A Warrior's Heart (Shields)

by Grant, Donna

  “If you knew who had killed your family, would you go after them? Would you have your revenge?”

  His arms dropped to his side and he took a step toward her, his eyes widening. “Is that what happened to you?”

  Jayna hastily shook her head. “Would you?”

  For a long moment Roderick stared at her. “Aye,” he finally answered. “I would.”

  “You asked me what my peace was, my lord. What is yours?”

  Roderick closed his eyes and lifted his face to the cloud laden sky. “I would take my wife and return to Thales. The Great Evil would be vanquished once and for all, and the threat hovering over my realm and this one would end.”

  “You must love Elle very much.”

  His face lowered and his eyes opened to look at her. “I cannot begin to describe my love for her. But you must understand how I feel. You said you were in love.”

  “Real love wouldn’t have betrayed me, my lord. What I thought was love was only a shimmer of the true emotion you hold within you.”

  “What a pair we are,” Roderick said with a smile.

  It was infectious, and Jayna found herself returning the smile.

  “Come,” he said and offered his arm. “Let us return inside where Elle will see that you are indeed all right. She worries deeply for you.”

  Jayna’s toe caught on a step and the world tilted toward her. Her heart pounded roughly against her chest. Elle worries deeply for you. Roderick’s words repeated over and over in her mind.

  Hands, big and strong, gripped her shoulders and righted her. She raised her gaze to find Roderick staring down at her with his dark blue eyes.

  “Jayna?”

  “There is ice on the steps,” she said weakly, praying he believed the lie.

  After a moment, he nodded his head and took her arm to steady her as they climbed the remainder of the steps to the door.

  As soon as she stepped inside, the warmth of the castle enveloped her. No sooner had she handed her cloak to Roderick than Elle and Shannon raced up to her, leading her to the blazing fire.

  Jayna found the lump in her throat growing and tears stinging the backs of her eyes again. She blinked away the tears and smiled as Elle and Shannon talked.

  Jayna didn’t even try to keep up with their conversation. She was too busy wondering how they would feel about her once she killed Gabriel.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Jayna knew the moment Gabriel and the others entered the bailey. It was as if her body was attuned to Gabriel’s in a way that defied description.

  Before they entered the great hall, Jayna rose and moved to the shadows. She watched as Hugh, Cole, Val, and Gabriel filed into the castle, all of them looking grim. Whatever they had set out looking for, they must have found it.

  She released her breath when she realized Gabriel didn’t have any injuries.

  Get a hold of yourself, Jayna. He’s immortal, remember?

  He might be, but it wouldn’t be the same if she killed a man who was already weak from another wound. She wanted him hail and hearty when she plunged the dagger in his heart.

  She fingered the dagger up her sleeve and knew it was time to take a step closer to finishing her mission. She turned on her heel and hurried to her chamber. She needed to make herself as alluring to Gabriel as she could.

  There had been a time all she had to do was smile at him and he was by her side. But this Gabriel was different. This Gabriel would need more coaxing.

  * * * *

  Gabriel dusted the snow from his feet and held out his hands before the hearth.

  The storm had only worsened by the time they returned to Stone Crest, and had they not known the land as well as they did, they could have become lost.

  Lost. He knew that word well. He had been lost for so long he didn’t know any other way. The image of the woman in his dream flashed in his mind.

  He desperately needed to know if she was someone from his past. How he longed to see her entire face, to know that the smile she showed him was for him.

  With a curse he surged to his feet. It was only because the other Shields had found their mates that the loneliness was more visible. He might envy the others finding their women, but he would never wish it otherwise. If he was destined to walk alone, then he would.

  “Gabriel.”

  He turned to find Roderick behind him. By the way Roderick’s lips were flattened and his forehead frowned, something was wrong. “What is it?”

  “Have you learned anything else from Jayna?”

  He shook his head. “Nothing more than what Mina and Hugh were told. Jayna is very careful not to say more than she has before. She keeps her secrets close.”

  “Aye,” Roderick said softly as he rubbed his chin with his thumb and forefinger. He dropped his hand then. “She spoke of wanting peace from her ghosts today.”

  “Ghosts?” Gabriel repeated.

  “Ghosts. She has admitted to several of us now that she does seek revenge. With the threat of the Great Evil, we need to know where she stands.”

  Gabriel sighed. He knew what it was Roderick wanted. It was the same thing Hugh had asked of him. Seduction. The worst part about it was that he was looking forward to seducing Jayna. There was something intriguing about her, something that made Gabriel want to be near her at all times. And the more he was around her, the more the feeling grew.

  “She’ll talk once you’ve bedded her,” Roderick said.

  Gabriel ran a hand down his face as he sighed. “You make it sound so easy, my friend. Cole was the charmer of women, not me. I cannot woo her with just a smile. Besides, she does have feelings. I haven’t used a female before, and I’d prefer to not start now.”

  Roderick took a step closer to him. “Gabriel, I’m begging you. I like Jayna, but if she is in any way connected with the Great Evil, she must not remain here. I cannot jeopardize Elle’s life.”

  “All right,” he reluctantly agreed. Gabriel could see just how much it meant to Roderick, and because the Shields were his brethren, his family, he would do whatever they asked.

  Roderick let out a loud sigh. “Thank you.”

  “Don’t thank me yet, brother. I haven’t bedded her,” he said as he walked away.

  “You will.”

  Gabriel hesitated at Roderick’s words before he wearily walked up the stairs to his chamber. There was so much confusion at Stone Crest. The Chosen had no idea how to bring down the Great Evil as they were supposed to. The Shields had no idea how they were going to battle the Harpy and the Gargoyle. No one knew why Jayna was at the castle, or if she meant one of them harm. And now the problem with the clear substance in his chamber as well as the monastery.

  He sighed loudly. Too much disorder and not near enough answers. He sensed that the odds weren’t in their favor of winning, but hadn’t the Great Evil eluded to that very thing in Scotland?

  The Shields had fought the creatures for so long, managing to win when it seemed doom was inevitable, but now...now was different. It seemed the entire world held its breath, waiting for the final hammer stroke that would end all as they knew it.

  Gabriel had a difficult time believing that all the work the Shields had done was for naught. If they could find at least one answer in all the whirlwind, then it would help right some of the chaos.

  Maybe.

  * * * *

  Gabriel ran his hands through his still damp hair. He was nervous. Nervous!

  Of all the emotions he thought he might feel at the prospect of seducing Jayna, being nervous wasn’t one of them. Though he didn’t proclaim to be a lover of Cole’s proportions, he’d had his fair share of women.

  “Damnation,” he growled and stormed from his chamber. If he sat and worried about it any longer, he wouldn’t carry through with it.

  He told himself it was because Jayna could be an innocent and by duping her with a seduction, he would be hurting her. That was partly it, but the other part, the part that urged him to sink into her body, told him t
heir joining would be right.

  His steps slowed as he came to the stairs. If he ventured down, he would find the other Shields in the great hall, but if he ventured down and to the right, he would find himself in front of Jayna’s chamber.

  Just the thought of her chamber led him to think of her bed, of him gently laying her on the bed and kissing her sweet flesh. He could see her beautiful hazel eyes grow dark with desire and her body quiver with need as he brought her to her release.

  A soft touch on his arm brought him out of his thoughts. And he found himself staring down at none other than Jayna.

  “You look deep in thought, my lord,” she said, her husky voice moving over him like the warmth of the sun.

  “Aye,” he answered.

  She lowered her gaze demurely, then smiled up at him. “I am glad to see that you are indeed immortal. You had everyone worried.”

  “Everyone?” He didn’t know what was wrong with him that he repeated everything she said.

  Her dusky pink lips turned up at the corners. “You had me worried.”

  The thought of her concerned for him sent a jolt through him. “You don’t even know me.”

  “Odd isn’t it?” she asked. “I can’t help how I feel, though.”

  Her words tugged to a memory long forgotten. He stood before a golden throne, a tall man wearing a jeweled crown stared down at him, his dark eyes unfriendly and disapproving.

  “I cannot help how I feel, sire. I love her.”

  “-rial?”

  He jerked and stepped back. He could still feel the sting of anger and fear of rejection from that memory. He had spoken to a king about a woman he loved. But what king? What realm?

  What woman?

  “Gabriel?”

  He looked down at the soft hands wrapped around his arm. His gaze moved up her slim arms to her face and the concern clouding her beautiful hazel depths.

  “You have beautiful eyes,” he said suddenly. “Has anyone ever told you that?”

  She swallowed and released him. “One other person.”

  An awkward silence followed. Gabriel wasn’t good with wooing women, he didn’t know the flowery words to tell them.

  “What happened to you a moment ago?”

  He blinked and leaned against the wall. “Something you said made me remember something.”

  “Really?” she asked. Though her voice sounded happy, her expression was guarded almost as if she was afraid of what he had remembered.

  He shrugged. “The memory didn’t tell me any more than I already know.”

  Nay. It told me much more. It told me that I had loved. Deeply.

  “I was wondering if you would give me more of a tour of the castle?” Jayna looked at him with wide eyes, her expression hopeful.

  Since Gabriel had been searching for a way to be alone with her, he readily grasped her offer. “Of course. How about some of the splendid views of the towers?”

  “Lead the way.”

  Gabriel took her hand and tucked it in the crook of his arm. He shortened his steps and turned her down the corridor.

  “Isn’t this the way to Lord Hugh and Lady Mina’s chamber?”

  He smiled down at her. “You’ve a good memory. Aye, their chamber is at the end of the hall. However, we’re going a different route.”

  She asked no more questions as they walked silently along the hallway. It was comfortable silence, like old friends content to be in each other’s company as they walked.

  Or lovers looking for a secluded spot.

  He mentally shook himself and turned her to the left just after his chamber. “The stairway is narrow and very steep in parts.”

  “I’ll manage,” she said over her shoulder. Her smile and the excitement lighting her eyes made it all worthwhile.

  He followed her up the stairs, trying in vain to wrench his gaze away from the alluring sway of her hips. He could just imagine running his hands along her bottom and the curve of her hips, the indention of her waist.

  White-hot desire flooded him, his rod becoming hard and aching with just a thought. Gabriel clenched his teeth together and tried to focus on anything other than Jayna. But it was impossible.

  She was...well, she was different. She wasn’t like any woman he had ever met. Her spirit, her courage and her beauty were unmatched by anyone. He saw the darkness in her as well, which only made him want her all the more, because she didn‘t try to hide the darkness. She accepted it as part of herself.

  Suddenly, she stopped and Gabriel found himself a few steps below her, their faces just breaths apart.

  “I’m not a commoner.”

  He smiled. He didn’t know why she had confessed to her lie, but he was terribly glad that she had. “I know.”

  “And you’re not going to make me leave?”

  There was something in her eyes. Was it hope? Did she want to leave? Gabriel shook his head. “We’ve all known from the very beginning that you weren’t a commoner. A blind man could see it in the way you walk, the way you carry yourself, and most importantly, by how you speak.”

  After a moment’s hesitation, she continued up the narrow stairway. Gabriel was disappointed. He thought she might have divulged more of her reasons for coming to Stone Crest, though he kept a small vein of hope that it was just by chance that she had happened upon the castle.

  It wasn’t long before they came to the north tower. The square room overlooked most of the castle, though it wasn’t the tallest of the towers.

  He came up behind her as she slowly entered the tower, her gaze taking in the nearly empty chamber. Only a few chairs and a small table occupied this tower.

  “Not what you expected?” he asked.

  She tossed a grin over her shoulder. “The castle is very grand, and I do suppose I expected something more for the towers. Almost like a sanctuary of sorts for Mina and Hugh.”

  “There are other towers. This one is used mostly by the knights since it has a direct view of the road leading to Stone Crest.”

  “Ah. Which explains only the chairs and table.” She ran her hand along the table as she walked around it. “You don’t seem at all concerned that I lied,” she said softly.

  Gabriel turned from the window and crossed his arms over his chest as he regarded her. “It isn’t that I’m not concerned that you felt the need to lie, which makes us wary of you. What concerns me more than anything right now is defeating the evil and anything that stands in the way of us succeeding.”

  “I understand.” Her eyes had taken on a faraway look, as though she were remembering something very dear to her. She blinked and focused her eyes on him. “Did you find what you went to search for this morn?”

  “Hugh wanted a look at something Cole and I had found a few days ago.”

  She lowered her gaze and took a step toward him. “I’ve seen many things in my life, Gabriel, and I hate to admit it, but those creatures terrified me.”

  “We’ve an entire castle to protect from the creatures. You’ll be safe as long as you stay inside.”

  She gradually raised her gaze to his. Sadness flashed briefly in her eyes. “Aye, I should be safe.”

  Gabriel didn’t know what propelled him toward Jayna. Maybe it was the loneliness that seemed to radiate from her like the glow of the moon or maybe it was because he didn’t want to deny himself another moment. But whatever it was, one moment he was leaning against the wall and the next he stood before her gazing into her lovely hazel eyes.

  “It’s odd, you know,” he found himself saying as his hand came up to rub the ends of her braid between his fingers. Her golden locks were made to be loose and flowing about her.

  Her entire body stilled. “What is?”

  “How familiar you are to me. It’s as if I know you, though that cannot possibly be true. If I did know you it might explain why I can’t seem to keep my hands from you.”

  In answer, she simply smiled. Her eyes that had once seemed like great pools of despair were now focused on him like a falc
on eyeing its prey.

  “Why try to explain our feelings,” she said, her voice low and husky as she raised a hand and placed it on his arm. “I’ve learned the best thing to do is just feel.”

  Gabriel stared at her parted lips. Her lashes lowered, and his breathing quickened. By the heavens, it was near torture not to take her lips. Then he remembered her words.

  Just feel.

  He dipped his head and captured her lips with his own. It was as if the world had awakened then, shaking off its gray mantel and shining brightly. Yet, he couldn’t be parted from Jayna to enjoy it. The need to taste more of her, feel more of her was stronger than his need to breathe.

  His mouth moved over hers, gently at first then more insistent as his desire for her grew. His hands slid around her trim waist then moved up her sides until he felt the weight of her breasts touch the outside of his hands.

  The yearning, nay need, to feel her body beneath his nearly brought him to his knees. Never had he experienced such longing before and it both frightened and intrigued him.

  A soft sigh escaped her when he slid his tongue along her plump lips. It was all the encouragement he needed. He pulled her against him, needing her to feel how desperately he wanted her.

  Her arms wrapped around his neck as her fingers threaded through his hair. Gabriel’s skin shivered as chills raced through him. But still he needed more.

  He slipped his tongue between her lips and was rewarded with a soft moan of pleasure. The more he tasted her, the more he wanted. She was like fine wine, heady and addictive.

  Their kisses turned frantic as need drove their bodies closer. And when she rubbed against his throbbing cock, it was all Gabriel could do not to lay her back on the table and take her right then, his desire was so great.

  But he also wanted to see her splendid flesh devoid of clothing. He wanted to trace every inch of her with his lips, to kiss her sex and watch her writhe with pleasure, to feel the heat of her on his fingers. But most of all, he wanted an entire night to get to know her body.

  Somehow, he managed to break the kiss. When he looked down into her eyes, he was amazed to see the hunger and desire darkening her gaze.