“For the rest of my life?”
“For the rest of your life.”
Jax frowned. “Then you must be prepared for a short life.”
As the gatehouse of Pelinom yawned before them, Denedor laughed softly. “I was prepared for a short life the moment I met you, de Velt,” he said. “As it turns out, I think life with you is rather exciting. You are like a bull; untamed, unrepentant, and unafraid. But there is courage in you that outshines the sun. If we can tame the bull, then I think we shall have a fine knight on our hands someday. Understanding kindness and compassion, and showing it in return, is a good start.”
Jax wouldn’t let on that Denedor’s words flattered him. He turned away. “The only person who shall tame me is Kelli, and there are times I wonder if she is even capable of it. I wonder if I shall grow old and miss my old life.”
“The life of death and destruction?”
“The life of ambition that I told my wife I would not give up for her.” He paused. “But I will tell you a secret, another one to hold over my head. I lied when I told her that. For Kelli, I would give up the world and more. You were right when you said that I should be grateful that I married her. I am; as I sat in that tiny hut last night, listening to the storm rage, I realized just how fortunate I am. My old life was something cold and empty, but my life with Kellington… it is rich beyond my wildest dreams. Mayhap that realization is what the true spirit of Christmas is all about.”
Denedor simply smiled at him, patting him affectionately on the shoulder before dropping his hand. Now, there was an understanding between them, a building bond that would forever cement a strong and lasting friendship. Jax finally realized what it meant to be part of something that was far more valuable than all of the conquests he’d ever made. The conquest of his heart, and of a man’s eternal soul, was perhaps his greatest achievement.
The Dark Lord’s first Christmas had indeed been a memorable one.
* THE END *
About Kathryn Le Veque
Medieval Just Got Real.
KATHRYN LE VEQUE is a USA TODAY Bestselling author, an Amazon All-Star author, and a #1 bestselling, award-winning, multi-published author in Medieval Historical Romance and Historical Fiction. She has been featured in the NEW YORK TIMES and on USA TODAY’s HEA blog. In March 2015, Kathryn was the featured cover story for the March issue of InD’Tale Magazine, the premier Indie author magazine. She was also a quadruple nominee (a record!) for the prestigious RONE awards for 2015.
Kathryn’s Medieval Romance novels have been called ‘detailed’, ‘highly romantic’, and ‘character-rich’. She crafts great adventures of love, battles, passion, and romance in the High Middle Ages. More than that, she writes for both women AND men – an unusual crossover for a romance author – and Kathryn has many male readers who enjoy her stories because of the male perspective, the action, and the adventure.
On October 29, 2015, Amazon launched Kathryn’s Kindle Worlds Fan Fiction site WORLD OF DE WOLFE PACK. Please visit Kindle Worlds for Kathryn Le Veque’s World of de Wolfe Pack and find many action-packed adventures written by some of the top authors in their genre using Kathryn’s characters from the de Wolfe Pack series. As Kindle World’s FIRST Historical Romance fan fiction world, Kathryn Le Veque’s World of de Wolfe Pack will contain all of the great story-telling you have come to expect.
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