Page 29 of The Last Knight (The Cursed Kingdom #5)
Chapter Twenty
A Month Later
G unther walked out of the large home and held his face up to the sun. No matter how many years passed, he knew he would never take the changing skies in this realm for granted.
It had been a month since Aubrey had brought him to Ashcraig, allowing him to recover without much interference.
He’d joined the three who lived there for dinner every evening and had spent hours in a sitting room watching television, mostly what they called news, in order to become acclimated to the new world he was to live in now.
Padriag had insisted he remain on the first level in the guest room, which was separate from the rest of them, who slept on the upper floor. Gunther understood. The women had to be protected until everyone was sure he didn’t retain evil.
Despite the Padriag’s initial resistance, they had formed a rapport, not quite friends, but no longer enemies either.
Gunther looked across the expanse of land to a winding road upon which cars traversed the bends with ease. He followed one in particular, a bright red one because it reminded him of Aubrey’s.
“It is a very different world is it not?” Padriag came to stand next to him. “Did you come to this realm often and keep up with the changes?”
Gunther shook his head. “Most of my time was spent in the other realm, I was held captive for an entire century. Meliot did not trust me to travel until in the last few years.”
“So, the changes must be stark for you.”
“I am not sure I’ll ever learn it all, to ever…” He stopped. He’d meant to say, fit in, but it was an obvious observation.
With a chuckle and shake of his head, Padriag shrugged. “All of us feel that way. However, I am glad we’ve been gifted with the women we have as partners and the remote location we live in. It gives us time to learn at a slower pace.”
Another obvious thing to say would be that Gunther didn’t have that luxury. Although he was very much attracted to Aubrey and wished for more, she’d been distant since he’d arrived. Friendly and welcoming but seeming to keep him at arm’s length.
“What about you and Aubrey?” Padriag asked, seeming to read his mind. “Are you and she going to clear the air? You seem uneasy around each other.”
Gunther nodded. “I plan to speak to her.” He turned to Padriag, his stomach tight with shame. “Do you know of somewhere I can live. Until I find a way to earn a living, I can only offer to work in exchange for a place to lay my head.”
The man nodded. “I do. You can live at one of the cottages at Dunimarle. Tristan and I have already discussed it. You can work at the stables with Gavin or help with construction. First, I suggest you speak to Aubrey. Figure out what’s going on in her pretty head.”
As she pulled into the driveway and shifted the car into park, Aubrey sank back against the seat with a weary exhale. The house loomed before her, familiar, cozy…and he was there.
Every day, stepping through that front door stirred a storm of emotions.
Gunther lived there, and even when he wasn’t in the same room, it felt like his presence filled every corner, his quiet strength, his watchful eyes, the scent of him, a bodywash gifted to him by her, that lingered just enough to make her breath catch.
Of course she wanted him there. Shewantedhim to have a safe space to heal, a roof over his head, warm meals, and someone who cared.
But the closeness, the domesticity—they brought more questions than comfort.
Gunther’s bruises had faded, and lately he’d been testing his range of motion without the sling.
Physically, he was healing. But what about the rest?
More than anything, she needed clarity about their relationship.
Considering the way she caught him looking at her, feelings were still there.
She’d kept her distance, because she didn’t want him to feel obligated, physically, emotionally, or otherwise, just because he was living under her roof.
And while she missed the warmth of his touch, the easy laughter they’d once shared, she’d rather suffer in silence than risk making him feel bad.
The moment she stepped inside the house, she was greeted by Padriag who was lounging in the front room with that all-too-knowing expression he’d perfected.
“Hi,” she said cautiously, eyes scanning the space. “Are you alone? I didn’t see Erin’s car.”
He took her tote bag, his brow arching with practiced drama. “He’s in the back garden.”
Aubrey’s stomach fluttered with nerves.
Padriag stepped closer, lowering his voice. “You two need to talk. Erin and I are getting tired of pretending we don’t notice the tension. It’s like watching a pot boil while the lid shakes.”
She opened her mouth to protest—but the words caught. Instead, she sighed, weary and uncertain. “Iwilltalk to him. I just…I need a few minutes to think.”
“Nope.” Padriag’s hands gently clasped her shoulders as he steered her through the sitting room, into the kitchen and toward the back door. “You’ve hadplentyof minutes. It’s time.”
He opened the door and nudged her toward it with a small, encouraging smile. “Go.”
The sun bathed the garden in golden light, and a soft breeze carried the scent of blooming jasmine and fresh-cut grass. Aubrey paused at the back door, momentarily caught up in the sight before her.
Gunther stood with his back to her, shoulders broad and still, his gaze cast toward the horizon as though searching for something just beyond reach.
His hair, now past his shoulders, swayed gently in the breeze, catching the sunlight in glints of gold.
She hadn’t realized how long it had grown.
Padriag had shown him how to use a modern shaver, but a trip to the barber had somehow slipped her mind.
“Your hair grows fast,” she said, her voice quiet, almost tentative. “Do you like it that long?”
He turned slightly, giving her a glimpse of his chiseled profile before his gaze drifted back toward the horizon. “I prefer it shorter,” he replied. “I didn’t notice the time, but it seems you’re earlier than usual.”
She walked toward him, stopping just a breath away, close, but not quite touching. “I came home early today,” she explained. “There’s a woman training with Matt at the studio. She’s working toward becoming a certified instructor. It gives me a bit more freedom in the afternoons.”
Something in his posture shifted, a subtle tension in the line of his shoulders.
“Do you want to go for a walk?” she asked softly. “I want to show you something.”
They wandered across the property, feet crunching softly against the gravel path, until they reached a small pond tucked beneath a weeping willow. A bench stood beneath its sweeping branches; the back and legs made from artfully twisted wood that gave the illusion of vines frozen mid-climb.
“My grandfather made it,” Aubrey said, settling onto the seat. “It’s one of my favorite spots. I come here when I need quiet. Sometimes I journal. Sometimes I just lie back and think.”
Gunther joined her, his brows furrowed, the handsome face shadowed. Then, without looking at her, he asked, “Why have you been keeping your distance? Does it trouble you that I’m here?”
Her heart lurched.
“Oh God, no.” Her voice was breathless. “Ilovethat you’re here.”
His eyes met hers then, those piercing, beautiful blue eyes that always made her feel like he could see straight through and into her mind. She nearly sighed at the sheer intensity of him, the way he made even silence feel electric.
“Then why?”
She swallowed hard, her throat suddenly dry, every carefully rehearsed word fleeing her brain. She looked away briefly, then back at him. “It’s just…hard,” she admitted. “Being around you and pretending I’m unaffected.”
He said nothing, just watched her with that unreadable expression.
“I’m so attracted to you,” she whispered, cheeks flushing. “But I didn’t want you to feel like I expected something—or that you owed me. I didn’t want you to feel…obligated.”
The words hung in the air, vulnerable and trembling. She didn’t dare look away.
“Of course I am indebted to you. To the others. You have offered hospitality and all of you have shared your food, clothes. I have nothing to give in return.”
The urge to lean against his chest was almost painful. “It is not expected. Thankfully, we are all fortunate enough to maintain a good lifestyle.”
Gunther turned his gaze back toward the horizon, the sun casting a golden edge along his profile.
“This isn’t gratitude speaking,” he said quietly.
“It’s not because of what you’ve done for me.
From the moment I first saw you, there’s been no one else in my mind, in my heart.
But I’ve never felt deserving of someone like you; someone who cares.
My past is flooded with mistakes…sins I can never undo. ”
Aubrey laid a gentle hand on his arm, feeling the tension there.
“You have to let it go,” she said softly.
“You can’t live forever dragging your past behind you like a ball and chain.
The way to make peace with it is to move forward, to do good now.
To prove toyourselfthat you’re the man I already see. ”
A soft breeze swept through the garden, sending strands of his long hair across his face. He brushed them aside with his left hand, eyes searching hers. “When you look at me…do you truly see a good man?”
She held his gaze steady, her heart broken at the uncertainly in his. “I do. I see a man who’s fought for others, who’s survived things most couldn’t. A man who’s still here, still trying. That takes more strength than most realize.”
His eyes fluttered closed, and he leaned forward until his forehead rested against hers. “Thank you,” he whispered.
Her heart cracked open at the vulnerable sound of his voice. She lifted her hand to his cheek and pressed a kiss to the edge of his jaw, soft and lingering.