Loved By a Warrior

by Donna Fletcher

Carnoth turned to his men. “Go find her.”

  “We will help,” Carmag said. “It is cold and dark out there. She certainly couldn’t have gotten far.”

  Reeve admired the way his father didn’t give Carnoth a choice while making his concern for Tara known. Carnoth couldn’t turn him down, or he’d look the fool.

  Carnoth accepted the help, though reluctantly.

  There was a scramble for the door, and, in the chaos, Reeve took Willow by the arm and guided her to a dark corner of the hall.

  “Tell me what is going on,” he demanded.

  Tara kept on the path, careful not to wander away from the trees that marked her course. Having spent so much time alone, the solitude of the forest didn’t disturb her though the darkness was a bit frightening, as was the crunch of snow beneath her feet, which sounded much too loud to her ears.

  She kept walking, knowing she needed to place as much distance and time between her and her father as she could. She would need to keep her hurried pace, tired or not. She could not take time to rest. She needed to keep going and not stop until she reached Pict land.

  The crunches of her footfalls remained constant in her head until she suddenly stopped, it dawning on her that she was leaving a trail that anyone could follow. Her father would find it in no time.

  She remained frozen, not sure what to do when suddenly the dead silence of the night was broken by . . . footfalls. She cocked her head and listened, not sure where they were coming from, or if they were moving toward her or away, their volume remaining steady.

  Had her father finally found out that she had left? Had he informed the king’s men? Was danger closer than she thought? She was grateful that the moon was just a sliver tonight, her dark, hooded cloak making it easier for her to blend with the night shadows.

  The question that most disturbed her was that if she had heard their footfalls, had they heard hers?

  Tara wasn’t sure of her next move. Stay or go?

  Suddenly the footfalls grew louder, and she feared someone had picked up her trail and was heading toward her. She took off, her pace even faster than before.

  Hours later, when dawn broke, and her body was racked with fatigue, she thought herself safe, and she stopped for a moment to rest. Leaning against a large boulder for support, though she dare not let herself sit for fear of not getting to her feet again, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

  The air was cold, though, gratefully, no snow was falling. Enough already covered the ground to prove challenging at times. Snowdrifts had also tested her endurance, and no doubt those who followed her as well. In the last hour or so, when she had stopped to listen, she hadn’t heard the footfalls. Before that they had remained in the distance, which allowed her to linger if only briefly.

  With aching arms, she shoved away from the boulder, ready to return to her arduous, but necessary, journey.

  “You’ll be going with us now.”

  Tara let out a shout she was so startled by the unexpected voice. And when she saw that she was surrounded by five of the king’s men, she grew angry. She had not come all this way to be caught.

  Her eyes narrowed, and her lip curled in a snarl as she said, “I’m not going anywhere with you.”

  The soldiers laughed, and the biggest one, in height as well as width, who seemed to lead them, stepped forward. “You’ll be going with us like it or not. And we might just be having a little fun along the way.”

  Tara knew what he implied, but the king would never allow it. She was his future bride, and so she reminded them. “You dare touch me, and you will answer to the king.”

  The big one thought that funny and laughed again. When his amusement subsided, he informed her, “It was the king who suggested we have fun with you.”

  Now she knew for certain that the king had no intentions of seeing her live past their vows. The only thing left to threaten them with was the curse.

  “If you touch me, you will be doomed,” she warned calmly.

  Two of the soldiers’ brows furrowed though her words had no effect on the other three.

  “We don’t plan to make you our bride,” the big one snickered. “Though you will surrender to each of us if you know what’s good for you.”

  He stepped forward as did the two behind him, though the two that raised their brows in doubt remained where they were.

  Tara dropped the bundle and made a fist.

  “A feisty one,” another soldier said. “I like that.”

  “I’m first,” claimed the big one.

  “Good, then if you drop dead, we’ll know not to touch her,” one of the reluctant ones said with a laugh.

  “He’ll drop dead, I promise you that, though it will be before he gets anywhere near her.” Reeve stepped out of the woods, his sword drawn, and walked over to Tara, his hand going out to gently stroke her cheek.

  “Are you all right?” he asked.

  “Now that you are here, I am.”

  Reeve smiled. “You must have known I’d come for you.”

  “You weren’t supposed to,” she scolded with a smile.

  “And miss a chance to save you once again?” He shook his head and grinned, though it faded as he positioned himself like a warrior’s shield in front of her.

  Chapter 25

  Reeve was furious. He didn’t want to think what would have happened to Tara if he hadn’t shown up when he did. And he intended to make each of the soldiers pay for what they had planned to do, and it had to be done quickly.

  The big one made the mistake of laughing. “There’s five of us and one of you.”

  Tara peeked past Reeve’s shoulder. “You need more men?”

  Reeve grinned, pleased with the confidence she had in him and pleased that she knew he would not fail her, as he had promised.

  The big one courageously or rather foolishly stepped forward. “I’ll let you watch while we have our way with the woman before we kill you.”

  Reeve’s fist came up fast and furious and struck him before he had a chance to react. The one solid blow to the soldier’s jaw sent him reeling back, and he bounced as he hit the ground, unconscious.

  Though startled, the other soldiers reacted as taught, and, with swords drawn, they advanced on Reeve. He pushed Tara back and out of the way and rushed at them with an angry roar that shook the tree branches and had two of the soldiers halting in fear. Their hesitation gave him all the time he needed to deal with the first two and then finish off the next two in quick succession. They were no match for his extraordinary skills and strength, and it took little effort to see the job done. He left the big one for the cold to finish off or the animals and grabbed hold of Tara.

  “We have to go.”

  She reached for her bundle. “My father follows?”

  He nodded. “I did what I could to cover your tracks, but if your father has a good tracker, he’ll find the trail in no time.”

  “How did you—”

  “Willow told me everything.”

  Tara was so relieved to see him that she wrapped her arms around him and pressed her face to his chest, comforted by his familiar woodsy scent.

  “There’ll be time to thank me later.”

  She chuckled, happy to hear his teasing. She so feared the possibility of never seeing him again, and for the moment she didn’t care about anything except that he was there with her.

  “Let’s go,” he urged, “for if I take you in my arms right now, nothing will prevent me from making love to you.”

  She felt the same, her passion burning so deeply that she actually felt hot enough to want to rip her clothes off. Not a good idea, and there was still the curse to be dealt with.

  They hurried off, knowing it would take almost two days before they reached their destination and safety, all the while knowing they could be captured at any moment. Whether it was by another group of soldiers or her father, her fate with either would be wretched.

  They walked a good distance before Reeve spoke again. “We mu
st find a way to wed. It is the only way to stop your father from giving you to the king.”

  Tara needed him to understand her fear of that happening, and so she confessed. “My father offered me the chance to wed you.”

  That stopped him dead, and he turned to glare at her as she stepped up beside him. “And you didn’t take it?”

  “You would have died,” she argued.

  “We had worked that out.”

  “No, you lied to me. You do love me, and I love you.”

  He grabbed her and brought his lips down so hard on hers that she thought he would crush the breath from her. But he didn’t. Instead, he fed the frenzied passion that had remained vibrantly alive in them.

  He finally tore his lips away. “I will have you this night and put an end to this nonsense.”

  “No, you mustn’t. We love each other. You will surely die,” she pleaded.

  “Then it will be a good death.”

  With that, he released her and started walking. “There is a vacant croft. It will take until after dark for us to reach, but reach it we will. And there is where I will make you mine.”

  Tara followed. She was already beyond exhausted, as he must be, neither of them having slept since the previous night, leaving her too tired to argue with him. There would be time to debate whether they would make love or not. Truthfully, she was willing. She wanted him to make love to her, but she feared the cost was too high a price to pay.

  They discovered tracks around the croft that disappeared into the woods to the east, away from them. There were also remnants of recent occupation of the cottage, the hearth ashes still warm. A traveler no doubt had made use of the vacant place and had left without extinguishing the flames, leaving the fire to burn out on its own. Unless soldiers canvassed the area, a thought they would need to keep in mind.

  Tara was glad that Reeve had made her wait along the way while he had set about misdirecting anyone who followed. She felt safe enough that whoever had been there wouldn’t return, though that didn’t mean they could take a chance and light a fire. And they would need to be vigilant, meaning they would need to take turns sleeping.

  There would be no making love tonight.

  The cottage retained a small amount of warmth, which was sure to dwindle as the night wore on.

  “We’ll huddle by the hearth where the heat remains.” Reeve held his hand out to her.

  She hesitated, wondering if he still planned to do as he had claimed.

  He seemed to know what she was thinking. “As much as I want to make love to you, this is not the time or place. Once we are safe, I promise you that nothing will stop me from making love to you.”

  She walked over to him slowly, her hand outstretched. “I will attempt to make you see reason before then.”

  He smiled and reached out to grab hold of her hand. “And I will convince you otherwise.”

  “We’ll see about that,” she said, as his arms wrapped around her, and she melted into him.

  “You surrender already,” he whispered, and pressed his lips to her temple.

  “I am cold and hungry.”

  “I can keep you warm and full,” he murmured, much too invitingly.

  Her stomach answered with loud, grumbling protests.

  Reeve laughed. “I guess I got my answer.”

  They feasted on what foods Willow had packed, and they made sure to save some for tomorrow. Soon they found themselves huddled against the corner of the hearth. Tara sat curled in his lap, her head resting against his chest. Her cloak as well as Reeve’s wrapped snugly around them, keeping them warm along with their body heat.

  His hand slipped from her waist to cup her breast. “I love the feel of you.”

  “You said you won’t—”

  “Make love to you, though I didn’t say I would not touch you.”

  “Is that wise?”

  “Tell me to stop,” he whispered.

  “I should—”

  “But you can’t, can you?”

  He was right, and her nipple responded, hardening to his unmercifully teasing thumb.

  “If we were in a safe place, I would strip you of your clothes and take my time exploring every inch of your exquisite body.”

  The image his words evoked sent a shiver through her.

  “You would do more than shiver at my touch. I promise you that.”

  Tara hadn’t realized that she had grabbed his shirt as he continued to torment her breasts and inflame her passion. A small moan escaped her lips when his hand drifted away from her breasts and settled between her legs.

  She knew the danger of letting him linger there, and though her velvet dress and linen shift provided a barrier between their bodies, it didn’t stop her from feeling him grow hard beneath her.

  Why, then, didn’t she warn him to stop?

  Because it simply felt too deliciously wonderful, and the more he teased and tormented, the more delicious it felt.

  “Your skin is much like this velvet dress, so soft and alluring that I can’t stop touching you.”

  Somewhere in her mind, where reason and sanity still reigned, though she much preferred that it didn’t, she found the courage to say, “You should . . . stop touching—”

  His hand stilled. “Is that what you want?”

  The absence of his touch devastated her, and her body protested by writhing in an effort to force his hand’s return.

  “It isn’t, is it?” he whispered.

  Tara tilted her head back, not having had the courage to look into his eyes, knowing what she saw would only make her want him more. And it did. Passion burnt as deep in his eyes as she knew it did in hers.

  “Even so, we shouldn’t.” Sensibility struck again, and she silently cursed it.

  He brushed his lips over hers, and it heightened the tingling sensation that already ran through her body. He did it again and again, until her lips finally grabbed hold of his, and they kissed.

  Reasoning completely vanished as she quenched, or was it fired, her passion with a never-ending kiss?

  She didn’t know when his hand started moving against her again or when her body responded to a new yet familiar rhythm. She only knew that she didn’t want him to stop. She wanted to embrace the rising passion, lose herself in it, and finally surrender to it.

  And she did.

  She buried her face against Reeve’s chest, drawing in the scent of him as her breathing turned rapid and her body responded to his intimate strokes, but it was when his hand found its way beneath her dress and connected with her flesh that she gasped and began to moan.

  Nothing made sense. Nothing seemed real except for his touch.

  She thought she moaned his name, but she wasn’t sure. And as his fingers caressed, stroked, and tormented, she writhed against him as if begging for more. She couldn’t control herself, didn’t want to.

  When he whispered softly, “Let go,” she did, and the world exploded around her, her head falling back, her body arching against his touch, and he capturing her moan with his lips and sharing in her climax the least dangerous way he could.

  When her senses finally returned, and she saw that he was staring at her, she blushed.

  He grinned, and said, “Now you belong to me.”

  While she had no objections to that, there remained many obstacles, but even so that was no reason to deny the truth. “I would have it no other way.”

  “I’m warning you now that I will never be able to keep my hands off you.”

  “I cherish the thought, and if all goes well, I fear it will be me whose hands are always on you.”

  Reeve was quick to say, “I’ll make sure all goes well, and your hands are welcome on any part of me anytime.”

  “You may be sorry you said that.”

  “Never,” he said with an adamant shake of his head.

  Her eyes suddenly turned sad, and he was quick to notice. “What’s wrong?”

  “Being intimate with you has made me realize how very lonely I
have been. No one to talk with, no one to be close with, no arms to comfort me or simply hold me. I had let myself believe that my forced solitude was not a bad life, but now”–she shook her head and placed her hand on his warm, flushed cheek. “I don’t believe I could live without you.”

  His arms tightened protectively around her. “You’re not going to.”

  “But—”

  “No buts,” he said firmly. “We are going to wed, raise a family, and grow old together, and since I cannot live without you as well, we shall die together, or at least within days of each other.”

  “That’s a lovely thought; if only it could be so.”

  “Have no doubt, it will be.”

  “You talk as if you know it is so,” she said, wishing she could be as confident.

  “I do know, for I will see to it.”

  “See that you do,” she said teasingly, and yawned, exhaustion finally catching up with her.

  “Orders already, and we’re not even wed yet.”

  “You are not a man to order about,” she said, her eyes closing. “You are a man to love, and I love you with all my heart.”

  Reeve felt sleep claim Tara, her body going limp against him, and he held her close, never wanting to let her go. He hadn’t planned on bringing her to climax, but once he started, and he realized how much she desired it herself, he couldn’t stop, wouldn’t stop. He wanted her to taste the love he had to offer her.

  What he hadn’t counted on was how it had made him feel. It had made him realize how real his love was for her. He hadn’t thought about satisfying his own needs, only hers. And he had never known such a feeling before.

  He knew now more than ever that they were meant to be. And he would let nothing, absolutely nothing, stand in his way. It struck him then how that would not be possible. His first pledge was to the true king of Scotland, and he could let nothing stand in his way, not even love. His mission affected too many for him to simply disregard it. And his pledge was his word and his honor.

  It troubled his heart to think that he could lose her so that the true king could take the throne, but he also knew that love defied even the most powerful of men and nations. He would honor his pledge, but he would also honor his love for Tara.