Knight of Pentacles (Knights of the Tarot Book 3) by Nina Mason Page B

colony with workers.”
    “Oh, my God, Axel. You sleep with her? How often?”
    “As often as she summons me to do so.” He returned his gaze to her face, which had lost all its color and looked pinched.
    “Do you have children with her?”
    “Aye, but I am not a true father to them.”
    The ensuing silence was excruciating. She just sat there staring at the ring as she turned it in her fingers. What was going through her mind? He resisted the urge to read her thoughts. Better to wait for her to share her response than intrude upon her private reflections.
    Finally, she looked up at him, meeting his gaze head-on. There were tears in her eyes, but also a gleam of steely determination. She took a deep breath, lifted her chin, and threw back her shoulders. “I have to get you away from her—whatever it takes.”
    “No.” Breaking away from her gaze, he licked his lips and ran a hand through his hair. He would much rather continue as they were, deficient though their situation was, than risk losing her in a reckless quest for perfection. “It is wiser to go on as things are. We can see each other in secret, pledge our hearts to each other without her suspecting. If she discovers my disloyalty, she will do to me what she did to Sir Leith.”
    Her brow furrowed under her tousled fringe. “The knight you’re supposed to bring back for the tithe?”
    “Aye,” he said, twinging with guilt. “The very one.”
    Jenna licked her lips, which were as pale and drawn as her face. “What did she do to him?”
    “She commanded him to kill his beloved, who was one of her scouts, and to bring her the lady’s heart as proof he had carried out her orders. After the deed was done, she banished him from the Thitherworld for evermore—but not before putting a curse on him.”
    “What kind of a curse?”
    “A curse that ensured any woman he henceforth cared for would die.”
    It was his turn to fall silent and look away. He could not bring himself to tell her the rest. If he did, she would despise him as much as he loathed what he must do. And, if she detested him, she would never agree to be his.
    “I want to ask you something, Jenna.” He swallowed to moisten his dry mouth. “It might seem too hasty, but I should like you to wear my ring on your left hand, as if we were betrothed. Is that too much to ask?”
    “No,” she said. “I’m glad you asked it, and will proudly wear your ring, but would prefer you place it on my finger yourself.”
    She held out the ring, locking him in her gaze. Taking it from her, he placed the ring on her finger before lifting her hand to his mouth. He pressed a kiss to each of her knuckles. “Your heart belongs to me now, as mine belongs to you.”
    * * * *
    Jenna felt wonderful with Axel’s arms around her as they cantered through the glen on Odin. So wonderful, right, and romantic. He was a dream come true; an honest-to-goodness knight on a charger; the man she was meant to be with. She was now more persuaded than ever that she’d come to Rosemarkie to free him from Queen Morgan.
    She just needed to convince him of her purpose—and figure out how to achieve her aim.
    It was a beautiful night for a ride. The sky was dusted with billions of stars and a blanket of mist covered the ground. Though they were the only ones in the glen, she’d never felt less alone.
    As they rode around, he pointed out several plants and told her their names and uses. One was pennyroyal, an herb once used to terminate pregnancies.
    “I saw the recipe in your mother’s grimoire,” he said. “It is important to get the dosage right, because too much pennyroyal will kill the mother as well as the unwanted bairn.”
    “I don’t believe in abortion,” she replied, horrified to know her mother’s spell book contained a formula for inducing miscarriage.
    “Nor do I, as a general rule. But, in some cases, it is the best thing for all concerned.”
    Sure she could never kill her baby under any circumstances,