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He heard her laughter before he saw her, and his heart soared with relief. Tara sat at the table in front of the hearth with the children, their parents and most of his family all smiling. Willow had even joined them, and she wore a smile as well. Everyone was obviously relieved and happy the children had been found.
However, while relieved, he was far from happy. Tara had caused fear to be his constant companion over the last few hours, and his heart to ache unbearably with the thought of losing her.
He marched over to the table, joyous smiles greeting him. He reached out so fast that he caused some to startle with gasps and others to jump out of his way. Their shocking reactions didn’t stop him, he grabbed hold of Tara and in one swoop he swung her over his shoulder and stomped out of the hall and up the stairs to his bedchamber.
“Whatever is the matter with you?” she asked when he dropped her to her feet in the middle of his room and walked back to shut the door.
His hand rested on the latch for a moment before he turned and took a deep breath trying to calm his soaring anger. It didn’t work. He turned and advanced on her. And when she scurried back away from him, eyes wide, hand out trying to ward him off, he knew his face burnt with a dark fury.
“I know I should not have gone out on my own,” she said hurriedly, trying to explain.
He stopped inches from her and ran his hand frantically through his long dark hair. “Can you even imagine the torment you put me through?”
“I didn’t think.”
“A poor excuse,” he said, pinning his nose to hers. “I thought you trusted me.”
“I do. It’s me I don’t trust. I felt responsible.” She shook her head. “So many bad things have happened of late and—”
“You assumed they were your fault.”
“Didn’t you?” she asked.
“Not for one moment,” he said bluntly.
“Not a sliver of doubt?”
“No,” he said firmly, and took a step away from her. “What is happening is part of life, not due to a curse.”
“You may believe that”—she thumped her chest—“but I don’t.”
He wanted to cringe at his own selfishness. In his fear of losing her, he hadn’t given enough thought to what had driven her to run blindly into a snowstorm in search of the children. One terrible thing on top of another had been happening, and each one only added to her fear that it was her fault.
He calmed. His concern now more for her fears than his own. “You should have come and talked with me. I am here for you as I believe you are for me, or haven’t you noticed what a vital part we have become of each other?”
“I’m afraid to acknowledge it,” she admitted.
“Even now, after you’ve saved the children, while endangering your life and making me insane with fear of losing you?”
“You truly felt insane with fear?” she asked softly.
“I’m still quaking.”
“Now you tease,” she said. “You never quake. You are bold, brash, and brave.”
“Aye, I am all that, though when it comes to you, I am weak with the need of you and—I think I am in love with you.”
Her violet eyes widened. “Think?”
He nodded. “I believe it is love since I don’t know how to define what I am feeling for you. I thought I would go mad not being able to find you. I wanted to roar with anger. Punch something, anything. But most of all, I wanted you safe in my arms, where you belong.”
He held his hand out to her, waiting for her to come to him and admit the same.
She turned away, and he felt a stab to his heart as if a sword had been thrust through it.
“I fear if we love—”
He rushed over to her, grabbed her around the waist, and swung her around to face him. “Let love rule instead of fear.”
