Tatiana.
As he neared the coast, a breeze brushed his face with the scent of sea and salt. He spotted an oak tree, growing at an angle caused by the constant wind from the sea. He reined his horse underneath.
From there, he studied the fortress. Surrounded on three sides by water, it was well prepared for a naval attack. The walls were thick, and the wide towers were topped with trebuchets. The fortress’s true weakness lay on the northern side where it was attached to the mainland.
Leo surveyed the dry moat, drawbridge, and gatehouse, mentally marking where he would make improvements. On top of the gatehouse, some guardsmen in blue-and-white uniforms were posted, and he winced at their lax behavior. The men were gossiping and pointing at the army like an excited group of children at a fair. Even though the castle was in no danger at the moment, there was no excuse for failing to attend one’s duties. Leo made a mental note to dismiss the current captain of the guard and have General Harden give the soldiers some serious training.
He moved his gaze back along the curtain wall, then stopped. His heart stilled.
A young woman had come into view. Her long black hair was loose and fluttered in the breeze. He couldn’t see her face well, but he knew she must be beautiful.
His hand tightened on the reins. Was she Tatiana?
He had to know. Now.
His eyes narrowed, searching for clues. She was clearly a noblewoman. Her green gown was rich and elaborate. Her lack of headdress was unusual, but he liked seeing her long black hair stirring in the breeze.
A series of images jumped into his mind. Her hair spread across a white pillow in bed. Her hair sweeping against his chest as she leaned over him. Her hair wrapped around his fist as he pulled her down for a kiss.
Not possible. He shoved the images away.
A guard and maid were accompanying her, although the guard quickly abandoned her to go talk to his friends. Leo winced. The man was neglecting his duty.
Her maid left, and she was alone. Vulnerable. He scanned her surroundings, assessing the danger. If an assassin was standing on the battlements atop the keep, he could shoot an arrow at her. Or one of the guards on the wall walk could approach her and stab her with a knife.
The horns blasted behind him, and Leo twisted in his saddle to watch General Harden and his entourage start their ride toward the gatehouse. A dozen of the castle guard marched out to position themselves on the drawbridge.
He returned his gaze to the woman. She was watching the general arrive. Alone and unprotected. Dammit to hell.
Suddenly she stiffened, and he caught his breath, wondering if she’d been hit by a weapon he couldn’t see. He followed her line of sight and saw that General Harden had removed his helmet and was greeting the duke.
She looked away, and a breeze swept her hair across her face. With a graceful gesture, she brushed her hair back, then she stilled.
She’d spotted him. She was looking straight at him with an intensity that took his breath away. Time seemed to stop, and he no longer heard the sounds of his army or the call of seagulls. He no longer felt the heat of the sun or the breeze from the sea.
How long he stared at her, how long she stared back, he didn’t know. Didn’t care. For in those few seconds that stretched into an eternity, he felt like an essential truth was being imprinted on his soul, a truth that would remain as eternal as the sea and sky.
She was meant for him.
She was the one he wanted.
A second truth struck him hard, like a hammer shattering his soul into the jagged fragments of a broken mirror. And in those fragments, he saw his own reflection. Multiple images of himself. The Beast.
No matter how much he wanted this woman, no matter how much he felt she was destined for him, he could never touch her. His heart squeezed painfully in his chest. How cruel of fate to reveal her to him only to keep her beyond his reach.
You knew it was impossible before you came here, he reminded himself. Why do you let it torment you now? But back then he hadn’t seen her yet. Hadn’t felt her eyes upon him.
Now he knew she was real.
“Leo!”
Brody’s shout drew his attention. The dog shifter and Nevis were standing right next to him. Damn, he hadn’t even heard their approach.
“You’re alive,” Nevis muttered.
“Of course I’m alive,” Leo replied.
“We said my lord six times,” Brody grumbled. “We were beginning to think you were asleep on your horse.”
“Or in a trance,” Nevis added.
Leo ignored that and motioned with his head toward the woman. “Is she the Lady of Vindalyn?”
“Where?” Nevis looked toward the fortress wall. “Oh. Aye. That’s her.”
Yes! Leo smiled to himself. Tatiana. He’d known it was her.
Nevis snorted. “He is in a trance.”
“Sod off,” Leo replied, although he was too relieved to be angry. His betrothed was also the woman he wanted.
“I think she’s looking at us,” Brody said.
Me, she’s looking at me.
“The rumor about her beauty was true,” Brody added.
“I hope some of the rumors are false,” Nevis grumbled.
Leo slanted a quick glance at him. “Why?”
“It’s nothing,” Brody said, shooting Nevis a pointed look. “The castle is full of servants who gossip for entertainment. It would be foolish to believe it all.”
Nevis scoffed. “You just think she’s perfect because she gave you a pork chop and rubs your ears.”
“It’s more than that,” Brody protested.