Suddenly, Margetta’s power gave way completely. And as all the battle streams hit her, she bucked in the air several times, screaming in agony. After a full minute, and no one relenting, the Ancient Fae floated in the air unconscious. With no counter-stream of power emanating from her, Rosamunde finally began to ease back and at last drew in her battle power.
Her body hummed from having had so much elf-lord power rolling through her. At last, she broke the connection and drew a deep sigh of relief.
I think we did it, she pathed to Stone privately.
He was still holding her from behind and he hugged her. “I believe we did.”
~ ~ ~
Stone didn’t want to let Rosamunde go. He loved that together they’d made this moment possible, that Margetta hung in the air, her velvet gown smoking from the terrible array of battle power she’d taken directly to her person. That she still levitated, though unconscious, indicated she wasn’t yet dead. But even he could sense how close she was.
At last, the war was over.
Ian took charge and soon had a net that covered Margetta’s body. With Margetta being towed down to the Tannisford Plain, Stone headed in the direction of the two armies. Rosamunde followed in Margetta’s wake.
Stone could both see and hear that some of Margetta’s army were still fighting. He called on Zane and Malik to join him in running the last few rebellious wraith-pairs to earth. From the beginning, he knew that there were some realm-folk who had joined Margetta willingly, including a large number of wraiths. Those that had fully embraced the Invictus bond were no doubt resistant to the idea of the war finally being at an end.
He hadn’t gotten thirty yards away from Rosamunde, however, when a terrible explosion ripped the air behind him.
Whirling, he caught sight of Margetta burning the net off and releasing a black-gold stream of her power like nothing he’d seen before. Ian and the other ruling mastyrs who hadn’t been touched by the stream, began firing on her ruthlessly.
But it was the other sight, of Rosamunde caught in Margetta’s battle power that turned his blood to ice.
With the mastyrs directing Margetta’s last streaks of power in their direction, he teleported straight to Rosamunde. He caught her burning body in his arms, then moved her quickly to the grotto, where he’d felt the strength of the elf-lord power. He submerged her in water, except for her head. She’d been writhing. Now she grew still. Too still.
The damage to her hair, her face, her body, took his breath and wouldn’t bring it back. He made weird gasping sounds until he could finally shout his anguish.
She wasn’t dead, but he didn’t see how she could ever recover from these wounds.
His mind flew to his father, to Davido and to Kaden.
Kaden had healed her before when Margetta had burned her.
Kaden! He shouted telepathically. Rosamunde is dying. Help me, father. Please help me.
Though only a couple of seconds passed, it felt like an eternity before he heard Kaden’s voice. I’m coming, my son.
Then Kaden was there, in the water beside him.
Kaden took her from Stone and held her close. He stood, as Stone did, waist deep in the water. He held Rosamunde to his chest.
Stone lifted his hands in supplication. He could do nothing else. The woman he loved was close to death and there was nothing he could do for her. He called on the Goddess and begged for her help, her love, her mercy.
Then he grew very still, very quiet.
If she died right now, he wasn’t certain he wanted to live.
Kaden’s eyes were closed and healing warmth emanated from his body, pouring into Rosamunde.
Even so, he could feel that her spirit hung between two worlds as though she longed to move on, uncertain if she should return.
Kaden opened his eyes. “You must call her back, Stone. Come closer and touch her very gently on the shoulder and call her back. I’m healing her, but her spirit refuses to re-enter her body.”
~ ~ ~
Rosamunde stood behind a beautiful but very thin veil of familiar teal mist. She watched a woman playing with young goats. The woman’s voice entered her mind, I always loved how much you enjoyed your baby goats, my sweetheart daughter.
Rosamunde didn’t at first understand what she was seeing, then she knew. Mama?
The woman turned in her direction but made no move toward the veil that separated them. You’ve become a beautiful woman, Rosamunde, and I’m so proud of you. My only regret was leaving you when I did, knowing you would have such a hard road ahead of you. But how well you’ve done on every front. You protected the Nine Realms for a thousand years. And now you’ve bonded with Mastyr Stone, a good, trustworthy man.
Rosamunde reached toward the veil ready to touch it. Instinctively, she knew that all she had to do was whisk it aside, take several smallish steps, and she could be with her mother. Forever.
But she’d never be able to go back.
She held her fingers inches away from the mist veil.
Stone would be lost to her until his own death sometime in the future. She’d barely begun her life with him, a life apart from Ferrenden Peace.
Yet, she’d missed her mother so very much and this after-world called to her soul as nothing else could. I’ve missed you, Mama.
Her mother tilted her head slightly. And I missed getting to see you grow up.
I’m so sorry that I disobeyed you and found my way through the mist. I know it was my fault you died that night.
Evelyn moved several steps toward the veil. Oh, Sweetheart, you were never responsible for what my sister did. You were being adventurous and I loved that about you.
But it got you killed.
Evelyn shrugged. You’ll find that once beyond the veil, at least this veil, such things don’t matter. Time becomes a very fluid thing and letting go is the most important thing to do. I never blamed you for what happened. My sister had a bad heart and I sacrificed my own life to make sure you had a future. But I must know, did Margetta finally succeed in her schemes?
Rosamunde shook her head. We trapped her on the plains of Tannisford just a few minutes ago, the ruling mastyrs and I. It was an amazing experience to be part of a community and to work to save the Nine Realms. But, she killed me in the process. At the last minute, she used a stunning wave of elf-lord power and well, here I am, ready to join you.
Rosamunde, listen to me. You’re not dead, my darling girl, though, you’re close. But you need to work very hard and return to the Nine Realms.
Rosamunde didn’t understand. She felt very disconnected from her body, even from Stone. Besides, she felt the pull of the afterlife like nothing she’d ever experienced before. Her fingers trembled as she lifted her hand to the mist veil, closing within an inch.
She had no real connection to the physical realm any longer. The tug to take the next step was enormous, yet something held her back, a different kind of pull.
For a moment, she didn’t know what it was, until in a very distant part of her telepathy she heard Stone’s voice, Come back to me, my love. Come back to me. I can’t live without you. I won’t want to. You’re everything to me. Please, Rosamunde, come back. Please.
Stone.
Her spirit shuddered. He sounded despairing and she didn’t want him to feel that way. But she was so close to reuniting with her mother and to moving on. She should move on.
Except…
Stone’s voice once more flowed through her mind. I love you, Rosamunde. You’re the sun, moon and stars to me, the reason the tides come and go and the planets fly through the night.
Be with me, my love. Live with me as my blood rose and as my wife. I want children with you, to raise them with you, to create our own family. And we would have a small farm with goats, lots of goats, of all sizes. Your children will love them. Come back to me.
She responded at last by pathing his name. Stone.
~ ~ ~
When Stone heard his name telepathically, he doubled his efforts at winning
Rosamunde away from the pull of death. I love you, Rosamunde, with all my heart. I want you by my side. And I meant what I said, I want babies with you. You’d be a wonderful mother, only come back to me. Please.
The whole time, tears rolled down his cheeks.
Kaden had one hand on Rosamunde’s head and another on Stone’s shoulder. Most of her beautiful red hair was gone and the burns on her face and body were healing more slowly than they should have been; she was that close to death.
And the only reason he’d been able to reach her was Kaden’s flow of elf-lord power that he’d added to Stone’s channel.
But he’d heard her. She’d said his name.
Rosamunde, please come back. Please.
The moment of decision had come. Even through the distant path of death, he could feel that she had to decide. He needed to say one last thing to her, something that would turn her spirit in his direction. But what?
He recalled the look in her eye when she would transform into Aralynn and how, as Aralynn, she loved running on all four wolf paws. Then he knew what he needed to say to her. Hundreds of wraith-pairs escaped into the Dauphaire Mountains. I need you to run missions with me … as Aralynn. You’ve got to come back. Help me protect the innocent of our realm. We still have work to do here in the Nine Realms.
~ ~ ~
Rosamunde heard his plea, but it was the word ‘innocent’ that struck her the hardest. She didn’t want one more realm-person to die because of the Invictus scourge.
She met her mother’s gaze and searched each beloved feature. Her mother nodded in understanding as though she didn’t need words to know that the decision had been made.
I will always love you, daughter.
And I, you, Mama.
With that, she directed her spirit away from the afterworld. However, the moment she returned to her body, she opened her mouth and screamed. The pain of the burns was like having her flesh scraped with a sharp blade.
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.”
She glanced up at him, her throat tight with tears. “Did he tell you why I liked it?”
Stone shook his head. The room was very small, especially for a man of Stone’s proportions. He was already bent over to keep from hitting the ceiling. He looked around and reached for a broad stool that he pulled close to the bed.
He sat down and took her hand in his. “No, Joseph never told me anything, only that he thought you would want this one.”
“It was a few weeks ago and I was only Aralynn to you then, but the moment I saw these stones I thought they looked like your eyes. That’s why I admired the ring. I mean your eyes have a deeper, richer color, but the shade was very similar.”
He took their joined hands and covered it with his free one then leaned down and kissed her fingers. “We were meant to be together, Rosamunde. That’s what I believe.”
“Me, too.”
He appeared to search her face. “Thank you for coming back.”
She had to think for a moment to understand what he meant. Then she remembered her mother behind the teal veil. “Mama was there.”
“Then it was no wonder you wanted to stay.”
“It wasn’t that. Yes, it was amazing to see her and I longed to be with her. But, the pull of death is a profound force. Stone, I was so close to leaving the Nine Realms forever.”
“I know.”
“But now I feel bad, because of why I returned. It should have been for my love for you. Instead, the moment you spoke of more innocent people dying, that’s when I made the decision. How will you ever forgive me for not loving you enough?”
He squeezed her hand. “Rosamunde, I love you even more for returning because other innocents will die without your help.” He leaned close and kissed her on the lips. Nothing could have felt more perfect.
When he drew back, he wore a soft, affectionate smile. “Will you marry me, Rosamunde?”
She loved that he wanted it all, the blood rose bond and a marriage that would involve a riotous ceremony. With any luck, she would be pregnant on the day of her wedding, a sign of good fortune and blessings among the fae.
She was overcome as tears spilled from h
er eyes.
He picked up the ring and slid it on her left ring finger. “Marry me, my love. And let the wearing of this ring be a token of our pledge to each other. So what do you say?”
The ring fit as though made for her, but she suspected Joseph had something to do with it, the finagler that he was. “I will marry you, Stone, with all my heart.”
~ ~ ~
The wedding a month later, which Delia organized to perfection, turned out to be one of the largest events in Nine Realms’ history and lasted three days. Stone took his bride from realm-to-realm and danced with her at immense balls that celebrated the end of Margetta’s terror-filled assault on their world and the beginning of what Rosamunde had said more than once would be a thousand years of peace.
Now that he was married, he wanted a family, something he’d never allowed himself to desire before. With the Vampire Guards in each realm hunting down the last of the wraith-pairs and much of Margetta’s army in a state of rehabilitation through the efforts of Samantha and Ethan, he could finally start to think like an ordinary man.
When he’d drunk the last of the champagne at the final Tannisford welcoming-home ball, he took Rosamunde to the lake house, now made private and secure once more.
She shed her full-skirted green satin gown, green diamonds in an elegant piece around her neck, and kicked off her high heels.
Since she now stood in only a thong, he stripped down as fast as he could as well, caught her around the waist in a slick levitating move then carried her to bed.
He made love to her for hours and more than once played with her short red hair. He told her at least a hundred times how much he loved her.
When she lay in his arms exhausted, she twirled a finger through his long hair. “How many children do you want?” Her voice sounded lazy, a very satisfied woman.
“Davido once told me he has eighty-eight children and more progeny than he can number. I’d like to best his goal.”
At that, she rose up from his arms and stared down at him. “I beg to remind you that the man had more than one wife, and that over a period of millennia.”
Because she was naked, her posture put her breasts very close to his mouth. He did what any normal male would do, and suckled his way to pushing her back into the pillows.