by Sherry Ewing
A heavy sigh escaped him when he returned the ring to the pouch and pulled the leather straps closed. He was going to lose his mind before he found any form of answer to his questions, at least while arguing with himself in his own head. He stoked the fire and went off into the woods to see if he could catch something to break their fast, all the time thinking about having speech with Ella regarding her possible feelings for him. He might as well attempt to stay occupied instead of letting his mind run wild with thoughts of Ella belonging only to him. ’Twas either that or resign himself to the task of letting her go.
Ella awoke to the smell of something roasting over the crackling fire. She stretched, gave a yawn, and smiled in delight when she remembered the dream she had been having of Henry. Henry… she thought his name with a frown forming on her brow as she continued to awaken fully. Nay, ’twas not Henry she had been dreaming of at all but her traveling companion!
Her eyes flew open and immediately sought the man from her dreams. Killian had been observing her with what appeared keen interest but she did not expect the scowl marring his handsome features.
Handsome? Where the devil did such a thought come from and why did she continue to have recurring feelings, of a sudden, for Killian? Their kiss from her dream had seemed so very real, along with the rush of emotions carousing through Ella like the excitement of seeing the first bloom of a spring rose.
“G–good morn, K–Killian,” she stammered, placing her shaking hands upon the ground to rise to a sitting position. Good Lord! She could not even form a sentence without sounding like a bumbling idiot. What had come over her? She pulled the blanket around her shoulders in order to have something to do and mayhap calm her frayed nerves.
He grunted a hasty good morn and continued turning the rabbit on a spit over the fire. He seemed irritated and yet Ella had no idea why.
“Is aught amiss?” she asked, almost afraid to hear his answer.
He opened and closed his mouth several times before shaking his head. “Nay. ’Tis nothing tae concern ye.”
His gruff manner was completely out of character, unless he was cross with her, so Ella knew without any doubt she was the root of his foul mood. She wracked her brain in an attempt to figure out what she might have done to displease him. Perchance ’twas the delay in arriving at Warkworth that concerned him, as her son could be fast behind them for all they knew. “I am sorry I am not an accomplished rider, Killian, if this is why you are upset with me. I promise to be better today since I am now fully rested.”
Killian tested the meat and then began to divide up their meal. He repeated the process several times before standing and handing her a metal plate. He went back to his place across the fire. The distance between them felt like he was miles away.
“Killian.” His name left her lips and the sound reminded her of how she had spoken to him in her dream… actually she had yearned for him while she had slumbered. If she were to be honest with herself, she began to wonder how far off those feelings truly were. His eyes widened before his attention went back to his meal.
“If we ride hard, we should reach Warkworth’s gates by late morn.”
She set her plate down only to realize she had not even as yet taken a bite of the food he had prepared for her. “What is wrong?” She stood up and went to sit next to him. He, on the other hand, cursed something in Gaelic and jumped up putting the fire between them once more.
“There is nothing wrong. Ye should eat yer fill while ye have the chance. I willnae be stopping again ’til we reach Warkworth,” he fumed and began pacing back and forth in agitation.
“If this is what you look like when nothing is wrong, I should hate to see you when you are cross!” She stood again and placed herself in front of him with hands upon her hips. But she was unprepared when he grabbed her arms and gave her a shake.
“Ye best leave the matter rest, woman,” he yelled.
“I am not certain I like the way you call me woman. Why are you so angry with me?” Ella shouted back.
“Do ye not ken what ye be putting me through?” he snarled, clearly agitated about something she had done.
“I have no clue what you are grumbling about. You must be the most frustrating man I have ever come across. Was your slumber disturbed by rocks digging into your arse that you awoke so cross this morn?”
Ella did not miss the quick smirk that flashed across Killian’s mouth before he hid his emotions with a grim look of displeasure.
“’Tis not rocks in my arse that be the problem, Ella.”
“Then what is it?” she asked. Her eyes widened when his began to all but smolder and she began to quickly wonder if her dreams had in truth been a reality.
“’Twould be best to let the matter rest, Ella,” he all but growled out again like a wounded animal.
“How can I? I demand to know what I have done to incur your wrath, you ornery man!”
“Ella—”
She took a step closer. “Tell me, Killian,” she said taking a hold of his arm, “so I can make amends.”
“There is only one way to make this aright and ’twill only complicate the matter.”
“Tell me,” she urged again.
“I canna do anything but show ye, even if it means I must go against my vow tae ye,” he declared, as he dipped his head downward.
“Killian—” His named came out as a breathy whisper before his lips descended upon her own when he broke his own promise to never kiss her again.
His arms whipped around her in a fierce grip. His kiss deepened and she could do naught else but pour every ounce of energy into their meeting. A moan escaped her while she forgot everything else but the man who claimed her.
Aye, claim her he did, for no act was ever clearer than Killian’s possession of her. Nothing else mattered other than how he was making her feel and yearn for the one thing that had been missing her entire life… love… if she would but succumb to what this man would offer her and forget her quest to find Henry.
His mouth plundered her own and excitement rushed through her entire body even while her knees began to buckle. But she did not fall. Nay… how could she stumble when Killian held her so securely up against his own muscular body? Her own trembling body reacted to his nearness as her fingers clenched his tunic. She never wished for this moment to end.
Before she knew what he was about, he scooped her up at her knees and laid her down about her discarded blanket. He broke off their kiss and their eyes met. His breath and hers mingled together like one soul reaching out to the other. She ran her fingers through his hair before he tore her hands away. He stood to peer down upon her, his chest heaving as though he, too, had been just as affected by what had just occurred between them. Cool air waved its way across her body when he left her to move before the fire. For an instant she wanted to call him back to her side so she would be warm again.
“Do ye even know yer own mind, Ella, and what ye desire?”
“I know what I want,” she answered jutting out her chin, as though protesting what was warring inside her own head regarding this man before her.
He laughed but ’twas not a merry sound that echoed off into the forest. “Nay… ye do not, as our kiss will attest. Ye best decide what, or who, ye be wanting before we meet up with yer man, else ye may be getting more from me than ye bargained for.”
He went to his horse, grabbed one of the satchels, and then started to storm away.
“Where are you going?” she shouted at his retreating, angry form. Briefly, she worried he would leave her to her own devices. She could tell he was that angry.
“Tae find a cold stream,” he shouted, entering the forest.
The situation appeared so comical that Ella would have laughed if she had known he was no longer within hearing distance. Good heavens… what Killian did to her peace of mind would surely send her falling right back into his arms. She just might need to find the cold stream for herself upon his return. She could use a good dousing!
&
nbsp; Chapter 11
Killian pulled back on Mystic’s reins. The horse whinnied and snorted as the beast was halted upon a hill overlooking a village in the valley below.
“Awake, Ella,” he coaxed with a low murmur to the woman he held. When his attempt failed, he gave her a small shake but she only pressed herself further into his body as though to find further comfort. “We are almost tae Warkworth.”
Ella at last began to awake from her slumber, her head rising from its placement upon his shoulder. Her eyelids fluttered opened and in her place between wakefulness and her dreams, she bestowed upon him a smile so brilliant he forgot all else but the woman he had come to love. Aye, love her he did, which only caused him to grimace with the knowledge she would never belong to him.
“I am sorry, Killian,” she said, sitting upright with an attempt to distance herself from him. “I did not even realize I had fallen asleep. Where are we?”
“As I mentioned, we are almost tae Warkworth,” he answered pointing to the castle in the distance.
“I never thought to see the place again,” she whispered.
“How long has it been since yer path crossed this way?”
“It has been some time. I’ve been wandering inland and staying away from any river ports in hopes I could avoid my son.”
Killian clucked his tongue and pressed his knees into his steed, putting Mystic back into motion. They began to make their way down the hill and across lush green fields. “Have ye not missed Lady Katherine’s company?”
“Aye, I have. She is like the daughter I never had and I miss her company greatly,” Ella declared holding onto the pommel of the saddle as though such an act would keep her from bumping into Killian with each step the horse took. “She and Lord Riorden do not make their way to Berwyck as often as I would like, although I do understand his reluctance to allow her to venture too far from their home.” She gave him a glance from the corner of her eyes.
“Ye mean given her origins?” he teased with a wink of conspiracy.
“You know from whence she hails?”
“Ye forget I have seen several of these future women come tae Berwyck’s gates, yerself included, of course.”
“Aye, of course you have. One must needs be careful where you put your feet else you may end up where you do not belong,” she stated.
“’Tis obvious ye know a thing or two about such an occurrence.”
“You know my story. You know I have been through Time not once but twice in my lifetime. I do not think I could stand another trip and am perfectly content to live out my remaining days firmly planted in the twelfth century,” she answered with a slight shiver. “Sometimes I feel as though this century has been home to me far longer than my previous life far off into the future where I never fit in anyway.”
“I wouldnae wish tae lose ye tae Time, Ella, so be careful where ye step,” Killian declared pulling her closer.
“You would not?” she asked.
“Nay, madam, I wouldnae. If ye were gone from this world, who else would put up with my lively banter or handle my anger as well as ye do?” Killian’s gruff reply had him biting back any further words that might tumble from his mouth. Surely he was sounding like a bumbling imbecile by even confessing even this small measure of desire on how he wished her to stay here in this time… with him.
“If only I had found you first…” she murmured then gave a gasp that she, too, had made such an admission.
Killian gave a sound deep in his chest as joy filled him that she had at last admitted there was something between them. He held his breath waiting for her to request him to turn his horse around and head back to Berwyck where they could live out their lives together. But there was nothing coming from her and he suddenly felt defeated in earning this woman’s love.
“And yet ye still wish me tae deliver ye tae a man ye can barely remember.” He groaned in dismay when his inner thoughts came tumbling unbidden from his mouth.
“Killian… please forgive me. I should have never revealed anything so personal nor spoken my feelings aloud.”
“But voice them ye did, Ella. Are ye truly certain ye wish tae go on with yer plans? Is this really what ye wish in the deepest recesses of yer heart?”
Her eyes widened as though he had said something so vile she was offended at his words. “But I have been waiting for years to be rejoined with Henry again!” Her voice cracked and Killian was unsure if ’twas in outrage or because she was in truth reconsidering such a decision to press on with their journey.
“Plans change, as do hearts,” he replied in a gruff tone.
“I have never considered myself so fickle that my heart could dismiss loving a man all my life and then easily go so thoughtlessly to another.”
“And yet ye married a man in order tae stay in this time or did ye not consider that as a betrayal of this love ye bore a man ye barely knew for two months?” There was no mistaking the sarcastic tone to his voice.
Ella winced. “’Twas out of necessity, I assure you. I cared for Simon of Hull, and was a good wife to him.”
“If ye say so,” he grumbled, irritated she would not admit she cared for him and forget her notion to continue her journey onward.
“Who are you to judge me and the decisions I needed to make to ensure I stayed in this century?” she yelled out.
“I am the man that loves ye! That is who I am, ye stubborn woman,” he bellowed.
Yanking on the leather reins, Killian’s arms snaked around Ella when she lurched forward in the saddle at the abruptness of the horse coming to a sudden halt. Before he could think about how much he would once again regret his actions, Killian took hold of her face and crushed his lips onto her own.
’Twas meant to be a sort of punishment for her foolishness, and his own for loving a woman whose heart went to another. Yet the moment his mouth touched hers everything changed. No longer was he demanding a response from her in the way their tongues had initially warred with each other. Nay, he wanted her to give herself to him freely and of her own accord, so he would know for a certainty she wanted him as much as he wanted her.
He shifted Ella in his arms ’til their lips barely brushed against each other. Their breaths mingled together. Soft… searching… as he poured every bit of emotion he held for Ella into their kiss. He knew not how long they continued to plunder each other’s senses but ’twas the low sultry moan of pleasure rumbling deep in her throat that caused Killian’s heart to soar. She did care for him and he rejoiced knowing she had feelings for him.
Their breaths ragged, they opened their eyes simultaneously to stare in wonder by what they saw reflected. He cupped her cheeks, rubbing his callused thumbs across her smooth skin as though to memorize the planes of her features.
Killian pressed his forehead to hers while her arms wrapped themselves around his neck. “Admit it, lass…” he crooned softly, “ye care for me too.”
She gave a heavy sigh before lifting her head. She ran her fingers down his cheek. The smile she bestowed upon him began at the edges of her lips before reaching her eyes. ’Twas such a look, as she searched his face, that gave him hope they might have a future together after all.
“Aye, Killian, I do care for you,” she murmured, before resting her head once more upon his shoulder.
With a flick of the reins, Killian again set his horse into motion and ’twas not long before they were making their way through the village and up to Warkworth’s barbican gate. As Mystic began clip clopping his way over the wooden bridge, Killian observed Riorden and Katherine as they stood with a guest who appeared as though he was getting ready to depart from their company.
“Looks like they just had a guest,” he said as he saw the knight double-checking his saddle cinches.
“I hope they do not mind we are barging in on them after they already had someone visiting,” Ella answered. Raising her head she looked ahead into the bailey. “Oh my God!” she swore while sitting straight up in the saddle.
“What is wrong, Ella,” Killian asked while he watched the scene before him with a sinking heart.
Riorden and Katherine’s guest leapt into the saddle and bid them farewell but ’twas the woman swaying in his arms that confirmed his worst fears about exactly who the knight was. As he came abreast of them on the bridge, he halted his horse.
“Eh gads, man. Get your woman inside and let the Lady Katherine see to her. From the looks of her, you have been traveling far too long,” he said, before clucking his tongue and kicking his horse back into motion.
Ella gasped for air. “Henry.” His name, most likely torn from the depths of her soul, was barely heard, but, as far as Killian was concerned, she may just as well have shouted it for all of Christendom to hear.
He had no time to consider the implications of their chance meeting with the man Ella had said she crossed time for. He called out for the Lady Katherine when the lady he held fainted in his arms.
Faramond kicked at the ashes beneath his feet. Someone had taken great care to dowse a fair amount of water on what had been left of the campfire. It could have been anyone, he supposed, and yet something in his gut told him his mother was not far from this very site.
He returned to his horse and continued onward on his journey with nothing but the sound of his own voice inside his head for company. Where was she and how many times over the years had he asked the same question? But he swore he would find her and soon. There were not many places left the woman could hide. If need be, he would return to Hull to get a fresh horse before continuing his quest to secure his future.
Chapter 12
Ella awoke with the softness of a feather bed beneath her. Her hand stroked the softness of the covering keeping her warm. Opening her eyes, she saw she was in the dimly-lit chamber she was used to occupying whenever her path crossed Warkworth’s gates. As she had mentioned to Killian, she had not been here in some time.
