“In thanks, we have invited the Calbernans who participated in that victory to return today and live among us for the next three months as trusted friends. It is the custom of Calbernan men to seek wives from among the women of other lands, and the privilege of courting wives from those of you willing to entertain the possibility of such a union was one of the tokens of gratitude Queen Khamsin agreed to in return for the Calbernans vital assistance in defeating the Ice King.”
Now Khamsin stepped forward, and her voice rang out, carrying on a controlled breeze. “For the next three months, these men will live among us. Use this time to get to know them. Wedding a foreigner, leaving your home and all that you know is a big decision, not to be undertaken lightly. Take your time. Make the choice that is right for you, but make it freely. To wed or not is your decision.”
“My queen is absolutely right,” Wynter added in a firm voice. “These men were guaranteed three months to court a wife, not the certainty that they would find one. If any of you feel pressured in any way, come to me or the Queen immediately, and we will put a stop to it.” His hard gaze swept over the Calbernan horde.
Standing beside Wynter, Dilys arched a brow, amused rather than offended by the suggestion that a Calbernan would ever need forceful means to win hisliana.If a woman was unattached and in possession of a pulse, she would not long remain unwilling in the face of a determined Calbernan’s courtship.
“Above all,” Wynter continued, “know that whatever you choose, you will always have a home here. There is work, food, and shelter in Wintercraig or Summerlea for any woman or child who desires it. Those of you who choose to wed and leave, know that you go to Calberna with our blessing. And to any Calbernan who takes a wife from among the citizens of Summerlea or Wintercraig, know that should you so desire, you would be welcome to stay here, with your wife, as a citizen of this kingdom.”
Dilys kept his easy smile. No true Calbernan would abandon his homeland to becomeoulani.Calberna was built on the devotion of its sons and the strength of its women. And while fate had necessitated that most sons of Calberna find their mates from among the other peoples of Mystral, a Calbernan and hislianareturned to Calberna—always.
Khamsin glanced up at him. “Sealord? Would you like to add a few words of your own?”
He nodded and stepped up to the balustrade to address the crowd. “First, I wish to thank King Wynter and his brave and graciousliana,Queen Khamsin, for their kind welcome. My men and I look forward to our time among you, and to returning to Calberna in three months’ time withlianasof our own by our sides. My men are well capable of speaking for themselves, but on their behalf—and my own—I will just say this. In Calberna, our women—all women—are treasured. A Calberna’s devotion to hislianais unwavering and eternal. Your joy is our joy. Your happiness and comfort our sacred duty. No woman has ever regretted taking a Calbernan to mate, nor ever will. The decision to wed is your choice, but if your choice is to wed a Calbernan”—he turned to direct his last words to the Seasons, and for the first time caught gentle Summer’s startled blue gaze full-on—“you will never make a better one.”
Her eyes were like the clearest waters. A pure, deep, sparkling blue, shimmering with light and warmth and inviting waves. They called to him, those eyes, as surely as the sea itself, and for one instant, the world fell away and he was diving deep and fast, into endless, magical, beautiful blue. In that instant, he felt a perfect peace, a sense of rightness he couldn’t explain. Like finding home after a lifetime of wandering.
A loud wave of sound crashed over him, dragging him back to the surface, to reality. He sucked in air, as breathless as if he truly had dived deep, and turned to see the crowds cheering, and the celebration begun.
Queen Khamsin was saying something. He frowned and tried to focus his rattled brain into some semblance of coherent thought.
“—a feast prepared for you and your officers at the palace.” She waved a hand towards the wide stone bridge that crossed the fjord to the sprawling palace on the northern shore.
He forced a smile. What had she said? Something about following her to a feast? She was looking at him expectantly, her body half turned as if to leave. He took a step, and knew he’d chosen correctly when she smiled, took her husband’s arm, and began to lead the way.
He glanced back at the Seasons, but where there had been three, only two remained.
Summer was gone.
Summer Sun!
Gabriella leaned against the cool stone wall, behind a stack of boxes piled in a shadowed alley off Ragnar Square, and pressed a hand against her frantically beating heart.
What in Helos’s name had just happened? The Calbernan had turned unexpectedly and caught her gaze upon him and then...
She dragged in a breath, then another. Ragged. Shaken. She couldn’t even begin to describe what had happened. It was as if, with one look, he’d dived into the deepest, most secret parts of her soul, places no one—not even she—had ever been.
Then he was gone, as abruptly as he’d come, and now there was something inside her that hadn’t been there before. An empty, aching void. As if part of her was missing. A part thathehad taken—and that only he could give back.
Shivering, hot and cold all at once, she wrapped her arms around her waist.
Was it possible he’d worked some sort of enchantment on her? Would he dare? Had he just stood beside her sister and her sister’s husband, agreed that all women would have the freedom to choose whether to take a Calbernan husband, and then cast some sort of spell on her to make her want him so desperately?
As soon as the last thought formed in her mind, she laughed at her own absurdity. Why would she assume he’d taken one look at her and decided she was the one he wanted, through fair means or foul? When she was surrounded by her two far more desirable sisters?
No. No, it was much more likely that the shocking sensation that had swept over her when their eyes met was a product of her own imagination and her astonishingly powerful attraction to him.
She’d never in her life looked at a man and felt like a starving beggar standing before a sumptuous feast. She’d all but licked her lips at the sight of him! Even now, just the thought of all that bronze, shimmering, tattooed skin, corded muscles flexing with the slightest movement, made hot blood pool in every one of her womanly parts.
One thing was certain. She could never—ever—allow herself to be alone with him. Helos only knew what she might do.
“Summer?”
The sound of Spring’s voice made Summer jump and leap out from her hiding spot.
Her older sister regarded her with concern. “Are you all right, dearest?”
“I’m fine.”
