a hand on my shoulder. “Most men in your position would consider themselves lucky. Is it truly so terrible to desire your wife?”

My back stiffened. “It is when you’re still mourning your former wife.”

A look of pity crossed his lined face. “Oh, Raith. Silena would want you to be happy. It’s time for you to move on.”

“I don’t see you moving on and finding another wife.”

“I’m a crusty old man with a son your age. You’re a king in the prime of his life.”

I shook my head. “Now is not a good time for romance. Maybe someday…but only once things are safer in Ilidan.”

Oren pursed his lips, but then nodded. “How is the magical training coming along?”

“She’s more powerful than I expected, but rash and inexperienced. She has no patience and wants to skip ahead to the most powerful runes without learning the basics first.”

“And she’s as stubborn as you are,” he pointed out.

“Well, yes.”

Oren chuckled. “I remember a young lad who would follow his father everywhere and beg him to teach him some new runes. He certainly wasn’t patient either.”

I cast a spell to refill both of our flasks with more water. “I was a child. She is not.”

“Perhaps you should remember that as well. You can’t teach her the way your father taught you.”

I gave him a stern look. “I think I know the best way to train her in the magical arts.”

He shrugged. “If she’s as strong as you say, it would be in our best interests to train her quickly. We could use her in the fight against the Shadow Lord.”

“No.” The word came out more vehemently than I’d intended. “I will not risk her life. Not now. Not ever.”

A smug expression crossed Oren’s face. “Ah, so you do care about her.”

I paused as conflicting emotions stirred inside me. Obviously, I cared about her. I would not train her in magic otherwise. But things with Rose were…complicated. “She is my wife,” I simply said.

While Oren returned to the castle, I found Rose in another part of the garden, her face twisted in concentration as she traced a rune to conjure fire. Her power flared, sparking bright as flames burst to life from a cluster of twigs. I nearly conjured more water in case I needed to douse the flames, but she managed to keep them under control. Barely.

“You seem to have an affinity for fire,” I said.