Chapter Sixteen
Penny
The two guards clearly didn’t know how to calm eighteen-month-old children. By the time they got to Anna and Indulf’s quarters, Lisa and Mark were both screaming. The king and queen came to see what was happening. Anna looked shocked and rushed to rescue Lisa while Indulf followed after, taking Mark. There was no talking above the sounds of the continued crying, so Indulf dismissed the guards and then ushered Penny into their quarters.
Now seeing familiar faces, the twins calmed quickly. Penny had to trade Alex for Lisa. Her daughter clung to her, whimpering. Penny’s heart ached as she kissed Lisa’s head.
“It’s been a very, very rough past few days,” she sighed as she sank into a low sofa. “Let me tell you that.”
“Okay.” Anna’s brow arched as she rocked Alex. “But what are you doing here?”
Where to start? A rush of relief washed over Penny. After all the confusion, fear and uncertainty of the past few days, being here with her friends made her want to burst into laughter. It all seemed like a bad dream, being sucked into the past, dealing with assassins and portals and learning she had magic. It was so overwhelming just to think about it that Penny didn’t know how she had managed to actually live through it.
“You’re not going to believe what happened,” she assured her friends cheerfully.
Anna fixed her with a stern glare. “Okay, right. We’re not going to believe it. But you’d better tell us anyway. Because from where you’re sitting you decided to just hop over with Warmund after he attacked Thonis, and now you’re claiming that you love him?”
“Oh, I do. And he loves me, too.” Penny glanced at Indulf to see how that revelation was taken.
He frowned deeply at her and held up a hand. “I’m not going to argue with that. But what I am going to argue is that you need to tell us what happened. We’ll decide if we believe it or not.”
Their little boy, Erik, came out of the bedroom, rubbing his eyes. “What’s happening? Lisa!”
His face lit up, as did Lisa and Mark’s. He rushed over, and soon the children were playing with each other on the floor while Penny faced Indulf and Anna. She still wasn’t certain where to start. The night that Alex was conceived? No. The day that Warmund had arrived at the house and started to flirt with her while she was trying to eek out a few more weeks’ worth of flowers.
Just as she thought, their eyes widened in disbelief as she told them about what had happened. When she explained Warmund’s plan, Indulf looked stricken.
“He could have gotten himself killed!”
“He almost did…” She continued. When she got to the part where Thonis arrested her, Indulf called him in, along with the two men that had been with him, Watn and Jord. It took a bit of prodding for them to remember what had happened, and when they did Penny nodded in satisfaction and gestured at them. “And there you have it. They arrested me, and then the attack happened. I melted my prison bars and went to find the nursery. I arrived in time to save Warmund.”
She finished up, explaining how she’d opened the portal and everything that had happened in 1995. When she was done, she took a drink of water, smiled at her babies, and leaned back on the couch. “Then I told him that Alex was his baby and—”
“What?” Indulf practically jumped out of his skin.
“Oh… right. Alex is Warmund’s son… that’s another long story.”
Indulf turned to where Alex was cradled in Anna’s arms. He sat back, looking dazed, but even as he did so, a smile broke over his face. He shook his head as he grinned at Penny. “That is… quite a story. You’re right. I almost don’t believe it.” The smile faded. “So, all this time, Warmund was the one who kidnapped Wildref…”
“He saved her,” Penny was quick to point out. “The assassins would have killed her.”
He nodded. “Knowing that helps.” He let out a pained sigh. “How am I going to face him?”
“Like a man,” Penny replied bluntly. “You’re going to go down there, tell him you love him and that you’re not going to execute him. And then you’re going to release him from prison and take him back to Earth, to introduce him to Katrina.”
Indulf smiled again as Anna chuckled. “You have it all figured out, don’t you?”
“Of course, I do.” Penny winked.
Anna shook her head, then winked back. “Well, we have some things to talk over still… so you say you love Warmund, huh?”
“Yes.” Warmth bubbled in her chest. “I do. I know that it’s really sudden and everything, but I love him. I never thought I’d fall in love like this. But he’s everything I want. Everything, from his head to his toes and everything in between.”
The queen stood and gestured to the door. “Then go to him. Go, make crazy, wild, passionate love. Trust me, there won’t be a lot of time for that in the coming weeks.”
“Hey.” Indulf frowned at her. “Have I not been giving you enough crazy, wild, passionate love?”
“Of course, you have. But she’s got three babies to take care of and a redeemed prince to support while he’s getting reintegrated into the palace. That stuff’s going to be exhausting.”
But Penny wasn’t around to listen to their argument. She was already out the door, telling Thonis to take her to where Warmund was being held. He was in a comfortable room, not a dungeon cell. Not that it mattered much. She wouldn’t have cared if there were solid walls or a barred door surrounding them. As soon as she entered the room, seeing Warmund sitting on the bed with a dazed expression on his face, she launched herself at him.
Warmund caught her with a startled cry. The door quickly shut behind them, and Penny pushed Warmund’s shoulders so he was lying flat on the bed.
“Should I assume this means good news?” he asked as she started to strip his clothes off him.
Penny bent over him and licked his neck before kissing him hard on the mouth. “Good news.”
That was all he needed to hear. His hands caught her ass and pulled her down, grinding up against her. Heat flared in her core, tight and ready. It was as though it’d been forever since they had last made love. What was it about him that got her so ready so quickly?
Was it love?
Warmund reached under her shirt, undoing her bra before he lifted the shirt and bra off together. His hands then went to her breasts, and he kissed the tops of first one then the other before trailing his hot tongue over her nipple. He hummed as it tightened, as though he liked the taste, then moved down. Penny groaned as she dug her fingers into his hair. He flipped her over so that she was on her back and pulled her pants off with one fluid movement.
Her lover moved back, a grin on his face as he started to undo his shirt. Penny purred as inch after inch of hard, muscled torso was revealed. When he shucked it off, she leaned forward and ran her hands over his pecs, loving the feel of his hot skin beneath her hands.
“So, Penny,” he growled as he yanked off his pants. “You and I have something very important to discuss.”
“What’s that?”
He lay back over her, caging her with his hot body. She spread her legs to either side of his hips while he stroked up her thigh. She took him in her hand. He grunted with pleasure and kissed her again, deep and aching. Fire lit in her core, which tightened with the need to be filled.
“What do we need to talk about?” she panted as his fingers played around their target.
“We share a child together.”
Her heart filled with warmth as she thought of little Alex. She’d have to move here—she wanted her son to grow up being able to access his dragon. “Yes, we do.”
Warmund’s gaze became serious as he slid a finger inside of her. She was so wet already that he entered smoothly. Her back arched at that simple motion. “I want to be the father of all your children.”
“Yes,” she moaned. “How many do you want?”
Warmund dropped over her, his mouth inches from hers. “Three is good for now.”
“Three…” She suddenly realized what he meant. He wanted to be the father of all her children. Not just her future ones. She pressed her hands to his shoulders, just enough so she could keep staring into his eyes. “What are you saying?”
“Marry me.” He nudged himself inside of her. “Be my mate, my wife. Let me be yours.”
As if there was any question of that. Tears burned her eyes as she pulled him down and kissed him hard. At that moment, they were more than just bodies entwined. He began to thrust, flooding her with heat and pleasure, but it was more than just physical. Her very soul sang in harmony with his. As she planted her feet and helped him, crying out his name while his teeth nipped at her shoulders and collar bone, she knew that nothing was ever going to get better than this. He thrust harder and harder, until they were both writhing and screaming with pleasure.
“Warmund,” Penny screamed, her fingers digging into his back.
Her head fell back and her back made a bow. He continued to thrust in her, even as she clamped down on him so tight he could hardly move. A wave of pleasure washed over her, then another and another, until she was left gasping on the mattress.
Warmund came into her, grunting with every movement, then stilled. They panted as Penny brushed her hands over his hair, so full of satisfaction and that post-glow that she could already feel herself drifting off to sleep. Her lover lifted his head and smiled at her. He kissed her again, gentle and sweet.
“Marry me,” he whispered.
“Yes,” she whispered back. “Yes, I’ll marry you. And you will be the father of all my children… and I can’t tell you how much I look forward to building our life together.”
Warmund grinned at her. He pulled her in tight, holding her close. Their hearts beat wildly, echoing each other’s rhythms, as both were filled with thoughts about the future and all the joy it would hold. Penny held him tight and buried her face in his shoulder. She had a family. Finally, she had a family.