Lorrielie tried to tie the handfasting cord again. Again the knot fell out. Lethe hid his smile. It had gone around his wrist easily.

"Problems?" he inquired politely. She made a sound of frustration.

"No. The words were said. That's enough." she left the cord hanging from his wrist. "Consummate it."

He pushed back the disgust that rose when she stripped and started forward. A deal was a deal. But simply could not force the arousal. She just smiled.

"I can help with that." her hand started to slide down and suddenly she jerked, her eyes going wide with shock.

"That.." Astra twisted the knife and shoved it more deeply into her. "belongs to me." She pulled out the blade and let Lorrielie hit the ground with a thud. "All of that belongs to me." Astra said savagely, kicking her once in the stomach, then slid the knife into its' sheath. She looked up to meet Lethe's eyes. "Problem?" she demanded, at the stunned look in his eyes.

"Not a one," he said huskily. He had never wanted her more and arousal was no longer a problem.

"So you were going to handfast with her for me? Really?" she said, shoving at him. He caught her hands and pulled her up to him. He took her mouth with a ferocious passion then pulled back.

"I would do anything for you," he growled as she caught her breath. "And I'll thank you to notice that she never bound herself to me. Couldn't with the cord I was using. I told you to trust me."

"She almost had her hand wrapped around your..."

"And I am most grateful to my savior for stopping her." Lethe interrupted. "Now we need to leave. After I kill a certain incubus."

"He was only filling a debt. He cut me down once she left."

His eyes narrowed. "There seem to be many just filling a debt that harm you. That I'm expected to forgive. I do not forgive easily." He released her and she swayed. He scooped her up. "Are you cold?" he asked, eyes dark. She shook her head.

"No, just starting to come down off a power high and hurting."

"Did the moonstone ring help?"

"Notice how I'm not bleeding anymore? I just need to recover," she said, resting her head against him as he started walking. He went through the main room and in time to see the lady laying her hand on Dom's head.

"He is to be forgiven." the lady said firmly, looking at the witch in Lethe's arms. She nodded even as Lethe let out a heavy sigh. That said, all divinity faded from the room to reveal the guards kneeling. Dom looked up, his eyes bright with tears.

"I do apologize," he said heavily. "I know you won't be able to forgive me, duke. If she were mine, I wouldn't forgive the one who whipped her."

"It isn't my call," Lethe said shortly. Dom rose, securing his whip to his side.

"You should know that she wasn't working alone. She had co-conspirators in her plot to take the throne."

"Who?" Lethe demanded.

"The council. All of them."

******

Marcus walked into the temple and took a deep breath. The gentle scent of incense permeated the air as sprites flitted about, ensuring everything stayed clean and tended. The brownie overseeing them approached him, bowing low.

"High King, it has been a while since you have honored us with a visit." there was a mild reprimand in the brownie's voice. Marcus nodded.

"Yes, it has been too long. Grieving and then court affairs kept me busy."

"Still, you are here now. To commune with divinity?"

"If they'll have me, yes. There are matters I need guidance in."

"Then the rumors are false." the brownie decided with a firm nod and turned to go. "You know the way there."

"Of course I do. What rumors?"

"About your sanity and whether or not you were the rightful king." the brownie told him, turning around. "I told them at the time that they ought not speak ill of our king and be happy that the gods granted him another mate."

"So there are others besides Lorrielie that were speaking ill of me?"

"Yes, sire. But you seeking outside counsel proves your sanity."

The simple logic of the brownie's mind warmed him. He laid a hand on the faery's shoulder. "You do me honor with your loyalty. You've done well with this place. There will be more cream in the milk you are sent."

The brownie's homely face lit up. "Thank you, sire!" He hurried away, with a bounce in his step.

Marcus approached the dais and passed through the curtains. He knelt at the altar and picked up the platinum offering plate that he had thrown the last time he had knelt there. Setting it back on the altar, he sat back on his heels.

"The last time I spoke here, it was in grief and anger. I wanted you to let me join my mate in death. I cursed you and accused you of toying with our lives, our very souls. If you are going to hold that against me, I'd like to know now."

There was a pause then a powerful presence filled the air.

"As arrogant as always." A strong feminine voice sighed. "You were grieving and speaking with a broken heart. Such things are always forgiven, even when blame is unwarranted."

"I realize that now. There were other forces at work. Those same forces work against me now."

"What do you offer in exchange for what you want to know?"

He took a deep breath. He knew the quality of answers depended on the sincerity of the offering. Hands shaking a bit, he took the only jewelry he ever wore off of his hand. The ring that his Gwen had given him. Heart in his throat, he set it on the plate. It vanished and he couldn't stop the flinch from the jab to the heart.

"Child, you overpay me." The tone was gently chastising.

"I am going to ask a great deal."

"Then ask your questions."

"Is there a way of reversing the slave bond after it has solidified?"

"No. That is why the process is voluntary. But do not worry yourself about that situation. It will work out as it needs to."

"Alright. That means he's going to decide to handfast with her. Is there any way of bringing his family here so that he doesn't have to live without them?"

"Again, it is already set in motion. Ask me what you really want to know, child."

"Is it her?" the question burst out. "Is it her or am I truly starting to lose my mind? Those are the only two options that I see."

There was silence for a moment. "Your heart already knows the answer to this. Your mind is the one that needs to be convinced. As does your court. You have traitors in your midst."

A sword encased in a silver-wrought sheathe appeared on the altar.

"Where did you.."

"You know what you must do."

******

"I'm sorry, what?" Gwyneth said disbelievingly.

"You are not a true queen because you were married when our king was mad with grief." A tall regal nobleman said patiently. "Therefore, the council has decided.."

"It's cute how you think this is a democracy. Let me correct you. This is a monarchy and this isn't up for debate." Gwyneth cut him off. The man spread his arms.

"Who then will protect you and your mad king when the court stands against you?"

The scroll in her pocket vibrated even as the hounds at her feet stood, growling. She slid her hand against it and broke the seal. She wasn't about to turn down any help magic wanted to hand her.

A brilliant flash illuminated the room. When it faded, a small diverse group of warriors in deep red colors stood in front of her. They inclined their heads and she returned it. They then turned around as one, weapons drawn. The court members took a few steps back as the warriors formed a line that spanned the room. Gwyneth cleared her throat and fought to calm her heart. This was why she trusted her instincts. Holy shit.

"We will defend the high throne from all who would unseat the lawful king and queen." the tallest member strode to the front of them and took off the helmet. Long blonde hair tumbled out around a strong female face and she drew her sword to level at the speechless nobleman's chest. "Are you such a man?"

"They are not lawful." another noble called out. "The king is insane with grief. It is proven by the fact that he is attempting to take a second mate. We only have one."

"I'm not insane." Marcus strode into the throne room with long strides carrying a long case. "My rule is lawful and she isn't my second mate."

Murmurs spread as he walked through the crowd to the dais. The warriors opened a path for him as he went through and closed ranks behind him.

"She is my mate, as she has always been," he said in a clear voice.

"Marcus.." Gwyneth said in a low tone. "That's not.." He kissed her tenderly to hush her.

"She's my mate and I can prove it." He called out.

"Alright, if he can prove it then we'll accept it." A lower court member said. Marcus turned to her.

"Will you trust me in this?" he asked softly. She nodded slowly, thinking of the last line of the letter.

"You can trust him with everything and he will never fail you."

"First, I would like to point out that she summoned the royal guard. I didn't know how to do so and before she died, Gwen hadn't seen the need. Given that she was killed under a white flag."

"That is hardly direct proof." the nobleman scoffed then made a sound of discomfort as the sword tip pressed into his chest. A wisp of smoke came from the tip when it made contact and he stepped back.

"An iron alloy tip, just for the record." its wielder warned, flashing a silver fanged sneer.

"No, you are right. That isn't. However, after she died, something was lost. A family sword that could only be touched or unsheathed by a member of the royal bloodline. As we had not yet had children, the sword vanished. Until now." He opened the case and showed the sword to the court. "Everyone here knows what that sword looked like. Impossible to duplicate because it was forged by smiths in another world as a gift. A blade composed of pure crystal that never shatters or dulls. And on the silver hilt, a star lives to shine."

"You found her sword." Another noble scoffed. "So what? It doesn't mean she can draw it. It has to be drawn in times of need." There was worry in the glance he sent another who nodded.

The twang of an arrow was heard. Without thinking, Gwyneth grabbed the sword and unsheathed it in one motion and sliced the arrow so that it fell out of the air harmlessly in slivers. Gasps were heard. Marcus closed his eyes and went down to his knees, legs going weak.

"Thank the gods," he whispered as the noise level in the court turned chaotic. "The dream is real."

There was a skirmish as council members sought to flee and were rounded up effortlessly by the royal guard.

"So what to do with the traitors, Your Majesties?" the leader asked. Gwyneth looked over them, the sword radiating in her hand. And her heart pounding. She raised a hand to bring silence and the court descended into a hush. This felt right. Familiar. Ok, first things first.

"Imprison them for now. Do you mind interrogating and executing them later if need be?"

"It would be our pleasure." A happy sound came from one of the warriors in a helmet. "For some of us, literally."

"Then round them up and put them in the cells that our steward will show you to after court is dismissed. Which is now." Gwyneth continued then crouched down next to Marcus as people filed out. She lay the sword carefully back in the box and closed it. "Marcus."

He waited until the room emptied before he spoke.

"I have grieved for so long, thinking my mate lost to me. Wondering why I couldn't join her. Trying to.." his voice trailed off as he looked up. His eyes were wet but shining with a light that took her breath. He reached out and cupped her face in his hand. She turned her face into his touch. "Never once thinking to trust the promise she made to never leave me."

"To be fair, they did slice up the body and send it to you. So you're forgiven." Gwyneth reasoned with a half-joking tone. She sat on the floor in front of him. "So are we going to sit here or go to the bedroom?"

"I'm not sure I can walk," he said with a laugh. He leaned back until he was reclined against the throne. He held out his hand. "All I want right now is to hold my mate in my arms again and know I won't wake up alone," he said thickly. Her eyes filled and she scrambled over to slide into his lap. He buried his head in her hair. "I have missed you. You have no idea how I've missed you."

****

"Lethe, we really should warn Gwyneth and Marcus." The annoyed witch in his arms pointed out as they appeared in his chambers.

"You are getting chilled again. It isn't bad yet, but it will be if we put it off." Lethe said firmly. Astra stopped wiggling and stilled.

"Oh."

"This time is going to be more drawn out and..." he took a breath as he laid her on the bed "If you are still wanting this before the final bond, more fulfilling for us both."

"I told you. I would want to know what it was like to make the choice for myself. I just wasn't expecting it right now." Her hand pet through his hair with a soothing touch. "I like the unexpected though." Pushing back the sickness that threatened to take him, he shed his clothes.

Smiling at her hum of pleasure at the sight of him, he nuzzled her neck and pressed a hot open mouth kiss to the fading bruise of his claim. She gasped and arched into him as he came down over her. Soon that bruise would fade, but his claim never would.

He sent his hand sliding down her stomach, clothing disappearing as he did. He stroked and caressed what was now blissfully familiar territory. She pressed against his hand and, within minutes, was gasping his name. He started to ask if it was to her liking and stopped, the words choking in his throat.

No. The denial resounded throughout him.

He wouldn't do that to her. He couldn't. The sick feeling in the pit of his stomach gripped him tightly. He started to slide off the bed and the cord that was still tied around his wrist caught his eye.

"What are you willing to risk?" Marcus' voice sounded in his head. With the choice before him, he swallowed the grief of what he would lose. Focused on what he would gain.

Resolve settled into his mind. He nuzzled his way up her quivering thigh. Astra moaned when his searing mouth covered her. Stroked her. Tasted and drank deeply of her. Her hands slid down into his hair and gripped.

He pulled back a fraction. "I could never get enough of the way you taste. Liquid fire and wild honey." he breathed.

"Any time you feel the urge." she managed. He laughed and slid up her body.

"Do you trust me enough for this?" he asked, looking down at her. She brought her legs up around him.

"You know I do," she said softly. "This may say that I belong to you but I know that part of you is mine, too. That's enough for me." She ran her hand up his back. "Don't beat yourself up with this for centuries."

"I won't." he promised, "As long as you promise not to hate me for it." He leaned down to kiss her. His tongue stroked along the seams, remembering another kiss. He took her mouth deeply now when it opened for him. Deals were a thing of the past, but a treasured memory. He slid his hands into her hair, letting his body rest on hers.

She welcomed the weight and kissed him back, sliding her hands over his.

He turned his hands over and gripped hers, sliding them over her head as their mouths mated.

Then turned them over, rolling their hands up in the cord and securing it with his free hand.

He lifted his head and put some of his weight on his elbows. "Open your eyes, Astra." he purred. She did and he saw that same look of stunned innocence that had entranced him from the start. "I'm not going to enslave you. It isn't in me to do this to you." He saw fear and relief flash through her eyes, chasing the desire out. The relief made his decision solid. She would die for him. It was time she had something from him. "Do you love me? If it could be, would you bind yourself to me in handfasting? To stand by me. Guard my body, heart, soul, and mind as I would yours?"

"Of course I would, Lethe," she said softly, searching his eyes. "I love you and always will. I'm never going to hate you regardless of what happens."

"I promise to do the same," he said hoarsely. A wrenching fire shot through her veins as the cord around their wrists glowed with an almost blinding light. He felt her soul become whole again and wrap around his. Yet, it waited still. The chill was still there.

"Lethe, what did you.."

He kissed her hungrily, taking her mouth with much the same ferocity as he had the first time he'd ever kissed her. With a hunger that had never faded and would never diminish.

His free hand slid between them and drove her over the brink with a swiftness that had her gasping his name into his mouth. He drove her up again then slid his hand into her hair and pulled back.

"Say my name again," he demanded. "I want it on your lips when I take you."

"Lethe.." she murmured. The sound sent heat ripping through him. He bent his head and bit the fading bruise lightly. She cried out and arched against him.

"Again. I want the sound of it in the air as I take the gift of your innocence."

She repeated it, drunk on the fire in her blood and the passion raging inside her. A passion only he stirred. He met her eyes and seen the match to his hunger. The mate to it.

"Once more, so that you're screaming it when I possess you in the only way anyone ever should," he growled.

"Lethe, just.."

He plunged inside of her in one sure stroke, with the pain only a passing sensation. She raked her nails down his back as he rocked then thrust against her. Filling her. She sobbed his name as he drove into her again. And again. Over and over, hitting peak after peak until at last they found it together for the last time.

He managed a half roll so that she was lying on his side. As their breathing slowed and heart rates settled, she realized what he had done. For the first time in days, she felt completely steady. With the slave band lying on the bed.

"Why, Lethe?" she whispered against his damp skin.

He didn't pretend not to know what she was talking about. "Because I figured out what I'm willing to risk with you."

"What's that?" she pulled back and looked up at him. His jaw tensed.

"Absolutely nothing. I will not risk someone using you through me."

"You could have just done the seventh band and not had to worry about it..." she was silenced by his mouth covering hers.

"I could not bind that fire. Would not take the risk of you growing to hate me as much as you love me."

"Lethe..."

"I will not own the woman I love," he stated fiercely and her heart jumped to her throat.

"Love?" she questioned tentatively, after a minute of silence. He laid his free hand against her face.

"Love," he confirmed. "As for my family, I will miss them, but you are family too." She sobbed then threw her arms around him in a fierce hug. Well, one of them anyway.

He stroked his free hand through her hair. "So you're not angry with me for the way I did this?" he asked. She smiled and shifted over him, bracing their joined hands on his chest.

"Oh, I'm furious. And about to make you pay for it."

"And how are you..." he growled when she slid herself onto him with no warning. And rode him with an excruciatingly slow pace. With only one hand free, he couldn't speed her up as his body was begging her to. "You're going to kill me.." he groaned as she slid up inch by inch then slid down, taking him deep inside her. Swallowing him over and over in her gripping heat. She laughed and tossed back her hair. Changing her descent just a small bit.

That small bit made all the difference as she slid back up. A whimper escaped as the slow burn turned into a raging fire. She remained poised above him as she tried to keep control of herself. That battle for control drove him to the brink of madness. It was a battle he wanted her to lose. Desperately.

"Astra," he said hoarsely, one hand on her hip. She looked down at him with passion-darkened eyes. "Ride me into that flaming whirlwind. Take me there."

She plunged down onto him with a cry. That adjustment had him going deeper than he had before. This time, she didn't hesitate. With a wild rhythm she didn't know she was capable of, she rode him into the whirlwind of fire, where their voices joined in shared ecstasy.

When they did manage to move again, he smiled. "Remind me to make you furious at me as often as possible." he murmured, into her hair.

"I'm going to hit you later." she decided.

"When we can function again, we should probably go warn Marcus," he said lazily, stroking his hand up her sprawled body.

"Yeah, we really should." She pushed herself up and had them both groaning. She felt him stir inside of her. A delicious shiver ran across her skin. "I think we are going to need a really long honeymoon after this."

"Agreed," Lethe said, rolling them both and pulling out of her. "A bath then we go?"

"Separate baths otherwise it will take us a lot longer," she advised. He smiled wickedly, fully intending on talking his way into her tub.

"If you insist. Is it open for negotiation?"