Chapter 8

Rayne opened her eyes to see that she was back in the room she had been staying in and the sun was now up.

She tried to move, but it felt like the world wouldn't quit wildly spinning long enough for her to get her bearings. She tried to move, but her body seemed strangely unresponsive.

"Where am I? What happened?" thought Rayne.

Then suddenly the night's events came back to her.

"Matt! How is Matt! What happened!? Did he live through the blood loss? Is he ok? What happened to him?" thought Rayne as she again tried to get up, but still wasn't able to move far with in the bed.

She started to softly cry in frustration as it felt like her body betrayed her when she needed it the most.

After about five minutes the door suddenly the door opened slowly and Matt poked his head in.

"Are you awake?" he whispered very quietly.

"MATT!" screamed Rayne, and then regretted it instantly.

"Hey there sunshine, how are you feeling? Here drink this," said Matt as he opened the door wide and slowly walked into the room to give her some warm brandy.

As he helped her drank a little, slowly the world stopped spinning long enough for her to sit upright until she finished the cup.

"How are you? Are you ok? What happened?" asked Rayne quickly.

"You know, after we're married, I believe I saw the reason why I shouldn't ever piss you off," smiled Matt.

"What do you mean?" asked Rayne surprised.

"You've been out for six days, but we just now finally got the yard re-landscaped. You burned a huge twenty yard wide half circle of grass completely away down to the earth. I can only assume there were bodies somewhere in that destruction, but we didn't find them," said Matt.

"Then there were the bodies of the nine men that were lying around on the ground. I don't know what you used, but while there were huge holes in their bodies, there wasn't any blood anywhere. You seemed to have cauterized the wounds as you made them," said Matt.

"There was also something strange on the ground that I can only guess to be what was left of Roger," continued Matt slowly looking Rayne in the eye.

Rayne looked away from Matt.

She couldn't explain how or why she went into the rage she did, or the cold blooded way she executed those men. And Roger's death was the cruelest by far of what she did that night. She was ashamed to ever tell Matt how cruel she became and of her confusion over why it happened. The guilt was almost too heavy to bear.

"But when you are pissed you are pissed, and you don't really hold back do you?" smiled Matt turning Rayne's face back to face him.

Rayne suddenly pulled Matt close and started to sob uncontrollably.

After a few minutes, and still while sobbing, she said she was glad he was alright because she couldn't bear to lose him because she loved him too much.

Matt just sat and stroked her hair as she cried.

Suddenly Rayne leaned back with tears on her face and she was searching Matt's face.

"What do you mean after we're married? I don't remember you ever asking me to marry you!" said Rayne in shock.

Matt held her face with both hands and looked in her eyes.

"You know I think jumping in front of a crossbow for you means something. I know it does to most people, but since you just have to hear the words," said Matt with a smile.

He got off the bed and got down on one knee and took Rayne's hand.

"Rayne d'Angelo Griffith would you do me the honor marrying me Mattholomew Dane Spencer and make me the happiest man in the world," said Matt with wide smile

"I don't know. I mean ... I was just curious why, uhmm ... you know, you have never even told me once that you thought I was pretty, or anything close to that," said Rayne. "Do you even think I'm pretty?"

"Well, do YOU think you're pretty? I'm pretty sure you already know the answer to that question, and I'm willing to bet you've known most of your life. Any reasons you need me to validate it? It's not like it matters to me one way or the other," smiled Matt.

"You! Can't you say it just once?" asked Rayne in mock anger with puppy dog eyes.

Matt smiled as he reached in his pocket. He pulled out a large diamond ring out and put it on Rayne's finger.

"Would you Rayne d'Angelo Griffith, the hottest woman I personally know, who made me totally forget there were every any other women in the world, would you do me the honor marrying me Mattholomew Dane Spencer and make me the happiest man in the world?" asked Matt with wide smile.

"And before you ask, this is not the ring I gave Vanessa. This is my grandmother's ring on my mother's side. My mother gave it to me when I told her why I needed it. My brother gets the paternal grandmothers ring," smiled Matt.

"She has seen you once when you were sleeping and gave me her blessing. But I think we should at least see them once more, before we go see your parents that is," said Matt

Rayne pulled Matt close and cried again, but with tears of joy.

Later Rayne learned everything that happened once she passed out.

Matt came to at daybreak, and found her unconscious on his chest. He looked around, but most of the ice had melted by then so he didn't know how the men died until Rayne gave him the abridged version of what she did when she thought he had been killed.

She just told him she shot them with a magic bow. She feared telling him the truth.

Matt tried to wake her but was unable too. Then Matt remembered his crossbow wound but was surprised that it was missing from his chest. He just felt excessively tired.

He slowly drug Rayne to her bed and left the men where they fell and brought a healer to check her out.

It was a good thing she was light because it took him a while to drag her in the door to the couch, and later to the bed with only one arm, until the healer reset it.

Once the healer saw the yard, and was told about Matt's wound with all the blood around them that Rayne had healed, he told Matt that Rayne had exhausted her supply of magic forcibly and she was physically exhausted and she would need to rest to regain her strength and magic.

That she might be out several days because she did what normally would take about two to three white mages to do all by herself, and when she awoke she would need something for the headache.

Then Matt and his crew had to redo the yard. But at least Rayne didn't destroy the house so they didn't have as much work to do. The family would be moving in soon, but Matt had a few days left still to use the villa so it was ok. They had the yard redone in three days and it was back to being presentable.

The men's bodies they took into town, but no one said anything about Roger. Matt never volunteered the info that he was now dead. But he knew someone would figure it out. They just buried the puddle where it was in the yard.

After everything was ready, Matt went home and spoke with his parents and talked to his older brother. He wanted them to know about Rayne.

Matt told everyone that he was going to marry the woman who saved his life. He had already told his parents about calling off the marriage to Vanessa months ago, and his mother was overjoyed to hear it at the time.

She never liked Vanessa, and she thought anyone willing to risk her life for her son couldn't be all that bad. But she still did want to meet Rayne as she thought he might be only marrying the girl from his rebound romance.

When she brought her mothers ring out to Matt when he asked, she looked in on Rayne and was impressed with the beauty that she could see in Rayne's sleep. She told her son he did well, but she and Rayne would still need to talk before she decided.

The day they moved out of the Villa, Matt took Rayne to meet his parents to stay for a week before they went to see Rayne's parents.

His father was instantly impressed with her personality and devotion to Matt.

He seemed to be refreshed that Matt wasn't interested in still marrying another society girl that was only out to social climb. Rayne had no problem being blunt, but honest, all while being tactful enough to take into account others feelings. His father liked that.

His mother talked at lengths to Rayne, and decided after speaking with her, she really liked her as well.

She liked how Rayne was polite, talked openly and honest with her. She answered any question, no matter how delicate about herself and Matt, but asked Matt's mother to keep her secrets. She even told Matt's mother the whole truth of what she did the night she thought Matt was killed when she asked in detail.

While knowing that Rayne had that kind of power scared her, she could see by watching Rayne that she had nothing but love for Matt so she trusted her.

Matt's brother David only asked once he saw Rayne if there were anymore like her at home.

She laughed and said no, but she had two younger brothers.

David walked away muttering saying that Matt always had the best luck since they were kids.

Rayne laughed after David left, and told Matt what David said is what girls really wanted to hear.

Matt just laughed, kissed her lips and left the room.

As Rayne thought about it she couldn't believe how much Matt and his brother David favored each other. It was like he was a slightly older version of Matt. And he had Matt's sense of humor and smile.

With Matt's families blessing they were happy and continued to make wedding plans, but Matt told her later, even without the blessing she wasn't getting rid of him. She made too much of an impression on him.

The only stickler was early during the week when Vanessa heard that Matt was home. She dolled herself up in the tightest dress and the highest heels she owned, and came to talk to him.

Matt met her in the parlor where she seductively swayed in and sat with her legs crossed, leaning forward often to show off her chest, as she tried to convince Matt for almost half an hour to give her another chance.

She often said that even though she did what she did, she still loved only him and she would do anything to convince him of that. That she would even move away with him to anywhere he wanted to go, just be with him and him alone.

After a few minutes of listening from the hallway, and remembering what her mother did seasons ago, as Vanessa was still making her plea, Rayne finally walked out of the hallway and into the room, took a seat across Matt's lap, and put her head on his shoulder.

She said nothing as she sat and waited.

As Vanessa faltered in her speech once she saw that, Matt said that he and Rayne were leaving the city soon and politely thanked Vanessa for the visit.

David carried out a spitting mad Vanessa under his arm, who said that she knew that Rayne was always after her man, and that she did it all to make her look bad. She made her look bad so she could get her hands on Matt. She then eventually said she would make Rayne regret doing that.

Matt asked her why she came and sat in his lap while Vanessa was there, and Rayne smiled and said that her mother did something similar seasons ago to someone just to let them know that they threw away a good man for selfishness.

And regardless of the reason, now that she had found Matt, she wasn't letting him go for any reason. And she thought what her mother did then fit this situation as well.

Matt just laughed.

Because the Sisterhood was half way between her home and Galicia, Rayne and Matt decided to stop and turn in Rayne's resignation and tell them she was leaving active duty.

After they entered the grounds, Rayne left Matt in the visitor's area and went looking for Anne-Marie. She first found Cassie, and Cassie asked her if she was the owner of the impossibly gorgeous man she heard was sitting in the waiting room.