Chapter Twelve

A sharp knock on the door brought Gavin out of the peace he'd found in his queen's arms. He wasn't sure how long he'd lain there, holding her, watching her breathe, her body still aglow with the pleasure they'd shared. Reluctantly, he climbed to his feet, tugging on his leathers before quickly heading to the door. He wasn't surprised to see Con standing there.

"Cris is back. They finally caught up to Buckingham and the men with him. They brought the survivors back with them," Con said.

"Buckingham?" He was the one Gavin wanted to get his hands on the most.

"He's been taken to the dungeon with the others. Cris is there now."

Gavin glanced back at his wife. He could have lost her. The terror that had filled him at that realization had nearly brought him to his knees. It had also driven home how much she'd come to mean to him. She'd told him she was falling in love with him, but he was certain he'd already taken that tumble.

"Let me finish dressing." Gavin left the door open while he grabbed his boots and weapons.

"Is she okay?" Con asked, nodding toward the bed.

Gavin nodded. "She's resting."

"She's been through a lot over the last few days."

"Since our marriage." As if Gavin needed the reminder of what he'd brought into her life.

"Even before you," Con countered. "She hasn't had an easy life, despite what Phillip wants to convince himself of. She's better off with us than she's ever been."

Gavin let Con's words soak in. Nori was better off with him. He glanced toward her once more before following Con out of the room and shutting the door softly behind him. He nodded to the warriors Con had brought along to watch over her. He'd told her she would always be with him, Con, or Cris.

"I'm going," Con snarled as if he knew Gavin's thoughts.

"One of you come for me if she wakes before I get back," Gavin ordered. "She goes nowhere without one of you with her."

"I will guard the queen with my life," Alan vowed as he stepped forward. "With my life, I'll protect our queen."

Gavin knew Alan was a good warrior. In fact, he might be one who could be placed as Nori's permanent guard. Reality was, there would be times when both Con and Cris might be unavailable due to their duties as his seconds. Times when he would need both of them. He should have accounted for that earlier.

"What do you think of putting Alan in charge of Nori's protection?" Gavin asked Con as they moved through the keep.

"He's a good warrior. Strong. Smart. Disciplined." Con nodded. "He's trustworthy. I can't see the queen finding any fault in him."

"We'll need to pick out at least four more who will serve as her personal escort."

"You don't actually think she'll be in danger when we get home?" Con asked with surprise.

"It's a risk I'm unwilling to take. Not after what happened here."

"Understood," Con said as he pushed open the door to the keep. The sun was already sinking in the sky as they made their way along the exterior wall of the keep. Kingsley had made it so the only way to reach the dungeon was through the courtyard. It had been built that way so that anyone who might manage to escape would have no direct access into the keep. It was a safeguard Gavin appreciated with his wife tucked inside.

"Any news on York yet?" Gavin asked.

"He hasn't arrived yet. King Lyons and King Drake took some men and rode out to see if they could intercept the commander and his men. Lord Armstrong went with them."

"At least, Geoffrey will keep Jamie calm," Gavin added.

Con laughed. "Sure, he will."

Gavin ignored his second as they were joined by Marcus and Lord Kingsley.

"These dungeons have seen more action since you arrived than they have in most of my life," Kingsley offered. "I knew you five would keep things interesting, especially now that my land is officially part of the Dread Lands, but I hadn't accounted for this. At this rate, I'll need to clean them and add extra security measures."

"I'll take care of that for you," Marcus offered as he held open the door for them to enter.

"And here, I was hoping you'd say it shouldn't be needed again," Kingsley groaned.

"A man should always be prepared to deal with his enemies," Gavin told him, but Kingsley merely sighed.

Cris stood with feet apart, arms crossed over his chest, staring down at a man restrained to the chair in front of him. All Gavin noted was it wasn't Buckingham.

"Where is he?" Gavin growled out.

"Cell on the left with the others," Cris offered. "I thought you might want to start on this one. He's the one who fired the arrow intended for our queen."

Gavin paused, turning back to the chair and the male who'd dared to fire at his wife. The man glanced up then away, not wanting to hold Gavin's glare. Disliking that, Gavin fisted his hand in the man's hair and jerked his head back, straining his neck with the angle he held him at.

"I didn't know!" the male cried immediately. Gavin hadn't even needed to open his mouth to question him. "He said she'd betrayed us. That you were invading. That she'd handed King Phillip over to you."

"Show me his hands," Gavin ordered then watched as Cris released the man's hands one at a time. Cris held each one up, knowing exactly what Gavin was searching for. The male held his bow in his left hand and fired with his right. Reaching out, Gavin gripped his right hand and slammed it against the wooden arm of the chair.

"Wait! What are you doing? Wait!" the male screamed as Gavin drew his dagger then made quick work of removing the offending fingers from the hand splayed before him.

"I didn't hit her! Oh, gods! My fingers! My fingers!"

"Release him," Gavin ordered then watched as the male fell from the chair to his knees, hand clasped close to his chest while he vomited on the floor. One of the warriors dragged him through it before tossing him into the opened cell door. "Bring Buckingham to me."

"Stop." The word was panted from behind Gavin, and he turned to see Phillip standing there. The male looked as if he might pass out at any moment.

"Why are you here?" Gavin demanded.

"Because I knew you would try to claim his life yourself when he's mine to deal with." Phillip remained on his feet only due to the soldiers on either side of him.

"He's mine," Gavin growled.

"No, I bear the wound from their actions. I'll be the one collecting justice. For myself and my kingdom."

"His blood is mine," Gavin challenged.

"If you think I'll go easy on him because I entrusted my granddaughter to his family, then you're wrong. Buckingham will die. Publicly."

"Fine," Gavin conceded. "Then let me be the hand of justice."

Phillip opened his mouth then closed it. Hell, the man was losing what little color he'd had when he'd entered. It couldn't be good for him to be up and about with his injury.

"What do you have in mind?" Phillip finally asked.

"A fight to the death," Gavin said.

Phillip grunted. "A fight to defeat, not death. He'll face the gallows after facing you. I want his head on a pike to warn any others who might think to challenge me."

"To the death, but I'll happily remove his head from his shoulders for you," Gavin offered.

"Give me a few days to recover," Phillip requested. "Allow for my commander's arrival and that of Buckingham's father. He'll witness his son's fate. Give me that."

Gavin would have challenged, but Phillip sagged, sweat dotting his brow. Nori wouldn't be happy if something happened to her grandfather while Gavin was in a position to prevent it. Instead, he clenched his jaw when Buckingham was yanked forward.

"Toss him back inside," Gavin snarled, knowing if he got his hands on the other male now, he wouldn't stop until Buckingham was dead. He turned back toward Phillip. "Get your king back to his bed. Fetch the healer to make sure he hasn't undone any of her work."

"I've already sent for my personal physician," Phillip said. "I'll be fine until he arrives. Why don't you walk back up with me."

"I gave you my word," Gavin barked. "Buckingham will remain here until you're ready for your spectacle. Just remember who will be the one to spill his blood."

Phillip didn't comment, but he motioned for his soldiers to release him. The fool took a steadying breath then moved out of the room under his own power. Maybe, he was tougher than he seemed. Either way, Gavin knew he needed to make some kind of peace with the other man for Nori's sake. He wouldn't cause her distress by constantly being at odds with her grandfather, and he refused to disappear whenever the other man was around.

He turned to Cris and Con. "You, go wash up. Nori will expect to see you when she wakes, and I'd rather you not be covered in blood."

Cris smiled. "She was worried about me, wasn't she?"

"Shut up," Gavin ordered, making both of his seconds laugh. "I've decided to make Alan her permanent guard anyway."

"What?" Cris' smile disappeared. "It should be either Con or me with her if you're not around."

"It will, but on the occasions when it's not possible, she'll have Alan. It's better if she gets accustomed to him. I need her to trust whoever is with her. Between the three of us, we'll come up with four others to join him, but we'll rotate until she's met every warrior under my command. It's important she learn their names and faces."

Cris sighed but nodded.

"Afraid you won't be her favorite, brother?" Con taunted.

"Our queen will always favor me to you," Cris threw back.

Gavin listened to their banter as they followed him back out to the courtyard.

"I'm heading back to bed for the night. Wake me if there are any issues. I want our men on watch in there." He nodded toward the dungeon. "I also want them on the gate. I want to know when both York and Buckingham's father arrive."

"Yes, my king," Con and Cris both replied with a bow of their head.

As Gavin entered the keep and headed for the stairs, he found himself torn between hoping his wife was sleeping soundly and hoping she was awake, so he could tire her all over again. Now that he'd tasted her passion, it was a hunger he'd never sate. Nori was definitely a treasure that would enrich both king and kingdom. With the rate his seconds and warriors were succumbing to her beauty and charms, he had little doubt his people would love her.

He nodded to Alan as he entered the room, shutting the door quietly behind him. One glance at the bed showed him Nori still slept. He stripped to the skin and slid in beside her, tugging her warm body against his. She muttered in her sleep then rolled until she faced him, throwing an arm over his stomach and a leg over his thigh. She snuggled into him, whispering his name as she did, then settled back into sleep with a contented sigh. Nothing in his life had ever felt so perfect.