Hazel
The room is panelled with dark, warm wood. A huge four-poster bed sits at one end, and at the other end is a room containing a deep bath filled with steaming water, rolling as it’s constantly replaced. The deep arched windows have heavy red velvet brocade curtains keeping out any draughts.
My skin itches like I’m in hell, but I am most definitely in heaven.
“I wonder…” Warden looks around, scratching at the scruff on his chin.
“What do you wonder?” I ask, kicking off my shoes.
“I wonder why I wasn’t offered this room when I stayed,” Warden rasps. “It’s a good room fit for a Brag.”
“Because you were a filthy monster straight off the road. I didn’t know you from any of the Reivers or Redcaps who frequent my premises.”
“I would hope you never let a Redcap stay in this room.”
“What sort of landlady do you take me for?” I grumble at him. “This is my honeymoon suite.”
Warden blinks at me.
“When two humans get married, they go on something called a honeymoon to get to know each other.”
“Humans do not mate when they find their beloved?”
“They do, but also they get to mate all over again once they are married.”
“What is married?”
“Where they pledge to be with each other until death.”
Warden’s gaze rakes over me, and he drops to one knee, taking my hand.
“My lady Hazel,” he says in all seriousness. “I pledge to be with you until death.” He cocks an eyebrow. “Are we married by your human customs now?”
I’m doing everything I can not to smile, but I can’t help myself.
“Yes, Warden.” I chuckle. “I believe we are.”
A relieved smile spreads over his face. “Good. It means we can get on with the mating.”
My hand goes to my stomach. Not that there’s any evidence of what he, and Long Meg, claim is a pregnancy.
“I think we’ve already done the mating part.”
“Not as far as I’m concerned,” Warden growls, taking me in his arms and glancing at the door to the bath.
“I presume my filthy little mate will want to join me in scrubbing off the last of the Thegn?”
“What?” I mock gasp. “You’re calling me filthy?”
“You haven’t seen yourself, my lady.” He rubs his face against mine. “But I have, and I believe you need to be relieved of your clothing,” he rumbles. “And thoroughly washed.”
“Oh, you don’t like a filthy mate?” I tease, slowly peeling my dress from my shoulders.
“Do you want to find out?” Warden growls.
But before I can answer, there’s a knock at the door.
“Ignore it,” Warden rumbles.
“I can’t. If it’s Hilda, she won’t stop knocking.” I sigh.
Being back at the Dark Gibbet is like pulling on a comfortable old sweater.
We might have been here half a day, and I might have spent most of that time making sure the place hadn’t fallen down in my absence (It hasn’t.
In fact, if anything, it has flourished annoyingly.
It’s almost as if I never left.) But it is like I never left at all.
Millie, as Long Meg informed me with some glee, has kept the place running. Mostly because she is one of the daughters of Duddo and was here all along to keep me safe.
And she will be the one to keep the Dark Gibbet going as this is only a stop off before we go on to the Shadow Keep, my new home, and then to on to visit my sister and Linton.
Because now we have all the time in the world.
I open the door. Hilda, who has obviously been listening at the keyhole, has a big smile on her face.
“I brought you some more towels. Sounds like you’ll need them,” she says, craning her neck to catch another glimpse of Warden.
“And there’s a couple downstairs in the bar, say you know them.
” She purses her lips. “He’s very weird and she’s very pregnant.
I said I’d check if you were here, so you don’t have to go down if you don’t… ”
She’s slammed to one side as I race out of the room, down the stairs, and through the bar to where Kaitlyn is sitting next to the fire, Linton standing opposite her, looking as out of place as any creature could.
“Kaitlyn?” I say hesitantly. I’m not sure how different I look to the last time I saw her. And she is as pregnant as Hilda said.
She levers herself upright. “Hazel!”
I needn’t have worried about a thing because she flings herself into my arms as hot tears course down my cheeks.
“I thought I would never see you again, especially when Lord Soulis and Tam Lin said they had taken you,” she sobs.
“It’s a super long story, one I don’t know half of, but I’m here, and they never had me, not really,” I say holding her tight.
She gives me a final squeeze and we part. “And you’ve been busy.” I eye her bump.
Kaitlyn looks over at Linton, who grins his unhinged grin.
“It seems my condition is the way of the Yeavering,” she replies.
“I know. I’ve met Queen Wynter.” I laugh miming a rounded stomach.
“King Reavely is a Barghest, all they ever do is have pups.” Warden rasps.
“Wait ‘til you meet the Lambton Wyrm’s mate,” Linton says. “Although how she puts up with Fenrother is anyone’s guess.”
“Same could be said of you,” Warden grumbles from behind me, putting his arms around my shoulders.
Kaitlyn’s eyes widen. “Warden?”
“You’ve met?”
“He helped Linton defeat Tam Lin.”
I twist in Warden’s arms. “You really meant it when you said you had eyes only for me, didn’t you?”
“Absolutely, my sweet mate. And I still don’t wish to look at another female.”
I hear a sigh from behind the bar, and I don’t have to look to know it’s Hilda. However I’m sure she’ll find her shining knight one day.
“I can’t believe we ended up in the Yeavering together,” Kaitlyn says. “I came here so you didn’t have to.”
“I think I might have come to find you.”
Kaitlyn pulls me into a hug again.
“I’m very pleased you did, but you need to go back beyond the veil where you’ll be safe,” she says urgently.
“Not really sure that’s going to be possible.” I scrunch up my nose and look down at her bump.
“Oh, this? I’m fine here with Linton.” She puts her hand over her stomach and smiles indulgently at her mothman.
“I didn’t mean you, K.” I allow, for the first time, a smile to spread over my face.
“What? You…and…Warden?”
My big Brag pulls me against him.
“My little mate is in foal,” he murmurs, studying my face, his fingers gently stroking my cheek. “I am finally going to have the peace I’ve always craved, all because of you.”
“And I got my sister back, all because of you.” I run my hands through his hair. “It would seem we’re even.”
“I will never be your equal, Lady Ryle,” Warden rasps. “But I will always be by your side.”
Thank you so much for reading The Watching and the Monsters of the Yeavering series.