Worthy

The whole dining hall was awash in the scent of the smokey, stone fireplace and the week’s worth of food set before them in honor of Rosemary and Sigrid’s arrival.

Daniel’s eyes were bathed in the fire’s light as he held Sigrid on his lap, and she slapped joyfully at the table before her while her uncles and cousins took their turns entertaining her with their silly faces.

Always a hero to Rosemary, she rested her chin on her hand and gazed at the warm amber and gold that flickered in his eyes.

As a man, he was handsome, but as a father, he was exquisite. If she was ever confused about her feelings before, she had no doubt now that she was in love.

Daniel was in his place of power, the birthplace of his bloodline, and no one was safe from him there, not even his mate. He could see all her thoughts laid before him like a book, and when the memory of their reunion on the rug in their bedroom came back to her mind, Daniel’s eyes flicked back to her.

The quick flush of pink that rose on her cheeks made her glow like a sunset. A slow ache started in Daniel’s core and reached out to her from across the table. With no father or Lord to be mindful of anymore, Daniel nodded to her, then stood before the table as he motioned for Rosemary. “Excuse us. We’re off to bed.”

A few stray chuckles from their men followed them as Daniel bounced Sigrid in his arms, and Rosemary slid her arm around his back while they left the hall. Daniel lifted his chin that way when the whispers from the room beyond the foyer swept across his thoughts. “When we first took the castle, Agi and I found a room that was sealed with a spell. It’s filled with old books. Agi said they’re dark magic.”

An amused snort left her nose as she rolled her eyes away. “Agi’s being silly. There is no dark magic. Magic is just magic; only the witch can be good or bad. In the right hands, even those terrible spells can do good things.”

He rubbed his nose in Sigrid’s fluffy hair, and it tickled his lips, making them curl on the ends. “I thought dark spells couldn’t be used for good.”

She clasped her hands behind her bottom, and she swayed beside him as she walked and shrugged her shoulders. “Yes, and no.”

His eyes narrowed at her as he waited for her to continue. “How?”

“There are many types of creatures in this world.” Rosemary curled her lips and shrugged again. “Some of them can wield tremendous power, and some cannot.” She slid her hand to her chest. “For instance, I can heal, but I can’t do much else.” As she pointed back towards the foyer, Rosemary shook her head. “It doesn’t matter how terrible or wonderful the spell is, I can’t ever make it work right. It’s just not the type of creature I am. In my hands, it would just be a failure of a spell and would probably only end up harming me in some way.”

A sharp breath filled Daniel’s nose as he came to understand. “Agi doesn’t trust me with it.”

Her hand slid to his arm as Rosemary shook her head. “It’s not that, Daniel. A long time ago, during the war, the Great Evil used the magic to nearly destroy this whole world. The power of those books in the wrong hands is terrifying. Agi is old enough to remember it, and he’s afraid of those days returning as we should all be. He understands what a mighty gift you have.”

His eyes traveled all over her face as he searched her mind for the truth before he asked the question. “Do you think my hands are the wrong hands, Rosemary?”

With a nod of his head, the bedroom door swung open, and Rosemary turned to face him as she backed inside. Her flushed cheeks lifted under her eyes as they smiled at him, and her chest lifted and fell rapidly under her hand as she slid it over her heart. “No, Daniel, I know your hands better than anyone; they are very good hands. I’ll help you learn the magic.”

As Rosemary rocked Sigrid to sleep in the corner of the little nursery, Daniel leaned against the doorway and rubbed his chin against his shoulder. “Are you going to shave that?”

He nodded as a grin came to his face, and he rubbed the short dark beard he was working on. “I will.”

“I quite like it.” Rosemary leaned into the seatback as Sigrid’s soft baby snores filled the room. “It suits you. It’s very manly like you are.”

The scuffs his bare feet created as he crossed the floor were like the ticking of a clock. He lifted Sigrid from Rosemary’s arms and placed a kiss on her forehead before laying her in her bed. The soft, white blanket he had made for her was lined with the smoothest silk he could find, and when it slid across her plump arm, Sigrid shuddered as it tickled her. “She’s so big now.”

The guilt in his voice nagged at Rosemary, and she slid her hands up his back, then kissed the center on his shoulder blades. “I know the two of you speak in your minds. She’s been closer to you than I have these last months.”

His hand reached behind him and rubbed up and down her hip as he shook his head. “It’s not the same. I’ve missed so much. I swore to her we’d never be apart again, but I just can’t seem to keep my word.”

The pressure of her fingers twisting his arms made Daniel turn around to face her. “It’s a small thing compared to all the rest of it, Daniel. A thousand years, remember?”

His fingers caressed her cheek, then her neck, and settled on her chest. “I remember.”

Her hands found their way to his, and she pulled him along as she crept from Sigrid’s room. “I’m so proud of you, Daniel.” Her eyes rolled away to the chandelier above them, then swept around the room. “This place is amazing, and it’s all because of you. I had no doubts that you would do this, but seeing it, standing here, it’s just incredible.”

He lifted her from the floor and sat her at the edge of the bed, then pushed her down and hovered over her. “It’s for you. All of this.” As he unraveled the belt of her robe, he landed soft kisses on her pale skin, and his breathy, deep voice vibrated on the bones of her chest. “I had to give you a proper temple. You’re my Queen. My Goddess.”

Rosemary slid out from under him and slithered up the bed until she sat up against the pillows. “Well, then, come worship me properly.”

Daniel crawled out of his pants and pushed her thighs open with the tips of his fingers. A million sensations at once shot through her when Daniel’s mouth found her, and each flick of his tongue took her to some new wonderful place. She threaded her hands through his hair and sucked back a breath between her teeth as her head fell back into the pillow. Her hips rolled up to meet his mouth until she was a quivering, whimpering mess underneath him.

He took his time visiting every other unkissed place between her sex and her mouth before he pressed his lips to hers. Still reeling from her orgasm, her whole body shuddered when his hot cock slid back and forth against her. “Am I worthy, Your Majesty?”

She panted against his mouth, and her eyes pinched shut as he pressed himself inside her. “So worthy.”