“Lady Tatiana is one of your spies?”
“Yes. I see her often.” She ate some chicken.
He cast a wary glance around the room. “She’s not here now, is she?” When Luciana shook her head, he drank some wine in relief.
“She was here, but she left with my mother.”
He choked. “Your mother was here?”
Luciana grinned. “They disappeared before you ripped the towel off me.”
“Oh.” He cleared his throat. “Thank the Light.”
“Mother helped me escape the catacombs. And Christopher told me about the poisoned soup. Oh, that reminds me, I need to make sure Rowena isn’t harmed.”
“And who are Christopher and Rowena?” he asked.
After she explained, he promised to take care of the matter. Then she told him about her theory to explain why they could touch.
“The scorch mark in the tower is from a lightning strike?” he asked.
“Yes. And since I survived it before I was born, I believe I must be immune.”
He squeezed her hand. “It’s been years since I was able to touch anyone.”
She smiled. “I’ve told you everything. Have you decided on my punishment now?”
“Ah. How should I bring about your next climax?”
“Is that what you call it?”
“Yes, climax, orgasm, those blissful few minutes when you scream and throb and look so wild and beautiful that all I want to do is make love to you all over again.”
Her smile widened. “Well, as a dutiful wife, I will gladly encourage your endeavors.”
“As a dutiful husband, I will gladly make you scream.”
She ran her fingers through his hair. “I should warn you. Women who have been raised on the Isle of Moon are strong and independent. We consider ourselves equal to men in every way.”
His brows lifted. “Does that mean you’re planning to boss me around?”
She skimmed her hand down his neck to his bare chest. “It means I plan to do to you whatever you do to me.”
His mouth ran dry. “I can live with that.”
“How very open-minded of you.”
With a grin, he stood. “You’re a challenge. I like that.” He swooped her up in his arms. “So do you have a preference? Hand? Or mouth?”
Her cheeks blushed a pretty pink. “I like them both.”
Still grinning, he carried her to the bed. “Then you shall have both.” He dropped her on the coverlet. “The night has only begun.”
* * *
The following week was, in Leo’s opinion, the best week of his life. He spent the days touring the duchy with his new father-in-law, who enjoyed having a young man to mentor. Whereas General Harden had taught Leo everything he knew about war and self-defense, Lucas Vintello taught him how to govern with wisdom.
In the evenings, he returned to Vindemar, where he spent half the night making love to Luciana. After years of sensory starvation, he couldn’t get enough of touching her. When they ate, he sat close enough to rub his leg against hers. When they fell asleep, he continued to hold her. In private, he called her Luciana, for it made her smile, and as besotted as he was, he loved making her smile.
The news soon spread that the new duke was sharing his duchess’s bed, and somehow, she had miraculously survived it. The people of Vindemar swelled with pride, for it was their lady who had tamed the Beast of Benwick. And since it was clear that the Beast was cherished by both his wife and the former duke, the people began to accept him, too. For the first time in Leo’s life, the common folk greeted him with smiles instead of fearful cringing.
He knew, however, that this idyllic time could not last. Soon, he would have to take Luciana and her father to court, and during that trip the king would probably try to kill them.
At the end of the week, he received news from General Harden. The Eberoni army had successfully pushed the elfin army back. Unfortunately, news had come down from the north that the Norveshki dragons were raiding once again. So the general had left several troops behind to guard the border with Woodwyn, and was now taking the rest of the army north. Leo sent the envoy back to the general with a letter expressing his thanks and approval.
The next day, Nevis returned with his troop of soldiers and an exhausted Brody. Father Rune had managed to elude them in the marshlands along the Ron River.
Leo suspected the priest was waiting for him to take Luciana and her father to court in Ebton. He’d sent an envoy to the king after his wedding, so he was expecting a reply soon.
The king’s envoy arrived two days later. Leo was ordered to bring his wife to court immediately. There was no mention of her father, so apparently, the former duke was no longer of interest. Leo had successfully made himself the target.
Lucas Vintello suggested they travel by ship. That way they could avoid any traps set by Father Rune on the land route. But when Leo accompanied his father-in-law to the nearby port to book a ship, they were met by some disturbing news. The infamous Tourinian pirate, Rupert, was terrorizing the villages along the coast of Eberon. No ship could travel to the Ebe River without being seized and boarded.
Back at Vindemar, Leo ordered Nevis to take his troop and Leo’s personal guard to protect the villages along the western coast.
“Bad idea,” Nevis protested. “You need us to guard you on your journey to court.”
“I’ll have Brody, Jensen, and Edmund. And I’ll keep one of my personal guard—”