Embroidered Fantasies

Chapter Fourteen

Hours later, Radnor paced the hall outside his room, a killing rage still upon him.

The Luther brothers and Michael Talbot had ruined everything. If they were still alive, he’d kill them again on that premise alone. The look of horror in Roxanne’s eyes, the way she’d cringed away from his touch and thrown up in the field, haunted him.

He wasn’t sorry he’d killed the bastard. If any man had needed killing, it was Talbot. He only wished Roxanne hadn’t had to witness it. He and Sednar had fought side-by-side so many times, they hadn’t even had to think about what to do, had simply reacted. When they’d seen Roxanne’s ex-husband about to hit her, there had been no hesitation. That the other man had run instead of fighting was his choice. He’d died as he lived—as a coward.

Radnor wouldn’t lose a moment’s sleep over it. He’d done what needed to be done.

What any warrior worthy of the name would have. He’d protected his woman.

Only she wasn’t his. Not any longer. Maybe she’d never been his. Maybe they’d never had a chance at her staying. His tainted Craddock blood ran too thick in his veins.

Even she, who was from another world, could see it, feel it.

He looked down at his hands. They were clean now, as was the rest of him. But the stains of battle remained, hidden deep, a permanent marker on his soul.

He glanced toward the door. Roxanne was sleeping, had been for several hours. He curled his hands into fists at his sides. She’d been exhausted to the point of sickness.

Michael had run her into the ground. Still, she hadn’t given up. She’d faced him with nothing more than a rock in her hand.

Radnor unclenched his fist and rubbed his palm across his sternum. His head jerked up as Darrina left the room. She left the door partially open. He moved close enough to peer in. Roxanne was covered in thick furs, sound asleep, her chest rising and falling slowly. Sleep was the best healer.

“She is well, all things considered.” Darrina hefted a bucket with medical supplies in her arms. “I cleaned her up and tended to all her cuts and bruises.”

“Thank you, Darrina.” Radnor didn’t spare the older woman a glance, his gaze locked on the woman sleeping in his bed.

He sensed the older woman’s hesitation and reluctantly pulled his eyes from Roxanne. “Was there something else?”

She shook her head and started to leave, but stopped. “Will she stay?” There was no longer any doubt in Radnor’s mind as to the answer to that question.

“No. Not after this afternoon. She’d been through too much, seen too much bloodshed.

This place holds nothing but bad memories for her.”

The older woman frowned. “It holds much the same for you and Lord Sednar, yet you’ve managed to make a life here.”

Radnor straightened, giving Darrina his full attention. This was the first time anyone here had ever acknowledged that he and his brother were trying to overcome their past and make a fresh start.

Darrina’s hands tightened around the bucket she was holding. “Maybe it’s not my place to say anything, but the lady got me to thinking about things.” She shifted the weight in her arms to her other side. “Anyway, perhaps she’d be able to make a new beginning too. If you’d ask her.”

Having said her piece, Darrina hurried down the hall, her footsteps ringing on the stairs.

“Do you think she’s right?”

Radnor turned to his brother who came up behind him. “You heard everything?” Sednar nodded.

“What do you think?”

Sednar hesitated and his shoulders slumped. He walked to the door and eased it open. “I think there are too many memories for her here. Too many of them bad. She can go back to her world with no fear and start again.” Walking to his brother’s side, Radnor stared at the woman who’d stolen his heart.

He pushed the door open. His feet made no sound as he went to the bedside and stared down at her. She was so precious to him. She was everything he’d ever wanted, ever dreamed of having. He’d had her, if only for a few short days.

“We have to give her up. We have to let her go.”

Sednar came up beside him, his voice a frantic whisper. “We can’t. We love her. At least, I do.”

Radnor knew in his heart that his brother was wrong. “It’s because we love her that we have to.” He knew the pain his brother felt. It was a tearing at his gut that would never go away. “We had her for a short time. She showed us how good life could be.

What happiness is. How can we ask her to stay here with our hands stained in so much blood? She’s already been through so much violence. You saw how she cringed from my touch at first. It was only when she couldn’t stand, she let me touch her. There was no other way for her to get home.”

“There has to be something we can do.” Desperation tinged Sednar’s words.

Shaking his head, Radnor turned his back on Roxanne. “Can you ask her to stay here in a strange, violent land, in a keep where the people fear the lords and violence is everywhere? I can’t.” He stiffened his resolve. “I won’t. Not when she can go back to her own world and be safe. She can begin a new life and this will fade to nothing but a bad dream.” He strode from the room, unable to stay any longer.

Sednar watched his brother leave, his heart heavy. He leaned down and gently caressed Roxanne’s pale cheek. “I love you. Radnor does too.” Sighing, he straightened.

“He’s right. It would be selfish of us to ask you to stay after everything. I’m glad we killed those bastards though. You will have nothing to fear when you return home. That will at least give me some comfort.”

He turned on his heel and strode from the room, oblivious to the lone tear that rolled down Roxanne’s cheek.

The moment the door closed behind Sednar, a sob broke from Roxanne’s chest. She ached from head to toe, her body battered and bruised from her desperate race through the forest. But the pain in her heart was the worst.

These men loved her. They’d pleasured her, protected her, killed for her. And they were ready to let her go. Not because they didn’t want her, but because they did. Had she ever even thought a love could be so selfless? No. She hadn’t thought it possible.

Thought it to be nothing more than a fairytale perpetrated by romance books and movies.

But it was real. These men were real. Her love for them was real.

The question was, what was she going to do about it?

She rolled over in bed, whimpering as every muscle in her body protested. Her legs were stiff and sore. Her arms were no better. Both had scratches and bruises, but they would heal with time. Would she ever recover if she left here? Would her heart eventually heal?

The shutters were closed in the window, blocking out all light. A fire crackled in the fireplace and soft furs covered her. The scent of Radnor and Sednar rose up from the sheets when she moved, surrounding her in their essence.

Exhaustion took her under before she could make any decisions. She was vaguely aware when two large male bodies climbed into bed beside her. She didn’t fully wake but snuggled closer to their warmth. Relaxed and secure, she drifted back to sleep.

Hours later, she woke. Her eyes popped open and she sat up in bed, moving slowly so she didn’t jostle either Sednar or Radnor. She was sandwiched between them. Both of them were still wearing their pants and lying on top of the covers. Neither of them was touching her.

There was a low hum in the air, almost electric. Roxanne squirmed out from between the covers, careful not to disturb either one of them, and inched her way to the end of the bed before climbing off. She cocked her ear to one side. It was coming from outside. She felt compelled to follow it. Only problem was, she was totally naked.

Her bubblegum pink uniform lay across the back of one of the chairs. Her underwear was there too, but she ignored it. There was no way she could manage to pull a bra and panties on. Not with how stiff and sore she was.

She scooped up the dress and tugged it on, biting her bottom lip to keep from moaning as every muscle protested. It was amazing how strange the synthetic fabric felt against her skin after only a few days. She zipped the front of the dress shut and headed for the door.

Opening it a crack, she peered into the hallway. All was quiet. She eased out of the room, closing the door behind her. The chill from the stone floor seeped into the bottoms of her feet. She wished she’d pulled on the leather boots Radnor had given her but that would have meant bending over. There was no way she could accomplish that without a lot of pain. She didn’t bother to go back, but kept on walking.

The compulsion grew as she mounted a narrow set of stairs to the upper tower. At the top was a lone door. Placing both hands on the wood, she pushed. It creaked as it opened. She stepped inside. The room was barren, the window uncovered. The breeze was cool as it raced through the room, stirring dust.

Roxanne padded to the window and stared out. The land was so vast and dark.

There were no streetlights, cars or electrical lines. A low moo of a cow reached her ears, followed quickly by the yip of a dog. She definitely wasn’t in Los Angeles anymore.

She liked it here. The pace of life was slower. People really knew their neighbors.

They took pride in their work. They could see how what they did made a difference to the whole. And, of course, Sednar and Radnor were here.

A light blazed behind her. She swiveled around and her breath caught. The tapestry hovered about five feet in the air, a bright light surrounding it. The colors shimmered like a chest full of jewels touched by the sun. “You really are magic.” The image on the tapestry was the one she remembered—the vibrant green forest, where she’d run for her life, the clear, blue lake where she, Radnor and Sednar had talked, the fertile land she’d walked with both men. But more importantly, were the two men standing tall and proud in front of the familiar stone castle. They seemed almost alive as they watched her, as if trying desperately to influence her decision.

As she watched, the image on the tapestry began to fade and another one began to take its place. As though the tapestry couldn’t quite decide, it morphed through people and places, never settling on one.

Decide.

The word shimmered in her brain. Not spoken aloud, but understood.

Roxanne knew without a doubt that when she made up her mind, the image on the tapestry would change for good. She would never see it again after tonight.

Go or stay.

Primitive world versus modern conveniences. There was no chocolate or television.

No tampons. There was violence and hardship here.

There was also love.

Go or stay.

A sense of urgency filled her. If she didn’t make a choice the tapestry would make it for her.

She stared at the magical piece of fabric that had changed her life, entranced by the vivid colors swirling through it. “You know my decision.” The wind swept around her like a soft sigh. The light around the tapestry grew brighter and brighter, blinding her. Roxanne threw the back of her arm over her eyes. It didn’t help. The light grew, enveloping her.

There was a huge whoosh.

As quickly as the light appeared, it was gone.

Radnor jerked up in bed, already rolling to the side and grabbing his sword from the floor. Across from him, Sednar did the same. They both looked back to the bed at the same moment. Roxanne was gone.

“Nooo,” Sednar moaned. He dropped his sword to the floor and fell to his knees, grabbing his head in his hands.

Radnor’s legs shook, his head screaming a denial. Roxanne was gone. He sat on the edge of the bed and placed his hand in the center of the mattress. It was still warm. A lone tear rolled down his cheek and landed on the sheet where she’d lain. He propped his sword next to him and raked his hands through his hair, tugging until his scalp ached.

“We should have asked her, begged her to stay.” Sednar dug his palms into his eyes and took a deep breath.

“We couldn’t.” Even to his own ears, Radnor thought his voice sounded hollow.

Empty. Just like the rest of him.

His brother stared at him, anguish in his gaze. “We should have given her a reason to stay.”

Radnor’s gut twisted. Maybe his brother was right, but it was too late now. “She made her decision.” He swiped at his eyes with the back of his hand as he pushed himself off the bed and walked to the table. Picking up the jug of ale that sat there, he poured some into two mugs, ignoring the fact that his hand trembled, sending a good amount of it spattering across the table.

Too late.

The words echoed in his brain, tormenting him.

Too late.

What if they’d talked with Roxanne, pleaded with her to stay? Would she have taken pity on them and done so?

Too late.

Halfway across the room, he stopped in his tracks and flung the two mugs of ale into the fire. The flame in the hearth burst high into the air and the wood mugs bounced off the stone hearth, shattering into several pieces. Radnor fell to his knees and let out a roar of anguish that rattled the shutters.

His heart was breaking.

He felt Sednar’s arms come around him and grabbed his brother, holding him tight.

They would get through this like they had every other tragedy and hardship in their life—together.

They clung to one another as they had when they were children. But they were men now. They would survive, but they would never be the same again. How was it possible to function without a heart, Radnor wondered?

The door to his room pushed open. Anger flared like a wildfire out of control. It was bad enough to lose Roxanne. Who would dare to intrude during a time of such grief?

He opened his mouth to roar at whoever had defiled the sanctity of his chamber and almost swallowed his tongue when a flash of pink slipped into the room. He blinked, certain he was hallucinating. Roxanne stood there, her hands clasped at her waist, looking uncertain. She was wearing that unusual dress she had arrived in. It hit her mid-thigh, leaving the rest of her legs bare.

He scowled when he saw she wasn’t wearing any boots. Her feet were probably cold and the rest of her chilled. He wanted to speak but was afraid to. Was she leaving now? Was that why she was here?

Sednar shoved away from him and staggered to his feet. “Roxanne?” He held out his hand. She closed the door behind her but made no motion to come any closer.

Radnor pushed off the floor and rose to stand next to his brother. He tried not to notice the soft curve of her cheek, or the way her hair framed her beautiful face. He desperately tried to ignore the way her breasts pushed against the fabric of her ridiculously short dress, outlining her nipples. She wasn’t wearing a bra. Did that mean she wasn’t wearing any underwear?

Where he’d felt dead only moments before, he now felt totally alive. His body sprang to life, reminding him he was a man and she was a delectable woman.

He held out his hand to her. “Come here.”

Roxanne shivered with more than just cold as she stared at Radnor’s outstretched hand. Both he and Sednar were pale, as though they’d seen a ghost. They’d awakened to find her gone. They’d thought she’d left.

She hadn’t. She’d stayed and now there was no going back. She was suddenly very nervous. Sednar took a step closer to her. The look of hope crossing his face was almost too painful to watch.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “The tapestry came.” Both men stilled. She could feel it. The tension in the room grew as she opened her eyes. Radnor slowly lowered his hand back to his side.

“Then why are you here?” She almost smiled at Radnor’s clipped words. She was starting to know him much better. The more worried he was about something, the shorter his temper got. She no longer feared his anger. It would never be directed at her, not in a physical manner. They might disagree about things, but she would never have to worry about him hitting her.

“Because I couldn’t leave.”

Sednar frowned and his expression grew bleak. “That’s not the way it works. The tapestry is supposed to take you if you want to go home.” Radnor swore and raked his fingers through his hair. “I don’t understand.” She realized they’d totally misunderstood what she meant. She took a deep breath and plunged onward. There was no turning back now. She’d sent her only ride home on its way. “It didn’t take me home because I am home.” Both men stared at her as if they couldn’t believe what she was telling them. She licked her dry lips as nerves made her stomach flutter. “It was my choice to stay.” Instead of coming to her and taking her into their arms, they both turned from her and strode to either side of the bed and picked up their swords. She took a step back, her spine hitting the wooden door behind her. They both wore identical expressions of determination as they paused in front of her.

They both went down on one knee before her. Hefting their swords in their hands, they laid them across their palms, bowed their heads and offered them to her. It was a ritual of sorts. Intrigued now, she waited.

Sednar raised his eyes to her. “You are the heart that beats in this chest and in this home and if you would take me for husband I will give you my love, loyalty and devotion for as long as I live. With me, you gain the love, loyalty and devotion of my brother as well, who will be lover to you, and would also be your husband should I die before you. In return, I ask for your love, loyalty and devotion and any children that the gods see fit to gift us with.”

Before she could answer, Radnor laid his sword on the floor at her feet and placed his palm against his heart. “You are the heart that beats in this chest and in this home and if you would take me for husband I will give you my love, loyalty and devotion for as long as I live. With me, you gain the love, loyalty and devotion of my brother as well, who will be lover to you, and would also be your husband should I die before you. In return, I ask for your love, loyalty and devotion and any children that the gods see fit to gift us with.”

Roxanne was overwhelmed by the solemnity of the moment. Her eyes filled with tears and she desperately tried to blink them back. One escaped and rolled down her cheek.

Radnor reached out his hand and caught her tear on his thumb. He brought it to his mouth and licked it off. “Don’t cry, Roxanne.”

She was torn. “How can I choose between the two of you? I don’t want either of you to feel left out or unwanted.”

Sednar rose and cupped her chin in his free hand. “There will be no change with us.

We will all share one bed if that is your wish.” He glanced at his brother.

Radnor rose and nodded. “Whatever makes you happy, Roxanne.”

“But,” Sednar continued, “you must pick one of us. That is the law. The children must be formally recognized by a father and you must have the protection of a husband. It is a legal arrangement but it means nothing behind closed doors.” Her love for both men grew. She had enough love to share. It was strange that she loved both of them, yet her feelings for each of them were slightly different. One of them needed her more than the other. Needed that binding, that joining together in a formal ceremony, to feel complete. And so, she realized, did she.

She smiled at Sednar and turned her face into his palm, kissing it. Radnor started to back away but she reached out and caught his hand in hers, tugging him closer. When he was standing in front of her, she smiled up at him. “Yes.”

“Yes.” His expression was dazed.

Sednar slapped his brother on the back and began to laugh. He grabbed Roxanne into his arms and kissed her. She barely had time to acknowledge the kiss when she was torn from Sednar’s arms.

Radnor pulled her into his embrace and held her so tight she could barely breathe.

She hugged him back just as tight. He raised his head and studied her face. “Yes.” She nodded. “Yes.”

A slow smile crossed his face as he swept her into his arms and over to the bed.

“Now we celebrate.