Page 55 of Hand-Fasting and Other Hazards
“Why don’t you ask her yourself?” Lochlan said, his tone harsher than he intended.
Wulfric’s answer was surprisingly subdued. “She wouldn’t tell me.”
Lochlan couldn’t blame her. But, despite his own frustration, he could see the genuine concern in Wulfric’s face. “She wasn’t sleeping on my couch,” he explained. “She fell asleep there while I was showering. I carried her to bed, and that’s where she was when I left her this morning.”
Wulfric’s posture softened with relief. “Does she love you yet?”
The question landed like a blow. Lochlan blinked. “Of course not,” he said, quietly. “It’s been less than two weeks.”
“Do you love her?”
The silence that followed felt as oppressive as the stone walls around them. What could Lochlan say? He cared for her deeply. Immensely. But love?
He didn’t know.
Whatever he felt for Nia was real, and he wasn’t ready to let go of it. But that wasn’t for Wulfric to dictate.
The Sword tilted his head, studying Lochlan for a long moment. “Right,” he said, his tone unreadable. “I see.”
Lochlan opened his mouth to respond, but something brushed the edge of his thoughts—a faint, unwelcome intrusion, like fingers pressing between his brain and skull.
“Get out of my head,” Lochlan growled.
“Let me help you,” Wulfric insisted, calmly.
“No,” Lochlan shot back.
Wulfric’s expression darkened, his patience wearing thin. “You have a month.” The words sliced through the quiet room like a blade. “If she doesn’t choose you by then, you’re done here. And I’ll make sure you’re done everywhere. Stella Rune, the Videt—all of it.”
The threat struck Lochlan’s chest like a physical blow.
Wulfric had always been calculating, but never this ruthless or blatant. Lochlan had heard the stories, of course—the way The Sword dealt with obstacles, the quiet but undeniable force he exerted over those who crossed him. But seeing it, feeling it directed at him, was something else entirely.
Lochlan forced himself to breathe, to control the anger building in his gut. “What do you really want from this?” he asked, his voice measured. “Why me?”
Wulfric’s expression remained unreadable. “Finish the diaries,” he said simply. “You’ll find out.”
Lochlan stiffened.
His current at-home project was a set of diaries sent from the Videt. This was nothing unusual. He received assignments like that all the time. Inventory: Set of diaries from a since-passed witch. Damage: Unknown. Restoration Status: Important.
Sometimes, Wulfric took a hands-on approach, not to help, but to hover. If a particular book or scroll mattered to him, he would check in, ask for updates, and make his presence known. But not with these. They had arrived with nothing but the standard paperwork, slipped in among other restoration jobs, like they were just another project.
Wulfric had never mentioned an interest in them until now.
“What does that even mean?” Lochlan’s fists clenched at his sides. “And if you get rid of me, who exactly is going to repair your precious books?”
Something flickered in Wulfric’s gaze. Not anger, or even irritation. Pride.
“There’s a lot on the line,” he admitted, regaining some of his usual composure. “Your second dinner is Sunday. And I expect you both at the full moon celebration.”
With that, Wulfric turned and strode out of the chamber, his footsteps ringing in the empty space, each one a reminder of the ultimatum he’d just laid down.
Diary Entry: My twentieth spring
He brought me to the heart of it today. The Videt. The place that haunted my dreams for years, its name a shadow over my life. But it wasn’t what I expected. The darkness I feared was gone, replaced by… hope.
I stepped into a room with a round table at its center and chalkboards lining the walls, each filled with diagrams and spell work. None held depictions of weapons or control spells, but tools of protection instead: barriers meant to keep humans safe, spells to ease tensions, plans to build peace. Around the table sat witches, wolven, goblins, vampires, fae, and even a few wood devils. They were talking and listening in turn, offering solutions instead of threats.
