His Abducted Bride (10 page)

At least she was eating her cheese. He’d hate to think she’d starve herself in protest to being here. Directing his attention to the armoire, he sorted through clothes suitable for dinner. He still wore the clothes he’d been wearing during his fighting practice, and he needed to wash up. Once he selected what he’d wear, he planned to take a bath. He glanced at Sandy who was happily nibbling on her cheese. If the sight of him bathing disturbed her, she’d have to look the other way. He wasn’t going to change his routine just because she was in the room with him. It was her decision to become a mouse and try to run off.

He took out the clothes he’d wear to the banquet hall and pulled the cord on the wall to alert the servants to bring up his bath. With a glance in her direction, he saw she’d finished one cube and was licking her paws. He went over to the cage and peered down at her.

“You don’t eat that well at the banquet hall,” he said.

She looked up from her paws and squeaked.

“It’s too bad you’re not a talking mouse.” While he might not like what she had to say, he didn’t like guessing what she was thinking.

She squeaked again then went to her water dish so she could drink some water.

Someone knocked on the door, so he stood up. “You may enter.”

When the servants came in with his tub and pails of water to fill it with, he gestured to the area in the room where he usually bathed. It wasn’t completely out of Sandy’s view, but it wasn’t right in front of her either. He saw no reason to move his furniture around to hide himself from her, and he never bothered to acquire a screen to undress behind. He waited in silence while they filled his tub then thanked them.

As they left the room, he turned toward Sandy who let out a tentative squeak. Deciding it best if he add humor to the situation, he grinned and winked. “You’re free to watch if you wish.”

She squeaked again and turned her back to him.

He didn’t know whether he was amused or disappointed by her reaction. It was a totally female thing for her to do—being too shy to watch. But since he was her husband, he’d like to think she had a slight interest in seeing him naked. Pushing the thoughts aside, he disrobed and placed his soiled clothes in the basket by the tub. Before he got into the tub, he picked up a bar of soap and a washcloth. He ventured another look in her direction and saw that she’d been watching him. She quickly turned her back to him. A smile crossed his face as he stepped into the tub. Well, maybe his wife had a spark of interest in him after all.

***

The next afternoon, Sandy peered up as the king opened the door to her cage. She could feel that she was about to transform back into her normal body and was relieved he hadn’t forgotten. She assumed she would have broken the cage as she grew to her full human length, but for all she knew, it might prevent her from changing.

He extended his hand toward her. “Your time has come to transform, my queen.”

Her skin tingled, warning her that she better get going. She ran into his hand.

To her surprise, he lifted her gently toward him and kissed her head. “It’ll be nice to have you back, though I admit it was a lot more peaceful with you as a mouse.”

She squeaked at his comment. Peaceful as a mouse, indeed! As a mouse, she could have spread disease if she really wanted to.

Though he placed her on the bed, he set his hand over her so she couldn’t run off. “I know better than to take my chances, Sandy. You’re not getting away from me again.”

Just where did he think she was going to go? As soon as she ran off, she’d change back into a woman and be easy to find. To her dismay, he kissed her again. She groaned but it came out as a squeak. What on earth was he doing?

“I’ve decided my approach up to now has been all wrong,” he began and rubbed his fingers behind her ears in a strangely soothing motion that calmed her. “Up to now, I’ve given you all the distance you’ve needed, thinking that you would discover it’s not so bad here. But I don’t believe that day will come as long as I keep giving you your space. Things are going to be different from now on. We’re going to spend all of our time together.”

Alarmed, she looked at him and squeaked.

He chuckled and patted her head with his finger. “I’m going to be a very attentive and caring husband.”

She didn’t like the sound of this. She wiggled in an attempt to slip away from his hand, but he collected her in both hands and sat up, keeping her securely against him. With a squeaky protest, she finally stopped fighting him and settled down.

He gave her another kiss. “Get used to me showering you with affection, sweetie.”

She was tempted to nip at him in warning, but her body warmed and lengthened. The fur disappeared, her features changed, and her blonde hair flowed down her back. The world around her no longer seemed like a giant’s castle. It took her a moment to realize she was sitting on the king’s lap. Before she could jump off of him, he embraced her and let his lips settle on hers.

She turned her head, thankfully ending the kiss. “You will refrain from kissing me in the future,” she demanded.

“No, I don’t think so,” he replied, giving her an affectionate hug.

“Why are you doing this?”

“I told you. Nothing I’ve done so far has worked. I might as well change tactics.”

Wonderful. So not only was he being sickeningly sweet, but he wasn’t even being sincere. She tried to push away from him, but he was too strong for her. Curse her weaker body! It was to his advantage he was a man, especially one who exercised on a regular basis.

“This is just the beginning,” he continued, not at all disturbed that she was trying to push him away. “I’ll have Noel bring your things into this bedchamber.”

She gasped and stilled her movements. “You expect me to share a bed with you?”

“Only share. We will not actually do anything interesting. Not unless you want to.” He wiggled his eyebrows and smiled suggestively at her.

Gagging, she said, “No way, pal.”

“Bummer.”

“Let me go.”

“I fully intend to release you, but you have two options.”

Of course. She rolled her eyes. She should have seen this coming. “What options?”

“You will either stay within a few feet of me willingly or we’ll be handcuffed together. If you try to run off, the handcuffs go on so choose wisely.”

“There are no handcuffs in this world.”

“There weren’t any handcuffs until I ordered the magician to create a pair. They’re voice activated. Only my voice will free you from them. So,” he shot her a smug grin, “which will it be?”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “I don’t believe you have any handcuffs.”

“Come now, Sandy. You know I don’t bluff.”

“I need to see them.” If he thought she was going to blindly accept anything he said, he had another thing coming.

“Fine. I’ll show you.” He gave her a quick kiss and set her on her feet. Before she could run out of the room, he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her against his side. “They’re right over here.”

Reluctant, she walked across the room with him to the table that was holding the cage she’d been in while in mouse form.

He pulled out the drawer and picked up the handcuffs. “Open,” he said.

The handcuffs opened, and her jaw dropped. “That’s not possible. You need a key.”

“Close,” he said and the handcuffs obeyed. “A key isn’t necessary in this world. Now, you tell the handcuffs to open.”

Though she suspected the handcuffs wouldn’t obey her the way they obeyed him, she sighed. “Open.”

The handcuffs remained closed.

“Believe me now?” he asked. “So, will we be wearing handcuffs or not?”

“Not,” she muttered.

With a pleased smile, he returned the handcuffs to the drawer and closed it. “Oh, before you think you can steal them, I had the magician throw a spell over this table. I’m the only person who can open that drawer.”

“Well, congratulations. You’ve thought of everything.”

“I have to if I’m to stay one step ahead of you.” He turned her so that she was facing him and clasped his hands behind her waist. “I couldn’t help but notice you watch me while I practice sword fighting with my men.”

So he did notice her while she stared at him every day. She knew it!

“You’re in luck. Not only will I let you be right there with us, but I’ll even teach you some maneuvers.”

“Is that a good idea? I might stab you in the heart or chop off your head.”

He chuckled. “You don’t have it in you to hurt anyone.”

“I was ready to kill you in the last chapter of this book.”

“You were writing it. Writing something is different from actually doing it.” With a shrug, he added, “If you’d rather stand by my side and watch, that’s fine. It doesn’t matter to me so long as you’re with me, where you belong.”

“I’ll practice.” Watching him had proven to be a very boring experience, and quite frankly, she’d like to do something other than sit, walk, stand, sleep, or eat. Even waitressing at Jack’s diner right now seemed exciting to all the restless days she’d spent in this castle. “You win. I’ll let you teach me what you know, and I won’t run off.”

Bringing her closer to him, he kissed her, this time letting his lips linger on hers. This time she didn’t try to push him away. She told herself it was because there was no point in fighting him. Her attempts to get away had been in vain, and she wasn’t stupid enough to keep doing what wasn’t working. But even as she rationalized her willingness to let him kiss her, a deeper part of her secretly enjoyed the way he kissed her. If nothing else could be said for him, he was a good kisser.

He released her waist and slipped his arm around hers. “Have you ever held a sword before?”

“No. I had no need for one in my world.”

“Good. Then we’ll start with how you hold one.”

She nodded as they left his bedchamber. “Alright.” At least this would be more interesting than being a spectator.

Sandy lifted the sword but Blackheart cleared his throat. Annoyed, she put it back to her side, ignoring the other men who were practicing in the courtyard.

“When you lift your sword, you need to point it toward your opponent, not straight up in the air,” Blackheart instructed as he demonstrated the maneuver.

“We’ve spent a half hour on how I lift the sword,” she replied with a groan.

“You’re not taking this seriously. The first part of any fight starts with your mind. You need to be focused.” He pointed to her forehead.

She swatted his hand away. “I am focused.”

“No, you’re not. You’re treating this like it’s a game.”

“Well, it’s not like I’m really going to fight someone. If I really want to get you, I’ll do it when you’re sleeping.” She smirked and feigned a stabbing motion with her hand, directing it at his chest.

He laughed and grabbed her hand before she had time to pull it back. “You underestimate me. Even when I sleep, I’m aware of what’s going on around me.”

She rolled her eyes. “Sure.”

“It’s true. A good warrior never lets his guard down.” He released her hand. “Fighting with a sword is more about keeping your opponent away from you.” He helped her lift the sword, demonstrating how to properly hold it. “Your opponent will keep advancing toward you. Your sword is for protection. You only take the offensive when you need to strike, and when you strike, you must be quick and know exactly where to hit him.”

He let go of her hand. “Now, try it again.”

She stared at the sword. Just how much did she want to learn how to fight with it? It wasn’t like she’d ever need to use it. “I’m tired. It’s been a long day, what with changing from a mouse into a human and all.” Lowering the sword, she held the handle to him. “I think I’ll sit down and contemplate why I ever became a writer to begin with.”

He accepted the sword and grinned. “You possess such wit. But I can answer your quandary. You became a writer so I could exist. You are here so I will live.”

“And will I return to my world?”

His grin faltered.

She narrowed her eyes at him. “So you have no intention of returning me to my world?”

To her dismay, he didn’t answer her. Instead, he handed the sword to a guard.

Up to now, she had assumed that once she gave him an heir, he’d send her back to her world. Not that he’d get the heir. Nothing he could do would change that. But she believed his intentions were to temporarily keep her here.

She waited for him to turn his attention back to her before she spoke. “I don’t belong here. I have friends and family in my world. They have to be going crazy with worry about me.”

“Time has no meaning here. For them, it’s as if you never disappeared.”

“That can only be true if I return. Since you obviously have no intention of sending me back, they’re bound to notice I’m no longer there.”

He dismissed her logic with a wave of his hand. “Things are different here.” He turned to his men and clapped his hands. “That’ll be it for today! We’ll practice again tomorrow.”

Crossing her arms, she tapped her foot on the grass and willed him to look at her. When he did, she said, “It’s not fair for you to keep me here, Blackheart, and you know it.”

“Gavin.”

She blinked. “What?”

“My name is Gavin. True, my last name is Blackheart, but I prefer to be called by my first name, especially when my wife is the one talking to me.”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “You’re avoiding the topic.”

“Oh? What topic is that?”

“What topic is…” She clenched her hands. “You know very well what topic.”

“Come along, Sandy.” He gently took her by the elbow and led her into the castle. “We have to get ready for dinner. I’m sure after eating nothing but cheese, you’ll have a new appreciation for roasted meat and vegetables.”

“Gavin, I demand you answer me at once!”

Bringing her into his arms, he kissed her. She didn’t know whether to be mortified or angry. They were in front of others who were lingering about the hallway. He should know better than to do something like this. He was a king, not a commoner. Did she write him so that he lacked any sense of modesty? When he finally released her, she stared at him. The only reason she didn’t slap him was because she was too stunned.