Page 15 of Staff of Nightfall

“He’s in love with her; of course he won’t leave.” Regulus looked up. Adelaide’s father looked resigned.

“Hmph.” Lady Belanger gripped her braid. “I always feared she’d fall for someone like you. All stubbornness and passion with a warrior soul and a stupidly self-sacrificial heart.”

“I’m very unsure if you’re insulting me or complimenting Lord Hargreaves,” Belanger responded with a grin.

“Both.” She sighed and cut a disgruntled glower toward Regulus. “She needs someone to tame her wild spirit, not encourage her recklessness and put her in more danger.”

Regulus frowned. “With all due respect, my lady, Adelaide doesn’t need tamed. She’s as dangerous as the nicknameyougave her.” He combed his fingers through her hair spread across her pillow. “She’s ashiraa.Like a tigress, she shouldn’t be caged. She’s perfect as she is.” He looked back at Adelaide’s parents. “And I love her. I’m going to marry her.”

“The last man who said that viciously attacked us in our own home,” Lady Belanger said, but most of the venom had vanished from her tone.

Regulus clenched his free fist against his leg. “I would never hurt Adelaide or anyone she loves of my own free will. I would gladly die for her.”

Belanger tilted his head, regarding Regulus with a thoughtful expression. “What if I challenged you to a duel?”

“What? Why?” The ache in his ribs increased as he tensed.

“For getting my daughter enslaved to a sorcerer, even temporarily.” Belanger folded his arms and narrowed his eyes. “For putting her in a situation where she suffered pain and could have died. For letting a sorcerer take her magic. For calling her reputation into question by appearing with her after several days, alone.” Belanger shrugged. “Take your pick. I have more reasons to challenge you than not to at this point.”

“Please.” Regulus swallowed back the knot in his throat. “Don’t.”

He couldn’t argue. Even though he did everything under compulsion, even though he had tried to keep Adelaide as safe as he could when he didn’t have the choice of saying no, hehadstill done all those things. His shoulders sagged.

“Whatever punishment or recompense you see fit, I will do it. Put me in the stocks, order me lashed, tell me what payment you want. But don’t challenge me.” He let his head fall. His chin rested against his chest. Exhaustion weighed him down. “Because I will accept, but I won’t fight you. I won’t harm my love’s father.”

“I won’t give you my blessing.”

“Then I’ll have to earn it.” He met Belanger’s stare and squared his shoulders. They stared at each other for what felt like a small eternity, but Regulus refused to be the first to look away.

Lord Belanger’s expression eased into a smile. “I like him, Mina.” Regulus let himself relax and shifted to ease the growing pain in his ribs.

“Of course you do.” Lady Belanger flung her hands out to her sides. “He’s too much like you!”

“You like me well enough.” Belanger moved behind his wife and wrapped his arms around her, leaning forward so his head was next to hers. “Come on,piahre. Leave them be.”

“But—”

“You’ll send for us when she wakes?” Belanger asked. Regulus nodded. “See?” He led his protesting wife out of the room and closed the door behind them.

Regulus waited only a couple minutes before he laid on top of the comforter next to Adelaide, careful of his ribs. Adelaide burrowed into his side in her sleep.

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