Loving War : The Eighth Son by Kathleen Lacie

Author:Kathleen Lacie [Lacie, Kathleen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kathleen Lacie Books
Published: 2024-02-14T00:00:00+00:00

He Needs Her

After returning home, Tavian went to work preparing for the tournament. The envoys deployed would arrive at their destinations any day now.

He was anxious about the responses, especially from Ambrose.

If he knew Philip, and he did, the old goat knew of the tournament long before the envoy arrived. Tavian was aware of the spy he had lurking around somewhere in Ivoca. He thought nothing of it because he, too, had a few scattered in Malan.

In the last five months, Tavian had gotten good at keeping his mind occupied. This evening, however, as he sat alone, finished with his business for the day, the familiar ache found a way back. He missed Charlotte; he hid it so well, even from himself. His anger and devastation provided the ability to wear a tough mask, preventing him from reaching the core of how he felt for her.

Tavian jogged down the wooden stairs leading to the beach. It had been weeks since he could enjoy his favorite pastime. He kicked off his shoes and rolled up his pants, walking in his bare feet. The sand was soft beneath his feet, and his toes sank in as the warm water lapped across his ankles.

Walking the shore, alone with his thoughts, he listened to the waves, hoping the lullaby would soothe him.

Weeding through all the choices he made the last few months; his mind wandered back, combing over the previous fourteen years of his life as a king and meeting Charlotte. How innocent and yet seductive she was. The morning in Benediction, she found him in the hallway with Beth.

“Don’t laugh, Your Grace, and do not test me. I am a match for any man.”

The look on her face when she spoke to him. Her words shot straight into his heart. Though he had not realized it, he loved her then. He smiled when he thought of her jousting, how damn proud he was of her, and yet he had to scold her. He confessed his love to her that day.

“Charlotte, don’t you understand? Do you not feel it? I love you. I am in love with you!”

The welcome shock on her face and the tears she shed. As if she was unworthy of his love.

The birth of the twins and all that followed. That night in the garden, Charlotte was terrified, and yet she gave herself to him. She needed him as much as he needed her. How devastated she was when he told her of Ursula. He looked out at the ocean and remembered her words to him.

“Our life will never be easy. I know that now, but it is blessed, and we can make it as beautiful or as ugly as we choose. That is the thing, Tavian. It is our choice. And I choose you. Every day, every situation, every obstacle, I will always choose you.”

Tavian sat on the beach, the full moon shining down on the ocean, the air calm and warm, as memories invaded his thoughts. Charlotte’s words echoed through his mind.

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