When at last the trembling stopped, Mara raised her face to his. "I am glad that he is dead, Tajarez. I wanted to kill him myself."
"Hush, beloved. Hush. It is all over." He rocked her in his arms, feeling closer to her than he had ever felt to anyone in his life. He knew if Anias had harmed her he would not have survived her death by very long. He would not have stayed in a world without her. He tried to control the shudder that racked his body.
They heard a commotion outside the tepee, and Mara heard Jeffery's voice calling her name.
Tajarez smiled slightly. "It would seem that we have been rescued." He rose quickly and rolled Anias's body over and took his knife. "See to the babies. No harm will come to you now."
Before Mara could answer he was out of the tepee standing guard against any intruders who might try and enter. Tajarez was soon joined by Jeffery. The two of them watched as the Lagonda warriors quickly overcame the resistance of the Utes. Soon all of the Ute tribe was rounded up into one large group, awaiting the judgment of Tajarez.
"Is my sister safe?" Jeffery asked.
Tajarez laughed and clapped Jeffery on the shoulder. "She is magnificent."
The baby?" Jeffery asked.
"You will see later. Right now I must deal with the Utes."
Jeffery accompanied him to where the Utes were being detained by a large force of fierce-looking Lagonda warriors.
"Which of you is the chief?" Tajarez asked, speaking the language of the Ute.
A man of medium height and graying hair stepped forward and faced Tajarez proudly. "I am Black Hawk, chief of the Ute," he said crisply.
"Listen to me, Black Hawk, and you, the people of the Ute nation. I am Tajarez, King of the Lagonda. You harbored among you my enemy, Anias, who had slain my father and abducted my queen. This angers me greatly. I know that Anias tricked you, but that does not save you from my displeasure. However, I am going to be lenient with you this time. I will not ask for your lives, but you will leave this land that has been yours for many generations. You will be allowed to gather your belongings, then we will burn the village. Never return to this land, for to do so would mean your death."
Black Hawk stared at Tajarez. He had heard much of this prince, or king, he was now. The Indian tribes all feared and respected the Lagondas, who lived in a hidden valley. He had often seen members of the tribe riding through his lands, but he had never spoken to them. He was in awe of the tall king who stood before him now. Seeing Tajarez standing so proud and arrogant before him, he knew how he had been tricked by the other man who bore some resemblance to this mighty king. But there was no question in his mind that this man was the true king of the Lagonda. He knew that he and his people were in fact fortunate that they were being allowed to escape with their lives, for there were stories of how ruthless the Lagonda could be when they had been crossed. None of the Indians knew the exact location of the Seven Cities, and none wanted to know, for to find them would mean certain death.
"I did not know that the white woman was your queen. I was told by the imposter that he was the king, and helped him, thinking he was you."
"This does not excuse you, Black Hawk, but because of my cousin's treachery and deceit, I will also spare your life. Look well upon my face, Black Hawk and remember, if you ever see me again, it will be the day you die. Go now, and make ready for your departure."
Mara picked up her sleeping babies and placed them gently in the basket. She was startled when she heard Tanka's voice beside her. "I have brought you one of my dresses to wear, Mara. You cannot travel as you are."
Mara took the doeskin dress from Tanka and smiled. "How can I thank you for what you have done? It is because of you that we live."
"I did not do it for you. I did it for Tajarez," Tanka said softly.
Mara took her hand. "I know why you did it, Tanka. We both love him."
"But it is you he loves, Mara. I saw just how much he loves you today." She looked down at the dead body of Anias. "I must leave quickly. Tajarez will want my death if he finds me."
"He would never harm you, Tanka. You saved us from Anias."
Tanka looked at Mara, her face stiff. "You do not know Tajarez very well if you think he will let me live after I helped Anias. He will never forget or forgive that."
"Where will you go?"
"I go with the Ute. Because I am of the Lagonda tribe they have offered me respect." Tanka bent down and touched both sleeping babies lightly. Then she slipped through the back of the tepee silently.
Tajarez entered just seconds after Tanka had left. Going down on his knees, he looked at the sleeping babies. Lifting the tiny girl in his arms, he held her to his cheek. "She is so tiny, and her skin is so soft." His voice shook with emotion. Holding her tiny hand in his, he stared at it in amazement, then he kissed the tiny rosebud mouth. His daughter did not stir, nor did she open her eyes. She slept peacefully, not the least impressed that she had just stolen her father's heart.
Tajarez laid her down gently and picked up his son. Pride flashed in his eyes as he held him to his chest. The baby opened his eyes and stretched his arms over his head. Then he fixed his eyes on his father's face. His green gaze was penetrating, for it struck his father's heart.
"My son," Tajarez said proudly. "My immortality." He nestled the baby close to his chest. He felt such pride, such love. He was speechless for a moment, knowing he had not the words to express what he was feeling.
Mara knelt beside him. "Our son is wonderful, is he not?"
"He is magnificent. Never has there been a prince such as he."
Mara touched Tajarez's arm. "I am sure Hamez felt much the same when you were born."
Tajarez's eyes narrowed and he felt pain in his heart. "I regret that he did not live to see his grandchildren. He would have been so proud."
"He knows, Tajarez. Wherever he is, he knows."
Tajarez placed his infant son in the basket beside his sleeping sister and rose abruptly to his feet. "We must go now, Mara." Picking up the basket in one hand and slipping his arm around Mara's shoulder, he steered her out of the tepee. Neither of them paid the slightest attention to the dead body of Anias.
Mara looked about her at the burning village. The smell of singed leather from the burning tepees filled her nostrils. A Lagonda warrior set fire to the tepee they had just left.
Tajarez was pushed aside by an eager Jeffery, and Mara was enfolded in a bone-crushing bear hug by her brother. He held her so tightly she thought her bones would be crushed.
"I thought I would never see you again," Jeffery said in English.
Mara answered him in the language of the Lagonda. "As you can see, I am not so easy to be rid of."
"Pest," he said, kissing her soundly on the cheek.
Mara's eyes widened in shock as she looked over her brother's shoulder and saw Palomas. He was not dead as she had feared, but was very much alive. She felt great joy as she untangled herself from Jeffery's arms and raced across the space that divided her from Palomas. Calling his name, she threw herself into his arms.
"You are alive," she cried. "I thought you were dead." His arms enfolded her. His joy at seeing her was plainly written on his rugged face.
Tajarez's eyes narrowed as he watched his wife kiss Palomas on the cheek. Jeffery smiled at his brother-in-law's anger. "Not the way you would expect the queen of the Seven Cities to act, is it? But it is typically Mara. Relax, it is you she loves. I suspect Palomas is my rival, not yours. She would give him the love of a brother."
Tajarez's facial muscles relaxed and his mouth twitched, knowing Jeffery spoke the truth.
A cloud of dust joined the smoke from the burning village as the Ute tribe rode away from the place they had called home for so long. Tajarez watched them with a frown on his face. "Anias's treachery reaches beyond his death to punish," he said, not even aware he had spoken aloud. Then he turned to Jeffery. "You have not seen my son or your niece, Jeffery."
"What?" Jeffery said in amazement as he peered
into the basket and saw the twins. He went down on his knees for a closer look at his sister's sleeping babies. The basket was soon surrounded by fierce warriors who stared in awe at their new princess and the tiny prince royal. Tajarez stood back proudly with his arms folded across his broad chest, feeling superior for being the father of the most beautiful babies ever to draw breath.
It was a happy group that rode away from the smoldering ruins of the village. Palomas and Jeffery each held a sleeping baby in their arms, each very much aware of the infant entrusted to his care. Palomas looked down at the sleeping princess he held, wishing she would awaken so he could see her green eyes once more. Jeffery held the future king of the Seven Cities in his arms, but to him the child was more than a mere prince royal, he was his sister's child, and his nephew.
That night they camped beside a river with the majestic mountains that surrounded the hidden valley visible in the distance.
Jeffery and Tajarez sat beside the campfire that was set apart from the rest of the group to give Mara some small privacy as she fed and tended her babies.
"How was it that you found the Ute camp, Jeffery? You came at a very opportune moment."
"Sagas told me that you were in danger. He told me to gather a large party of warriors and ride to your aid. He told me exactly where the camp was located, although he said he had never been there. I begin to believe he can really see into the future."
"Believe it, Jeffery, for it is so."
"Imagine my sister having twins," Jeffery said. "It must have been quite a surprise to you."
"More of a shock. The people will be overjoyed. To my knowledge there have never been twins in the royal family before now."
"You can thank Mara for them. My grandfather on my mother's side was a twin, as was my mother."
Tajarez leaned back on the cool grass and rested his head on his arms. His gaze traveled to Mara, who was sitting on a fur robe holding both of the babies in her arms and humming softly to them.
"You would have been proud of your sister today, Jeffery. You should have seen the way she stood up to Anias so brave and unafraid."
Jeffery nodded. "That does not surprise me. She has always been exceptional. Anias did not touch her, did he?" Jeffery asked. The possibility had been nagging at his mind.
"Not in the way you mean, but he would have, if I had not slain him." Tajarez remembered Anias touching Mara, kissing her soft lips. He sat up quickly. "Jeffery, you watch the babies."
Walking over to Mara, he took the infants from her and placed them in the basket. Pulling Mara to her feet, he lifted her into his arms and carried her toward the river.
She slid her hands around his neck. "Where are you taking me, Tajarez?"
Sitting her on her feet beside the riverbank, he shielded her body with his as he lifted her dress over her head. He picked her up once more and carried her into the river. "I am going to wash every part of your body that Anias touched with his filthy hands."
Mara had been expecting some resentment from him because Anias had touched her. In fact she had dreaded it, not knowing what form his anger would take. Tajarez dunked her head under the water and Mara sputtered and gasped, trying to catch her breath. Then he proceeded to wash her all over with rough hands. When he was satisfied that every trace of Anias had been washed from her body, he carried her to the riverbank and pulled her dress over her still wet body. Then he sat down on the grass and pulled her into his lap.
It was a dark night. The crescent-shaped moon gave off very little night. Mara could just make out the rugged, handsome face of her husband. She could sense the scowl on his face. She knew how jealous he had been on occasion, and today he had been pushed to the limit. She waited for him to speak, fearing the worst.
"Mara, are you hurt in any way? When Anias struck you, did he injure you?"
"No, I am not hurt, Tajarez."
"Did he ever strike you other than today?"
"Only when he first abducted me. Other than that he was kind to me in his own way."
"I would not be able to bear it if he had harmed you or caused you pain." There was a world of feeling in Tajarez's voice.
She placed her hands on either side of his face. "It is over. We can now put it out of our minds. Anias is dead. He can no longer harm us, nor can anyone as long as we are together."
Tajarez crushed her to him. "Today you saw me at my worst, Mara. You saw me humbled before Anias, begging him not to touch you. Will you ever be able to forget that I, the king of the Lagonda, cried like a helpless child? Loving you has done this to me, Mara."
"I was very proud of you, today, Tajarez. You did not beg for yourself, but for me and the babies. I know no greater proof that you love me. There will be times in the future when you will be unbending and arrogant, and even turn one of your icy stares on me, but you will never be able to convince me that you do not love me. I saw proof of that love today, and that is what I will always remember."
She felt his lips on her throat. Then they moved slowly up her neck to her lips. He did not kiss her at first, but rested his lips against the corner of her mouth. "I love you so deeply, my beloved. Is it true what you told me today? Do you also love me?"
"More than words can say, my tall, handsome husband."
His mouth finally closed over hers and Mara caught her breath at the glorious feeling that embraced her heart.
"I have been so empty, so alone without you, beloved," he whispered against her lips. "Breathe life into me once more. Love me, hold me, Mara." His voice was thick with desire as his lips covered hers once more. Then he groaned and pushed her gently away from him. "I am not made of stone, Mara, and I cannot make love to you in front of the whole tribe."
"No, you are most certainly not made of stone, my husband."
He pulled her against him once more. His breath stirred her hair as he leaned his face against hers. She felt weak with longing, and would gladly have abandoned herself to him regardless of the warriors who were not more than fifty paces from them at that moment.
Standing up, Tajarez placed her on her feet. "Come, we must return to camp. Tonight you will sleep in my arms and I will be in agony. Tomorrow night you will be awake in my arms and I shall be in paradise."
As they returned to the camp Mara noticed that all but the warriors who were standing guard were bedded down for the night. Jeffery had fallen asleep, his hand resting protectively on the basket where the twins slept. Tajarez woke his brother-in-law and sent him to his own robe.
Mara curled up in Tajarez's arms. How good it felt to have his strong arms around her once more. She was lying on her side with her back pressed tightly against his body; his face was resting against hers.
"Have you thought what we will call the babies?" he whispered, trying to pull his mind away from the soft curves that were pressing into his body. "We cannot go around calling them baby. That will sound strange when my son reaches my height."
Mara laughed softly. "I did not name them because I wanted you to help me with their names."
"Were you so sure I would find you, then?"
"To be honest with you, I thought you might be glad to be rid of me."
His arms tightened around her. "Did I hurt you so badly that you did not believe I loved you?"
She hesitated. "I did not think you wanted me or the babies."
His heart contracted at the pain he heard in her voice. "The truth is I loved you too much."
"I know that now, Tajarez. I will always know you love me.
Tajarez wondered how he had been chosen by the Great Father to have this beautiful woman as his queen. He did not for one moment feel he was worthy of her. The Great Father had reached across time and space to choose him as the lover of the Golden One. He felt humbled, and knew that he would strive to be worthy of her.
They talked quietly, not wanting to be overheard by anyone who might be awake.
Tajarez smiled against her face. "It seems I spend half my time rescuing you from those who would take y
ou for themselves. Must I post extra guards at the palace to keep what is mine? Perhaps if you were ugly . . ." His smile deepened. "Yes, if you were ugly, it would solve all of my problems."
Mara turned to face him. "Do you think me beautiful, Tajarez?"
He moved his head slightly. He could not see her face in the dim moonlight, but every detail of it was burned into his mind. "No flower has a petal that is as soft as your skin. No bird that sings in the garden at the palace has a voice so sweet as yours. The color of your eyes rivals the trees and the grasses. Your hair puts the color of the noonday sun to shame. Your body is perfection. Your face has long haunted me. When you are angry with me, I am in the depths of despair, and when you smile, I feel as though my heart will burst within me. If there is more to beauty than this, it is the kindness of your heart and the love you give to others."
Mara felt tears sting her eyes at his beautiful declaration of love. They were both quiet for a long time, just holding each other and feeling a bond so strong that time could never alter. Finally Tajarez spoke. "Would you mind if we named my son after my father, Mara?"
"That is what I hoped you would say, Tajarez. You do not know that I held your father in my arms as he died." Her voice broke, and it was almost impossible for her to go on, but she wanted Tajarez to know Hamez had not been alone when he died. There was a tightening in her throat for the man whom she had loved and called father.
"Tell me," Tajarez urged gently.
Tears fell freely down her cheeks. "H ... he knew that he was dying and that Anias was taking me away. Oh, Tajarez, he looked at me with the saddest expression in his eyes, and he said, fI am sorry, my daughter, that I have not the strength to help you.'"
Tajarez held her tightly and felt the sobs that shook her body. "He loved you, Mara. He often told me how much you brightened up his life."
"Tajarez, I never respected a man more than Hamez. I loved him very much, and I will miss him."
"Many people will miss him, Mara. If at the end of my life I command as much love and respect as he did, I will consider I have done my best. You and I have a great responsibility facing us, Mara. The best tribute we can pay my father is to rule the Seven Cities with love and justice." He raised her face and kissed the tears away. He felt grief as she did at the loss of his father, but he would not give in to his tears. He had cried today, but he vowed he would never again give in to that weakness, at least outwardly. It was unheard of for a Lagonda warrior to weep, let alone the king. Feeling the sting of tears in his eyes, he fought for control. Great Father, was he becoming as a woman? He searched for something to distract him from his grief. "Mara, what will we call our daughter? Would you like to name her for your mother?"
Savage Desire (Savage Lagonda 1) Page 41
