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“Really?”
“Yes, but what about you? Do you feel you’ve made a mistake? Do you wish the bond undone?”
~ ~ ~
Regan wanted to tease him, wanted to tell him, ‘too late now’. But she knew he needed reassurance. Guilt had dogged him on every front and she didn’t want it to have an effect on them as they moved forward together. “I refuse to think of anything that’s happened as a series of mistakes, including the bond. For me, this is my destiny, one I’ve craved since we were together so long ago. I don’t in any way feel cheated because we chose to engage the bond in the heat of battle. Instead, I feel incredibly fulfilled. I mean, look what we were able to do? We ended Ben’s secretive hold on Camberlaune and removed a powerful ally from Margetta’s army. These are no small things.
“And to be honest, even if I didn’t love you as I do, saving Camberlaune alone would have been worth it.”
“You mean everything you just said, don’t you?”
She arched a brow. “When have I ever lied to you?”
At that, a smile disrupted his somber, dark look. “Never. You’ve always told it to me straight and kept pushing back, even when I blamed you.”
She hugged him, then pathed, I love you so much and I love that we’re bonded.
When she drew back, his eyes were full of affection as he settled his lips on hers. The kiss warmed her heart, her mind and her soul. She became acutely aware of the way their mating vibrations now moved as one, sending pulses of love through her body.
After a moment, Ian drew back, but still held her tight. “There is something I want to be clear about. Saying good-bye to you back then hurt for years afterward. You were everything to me. It’s my deepest regret, pushing you away.”
“Ian, throughout all these centuries, you’ve had one of the toughest jobs around, all the ruling mastyrs have. I didn’t like what happened after the massacre. But I came to understand that Raven’s Overlook destroyed a part of you that my love could never have rebuilt. Even if we’d stayed together, you would have felt guilty the whole time.”
He stared at her for a long moment, then said quietly, “I think you’re right.”
“So we’re good?” she asked. She needed a lot of reassurance herself.
He nodded. “The bond feels so right to me and I love you more than words can ever express.”
With her fears allayed and after one long, beautiful kiss, he offered her a meal. She took him up on it and savored the rosemary bread, flavorful potato soup, and glass of sweet German wine.
Later, with the dishes cleaned up, she took him out onto the deck. She had an idea about what she wanted to do next, but she wasn’t sure he’d go for it.
She leaned into him, caressing his face and rubbing a thumb over his lips. “We have some lost time to make up for, don’t we?”
“Yes we do. A mountain of it.”
“I know this may sound irreverent, Ian, but I’d love to go to your cave right now. I know you’ve had women there, probably lots of them. But this has been a rough night and what I want needs to continue in that theme, though in a good way.
He rocked his hips into hers. “Rough like this?”
Her eyes fluttered. “Exactly like this. The only question remains, how fast can you get me there?”
His eyelids fell to half-mast. “As I recall, I could always get you there fast.”
She gasped, remembering. “You’re a wicked man. But the way you could use your vibrations ... ”
“Several places at once as I recall. So, how about we see if we can do it again?”
~ ~ ~
Ian took her into the air and focused on the small lake in the south of his realm, set in the middle of a series of low, green hills. He’d discovered and purchased the cave a couple centuries back, which meant Regan had never seen it before. He’d bought the surrounding land at the same time.
He also knew all sorts of rumors abounded concerning his activities in the cave, most of which weren’t true. But he didn’t waste his time trying to correct them. He was pretty sure he’d only add fuel to the fire if he made the attempt.
When the hills appeared on the horizon, he dipped and dropped down through the external opening that angled off the side of the westernmost hill. He descended slowly, turning Regan so she could see the sight below.
“It’s an underground lake.” She sounded surprised. “With a beach. How on earth did that happen?”
