Return to Me - By Morgan O'Neill Page 0,69

his time. He entered her gently and she arched, loving every bonding thrust, until the heavens seemed to waver and dim in the wake of her own explosion of stars.

• • •

Below deck, Lucius settled in beside Vana, a single candle casting shadows and sharp angles across her pretty face. He grinned at her lowered chin, knowing her face was deeply flushed with uncertainty, despite the gloom. He could tell she enjoyed his attention; the blush hardly ever left her cheeks when he was near.

He wondered at his feelings for her, at his need to protect her. They’d become great friends since she came onboard with the children, and although he couldn’t say why he felt such an overwhelming desire to be accepted by her, or why their friendship gave him so much pleasure, he knew he needed to tread carefully, nevertheless.

Lucius crooked a finger beneath her chin and raised her head until she was focused on him, a touch of fear lurking in the depths of her gaze. “Don’t be afraid, Vana. You must know by now I intend no harm.”

She blinked, but didn’t look away. “I trust you. I do, it is just … ”

“I know, I know.” He raised his hand and gently brushed aside her bangs, surprised when she didn’t pull away. “I think I may guess some of your story, and it pains my heart, but it also tells me you are strong and determined. I would like to hear the details one day, but I leave the timing up to you. Does that sound agreeable?”

She sat motionless, looking back at him, her body tense. He thought he saw a slight change deep in her eyes, a softening perhaps, or a thaw, and then her shoulders relaxed and she nodded.

“I must say,” Lucius continued, “watching you with the children, it is obvious you are kind and also exceedingly patient!”

A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.

“Do you believe in love?” he asked abruptly.

“Yes,” she replied without hesitation.

“Do you think you might ever be able to accept that rape and lovemaking are two entirely different actions? Do you think you’d ever … ?”

She drew back sharply, and he regretted his bold words, but when she put a finger to his lips, his hopes rekindled.

“There is no need to bring up my past, but if you must hear it, I will tell you one day,” she said, watching him in the soft light. “As for my … future, I saw Placidia and Athaulf’s love. I have seen that of Magnus and Gigi, as well, and I have come to yearn and pray that one day I will know such in my own life. Someday.” She hesitated, and then smiled. “Perhaps sooner than either you or I might imagine,” she ended in a whisper.

Delightfully surprised by her admission, Lucius nodded. “I pray you will soon be free of the darkness of your past. Your future will hold no shadows then. And it will belong to … us.”

She leaned in and kissed him lightly on the mouth. Lucius felt his body stir, but he quelled his ardor and instead folded her into a sheltering embrace.

He held her for a long while, until her breathing became slow and even. She had fallen asleep in his arms, another indication that her trust in him was strengthening.

Lucius smiled, wishing to protect her for the rest of her life.

Trust. Ah, indeed, it was a first step. And, for now, it was enough, more than enough.

Chapter 21

Spring, A.D. 416, Spain

Standing in the room where once her dear Athaulf had held his most important meetings, Placidia waited patiently. Her shorn head covered with a scarf, she felt old, ugly, and stretched to breaking, but dear Elpidia assured her she looked no different on the outside. Ha! How odd to hear that, since her very heart had been ripped from her body.

Athaulf. Theodosius Germanicus. Margareta.

The first two taken from her by death. The third gone by separation, a little death that gnawed at her every day, for she would never know what became of Marga.

She ran a finger over Athaulf’s former desk, inlaid with mother-of-pearl in the pattern of a Greek key, waiting for her audience with the new king. King Wallia.

He was a good and faithful man, and she was certain he would lead the Visigoths well. Now, however, he was being stubborn and foolish, even though his reasoning was honorable. It was time she set him straight.

Soft footfalls approached and she turned to