"Your family will be welcomed at the palace," Braith assured her.
"Uncle Abe may go if we travel slowly but Lucas can't travel," she said softly.
"We won't leave here until the safety of this town has been completely established and we can come back whenever you wish," Jack promised her.
Excitement fluttered through her chest as she took hold of his hand. "I'd love to see where you came from."
He kissed her forehead and nuzzled her hair before pulling away from her. "I can't wait to show it to you."
"Ugh can someone please kill me again," William muttered as he shook his head at the two of them. "If you guys don't mind, I'd really like to take a bath and I'd much prefer not to have to listen to this. Daniel can you give me a hand?"
Daniel was grinning as he stepped forward to take hold of William's arm. Daniel helped him turn to place his bare feet on the floor. "Anyone that feels like kissing someone else in this room has to go," William said.
"William..." Aria started.
"Go on, we've got him," Xavier assured her as Braith pulled her to her feet and away from the bed.
Aria's eyes narrowed, her shoulder straightened, but Braith bent and whispered something in her ear. She glanced up at him and nodded before allowing him to lead her from the room. "We'll be back," Jack said to William.
"Take your time," William told him as he stood on wobbling legs.
Braith and Aria were heading toward one of the houses that had been left empty after the battle when she and Jack emerged on the porch. "How about a dip in the lake?" Jack suggested.
She honestly couldn't think of anything better to ease the ache in her muscles and to rid her body of the dirt and odor clinging to her. "That sounds amazing."
She dropped her head to his chest as he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer. "I've never left this town. It's my home."
"Do you not want to go? It still won't be for awhile, there is no way William will leave here until he finds Kane."
"I know," she told him. "And I do want to go. I can't wait to meet the rest of your family; I would like to know everything I can about you and I can't wait to experience it all. After the tavern is rebuilt, and I know that Lucas and Uncle Abe will be safe, I want to see the world that I've missed all these years."
"They're safe now Hannah, you're safe now. Calvin's men won't return to this town. They're still out there but this town is safe now and so are you. Calvin is gone and you're stuck with me, for eternity."
"Sounds like a little bit of heaven," she admitted as his lips pressed against the top of her head before traveling lower to caress her cheek.
Her fingers curled into his back as his lips brushed against hers. He pushed the hair back from her face as he cupped her cheeks and tilted her head to him. Her toes curled as his gray eyes filled her vision and she was swamped with his heat and power. "Will you marry me Hannah?"
Her mouth dropped, before she had a chance to respond he was releasing her cheeks and extending a small diamond ring toward her. The beautiful jewel sparkled in the beams of the moon falling all around them. He was the strongest, most confident man she'd ever met and yet he looked achingly vulnerable as his eyes held hers.
Her response lodged in her throat as tears slid down her cheeks. She finally managed to gather her wits enough to force a response. "My defect Jack. You may have made me strong enough to walk in the sun, I know that we are linked, but you have to understand that there is still a chance my defect will pass on to our children."
"It's not a defect Hannah, it's a part of you and I love everything about you. I know neither of us wants our children to have to go through what you did, but we will both love them equally and they will never know the cruelty that you have known. The world is a different place now, they will not be shunned. I know what it's like to be the unwanted child, none of our children will ever experience that no matter who or what they are."
Tears spilled down her cheeks as she threw her arms around him and hugged him. "I'd love nothing more than to marry you," she finally managed to choke out against his neck.
He released a low shout as he wrapped his arms around her, lifted her up and spun her around. She laughed as she clung to his shoulders and he continued to rapidly spin her around. It took her a second to get her bearings when he finally deposited her on her feet again. She held her hand out to him so that he could slide the delicate diamond ring onto her finger.
"I'll get you a bigger diamond when we return to the palace."
She wiggled her fingers as she held the ring before her and smiled at the sparkly gem that she recognized from the display case at the mercantile. "Don't even think about, it's perfect."
His hands slid over her neck as he kissed her tenderly. He lifted her off the ground and carried her toward the lake in rapid strides that swiftly ate up the ground. She rested her head on his shoulder and savored in his strength as a cocoon of peace enveloped her. Arriving at the lake, he placed her on the ground and tugged his shirt off. Warmth pooled through her body; there was absolutely no saliva left in her mouth as her fingers trailed over his unyielding flesh and followed the small trail of hair that ran from his naval to the waistband of his pants.
His fingers slid the buttons of her dress free as his hands traveled down her back. Cold air hit her flesh but it did nothing to cool the hunger blazing through her as desire curled within her belly. The dress slid around her feet in a rustle of fabric that only heightened her yearning for him. He unbuttoned his pants and pushed them over his hips before taking her back into his arms and carrying her into the lake.