She grasped his arm and dug her fingers into his flesh as hard as she could, his taut muscles making it difficult to penetrate the skin, and she wrenched and pulled her mouth from his until finally she was free.
“I can . . . not . . . breathe,” she said, pushing at his chest.
He tore away from her and she fell to the ground, her breath labored and her heart beating madly. She placed a hand to her chest, feeling as though her heart was ready to burst.
He reached down in haste, and she instinctively drew back away from him, needing a chance to breathe.
He bent down beside her, his clenched hands remaining at his sides. “I will not hurt you.”
Tears pooled in her eyes. She hesitated, and then she reached out to him.
He scooped her up into his arms and held her tight as he walked with strong strides out of the confining room.
She was relieved and grateful that they left the tower room, and she was not surprised or upset when he took her to his bedchamber. He shut the door behind them with a shove of his boot and sat on the end of the bed with her in his lap, cradling her in his strong arms.
He touched her face so gently that it almost seemed he thought she would break. “You are pale; are you all right?” Before she could answer, he rested his forehead to hers. “Good God, Ree, I am so sorry; can you ever forgive me?”
Her heart continued to pound madly in her chest, but she looked into his dark eyes. His anger was gone, replaced by despair, and she suddenly realized he needed her concern, her gentleness and, most of all, her love.
She placed a tender hand to his face. “There is nothing to forgive. You suffered a hurt so shocking—”
He placed a finger to her lips. “I had no right, no matter what I suffered I had no right to abuse you.”
She took hold of his hand and kissed his palm. “Your anger took hold.”
“A fatal mistake to any man or warrior. Sound reason is a better weapon.”
“Pain, hurt and revenge blind many, and in the end it is the innocent ones who suffer the most.”
He closed his eyes a moment and Reena thought that he battled tears, but when he opened them not a tear shone in his eyes. He had won the battle—or had he?
“My mother was an innocent. I thought she had endured misery beyond reason, but this . . .” He shook his head. “I do not know how she retained her sanity.”
“She had you to protect, the son of the man she loved with all her heart and always would.”
He remained silent, heavy in thought, and Reena rested a gentle hand on his shoulder, letting him know she was there and would remain by his side always.
“My mother taught me about love. She spoke about how love would find me when I least expected it, for she insisted love was unpredictable and could strike at the strangest times. She told me not to have any expectations but to accept the love that was sent to me and cherish it and never ever do it harm.”
Thoughts of the anguish and pain his mother had endured choked the breath from her, and she sighed, hoping to ease her troubled emotions. To think that his mother had been forced to be intimate with the man who had killed her loving husband was incomprehensible. Her courage to endure such torture was remarkable, and to survive it all and encourage her son to love was even more remarkable.
“Your mother is a special woman, strong and courageous, and she taught you well of love, for I know you would never harm me.”
Anguish surfaced in his dark eyes, and she knew he regretted his actions and that no apology would ease his regret. But she would not have him suffer, for he had suffered enough, now it was time for him to love.
“I—”
Reena pressed a firm finger to his lips. “Love you with my whole heart and soul. And did I ever tell you how handsome I think you are?” She rubbed her nose to his. “And how I love when you kiss me. Nibbles, I especially love nibbles, and touches, the slow lazy kind.” She pretended to shiver. “Mmm, you make me tingle.”
She faintly traced his lips as they slowly spread in a smile. “I am so very glad I found you to love.”
“It is I who am grateful to have found you,” he said and nibbled the tip of her finger.
“I think it is love that found us.”
“And I intend to cherish that love and you forever and all eternity.”
She rushed a kiss across his lips, leaving him aching for more, then nibbled at his ear and whispered, “I ache for the feel of you.” She let her hand slowly travel down his chest to settle intimately over him. She squeezed ever so lightly, then slightly harder, lighter again, then harder until he enlarged in her hand. She laughed softly in his ear. “You ache for me too.”
“You play with fire, Ree.”
“That is good,” she said with a nibble at his ear. “I like when you are heated.”
His reaction was so swift that she did not realize what he intended until she was flat on her back on the bed, he looming over her.
“Now to heat you to a fiery blaze.”
He had her naked in seconds, his own garments following with the same speed. And then he touched her slow and easy, running his fingers over every inch of her naked flesh and setting her soul on fire.
It was a torturous pleasure she never wanted to end.
His lips followed the same path in the same lazy manner, driving her completely insane with the want of him.
“Now,” she insisted. “I must have you now.” Her hands clung to his shoulders, her fingers digging into his hard flesh.
“Not yet.” He moved down over her to taste her sweetness.
She grabbed at the covers on the bed, bunching them in her hands as her cries of pleasure radiated throughout the room. Finally she pleaded with him to satisfy her ache. “Please, Magnus, I want to feel you inside me.”
He obliged her, his own desire to the point of eruption. He moved over her, slipped his arms beneath her back, and held her close as he entered her slow and easy.
Their passion took over and they held on to each other while the fiery inferno grew hotter and hotter and hotter and erupted in a blaze of blinding fury.
Their cries of pleasure swirled in the air and settled down around them in a breathless silence. They lay quietly clinging to each other, their bodies wet with the aftermath of lovemaking while the last ripples of pleasure faded away.
And as was their way, they both at the exact same moment whispered, “I love you.”
They were dressed and looking over sketches of maps Reena had made of Dunhurnal land when a sharp knock sounded at the door.
“Enter,” Magnus called out.
Thomas walked in. “A messenger from Peter Kilkern waits for you in the great hall.”
“He is alone?” Magnus asked.
“No one was seen traveling with him, nor has anyone been seen since his arrival. It seems he carries nothing but a message.”
“Where is Brigid?” Reena asked.
“With the weavers discussing a bridal veil.” His words could not help but bring a smile to his face regardless of present circumstances.
Magnus grinned and walked over to him to slap him on the back. “Are you ready to be a husband?”
Thomas nodded vigorously. “Aye, and a good husband I will be to Brigid.”
“Then let us go settle this thorn in our sides before the wedding so the celebration may be one of pure joy.”
Reena smiled at the thought, for she and Magnus would wed the same day as Brigid and Thomas if all went well. She hurried to trail after them.
Magnus stopped outside the bedchamber. “Why do you not join Brigid and discuss your own bridal veil?”
Reena planted her hands on her hips. “You cannot get rid of me that easily, and besides, Brigid does not yet know of our plans to wed.”
“Then this is a perfect time to tell her,” Magnus urged.
She remained firm in her intentions to join them. “I want to know what goes on.”
“I will tell you.”
“I prefer t
o hear for myself.”
Magnus stepped in front of Reena. “I am sorry, but I must insist. It would appear strange for my mapmaker to stand beside me while a message is delivered.”
Thomas added his opinion. “He is right and we waste time.”
Reena nodded, knowing there was no use in arguing. She turned to walk the opposite way.
“I will tell you all later,” Magnus said. Reena simply waved as she kept walking.
The two men hurried off, their footsteps heavy on the wooden stairs. Reena turned in a flash and rushed after them, though she kept a safe distance behind so they would not see or hear her approach.
She crept slowly down the stairs, and once at the bottom she slipped around the stone wall that led to the great hall. Once there, she blended with the shadows along the wall and concealed herself in the dark corner of the hall where she could hear yet not be seen.
She thought of the Dark One and how he used the shadows and darkness to his advantage. She felt the comfort of the dark ease around her to conceal and protect her, and she felt safe.
The messenger bowed his head in respect when Magnus appeared before him, after he shivered. She could not say exactly how Magnus intimidated, but he did. He was tall and broad, but there were men taller and broader than he. Perhaps it was his confident strides or the set of his squared shoulders drawn back in pride, or it could have been his clothes, black as the blackest night, or his dark eyes that appeared to know all. Whatever it was about him, he was feared and regarded with respect, a respect he had earned at a costly price.
“You have a message from Kilkern?”
“I have a message from the earl of Culberry,” the man corrected with a tremble.
“I will hear it,” Magnus said and folded his arms over his chest to lean back against the edge of the table on the dais, his relaxed stance one of pure insolence, as if the message afforded him little interest.
The messenger appeared average in height but thick in muscle and looked as if he could best many in a fight, yet the Legend gave him cause to mind his tongue and manner.
Still, he held his head high when he spoke. “The earl of Culberry wishes to meet with you.”
Reena furrowed her brow. Whatever good would a meeting between the two men accomplish?
Magnus gave no hasty reply; he waited as if giving thought to the suggestion. “Did Kilkern suggest a place for this meeting?”
The man stood straight. “He invites you to his home.”
Reena thought to laugh. That would be like having the prey walk into the hunter’s trap.
“When does he suggest this meeting take place?”
“Tomorrow.”
Kilkern did not think Magnus foolish enough to walk into his keep as if in surrender. Why then the invitation? What did he have planned? Magnus would not be fool enough to accept, or would he force Kilkern’s hand by placing himself in danger?
Reena grew concerned and placed a hand to her nervous stomach. A sudden thought that she could be with child filled her heart with joy and fear. Joy that they would be a family; she, Magnus and their child. Fear that Kilkern would kill him and she would be alone with their child—or completely alone, as Brigid had been when her husband had died. Reena felt an enormous loss for her friend, realizing now more than ever the hurt she had suffered.
She could not lose Magnus; she would not. She would do everything she could to keep him safe and protect him as he did her, even though he would protest. She would do what was necessary.
Magnus unfolded his arms and walked toward the man. The man retreated several steps before Magnus neared.
“What if I do not agree to his offer?”
The man’s voice trembled. “Then I am to deliver another message.”
“Which is?” Magnus demanded.
The man hesitated, swallowed as if gathering courage, then spoke. “I am to tell you that the earl of Culberry knows you for the coward you are; you being much like your own father.”
At that moment Reena wished to race at the man and pound him with her fists, which she kept tight at her sides, but he was only a messenger, a messenger who presently was sweating profusely.
Magnus remained calm, his voice deep and his speech articulate. “Tell Kilkern I accept his invitation.”
The man looked relieved.
“And—”
The man’s eyes widened and a drop of sweat hung from his brow over his eye.
Magnus took several steps toward the trembling man. “Tell him that a man who knows no honor dies in shame—like his father.”
The man’s eyes widened in fear, and any fool could see that he realized the message he delivered to his lord would earn his wrath. He gave a quick nod, turned, and fled the great hall.
Magnus exchanged words with Thomas, their voices low and not reaching Reena’s ears. They parted, and Magnus walked toward the staircase. She intended to stay where she was until he passed by. Once he was far enough up the stairs, she would take hasty steps to her room, explaining that she’d decided to map instead of discussing bridal veils.
She kept her breathing low and braced herself against the stone wall, the darkness completely swallowing her. No one would know that she was there. She was safe in the recesses of the dark.
Magnus passed by, and she could not help but smile. She waited, giving him time to climb the stairs, and when she was sure that all was safe, she walked out of the shadows and around the stone wall to race up the stairs.
Her foot never hit the step; Magnus stepped out of the shadows in the corner by the staircase and grabbed her around the waist.
She cried out in shock, then punched his arm—not that he felt her meager attempt at revenge. “You frightened me.”
“You should not have hidden in the shadows.”
“I wanted to hear for myself.”
“You do not trust me to tell you all?” he asked, lowering her to the ground but keeping firm hands on her small waist.
“Nay,” she said softly. “I trust you, but . . .” She turned her head from him.
“Reena,” he said gently and forced her to look at him. “Tell me.”
The traitorous tears she feared would spill started, and she could not fight them.
He wiped them away one by one. “Tell me, Reena.”
She answered with reluctance. “I had to listen for myself and hear so that I could protect you. I could not bear to lose you.”
Magnus leaned down and kissed her with a tenderness that made her spill more tears. “You will not lose me.”
“Aye, I will not,” she said adamantly. “I will be by your side when you visit with Kilkern.”
Her tears were as stubborn as she was, and he wiped them away, only to have more follow. “You will not be with me.” He held up his hand before she could argue. “You will not go with me, and you will not hide and travel along in secret or follow in secret.”
“I will not remain behind,” she said, as if threat-ening.
He raised a brow. “How foolish would it be to take you with me when you are the very person who could help him achieve his goal?”
“How foolish of you to go to him when you know it is a trap?”
“Do you think me a fool?”
“Nay—” She stopped and stared at him. “You have a plan.”
He nodded.
Excitement stirred in her. “You will tell me of this plan?”
“For your own safety, it is better you do not know.”
Her excitement quickly deflated, replaced by annoyance. “Should I not have a choice in this matter, since it is me he seeks?”
“Nay, this is between Kilkern and me, and I will have no interference,” he warned in a sharp tone.
Reena would not concede. “You do as you must and I will do what I must.”
“Reena,” he warned again, his dark eyes swirling with a mist of anger that would soon erupt if she was not careful.
“This argument needs to wait for another time,” said the familiar
harsh voice of the Dark One from the shadows. “There is someone who needs your immediate help.”
Chapter 30
The three retired to the solar, the Dark One finding his own passage there while Reena and Magnus climbed the stairs. Once inside, the door was latched, more candles lit, and questions asked.
Magnus looked to the darkest recesses of the room.
“I am here,” the deep voice confirmed.
“Then tell me what this is about. Who needs my immediate attention?”
“Mary.”
“What of Mary?” Magnus asked, his body tense, his eyes focused on the dark, shadowed corner.
Reena walked to stand closer to Magnus, at a distance where she could at least reach her hand out to him if need be.
“I will tell you all that I know.” His deep voice lost some of its harshness as he spoke. “I met with a man who told me that he was a friend of Mary’s family and that she is in immediate danger. She has been safely hidden for over ten years due to the generosity of her benefactor, but those who wish her harm are close to discovering her whereabouts.
“He does not know her location, only that there are three possible places the woman could be hiding, and it is imperative that she be found before it is too late.”
“When I sought a safe shelter for Mary, I purposely misdirected my path so that none would be able to find her,” Magnus said.
“I found Mary’s true location.”
Reena’s hand went out to Magnus, and he took firm hold of it as soon as he felt the brush of her skin against his.
“And what did you do with this information?”
“I kept it to myself until I could discover if this man spoke truthfully to me or if he himself meant the woman harm.”
“He confided the truth to you without any persuasion?”
“He needed no persuasion. He was visibly upset when I reported my findings to him and he confessed that two men were after Mary, one protected and the other was out to do her harm. Knowing both men’s reputations, he did not feel that either could be trusted, so he sought my help. He asked that I take Mary to a safe place until he could determine her true benefactor and seek his help.”
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