Page 45 of Lured By the Dus
I raised an eyebrow. “Yes, but it’s always been summer.”
He propped himself up on an elbow, leaning over me. “We are in the realm of the King of Hearts. His land has a true summer.”
“What?” I squeaked and bolted upright, the blankets falling to my waist as I stared at Oren. I blushed as I realized we were both very naked. I wanted to explore that, but first, I needed answers. “The King of Hearts? Your friend from before? Oren, what happened back there? Your wings came back, and the Others flew away.”
Instead of answering, Oren simply smiled and his entire face lit up. Peace enveloped him, a calmness I’d never seen. All the tension and angst from Dowler had left his body, making him appear younger. Rising, he pulled back the white curtains and handed me a robe. “Come, I will tell you all as I show you my home.”
I slipped into the robe while Oren pulled on trousers. They hung loose around his hips and it was difficult to take my eyes off him, until he pulled the curtains back further, revealing the room.
“Oh,” I breathed.
The white curtains surrounded the bed, which perched like an ivory cloud of comfort in the middle of the room. My feet sank into a plush carpet and on the walls crawled green vines and blooming red flowers. The open window let in the fragrant scent of lavender and roses and much, much more.
Oren threaded our fingers together, his grip warm and reassuring as he led me to the doorway. I sagged against him, pressing a hand to my mouth. A small sound escaped my throat as I stared. We were inside a charming cottage with ivy growing up the walls and vegetables hanging from the rafters. A fireplace filled one wall, with a round table in front of it. A shelf with books and other odds and ends sat tucked against the other wall, and a spiral staircase led upward.
It wasn’t a grand palace, or an enormous castle with layers of halls and rooms and towers, and that’s what I loved about it. It was tiny, cozy, and lovely in every way. “This is your home?” I gasped when I trusted my voice to speak without cracking. “Your true home?”
“There’s more,” Oren said quietly.
He led me to the front door, and I lost my voice again. The cottage rested on a hilltop and a valley descended below displaying vines heavy with grapes, golden daffodils blooming in the light, royal blue butterflies fluttering from flower to flower, and a gentle breeze with a hint of music within. I breathed deeply, taking in the floral tang and a hint of spice. Far in the distance, I thought I caught the winking towers of a castle, but I couldn’t be sure.
When I spun to Oren, his gaze was on my face, drinking in my reaction. “Welcome home, Tanith,” he whispered, cupping my cheek and kissing me oh so gently.
I closed my eyes, letting his caress linger on my lips. “This is wondrous. This is a paradise. How?”
“Wait, there’s even more.” Spinning me around, he led the way to the back door, which opened onto a patio.
Potted plants surrounded the cottage and a stone walkway led to a rose garden in full bloom. Beyond it, pine trees sloped into a forest, welcoming us to a secret haven. The music of water in the distance added to the charm and my heart swelled. Maybe we had died and our souls had been transported to a lush garden, for the colors were brighter than anything I’d ever seen, and the peace in the air left me with the sensation that nothing bad could ever happen here.
Oren led me outside to a shaded lounge. Leaning back against the pillows, he pulled me down beside him where we had a view of the cottage, the rose garden, and the plants waving in the breeze.
He was right. It was warm, and I tucked my legs under me, sitting so that I could study Oren’s face. “Do you like it?” he asked, although he already knew the answer.
“Like it?” I gently punched his shoulder. “It’s lovely and charming and beautiful and … it’s really yours?”
“Ours now.” He took my hand again. “Below us are the gardens of the King of Hearts, and these are his forests. He gave me cottage and garden as a gift, if I ever needed to rest. That was long, long before I was sent to Dowler.”
Perhaps I really had seen a castle in the distance. Dowler seemed so foreign and far away from the warmth and beauty of Oren’s home. “Will we meet him?”
Oren leaned forward, his eyes intense. “Tanith, here I intend to give you everything you want. We can go where you want to go, meet who you want to meet. If it is in my power, I will grant it, for you have given me everything.”
“Oren I …”
“You don’t know what you did, do you?”
I shook my head, squeezing his hand.
“You saved the magic-thralls.”
My breath caught. “No, you did.”
He shook his head. “The magic of the sorcerers made me weak, and you were strong. When you smashed the pyramid into Lord Faren’s face, you brought down the mountain.”
I shivered at the reminder. “I thought it was your plan all along.”
“I had hope, and it was enough.”
My throat went tight, recalling the desperation I’d felt in that moment. “What about the Others? Where did they go?”
