A soft knock at the door breaks the moment.
“Enter!” Auren calls out.
The door opens, and the healer steps inside, her attention immediately turning to me. “You should be resting,” Meryl says. “Sit. I need to check your injuries.”
“Injuries?” Tarin frowns. “The Ogre attack was three days ago. Shouldn’t she be nearly mended by now?” he asks, something slightly accusatory in his tone as he looks at the healer.
I’m stunned because I get the sense Auren’s brother doesn’t quite approve of me, and yet he seems upset on my behalf that I’m still hurting.
“You’ve not heard of the Mountain Goblins, then, my Prince,” she says calmly. Her gaze shifts to Auren. “Perhaps your brother can tell you about it while I treat his mate.” She looks at me, her expression one of approval. “She saved us all. Without her bravery, I doubt we’d be here, having this conversation.”
Tarin’s mouth falls open as he looks between me and Auren.
“Now, both of you—out,” she says firmly. “I need to assess the queen.”
Auren turns to me. “I’ll be back as soon as I can,” he says before he leaves with Tarin.
As the door closes behind them, I stare at the scroll on Auren’s desk. The Goblin King is demanding I go to him, and Auren is determined to protect me. Dread twists deep within asI realize everything my Dark Elf husband is willing to risk for my sake.
Whatever I thought I understood about him… I believe I may have only just begun to see him clearly.
CHAPTER 43
AUREN
After we leave my rooms, I follow Tarin down the hallway to his chambers. They’re a mirror image of mine, and more importantly, they’re close to Vivienne in case she needs anything.
“What happened with the Mountain Goblins?” Tarin asks. “How did your bride get injured?”
My bride. Just the formality of those words means he has not truly accepted her as my mate or my queen. I need to remedy that immediately.
His jaw drops as I tell him how she marched straight into the Goblin camp as if she owned it. “She was fearless.” A faint smile tilts my mouth as I recall her haughty attitude. “She insulted them. Flattered them. Turned them into fools in their own camp. She demanded a cup of tea and then convinced them to go bathe in the stream so that she could free us from the rune trap.”
“A rune trap?” His brows shoot up to his forehead. “That’s powerful magic. How did she—” As understanding dawns, concern mars his features. “Is that how she was injured?”
Closing my eyes briefly, I can still see her hands on the stone, the crack of magic… her body collapsing. Cold slides through me at the dark memory, but I push it down. “I warned her that it would be painful. But she did it anyway. She put herself at risk to save us.”
“Rune magic is dangerous.” He blinks. “This only happened yesterday. How in the seven hells is she still standing?”
“Because she’s strong,” I reply without hesitation. “One of the strongest people I know.”
I drop into the chair near the fire, and he takes the seat across from me. “The healer told her she needed to rest, but she refused. She insisted we reach the safety of the mountain as soon as possible. She didn’t want to risk placing anyone in danger by remaining behind an extra day to heal.”
Tarin remains silent as I continue. “She’s brave, intelligent, kind...” My voice trails off. “She is everything I did not know I was missing.” A smile quirks my lips as I recall the first time I saw her. “I fell in love with her from the very start.”
“She’s your fated one. Isn’t she?”
“Yes.” I meet his gaze evenly. “But beyond even that, she is my match in every way.”
Tarin studies me for a long moment, something shifting behind his eyes. “Word has already spread about the Ogre attack. They say she sacrificed her own safety to protect a Dark Elf child—Dain’s and Lyrea’s daughter.”
His gaze sharpens. “They were speaking her name with awe and reverence before you even arrived.” Something akin to admiration crosses his features. “And now, they will hear she broke a Goblin rune trap and freed their king and his warriors.”
Pride swells my chest as I think of her bravery, but it’s quickly overshadowed when I remember the message from the Goblin King.
He wants her. And I doubt he’ll release her from her father’s bargain. Not without a fight, anyway.
As if sensing the direction of my thoughts, Tarin leans in. “What are we going to do about the Goblin King?”
