"You look like death warmed up," she observed.
"Feel like it." He groaned and sat up slowly. Then his gaze fell to her hand, and his gaze was instantly wary.
"What...what happened last night?"
Rune lifted her hand so the ring caught the light. "Nothing much," she said, lips twitching.
He blinked. "Did I-?"
"Yes. You were very unconventional. Your ancestors must have had to resort to kidnapping their brides. With your finesse, I doubt they had much luck otherwise."
"Oh, hell", he said, covering his eyes with his hands.
She tilted her head, pretending to study the ring. "A leopard doesn't change its spots, Dorian. You bullied me into this."
He winced, rubbing his temples. "I am not taking it back."
She laughed softly, setting the water down. "I did not offer to give it back."
For now, though, she leaned in and kissed his temple. "Go back to sleep, Mr Albury. You've had quite a night."
He mumbled something into the pillow, and by the time she slipped out of the room, he was already asleep again, one arm thrown across the bed, the faintest smile tugging at his mouth.
Chapter forty-one
Epilogue
4years later
The garden was loud with laughter. From their seats on the terrace, Dorian and Crispin could see the children darting across the lawn. Angelica leading the charge, her golden curls catching the sunlight as she barked orders with a general's precision. Colin and Alric trailed after her, pretending to grumble but obeying every command anyway.
"She's terrifying," Crispin said, sipping his coffee.
"She's only three," Dorian replied, without looking up from his tablet.
"Exactly my point."
Dorian chuckled, secretly proud. "It's the Albury blood. She's ruthless."
"Ruthless? She's a tiny dictator in pigtails," Crispin said, shaking his head. "My poor son doesn't stand a chance."
"He's four. Give it time. Adoration fades when they start school and discover football."
Dorian smirked, “That I can believe. You had a long list of flings from reception right up to the time you first laid eyes on Aria."
"While you specialised in terrorising the female population just by looking at them. That is until you learned some social etiquette and charm. Do you remember, you were voted 'most likely to become a serial killer'", Crispin remarked.
"Well, we did almost set fire to Ophelia's house." grinned Dorian at the memory, "I am surprised Aria let you get away with naming your second Paul."
Crispin snorted. "Better than Crispin. At least he won't spend his life being called crispy chicken wings by his sister-in-law."
They both laughed remembering Lule's antics. They both blamed her for being a bad influence on the children. Aria appeared briefly at the French doors with little Paul balanced expertly on her hip. She gave them a small wave before disappearing inside again.
"She's still nursing?" Dorian asked.
Crispin nodded. "Second one's hungrier than the first. We were up all night. The second one was supposed to be easier."
"Do you remember blood oath we promised? When we were fresh out of school," Dorian said quietly. "We were never getting married. Never going to be like our parents. We were going to become independently wealthy and keep a harem of women."
