“Ease my worries as I ease yours,” he said. “Let your men and my men watch over you.”
“Only if it is not constant. I feel caged when I am constantly watched,” she said, her hand going to rest against his arm beneath her breasts.
“That can be arranged,” he assured her, feeling her body ready for sleep.
“You are a good husband,” she whispered, her eyes closing.
“And you a good wife,” he said. And I believe I’ve lost my heart to you.
He wasn’t sure where that thought came from but he wouldn’t deny it. He couldn’t. It was too strong of a feeling in him and one he found he favored. He also favored the thought that he could actually love his wife, once his foe but no more. Raven wasn’t anything like he thought she’d be and she was exactly what he wanted in a wife, something he never truly knew until he met her.
He had thought by agreeing to wed her, he had condemned himself to a life of misery and constant battle. Instead, he had found something he thought he never would.
He’d found love.
Chapter 21
Raven sat at the table cuddled close to her husband in the common room. It wasn’t only his warmth she sought but also the comfort it brought her when close to him. She had given it much thought since the snowstorm four days ago. She hadn’t wanted to admit it, but more and more she was feeling as if she’d come home. She had expected that feeling to embrace her on the day she had returned home to her family but, to her disappointment, it hadn’t. While she’d certainly been relieved and happy to see her family, she hadn’t felt the immense joy she had anticipated.
“Warm enough?” Wolf asked, keeping his wife tucked close in the crook of his arm.
“Aye, you’ve kept me well heated,” she said with a chuckle.
“I intend to heat you even more today,” he said, his hand sneaking to playfully squeeze her breast.
The door to the common room opened and a cold wind rushed in with Lars.
Wolf reluctantly dropped his hand off his wife, but kept her snug against him.
“The cold lingers but at least the snow leaves us be,” Lars said, joining them at the table and quickly filling a tankard with hot cider, his large hands wrapping around it to chase his chill. “A rider was spotted heading this way. He should be here soon since he wasn’t far off when I left the keep.”
“He rides alone?” Wolf asked.
“From what can be seen, it appears so,” Lars said.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if it was one of your brothers, checking to see if I caused you harm,” Wolf half joked, looking to his wife.
“My brothers wouldn’t be foolish enough to brave a ride here when so much snow still covers the ground. Besides, Clive probably told them all was well here.” Raven may have sounded confident, but if her husband’s thought proved true, then something was definitely amiss.
The door opened just as she finished and the wind rushed a man in, his dark cloak concealing most of him. After shutting the door, he tossed back his hood.
“Arran, where is your common sense riding here when snow makes travel dangerous?” she admonished with a welcoming smile while her gut twisted with worry.
“Making sure my little sister isn’t getting into any more trouble,” he said, approaching the table and casting a suspicious eye on Lars.
“Arran, meet a loyal and trusted friend, Lars,” Wolf said, seeing the questionable look in Arran’s eyes.
Arran nodded at the man and Lars returned it with a huge grin. “Sit and warm your innards with a hot brew.”
Raven watched her brother do just that and by the time he got done filling a tankard, without sending a teasing jab her way, she knew something was wrong. “What do you hesitate to tell me? Is it Da? Is he not well? Oria?” Her husband’s body grew as taut as a bow string upon hearing his sister’s name.
“All are well,” Arran quickly assured her.
She leaned across the table, her eyes directly on her brother. “I see worry in your eyes.”
Arran looked ready to respond, when his glance suddenly shifted to Wolf. “Brynjar is here in Scotland.”
“How? When? And how did you learn of this?” Wolf demanded, annoyed Arran learned of it before he did. He paid people generously to keep him updated on such things.
“It’s all thanks to you,” Arran said, a spark of anger to his words. “I made acquaintances on foreign soil when fighting for you, and once free I began to trade with them. One such acquaintance, having no like for Brynjar, spotted him and sent word to me.”
Raven wished she could tell her brother the truth, that it had been the King he fought for and not Wolf. One day she would.