by Donna Grant
And Fallon needed all the Warriors he could find. Even if it meant putting the most precious thing in the world to him in harm’s way.
Besides, Larena had a mind of her own.
“You know exactly what I speak of.” She dodged his hands as he tried to pull her against him. “You think Deirdre has Broc and possibly Sonya. You’re contemplating, even as I speak, about jumping to Cairn Toul to see for yourself.”
Fallon grimaced. His wife knew him entirely too well. “Aye, I’m thinking of doing just that. I cannot leave either of them in Deirdre’s hands. You know that.”
“I do,” she said in a softer tone. She closed the distance between them and took his hands in hers. “I also know how deeply Broc feels for Sonya, even if he will not admit it. I have no doubt he’s found her.”
“And if Deirdre has Sonya, Broc went after her.”
“Precisely. If anyone knows their way about that mountain as well as Deirdre, it’s Broc.”
“How long do I give him before I begin to search?”
Larena turned her smoky blue eyes to the distance before she looked back at Fallon. “Another day. We’re all worried, Fallon. Sonya is like a sister to me, to all the women. And the only Warrior able to find her is with her.”
“I ken we have no idea where to begin searching, but I have to try.”
“We all have to try. They are family.”
“I knew I chose you for a reason.”
She playfully punched his shoulder. “You chose me? If I remember correctly, Fallon MacLeod—and I always remember correctly—I was the one who picked you. You wanted nothing to do with me.”
“I was a fool,” he admitted as he wrapped his arms around her. “But it didna take me long to realize my mistake.”
She smiled and rose up on her toes to give him a quick kiss. “That is the truth, my Warrior laird.”
Fallon was content to hold her as the world continued to fall apart around them. He knew Larena worried about her cousin, Malcolm, as well, but she hadn’t spoken of him since Fallon had tried to convince her it was best to let Malcolm alone.
“Quinn and Arran are with Ramsey trying to calm him,” Larena said. “Lucan said he’s never seen Ramsey so distraught.”
Fallon sighed and squeezed his eyes closed for a moment. “Ramsey willna wait much longer before he sets out to find Broc.”
“That may be exactly what Deirdre wants.”
“It’s crossed my mind. She could capture us one by one if she’s a mind to.”
Larena leaned back to look at Fallon. “If Ramsey leaves, you know Hayden and Logan will go with him.”
“I will go with him also,” Fallon said.
“Then we all go.”
“And who will be here to protect the Druids? We cannot bring them with us.”
Larena’s eyes narrowed. “You will not leave me behind, Fallon MacLeod. I’ve proven how beneficial I can be in gaining entrance to Deirdre’s mountain.”
“I’d never dream of leaving you behind,” he promised. “With Marcail expecting, I imagine Quinn willna want to leave.”
“Arran, Ian, and Duncan will stay with Quinn as well then.”
“Most likely.”
She cupped his cheek, her brow furrowed. “You’ve already thought all of this out, haven’t you?”
“It’s my duty.”
“And you do it so well.”
Fallon basked in her praise as he escorted her inside the castle. But his good mood soon vanished. He needed to talk to Ramsey before Ramsey did something rash. They could ill afford for Deirdre to capture any one of them.
* * *
Sonya sat with her knees against her chest, her arms wrapped around her legs as she studied Broc at the cave’s entrance. Ever since their conversation he had been withdrawn. Almost as if he regretted the intimacy they had shared. Or worse, it could be the curse he was so sure of.
She hoped it wasn’t the case.
The way Broc stared at the stars fascinated her. She wanted so desperately to join him, but she had a sense he needed to be alone.
Sonya rested her chin on her knees while she picked at her skirts.
“Do you know Deirdre didna allow any of us out of our Warrior form? She wanted to be able to see our god.”
She looked up at Broc’s words. His back was still to her, but his words had carried easily enough through the cave. “Why?”
“At first I thought it was to prove to her what we were. In fact, it was because the longer we stayed in our god form, the harder it is to control when our god is visible.”
“You don’t have a problem controlling your god.”
He snorted and lowered his head to his chest. “I spent so many years with my god visible that it doesna feel right no’ to look down and see the blue skin or my claws, no’ to feel the fangs in my mouth or the weight of the wings upon my back.”
“You are both a man and a Warrior.”
“Am I?”
“Aye. Do you not believe me?”
Finally he turned to face her. “When I look into your eyes, I can forget everything.”
“Then come look,” Sonya said and held out her hand.
Broc walked in slow, measured steps until he stood before her. He squatted and lifted a lock of her hair to his nose.
Shivers raced over her skin as he inhaled. She would never have guessed he hid such horrors inside him, but she had gotten a glimpse of them. It was no wonder he held himself away from everyone.
“You’re a stunning woman, Sonya. Why would you want me?”
“Why not you?”
He rubbed the curl between his fingers before he let it drop beside her breast. “I should try and convince you to turn away from me.”
“I wouldn’t listen.”
His brow furrowed, his dark brown eyes troubled as he stared at her. “It would be best. For both of us. I couldna live with myself if the curse took you.”
“What do you want? What is it that you want out of life?”
“You.”
Sonya was taken aback by his words. She swallowed as warmth spread through her chest. Hope. Happiness. Anticipation.
She saw the heat in Broc’s eyes, felt the desire which drew her to him. This thing that was between them, that had always been between them, strengthened, tightened, pulling them closer and closer.
“Desire this hot can burn out fast,” Broc murmured as he shifted to his knees.
Sonya also moved to her knees, their bodies a hand’s width apart. “Possibly. I’d like to find out.”
“I fear there’s no turning back for me.”
She had no time to respond as his head lowered. And he covered her lips with his.
TWENTY-FIVE
Broc claimed her, claimed her body. The need to touch her had been irresistible. The hunger to taste her too tempting. The ache to fill her uncontrollable.
Desire burned powerful and all too alluring through him.
He deepened the kiss even as his own world spun about him. Sonya’s lips were petal soft, and oh, so willing. She met his kiss with fervor, her fingers delving into his hair and skimming the skin at the back of his neck.
Broc could feel his control slipping away, could feel his god, Poraxus, nearly purr in contentment with each stroke and kiss from Sonya. Soon Broc forgot about everything but the woman in his arms.
He wanted to feel the smoothness of her skin against him. This time he didn’t hesitate to lengthen a claw and slice her gown and chemise down the middle.
Sonya let out a surprised gasp, her eyes wide as they searched his. Her clothing slid sensuously off her shoulders, tempting Broc with the sight of her creamy skin. He pushed the material down her arm until it fell to the ground.
Broc’s hand spanned her back as he crushed her against him. And kissed her again.
Urging. Seeking. Fulfilling.
His hands already knew every inch of her body, but he needed her. Needed her sighs, her warmth … her tenderness.
She a
rched against him, pressing her breasts into his chest. Broc slid a hand between them and covered one of her breasts. Sonya moaned into his mouth as her nails raked his back.
Broc kneaded her breast before rolling her turgid nipple between his fingers. He ground his hips against her, his hunger consuming him. All he could think about was her slickness and heat, of thrusting into her hard and fast.
He laid her down and covered her body with his. Her fingers joined his as he jerked his breeches down and kicked them off with his feet.
Then they were skin to skin.
Broc looked down into the beautiful face he had dreamed of for so long. Sonya’s eyes burned bright with passion, her skin flushed with desire. Her lips were swollen from his kisses, enticing him to kiss her again.
She opened her arms and pulled him down for another kiss. With a knee he spread her legs so he lay between them. He sucked in a breath at the feel of her heat against his cock.
He wanted inside her with a desperation that bordered on insanity. Yet, he cautioned himself. She was new to lovemaking, her body needed time.
But the hunger inside him wouldn’t release its hold.
Broc broke the kiss and rolled onto his back. Sonya was special. If he couldn’t get more than a tenuous hold over his control then he didn’t need to touch her.
He stared up at the cave’s ceiling and watched the light from the fire dance over the rock. Nothing diminished his yearning or cooled his hunger.
“Broc?” she asked as she leaned up on an elbow to look at him.
“It’s too soon for you.”
He thought she might believe the lie, but when she laid her hand on his chest, whatever control he thought he had slipped from his grasp like water.
“You fear losing control with me. I want you to.”
Broc closed his eyes and prayed he hadn’t heard her correctly. Surely she couldn’t have said those words, and even if she had, she couldn’t know what they meant.
His eyes flew open when she straddled him. “Sonya, please.”
The sight of her flaming curls draped over her pale skin was breathtaking. Broc’s chest constricted, and a low moan erupted from his lips as she took his rod in hand and stroked him. She had no idea how wonderful her hands felt, how desperately he had craved her touch.
She pumped her fist up and down his length, slow and steady. Broc lifted his hips in time with her hand. Desire burned his blood, passion fueled his need.
He had nearly lost control the night before. A Warrior’s appetites could be extreme. He had no wish to turn Sonya’s interest into something she feared or hated. Yet, each stroke of her hand was leading him down that path.
“I’ve never felt anything so wonderful,” she whispered as her second hand joined the first.
Sweat beaded Broc’s brow as she pumped her fists faster. If she could tease and tempt him, he could do the same to her. He reached up and cupped her breasts. He squeezed one nipple while he rolled the other between his fingers.
Her head dropped back and her lips parted as a breathy sigh escaped her. She shifted her hips and he felt the evidence of her arousal.
And his control snapped.
Sonya’s sex throbbed with need, but she wasn’t ready to release Broc’s rod. She liked the way he watched her with heavy-lidded eyes. She enjoyed the sound of his moans and the way his hips shifted as she learned him.
“Sonya,” he growled and dragged her down for a kiss.
She braced her hands on either side of his head as he took her lips. The kiss was rough and fiery, fueled by need and longing. His cock ground against her with each stroke of his tongue, teasing her, tempting her.
His hands were everywhere. She broke the kiss and cried out when he pushed a finger inside her. It was just what her body needed.
Sonya moved against his hand, urging his finger deeper. There was a moan mixed with a growl as Broc’s mouth closed over a nipple and he began to suckle. Hard.
With his lips pulling at her breast and his finger moving in and out of her, Sonya could do nothing but let the pleasure overtake her.
Broc’s hands gripped her hips and suddenly he lifted her so that she knelt over his arousal. She met his gaze and gave him a small smile. It seemed to be all he needed as he lowered her onto his thick shaft.
Her eyes closed as he filled her, stretched her completely. He shifted her hips forward, and the friction sent new and wonderfully pleasurable sensations running through her.
Sonya then took control. She moved her hips from side to side, varying the tempo. Broc continued to knead her breasts, teasing her nipples by running his fingers around them, but never touching the small buds.
She braced her hands on his chest and leaned forward so he would take the peaks in his mouth. As soon as she did, he pulled out of her, only to plunge deeper than before.
Pleasure erupted in Sonya, and she cried out. Again and again Broc thrust inside her. She loved the feel of him sliding in and out of her, of him going deeper and harder each time.
She heard him whisper her name, the sound filled with yearning and awe. The next instant she was on her hands and knees and he was behind her. She looked over her shoulder at him, and her heart missed a beat.
If she had thought she’d seen desire in his eyes before, it was nothing compared to what flared in his dark depths now. She saw the hunger and need there, felt the same emotions in herself.
She cried out his name as he slid inside her. He gripped her hips and began to thrust deep. Desire spiraled out of control as her climax came closer and closer.
The feel of him brushing against her exposed bottom was new and different, and she loved it. His hips pumped hard and fast, his arousal pushing repetitively into her.
When she tried to move with him, he tightened his grasp, holding her still, motionless. She closed her eyes and let him fill her body, her soul with inconceivable pleasure.
Sensual delights she could have only wondered about swarmed her, filled her. He thrust harder, faster, ever more powerfully.
The need to move against him, to play a part in their lovemaking grew, but he wouldn’t release his hold. She surrendered to instinct and clamped around him. She heard him drag in a broken breath, felt a tremor run through him.
Each time he pounded into her desire tightened, passion sizzled.
She felt the same burning need tense inside him, expand and swell. He gasped as his hips pumped desperately, urging her to follow him.
Her senses shattered as release swept her in a tide of sharp, dazzling sensation that exploded, splintering her into a million pieces.
Lights flared behind her eyelids. She had never felt anything so profound, so primal. It was as if Broc had opened an entirely new world for her, one she never wanted to leave.
Pleasure erupted around them, over them, through them as Broc succumbed to his release. He kissed the back of her neck and whispered her name as the wonder, the splendor of what they had shared engulfed them.
His breathing was harsh as he curved over her. He lowered them onto the tartan, her body tucked protectively against his. She felt the beat of his heart against her back, felt the heat of him still inside her.
She had never been so sated, so content.
“I lost control,” he said after several heartbeats of silence.
“And I loved it.”
“Sonya—”
“Broc,” she interrupted him. “You didn’t hurt me. Not once. I’ve never felt anything so wonderful in my life.”
He sighed, but said no more. She knew he didn’t believe her because she was mortal. But she would make Broc understand he wouldn’t hurt her. She wanted him to lose control when they made love, because she certainly did.
She snuggled against Broc’s warmth, against the man, the Warrior who was now a part of her body, her soul.
* * *
Broc folded his wings as he landed next to the cave. He tamped down his god and walked to the fire where Sonya slept. Dawn was breaking, but he didn�
�t want to wake her. They would have a long day, and she needed rest.
He laid down the two bundles in his hand and added more wood to the fire.
“Good morn,” Sonya said as she rolled over and yawned.
He smiled, still unable to believe he had taken her again, taken her and lost control. And she enjoyed it. The thought made Broc want to spread her legs and take her again.
“Good morn,” he answered.
She sat up and ran her fingers through her tangled curls. “Where did you go?”
“You needed a gown to replace the one I ruined.”
Sonya laughed, the sound hitting him square in the chest. “I don’t suppose I could walk around naked.”
“I wouldna mind.”
She grinned and licked her lips. “I’m sure you wouldn’t.”
“I also got us some food.”
“Good. I’m famished.”
Broc untied the first bundle and pulled out a new chemise and a gown of the darkest red.
“Oh,” Sonya whispered.
He feared she wouldn’t like it, but as he looked at her face and saw the surprise, he knew he had chosen correctly.
“I’ve never had anything so lovely,” she said as she touched the gown.
“Put it on.”
She didn’t need urging twice as she jumped to her feet and reached for the chemise. She rubbed the thin material against her cheek before she slid it over her head and arms.
The gauzy material fell over her body without a sound. She hurried to put on her wool stockings before she took the gown from him.
He couldn’t take his eyes off her as she dressed. The skirts made a soft whooshing sound as they fell to her feet. “Stunning,” he said.
“I wish I could see for myself.”
“Trust me. You look amazing.”
“Thank you. For everything.”
He gave a nod and cleared his throat at the emotion that welled inside him. He’d never bought a gown for a woman before, and suddenly he found he wanted to be the one to clothe Sonya. He wanted to buy her jewels and ribbons and anything else she wanted.
“Bread and cheese,” she said with a smile as she looked in the second bundle. “How did you manage it?”
