Isobail stepped closer to him and replied softly, “And I have thought of you often, since that night in Skane’s camp. The afternoon you robbed me, although you were masked, I knew who was beneath it. I have been seeking you for days. There are many things to discuss.”
“It was best to conceal myself and my men for a while, to convince Skane we were raiding near Lord Orin’s as he commanded. If I had known you… needed or wanted me, I would have raced to you.”
Isobail was snared by his intimate insinuation, along with his good looks and build. A wanton smile curled her lips and she moved even closer to him. “I am more than pleased with you, Gavin Hawk. You are an exceptional man. I was delighted by your recovery of Alysa and by your crafty act. The ransom tale was a clever ruse but I wish I had known about it to avoid looking surprised when she related it. But what of my other jewels, the ones you stole from me on the trail?”
“As you know, m’lady,” Gavin replied, glad his ruse had pleased her, “it had nothing to do with me. Skane has them. When I slay him, I will try to recover them for you.”
“Very well,” Isobail replied. “But how did you-manage to locate her?”
His honeyed voice replied, “One of his men told me; that is how I found her for you. She was a real nuisance, tried to escape twice.”
“I was wondering why we could not locate you before tonight,” Isobail said. “I thought you told Trahern you were looking for Skane but could not find him.” She fingered with his leather garb. “You just said you have been in hiding to avoid Skane. I am confused…”
“At night, sweetness,” he replied casually, “I search for Skane when I can move around without being seen. During the daylight I keep hidden until time for me to return to where he said to meet him. Saturday night,” he answered before she could ask when. “I promise you, by Sunday morning I will be the only leader who is working for you. Perhaps there are other matters I could take care of for you?” he asked, trailing the backs of his fingers over her flushed cheek. He saw her respond instantly and eagerly to his touch. “Soon my days will be filled with work for you, but my nights will be free and barren.”
Isobail glanced toward Trahern, and realized he could not see or hear them. Her fingers snaked up his hard chest to his lips as she responded quietly, “For now, my devilish rogue, mine are neither free nor barren.”
Gavin’s hand slipped behind her head and slowly drew her mouth toward his, halting only a few inches away. His green eyes bored into hers as he echoed, “For now, sweetness? Or forever?”
“Only for as long as it takes to safely replace him with you,” she whispered against his mouth before hungrily slashing hers across his. Never, she realized, had she been so tempted by a man! From the first moment she had seen him, she had been obsessed. When she was queen and Trahern was gone, Gavin must become her love slave.
Isobail was allowed only one blazing, mind-dazing kiss before lightning charged across the cloudy sky and thunder followed it, announcing the arrival of another storm, one of many small and violent ones to torment the land that day. She knew Trahern would be summoning her to depart, so she reluctantly freed herself from Gavin. She felt weak and trembling, and passion raced feverishly within her body. “Keep this between us alone, Gavin Hawk, and you shall have me soon. I will give you pleasures no other woman can.”
“Just as I shall give you something no other man has. You must go before Trahern sees us and causes trouble,” he warned when she reached for him for a parting kiss and caress. He did not think he could bear for this malevolent and satanic woman to touch him again. Gavin vowed silently that he definitely would give her something unique: defeat and possibly death!
“How do you know what is between Trahern and me?” she asked oddly.
Gavin grinned. “From the way Trahern looks at you and touches you, even when he is unaware of his actions and expressions. It is obvious to me there is more than wishful desire pulling at your devoted sheriff. Who can blame him, sweetness? I envy him every moment he spends with you, especially alone. I doubt Trahern will give you up to me or to anyone without a death struggle.”
“Could you beat him in one?” she asked half playfully, half seriously.
“I am certain of it. If you say the word, I will do anything for you, Isobail. When I said I had thought about you often since seeing you, that was not true. Actually, I have dreamed of you, and craved you, and plotted how to get you. If you had been the one kidnapped by Skane’s men, I would not have returned you home for weeks for any reward or because of any threat. Perhaps I would never have released you if I could have gotten away with enslaving you, or if I could have enchanted you beyond your will.”
Gavin’s tone and expression altered while he reasoned aloud. “You are a ruler, Isobail, and I am only a warrior, an adventurer. I am not foolish enough to think I could win you away from such a life, or join it. But for as long and as often as I can have you, I want you.”
“Give me a little time to study this complicated matter and to work it out favorably for us,” she asked, then glanced at the lightning that filled the sky again. “Get rid of Skane before Sunday, and I will send Trahern to Lord Orin’s and other places to weigh my subjects’ loyalty. While he is gone, I will find a way for us to get together many times, if you wish.”
Gavin’s heart nearly stopped in panic. King Bardwyn and his men could not arrive for two more weeks! Gavin knew he did not have enough men to challenge and to battle Isobail, her followers, and her brigands. He had tempted her too successfully, too recklessly. What could he do now?
“You do not answer me, Gavin,” she asked curiously. “Why?”
Trapped, he teased her, saying, “I did not know you asked a question, sweetness. What could keep me away from you if you summoned me?”
Isobail smiled and replied, “I hope nothing, for I want you fiercely.”
“I also want you fiercely,” he responded. I want your defeat fiercely, his mind corrected him. He observed Isobail and Trahern’s departure, then leaned against the rock behind him to figure out an escape to this offensive predicament. He was willing to do many things to snare Isobail and protect his love, but bedding that bitch was too much for anyone to ask of him!
The storms did not subside until noon on Friday, but Alysa refused to go riding with Moran or play games with him downstairs. She claimed she was feeling badly, evoking a visit from Isobail at Moran’s request.
Isobail visited her in her chamber. “My son tells me you are ill, Alysa,” she said. “What troubles you? He says you have been chilly to him since his return. He is hurt and confused. Is there a problem between you two? Can I help solve it?”
Alysa looked at her stepmother pitifully and replied, “I cannot tell him what is wrong; it is too private. The trouble with those bandits brought on my monthly earlier, and I have felt awful for days. I was so queasy Sunday that I could hardly enjoy Kyra’s wedding. My head and belly have ached, and I feel as if I want to scream or cry every few minutes. Nothing helps except to lie down and remain still.” Part of what she was saying was true; her monthly had begun late Saturday, but had ended yesterday, if Isobail boldly checked out her excuse.
Isobail smiled, deciding Alysa’s moodiness and distance from Moran were explained reasonably and truthfully. “I understand. Remain in bed a few days, and I will handle my anxious son for you.”
“Thank you, Isobail. It is simply impossible to respond to his romantic overtures when I feel so terrible and gloomy. This weather has not helped me either. You know I have never liked powerful storms. If only the sun would appear tomorrow,” she murmured.
Isobail patted her arm and tucked the cover around her. “Would you like Thisbe to bring you some warm milk with honey?”
“That would be nice,” Alysa agreed, but did not smile or brighten.
Isobail suggested, “Shall I get Earnon to put something in it to ease the pain and help you sleep? He often does this for me.”
“That sounds wonderful; tha
nk you. Please assuage Moran’s worries and tell him I am truly ill so he will understand my silly behavior.” Alysa decided, when Thisbe arrived with the medicinal drink, she would order a hot bath to soothe her nerves and relax her taut body.
“Of course,” Isobail told her gently, then left. She went to see Earnon first, who headed to the kitchen with a special herb for Alysa’s discomfort and rest. Then she went to see Moran. She told him exactly what was wrong with Alysa and explained such matters.
Moran laughed in delight. “I am glad it is nothing more than naughty nature. I was beginning to worry.”
“I told you not to. The girl is smitten with you. How could she not be enchanted by my only son?” she teased. “Leave her be for a few days, then pursue her hotly once more. She will yield, I promise you, for a woman is most receptive and lustful when ‘naughty nature’ finishes with her.”
The storm had caused the river to rise and flow swiftly, too swiftly for Gavin to find the underwater entrance to the secret passage before tonight. He had paced for two days awaiting this moment.
After dark he entered the water and made his way to the spot Giselde described to him. It took three dives before he found the hole which was half clogged with limbs and other debris. He pushed them aside and swam upward until he surfaced. Locating the stairs with probing toes, he ascended cautiously because they were slick and hazardous. The worst part was the total darkness surrounding him. Never before had he realized how black darkness could be! Barefoot, and attired only in a soaked loincloth, he was miserably chilled.
The odors of rot and mildew that reached his nose were repulsive, but he ignored them. Finally reaching the top of the steps, he searched for the torch and flintstone Giselde said would be in an alcove. He could find neither, so he tried to carry out his intentions in the blackness. Placing a hand against the slimy wall on either side of him, he gingerly traveled onward. When his right hand felt nothing, he assumed he was at the turn near the gatehouse and southwest wall. He continued.
He senses were on full alert, but he heard and felt nothing except a cobweb brushing his head and shoulders here and there, and slime oozing between his toes and around his feet. He presumed this area was too dark, cold, wet, and black for rats and bugs, or at least he hoped so. This time and place reminded him of another one of Giselde’s premonitions: he was in a dark place, but not trapped there, which made two of the eight accurate so far. The first—Alysa away and in great peril—had come to pass although he had rescued Alysa. For a time his mind was distracted in the inky blackness. He wondered if the other premonitions would come true. Was Teague the rival he would save? When? How? What fires and whose suffering loomed in the near future? Alysa, branded a traitor, and he a wolf-shead? Prince Alric and Giselde dead? All of this before the king’s arrival? Could he defend those he loved until Bardwyn’s rescue? Once more Giselde’s words echoed through his troubled mind: “Our victory will depend on you, and you will question your instincts, prowess, wits, and skills"; another warning that had come to pass.
While he groped his way forward, Gavin reflected on how, he had returned the old woman’s wedding ring to her after he found it still hidden in the secret compartment in the ransacked chest in her hut. He pondered how to recover the other jewels Kyra had stolen from the old woman.
His journey seemed endless until he suddenly banged his toes against a rock and nearly howled in pain. Repulsed by contact with the slime, he nonetheless clutched his foot in his hands, massaged his aching toes, and mastered his nausea. When the throbbing ceased, he felt around, discovering spiral stairs. He had to be at the base of Alysa’s tower. Carefully he climbed upward until he reached a landing. He noticed he could feel and smell fresh air, but the night allowed no light to aid him while he fumbled for the latch and found it.
Praying this was Alysa’s chamber and she was alone, Gavin shoved the door open and peered inside. Only a candle was burning near a bed. He slipped into the room and checked the person sleeping there: Princess Alysa Malvern. He smiled, then noticed how filthy he was. Spying the tub, he headed for it. Before rinsing himself with the tepid water, he thought about the door and went to lock it, but it was already bolted.
He quickly bathed and dried off, then washed his dirty tracks from the floor. He approached the bed and sat down near her waist. As he stroked her hair, her lids fluttered and her eyes opened.
Alysa blinked several times, then stared at the incredible sight. Gavin was smiling down at her and caressing her cheek. “If this is a dream, do not arouse me,” she pleaded. Her hands reached for. him and contacted chilly flesh. “You are cold, my love. Lie under here with me,” she said, lifting the edge of the coverlet. Her actions and words were instinctive, for she was still groggy.
Gavin eased his nude body between the covers and snuggled with her, warming almost immediately. “I have been worried about you and aching to see you, m’love. How have you been?”
Now, awakened completely, she replied, “Miserable and lonely without you.” She cuddled against him. “A week is too long to go without seeing and touching you.”
“One day is too long,” he replied huskily. “Tell me everything.”
Alysa did, even modestly relating her visit from Isobail this evening. “What has taken place with you, my love?” she asked after she had finished. “I have worried so about you since Piaras told me of Giselde. She is still missing?”
Gavin began an episode he dreaded, but knew must take place. “I know, m’love, but she is fine.” As Alysa stared at him, he disclosed Kyra’s attack and theft, and Giselde’s survival and escape.
Consternation filled Alysa’s blue eyes. “I knew Kyra was wicked, but not this bad. She married Sunday and left Malvern Castle, I hope forever. What would my stepsister want with dangerous herbs? I wonder if Kyra was fetching them for her evil mother or for Earnon. Perhaps those plants or berries are the ones that keep Father abed or drove Baltair mad. My friend is dead, you know, it was a terrible thing. But tell me, how did you find Giselde?”
Gavin answered, “After I left you here, I went to visit her. I worried over the signs of trouble in her hut, and I searched for her for days and did not find her. I am sure Kyra believes she killed Giselde. Indeed, the old woman would have died if the Druid priest had not found her soon after the attack and tended her in his cave. Trosdan came to my camp Tuesday and took me to her. Wait,” he entreated when she started to ask questions. “There is more you must know. Remember when you made your confessions in the brigand camp and in the cave?” he said, and she nodded, her dark sapphire eyes wide and full of rising panic. “There are some confessions I must make tonight, and you must hear me out and understand, and forgive me.”
Alysa’s alarm increased. “What is it, Gavin?” she asked reluctantly, fearing this unknown, this nerve-racking mystery, and his strange mood.
“There have been many secrets between us since we met, m’love. We had the same fearful torments, but it is time to vanquish them.” He inhaled deeply and quietly before saying, “I am not unreachable for you, Alysa, nor unworthy of you. I am not an adventurer or a mercenary or a bandit of any kind, and never have been. I am not Gavin Hawk, nor in your land by chance or for hire.”
He gazed into her eyes, which were focused intently on his face. He knew from her respiration that her heart was pounding forcefully in distress. Her bewildered expression seemed to ask: What are you? Who are you? As if she could not speak, she remained silent and watchful.
He continued, “I am Prince Gavin Crisdean, son of King Briac Crisdean of Cumbria. King Bardwyn sent me here to study the trouble in Damnonia and to unmask its villains. I was ordered to reveal my identity and mission to no one. Partly with your help, I gathered proof against your stepmother and the brigands, and I sent word to King Bardwyn to summon his help. Your grandfather should arrive with his men in twelve to fifteen days and defeat Princess Isobail and her henchmen.”
Alysa’s look said she was stunned by this revelation. Gavin quickl
y went on. “At first I could not tell you anything about me or my actions because of the same reasons why you could not confide in me. Later I had to keep silent to protect you. When I learned how brave you were, I feared you would never sit still while I handled everything. I knew you would insist on helping me unmask Isobail, and I could not allow you to endanger yourself or this crucial mission. Giselde is the one who initially sent for help from your grandfather; she wanted to protect you during this mess because she loves you very much. Giselde and I have been working together since my arrival. King Bardwyn sent me to uncover the truth before he and his troops rode into this country. He could not invade without proof of Giselde’s charges. I was instructed to get that proof, and to tell you nothing until your king arrived. But Giselde told me about the secret passageway to you from outside the castle, and I can hold silent to you no longer, Alysa, for I love you. I know you love me and trust me, so I cannot mislead you. I beg you, m’love, do nothing except be patient and careful until these dangerous days are over.”
Alysa’s eyes wandered over his face. Giselde and Gavin had worked together since before she met him, and she had discussed each with the other. Dismayed by his incredible confession, she spoke hoarsely, “You and Granmannie have been lying to me all this time. You doubted my wits, as if I possess none. If you two really love me, why did both of you deceive me? Why was I never included in your plans? Why was I left to worry and fear when the truth could prevent them?”
Gavin tried to recall each of her rapid questions so he could answer them. “I duped you no more than you duped me, m’love. I thought you were a servant, while I was a prince, one day a king; that is why I kept telling you a future between us was impossible. Yet I came to love you and want you more than my own life, and I was determined to find a way to keep you. You felt the same; as a princess and future ruler, you viewed love and marriage to a warrior impossible. We both worried over an-irresistible attraction which we feared could go nowhere—but it can, m’love. Are you not happy that we are matched perfectly and can marry when this trouble is settled?”
Wild Is My Love Page 35
