Chapter Twenty-Nine

Luke

 

After Olenna and Tristan left, I had work to catch up on. With Reagan around, though, it was manageable. If she hadn’t been there, I would have been up all night finishing it. Instead, it only took me a few hours. Sometimes, though, with the day-to-day fires, I forgot how much work it took to keep Winfyre running. From food shipments to farming to medical supplies to patrol rotations and more. 

Throwing the last folder down with a satisfied sigh, I stood up and stretched. I wondered if Reagan was back. I’d told her to take the afternoon off. Go for a walk, hang out with the dogs, and relax. She wasn’t going to figure out her abilities getting all worked up. Now I wondered if she’d taken my advice. At that moment, the back door slammed.

With a rueful laugh, I went into the kitchen and found Reagan gulping down a glass of water. She was flushed and sweating, the dogs sitting at her feet, looking a bit cowed.

“No one is expecting you to unlock your abilities in one day, Reagan,” I said.

“I thought I’d at least make a little bit of headway if I tried,” she said. “I was wrong.”

“Hey,” I said and took her shoulders in my hands. “Go take a nice, long, and hot shower. Or hey, even a bubble bath.” She huffed. “Come on, I’ll make dinner.”

“Okay.” Reagan shrugged and left the kitchen.

Going over to the pantry where I’d hidden the flowers, I pulled them out and rubbed my thumb along the lip of the vase. Slowly, a grin spread across my face. An idea had occurred to me, a way to both cheer Reagan up and distract her from her demons.

Luckily for me, Reagan took my suggestion of a long shower, so I was more than ready for her when she finished. Bouncing lightly on my toes in the kitchen, I listened as she padded towards the door in bare feet. Her eyebrows rose when she saw me.

“What are you up to?” Reagan asked.

Her hair was in damp tendrils around her face, her eyes bright and skin glowing softly. She was wearing a simple sundress, something I’d never seen her in before. It took my breath away.

“Luke?”

Reagan snapped her fingers in front of my face, and I started. Grinning, I held out my arm and said, “Dinner’s outside. And may I just say, you look lovely tonight.”

“Oh, thanks,” she said. Her gaze didn’t quite meet mine. “It’s kind of warm out, you know? I wanted to see how it looked. Something simple and comfortable to pull on.”

“Sure,” I teased and brought her to the door. “Oh, wait, close your eyes.”

“What are you—are you serious?” Reagan asked, and I gave her a look. “Fine.”

After helping her down the steps, I led Reagan around the side of the house and stopped her. A line of cherry trees on either side created a small oasis. I’d never sat out here before this, but I thought she might like to.

“You can open your eyes,” I said.

Bright, inquisitive green took me in, then she looked around and pulled in a breath. A slow, radiant smile lit up her face, and I stepped next to her, folding my arms.

“Not bad, right?”

I’d dragged out an old and very heavy wrought iron table set. Along with dinner, I’d brought out the flowers and a few candles. But since it was breezy and still pretty bright out, they weren’t lit.

Reagan pressed against my side. “You didn’t have to do all this.”

“Yeah, it was a lot of work,” I sighed, and she elbowed me. “Aw, come on, Rea, I was happy to. You had a long day. I had a long day. This took the edge off.”

“I said I’d help.”

“Shh, enjoy this with me,” I said and tugged her towards the table.

“Hey, how did it go with my parents this morning, Mr. Honor Code?” Reagan asked.

I pulled out her chair and half-bowed, making her laugh. “They reacted almost exactly like you did about the permission thing,” I said. “But they gave me their blessing, provided you’re okay with it. All they want is for you to be happy.”

“I love those two,” Reagan murmured as she sat down, “although they must have had a field day after you left.”

“Why?” I asked, and Reagan gave me a look. “They knew?”

“Oh yeah, Shelby, Linh, and my mom were dropping hints all last week. Even my dad said something.” Reagan shrugged as I sat down and stared at her. “I told you not to go, that they liked you and would be fine with it.”

“Yeah, but you didn’t tell me they…forget it, I’m glad I did it,” I said.

“You’re cute,” Reagan teased. “One minute, you’re telling me not to flirt with fire; the next, you’re asking my parents for permission. Who knew Luke Swiftlore could be so proper?”

“Gotta balance it out somehow,” I said. “Wolf Alpha and Northbane honor, it’s a potent mix.” Reagan giggled, and I suddenly got a bit hot under the collar. “Eat already, woman, and stop torturing your poor man.”

“Mm, gotta savor this moment first,” Reagan said. That got a laugh out of me. Her glance fell on the flowers, set to the side of the table so as not to obstruct my view of her. “Are these for me?”

“They were until you started givin’ me shit,” I said.

Reagan gave me a slow, dazzling smile, and I swallowed hard. “Thank you.”

“It was nothin’,” I muttered.

“It wasn’t,” Reagan said. “It was everything. I’d still be lost without you.”

“I find that hard to believe,” I said. “You’re one tough, smart cookie.”

“And you are one generous, wonderful man,” Reagan said. “And I’m glad I don’t have to find out…although you’re probably right.” I laughed as she tossed her head and fanned herself.

I soon forgot to worry about Winfyre, the Northbane, and the SB. Reagan and I went back and forth, laughing and teasing each other. Dinner passed too quickly. It seemed like I blinked, and the sun went down. We lit the candles, and our conversation got softer, more intimate.

But when the wind picked up, and Reagan was shivering in her dress, we headed back inside. In the living room, I offered to light a fire, but Reagan smiled at me and wrapped her cold limbs around my torso.

“I think you can warm me up,” she murmured.

I held her against me for a few moments, then went to pull away, and Reagan growled, holding me more tightly. “You’re cute when you’re impatient," I said.

“And your old-school, courtly side is killing me, Swiftlore,” she said, and I laughed, rubbing my hands up and down her cold arms.

“No need to rush,” I said.

I couldn’t lie—driving Reagan crazy was highly enjoyable, too.

“I know that,” Reagan said, and I could almost feel the heat from her face through my shirt. “But, sometimes…” Her grip tightened. “Sometimes I’m afraid this can’t last…after the Rift and coming here. It’s like, we never know what is coming, or where we might end up.”

“That can be a good thing.” I looked down at her dark head. “I don’t think I could have anticipated you, Reagan Grace, not in a million years.”

Reagan’s voice was muffled when she replied, “I know. I get that. Before I met you, I was content to settle for just about anything. I don’t know—it’s like you woke me up. Made me want more for myself.”

I rested my cheek on her head and let out a sigh. “You give me too much credit, Grace. But thank you.” My heart was swelling in my chest. “It means more than you know.”

“I’m happy. I’m so happy, I’m afraid it’s not allowed,” she whispered.

“I give you permission,” I teased in her ear.

“Shut up, that’s not—”

“I know,” I said. “I get that.”

“I didn’t mean to ramble at you,” Reagan murmured and tried to squirm away. “We should go to bed.”

“Hey, my turn,” I said and locked her against me. A small squeak escaped her. "Rea, you—you found me, too. I’d locked up so much of myself—all that was left was worrying about everyone else. When I met you, I figured you’d be here maybe a month.” I paused. “I didn’t think you’d want to learn how to take care of me after a shifting episode. Or do such a damn good job helping me with Winfyre. Everyone says it's been running a lot smoother. Fewer problems.”

“I’m glad I could help,” she murmured.

I cleared my throat. “Reagan, I never thought you’d consider me a friend, never mind anything more. You were never afraid of me, you never treated me differently…”

“Why would I?” Reagan looked up at me. “The Alpha Wolf thing is hot.”

“Oh yeah?” I asked, and grinned.

“Yeah,” she said, her expression suddenly soft and searching. “Luke, in Winfyre, you are a Command and a hero. The wolf is part of that. People understand that. I’ve never heard one person say anything even remotely harsh about you.”

“It’s not a popularity thing,” I said, “although I don’t want anyone to hate me without good reason.” I gave her a crooked smile, and she made a face. “When you're a leader, you do have to be aware of their perceptions, and, I don't know, I think I put a lot of pressure on myself, in the beginning, to be exemplary, even though it felt like a giant lie."

“You’d been through a lot,” Reagan said. “And you were still exemplary.”

“Of course I was,” I said. “I’m Luke Swiftlore.”

“You can shut up now,” Reagan said and kissed me.