Rhys took hold of her chin. “You will stay out of the woods and never again let me find you tending a wolf.” The purse of her lips and the tilt of her head alerted him to his mistake. “Let me clarify that. Never again will you tend a wolf whether I see you doing it or not, and I will have your word on it.”
“I will give you my word that I will not go into the woods until this problem is resolved.” She shook her head. “But I cannot give you my wordthat I will not tend a wolf, if it should prove necessary.”
“Are you forcing my hand, wife?” he asked, giving her chin a squeeze.
“No,” she whispered and placed her hand over his and eased it off her chin, cupping it in her hands. “I do not force you nor can I stop you from the decisions you make. I say again, I wish for truth and trust between us.”
“Truth often times creates problems.”
“Trust often times helps to avoid or solve them.”
Bringing his lips close to hers, he whispered, “Do you trust me, wife?”
“With my life,” she answered without hesitation.
His words whispered across her lips with a hint of a challenge. “You place your life in the hands of the Dark Dragon?”
“I place my life in the hands of the man I love.” She pressed her lips to his before he could move away in anger, knowing once their lips touched there would be no separating them.
Rhys let the kiss go only so far, his passion flaming much too hot, far too quickly, and he could sense hers had done the same.
He tugged her head gently back by her hair. “You are still sore?”
Heather hesitated to answer.
His hand dipped under the hem of her dress. “I can find out for myself, or you can tell me thetruth, since is it not truth that you want between us?”
Heather sighed. “It is, and I have yet to heal completely.”
Rhys removed his hand from under her dress. “There is something I wish to be truthful with you about.”
Heather smiled, pleased that he should do so.
Rhys ran his fingers down along her braid that rested on her chest. “The necklace you wore the other night, it was not me who left it for you.” Her smile faded as Rhys continued. “Haidar gave that necklace to his wife when he found out she was pregnant, certain she would give him a son, since her mother had given her father four sons.”
Heather rubbed her chest, feeling as if it was not the necklace that had touched her skin, but Haidar’s hands.
Rhys took her hand in his, aware of what his wife was thinking. “Haidar will never touch you; I will make certain of it.”
Heather smiled and pressed his hand to her chest. “No one will ever touch me but you.”
“You are right about that, for I will kill any man that even dares it.”
Heather wrinkled her brow.
“What is wrong?”
“I think Seamus is right.”
“Right about what?”
“Seamus made mention that one of your own warriors could have turned against you for a price, and with someone having gained access to our bedchamber twice now without being caught I would venture to guess he may be right.”
“Your curiosity combined with your intelligence may prove?—”
“Helpful,” she finished with a soft laugh.
Her laughter brought a smile to his face, something that had become more frequent with his wife around. And he wondered, or perhaps he more hoped, that she actually had the power to chase away the darkness that had been his constant companion for far too long.
