A Storm of Pleasure

by TERRI BRISBIN

  Now, a week later, Katla blushed at his latest suggestion and then agreed as she always did. The bargain had faded away, replaced by his honest desire for her…and by something else that grew with each passing day and each long conversation between them.

  The day when he’d revealed his dangerous thoughts about having her tied up as he’d been and taking her from behind had ended with that exact scenario between them. Instead of tying her hands behind her back, he’d tied them in front of her and then knotted that rope around the beam above that supported the upper deck. He’d peeled off her clothes, piece by piece, until she stood there naked and wanting. Kneeling between her legs, he licked and suckled until she begged for release.

  Instead of guiding her leg around his waist as he usually did when they coupled standing up, he walked around behind her and played with her from there. With hands between her legs, he made her wet and then spread that moisture over her cleft until he could slide his cock along it easily. He pressed on the small bud between her legs, rubbing it, stroking it, and then he eased himself between the globes of her bottom and into the puckered opening there.

  He moved slowly at first, waiting for her body to adjust to such an invasion. When he was seated deep, he pulled the rope free and bent her forward to give himself better access and entry.

  Katla could not believe the intensity of it. With his cock deep in one opening and his fingers teasing the other, it took but a few deep strokes to bring her release. He held onto her hips then, thrusting deeper still into that tight channel, not slowing because of her release, but relentlessly filling her over and over until she peaked again…Then he spilled his seed.

  He guided her to her knees and held her close until their bodies calmed. Then he eased out of her and soothed the opening with his fingers. She’d had no idea that a man and woman could join in such a manner.

  But he was teaching her new pleasures all the time. He waited now for her to initiate things with a touch or a kiss, and then he plowed her deeply and well in a variety of positions that she’d never dreamed of. He did not force her to do anything she did not wish. Gavin let her be the first to indicate willingness.

  Even now, he smiled at her surprise and then waited for her to become accustomed to the idea of mutual pleasuring each other in a different way. Her blood heated and her skin tingled as he described in a low, tempting tone how they could accomplish such an act. By the time his words stopped, she lay panting and awaiting the touch of his mouth and the caress of his hands where she ached most.

  This time the scandalous suggestion involved him suckling between her legs while she suckled his cock. Uncertain of how it could be accomplished, she allowed him to guide her to it. Within a short but completely pleasurable time Katla lay replete in his arms.

  Then the other sensation happened again.

  A wave of tremors hit her, not like the ones during bedplay when her body shuddered in release. These tremors were unpleasant and pulled her from the lethargic aftermath of pleasure, making her restless, nervous. When she glanced over at Gavin, she knew he was feeling them, too.

  “Gavin?” She turned on her side to find him pale. “What is it?” she asked.

  “The noise,” was all he could say.

  She held him close, stroking his arm and hoping her nearness would help. Gavin pressed his head against her breasts and seemed to breathe in time with the beating of her heart. It soothed him somehow and he soon fell asleep.

  The closer they got to Dunfermline, the more often those tremors occurred, and Katla realized that somehow she was bound to what he felt. And he was being battered with each mile they journeyed closer to the Scottish city and Kali’s destiny.

  Godrod left the ship as soon as they docked, but Gavin remained below deck until they could contact Harald and arrangements could be made for their stay. The firth and the ports along it bustled with merchant ships and every other kind as befitted the area where the royal palace and the abbey favored by the previous queen both stood. Across the firth, another city grew on the top of an old mountain, though no one believed it would ever rival the prestige of Dunfermline.

  Finally word came from Harald that lodgings had been secured for them near the palace, and they traveled there on horseback with a wagon carrying their clothing. They were taken to their chambers when they arrived, and Harald warned them to remain within, drawing no attention to themselves or to Gavin’s reputation or powers. Kali was being held somewhere within the grounds of the monastery, but he was not allowed visitors.

  Days passed and Katla spent most of her time with Gavin. Though they passed many hours in pleasurable bedplay, they also talked about their lives and about those of the people she’d met in Durness. As the moon waxed, Gavin became noticeably more fitful in his sleep and tense when awake.

  Then, finally, the king arrived back in Dunfermline and the day of the full moon approached. Soon no amount of physical release eased the tension within either of them and for the first time, Katla feared the worst.

  Gavin paced the confines of the chamber, bigger than the one in Caithness but much smaller than his room in Birsay. The days grew shorter as autumn approached, but each night the moon’s light grew brighter as it moved closer to full. He felt the changes more than he had at any time since Katla had entered his life. Even she could not lessen the chaos and pain created by so many people so close by.

  Not that she did not try. He smiled thinking on her enthusiasm as they shared a bed since they’d left Caithness.

  They often passed the time playing boardgames he’d learned at the earl’s court. They talked for endless hours, especially when the chaos threatened him and his head ached with it. If he thought on the sounds of her body at those times, the pain did ease, but it seemed to return quicker than ever before.

  He learned much about her during those quiet times. How her keen mind worked to solve problems. How deeply she felt about her family. How fragile she was in spite of the appearance of strength she presented. It was this last realization that led him once more to his friend Harald, who had made himself scarce during this time. They met the day before the moon would reach its fullness because Gavin wanted arrangements to be made for Katla’s safety in case he did not survive the ritual or Kali was found guilty.

  When Gavin turned into the small walkway that led to the monastery’s chapel, Harald stood waiting for him. They walked together in silence for a few minutes before either one was ready to discuss the terrible possibilities ahead for Katla’s brother.

  “You have enough men for this, Harald?” he asked after Harald explained his plan. “The king’s steward will not be suspicious of the number?”

  Harald’s decision to have several men ready to spirit Katla out of the chamber after the ritual seemed sound, as long as they were not obvious. Harald pointed to places on a crude drawing of the chamber where the ritual would occur.

  “As long as none approach Kali, there will be no objections. The king’s men understand that there must be witnesses to whatever is said.”

  Gavin waited until several monks walked past them before continuing with his questions. “The journey to Orkney?”

  “You need not know the details, Gavin. She will be safe,” Harald said. “What will you do?”

  “Haakon has arrived and will see to me after the ritual. Once I can travel, or before that if things go badly, he will make certain I get back to Durness.”

  The silence grew between them until finally Harald asked the question that had plagued them both.

  “Do you truly believe your end is near, Gavin?”

  “My heart slows with each ritual, beginning anew after a longer and longer pause. I fear that it will not beat again if that pause is too long. I believe that time will come at the next ritual.”

  “Next one? At the end of the month?” his friend asked.

  “Aye. The one that coincides with the anniversary of my birth. Ironic is it not, to die on the day you were born?”

  Harald did n
ot quip lightly about so serious a subject, even though death was familiar to a warrior such as he. “And there is nothing you can do? No one who knows about this power of yours?”

  “Katla says she does.”

  “How would she know such a thing?” Harald scoffed.

  “She said Godrod has discovered knowledge about me that she will share once I speak Kali’s truth,” he explained.

  “If such knowledge could be found, Magnus’s men would have uncovered it years ago. I believe she would say anything to gain your aid.” Harald stared at him and shook his head.

  “You told me once that I should have said the words. Now I challenge you to do the same.”

  “I cannot, Harald. If what I suspect is true, I will be dead before the month is out.”

  Harald gathered up the scrap of paper with the map of the chamber on it and tucked it in a sack he wore tied to his belt. “Does she know? That you believe you will die because of the ritual? Did she ask this of you knowing it could hasten your death?”

  Gavin shook his head. “I did not tell her. She knows all but that part of it. With Kali to fret and grieve over, she does not need something else drawing her attention.”

  “Do you know what the worst part of this is?” Harald asked.

  “Tell me,” Gavin said, not believing there could be much that was worse than their inadvertent—and sometimes deliberate—actions, which had led to her father’s death. They stopped and Gavin waited for the answer.

  “The earl would not have demanded Kali’s death. We spoke before he left with the king. He was planning to exile the boy, not put him to death.”

  “Do you jest, Harald?” Gavin asked. “Does Katla know?”

  “Nay, but there is more.”

  “Tell me now. Delay no more in this,” Gavin warned him.

  “The only reason Kali faces death now is because Katla raised the matter so publicly. Once it came to the attention of the two kings, the earl could no longer handle justice in his own manner.”

  Gavin lost his balance and tripped then, falling hard against the wall next to him. “How did it come to that?”

  “Her uncle appealed to the king after she spoke at the ritual. He wanted them both executed, but there has been no question raised of her involvement, only Kali’s. So to appease Olaf, the king sent Kali here to face judgment.”

  “Though you said my words proved Olaf trustworthy, I have no liking for a man who pursues the death of his kin in such a manner,” Gavin said.

  “Aye,” Harald agreed. “And one who manages to get others to do the deed for him.”

  The sound of footsteps on the other side of the wall startled them both. “Come,” Harald said. “There is much to be set in place before the ritual.”

  Katla stumbled away, barely able to stand or walk. She’d gone looking for Harald with a question, and one of the servants had told her to seek him here, in the yard between the palace and the monastery. Having taken the wrong corridor, she searched but could not find them until she heard their muffled voices speaking and spotted their heads above a garden wall.

  About to call out to them, she’d been stunned into silence by the words she heard.

  If Kali died, it would be her fault.

  Her stomach rebelled at such a thing and she fell to her knees on the ground. When the spasms ceased, she was weak and horrified at the truth.

  If she’d simply lived with Harald and kept quiet, Kali would be safe.

  If she’d been obedient and listened instead of believing herself always right, Kali would be exiled, but alive and not facing execution.

  When she raised her head, she was so confused that she could not face anyone. It took hours to regain control before she could face either Harald or Gavin. And that night she sought oblivion when she joined with Gavin, asking him to pour out his scent so she could lose herself of the pain of this discovery. If he thought it strange that she wanted him to do the one thing that set her apart from the other women he’d had, he said nothing.

  And for a few minutes that night, she forgot everything that caused such pain in her heart and allowed the pleasure he could create when he ensorcelled her body to control her.

  Chapter Twenty-two

  The abbott of Dunfermline monastery wanted no part of what he called an “unholy thing.” He was certain the truthspeaking was an abomination and evil in the sight of God. Harald had shown his intelligence by bringing with him the abbott from the monastery on the Brough of Birsay, who declared that Gavin had held the holy relics of their church and not been burned by them—as any sinner or abomination would have been. After several hours of discussion, the king’s intervention, and a large donation, the ritual was set to be held in a private chamber of the royal palace next to the monastery’s lands.

  The power had grown again, Gavin could feel the surges of it within him, and he could hear the thoughts of some in the room even without touching. He paced the chamber, feeling it heat his blood and make his heart race. He searched for Katla and found her, standing in the corner near Harald. Though he wanted to tell her everything would be fine, he feared he knew what the outcome would be. At least his friend would be there to help Katla through what would happen.

  Kali stood closest to him now, next to a chair they’d placed in the front of the room. King Edgar’s witnesses stood close as well. The king would not be present, for though this matter had been brought to his attention, it was not important enough to require his royal presence. The monks offered a prayer and left, not at ease with these proceedings. The witnesses had been told of the ritual and knew what to expect, but that rarely prepared anyone who observed it for the first time.

  When Gavin could no longer contain the flow of it, he walked to the seat and took his place. This time he would try to stay awake as the truthspeaking happened so that he could guide the ritual. But despite Gavin’s resolve, the last thing he remembered was the terror in Katla’s eyes as she watched him take Kali’s hand in his.

  Harald had men spread throughout the chamber, but if the worst happened, there would be nothing he could do. And the tightness in his gut told him to prepare for just that. Katla trembled at his side, grasping his cloak like a child seeking comfort. In many ways she was just that—now orphaned, abandoned by her uncle, and about to lose the only other family she had.

  “Harald,” she whispered, tugging on his hand, “Tell him to stop.” Her face paled and her eyes widened in desperation. “I was wrong to ask for this.”

  Her admission, surprising as it was, came too late to save her brother now. If only she’d not pursued this….

  “Too late,” he whispered back, shaking his head. “’Tis too late, Katla.”

  The king, having been forced to this by the earl of Orkney, would dispense justice swiftly, he’d been told. Harald understood his displeasure at having his judgment questioned, but Edgar had acquiesced in anticipation of future benefits from granting the earl, his neighbor to the north, this small gesture of friendship. Assured that punishment was his to determine, the Scots king had allowed the earl’s truthsayer to be called.

  Harald watched as Gavin sat in the chair provided and began to change before their eyes. If Harald watched this a hundred more times, he would never easily accept what he saw. His mind rebelled at the sight of his friend changing into someone, or something, else and then entering the mind and memories of another. There was a moment during the ritual he’d undergone when their thoughts were joined and he could hear the pain and confusion within Gavin. Once the questions began though, he could think of nothing else. And he remembered giving answers without hesitation, feeling compelled by the force of Gavin’s mind over his own. His thoughts, his mind, did the bidding of another.

  As Kali would in just moments.

  Katla stiffened next to him, and he took her hand in his. He wondered whether the feelings that existed between her and Gavin would be destroyed when she heard him prove her brother guilty of treason against the earl and the king. It would sho
ck her, but he sensed a deep emotional connection between Gavin and Katla that he suspected would never be broken in life.

  No matter what, he accepted that she would never be his in the way he wanted her to be. Oh, he did not doubt she would honor their agreement and return to him, but her heart had been given and would remain forever with his friend.

  If what Gavin feared came to pass, Harald would take her back. In his household, as his mistress, she would be protected. And with the passing of time, she might even come to have some tender feelings for him. He could be content with that and honor his pledge to Gavin to see to her welfare when he was gone.

  Gavin’s voice called out, asking who summoned the Truthsayer, and Kali answered, his voice shaking. Was it fear or guilt that caused his trembling?

  “I am Kali Svenson,” he said.

  “I am Kali Svenson,” Gavin repeated in the voice of someone else.

  “I am Kali Svenson,” they said in one voice that was neither but both at the same time. Chills ran down Harald’s spine at the unnatural sound.

  The king’s minister asked the first question about Kali’s knowledge of his father’s plotting, and he damned himself from his first word. Question after question revealed that the son was as integral to the plans as the father. Harald’s heart hurt for Katla, and when he dared to look at her, he saw her shock and horror at being confronted by the truth.

  The king’s soldiers moved to surround Kali even before the questions ended, and Harald knew he must get Katla out of the chamber before they took her brother. Once the shock wore off, she would take action, and he would be hard pressed to control her or guarantee her safety. If the king’s soldiers thought her involved, her life could be forfeit as well.