Taste of Darkness (An Avry of Kazan Novel - Book 3) (38 page)

CHAPTER 24

Tears streamed down Kerrick’s face as he sobbed, holding me tight. I stared at him in confusion. Why was he so upset? My memories swirled and settled on one image. Me, Noak, and Tohon locked together. Did Tohon kill Noak?

Alarmed, I wriggled to break free.

Kerrick tightened his grip, pressing me to his chest. “Just give...me...a moment.”

I stilled. Gaunt and haggard, he looked as if he suffered from the wasting disease. But my magic didn’t stir, so it must be lack of sleep. I sensed his bond with the living green. From what I’d learned about magical bonds, I planned to fix that little problem.

I glanced around. At least we were no longer inside the cave. Buds spiked the trees and a green fuzz coated a few bushes. Lilys swayed in the warm breeze and the air smelled of fresh grass and spring sunshine. Spring? Or Kerrick’s scent?

He stared at me with emerald-colored eyes. Spring. Which meant I’d missed...two months!

“Start talking,” I forced the words from my dry throat.

Instead, he kissed me. I returned it, raking my fingers in his hair. Sometime later we broke apart.

“Bad news?” I asked.

“Not anymore.” He smiled a killer smile and I had to kiss him again.

* * *

Much later, after I’d dressed and eaten a ton of food, I snuggled next to him while he filled me in on the past two months. I marveled that the Peace Lily saved my life again. A faint memory of the Peace Lily telling me it would no longer help and asking to be left alone stirred. I would ensure the knowledge about the flower remained limited to those already in the know. We would not bother it again. Its serum only preserved a body from decaying; it didn’t heal. And I would do everything I could to keep another rogue magician from using its serum to create dead soldiers.

“Where’s Belen and the others?” I asked.

Kerrick beamed. “They’re going to be ecstatic.”

“So they are close?”

“Out hunting. They’ve been keeping me company.”

“That was nice of them.”

“They were upset, too.”

“Gee, this is my third time—you’d think they’d be a bit more relaxed,” I teased.

But Kerrick failed to see the humor. “It was a
long
two months.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Not like you had any control.”

“I meant for lying to you. Tohon had to die.”

“I know. It took me a month, but I forgave you.”

“The good news just keeps on coming.” And one of the best parts—the war was over. “Is Ryne going to keep his promise to reestablish the Fifteen Realms?”

“Yes.” Kerrick explained about the leaders. “And he offered me Tohon’s realm. But I can’t accept it.”

“Why not?”

“Because I can’t leave the forest. Because I go dormant in the winter. Because—”

“What if I told you I can break your bond to the living green?”

“Without killing me?”

“Yep.”

“How?”

“By doing this...” I kissed him.

He pulled away. “What’s the catch?”

“After spending lots of time together and sharing magic, we’ll be bonded. You’ll be swapping one bond for another. There are some limitations and the whole ‘if I die, you die’ thing and vice versa.” I suppressed a shudder, remembering my link with Tohon. “I’ll understand if you don’t want to.”

Kerrick crushed me to his chest. “Avry, today you just gave me back my life.”

“Does that mean you’ll accept the position of King of Sogra?”

“Depends.”

“On what?”

“If you’ll agree to be my queen.”

My heart jolted. “And a healer?”

“Of course. Belen figured you might want to reestablish the Healer’s Guild.”

“That’s a great idea. I can work with the Death Lilys to discover more potential healers. Without harming them, of course! And Danny and Zila can live with us.”

“I’d like that.”

“And we’ll have children?”

“As many as you want. That
won’t
be a problem.” He leered.

“And we’ll have a very long honeymoon?”

“Oh, yes. As long as you wish. It’s going to take a while to knock down Tohon’s castle and build another.”

“Oh, no, you can’t knock it down.”

“Why not? There’s nothing but bad memories there.”

“There are good memories, as well. The infirmary is wonderful, there are lots of Peace Lilys, and a rooftop garden that you would love—trust me. Besides, that’s where we kissed for the first time. Not under the best circumstances, true, but...”

“All right, we’ll keep the castle as long as we can have a huge bonfire and burn all of Tohon’s things.”

“Agreed.”

Kerrick dug into his pocket and removed a ring. “Avry of Kazan Realm, will you marry me?”

“Yes.”

He whooped and kissed me.

Warmth spread throughout my heart as he slipped the ring onto my finger. Made of stone, the ring had an intricate pattern of vines on the outside that Kerrick must have carved.

“This is temporary. It kept me busy while waiting for you.”

“This is wonderful. No need—”

“Nope, I’m buying you one made of liquid metal. It has to last forever.”

I grinned. “Hard to believe I’ll be Queen of Sogra.”

“You’ll be a queen, but not of Sogra. I’m changing the name of the realm.”

“Now, that I agree with. What’s the new name?” I asked.

“The Realm of Peace. Because it’s what we set out to accomplish and even though it’ll take many years to achieve, I’m hopeful. Besides, Peace Lilys are my favorite plant.”

“What a coincidence. They’re my favorite, as well.”

* * * * *

Acknowledgments

It shouldn’t be a surprise that my support network grows with every book like ripples on a pond. At the center are my husband, son, and daughter. They are the rock-solid core that I lean on. They encourage me and inspire me and brag about me and even entice me away from my writer’s cave from time to time. Thanks so much!

Then there’s my editor, Mary-Theresa Hussey, and agent, Robert Mecoy, who like it when I spent lots of time in my cave, creating new worlds and characters. Their help with shaping my stories has been instrumental to my success, and I’m grateful for their insight, humor, and for not letting me get away with lazy plotting.

After all the hard work of writing the book, I’m thankful I don’t have to design a cover, write press releases, and deal with the million other details that arise when producing a book. Thanks to all the people at Harlequin who are involved in crafting this lovely book that I can display on my shelf (and my eReader) with pride!

And I must thank all my readers. You have been an unexpected joy. The outpouring of support and encouragement and, yes, even the emails urging me to write faster have been wonderful. I used to write for myself; now I write for you.