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She felt a second hand on her head and an increased healing warmth flow through her, easing every nerve ending. She felt the elf-lord power surround her. She was back in the water at the grotto, only this time both Stone and his father were with her.
She was back, she was safe and Kaden was healing her.
With that, she let go of consciousness and fell into a blissful dream state.
Sometime later, she woke up in a strange bed with a very low ceiling and walls that looked like shellacked dirt.
Ah, Joseph’s lair.
Even thinking about the forest gremlin made her smile.
She heard voices in the hallway. “I made it for her, so I’ll take it in.” Joseph was complaining about something. Typical.
The she heard Davido whisper angrily, “Joseph, you give that tray to Stone, or by the Goddess I’ll smack the back of your head so hard, all your teeth will pop out.”
“Hunh. Fine.” A fat raspberry followed.
Stone’s voice came next. “There’s a ruby in it for you, Joseph.”
“Damn, but you were always a right one.”
Davido again. “No, Joseph you’re not going in there. In fact, you and I are leaving. I wish to pay compliments to your lovely wife.”
“That woman is an avaricious she-devil, but her hips. Dear, Sweet Goddess, her hips. Did I ever tell you she has these delightful rolls that I hold onto when I’m pumping like a diesel engine on crack?”
“Stubble it, you lecherous forest vermin.”
Their voices disappeared at the same time Stone appeared with a tea tray in the doorway of the bedroom. “You are awake. Davido said you were, but I had a hard time believing it.”
She stretched. Her back ached in a few places as did her shoulders and knees. “How long have I been asleep?”
“Four nights, my love.”
“That long? Oh, well that explains my thirst, my hunger and all these unusual pains.” As he rounded the side of the bed, she sat up then arranged two pillows behind her. She was wearing a soft cotton nightgown, though she had no idea whose it was. All ‘the Queen’s’ clothes would have been destroyed in the fire and she didn’t keep sleeping gear at the cottage.
She realized suddenly that her head felt very cold. She reached up to touch her hair, but there was little left of her thick red mane, just a short couple of curly inches. “Oh, my.”
He smiled. “Kaden assured me it will grow back.”
She stared at him for a moment. She didn’t care about her hair, not really. She did, however, have a critical question. “Stone, please tell me, did Margetta escape the net?”
His lips formed a grim line as he shook his head. “Seth, Quinlan and Ian burned her to a crisp, literally. She’s nothing but ashes now. We saw to it, I promise you.”
She put a hand to her chest as tears burned her eyes. “Oh, thank the Goddess. She’s gone.”
“She is. And there’s been nothing be celebrating for the past several nights, though Harris tells me his Guardsmen have made more drunken arrests during this time than in the past century.”
She smiled as he settled the tray over her lap. He poured the tea and she took in the aroma. “Joseph makes the best tea.”
“That he does. He almost refused to let me bring the tray into you, though.”
“I heard.” She chuckled softly.
“You did?”
“I did. And what a pretty little silver dome covering the plate. In fact, it looks like something we used to have at the castle.” She gasped. “That damn gremlin! He must have taken it. Well, no surprise there.” She lifted the lid, but instead of a couple of slices of toast, sitting on a small black velvet pillow was a ring of Joseph’s she’d once admired, with a row of small green Peridot stones. The band was in antique silver. “What’s this?”
“Joseph said you liked this one, so I bought it for you.”
