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The sudden thought didn’t upset him as it once would have. Perhaps he was finally able to lay Leora to rest and live again. He hadn’t admitted to anyone how lifeless he had felt since her death. It was as if a vital part of him had died along with her, and only now was it resurrecting.
He hadn’t even realized how deeply her death had affected him until Bliss came along. Being with her, feeling for her, had filled that empty void, that pit of darkness he had come to accept and live with.
He had thought it was his lot in life to continue on as he had, feeling nothing and not wanting to. Bliss had changed all that.
He grinned and shook his head. Damn, but he was grateful that she had. And now ... he didn’t know what he’d do without her, and he didn’t want to find out.
She was his wife, and he planned on keeping her his wife.
The door to the cottage opened, and Trey stood.
Bliss stepped outside and discarded a bundle of bedding to the side. She took a deep breath and rolled her shoulders back before stretching her arms to the sky.
“Mother and child?” he asked.
“Come see,” she said, and preceded him through the doorway.
Trey stood amazed at the woman and child sitting up in bed, their faces still pale. But a hint of color stained their freshly washed cheeks. They wore clean garments, and a clean blanket covered them. The cottage even appeared brighter though perhaps it was the pleasant scent of bubbling broth that made the difference.
Trey introduced himself to Mary, and the little girl, who could be no more than four years old, proudly announced, “Allena.”
Trey bowed gallantly. “I am most pleased to meet you, Allena. You are feeling better?”
She nodded, smiled, and cuddled up to her mother.
“I can’t thank you and Bliss enough for sending my daughter Deryn to safety with Albert and Teresa,” Mary said, her voice surprisingly strong.
“You and Allena will be joining her when you are well enough to travel,” he assured her, and looked to Bliss.
“With some hot broth and a good night’s sleep to give them strength, I would say we could leave tomorrow.”
“I don’t know what is in that broth,” Mary said with a smile and a tear in her eye, “but I feel strong already.”
Allena nodded to let everyone know she felt the same.
Trey didn’t bother to tell Mary that it was Bliss’s touch that had healed them so quickly though he wondered himself over their rapid recovery. Most times Bliss’s healing had taken longer, but this ... this bordered on miraculous.
A chill ran through him. Were her powers far greater than he had known?
Bliss filled a tankard with some broth and handed it to Trey. “To warm you and keep you strong.”
With a grin, he leaned down, and whispered in her ear, “I’m not strong enough for you?”
She smiled sweetly at him. “I’m thinking you will soon need extra stamina.”
“Then you better drink some yourself, so you can keep up with me.”
“Have no fears,” she whispered, “for I will far outlast you.”
“A challenge?”
She chuckled. “A knowing.”
He found himself speechless, and she smiled as she turned, though stopped suddenly. Her body swayed slightly, and her hand shot out to grab the table. He reached out, his arm wrapping around her waist as he placed his tankard on the table. Then both his arms settled around her, and her head came to rest on his chest.
“What’s wrong?” he demanded.
“Just tired,” she assured him.
