Chapter Twenty-eight

Donata and Magnus didn’t get a chance to talk until they had both congratulated his father, and Magnus had been greeted by what seemed to be most of the crowd in the meadow. When they finally had a moment to themselves, Magnus gathered her up into one of his huge hugs and kissed her soundly.

“I missed you too,” Donata said with a smile. “Aren’t you freezing in that outfit?”

“Not while you’re at my side,” he said gallantly. “Also, the mead helps. I’m glad you came.”

She laughed. “I am too. It was wonderful to see you finally achieve your goal, not to mention being here for Halvor’s big moment. I really like your dad, and he’ll make a great Chieftain. Besides, now I will have the name of a lawbreaking Witch to take back to the Council. That always makes Clayton Moore happy, and maybe he’ll forgive me for not bringing him evidence that your people are breaking the Compact.”

“Which we aren’t, of course,” Magnus said with wide, innocent eyes.

“Uh-huh. Anything you say.”

“Anything?” He waggled his thick eyebrows at her suggestively and she elbowed him in the side. As usual, all that did was hurt her elbow. It was like nudging a brick wall. You’d think she’d learn.

“For today, at least,” she said. “You know that I can’t stay, right? My life is back in the city.” She blinked rapidly. She’d rehearsed this speech all the way here, but now that it was time, she wasn’t sure if she could get the words out past the lump in her throat.

He nodded, but she put her hand up when he would have spoken. She wanted to say her part first.

“I’m really pleased that everything worked out. We caught the bad guy, and your father is the new Chieftain. It’s all good. And I know that now that you’ve completed your Ulf training, you’ll be staying with your people.” She took a deep breath. “I won’t kid you—that part is hard. But I want you to be happy, no matter what that means.” She twisted the ring she still wore, wondering when he was going to ask for it back. After all, they didn’t need to fool anyone anymore.

Magnus grinned at her. “It means that it is a good thing that my father was made Chieftain after all, since my mother and sister will be too distracted by that to get angry with me when I go back to the city with you.”

“But . . .” Donata opened and closed her mouth a couple of times before she could form a coherent sentence. This was not part of the noble speech she’d rehearsed. “But you’re an Ulf now. You’re not banished anymore. You can stay home with your family.”

“I’m also free to come and see them anytime I want. But I told you when I left that I needed to finish the Ulf training so I could learn to control my inner berserker. I’ve done that, and now that I have, I intend to return to my own life. Might even start a private detective agency, helping out Paranormals and the occasional Human with a problem that falls within my particular skill set. I promise to be mostly law-abiding.”

Donata choked back a laugh. That “mostly” sounded like the Magnus she knew and loved. “You’re going back to your old life?” she repeated.

“Well, like I said, there will be a few changes. For one thing, I hope you’ll share it with me.”

She gazed up into his blue eyes that always reminded her of the oceans his Viking ancestors sailed upon.

“You don’t even know if the baby I’m carrying is yours,” she said in a quiet voice.

“I don’t care,” he said in a firm tone. “I love you, and I’ll love any child of yours, even if its father is an arrogant half-Dragon pain in the ass.”

Donata chuckled. “Well, then it is probably a good thing for the baby that, in fact, its father is an oversized Shapechanger pain in the ass instead, although for my sake, I hope it doesn’t manifest teeth and claws until after the birth.”

She might have been laughing, but inside, her heart felt as though it had grown wings. He loved her. He truly loved her. She knew Magnus Torvald, and he would never have said it if it wasn’t true. For the first time in a long time, she finally believed that everything was going to be okay. After all that had happened, it felt like a miracle.

Magnus looked at her for a moment as if she had handed him the moon on a silver plate. “It’s mine? You’re sure?”

“I’m sure,” she said. “I talked to my sister, and she told me that Witch mothers can check in on their unborn children. When I looked, I could clearly sense Ulfhednar energy. I’ve just been waiting for the right time to tell you.”

Magnus whooped and swung her around. “We’re going to have our very own hellion!” he said with glee.

Oh, crap.

Donata grinned up at him. Ah, what the heck. If anyone could handle a hellion, it was her and Magnus.

Things were really going to get interesting now.