Chapter 14
Chapter fourteen
Abigail
Abigail’s stomach twisted as she looked at her father.
How had he found her?
And how dare he think that she would be willing to let him stay?
And more importantly, was he the man who had cursed Roan? How had her father gotten so tangled up in time magic?
“I am no longer your daughter,” she said as firmly as she could, hoping her voice would not tremble and betray her nerves. She stepped up next to Roan—perhaps standing with him would give her strength. “You lost the right to claim me when you tried to force me to marry a man who didn’t want me.”
He gave her a sickly-sweet smile. “Now sweetheart, you know I was only trying to provide for you.”
Abigail began trembling. This is what he always did, and what she’d let him get away with for most of her life. She’d stopped letting him use her magic, but she’d never been able to stand up to the rest of his abuse.
“Abigail is under my protection, and I won’t have you intimidating her, no matter what you think you’re allowed to do.” Roan’s voice was strong and sure, even as he stared down the man who had cursed him.
If only she had that strength.
She couldn’t believe this was real. How had her father gotten to the point of cursing people?
He didn’t look well. His hair was unkempt, his beard looked as if he hadn’t trimmed it since her would-be wedding, and there were holes in his cloak.
Holes that she would have mended for him.
“She’s my daughter, and she’s going to help me.” Milton Lohndrey’s eyes grew wild, and Roan stepped between the two of them. “She’s always helped me.”
She should have known that he was the man behind the curse.
She hadn’t known anyone else who was strong enough to cast something like this…
but she never would have guessed that he’d turn to dark magic.
Where was he getting the power? The dragon eggs that he pilfered were not strong enough to cast such a spell.
She poked her head around Roan’s shoulder to watch as the man who’d raised her grinned at her.
Maybe she shouldn’t have looked around Roan.
She reached for Roan’s hand, but he flinched away from her, and Abigail suddenly felt as if she might vomit. Did he think she had something to do with this?
She’d had no idea that it was her father. Perhaps she could have guessed, but she’d had no reason to assume he’d appear after so long and curse Roan.
Did he even know she was here when he cast the spell? Probably not, or he would have been more calculated.
She sighed, pain slicing through her chest. If only she could have guessed that it was him before this had become an issue.
Before Roan assumed she was in cahoots with her father.
“Now, my precious little Abigail, you’re going to help me,” Milton said.
“Help you?” she scoffed. “I would sooner help anyone in the world than I would help you do anything ever again.”
“You are nothing more than my pawn,” her father said.
The words hit hard. She had been raised by him to believe that they were true, that she was nothing without him, that she was only there to amplify his own power.
But she had learned differently in the past year.
She had learned that she was strong enough on her own, and that she had a power inside of her that was worth more than he had ever let her believe.
She knew that now, and she would never forget it again.
“You’re wrong,” she said, stepping forward to stand beside Roan, whether he wanted her to or not.
At least he didn’t step away from her.
“I am so much more than someone who is only meant to be your puppet. I would never dream of helping you hurt someone I care about, and I will never help you ever again. You may be my father, but I want nothing to do with you. I never wish to see you again.”
Her father pulled his wand out of his pocket and pointed it at her. “You’ll regret this,” he said.
Roan immediately pushed her behind him, stepping forward to take the brunt of her father’s wrath, but Abigail fought her way around him. He was not allowed to sacrifice himself for her.
“You taught me that the only thing I was useful for was amplifying other people,” she said firmly, “but I am more than that, and I’m not going to let you destroy this home that I have built for myself and the other people here. You do not have that power.”
If someone had asked her to describe how she could use her magic, she couldn’t have answered. It came from inside her. Her power didn’t show in a flashy ball of light like her father’s, or a potion like an herbwitch’s, or even come borrowed from a dragon egg.
It was a part of her, and when she wanted things to be something, they became it.
As she spoke the words, proclaiming this tavern to be her home and a safe place for all who entered it, she could feel it becoming true.
This was her magic, and it was more powerful than she could have ever imagined.
Her father turned a sickly yellow-green and stumbled back, his wand faltering as her magic made him unwelcome.
“This tavern is a safe space for all who enter it, and it will not become a place of fighting and hurt because of you. You need to leave and never come back,” Abigail said steadily, “or I will let Beastie repay you for hurting Roan.”
Beastie let out a fierce bark, and Abigail took special delight in watching the fear on her father’s face. “She’s already practically ripped someone’s arm off once before,” she added.
Her father’s eyes widened, and he put his wand back in his pocket. “You’re not worth it,” he said, snarling at her. “You never have been.”
He turned and fled.
Abigail was instantly surrounded by the men of the tavern as she stumbled backwards, beginning to tremble from the use of that much magic at one time.
Tanner and Conrad were the first to reach her. Tanner threw his arms around her and squeezed her tight until Conrad peeled him off. “Leave her alone, kid,” he warned.
Edgar, the grumpy old coot, was exuberantly patting her on the back, and Travis and Tom offered their congratulations and thanks…but that was it.
Where was Roan?
Abigail turned to find Roan a full three paces back, his arms crossed across his chest and an unsettling look on his face.
“I didn’t know,” she said simply. “If I had, I would have told you.”
Roan didn’t say anything, so she took a step forward.
“I know you have no reason to believe me. I know that you must be scared he’ll come back again because of me, or he’ll somehow find a way to use me against you.
You must think that I’m a terrible human being because he’s my father, and I promise I’m not. ”
Her heart was in her throat as she took another slow step.
His face hadn’t changed, and his eyes were studying her like he had never seen her before.
“You are the best man I have ever known, Roan. You are strong and brave and kindhearted, and yes, you’re a little grumpy, but I know that you would never willingly hurt me. ”
All the men in the tavern were watching, but she knew she had to say the rest or she’d never forgive herself.
“No matter how much I want a future with you, if you can’t because of my father, I will understand, and I will go, and I will never come back, because you deserve to find happiness no matter who it’s with.
I can only hope that the woman who steals your heart will know exactly how lucky she is. ”
She closed the last step between them and looked up at Roan, her eyes pleading for him to understand. “I love you, Roan. So whatever is going through your head right now, I desperately hope that it has something to do with the fact that you love me, too.”
“Have I ever told you before that you talk too much?” Roan asked, the corner of his mouth turning up into a smile as he leaned down and cupped her cheek with his hand before pressing his lips to hers.
The tavern erupted into cheers, and Abigail sighed with relief as she returned his kiss, throwing her arms around his neck and holding him tight.
“You might have mentioned it once or twice,” she said, fighting back tears. Beastie, sensing a celebration, jumped up on the two of them, resting her large paws on Roan’s arm.
“Beastie knows,” Roan said. “I love you, too, and I hope the three of us can be together for the rest of our lives.”
“I would love nothing more,” she whispered, dangerously close to tears as Roan shook Beastie off.
“I’m sorry that I doubted you for even a moment.
” He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer, using his other hand to tuck her hair behind her ear.
“I should have known you would never be part of that. Especially after what you told me about your childhood, I should have known better. For him to claim you as his daughter when he appeared surprised me so much that I couldn’t think straight. ”
“But you still stepped between us,” Abigail pointed out, resting her hand on his chest and smiling up at him.
“I would have, too,” Tanner shouted before several voices told him to hush.
Abigail laughed and rested her head on Roan’s chest, hoping to hide her blush from the men in the tavern. “I don’t suppose you want to take this to your office?” she asked quietly.
“That sounds like a grand idea,” Roan said, and she didn’t have to look up to see the glare he was directing at the men. “Conrad’s in charge.”
He leaned down and scooped her up in his arms to a cacophony of cheers. Abigail laughed, sure that her face was as pink as his grandmother’s dress as he kicked the door open and walked down the hallway to his office.
“You didn’t have to carry me,” she teased.
“I wanted to,” he said as he nudged the door shut behind them and set her down, backing her up against it.
Any other man, and she would have been intimidated.
Even a week ago, this would have been too much, but now she felt nothing but happiness as he leaned against the doorway on one forearm and ran his fingers through her hair.
She felt safe.
“You saved me,” he said. “If you hadn’t been here, I never would have found someone that I could care for more than a tavern. None of those idiots in there would have been enough.”
Abigail snorted. “You mean you wouldn’t have fallen in love with Tanner?”
Roan rolled his eyes. “Tanner needs to grow up,” he muttered. “The boy is going to drive me to insanity if he doesn’t.”
“I don’t suppose anyone else would have helped you clean the tavern,” Abigail said, pretending to think hard.
“As if that’s the only reason I fell in love with you,” Roan muttered.
Her eyes filled with tears again. “You love me.”
Roan smiled as he leaned down. “I do. I love you very much. And I intend to spend the rest of our lives making sure you don’t forget it.”
He leaned down, and she pressed up on her tiptoes to kiss him once again, and the whole world disappeared until it was just the two of them.
Was this really happening?
“You know what?” she asked.
Roan raised an eyebrow.
“I think my father cursing you might be the best thing that ever happened to me.”
Roan let out a harsh laugh. “If you had told me that a week ago, I would have laughed at you.”
“You just did,” she pointed out.
“I would have laughed more,” he said.
“Because you love to laugh so much,” she teased.
He snorted, which made her laugh, which made him laugh.
Somehow they ended up sitting on the floor, leaning up against the door to his office, laughing hysterically. His arm was around her, and she leaned against him, and while she wasn’t quite sure how they’d gotten here, she couldn’t imagine wanting to be anywhere else.
“I am so glad it wasn’t just a dream,” Roan said after a moment, “even if in the beginning I thought it was a beastly dream.”
“You’re the only beast here,” Abigail responded, enjoying the frown that creased between his eyes, because it gave her the opportunity to reach up and smooth it away. “But you’re my beast.”
She smiled winningly and Roan shook his head. “I suppose I can live with that,” he said, leaning in to kiss her again.