Tanon wanted to scream at his back as he turned and walked out of the room, out of her life without even a farewell. Arrangements were quickly made for her departure from Wales. She could leave as early as tonight, escorted by Hereward and one hundred of King Rhys’ own men. When they reached the marches, Hereward would request a Norman escort the rest of the way. The king’s men could be back here in time to return home with him.
So simple.
She was going home, just as she wished. A fortnight ago she would have rejoiced. Now she wanted to sink to the floor and weep until the last breath left her body. Either that, or storm after her husband and tell him what a heartless, unfeeling lout he was.
Never one to let her circumstances defeat her, no matter how terrible they were, Tanon chose the latter.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
With Cian hoton his heels, Gareth strode toward the fortress doors and pushed through them like a plague being set loose upon the earth. Outside, the bailey swarmed with his and King Rhys’ men seeing to Dafydd’s assembled army. His eyes found their prince, a man almost a decade older than Gareth, and twice as thirsty for war. The sight of him sizzled Gareth’s blood. He knew he should deny himself the pleasure of killing the bastard, but whatever was left of his control had been vanquished when he asked Rhys to send Tanon home. If Prince Daffyd desired war so badly, Gareth was going to give it to him.
His stride was long, deliberate as he cut through Dafydd’s men and his own, including Alwyn and Tomas. His eyes blazed like twin flames beneath the virulent dip of his brow. He reached his destination and without word or pause in his steps, he clamped his fingers around Dafydd’s throat.
“Oh, no,” Cian unsheathed his blade and set his back against Gareth’s, prepared to keep any of Dafydd’s men from attacking his lord from behind.
Almost knocking Dafydd off his feet didn’t stop Gareth from dragging him a few more inches. “Is it blood you want?” Gareth bent and growled into Dafydd’s face, tightening his grip and cutting off the prince’s air.
“Kill me,” Dafydd challenged with a choking gasp, “And my father will bring war to the south.”
Gareth regarded him with a blood-chilling smile that had evoked the prayers of marcher lords, and the men of their garrison before they perished at his hands. “You came here to kill King Rhys. We’ve proven it. Your father cannot declare war now,” Gareth said. “It’s only by my uncle’s mercy that you live. While I’ve made certain your threat of war is over for good, I find the idea of you breathing another day on this earth offensive.”
“Pardon me.”
Tanon’s voice behind him restored something more civilized to Gareth’s deadly glare. He blinked and angled his head around to see her. His blood quickened at the sight of her. How was he ever going to live his life without her in it, without looking into those clear green eyes and being reminded of innocence in a world of greed, betrayal, and blood?
“I would like a moment of your time.” She scowled at him and cut a scolding glance to Dafydd clutched in his hand.
“Now?” Gareth asked her.
“Oui.” She folded her arms across her chest and turned her chin up a notch. “I wish to tell you a few things before I go.”
Gareth unclenched his fist, dropping Dafydd to the ground like a sack of spoiled wheat. “You have my ear.”
The instant he was free, Dafydd tried to scramble away but Gareth stopped him with a shove from his foot that sent the northern prince reeling back on his rump. “Move again, and I’ll kill you.” He swept his gaze over the men beginning to form a circle around him. “Alwyn, watch him.”
Goodness, but herhusband looked lethal, Tanon thought watching him. His body was ready to spring as he began to pace before her. Even now, after he’d proven what an unfeeling rake he truly was, his appearance heated her blood.
“I think Cedric was correct about you,” she forged ahead. There was no use in recalling how he made her feel so alive. It was all a lie. “You’re a coward.”
Cian made a sound to her right like someone had just jabbed a blade into his back. Alwyn narrowed his eyes on her and tossed her a disapproving glare.
Gareth halted in his spot. The look on his face made Tanon lift her fingers to her throat and take a step back. He ground his jaw, ready to say something she might not like hearing, so she plunged in fully, cutting him off. “You’re afraid of being touched, of getting caught. You’ve spent your whole life learning how to avoid it. It controls you,” she said with certainty that sounded like she’d been studying him for years.
“Does it?” he asked her quietly. He had the insane urge to laugh at how wrong she was. It would have been the first time he did the like in a se’nnight.
“Oui.It’s why you could lie so easily to me.”
A long, raven curl swept across Tanon’s slightly mocking smile. She hooked her pinkie around the strand and pulled it away.
“Tanon,” he said tenderly. “I didn’t tell you about Cedric the day I left you at the village because it was safer for you not to know. I didn’t want to lie to you. You weren’t supposed to have anything to do with this. I would not have let harm come to you, Tanon. I lied to keep you safe.”
Tanon quirked her brow at him. She wasn’t talking about the danger he had put her in. But now that he brought it up… “How do you know if I was safe or not, Gareth? You left me alone with—”
“Nay, I didn’t. I never left you. I watched over you every day and every night. If my brother had tried to touch you with anything more than his eyes, Madoc would have ended his life. The rest of us were close enough to take Dafydd and his men.”
“You were there following us the whole time, you bastard?” Dafydd accused, listening to the entire conversation. He reached out and gave Gareth a shove with his bloody, bandaged hand.
Gareth pivoted around slowly with a murderous gleam in his eyes.