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  “What do you mean?”

  “In a magical marriage, like the two of you now share, a husband and wife can literally share each other’s strength. If all else fails, you must ask Malachi to bond with you. He will know what to do when you speak those words, but I warn you, once you do undertake the magical bonding, you will be chained to Malachi for the rest of your days.”

  “That doesn’t sound like such a dismal fate.”

  “I reckon that with Malachi it will be a bonding made in heaven. On the other hand, your mother had a much different experience.” Rainbow’s eyes flashed with sadness.

  “That’s why she can’t leave him?” Annabelle asked.

  “Indeed. She is putting herself at mortal risk now that she has finally taken a fighting stance against Roland. Their separation will prove to be her death knell should she ever be given a mortal wound. Roland has ordered his troops to bring her to him alive…”

  Annabelle’s heart jumped in her chest. She knew she had turned as white as a sheet.

  “And what if someone kills Roland?”

  “Your mother will most likely perish.”

  “By the Fates, how can they be so cruel?”

  “Your mother was the one that initiated the bonding. When Roland was nearly killed early on in their marriage, she knew she had to bond with him in order to save him.”

  “Had she not, a menace to Thaliana would have been gone.”

  “Had she left Roland to die, you would never have been born. The Fates had already spoken, you were meant to be, so Roland had to live.”

  “So much given for me. It’s rather staggering.”

  “Staggering is an understatement. I must away now, Annabelle. Pray do look after Malachi in my absence.”

  A flicker of doubt formed in her mind. “Rainbow?”

  “Aye?” The delicate looking elf looked back at her.

  “Do you love Malachi?” Fear struck her straight on the chest. Tingles ran up and down her spine.

  “Not in the way you love him.” Rainbow smiled. “I have been his friend for his entire life. I will be his friend for the rest of his life. No matter what the Fates deal him, Ardal and I will never leave his side.”

  “And Ardal is?”

  “He is my friend. If you are wondering whom the love of my life is, to put it simply, I have not found him yet, however there is one that makes me think otherwise. Perhaps, yours and Malachi’s love story will bring me good fortune.”

  Smiling, she raised her hand. “I hope it does.” Annabelle smiled.

  “You should continue asking Malachi to teach you about the ways of using magic. You must be learned before you start using your magic. I would tutor you, but I will be gone in a few minutes. As we speak, my horse is being saddled.”

  “May the Graces be with you,” Annabelle proclaimed.

  “And with you.” Rainbow gave her one last smile and disappeared in a sheen of multi-coloured light.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Malachi pitched the papers he held in his hands across the room. “How long do we have before her arrival?”

  “Hard to say.” Ardal looked at him with a worried glint in his eyes. “She could make the journey in a sennight, it could take her as long as a fortnight. It will all depend on how fast what is left of our army can move.”

  “What is left?” His rage knew no bounds. He wanted to release his anger, but he had no way of knowing how his magic would affect the castle.

  “The casualties during the last battle were devastating,” Gabriel sighed.

  “My brothers and sisters?” He stopped, fear paralyzing him.

  “I have not seen their fates. They are draped in the mists for the time being. I am sorry, Malachi.”

  “My parents?”

  “No doubt they are spirit walking to see if they can locate their lost children.”

  “They must still be alive. If they weren’t, they would be here at the castle to either say farewell to me, or to take up residence in the Afterlife.”

  “This is true. We Hawthornes have a homing beacon in us that always leads us straight back home. The queen has been injured. It is not a mortal wound but she will be quite fatigued when she finally arrives here.”

  “Annabelle isn’t fit to care for her, she is slowly losing her own strength.”

  “A mother and daughter reunion might be just what she requires.”

  “The queen thinks she is coming here to seek sanctuary, little does she know that Roland’s armies are headed straight for us. He wants Annabelle, I can feel the intensity of his want stretching over the great divide between our lands.”

  “The final battle will be coming to this castle sooner than we think. I would advise you to spend the time before the queen’s arrival getting Annabelle prepared.”

  “Her lifeline is so weak…”

  “Bond with her then,” Ardal suggested.

  “No. I will not do it without her permission. If I do, any trust that is between us will be shattered.”

  “Malachi?” He turned to see Annabelle. She stood, framed in the doorway bathed in the morning sunlight.

  “I take it that you’ve made your request of Rainbow?” Malachi asked.

  “Aye.” She looked uncertain, almost as if she wanted to jump clear out of her skin. Ardal cleared his throat.

  “I have things that demand my attention. I must go and bid my farewell to the Princess. I shall wish her a safe journey.” Ardal glanced one last time at Malachi and then vanished in a pop of bright light.

  Slowly, Annabelle inched her way into the room. She still looked like she felt out of place.

  “This is now your home, Annabelle,” he said softly. “Treat the castle as you used to treat the quaint little cottage you lived in.”

  “Quaint?” she echoed, frowning.

  He prepared himself for her returning anger. Instead, she smiled and sat down on a chair. “I just feel so tired,” she whispered, giving him a soft smile. Concern grew within him. In two long strides, he’d made it to the chair.

  “How tired do you feel?” He touched her gently. She didn’t start or try to draw away from him.

  “I feel like I could sleep for days, and yet I’m afraid to sleep.” Desperation shone in her eyes. He wanted to hold her and give her comfort, but if he did that he could very well break any of the fragile trust that existed between them. “What urgent matter drew your attention?”

  He hesitated. To tell her the truth might just frazzle her nerves to the extreme. And, if he decided not to tell her, when she did find out she would probably be furious.

  “Ardal had news for me. He’s been monitoring the progress of the Thaliana Forces.”

  “And? What happened? I’ve heard that we’ve been suffering brutal defeats in the last few days.”

  “The last battle was almost just that—our last.”

  “No.” Her face blanched so much that he feared for her life. Her eyes grew wide with fear. “Casualties?” Her voice dropped to a strangled whisper. Her face grew even paler, as all of the blood drained away.

  “There were many…we suffered devastating losses.”

  “Dear lord. The Fates were cruel.” She gripped the armrest of the chair with such force that he wondered how she wasn’t hurting her hand. “Survivors?”

  “They are on their way here as we speak. This county of Thaliana is the only one still safe from Roland.”

  “Roland.” Her eyes filled with uncontrollable rage. “He could stop this. He could end this misery, and yet, he lets it continue. He will never be satisfied until Thaliana bows to him. If he will not stop this—then, I must!”

  “Your mother is fighting him.”

  “My mother will never be able to defeat him. If she does, she will most likely lose her own life in the attempt. They are bonded. Besides, I fear she doesn’t have the heart nor the strength to end him. She loves him—she loves him more than she loved me. She could give him up, but because of the bonding she could not give him up. And ye
t, she puts physical distance between them now that she’s waging war with him and yet when I was a mere babe in arms she could not muster the courage necessary to leave him! She is no better than his slave.” Bitterness seeped into her voice. He couldn’t decide whom she might hate and resent more, Zara or Roland. “A mother does not abandon her child. Not for all of the magic in the all of the enchanted kingdoms.”

  “You’ve been talking with Rainbow. You can’t hold a grudge against Queen Zara, it will end up tearing you up inside, Annabelle. You are so beautiful—you are so pure—do not allow this to muddle your brain.”

  “Nonetheless, it was a very enlightening discussion.”

  “And yet, it has worn you out.”

  “I felt like this when I woke up this morning, Malachi,” she sighed.

  “We must do something for you, Annabelle.”

  “I trust that you will find something to help me. I have new reason to live. I now have a mission, I must accomplish.” Her blue eyes took on a hardened glint. He didn’t like the looks of it all.

  “I have no real way of determining what potion will cure you. I don’t even know if I can.”

  “You’re admitting you’re not infallible?” Annabelle asked, raising an eyebrow.

  “When it comes to you, I will gladly dismount my high horse.”

  She looked up at him, chewing her lower lip. He wanted to kiss her, and he wanted to reassure her. One minute, she looked as hard as a Snowdonia Diamond and the next minute, she looked as fragile as Cyna Crystal.

  “My mother saved Roland’s life when she was first married to him. Did you know that?” Annabelle asked.

  “No. My mother might have known but she never told me.”

  “Well, she did. She saved him by initiating the bonding with him.”

  “Is that what you want from me?”

  She looked away from him. “No…I don’t know. If I am to stop Roland I must stay alive. And yet, in stopping him, I will lose my mother. I can’t do that.”

  He let the silence stretch between them.

  “Then, the only way to even have a ghost of a chance of defeating Roland is if I join the fight once more.”

  “I can’t ask you to do that…”

  “And yet, would you ask me to bond with you?”

  “I don’t know what to do!” She pushed his hands away, stood up and started pacing. “I just wish I could wake up and all of this would be a nightmare.”

  Pain hit him like a thunderclap in the chest. “Right, then.” He walked to the door. “I’ll leave you to pinch yourself in the hopes that everything around you disappears.”

  “I didn’t mean it the way that it sounded.” He could hear her following him. “I only meant that I wish Delbert really was my father. By the Graces how I wish he was!” Her voice broke. “The monster of my dreams has turned out to be my own father. How would that make you feel?”

  “I am a monster…so I can’t really tell you. This is a challenge in your life that you must defeat or else you risk losing your very self to it. Do not let him affect you this way. You must take control, and you must live for what you have now. I know that I never courted you, and that I basically forced you into marrying me, but I was consumed by my thoughts and feeling for you. I will do anything to extend your life… anything! I will gladly bond with you…”

  “Not yet. Give Rainbow time—she just may be able to get back before I start slipping away. In the meanwhile, why don’t you start training me?”

  “In the way of magic?”

  “No…in the way of lovemaking,” she joked. He turned back to her.

  “You shouldn’t jest about such things, Annabelle. I just might take you up on it.”

  She smiled. “You couldn’t put me through that. I’m far too tired.” She knew she shouldn’t be making light of something she could very well have end up backfiring on her again. She had to admit it, she did wonder about how it would feel to share Malachi’s bed.

  “Oh, I don’t think so.” He walked back toward her. Her heart started to pound in her chest. She could feel her cheeks growing red, anticipating his kiss. Pulling her to him gently, he locked his lips with hers. She lost herself in the wondrous feeling he aroused inside of her.

  The sound of a door opening drew both of their attentions.

  “My fortune for some privacy.” Malachi looked as if he was he was going to lose his temper with Ardal. Ardal, on the other hand, looked quite angry as well.

  “What’s going on?” She moved forward, pulling Malachi along with her.

  “We have news that your brother Daniel was taken prisoner.”

  “Prisoner?”

  “Aye. King Roland has sent his messenger. He wishes to barter a trade. Daniel’s life for Annabelle’s freedom.”

  “Annabelle’s freedom?” she laughed. “What does he think I am, a prisoner just as he kept my mother a prisoner? I can’t believe him. He doesn’t have the courage to face me, and yet he is using your brother against you? Unbelievable.”

  “What about Connor, Shaylah and Larissa?”

  “We have had no word of them, as of yet. But I fear they too have fallen in enemy hands.”

  “No. This is all because of me. Malachi you must allow me to leave. You must allow the exchange to happen. I will gladly take Daniel’s place.”

  “Never!” Malachi shouted.

  “You don’t see the full picture, Malachi. My…Roland will not harm me. At least not for a while. You must allow me to go so that he doesn’t do the unthinkable to your sisters and brothers. Please, I will not be responsible for the death of your entire family. I can’t let you suffer that heartache.”

  “I will not give you up, and I won’t let Blackburn and King Roland kill my family either. I will fight them both!” Determination lit his face.

  “Respectfully, Malachi, I would suggest that you bide your time until Rainbow can return with reinforcements,” Ardal advised.

  “I will be leaving in the morning, Ardal. I don’t care what you say.”

  “What will Queen Zara do when she arrives to find the castle empty?” Ardal asked.

  “It won’t be empty. You and Annabelle will here.”

  “What did you say?” She watched Ardal raise an eyebrow and leave silently.

  “I said that you would be staying here. Someone must be here to welcome the queen and her army.”

  “I don’t think so,” Annabelle stated.

  “You don’t think what?”

  “I don’t think you’ll be leaving me behind. You can try, but if you do leave me behind, I will follow you, mark my words.”

  “You can’t follow me.”

  “My magic is awakening. I’ll be able to meet you on equal playing ground, soon.”

  “You are untrained. You won’t be able to light a candle without being properly trained.” She released his hand, and walked over to the other side of the room.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Isn’t it obvious? I’m putting some distance between the two of us. I don’t want to be anywhere near you right now.”

  An angry spark appeared in his eye. “I’ve had it. I’ve had enough of your bitchiness.”

  “Bitchiness?” She took another step background.

  “You heard me correctly. You have been acting like an insufferable spoiled little brat ever since you found out whom you really are. That’s why your mother gave you up, she knew you had some of the same qualities that your father has.”

  Her heart quickened. “How dare you!” Tears pooled in her eyes. She couldn’t refute what he said. He was right. Pain squeezed her heart. She gasped for air. She couldn’t speak. She felt like she was falling into an abyss. Malachi might look like a beast with his hideous scars, but she was the beast. She was her worse nightmare come true. She hated herself. Maybe in a way, she had always doubted herself, always second-guessed herself. She couldn’t face her father without first facing her own demons. She had to come to terms with who she was. Malachi was the only on
e brave enough to give it to her straight. She admired him for that kind of courage.

  “Annabelle?” Malachi called out.

  She didn’t answer him. She had to get away from him. He knew her better than she knew herself, and she’d known herself for a hell of a lot longer.

  Annabelle turned and walked past him, when she did, she brushed past him. The electric shock that he gave her, made her gasp.

  “Annabelle?” This time, his voice softened. She could hear the regret in his voice. She wiped a tear from her face. Why had he been able to wound her so deeply, with just his words? He could have hit her and it would have stung far less. “Where are you? I just felt you pass me. Now where are you? Annabelle, you must answer me. I am worried about you!” How could he possibly be worried about her when he’d just wounded her in such a grievous manner? The man was insane. “Annabelle?” This time a catch entered his voice, she could hear the emotion in his voice. She could hear the love in his voice.

  His love.

  She stopped. She exhaled. He must have heard her breathing, because she watched him turn toward her. He loved her. He’d said it before, but the full meaning of it, hit her so soundly in that she couldn’t find the strength to move.

  “Maybe I was wrong, maybe you can use your magic without any instruction. You seem to be using some of it right now. That’s what you used earlier when I couldn’t find you, wasn’t it? I’m sure Gabriel has already told you that you’re gifted with the ability to veil yourself. You are able to literally make yourself invisible to everyone. Even wizards, warlocks and witches can’t track a veiled one. You are special. So special. But then, I knew that the first time we met.

  A veiled one will be more than a match for someone like Blackburn…or Katrina. You are right. I have been selling you short. I must acknowledge your power. I can’t keep thinking you are some frail girl that needs my protection. You are no girl—you are my wife—you are a woman, the only woman for me.”

  She looked over at him. Meeting his gaze, she watched him shiver. He could feel her watching him.