The Love of the Wielder (The Wielders Book Two)
Chapter Two

The lead Tracker approached the men from the military.

“We have official orders from the Capital to establish this checkpoint. We’ll let you pass, just get back in your speeder and give us a minute to move the barricade.”

The military officer who seemed to be in charge went up to the lead Tracker.

“My name is Captain Carstairs. Can you confirm you are holding Lord Alec Drake and Lady Maren Casteris?”

“We are,” the Tracker said.

“This is good, I know him,” Alec whispered to Maren.

She wasn’t sure it was “good” but it was certainly an improvement in their circumstances.

“You will dismantle this checkpoint and release the lord and lady, immediately,” the Captain said.

All the soldiers were carrying large rifles and were quite intimidating on the whole. Maren wasn’t sure, but she thought Trackers only carried pistols—no match for the rifles.

“I can’t do that, Captain,” the lead Tracker said.

“You can and you will. Now,” the Captain snapped.

For the first time, the Tracker seemed uncertain.

The Captain stroked his rifle in a menacing way, glowering at the Tracker.

“I assume that you know who the lord and lady are and why they are significant and why you have no business detaining them,” he said.

“Well, I…

“Either you release them, or we take them,” the Captain said.

The Tracker sighed. “I can’t do that, Captain. I have my orders and the lady matches the description of a witch we’re looking for. Frankly, she’s lucky we haven’t already arrested her.”

Maren trembled.

Alec moved closer to her. “They will not take you. Not anymore.”

Maren wasn’t so sure. She thought they might still try.

The Captain motioned to one of the men with him. The other soldier went to the door of the second speeder and knocked on the window of the back seat. Then the door opened, and a man stepped out.

Maren recognized him immediately. He was a bit taller than she thought he’d be, but otherwise looked very much like his photograph. His hair was dark grey with a few streaks of silver. He had a very unfashionable beard and mustache, but it suited him. Even from several feet away, Maren could see his dark grey suit was expensive, and he stood out in stark contrast to the soldiers in their black uniforms.

“Fuck,” the Tracker said quietly, confirming that he knew the Duke of Worthingham had arrived.

“Oh, this should be fun,” Alec said quietly to Maren.

She thought that under other circumstances seeing the Duke humiliate the Trackers would be entertaining, but as it was, Maren was too afraid of being arrested and too horrified to be meeting her future husband while being detained to be amused.

The Duke strolled confidently into the fray and did not even look at the Tracker. The Tracker looked like he wanted to say something, but didn’t when the Captain cleared his throat loudly. The Duke was apparently not entertaining any objections. Much to Maren’s surprise, he walked straight to her.

“Maren, darling, I’m so sorry these fools have disturbed you. Are you all right? They haven’t harmed you, have they?” he asked. He was speaking very loudly, loudly enough for everyone to hear, and sounded like the perfect example of an annoyed nobleman.

Maren was so surprised that Alec had to nudge her to respond.

“Oh, no, thank you, I’m all right,” she said in what she hoped was a confidently bored tone. She had to suppress the urge to add a “Your Grace” to the end of her response. It seemed the Duke did not want to give the Trackers the impression that they’d never met before, and she wanted to avoid contradicting him.

“I’m so glad, my dear, let’s get you out of the cold,” he said with a small smile and offered her his arm.

Maren took the Duke’s arm, trying not to tremble too badly. She apparently did a bad job of it because the Duke put his hand over hers and squeezed slightly, as though to hold it still.

Then he nodded to Alec and all three of them went to the speeder. The Tracker appeared to want to protest, but the Captain had moved even closer to him and was staring menacingly. The Duke opened the speeder door for Maren and she climbed inside.

She closed her eyes, trying to stay calm, but felt like she was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. The fact that there was still a soldier in the driver’s seat was the only thing that kept her from crying uncontrollably. Which was good; she wasn’t sure she would be able to stop once she started.

A few minutes later, the Duke and Alec got into the speeder. Alec sat in the front beside the driver and the Duke sat beside her. Maren vaguely thought it would have been more comfortable for her to have Alec sit beside her, but she was too upset otherwise to care much.

“I am so sorry, are you all right?” the Duke asked.

It took a moment for Maren to realize he was talking to her. Unlike the performative tone of voice he used in front of the Trackers, he sounded genuinely concerned.

“Ah… I… I don’t know how to answer that,” she said, and then added, “Your Grace.”

He made a sound almost like a chuckle. “Hardly a time to insist on protocol, not that I ever would between us. Please, call me Jonathan.”

She really was not prepared to deal with that, but made something that she hoped was a smile and nodded.

Fortunately, she was spared from further conversation as the soldier driving maneuvered the speeder to go back in the direction it had come.

“About an hour to Worthingham, Your Grace,” the soldier said.

“Thank you, Private,” the Duke said.

Maren suppressed a groan. An hour on the road and who knows how long before she might be alone in a room with a bed, which was all she really wanted. But probably there would be business to take care of at Worthingham, Alec would make her eat, and gods only knew what the Duke might want with her.

Maren pinched the bridge of her nose and leaned against the window of the speeder. It was dark in the speeder, and she hoped the Duke wouldn’t notice how much of a mess she was. She absolutely was not making the sort of first impression she had hoped to make on the man she was about to marry.

Fortunately, Alec appeared to still be trying to stay awake by talking and kept up a steady stream of conversation with the soldier driving, which made it unnecessary for Maren to attempt conversation with the Duke.

Ahem.

The Duke cleared his throat, and Maren realized he was trying to pass her a flask.

She took it, and he leaned over to say, “You looked as if you needed some brandy.”

Gods, she did. She was not much of a drinker, although she had become accustomed to sharing a brandy with Donovan after dinner, but she firmly believed in the medicinal qualities of brandy.

She drank the brandy and was not surprised, but was pleased to replace it was excellent. The warm burn seemed to help steady her.

“Thank you,” she said, returning the flask.

“I always keep some with me for medicinal purposes,” he said.

“A wise choice, to be sure,” she said.

He tucked the flask back into his jacket.

“Did they trouble you at all before we arrived?” he asked.

He spoke quietly, and she thought he meant to speak only so she could hear him. Alec was still yammering on in the front of the speeder.

“No,” she said.

“Good,” the Duke said. “I know that was… I know how terrifying that sort of thing can be. For what it’s worth, though, I do not think they would have dared to take you.”

Maren had no idea how to respond to that. She knew for a fact they would have taken her, but it did not seem like the time to contradict him.

Much to her fury, the thought of what might have happened made her cry. She tried very hard to be quiet, but her involuntary sniff seemed extremely loud. Maren bit her lip to try to stop; she would rather not become hysterical in front of the others in the speeder.

The Duke, in a flawless gentlemanly gesture, handed her a handkerchief.

“Thank you,” she choked out and dabbed at her eyes.

She tried very hard not to think about the stack of handkerchiefs Donovan had given her. She had run through all of them the night before.

Instead, she tried to think about innocuous things, like how to brush a horse properly and how to check that tack was properly secured. It helped a bit, and she fortunately did not devolve into a blubbering disaster.

“I should apologize,” the Duke said to her after a while. “Rudely flaunting my authority was not exactly the first impression I intended.”

Maren choked on a laugh. It wasn’t really funny, only her first impression of him was not nearly as tragic as his first impression of her. She certainly did not think he owed her an apology.

“Really, because I’m sure I gave you exactly the first impression I intended,” she joked.

He chuckled quietly. “We’ll try again another day.”

Maren thought that sounded like an excellent idea. If she had to deal with anything else even remotely upsetting before she slept, she would completely fall to pieces.

--

Their arrival at Worthingham was chaotic. The Captain and the rest of the men came all the way with them as an escort. One of the soldiers was also driving the speeder that Maren and Alec had taken from the palace. Maren was glad to see it since it had nearly everything she owned inside, but she was surprised to replace she hadn’t even given it a single thought since they left the checkpoint.

In addition to the soldiers, there were also several servants who met them and began unloading Maren’s luggage. Maren stood outside the speeder, slightly stunned and unsure what to do or where to go.

“You must be starved, why don’t we go to the kitchen?” the Duke asked, suddenly appearing at her elbow.

“Oh…surely you have business to attend to, I’m all right,” she said.

She felt like she had already imposed a great deal on him and didn’t want to be more trouble.

“None more important than you,” he said with a kind smile. “Please,” he added, gesturing to the house.

“Ah…thank you,” she said and took his offered arm.

She found his words somewhat shocking. Who said that to someone they just met? She could tell he was being genuine and not just trying to flatter her. Did he really think she was that significant just for agreeing to marry him?

She hardly paid attention to anything in the house as he walked her through it. It was large and luxurious, but Maren was in too much of a daze to notice anything else.

Fortunately, it was a short walk from the drive to the kitchen. The kitchen was a lot larger than Maren would have expected. There seemed to be more than enough room to prepare a banquet for several dozen guests. But it was also warm and cozy—an invitingly homey space, somewhat at odds with the grand interior of the manor.

There was a small woman with tidy grey hair in an apron sitting at a wooden table. She rose and bobbed a curtsy when Maren and the Duke entered.

“Your Grace, my lady,” she said, and then bustled off into the cooking area.

“You didn’t need to stay up, Rosemary, it’s very late,” the Duke said.

“Well, sir, I know you don’t eat at the fort and I assumed Lady Maren and Lord Alec would be hungry,” she said.

“Well, I’m grateful to you,” the Duke said.

The Duke pulled out a chair at the table for Maren. She sat down and he joined her.

“Rosemary is our head cook and, I think, the best cook in the area,” the Duke said.

Rosemary came back to the table carrying two plates of cold meat and cheese. She didn’t respond to the Duke, but Maren could tell she was pleased by his complement.

“Welcome to Worthingham, my lady. We’re all thrilled you’ve come,” she said to Maren.

“Thank you,” Maren said quietly. She hadn’t really considered that there would be a whole staff with whom she’d need to be acquainted. Alec had also mentioned the staff like they had been around a long time, nearly as close as family.

Rosemary left and returned with several lovely loaves of bread. Maren thought she might be able to eat some of that.

“Oh, good, I was hoping I’d replace both you and food,” Alec said, walking into the kitchens.

Maren was genuinely grateful he joined them. She was completely incapable of carrying on something like a conversation with anyone, but especially not the Duke. Maren felt numb. She had been given entirely too many things to deal with and was completely out of capacity to deal with them. She needed sleep more than food and company.

“Rosemary!” Alec cried when he saw the cook.

He went to her and kissed her on both cheeks. Then she scolded him for being too thin, before handing him another plate of meat and cheese.

Maren was not really surprised to see how informal both Alec and the Duke were with someone on their staff. Both seemed to delight in dismissing proper protocol. And, she had to admit, it was a good thing. How someone treated their staff was certainly an indicator of what sort of person they were. It certainly reflected well on the Duke.

Alec sat down with them. Maren took some bread and nibbled some cheese, but she wasn’t hungry. Then Rosemary brought them all bowls of soup, which Maren found somewhat appealing or at least easier to eat.

“Can I get you anything else, Your Grace, my lord, and my lady?” she asked.

Maren briefly noted how awkward it was to speak to three different people with three different addresses.

“No, thank you,” the Duke said with a kind smile, “Please retire for the evening. And I expect a late breakfast will be in order tomorrow.”

“Yes, sir,” she said and then made to leave before turning and saying with a grin for Alec, “Oh, Josephine left slices of cake in the ice box for you all. Have a good night.”

Alec looked positively ecstatic to hear about the cake and bade Rosemary a particularly energetic goodnight.

Maren desperately wished to leave with Rosemary and go to bed because she knew her now they finally had privacy she and Alec would have to do a bit of explaining for the Duke. It was the very last thing she wanted to do. She briefly considered fainting just to get out of it, but decided that would be more embarrassing than the conversation they needed to have.

“Well, Father, I must say your timing was impeccable,” Alec said, buttering a piece of bread.

“Hm. Well, I’m still annoyed they had the gall to detain you, knowing who you both were. Although, as I told Maren, I’m positive they wouldn’t have dared to take either one or you,” the Duke said.

Maren and Alec exchanged a look.

“Or, perhaps I’m missing something…” the Duke began.

Alec gave Maren a questioning look, she knew he wanted to know if he was allowed to explain. Neither of them had envisioned Maren being present for the conversation where Alec explained the situation to the Duke. But she found she was past caring about being delicate or proper or really anything apart from doing whatever was necessary and then going to bed. She’d deal with the consequences later. If the Duke wanted to kick her out because of it, he’d have to wait until morning.

“I’m quite certain that they would have received the order to arrest me,” Maren said. “Possibly, both of us, depending upon how angry Kieran is.”

The Duke looked surprised but did not ask any follow-up questions, so Maren continued.

“I take it you’re aware that Prince Kieran loathes his older brother?” Maren asked.

The Duke nodded.

“I got caught in the crossfire,” she said.

The Duke sat quietly for a few moments, clearly processing this information.

“So you left early because—“

“Because Kieran decided that he wanted to attempt to prove that I’m a witch by force. For obvious reasons, it didn’t work, but it seemed prudent to leave immediately,” she said.

She knew she was being extremely blunt, possibly even to the point of rudeness, but she really couldn’t be bothered to sugarcoat the situation. She hadn’t wanted to bring up witches, but it was really difficult to keep that concealed after what happened at the checkpoint. Hopefully, the Duke would believe her denial.

The Duke fortunately did not accuse her of being a witch. However, he looked shocked at her words.

“By force?” he asked.

Alec looked like he wanted to interject, probably to explain just how Kieran had harmed her, but Maren stared him down. If he wanted to do that, he could do it after she left.

“Let’s just leave it at that,” she said, glaring at Alec. But fortunately the Duke nodded and did not press the matter.

“And the checkpoint—“

“—Was set up for the sole purpose of Kieran bothering his brother;” she said.

It was half-true, but good enough.

“I don’t understand why they didn’t have your name,” Alec said.

Maren didn’t understand that either, but apparently the Duke did.

“Because if he didn’t catch her and word got out that he was trying to arrest someone he shouldn’t be arresting, it would be a problem for him. Now, should anyone ask questions, he can say it was just a misunderstanding,” the Duke said.

“He’ll still probably kill the ones at the checkpoint, though,” Maren said.

Both of them looked at her with shock.

“He killed one of the palace guards for interrupting him when he asked not to be interrupted, and then he ordered the other guard to round up everyone at headquarters who made a mistake. I have no doubt he killed them all,” Maren said.

“Well, fear certainly is one way to lead,” the Duke said. His tone was even, but even Maren could see that he was horrified.

She realized she might have gone too far with her bluntness. She knew it was true, though. After the time she spent with Kieran the day before, she felt she understood him, or at least understood how he might behave.

She sighed. “I’m sorry, I perhaps was not as delicate as I should have been. But make no mistake about it, Kieran is a monster, and I’m quite certain that the only reason I’m still alive is because it entertains him more to attempt to use me as a weapon against his brother.”

And, she added to herself, because he wanted to steal her power more than he wanted to kill her.

Judging by the looks on the faces of the two men, her attempt to improve the situation was not successful. They both looked extremely uncomfortable.

It was the Duke who broke the uncomfortable silence. “No, my dear, we aren’t upset at what you said, we’re upset that you’ve had to deal with such a monster,” the Duke said.

That was not what Maren had expected to hear.

“Oh…well, it could be a lot worse,” she said, thinking of Lady Callista and added, “Alec has some notion of what he did to his mistress.”

The Duke looked to Alec.

“Let’s just say I had to confine her away from him for ethical reasons,” Alec said.

Maren was also thinking of the woman so desperate to escape her imprisonment with Kieran that she killed herself with shards of glass—the one he called his “pet.”

Kieran wanted to make Maren his pet.

She shuddered at the thought. Fortunately, no one noticed, or at least no one saw fit to comment on it.

“Well, truly, I don’t know what to say,” the Duke said. “I’m frankly horrified.”

Maren did not know how to respond to that, so she remained silent.

“How did you know to come?” Alec asked the Duke after a few moments.

Maren was grateful for the slight change in subject. She would rather not dwell on Kieran any more than she had to.

“Ah, well, I make a point of having the fort here keep an eye on anything unusual happening in the area, and a Tracker checkpoint out here is highly unusual. I knew you would encounter it, so I went to the fort to keep an eye on things since it’s so much closer to the checkpoint. And it just so happened that the Tracker station’s telegraph wire runs through the fort, and it seemed prudent to read the traffic today. So, we saw the telegram asking what to do with the two of you,” the Duke said.

She tried not to think about what might have happened if his people had not read that particular telegram.

He looked at Maren. “I don’t trust Trackers. I assumed that if you hadn’t been able to get through the checkpoint on your own, you needed help.”

“And I’m deeply grateful for it,” she said.

“Happy to do it. I dislike Trackers interfering with my family,” he said.

“Speaking of telegrams,” Alec said. “I know it’s late, is your operator still here?”

It appeared the Duke had his own telegraph line. Maren was surprised to hear that because private lines were rare, but reasoned it must be for his military responsibilities.

“Can it wait until morning?” the Duke asked.

Alec shook his head. “Not if it can be helped.”

Maren knew he wanted to send one to Donovan to tell him they’d arrived safely. Maren tried not to think about it. She knew if she started thinking about Donovan again, she would start crying.

The Duke looked surprised. “A long one?”

“A word will do.”

“I can send a short one when we’re done here,” the Duke said.

Maren thought wistfully about being “done.” Now that they’d explained everything, she felt she might collapse in exhaustion.

The Duke must’ve seen her desperation for sleep in her face because he asked, “Would you like me to escort you to your rooms?”

Maren tried not to look too relieved, but she was desperate to go to bed. So desperate that she didn’t even care what the Duke might want with her when they got there. Whatever it was, she wouldn’t be able to stay awake through it and couldn’t be bothered to care much.

“Please,” she said.

“Oh, but you have to have cake!” Alec cried.

Maren just looked at him. She knew her exhaustion, pain, and fear were all visible on her face for him to see. It would let him know just how uninterested she was in cake.

“Or perhaps you should go to your rooms,” he said, looking a bit abashed. “Just one moment.”

He picked up his medical bag; Maren hadn’t even noticed he brought it with him. He dug in his bag for a few moments before pulling out a glass bottle of pills and handed them to her.

“Take one to help you sleep,” he said.

Maren nodded. She knew she’d fall asleep quickly, but she hoped the pills would help her stay asleep. She did not want to deal with another nightmare.

“Sleep late, physician’s orders,” Alec added.

Maren thought that sounded like an excellent idea.

The Duke rose and then offered his arm to Maren. She took it gladly. She was so tired, she couldn’t even be bothered to worry about what might happen when they arrived at her rooms.

“Ah, let’s see,” he said as he led her out of the kitchen. “Your things should already be in your rooms. I’m afraid I was unable to get your maid here today, but she’ll be here tomorrow,” he said as he led her into the house. “But should you need assistance in the interim, I can send Mrs. Bennett, my housekeeper.”

“Oh, no, thank you, I’ll manage on my own,” she said.

She did not want the staff to gossip about the horrible bruise on her ribs or the various others that covered half her body.

They walked quietly through the halls. Maren was too tired to make conversation, and the Duke seemed to respect that. He led her up two flights of stairs before stopping in front of a large wooden door. She withdrew her arm from his.

“Captain Carstairs is getting a squadron of soldiers to stand watch overnight. I’m going to have them continue around the clock for a few days, at least. Just in case,” he said.

Maren was surprised but nodded.

“I hope you know, or will know, that you’re safe here. No one will trouble you in this house,” he said.

Maren wasn’t sure she would ever feel safe again, but certainly, she would feel safer with a guard stationed at Worthingham.

“Thank you,” she said. “I appreciate it.”

He smiled. “Is there anything you need?”

She shook her head. “No, thank you.”

“I will see you tomorrow,” he said, emphasizing the word so that it was obvious he meant he would not see her before then.

She hoped he didn’t see just how relieved she was at that. It was absolutely for the best; she doubted her ability to get through any amount of time in a bedroom with the Duke without crying.

If he noticed her relief, though, he didn’t comment on it. Instead, he smiled at her and said, “Goodnight, Maren.”

She smiled back as best she could. “Goodnight.”

She turned and went through the door to spend her first night in the Duchess’s Suite.

--

Alec was finishing his slice of cake when his father returned to the kitchen. It was just as good as he remembered. Possibly better.

“Josephine has spent the last three weeks trying to perfect that cake for you, even though it was already fantastic. Personally, I hope to never see another slice of chocolate raspberry cake ever again,” his father said.

“Oh, you poor man, forced to have cake from the best baker in the kingdom. I weep for you,” Alec deadpanned.

His father just smiled and shook his head. It was how they talked to each other.

“I take it you want to telegram the palace?” his father asked.

Alec nodded. “Donovan was concerned Kieran might…well, might do exactly what he did. He’ll want to know we made it.”

Alec could see that his father was curious about the nature of Donovan’s concern, but fortunately did not ask. Alec absolutely did not want to discuss the nature of Donovan’s relationship with Maren with his father.

“It was Donovan’s idea that we leave when we did,” Alec said.

He hoped to dispel any concerns that Donovan might have any intentions of interfering with Maren’s engagement. As it turned out, it was a lot more uncomfortable being between Donovan and his father than Alec thought it would be.

His father must’ve read the discomfort on his face because he raised his hands in a placating gesture.

“It’s none of my business and if I have questions I certainly won’t be asking you,” his father assured him.

Alec sighed. “I really hate when you do that.”

He knew his father was very good at reading people, but he always found it unsettling when it happened. Usually Alec was the one reading others.

“It’s good for you,” his father said with a smile, and then asked, “Can I eat my cake first?”

Alec laughed. “I thought you didn’t want any more of it.”

His father shrugged. “It’s excellent cake.”

“That’s fine, take your time,” Alec said.

He knew Donovan would be on tender-hooks waiting to hear from him, but a few more minutes wouldn’t really make a difference. Alec didn’t know if the palace staff would even deliver a telegram so late. All things considered, it was possible that Donovan wouldn’t see the telegram until morning, so there was no need to rush.

His father got his slice of cake from the ice box and sat with Alec at the table.

“I told Maren, Captain Carstairs is getting a group of men to stand guard overnight, and I’m going to have him continue with at least one squadron here for a few days. Just in case,” his father said.

Alec sighed. “I wish I could tell you it’s unnecessary, but…”

“My personal intervention in a checkpoint should have been unnecessary,” his father said.

It was very rare to see his father so irritated. But Alec couldn’t blame him. It absolutely should have been unnecessary for him to intervene. Gods, the checkpoint shouldn’t have even existed.

He had always known that Kieran was terrible, but Alec would not have imagined that he would go so far as to kidnap Maren and beat her. None of them had.

Although, unlike Maren and Donovan, Alec already knew some of the horrors Kieran inflicted on his mistress. From what Callista told him, Alec gathered that Kieran used her as an object on which to take out his frustrations. As a rule, Alec was more respectful of trash bins than Kieran had been of Callista.

Alec also got the distinct impression that the poor woman’s torment at Kieran’s hands was far more extensive than she let on. Callista was already mortified that she had to tell Alec as much as she did; he thought there was a great deal more that she didn’t tell him.

So, perhaps he should not have been surprised by what he did to Maren. Certainly, he would not hesitate to do it again.

Alec sighed and shook his head. There was nothing he could do about it. He just hoped that Kieran would not be so cruel to the next girl.

So, he turned his attention to something else that bothered him.

“That might have been dangerous for you, coming out to the checkpoint. It could have been ugly,” Alec told his father.

His father shrugged. “It was a mission of intimidation, not force. Since I was there, the Captain was not obliged to liberate you through violence.”

His father suddenly looked regretful. Alec was fairly certain he knew what it was about.

“It isn’t your fault if Kieran kills those men. That certainly isn’t a normal disciplinary action,” Alec said.

His father smiled. “I really hate when you do that.”

Alec laughed. Conversation between the two of them was always filled with reading each other's faces.

“It’s good for you,” Alec said, grinning.

His father’s expression shifted to something more serious. “How bad is she? I mean, she’s obviously in pain but got the sense she was the sort to pretend she’s fine,” his father said.

Alec shook his head. “‘Fine’ was precisely what she insisted she was all day. Well, at least until the end.”

Alec thought it likely that Maren would be embarrassed in the morning about speaking so bluntly to his father, but he knew his father wouldn’t mind at all. He supposed they’d have to work that out between themselves, though.

“But to answer your question, she’s not in any immediate peril but will need several weeks to recover fully. As for the rest…well, I’m a physician, not a psychoanalyst.”

And there it was, yet another reason why he wanted to keep people in their own compartments. It was awkward to treat someone he knew well. He knew the extent of Maren’s injuries, at least the ones she told him about, but he knew them as her physician and not as her friend. So, it really wasn’t right for him to disclose the details without her explicit permission.

“Gods, we are so lucky Kieran was born second,” his father said. “I cannot imagine how abusive he’d be as king.”

Alec shook his head. That was a nightmarish thought. He didn’t really like to think about it, because he knew Donovan wanted to marry Maren and not the stranger he was supposed to, but Donovan did absolutely need to have a son and the sooner he did it, the better. Kieran needed to be at the bottom of the list of possible successors to the King.

He hadn’t really understood why Donovan couldn’t marry Maren before Kieran assaulted her. But now that Alec knew that Maren was a Light Wielder and unable to have children, he saw how problematic that would be. The fact was, Donovan had to have an heir, and Maren’s failure to produce one would put her in danger and jeopardize the kingdom. Even if Kieran died before Donovan and never became king, Alec was hard-pressed to believe that any children fathered by such a man would be suitable rulers either. There was something…wrong with him.

“All right, I’ll go and send it now,” his father said when he finished his cake. “What do you want it to say?”

“Just ‘here’ is fine,” Alec said.

Probably it was good that Donovan didn’t hear just yet about the near miss with the Trackers at the checkpoint. Alec knew he’d be outraged, and he was already furious and grieving. Donovan had enough of a temper that he might do something foolish. Alec would tell him, but not until he returned to Court after the wedding.

“Go to bed, I’ll clear up when I’m done,” his father said.

Alec yawned hugely.

“Normally, I’d clear up anyway, but after driving all day and nearly getting arrested, I won’t,” he said.

His father clapped him on the shoulder. “I’m glad you’re home, Son.”

Alec smiled. He was glad to be home, too.

“Aren’t you going to thank me for bringing you a wife?” he said, grinning.

His father shook his head. “For a matchmaker, you arranged a perfectly awful introduction.”

Alec chuckled and watched as his father left the kitchen. He knew his father hated the fact that the first words out of his mouth to Maren were overly familiar and using his title to break the rules. Alec also knew Maren was probably horrified that his father had to rescue her. Perhaps they would bond over it.

Alec got up from the table and went to the third floor of the house, where his rooms were. He and his brothers all kept their childhood rooms at the manor, even after settling on their own. They all visited frequently and no one else needed the rooms, so it was only fitting.

His rooms were impeccably clean and just as he left them at his last visit. He had earned them by default when the family moved into the manor because none of his brothers wanted them, but Alec had always loved the rich green wallpaper and dark wood furniture. He didn’t have a sitting room, not that he required one, but he had a dressing room and a fine washroom in addition to the bedroom.

The first thing he did, the first thing he always did, was open the windows so that he could hear the waves. His room didn’t have an ocean view, those were on the other side of the house where the Duke’s and Duchess’s Suites were, but the house was close enough to the water that you could still hear it with the windows open.

Alec sighed and collapsed on the bed. He thought he was due a bit of rest and relaxation. He’d been rather stressed about the whole situation between Donovan and Maren for what felt like ages because he was worried both his friends would struggle with the separation. And going nonstop from the moment Donovan barged into his office the day before (gods, was it only the day before?) until arriving at Worthingham had done nothing to improve his nerves. Moreover, the business with the Trackers had been extremely disturbing, and he was still worried about Maren and her condition, and his father, and Donovan.

Alec thought he might need to spend at least four hours on the beach every day just to relax a bit.

It would be a fine prescription. Perhaps he’d also see if he might spend some time with Seb.

Alec smiled at the thought. It would be somewhat tricky to arrange, but not impossible, especially if he and his squadron were guarding the estate.

He thought of Seb menacingly stroking his rifle while he glared at the Tracker. At the time, the standoff was unpleasant, but in memory, it was delightful to see Seb that way.

Alec hadn’t known he was back from Clifton, but was glad their paths had crossed. He had not opened the compartment Seb was in for quite a while, but found he was looking forward to doing so.

Yes, relaxation and company would do him some good.