Fantasyland 04 Broken Dove (85 page)

It was at his “ah,” which only Apollo could make sexy, belatedly, my eyes traveled over his lusciousness wearing his deep green sweater and brown beeches, and I lost focus on my task.

I lifted my gaze to his face and said, “We don’t have trains, phones or scoop-shaped Fritos here, but I’m seeing a variety of pluses. Men on my…I mean, in the other world don’t look hot when they go hunting.”

Apollo ignored my remark about him looking hot and asked, “Scoop-shaped Fritos?”

“Corn chips that are awesome normally but these ones are especially designed for dipping which increases their awesomeness exponentially mostly because I haven’t yet met a dip I did not like,” I replied.

His brows narrowed telling me that clearly didn’t cut it as an explanation.

“Food,” I said simply. “Food that I enjoy.”

Upon my answer, he bent to me and offered quietly. “I’ll give Valentine a diamond to bring some back for you.”

Only Apollo would offer a diamond for Fritos.

Seriously.

My guy was the bomb.

“I’m not sure that’s an equal trade,” I shared.

“Anything my dove wants is worth whatever it takes to give it to her,” he returned.

Seriously.

My guy was
the bomb.

In that moment, sitting in my robe and nightgown, looking up at his beauty, carrying his child, knowing I’d soon have his name (well, a name I already had but the good one this time), I decided he needed to know that so I told him, “You’re the bomb.”

His eyes lit with humor.

“I take it that’s good,” he remarked.

“You take it right,” I replied.

He smiled.

I tipped my head back hoping he’d understand the invitation.

He did. Leaning further, he gave me a short, sweet, but thankfully wet kiss, the wet part being a touch of the tips of our tongues.

Delicious.

He pulled away an inch but kept hold of my eyes. “Anything you say to Christophe will be fine. Don’t fret over it. Just be you.”

Just be me.

Apollo thought that was enough.

And he taught me it was.

More than enough.

A beautiful lesson to learn.

“Okay,” I whispered.

He lifted a hand to slide his fingers in the side of my hair and curled them around the back. Once positioned, he pulled my head down so he could touch his lips to the top of my hair.

He allowed me to tip my head back again and ordered, “Wish your betrothed luck in the hunt.”

On a grin, not thinking of the unsuspecting deer and bunnies, I did as bid. “Good luck in the hunt.”

He grinned back then his face got serious. “Do not leave this house, my dove.”

Like I’d make that mistake again.

“I won’t,” I promised.

“Not much longer and all you’ll need to worry about is preparations for our marriage celebration and decorating the nursery.”

Happiness swept through me. So much of it, even though I was sitting, I had to lift my hand and curl it around his forearm to hold myself steady.

But all that had gone before understandably meant that happiness clouded.

This time, I didn’t hold it in.

This time, I shared it immediately.

“Do you think I’ll be able—?”

He cut me off with a firm, “Yes.”

“This is…she is…” I swallowed. “She’s ours, Apollo, we made her. And if something—”

He twisted his hand gently in my hair and took back half the inch that he went away.

“You and I, Madeleine, we have had more than our share of sadness and tragedy. Think on this, my poppy. It is an impossibility that we would find each other. But we did. And when we did, the odds were against us with who came before…for you and for me. We beat those odds. And to settle in your womb, this child beat pennyrium. Do you not think all this says that it is time we set the sadness and tragedy where it belongs and look ahead to a future that could do nothing but beam bright?”

Well, if he put it that way.

“Yes,” I agreed.

“Yes,” he repeated firmly. “You have proved time and again you can do anything. Keep yourself safe from grave danger. Find your way in a world all new to you. Win the affection of a boy burdened by grief. Witnessing you do all that, I believe in my heart, my poppy, that you can also do this.”

Okay, I believed too, since he put it that way.

“All right, honey,” I replied.

“All right,” he stated, took that last half an inch and touched his lips to mine. When he again moved back, he didn’t go far. And I felt it in my belly in a warm way I’d never felt it before (and before I’d felt it in a
way
warm way), when he whispered, “I love you, my Madeleine.”

I hoped my way was just as warm when I replied, “I love you too, baby.” I grinned at him. “Now go show those cute bunnies and helpless deer who’s boss.”

His eyes crinkled and he again pulled me forward, this time to touch his mouth to my forehead before he let me go, straightened and started to move away.

“I’ll see you this afternoon,” he called.

“See you this afternoon,” I called to his back.

He opened the door and stopped, turned to me and gave me a deep bow.

When he straightened, he winked.

I smiled.

The door closed.

I took in a deep breath and put my hand to my belly.

“A future that beams bright,” I said to no one but did it still smiling.

Then it hit me, I turned to the paper and added ballpoint pens to the shopping list Apollo was going to pay for in diamonds because it took me ten back and forths to the inkpot to write:

Chris,

This was fabulous. Thank you for allowing me to read it. I couldn’t put it down and can’t wait to see the ending.

In more ways than one.

xx Maddie

* * * * *

I was strolling through the halls, giving myself a tour of all the fabulousness that was the Winter Palace, and being interrupted in this endeavor repeatedly seeing as there were a ton of people in Fyngaard for the Bitter Gales and it seemed the majority of them were staying at the palace.

I was also experiencing something strange. This was that, apparently, a number of them had seen me at the Drakkar gale in Brunskar and further, word had spread about me pretty widely so not a lot of people were freaked at seeing me, the image of the departed Ilsa Ulfr, strolling the halls of their princess’s regal residence.

Then again, it also appeared I’d been replaced.

They had new objects of fascination. These being knowing that Dax Lahn and his Dahksahna were attending. People I had met in passing at the Drakkar gale and people I’d never met before in my life stopped me to ask if I’d seen either of them.

It was obvious royalty from the Southlands didn’t regularly hobnob with the aristocracy of the Northlands so this was an event. But everyone was well aware of who Lahn and Circe were and the way many of them asked after them, I didn’t like all that much.

They weren’t celebrities.

They were clearly oddities.

I wasn’t a big fan of this so I quickly learned not to make eye contact as I quickly decided to find Circe and fill her in so she wouldn’t be blindsided by it, hoping that she hadn’t already been.

Finding her was an easy task since the first servant I encountered knew exactly where she was and had actually been sent to find me to “Attend our Winter Princess, Cora, the Gracious, and the Golden Queen in the library.”

I gave her a smile, a thanks, and scooted to the library.

I found the doors guarded by Frey’s men, Gunner and Stephan.

Since the palace was supposed to be safe, I wasn’t sure that was good.

“Is everything okay?” I asked when I stopped at the doors.

“Finnie doesn’t want to be disturbed. It’s the Bitter Gales and since she’s off with Frey half the time, they now have their chance so everyone wants her ear,” Gunner answered. “We’re here to make that stop.”

“I see it’s good having Raiders at your back,” I noted.

“Always,” Gunner agreed as Stephan moved to open the door for me.

“Thanks,” I said as I moved in.

Stephan lifted his chin to me.

I walked in seeing six women standing at the window, Circe, Finnie, Cora and the three women who fell on Finnie when she arrived the day before.

“What’s up?” I called, and all eyes came to me but it was Finnie who spoke.

Waving her hand my way, she called, “Come here.”

I moved through the vast space lined with books. It was warm, even though there was only one fireplace. Then again, that fireplace was shockingly huge so it was definitely up for the task of heating that space.

I joined them at the windows just as Circe announced, “I think things are coming to a head.”

I was thinking she was right because I was staring out the window at Loretta and Hans.

He was standing straight and removed, barely having tipped his chin down to catch her eyes.

She was leaned into him slightly, a beseeching posture, that was solidified by the look on her face which was definitely imploring.

At first glance, things did not appear to be going well for Loretta.

Stupid,
stupid
Hans.

“How long have they been at it?” I asked, pushing closer into the group so I could get closer to the window.

“I saw them and called for everyone,” Circe replied. “At least twenty minutes.”

Twenty minutes?

Oh crap.

Hans was making her work for it and I did not like that.

Not at all.

Suddenly, he moved as if to turn away and Loretta jumped to catch his hand.

He twisted it before she could latch on and it took everything I had not to rap on the window and shout at him to stop being such a
man
and
listen
.

But I didn’t need to.

Loretta instantly took a step back, disappointment washing through her features before she blanked them and jerked up her chin.

Her mouth moved and unfortunately, try as I might (and it had been some weeks that I’d been trying), I could not read her lips.

Hans’s back was to us so I couldn’t see his expression. I could only see that when Loretta was done speaking, she was just plain
done.
I knew this when she instantly turned and started moving through the snow.

Hans allowed her to take four steps before he went after her.

Okay. That was good.

He grabbed her hand.

Okay. That was better.

She twisted it free before he could catch it.

Okay. That was bad.

But in doing this, she had to turn his way.

He took advantage, catching her with an arm around her waist.

Now that was
excellent
.

“Go get her, tiger,” Finnie whispered.

We watched Loretta lean away as Hans bent deep. He was obviously talking. She just as obviously wasn’t hip on listening.

And then he quit talking and started kissing.

“All
right
,” Circe said softly.

Loretta didn’t make him work for that. She didn’t even protest a little.

She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and melted into his body.

He leaned in deeper, bending her over his arm.

“Nice,” Cora remarked.

It sure looked it.

I just hoped it was.

Christophe was going to be pleased.

I was withholding judgment until…

Hans suddenly broke the kiss and straightened Loretta in his arms before he cupped her jaw in a tender manner that made Loretta’s face get soft in a way that I liked very much.

Okay, it took approximately three seconds, but I’d stopped withholding judgment.

I smiled.

“Awesome,” Cora said, “I wish I’d seen his whole thing from the beginning.”

“Don’t worry, we’ll fill you in,” Finnie assured her.

I was just about to suggest we give them some privacy by asking to be introduced to Finnie’s friends when one of them asked, “What’s that?”

My eyes went to her to see hers still at the window so I looked that way, beyond Hans and Loretta.

Then my blood turned to ice because a sea of wolves was heading out of the forest behind the palace and into the clearing.