“I have more aches than usual and a chill that refuses to leave me, but otherwise I do well,” she assured him seeing the worry in his dark eyes.
He cupped her face and ran his thumb gently over her lips. “I feared losing you.”
She rubbed her cheek against his hand. “I had no doubt you would rescue me.”
“I never expected to rescue the leper.”
Raven scrunched her eyes shut for a brief moment, then took a step back. His arm went quick around her waist not letting her go far.
“I’ve waited until we were alone to ask you this—”
She didn’t wait to answer the question she knew he would ask. “Aye, I’ve been Brother Noble all along.”
His eyes shot open wide. “All along?”
Her eyes turned as wide as his. “Isn’t that what you thought?”
He stepped back. “No. When you revealed yourself, I assumed you posed as Brother Noble to distract Brynjar.” He shook his head. “Do you mean to tell me that you’ve been posing as a leper all this time?”
“I thought you would realize that when I revealed myself.”
Anger flared in his eyes. “Why would I when we agreed to be honest with each other?”
She cringed. “I thought it better you didn’t know.”
His eyes went wide again and an oath flew from his mouth. “You were there in front of me all along. I revealed much to you.” He stepped back rubbing his face. “You tricked me.”
“I admit I did,” she confessed, “but you have to admit it was wise on my part.”
He glared at her and shook his head. “The things I’ve told you.”
“Were wonderful to hear and made me realize you were a far different man than I had first thought. And when you confessed your love it made all the difference.”
He was struck by a thought. “The wound on your head,”—he shook his head— “it was Brother Noble who was struck.” He shook his head again. “That’s why your men got so upset and shouted out to the leper. They knew it was you.”
She hurried to explain, a slight cringe to her face. “I assumed, though I never saw him, whoever was after Gard didn’t want a leper interfering and when he spotted me, a rock was the best weapon of choice.”
Wolf groaned, turned his back on her, and continued to shake his head.
Raven approached him and laid a gentle hand on his back. “Please let me explain about Brother Noble.”
He turned, anger still sparking in his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest.
His annoyed stance and silence told her he would listen and so she spoke. “I needed a way to discover things while keeping my identity unknown and staying safe. Charles came up with the idea of assuming the role of a leper, better still a cleric who was a leper. I took the name we knew Charles as… Noble. And he was a noble man, helping many. The disguise helped me gather much information and even visit with those I missed. I never set out to meet you. Our meeting was pure accident, but I did take advantage of it. I also will admit that I enjoyed talking with you. I think in a way it helped me decide to agree to wed you. I thought that if anything, there might be a slim chance we could establish a friendship.”
“I enjoyed talking with you as well,” Wolf admitted. “There was wisdom to the leper’s words—your word.”
“And there was a thoughtfulness to your words that at first I refused to see but could not deny once we were wed.” She reached out to him, though she didn’t touch him. She waited for him to reach out to her as well. “I did what I had to do to protect those I love, just as Greta did, just as you do, just as we now do together.”
His hand shot out and grabbed the back of her neck to yank her up against him. “You better never pose as the leper again.”
She scrunched her face. “You never know when Brother Noble might be needed.”
“Raven, so help me, I’ll give you a good beating if you ever do that again,” he threatened.
She laughed. “Don’t be foolish. You’d never raise your hand to me. You love me too much.”
He muttered several oaths. “You are impossible, kona.”
“I have been truthful with you from the beginning, husband. I am who I am and I make no excuse about it. You love me for who I am, or you don’t. The choice is yours to make freely. I made mine freely. I love you for who you are, Beast and all, even when your annoying I love you.”
“When I’m annoying?” he asked, his hand slipping off the back of her neck to rest around her waist.
“Aye, you can be annoying at times, but I manage to deal with it.”