Page 139 of Hand-Fasting and Other Hazards
He dropped to his knees beside her, his knife cutting through the ropes binding her, careful and swift. The moment she was free, Nia collapsed into him, her arms wrapping tight around his neck as she buried her face in his shoulder. They sank to the ground together, Lochlan holding her so tightly it almost hurt. His grip was desperate, terrified—he was afraid if he let go, she might vanish.
His hands moved over her on instinct, brushing her hair back, checking her neck, his thumbs grazing the raw red marks on her wrists where the ropes had been.
“Are you hurt?” His voice was rough, breathless. “Nia, talk to me. Are you hurt?”
She cupped his face, her fingers cold but steady against his skin. “Loch,” she whispered.
He scanned her face for any sign of pain. “Tell me what to do,” he said, his tone low and dangerous. “And I’ll make it right. Just tell me what you need.”
Nia answered by kissing him, quick and firm, soothing the storm that raged in his chest.
“I need you,” she whispered against his lips. Her arms slid around his neck, pulling him into a fierce embrace. “At first, I was terrified. Then I woke up and…” She let out a short, incredulous breath, almost a laugh. “And I saw who it was, and I just?—”
Her words broke off as she shook her head, a wry smile tugging at her lips.
Lochlan blinked down at her, the tension in his shoulders easing slightly. “You what?”
“Laughed,” she admitted, her smile widening. “It’s ridiculous. Chickens everywhere. Jackson, Gregor, and that little coward Raymond from the bar? Really? I mean, who gets kidnapped by a poultry CEO and his minions?”
“You, apparently.” A reluctant chuckle escaped Lochlan as his forehead touched hers.
Nia’s eyes met his. “The whole time, I kept thinking about us. About how we left things.” Her expression faltered, a flicker of regret passing over her features. “I hate how we left things.”
Lochlan’s breath caught, and he opened his mouth to respond, but just then a fresh wave of chickens burst through the space, squawking and flapping as they scattered in every direction as someone shouted from the door.
Lochlan stood, leaving Nia on the ground putting his body between her and the door.
Wulfric stormed in, his gaze sweeping over the scene: the bound men, the feathery chaos, Lochlan, and finally, on the floor behind him?—
“Nia.” Wulfric’s tone was cold and cutting as he stepped over a squawking hen. “This marriage is over. I will grant your annulment.”
CHAPTER 49
Nia
“URGENT RECALL: CHICKEN BREASTS PULLED FROM SHELVES DUE TO ‘UNSPECIFIED CONTAMINATION.’” —THE STELLA RUNE GAZETTE
Among all the clucking and drifting feathers, her father’s words took several moments to sink in.
This marriage is over.
Nia’s brows knit together as she looked between her fuming father and Lochlan, his expression a mix of confusion and regret and—sadness.
She shuffled to her feet too quickly. The world tilted, her balance faltering. Lochlan reached out instinctively, his hand ready to catch her, but she grabbed the pole she’d been bound to and steadied herself. Straightening, she turned to her father.
His expression was no longer furious, but pale and worried in a way that twisted her heart.
For a moment, Nia almost laughed at the absurdity of it: Wulfric, the great and terrible Sword of the Goddess, frightened. The sight was so at odds with his fearsome reputation, she might’ve laughed, if she hadn’t been so angry.
“How dare you!” she snapped.
Wulfric blinked, taken aback. “Pyronia?—”
“No,” she cut him off, her voice rising with every word. “You don’t get to do this. After everything—after the lies, after manipulating me, after forcing me into this marriage in the first place—you don’t get to decide when, or if, I will or won’t stay married. How dare you!”
Wulfric blinked, confused. “How dare he!” He pointed at Lochlan. “He failed to protect you. He doesn’t deserve you!”
Nia’s hands clenched into fists. “Deserve? How dare you talk about what I deserve.” Her voice rose with frustration, the words spilling out like the dam holding them back had finally broken. “I deserve the truth! And you kept it from me. You told Lochlan to keep it from me. You let me believe you were a monster—believe you were the reason my mother died!”
