Midnight Shadow

by Laurel O'Donnell

  Terran didn’t move. Had he heard her correctly? Did she know what she was agreeing to?

  She eased the chemise from her body, and the thin material pooled in a soft cloud around her ankles. She stood naked before him in the darkness.

  Terran scowled. He’d been sure she would deny him. He’d been sure she’d make up another excuse. Was she challenging him? He never could resist a challenge. He stalked to her, grabbed her arm, and pulled her up to him. Most women would cower before him. Most women would beg for their very lives. But Bria looked him square in the eye as if she weren’t afraid of him in the least.

  Terran wanted to shake her. She should be afraid of him. He held her life in his hands.

  Instead, she stared at him with those large sapphire eyes which held such clear simplicity and honesty that for a moment he doubted himself. Was he wrong about her? Was she a virgin unknown to men? Unknown to the Midnight Shadow?

  No, he convinced himself. There was too much evidence against her. But why would she tempt fate and stand righteously in his arms?

  Because she didn’t believe he would make love to her.

  How wrong she was.

  He pulled her to him, kissing her with all the rage and confusion he felt. To his surprise and utter relief, she didn’t stiffen or stand unaffected by his kiss. She returned it with a tentative stroke of her own lips, an encouraging caress, arousing in him a need greater than his mistrust.

  Terran swept her up in his embrace, refusing to relinquish her lips, her kiss. He carried her to the bed and laid her upon the feather-filled mattress. Only then did he break the kiss. He was surprised at her slight objection. It seemed his wife liked the touch of men.

  The thought angered him anew and he attacked her lips again, wanting to punish her for her wantonness. He was her husband now. He was the only one who would be kissing her. He ran his hand along her side to her breast and cupped it.

  A gasp escaped her lips. He fondled her breast, teasing the tip with circular motions of his thumb until it hardened and she became pliant beneath his expert touch. She groaned beneath his mouth, arching her back slightly so her entire breast fit into his palm.

  Hot desire exploded through him. He realized with a sharp stab of shock that he wanted her as he’d never wanted anything in his life. He’d never felt this desire for Kathryn or even Odella. He bent his head to her breast, kissing it, teasing her gently with his teeth. The nipple hardened and he felt her gasps of joy beneath him.

  She was no virgin.

  He slid his hand down her slim body to the very tip of her womanly hair. She closed her thighs tightly against his exploration. He kissed her temple, her cheek, and whispered in her ear, “You are mine, Bria. No other man shall ever touch you.” With that promise, he kissed her, plundering her sweet mouth. Her arms encircled his shoulders. Terran rained kisses down her neck to the valley between her breasts.

  His hand slowly moved down toward the spot he knew she wanted him to touch, the spot he longed to caress. Carefully, ever so slowly, he urged her thighs open with gentle touches and hot, urgent sweeps of his fingers along the length of her thigh. Just as slowly, she opened to his exploration.

  Terran could feel the heat mounting inside her, could feel her excitement, her pleasure. She arched her hips toward his touch, but he pulled away.

  He separated himself from her, gazing down at her face. Her eyes glowed with passion and her cheeks were flushed, her brows drawn down in objection to his leaving her side. He quickly slid his leggings from his body and lifted his tunic above his head. Then he returned to her, pressing his body along the length of hers.

  His desire pounded through him. He kissed her again, fully enjoying the sensation that rocked him. The tentative strokes of her tongue aroused him as no practiced strokes could. He could almost believe no man had ever touched her.

  She ran her hands down the length of his back, sending waves of pleasure pounding through his body. God’s blood! he thought. A mere touch from her hands and I am almost brought to fulfillment?

  He moved his hand over her flat stomach and down between her legs. She objected with a cry and moved to close her legs, but Terran touched her softly, whispering quiet words to her.

  He kissed her neck, her chin, her lips, until she gradually opened to him. As he soothed her with kisses, he stroked her most inner delicate folds with encouraging, gentle brushes of his fingers until she arched her breasts against his chest and groaned softly.

  With each stroke, with each bold caress, she opened further to his exploration, allowing him full, luxurious reign over her delectable body. With each stroke of his fingers, he brought her closer to complete pleasure. He felt the explosion mounting within her.

  Bria spread her arms wide and her fingers dug into the covers, pulling them taut. Terran watched her body arch against his touch. Her brows knit as though she were trying to control herself, but she was losing. And then suddenly she gasped and her body stiffened as pleasure danced across her face.

  Terran gasped along with her. He’d never seen someone so beautiful, so utterly breathtaking. Her brown hair shimmered with the light from the moon; her cheeks glowed with exuberance; her lips were red from his kisses. She was stunning.

  Terran could wait no longer. He lay atop her and guided his member to her moist folds. She opened her eyes to gaze questioningly at him, but he knew he would explode at any moment if he didn’t have her.

  He plunged into her and knew in that instant that she had never had another man. The slight barrier gave way beneath his thrust.

  Bria cried out and Terran froze. Then his expression and his heart softened. “I’m sorry,” he told her. “The worst is over.”

  Bria nodded, but her body hadn’t relaxed beneath his. He bent his head to claim her lips, kissing her softly at first. But as the truth of her virginity saturated his body and Terran realized she was his in every way, his kiss turned to one of possession.

  She melted beneath his passionate caress and slowly Terran filled her. His hips began to move, and she responded, tentatively joining the rhythm.

  She is mine, Terran thought. She always has been.

  With that thought, he exploded inside her. His body stiffened as waves of ecstasy cascaded through him. His world filled with a glow of love, healing his hurt heart. He felt whole again. He felt complete with Bria.

  Terran opened his eyes to gaze down at Bria. She was watching him through concerned eyes. He bent to brush her lips with a kiss before rolling off of her. Then he swept Bria into his arms and pulled her against his chest.

  “Do you believe me now?” she asked.

  Terran nodded, but didn’t speak. He didn’t want the moment to end. He just wanted to hold her close. He liked feeling her body against his. He kissed the top of her head, held her tight against him, and slowly fell into a blissful sleep.

  At least in this one regard she had told him the truth.

  ***

  Bria turned over to gaze into Terran’s peaceful face. She brushed a lock of dark hair from his cheek. Her body still quivered with explosive tingles from their lovemaking. “Are you sleeping?” she asked.

  A smile curved his lips and his arm tightened about her shoulders.

  Bria grinned up at him, tracing one of the planes of his stomach. “Is it always so... wonderful?”

  “Not always,” Terran replied.

  Bria’s hand stilled. “Was it for you?”

  “Yes,” he whispered. “Like no other time before.”

  Bria smiled and laid her head on his shoulder. She stroked his arm, marveling at her husband’s strength.

  “Tell me of your friend,” Terran asked suddenly.

  Shocked, Bria turned her head to gaze at him.

  “Tell me what happened.”

  Hope surged in Bria’s heart. “Mary and I were out in the woods near her home, on your lands, when we saw Kenric speaking with Widow Anderson, your herbalist. I saw Kenric kill her.”

  “Why would Kenric kill t
he herbalist?”

  Bria shrugged her shoulders slightly. “He owed her payment for a potion she’d made for him, and he didn’t want to pay.” For a moment, looking past Terran into the darkness, she was silent, seeing the execution again. “Then he killed her. And Mary ran.” Bria lifted her head to gaze into Terran’s eyes. “I thought Kenric had killed her. I didn’t know he locked her up.”

  “Why would Kenric kill the herbalist? And why lock Mary up for the crime?”

  “Something’s not right, Terran, but I know what I saw. I know what happened. Mary didn’t kill Widow Anderson.” Agony filled her at the thought of Mary locked in the damp, dark dungeon.

  Terran gently kissed her lips. “I’ll look into it tomorrow.”

  ***

  Bria slipped from the bed and quickly dressed. She hurried to the door, grabbing her velvet slippered shoes as she moved. There, she paused to glance over her shoulder at her sleeping husband. He was lying on his stomach, one arm dangling over the side of the bed. Bria gazed in adoration at his perfect body. His dark hair touched his shoulders in thick waves. His broad shoulders were strong and muscled, his sculptured back tapering into a thin waist. Bria grinned. He’d made her feel things she’d never dreamt of. He had made her feel loved, by him, by her husband.

  Terran had a good heart. He would be a great lord, she was sure of it. He was going to do the right thing where Mary was concerned. And if she coaxed him, he’d investigate the overtaxing of the peasants, too. Everything was turning out wonderfully. She was so proud of him.

  There was no longer any need for the Midnight Shadow. There was no tyrant to fight against, only Kenric, and Terran would deal with him.

  This would be her last night as the Midnight Shadow. Then he would disappear forever.

  Chapter Thirty

  Dismounting in the clearing near the pond, Bria immediately spotted her hiding place. Her sword and disguise awaited her, hidden well beneath the bush. But first she approached the pond. She felt a jubilance she’d never felt. Tonight would be the Midnight Shadow’s last ride. Terran would discover the truth about Kenric, and there would be no further need for the Midnight Shadow.

  She gazed into the still pond. Terran would discover the truth. With conviction burning in her soul, she turned... and stopped cold.

  Kenric was standing just across the clearing, watching her with his hands on his hips, two of his men on horses behind him.

  He approached slowly.

  “M’lady could not sleep?” he asked. “Or perhaps she is running away.”

  Bria scowled at his sarcasm. “Why did you follow me?”

  “I was hoping you’d meet your lover here.” Kenric scanned the clearing. “But I see that isn’t the case.”

  Bria’s eyes narrowed slightly. “What do you want?”

  Kenric stopped just in front of her. “I want many things, m’lady.”

  Bria did not like his tone. She lifted her chin and moved to step around him, but he grabbed her arm, halting her.

  “I’m not finished with you,” he said softly.

  Bria tried to pull her arm free, but he wouldn’t release it. “Terran will have your head if you persist. I am lady of Castle Knowles.”

  “For now.”

  Dread slithered up her spine. Did he know she was the Midnight Shadow?

  “You see, Lady Bria, it was I who suggested he marry you. It’s true we needed your dowry. But I had another reason. A while back, the herbalist was killed not far from this very spot.”

  Bria swallowed hard.

  His eyes narrowed slightly, his grip pressing ever tighter on her wrist. “Two women witnessed the murder. One I arrested and threw into the dungeon for the murder, but the other escaped. I chased her through the woods and onto Delaney lands. Who could have been out here in the middle of the night? I kept Mary alive to use as bait to catch the other woman. And now I have, haven’t I?”

  Bria raised her chin.

  “My guard heard you talking with dear Mary. I know it was you, Bria, and this little trip of yours to the very same spot proves it. I can have no witnesses to the death of that old woman.”

  Bria turned wide eyes to him. What was he planning? He signaled the other guards with a wave of his hand. They began to move forward.

  Fear flared through Bria like lightning. Why didn’t Kenric want anyone to know he’d killed the herbalist? “Why did you kill her?”

  “She knew things,” Kenric said. “I couldn’t have her walking around telling everyone my secrets.”

  Secrets? Bria thought back to the night he had killed the woman. What was it the old woman had said? He owed her coin for the first potion. “What potion did she make for you? Whom did you poison?”

  Panic flared in Kenric’s black eyes, and Bria knew she’d hit the mark.

  “You already know too much,” Kenric retorted as anger replaced his panic.

  The two guards drew nearer and Bria knew she had to escape. She brought her heel down hard on Kenric’s foot. As he grimaced in pain and released his grip on her arm slightly, Bria shoved him away from her.

  She turned and lifted her heavy skirt to dash away. She raced through the brush, managing to reach the dirt road nearby. But then something hit her from behind and she felt arms around her waist. She hit the ground hard, wiggling and twisting, trying desperately to free herself.

  “Not this time,” Kenric snarled from behind her, holding her tight. He flipped her over so she faced him, and he straddled her waist, holding her arms down.

  Bria fought, expecting to feel a sharp pain in her side from a sword wound or the tip of a dagger run across her throat. But it never came. Instead, a sharp slap stung her cheek. Her head rocked to the side, and for a moment her world teetered.

  Kenric tilted her head back and something bitter entered her mouth. She spit it out immediately. Kenric placed one hand over her mouth and his other beneath her jaw to hold her mouth shut. “Take it, bitch,” he snarled.

  Poison! She tried to open her mouth, but Kenric was stronger. She fought, hitting him again and again, trying not to swallow. But the bitter taste slid down deeper and deeper into her throat until she could do nothing but swallow.

  She opened her eyes in horror and saw his evil visage looming above her. His hands clenched tight around her face, and her head was locked in the crook of his arm. “You see, dear Bria, it wasn’t all that bad. Had you not run from me the first time, I would have killed you then, and your horrendous marriage to Lord Knowles and subsequent rape by him could have been averted.” He released her and sat up.

  Bria pulled away from him, moving back on her bottom. “Terran didn’t rape me.” She spit as hard as she could. The bitter taste remained strong in her mouth. She turned and began to crawl away, but two legs blocked her. She followed the black leggings up to see one of the guards.

  “You can’t leave yet,” Kenric said from behind her. “It takes a little time before the poison works.”

  “You won’t get away with this,” Bria proclaimed.

  “I think I will. I have before.” A smile split Kenric’s lips.

  Bria stared at him in shock. Before? Whom had he killed? Her eyes widened. Odella! Terran hadn’t killed her, Kenric had poisoned her!

  Bria stood. “You bastard,” she hissed. She had to tell Terran! Her gaze swept the clearing. The two guards stood at the ready not feet from her. Kenric leaned against a tree. There was nowhere to run. “You killed Odella!”

  “I told you you knew too much,” Kenric replied.

  “Why?” she demanded. “Why kill her?”

  “It’s of no concern to you,” Kenric said. “You’ll be dead soon.”

  “Then tell me,” Bria insisted. “If I’m dead, I’m no threat to you.”

  “You were never a threat to me,” Kenric retorted.

  Suddenly, Bria’s mouth began to water as nausea twisted her stomach into a wretched knot. Frantically, she looked around as the world spun dizzily about her. Then she turned her back to
Kenric and threw up. Spasms shook her body. She wiped the back of her mouth and realized through her agony that Kenric was talking.

  “Good,” he said. “That is the first sign. Soon, you’ll feel drowsy and fall into unconsciousness. Then you’ll die.”

  “No,” she gasped. Bria had to warn Terran. She had to get to him. But suddenly her body felt heavy.

  No, she thought. I have to get to Terran.

  She fell forward to her knees. Kenric’s boots appeared at her side, and she barely had the strength to lift her gaze to his.

  “Don’t fight it,” he encouraged. “It will all be over within the day.”

  She grabbed his tunic in an effort to stand, but couldn’t pull herself up. Somewhere, laughter drifted through her mind like a distant echo. She had to get to Terran.

  Suddenly, she leaned forward and retched all over Kenric’s boots before collapsing to the leafy ground.

  She forced herself to be absolutely still. She had to get rid of them. If she could get them to leave her, she could mount her horse and ride back to Castle Knowles. Ride? she thought groggily. She could hardly focus. She’d never be able to ride a horse.

  She watched Kenric through her darkening vision. He and his men mounted their horses and in an instant were gone.

  Bria tried to push herself to her feet. She had to reach her horse, which stood in the distance. But her body wouldn’t move. Her hands lay still on the ground, her arms like heavy rocks. She couldn’t lift them.

  Tears entered her eyes. She was going to die here. She wasn’t going to get the chance to warn Terran. Oh, Terran, she thought. I have to tell you. I have to warn you about Kenric. He killed Odella. He’s killing me!

  From far off, she heard a voice. Was Kenric still here? Hadn’t she seen him leave? She struggled to turn her head toward the sound. A million black dots swam before her eyes. Was that someone moving closer? Or was he leaving? Was he running? She couldn’t tell.