Page 63 of While Angels Slept
“You should not have sent them away in the first place,” he pointed an accusing finger, spittle flying from his lips. “Why would you do such a thing?”
Tevin cocked a dark eyebrow, fists resting on his hips. “You know why.”
Geoff’s lips curled in a sneer. “If I knew, I would not have asked.”
Tevin’s eyes narrowed. “Because you cannot be trusted,” he said. “You have no self-control when it comes to a woman,anywoman, so in order to protect the women residing at Rochester, I was forced to send them somewhere where you could not get to them.”
Geoff’s twitching grew worse. “You have no say in how I conduct my life, Tevin. I take what I want.”
“You cannot take Lady Cantia, Val, or Arabel. In order to curb your temptation, I sought to move them out of your reach.”
Geoff smacked the table in front of him. Then he threw the cups that were on it, followed by the pitcher half-filled with wine. Ruby red liquid sprayed on the stone walls as Geoff flirted with the boundaries of a temper tantrum.
“And you were punished for it,” he seethed. “Val is injured and Lady Cantia and Arabel are missing.Youwere wrong, Tevin, not me. You cannot blame me for your failure.”
Tevin’s composure slipped a notch. “If you had any self-control, I would not have had to send them away, so do not turn this around as if I am the one with issues. If you would act like a man once in a while and not a spoiled child, we would not have this problem.”
Geoff ripped off a barbaric yell and charged Tevin. He ran at him crazily, hands out like claws, and Tevin easily side-stepped the man, causing him to trip over a chair and crash into a wall. As Tevin facedhim, waiting for his next move, Geoff pulled himself off of the wall and plunged a hand into his tunic, rooting around until he withdrew a wicked-looking dirk. He flashed it at Tevin, and the stakes of the game changed dramatically.
With another yell, he charged Tevin again, dirk held high. Tevin was prepared. As the man drew near, he reached out and grabbed his wrist, twisting it around until Geoff screamed with pain. Geoff ended up biting Tevin’s bare hand and when Tevin let go before he could break the skin, Geoff brought the dirk to bear on Tevin’s neck.
In a movement for self-preservation, Tevin lashed up a big arm, blocking the dirk as he grabbed Geoff around the throat with his other hand. He’d only meant to disarm him but by the way he grabbed Geoff, he ended up snapping his skull upward at an awkward angle. Bones snapped. The dirk dropped, and so did Geoff.
As quickly as the battle started, it was over. Tevin gazed down at his cousin as Myles, having been over by the door for the duration of the fight, rushed to Geoff’s side and felt for a pulse. After a moment, he shook his head and looked up at Tevin.
“He is dead,” he said quietly.
Tevin’s brow furrowed with disbelief. “He cannot be.”
“He is.”
“Are you sure?”
“Verily.”
Tevin’s stunned gaze moved between Geoff and Myles. “But… but I was not trying to kill him,” he said after a moment. “I was only trying to disarm him.”
Myles’ gaze lingered on Geoff. “I know,” he said. “I saw what happened. He was trying to kill you, Tevin. You did what you had to do.”
Tevin wasn’t sure if he felt better or worse by that statement. Disbelief and shock overwhelmed him, so much so that he ended up stumbling back against the heavy table behind him as he attempted to wrap his mind around what he had just done.
“Oh…God,” he hissed. “I did not mean to do it.”
Myles could see how shocked he was. “Tevin,” he said softly, firmly. “The man was trying to kill you. You defended yourself. What happened was an accident. Although I normally refrain from speaking ill of the dead, you know as well as I do that Geoff was a vile, corruptible man. His death is not an unwelcome one by any means. You did us all a service.”
Tevin was still struggling although he wasn’t sure why. Perhaps it was simply the swiftness of it and the fact that he truly hadn’t been trying to kill him. He and Geoff had been given to tussles in the past, but nothing like this. He looked at Myles, his dark eyes intense as he came to terms with what he had done.
“The truth is that, at some point, Geoff would have tried to kill me or have me killed,” he said, his voice hoarse. “He both loved and hated me, but mostly, he envied me. I know that as well as anyone. But all I can think of now is that the women in my family are finally safe. If that is a selfish thought, then I do not apologize. It is the truth.”
Myles nodded in agreement, making his way over to him. “There is something else you must think of also.”
“What?”
“You are now the Earl of East Anglia,” he reminded him softly, a twinkle in his eye. “Long live the earl.”
Tevin stared at him, realizing he was right. In the blink of an eye, the powerful Viscount Winterton had become the extremely powerful Earl of East Anglia. He reached out, grabbing Myles by the wrist as if to confirm the truth. His eyes were wide on Myles, who broke into a smile.
“Aye, Tevin,” he affirmed quietly. “It is you. What is your first command, my lord?”
