As if he’d be afraid of anything, although Murdoch had been as skittish as a young kitten around her since she’d walked in on him when he’d been all but naked. She was at a loss as to how to deal with it.
He’d apologized even though he’d done nothing wrong. She was the one who’d been caught staring at him. And how many times had she recalled the image of his powerful body in the days since? Especially when she stared at the night sky and wondered what it would be like to have Murdoch lying in her bed.
“May I borrow your candle?”
“Of course.”
He stepped away from her, leaving her in the edge of the darkness as he used the flame to light several others to drive back the shadows. She remained motionless, taking advantage of the moment to drink in the sight of Murdoch as he walked around the kitchen, peering into pots and checking the shelves for something suitable for the owl to eat. He even picked up a loaf of bread and sniffed it.
That made her smile. Murdoch happened to glance in her direction as the first giggle escaped. “What?”
She tried to stop, but the moment was a bit too ridiculous. “There you are, creeping around in silence because you’re afraid of Ellie, hoping to find something for an owl to eat. I doubt he’d want the bread that she set aside for the morning meal.”
Murdoch’s stern expression softened just enough to let her know he wasn’t angry with her for teasing him. Finally, he relented, and grinned back at her as he returned to her side.
“Do you have a better idea?” His deep voice echoed off the walls as he looked down at her, his light-colored eyes glittering in the candlelight.
She nodded. “An owl might be happier with one of the mice that Ellie is always complaining about.”
Murdoch responded by putting his finger across her lips and tilting his head to the side. She couldn’t discern what he was listening to, not when he surrounded her with his size and strength. But rather than feeling crowded by him, she felt . . . cocooned. Safe.
She liked it. Liked him. Wanted him.
That startling realization confused her even more. After her wedding night in Fagan’s bed, she’d never for one moment wanted a man in that way. There’d been too much pain, humiliation, and brutality. But after meeting Murdoch, she wondered if things could be different with another man. No, not just another man. Him.
He eased away slightly, moving toward the table behind them. With that little bit of space between them, her mind cleared enough for her to think of something else. Finally, she heard it, too—the sound of tiny feet skittering across the counter behind them. With a move that was too fast for her to follow, Murdoch lunged toward the table, his big hand coming down on the wooden surface with a hard slap.
“Missed!”
But Murdoch kept at it, finally managing to capture the rodent with a bowl he’d snatched off a nearby shelf. When he removed his hand from the upended bowl, it continued to scoot across the tabletop, heading right for the edge.
Alina was not overly fond of vermin of any kind, but she couldn’t help but pity the wee beast. Murdoch stopped the crockery from going over the edge and lifted the edge far enough to grab the mouse by its tail. Then he gave her a perplexed glance as if unsure what to do next.
“Shall we take Kiva his meal?”
Murdoch held the mouse out at arm’s length, clearly unhappy with the situation. “I suppose so.”
“On the other hand, it would hardly be our fault if that mouse made a daring escape.”
Murdoch immediately carried the mouse over to the other side of the kitchen. He pushed the door open just far enough to let the mouse go. No doubt it would soon find its way back inside, but for now it was gone.
Murdoch wiped his hands on a rag and then returned to Alina’s side. “I won’t tell if you won’t. They’d never let me live it down. We both know I could’ve killed it if I’d wanted to.”
He was so handsome standing there, genuinely worried that he would seem less than manly for sparing the life of a mouse. Instead, it only proved to her once again that he was at heart a gentle man, one who treated those within his care with tenderness.
“You honor me with your trust.”
* * *
Alina spoke with great solemnity, as if she were swearing a vow of great import, not one intended to save him a small bit of embarrassment. He’d also noted that she showed no sign of renewed skittishness around him. He’d been worried about that ever since she’d walked in on him the other day.
Her pretty eyes were so serious as she stared up at him. Her silvery blond hair was down about her shoulders, reminding him that this was the middle of the night. No doubt it was highly improper for the two of them to be alone, but he couldn’t make his big feet take one step away from her.
Instead, they moved forward, closing the small distance between them. He made sure she had every opportunity to back away, but she held her ground.
“Alina, I very much want to kiss you.” He spoke the words gently, hoping not to frighten her. “I know I have no right to ask such a boon, but it would be a gift I would cherish forever.”
She worried at her lower lip briefly before answering. “I would like that very much, Murdoch, but I fear that I will only disappoint you.”
Damn Fagan to hell and back. Even though the bastard was dead and buried, he still continued to haunt his lady wife. Now was not the time for anger. Murdoch gently clasped Alina’s shoulders, letting her grow accustomed to his touch before pulling her closer.
“There is nothing you could do that would disappoint me, Alina. I’ll go as slowly as you need me to. If you want me to stop, you need but to say so.”
She stepped into his embrace. “I’ll be fine. After all, it is just a kiss.”
Just a kiss? It was and it wasn’t. They both knew this would change their relationship forever. There was no going back, not after this. If she could muster up the courage to trust him with a small part of her heart, then he could do the same.
He enfolded her in his arms as if she were made of the finest glass, but she felt solid and so very real. Her mouth curved in a tentative smile as she rose up on her toes. He made sure to meet her halfway, knowing instantly he’d never forget the moment their breath first mingled, the second their lips first touched.
It was perfect.
Alina leaned into him, clasping her hands around his neck for support. The sign of trust tugged at his heart. He kissed her slowly, but thoroughly, keeping his hands anchored firmly at her waist. It nearly killed him not to explore farther, to follow the feminine curves downward to the flare of her hips or up to test the fit of her breasts in the palms of his hands.
A kiss was all he had asked for. It was all he would take unless she offered more.
With a soft sigh, her lips parted and stayed that way. A man could only resist temptation for so long. His tongue darted forward briefly before retreating. To his delight, hers followed suit. The sweet sweep of her tongue across his lips, to delve into his mouth, however briefly, left him burning.
“Alina, are you wanting more? Because if you’re not, we need to stop now.” For the sake of his sanity.
“Maybe a little more?”
It might kill him if they stopped, but he would. “As much or as little as you want. Touch me any way you want to, anywhere you want to.”
She looked over her shoulder, reminding him they were hardly someplace private. Ellie or any of her workers could walk in at any time.
“Kiss me again, but then we should stop.” Then she smiled up at him, her eyes alight with temptation. “For now.”
For now? Did she mean? Rather than pursue that line of thought, he did as the lady asked and kissed her with everything he had.
* * *
Where had Murdoch gotten off to? It shouldn’t take this long to fetch some raw meat for a hungry owl. Gideon settled Kiva on one of the railings in front of the stable. After the big bird ruffled his feathers and settled in, Gideon untied the pouch from Kiva’s leg and wai
ted for someone to bring a light so he could read the enclosed message.
Even with his enhanced eyesight, he couldn’t make sense of Duncan’s long missive in full darkness. Merewen had returned to the hall to fetch a torch, but that was after Murdoch had gone looking for something to feed Kiva. After the owl had a small meal and a chance to rest, he could do his own hunting if he needed something more.
But Duncan’s avatar would be anxious to return to his master. Dawn was but a short time away, leaving Gideon just the coming daylight hours to read the note and decide how to proceed. Then he’d compose an answer to send back to Duncan.
All of that coupled with Kane and Averel riding out at first light had him gritting his teeth. He hated sending his men on a mission without him, and prayed for the gods to watch over his friends. Kiva stirred restlessly and drummed his wings, probably picking up some of Gideon’s own tension.
“Everything’s fine, Kiva. You’ll get a good meal, sleep the day away in the rafters, and head back to Duncan at dusk.”
Gideon crooned the words, hoping the same tone that soothed his own avatar would work on the owl as well. While he spoke, he watched the door to the keep, waiting for Merewen to return. She’d quickly become his anchor in this world. With her at his side, he could face anything, even the departure of the friends who’d never been far from his side for centuries.
At last she appeared with Murdoch right behind her. Gideon leaned forward, trying to see who was walking at his side. The light from the torch Merewen carried reflected off the other woman’s silver blond hair.
What was Alina doing up at this hour?
Her presence most likely explained why it had taken Murdoch so long to return. The way those two danced around each other would be entertaining if Murdoch had unlimited time with which to woo his lady. Alina deserved a man who would treat her well, which included being able to stay by her side through life. But all things considered, Gideon had no right to judge.
Which drew his eye right back to Merewen. He took such comfort and strength from her simple acceptance of him and his men. She had no idea what it meant to them to be treated as friends, not just warriors sent by the gods to fight her battles.
At least Murdoch had a bowl in his hand. Even in the dim light of the torch, it was obvious that Murdoch and Lady Alina had done more than simply find a meal for Kiva.
The big man gave Gideon a sheepish look. “Sorry to be gone so long, but we were . . . I was . . . that is, I hesitated to raid the kitchen without asking Ellie. You know how she is about people invading her domain.”
Alina joined in the explanation. “We looked around but couldn’t find anything suitable. It was fortunate that one of Ellie’s assistants arrived to stoke the fire for the morning meal. He was able to show us where we could carve up some meat for Kiva.”
All of that poured out in one breath with Alina and Murdoch studiously avoiding even glancing at each other. Merewen gave her aunt a speculative look. Gideon wasn’t the only one wondering what else the two had been doing besides raiding Ellie’s larder.
Now wasn’t the time, though. He held up the paper to the light. As Murdoch began to feed bits of meat to Kiva, Gideon read the message aloud. He didn’t keep secrets from Merewen, and Lady Alina had a right to know what was going on as well. He read it through and then a second time to make sure he hadn’t missed anything. When he was done, he folded the paper up and returned it to the pouch.
He counted off the important points. “Duncan is at the abbey and has been given a temporary position there. He saved the abbess’s life from an attack caused by another bout of blood magic. She’s hired him as a guard rather than a scribe, but she’s allowing him to search the library for an explanation of the blood magic and how to counter it.”
He paused to review it all in his mind. “He’ll return when he has the answers. Did I miss anything?”
Merewen frowned. “He doesn’t say if the attack was aimed at the abbess specifically or if she happened to be in the way. Do you think it was something like what killed my horses?”
“It doesn’t sound like it. From what we saw when Scim was hurt, there was nothing anyone could’ve done to prevent it. If she hired Duncan as a guard, she must have thought a swordsman could keep her safe.”
Murdoch had finished feeding the owl. “I hate him being so far from us, especially alone. He has few equals with a blade, but there’s only so much one man can do.”
Gideon nodded. “Let us hope the goddess guides his quest for knowledge so he can return to us without delay.”
He glanced at the sky. “It grows light. Kane and Averel will be stirring soon. Murdoch, I know you’ll want to see them off. After they’re gone, seek out your bed for a few hours since you were on guard duty most of the night.”
This time there was no missing the way Murdoch’s eyes immediately sought out Alina or that she blushed before quickly looking away. Again Gideon said nothing. After all, the goddess had given Gideon permission to deepen his relationship with Merewen, telling him that his feelings for her strengthened his commitment to their mission.
He could only assume that Murdoch’s obviously strong feelings for Alina would have the same effect. Furthermore, he had the lingering fear that they were going to need all their strength to turn back the tide of darkness Duke Keirthan had unleashed upon this land.
Only yesterday afternoon they’d received reports of another deserted crofter’s cottage, but with the family’s personal belongings still scattered about the place. Several farmers had complained of finding a cow or a goat dead without a mark on them. How long would it be before the magic killed humans as easily as it did their livestock?
He turned back to Kiva, hoping to hide his worry and fear for the people of Agathia. He knew the taste of failure; after all, that was how he and the others had become Damned by their gods in the first place. He’d lived with that burden of guilt for centuries, and the people who had died on their watch had been little better than strangers to him.
How would he ever forgive himself if he couldn’t save Merewen and her people from Keirthan’s evil? That answer was actually simple: He never would.
Chapter 19
Keirthan clutched the talisman that tied him magically to the captain of his guard, infusing it with more of his own magic. Another few drops of blood would seal the link between them. While out in the field, all of his men wore a similar device, each one keyed specifically to its bearer. Through the charms, he had total control over their will.
The talismans ensured the men would remain loyal when away from the capital and would obey any order given to them by Ifre or the captain of his guard. They were incapable of thinking for themselves beyond their basic bodily needs and the ability to fight.
Creating the talisman for his captain was more complicated. The man needed his ability to think for himself in order to command the others. That meant finding a delicate balance that satisfied Ifre’s need for control but left the man enough free will to provide effective leadership.
It really was a damned shame that Ifre’s prior captain, Terrick, had perished in the failed attempt to regain control of Lord Fagan’s keep. He’d had a powerful gift for magic, one that Ifre had kept in a weakened condition by siphoning it off through the connection of the talismans. Having to replace Terrick had been an irritation. Well-trained fighters with a hefty dose of magic in their blood were not easy to find.
This time he’d had to settle for one with no gift for magic but a good head for tactics and a decided lack of morals. As a result, Ifre had to constantly monitor the connection between them to avoid weakening the captain to the point he would be useless in battle.
Still, a man had to work with the tools he’d been given.
Now, if he could bring dear Lavinia back to the capital, he’d have a powerful source of magic to augment his own. It would be tricky, but the potential gains far outweighed the possible risks.
To that end, he finished reinforcing the last ta
lisman with another quick burst of magic. He’d already ordered the captain to prepare to ride to the abbey. As far as the men knew, they were being sent to arrest a woman who was a threat to their leader. That much was true, even if she had yet to make any overt moves against his rule.
But she would. His every instinct told him that much. Lavinia had good reason to hate the rest of her family. They’d stripped her whore of a mother of all the wealth and influence their father had given the woman. Not that Ifre felt sorry for his own mother. Too weak to protect her station in life, she’d deserved to be usurped.
The men would depart by midday. No sooner than the thought crossed his mind, Lady Theda rapped on the door and opened it just far enough to make herself heard.
“The men are ready for your inspection.”
“I will be right there.”
Ifre straightened his robes and checked his appearance in the mirror. He looked regal. Handsome, even. His older brother had always been considered to be both better looking and smarter. And yet those two qualities hadn’t kept Armel alive.
In contrast, Ifre would soon control enough land that he could give himself a promotion. King Keirthan the First had quite a nice sound to it.
He picked up the basket of talismans already on their chains and carried them outside himself. The one time he’d had a servant carry the necklaces for him, the man’s mind had been little more than an empty shell by the time Ifre had finished inspecting the troops. Ifre could always find another servant, but explaining what had happened had been problematic.
Outside, lined up in neat rows, the troops waited for him. At Ifre’s appearance, their captain barked an order, bringing them all to attention.
Ifre called out, “I honor you and your service to the people of Agathia.”
Then, with appropriate solemnity, Ifre made his way down the line, bestowing a talisman on each man, which wouldn’t be at full power until after they left the city. It wouldn’t do for the nobles or other influential people to see the guards lose every bit of their free will. While they might not care about common soldiers, they were smart enough to realize that what Ifre could do to the guards, he could also do to them.
Her Knight's Quest: A Warriors of the Mist Novel Page 17
