Page 14 of Staff of Nightfall

They all ignored him. Regulus sat up and shifted to see around Adelaide’s mother. Adelaide’s lips were parted, and her chest rose and fell in gentle, rhythmic breathing. She looked peaceful, if exhausted.Please be okay.

A guard walked in and saluted Lord Belanger. “My lord, Nolan Carrick has escaped.”

Regulus leaned back against the couch, dread replacing his relief. Their best chance had been to take Carrick while he was weakened. He remembered the fury and precision with which Adelaide’s mother had thrown those knives and felt a growing discomfort about her current disposition toward him.

Lord Belanger nodded. “Double the guards. Make sure everyone knows what Nolan Carrick looks like. If he approaches the castle, attack to kill, but proceed with caution. He is a monster, not a man.” The guard bowed and departed, but Belanger’s last words cut Regulus to his core.

He had also born that mark. He had also benefited from strength, speed, and immortality granted by sorcery. Was that how Adelaide’s parents saw him? A monster, not a man?

“She needs taken to her room,” Lady Belanger said.

Belanger moved to stand, still holding Adelaide. He grimaced and dropped back down. “My back... I can’t lift her. Landon, give me a hand.”

The brother’s eyebrows lifted. “Me?”

“No, I’ll carry her.” Regulus knelt next to Lord Belanger and moved his arms under Adelaide’s legs and back. Something metal and sharp pressed under his chin and he froze. He looked at Lady Belanger out of the corner of his eye. She held her dagger to his throat, her mouth curled down. “Tell me why I should trust you.”

“Because Adelaide trusts me.”

“Tamina,” Belanger said gently. She looked at her husband without lowering her blade. “Adelaide intends to marry him.” His expression was unreadable. “I haven’t decided if I’ll allow that, but he’s right. She trusts him. Maybe don’t kill the man your daughter wants to marry just yet.”

The tip of the dagger pressed into Regulus’ skin and he tried to control his breathing. After a moment, she lowered the dagger. “All right. But if I determine you have tricked or hurt my daughter in any way, if you are anything less than the man Adelaide deserves, I will slit your throat without a second thought.”

“I understand.” He picked up Adelaide. Thanks to Adelaide’s magic, his ribs didn’t hurt, but they would doubtless complain about this later. Her head rolled onto his shoulder. “Which way?”

Lord Belanger stayed behind to talk to his son while Lady Belanger led Regulus to Adelaide’s room. He hadn’t been thinking about how large the castle was when he decided to carry her, but he wasn’t about to let her out of his sight. And he disliked the idea of Landon, who appeared to hold little affection for his sister, carrying her.

The pain in his ribs returned faster than he had hoped, although not as bad as before Adelaide started healing them. She must have undone at least some of the damage. Still, to his irritation, his lungs soon burned, but he pressed on. He had done fine before his bond to the sorcerer, he could manage fine now. Besides, he was used to pain.

Lady Belanger pulled back the thick blanket on Adelaide’s four-poster bed and Regulus laid Adelaide down as gently as possible. She didn’t even stir as he moved her head onto her pillow and brushed her hair away from her face. He kissed her forehead, then winced at the hissing intake of breath from Lady Belanger. He kept his heated face turned away from her by pulling the covers over Adelaide.

“All right, that’s enough,” Lady Belanger said. “Out.” With a sigh, he turned away from the bed.

“Reg...” He spun back, bending over Adelaide. Her eyes fluttered as she tried to keep them open. “Regulus.”

“I’m here.” He pulled her hand out from under the covers and clasped it in his own. She wrapped her fingers around his hand and shifted, moving over on the bed.

“Don’t leave me.”

“I won’t.” He rubbed her hand. “I promise.”

Adelaide’s eyes drifted shut and her breathing deepened. She still clung to him. He sat on the edge of the bed, unwilling to extricate his hand.

Lady Belanger cleared her throat. “You can’t stay here.”

He bit back his initial response.I’ve spent the last several days and nights with your daughter unattended, I’m not going to do anything untoward now.Might not help his case much. “She asked me to stay.”

The door opened with a quiet squeak of the hinges, and Lord Belanger peeked in. He frowned at Regulus before stepping inside and closing the door behind him. Lady Belanger crossed her arms.

“He won’t leave.”

“She asked me not to,” he repeated.

Lord Belanger raised a brow.

“She was half asleep,” Lady Belanger protested.

Lord Belanger continued to survey them without speaking. Regulus focused on Adelaide. She looked serene. Unworried. And beautiful as ever.

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