Halcyon Rising (35 page)

“Your father is a good man.” He squeezed her shoulder, offering her comfort. “I think they left this here because they wanted to pretend it never happened. They wanted to rewrite our past.”

“Your entire life can change,” he agreed. “I gave you every reason to believe I’d made those people sick, Rhoswen. I don’t blame you for leaving while you had the chance.”

Heat rose in her cheeks, and she dropped her gaze. “I’ll never forgive myself for believing the worst about you.”

“All that matters is that you came back.” He gave her a wan smile. “I’m sorry I was so angry when you arrived. You and Sebastian are welcome to stay here with us, if you like.”

She returned his smile. “Thank you. I’ll ask him.”

* * *

Sebastian watched Rhoswen and Trevelan return from the far side of Old Halcyon, his heart lifting with gladness as her gaze met his and a slow smile lifted her lips. His worst fears had been laid to rest. She had just spent nearly an hour closeted alone with her former chosen mate, yet her eyes still glowed with love for the Surface barbarian she had chosen instead.

She rushed straight into his arms, hugging him so tightly he could barely breathe. “Let’s find somewhere to talk,” she whispered, pressing her lips against his ears. “We have some decisions to make.”

He nodded and led her toward the house he had already claimed as theirs. Miranda’s sister had given him a lumpy feather bed and a few blankets, and he had made them a comfortable pallet in a corner of the main room.

Once they snuggled beneath the covers, he pulled her into his embrace, staring down into her lovely, fey face. “What happened? What did he tell you?”

The story she spun, of Halcyon’s less than sterling past, did not surprise him. He had never really trusted the thought of an entirely peaceful human civilization. Humans by nature were violent and deceitful. Thankfully, there was also love and goodness to be found.

Rhoswen finished with a resigned shrug. “I think we need to return the book to Halcyon and deal with the mess we left behind.”

He frowned. “Do you think we will be allowed to stay?”

“I honestly don’t know. I think my father will make every attempt to persuade the council to let us, but the way he handled the situation last time will have put him on shaky ground.”

“What if you returned alone?” he asked quietly. “Would things be different if I were not with you?”

She drew back and glared at him. “That’s a ridiculous question. Why would I return to Halcyon without you? Why would I even consider it?”

“If we remain on the Surface, I cannot offer you much. Surely you realize that. Without my tower, without my brother’s good will, I have nothing. I know you love me, but I cannot ask that of you. And I love you too much to see you live in squalor.”

“We won’t live in squalor,” she chided. “We’re both too smart and resourceful. Besides, Trevelan has invited us to remain here, to help him and Miranda rebuild Old Halcyon.”

He gave a wry laugh. “Why must you always be so reasonable? I am trying to make a heroic sacrifice.”

She hugged him tightly. “You’ve made too many of those on my behalf already. Allow me to make one for once. I’d rather have you than all the hot showers in the world.”

All her life, Diana Bold wanted to be a writer. Even as a child, her sister claims all she ever did was sit in her closet and scribble in a notebook. Now, she concedes the scribbling part, but not the closet part. Why would she need to sit in her closet when she had a perfectly good desk? In any event, she won her first writing contest when she was seven, and she was hooked!

She married young, and soon had three wonderful little boys

running around the house, so writing took a backseat for several years as she worked a variety of jobs that she hated. Once she started seriously pursuing a writing career, she found it was not as easy as she had expected, and she was not the prodigy she had imagined. But she joined a writer's group, and made a ton of writing friends along the way who showed her the error of her ways and unselfishly helped her get a little better.

By the time she sold her first book in 2006, she'd already been at

this for over ten years and was about ready to give up. Rejection is hard! But holding that first book in her hands made it all worth it.

Now her sons are all grown up, and two of them have babies of their own, so she is a grandma. But she now has all the time in the world to devote to telling the stories that just won't let her sleep. She hopes you enjoy them!

You can see what she’s up to at www.dianabold.com, and she loves to hear from her readers at [email protected].