So I Married a Sorcerer (The Embraced #2)

“You can’t go back to the village without a light. It’s too dangerous.”

She glanced back at him. Good goddesses, he’d moved closer and the water level was down to his hips. She focused on a nearby rock.

“Did you follow the stream?”

She hesitated. Even if she made him angry, wouldn’t it be better to be honest with him? How else could she ever earn his trust?

“Brigitta—”

“I won’t tell anyone about the treasure.”

“Crap!” His head fell back and he lifted his hands to run them through his hair.

Her mouth dropped open. With his bulging muscles and broad shoulders, he looked like a mythical sea god emerging from the ocean. “I really won’t tell anyone. I’m on your—”

“Are you sure you’re not a spy? You should be ’cause you’re damned good. Now I’ll have to find another cave.”

“I swear to you I will not tell another soul.”

He scoffed. “How can I believe you when you followed me here?” He slapped the surface of the water as he made a noise of frustration. “What am I going to do with you?”

Did he see her as nothing but a problem? That irked her. She planted her hands on her hips. “The real question here is what can I do for you? How can I help you make things right? We need to sit down and have a serious talk.”

“Fine, let’s talk.” He strode toward her.

She gasped as more of his abdomen was revealed. “No!” She held up her hands to cover her eyes. “Don’t come any closer!”

“I thought you wanted to talk!”

She squeezed her eyes shut behind her hands. “I can’t talk to you naked.”

“You’re not naked. I am.”

“Don’t come any closer!”

He made another noise of frustration. “What are you afraid of? It’s a damned cock! It’s not a creature from the deep!” There were some splashing noises. “Fine. You can look now. I retreated.”

She peeked through her fingers. The water was back up to his navel now.

“Dammit.” He glanced down with an annoyed look. “Can you throw me my breeches?” He motioned to a large boulder. “They’re over there.”

“Yes, of course.” She rushed over to the boulder. Next to his boots, his shirt and breeches lay folded neatly. She picked up the folded breeches and tossed them toward him.

To her horror, they simply unfurled in the air and plopped onto the water a few feet from where she stood.

“Are you kidding me?” He gave her an incredulous look. “You call that a throw?”

She winced. “I thought they would go farther.”

He glanced down and grimaced.

“Don’t worry.” She kicked off her shoes. “I’ll push them toward you.” She waded into the water.

“Stop!” He held up a hand. “I-I think you should stay there. I’ll get them.”

“But—”

“Just turn around if you don’t want to see.” He gritted his teeth. “We can’t have my cock leaping out of the water to attack you.”

She gasped. “It leaps?”

“I was kidding!” He winced. “A bit. Turn around.”

She did. Water splashed as he waded toward the breeches. She winced at the sound of a few muttered curses. Perhaps she shouldn’t have admitted to finding the treasure. But she wanted complete honesty between them. “Is it safe now?”

He snorted. “It was always safe.” After a moment, he said, “You can turn around.”

She swallowed hard. The time had come for her to admit everything she knew. And once she told him, there was no going back. With her heart pounding, she clenched her skirt in her fists.

“Is something wrong?” He’d moved to the flat rock where the lantern was, and he was sitting there, watching her as he leaned forward, his elbows on his knees.

She took a deep breath. “I know who you are.”





Chapter Seventeen

He immediately sat up, a wary look in his eyes. “What do you know?”

Her heart thudded loud in her ears. Was this a mistake? She’d been so eager to help him and atone for her family’s sins that she’d come straight here without realizing that her confession might be the last thing he wanted to hear. He had no reason to trust her, not when it was her family who had caused all his grief. It was a wonder he could even bear to look at her.

“I know … you must hate me. I know why you need revenge.” Tears burned her eyes. “And I’m so very sorry for everything my father did to you and your family.”

A look of alarm crossed his face as he rose to his feet. “Then you know…?”

“You’re the lost prince.”

He stiffened, his hands clenching into fists.

She winced. From the look on his face and the tension radiating off his body, she could tell she’d given him an unwanted shock. “It will be all right, really. I would never tell anyone.”

He scoffed, then wandered into the water.

She watched with increasing alarm as he went deeper and deeper into the pool. “Rupert, what are you doing?”

He glanced back at her, a tortured look on his face. “Nineteen years. I kept my identity a secret for nineteen years. Only Stefan and Ansel knew.” With a grimace, he pounded a fist through the water. “Dammit to hell! You figured it out in five days!”

He’d gone from shock to anger. She didn’t know which was worse. “Well, I…” She attempted a placating smile. “I tried to warn you about my gift. I’m very good at finding lost things. Even lost princes.”

With a frustrated groan, he slapped the water again. A wind whistled through the grotto, churning up the water. “Dammit.” He closed his eyes, and his chest expanded as he took deep breaths.

He was truly her tall and handsome stranger, Brigitta thought. The moonlight shone down on him, illuminating the sharp lines of his jaw and the wide breadth of his shoulders. The golden strands in his light-brown hair gleamed with starlight. And all those muscles—he looked so incredibly strong, yet at the same time so alone and vulnerable. Her heart ached for him. If only he could accept her in spite of who she was.

His eyes opened and he regarded her sadly. “I don’t know what to do with you.”

Her heart squeezed and tears gathered once again. “That’s all right. I know what to do.” She stepped toward him, her bare toes reaching the edge of the water. “That’s why I came here tonight. I want to offer my services. I’ll go with you and help you set things straight.”

He gave her an incredulous look. “I’m not letting you endanger yourself.”

“I have to help you. It’s the only way I can atone for the crimes of my family. Please let me—” A tear rolled down her cheek, and she impatiently brushed it away. “It nearly kills me to think how much you’ve suffered because of my—”

“Stop,” he growled. “You’ve done nothing wrong.”

“But I have to do something! What my family did to you was unforgivable. I’ll help you with your revenge, and I’ll earn your trust. I swear it.” With trembling legs, she lowered herself onto one knee. “Your Majesty.”