Desire and Duty by Marie Medina

Author:Marie Medina [Medina, Marie]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Evernight Publishing
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Three

Orman sorted through all of the new letters, his impatience getting to him. He knew it was unrealistic to expect any news yet, but he kept hoping. It was also possible that Ash and Locke might come straight back with Arion if they found him.

And it was also possible they wouldn’t find him. Orman’s chest felt tight as he thought about that. He’d begun training to be a steward when he was fourteen, and he’d come to Vane’s dominion when he was only twenty-three because his mentor had been so impressed by him. Vane’s former steward had finished his training up and stayed on for a year to help him settle in. Orman never wanted to leave or be anyone else’s steward. Vampires lived so long he’d imagined he would always be with Vane, but now? He couldn’t bear to think about Vane dying.

He opened all the letters and began sorting them. There wasn’t anything that important, so he organized them and left them on his desk for later. He went down to the blood storeroom to ensure everything was in order there. Most vampires drank donated blood until they found their fated mates, as drinking from a living person often led to romantic and sexual attachments. It was just too complicated. He looked over the ledgers and did a sweep of the shelves. Everything seemed to be fine, so he headed for the stables.

He spotted Gwynn with Vane, walking above him along the open walkway that connected the family wing to the rest of the castle. Gwynn was saying something to him, and he had his gaze focused ahead. He looked as if he felt better, but from this distance, Orman couldn’t really tell. He walked through the stables and made sure all the stable boys and extra hands were going about their business. The stalls were clean, and all the horses seemed content and attended to. He made the rest of his rounds, ending up in the kitchen eventually.

Mrs. Allen nodded to acknowledge him and went on kneading some bread. “About time, I’d say.”

“About time for what?” Orman asked, wondering if she’d sent for him or something.

“For you to get on with it.” She handed the ball of dough off to the girl beside her and began wiping her hands. “What else in the world could I mean? It’s the only thing you’ve ever taken your own sweet time to take care of.”

“Well, then perhaps you should’ve nudged me. You’re right. I delayed far too long.”

“I’ve got a nudge for you. A ring. Now. All those soldiers from the capital will be coming through the land soon. You need to settle things before then.”

“I can’t propose to a girl two days after telling her how I feel.”

“Why not? It’s like something in a novel. Romantic.”

He knew it might be a mistake to confide in her, but still he said, “Trust me, I’d propose this moment if I thought she’d say yes, but—”

The look on Mrs. Allen’s face was much too pleased, and her gaze was focused ever so slightly behind him.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.