Page 59 of The Guardian's Witch

She did as he asked. The rhythm resumed, slow at first, but each stroke drove her closer to the edge. Her breath came in short surrendering bursts, then she soared as wave after wave crashed over her.

* * *

He strained to maintain an easy pace. He wanted more. He wanted it now. The muscles of her sheath pulsed around him. His control was weakening. One strong thrust of her hips and he too found his release.

Exhausted, they laid cradled in each other’s arms, sated and content. Finally, Alex got up and returned to Lisbeth’s side with linen and a bowl of heated water. “Here, let me clean you.” He dipped the linen in the warm water and washed his seed from her body. When he was done, she took the linen and cleaned him.

“When did you remove your clothes? I don’t remember...”

“You were otherwise occupied...wife.”

Her head popped up at the word. He retrieved her nightdress, slipped it over her head, and tied the ribbon.

“I, on the other hand, remember quite precisely when your nightdress was removed,” he said putting on his own clothes and handing a wine goblet to her. “A toast.” He raised his goblet with a twinkle in his eye. “To no clothes.” They sipped their wine. His arm rested comfortably around her shoulders. “I’d rather we were by the lodge. Maybe we could find the flowering tree and stand under it and let the blossoms fall.” How wonton she had looked with her bodice at her waist. How intoxicated he was when he touched her and kissed her breasts. “How you bewitched me.”

* * *

The memory of the dream was as clear to her now as it was when she first dreamt it. He had tucked the blossom behind her ear. His hands were... His mouth... How did he know? She exploded away from him. “What are you saying?”

An astonished expression swept over his face. His arm was still outstretched as if he still held her. “We walked to the tree...” he stammered.

“No, we didn’t. That was my dream.” Her mind spun with confusion.

Alex rose to his feet. “Lisbeth, it wasn’t a dream. Well, not entirely. You created a vision, and you called me. That’s the only way I could have been there.”

“Who else knows?” She thought quickly, trying to recount her visions.

“No one else.” Alex could not have missed her flare of temper. He took her by her shoulders. “You did call me, Lisbeth. You do understand that?”

She looked up at him as if she saw him for the first time. “No. I didn’t call you or anyone else.” She searched his face and saw the answer. She shrugged off his hands. “And you knew.” She saw the small lines around his eyes deepen in anxiety. She watched him swallow hard. What a fool she had been.

“Lisbeth, it doesn’t matter. Not now.”

“Was that part of your plan? Make love to me in my dreams so I would be eager to be your wife?”

“Lisbeth, no.”

“You not only own my body but my soul as well. Is nothing sacred?”

He seemed to cringe at her words.

“And you knew I had no idea, but you said nothing. What kind of miserable creature are you?”

He stared at her, looking stunned. “Lisbeth, I didn’t know what to do. At first I thought they were only dreams. My dreams. It wasn’t until I saw the white blossom in your hair that I suspected something different.” His voice was barely a whisper. “When you mentioned nothing I thought you were being discreet so I also said nothing.” He was immobile and mute.

“You know about the other dreams? All of them?” She panicked at the thought. What did he know?

“Listen to me. I cannot come uninvited. The dreams you’ve called me into were intimate ones between the two of us. I’ve seen no other dreams.”

“The king gave you my castle and made you my husband, controlling everything I do and say and everyplace I go.” She closed her eyes. Tears trickled down her cheeks. “Even my dreams,” she whispered. She opened her eyes. Her misery was so complete it was a physical pain. “I thought I was safe with you. I felt safe with you, but you were my biggest danger. You’ve taken everything from me.”

“No, I haven’t.” He stood before her, his eyes cold, his body rigid. “I swear on all that is holy that was not the intent. I thought you gave it to me willingly.”

“You’re an arrogant man, Alex. You think because you see something you want you can just pluck it for yourself.”

He took her by her shoulders and shook her. “I wanted to be near you, and you wanted to be near me. There is nothing wrong with that. I gave you your dream and you gave me mine.”

“Yes, with no commitment, no understanding, only in a dream where there is no meaning. I will not have it. Do you hear? I will not have you.”

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