Chapter 12
Their lovemaking feltcelebratory to Rolfe that night. Indeed, he wanted to reward Annelise for being so worthy of his trust. It seemed to him that she was more passionate, more giving, more welcoming than she had been yet, and he wanted only to please her. It was a delight to watch her abed and he knew no other woman would ever have such a hold over his attention. Rolfe had never felt so bound to another, and yet, their partnership felt right tohim.
When she approached the crest of her pleasure, he smiled in anticipation of her release. She clutched him tightly, gasping and trembling as the tumult made her shake like a leaf in the wind. The gentle touch of her lips to his cheek pushed him over the edge and he held her close as his release went on andon.
She whispered his name and he liked the sound of itwell.
Then she whispered three words that shockedhim.
“I loveyou.”
Annelise’s confession was as soft as a whisper. She was sliding into sleep, dozing against him, perhaps unaware of what she had said. Rolfe was both awed and terrified by her confession. He was honored to have won her heart, but he feared that her love might not survive all of histruth.
The second djinn had insisted that love would break the curse, but Rolfe had little faith in the efficacy of her spells. How abiding was Annelise’s love? Would she continue to love him if the curse was not broken? What if she witnessed his transformation? He could not imagine that any tender feelings could survive the sight. The change was agonizing and could not be easy to watch. And he knew well enough that it was one thing to be aware of a truth, and yet another to see it before one’seyes.
Could the price of the curse be his wife’slove?
Rolfe hated to even consider the possibility. He could not conceive of a life without Annelise. He tucked her against his side and she sighed as she slept, confident that he would defend her against anyperil.
She was right. He would do as much. Rolfe would readily risk his own life to see Annelise safe. But what of love? What of their future? He knew in his heart that this challenge was not yet behind them, though he could not discern a resolution. He listened to her sleep and stared at the canopy overhead, aware of the sounds of the palace aroundhim.
And the threat that was secured in the chamber beside the stables. He did not like or trust Enguerrand and could not wait for that man to be gone. He feared trickery from the other knight, or deception. Rolfe knew that this parting would not be the last of Enguerrand. He suspected that some ploy would be launched that might gain Enguerrand an advantage—and put Annelise in jeopardy. It might even occur before Enguerrand’s planneddeparture.
For Rolfe was vulnerable and he knew as much. He wondered how much Enguerrand suspected of his situation and feared it was too much. With Rolfe’s transformation at the dawn, he would be unable to defend Annelise within the palace, so he had to ensure that Enguerrand had departed bythen.
It was yet several hours to the dawn. Rolfe knew he would not sleep, not with the other knight within hiswalls.
Perhaps it was time for his hospitality to come to its end. He disliked being ungracious, but Annelise must be defended from the other knight’s malice. Rolfe rose from the bed and dressed quickly, leaving his lady tosleep.
* * *
Enguerrand knewthere was something odd about the palace. Its location made no sense. The weather within its walls made no sense. The lack of servants yet the provision of every comfort made no sense—just as the sudden appearance of servants with the lord’s return made nosense.
The bard’s tale had to betrue.
But if it was, then why was Rolfe de Viandin not awolf?
Enguerrand could not reconcile the tale with his host’s appearance. Being cursed to take the form of a wolf had been the price of gaining the palace from the djinn. How had he broken that curse? Was their host a sorcerer himself? Or was he an illusion? That seemed a whimsy beyondall.
It was not whimsy that had barred the portal of their chamber from the outside. Enguerrand had tried to leave the chamber, after the rest of his party fell asleep. He was certain that some hint of the truth could be found in the palace, but the portal had beensecured.
That meant he was right. Rolfe de Viandin had secrets and they could beunearthed.
And why had Rolfe decreed that Enguerrand and his fellows must leave before the dawn? Such an hour of departure was unknown. There had to be a reason and Enguerrand wanted to remain through the dawn to find out what itwas.
His host, however, had anticipatedhim.
Enguerrand jumped when the portal was suddenly flung open. He spun to find his host silhouetted in the portal, the moonlight shining into the garden behind him. “The storm has stopped,” that man said grimly. “You will leaveimmediately.”
“But my mensleep.”
“They can sleep at Beauvoir. You should hurry, as there may be more snow before midday.” Rolfe stepped into the chamber and Enguerrand saw the determination in his gaze. There was steel in his tone. “I would not have you caught between sanctuaries in suchweather.”
Such curious eyes the man has. One blue and one silver-gray. Enguerrand had never seen the like and he found Rolfe’s steady gaze unsettling. The other knight seemed capable of reading his thoughts or guessing his intentions, and Enguerrand knew he did not imagine Rolfe’sdisapproval.
“My men will need time to shave and armthemselves...”
“I think less time than you believe,” Rolfe said, shaking each one in turn. “Rise! You have a short opportunity to ride for Beauvoir! Make the most of it, lest you meet your fate in the winterforest.”
