Beloved in His Eyes (Angel's Assassin #2)(7)

For a long moment, Justina stood in shock. The captain of the guard, Gawyn, had brought soldiers to defend them. He had listened to what she said the night before! Warmth blossomed in her chest. She wasn’t exactly sure what to make of him, whether to thank him or be distrustful of him.

Adam tugged on her arm. “Did you see his sword?”

She had seen his sword. But that wasn’t what was intriguing her. It was his eyes, the merry way they gleamed at her. There was just something about him. She nodded. “I saw it.”



Gawyn emerged from the cruck, Bruce following. Bruce was a hard-working farmer who was trying to look out for his family, his animals, and his crops. He had given his word to report back to the city. But Gawyn had other plans. He would not leave the farm unprotected. Not with the Hungars so close.

Gawyn’s gaze swept the lands. An ox ate grass not far from the cruck, pigs roamed nearby, and the quacking of geese sounded in the distance. Healthy fields encircled the cruck. Most of them had been harvested. There were still peas left. His gaze halted on the field of peas where he noticed Justina working at harvesting them. She was bent over in a simple cotton dress; her dark hair fell toward the ground like a waterfall. She paused to brush a strand from her cheek before she continued. No one would ever know she was a force to be reckoned with. He wondered if Bruce knew.

Gawyn had been given specific orders to get her back to the city and to find out how she knew Damien. A mission he intended to accomplish. Shouldn’t be hard. He moved toward her when a little whirlwind of a child stepped before him. The boy’s blonde hair was unkempt with a leaf sticking out of it near his ear. Gawyn swore he saw the rest of the branch buried in his wild head of hair.

“Is it true?” the boy asked. “Are you the captain of the guard?”

“Aye,” Gawyn answered.

The boy circled him, inspecting every aspect of person. “That’s a big sword. Is your chest plate heavy?” Gawyn opened his mouth to answer, but the boy stepped before him again, looking up at him with wonder-filled eyes. “I would have liked to eat at the castle, but Justina said we couldn’t make the trip.”

“Your sister works hard.”

The boy nodded. “So does Uncle Bruce. We all work from dawn til sunset. My favorite part is tending the ox. He’s so big. Do you think he’s bigger than your horse?”

Gawyn raised his eyebrow. He didn’t need to answer the boy. The boy would just continue to ask questions. He was a curious child. In time, he would learn that to become wise, he needed answers.

“I once saw a horse that was twice the size of yours.”

“Adam,” Justina called as she approached. “Leave Captain Gawyn alone. He has enough work to do without you bothering him.”

Gawyn looked at the boy and made a mental note of his name. Adam. “It was probably a war horse. When you come to Castle Acquitaine, I’ll show you my war horse.”

“You have a war horse?” Adam gasped.

Gawyn nodded.

“Adam, I thought I saw a cat near the geese. Go chase it away,” Justina ordered.

The boy’s joyful expression faded, and anger danced in his eyes. He whirled, racing away toward the field, mumbling something about troublesome cats.

Justina watched him leave before turning back to Gawyn. “You shouldn’t tell him things like that. We won’t be going to Acquitaine anytime soon. I told you the trip was too long. I can’t be away from my chores.”

Gawyn smiled. “I think you’ll be there sooner than you believe. Remember? Lord Damien requested your presence at dinner.”

Justina scowled. “Is that why you brought all these soldiers?”

“I brought all these soldiers under Lady Aurora’s orders. She is particularly protective of her people. She will see to it that your uncle is safe.”

“You told her about us?”

“I told her about the Hungars raiding a farm. She was concerned about the people living on the borders. She really was hurt you could not travel to Acquitaine and inform her of the danger. So...” He turned back toward the group of soldiers who had dismounted and were awaiting orders. He scanned the men until his gaze fell upon a white and brown horse near the front of the line. He pointed to it. “See that horse? The one with the brown markings?”

Justina nodded.

“Lady Aurora is giving her to you so that your trip will not take so long.”

Justina gasped. She opened her mouth and then closed it, staring at the animal. Finally, she looked at Gawyn. “I... I... I don’t know what to say.”

Gawyn smiled, enjoying her speechlessness. “You can come to dinner and thank her.”





Chapter 4


Just as Captain Gawyn had predicted, Uncle Bruce had insisted Justina and Adam return to Acquitaine and thank Lady Aurora. Justina knew that Uncle Bruce could use the extra horse on the farm. They were very thankful for Lady Aurora’s help. And still, Justina was apprehensive about returning to Acquitaine. Her father’s murderer was in Acquitaine. What would she do if she came face to face with him? And what of Adam? Would he be safe?

Uncle Bruce had insisted, and Justina couldn’t say no. Not only had Lady Aurora given them a horse, but she had stationed soldiers on the borders of the land. Since the soldiers were there, Justina knew Uncle Bruce was well protected. While there was still work to be done on the farm, she felt obligated to thank Lady Aurora. Since the harvest was mostly finished, this was an opportune time to go to the city. There was less work to do on the farm.