Bella was petulant for the rest of the day. She sulked around the room and stayed verra long in the bathroom. Twas nae easy tae live with her.

At dinner we ate in silence until I began tae speak of the plan. I knew the guards had guns and I was nae happy with the prospect of being shot. “You are sure the guard will be able tae keep me from harm?”

She scowled. “If you do your part, shoot Donnan, the guards won’t hurt you. You’ll be the next king. Why would they risk your revenge? So what are you going to do?”

“Shoot him.”

“Exactly.” She watched me for a moment then languidly sighed. “This would be much better if we were planning our ascension together. Can’t we?”

I shook my head.

She stood and walked around the table trailin’ a finger along the table top and then up my neck tae my chin. She clasped my chin in her hands and forced me tae look up in her face. “Think about this, My Magnus.” She leaned down and kissed me, pressing against my mouth and bitin’ my lips. I tried tae turn my head but she pulled and bit and then she whispered, her breath enterin’ my wounded lungs, “I could take care of you. I would like that.” She straddled my lap and sat down.

I groaned.

“And we would be together, me and you.” She forced my chin up and kissed along the edge of my neck.

“We have spoken of this, you and I, ye ken the reason—”

She pressed her lips tae my mouth stoppin’ my words. “We haven’t truly spoken of this yet, My Magnus.” She pulled my chin so she was looking intae my eyes. “We haven’t spoken of the plan you have to kill Donnan, how you are planning to take his throne. We haven’t spoken of it yet, about how I know this is what you are planning. That I know all about your plan and Donnan still doesn’t know.”

“What are ye sayin’?” Rage filled my chest.

“I am saying that I know your plans. I know everything about you. I know that you have a gun. We have secrets that we keep together. And being together is—”

“Are ye sayin’ you will tell Donnan about your plans, Bella?” She raised up a bit, kissing me, tugging my shirt up over my head. I grimaced from the pain of it. My ribs were hurtin’ terribly. “Is that what you’re sayin’?”

She ran her hands down my chest and kissed along my collarbone. “I wouldn’t want to Magnus, I would never want to do anything to hurt you. You’re My Magnus, my warrior.” She raised her hips and pulled my kilt up tae my waist. “And you want me.” Her hand wrapped around my cock and pulled it firm tae her front.

“I promised I would protect ye, you daena have tae resort tae threats.”

“Yes, My Magnus, but I want more than protection. I want you.” Her breath was comin’ heavy in my ear. “You want me. They aren’t threats, they are simply reminders that you have a secret. And that I will keep it if I’m happy, but I could go to Donnan if I wanted to.”

“Ye would go tae Donnan and tell him?”

“Only if you refuse me.”

She kissed along my throat and her hips raised and lowered causing a much missed friction. My breaths were comin’ fast. She whispered against my skin, “You want me. You want to survive. You will be king. And Kaitlyn has been dead for centuries.”

I closed my eyes. “Stop speakin’ of Kaitlyn.”

“True,” she put her weight on one leg, dragged her panties down with one hand, stepped out of them, and stepped across my lap again. She sat back down with a soft breath against my ear. “I said that to you just yesterday. And we shouldn’t talk of her because she doesn’t matter. Not to you. Because you and I have secrets. We keep them.”

“If you tell Donnan her life would be in danger, you know that, how could you?”

She pulled her shirt, little more than a strip of cloth, off over her head. “I don’t want her to be in danger. I’ll help you keep her safe. It will be easier if I’m happy. That’s all I’m saying.” She raised and lowered again. “I learned about her, you know. I saw photos. She had a child, a long happy life without you, she died old and—”

“Stop speaking of her!” Enraged, grabbing her around the arse, I stood, my fingers digging intae the flesh of her. I lifted her tae the bed and threw her on the mattress.

She squealed happily, makin’ me even more furious. “I told you you wanted me.”

“I daena want ye.”

“Oh yes you do, you want me because you want to live, you want to be king, and you want to survive.”

“Stop sayin’ it.”

“I won’t, without me you’re a dead man. Without me, Kaitlyn doesn’t live to meet her child. She bedded someone else, why are you—”

I pushed my kilt tae the ground, lunged onto her, shoved her legs apart and pushed intae her and used her against all my fury. She held on and wrapped her legs around m’back and bit intae my shoulder.

When I finished, I shoved away and sat at the edge of the bed. She rubbed a foot along my thigh. I pushed it aside. “Daena touch me.”

I tried tae catch my breath, twas too fast from exertion and anger. I doubled over and tried tae calm m’self down.

She stretched long on my bed watching me try tae overcome the pain of breaths comin’ and goin’ within a chest that had been much abused.

“Are you okay, My Magnus?”

I swallowed a deep breath and held it long then exhaled slowly. I pulled my kilt off the floor, stepped intae the center of it, and managed tae get it on with a lot of effort.

There was nae puttin’ on the shirt my middle was in too much pain. “You winna ever threaten me again.”

“I won’t, My Magnus.”

“And ye winna go tae Donnan anymore. Not anymore. I winna stand for it.”

The edge of her lips curled up a bit. “I won’t need to, I’m truly yours now.”