Lords of Retribution (Lords of Avalon series)

by Richards, K. R.

  Still trying to catch his breath, he nodded. “Yes, I believe so.” Lord, he hoped so. That was the most incredible experience he’d ever had!

  “Oh.” She blushed.

  “Here, sweet, let me pin up this piece of hair for you.” Gabriel slipped a tendril of her beautiful hair back into her coiffure, which had fallen loose during their rather heated exertions.

  “Do you wish to return to the Gallery and join the others?” he asked her.

  “No, I’ll just go to my room, but you may return to your family, Gabriel.”

  He couldn’t. He currently had a problem with his cock. No doubt, it would be highly noticeable. “I will retire also. Come, I’ll take you to your room.”

  When Gabriel was certain Senny would be comfortable, he entered his chamber and closed the door behind him. He exhaled in relief. That had been close. Knowing what could happen when they kissed and connected to one another, he decided he must be more careful in the future. He was still hard just thinking about the overpowering experience. Yet, the realization that Senny was capable of great passion pleased him. He truly hadn’t known what to expect from her in that area. Now he knew.

  It was past midnight when Trevan let himself into Wenna’s room. One lone candle glowed on the table beside the bed. Wenna lay in her bed propped upon her pillows. The sheet was pulled up far enough to cover her breasts leaving her bare arms and shoulders revealed. Her red hair spilled freely all about her. It could only mean one thing. His future wife was naked! Trevan grinned broadly. “Well, Wen Pen, I hope it was me you were expecting!”

  “Oh, Trevan!” Wenna exhaled loudly as she threw a pillow at him. Her action caused the sheet to slide down and her naked breasts were enticingly displayed for his viewing pleasure.

  Trevan chuckled as he caught the pillow. He threw it back at her, shrugged out of his coat and began to unfasten his shirt.

  Wenna noted his expression turned serious. His brilliant eyes darkened to a stormy blue as he removed his shirt to reveal his hard, muscled upper torso. He did indeed look to be chiseled from Cornish granite. He sat on the edge of the bed and removed his boots. She watched as he rose, removed his trousers and stood magnificently naked before her, his large cock standing hard and erect.

  “Wen Pen, you’ve made me the happiest man in the world tonight. Not only did you agree to become my wife, my duchess, and love me for eternity, but you await me naked in the bed.” He gave her a wide grin.

  He slid into the bed beside his lady. His hand moved to her nape as he guided her toward him. He kissed her hungrily as his free hand tugged the sheet from her fingers. He looked his fill at her naked body. “You’re the loveliest woman I’ve ever set eyes on.”

  “And you’re quite an ansum man, yourself.” She giggled, her blue-gray eyes twinkling mischievously as her fingers glided through the hair on his hard chest. Her fingers moved lower still, across the rippled muscles of his abdomen until her hand closed about him.

  “I love you Morwenna Penrose, and I’ll spend the rest of my life proving it if I have to.” He brought her palm to his lips and placed a soft kiss to the tender skin. He moved, lowering his head, capturing her full lips with his as he came over her. He set out to prove just how much he loved her. And prove it, he did. Several times.

  Chapter Six

  Senny heard the horses’ hooves pounding against the earth. Together the horses and their riders, dressed in long coats and hats with large brims, were dark shadows against the moonlight. Gravel crunched and spewed as the riders left the grass and came up the long drive leading from the entrance gate to the house. Menadue!

  They barely slowed when they reached the formal entrance area. They shot at the guards. Windows shattered. Doors were kicked in. Senny stood in her nightrail trembling. Everywhere around her, there were screams of horses and men. Shouting erupted from all over the house as the inhabitants awakened to the attack. There was fighting everywhere. Men shouting, women screaming and the deafening sounds of gunshots crashed in upon her. Then there was blood. So much blood.

  Senny sat up with a start. She opened her eyes. It was a dream! Her chest heaved. She tried to get a breath. She tried to calm herself. Then she heard it. The pounding of horses’ hooves in her mind still. She rose and hurried to the window. She looked out and saw a cloud illuminated in the moonlight, rising like a mist far beyond the road and grounds. She could barely make out the horses and riders. They were still far off. The men on watch wouldn’t be able to see them yet from the grounds below for there were gardens, shrubs and stands of trees as well as the wall surrounding the grounds which blocked the view of the approaching riders. She had to tell Gabriel!

  Gabriel held his Zenny in his arms. She was naked and so was he. Oh, how long had he waited for this moment? An eternity it seemed, but there she was, warm and soft in his arms. Passionate and yielding. It was dark, so he couldn’t see her, but he could feel her heat and silken skin against him. His hand found her breast. His other hand slid to the back of her neck and brought her closer, he kissed her hungrily and demandingly, the way he longed to but hadn’t yet been able to. He could feel her passion. He felt her heat, her fire. Then he felt her fear. Raw fear. She pulled away and called out to him. “Gabriel! Gabriel!”

  Concerned, he asked her, “Zenny, love what is it?”

  “Gabriel!”

  He felt hands pulling at his arm. The urgency in her voice was evident. Gabriel opened his eyes to see Zenny’s golden-hair illuminated in the moonlight and her face not two inches from his.

  “Zenny?” He released her when he realized he held her breast in one hand and his other hand rested at her nape. Her lips were moist from his dream-induced kiss.

  “T-they’re coming, the men in brown coats! I - I heard them. I saw them. They mean to k-kill us, Gabriel! I saw b-blood in the dream. I saw blood everywhere. We must hurry.” Senny pulled on his arm, trying to rouse him from the bed.

  Gabriel started to throw the covers back when he remembered he was quite naked beneath them. And also aroused. “Zenny, please wait for me in your room so I can get out of the bed.”

  “We must hurry, they will be here soon.” Again, she pulled his arm. This time she realized his arms and chest were bare. She had never seen Gabriel’s bare chest. Oh, but his chest was so muscular, she thought he was beautiful. She shook her head to clear her thoughts.

  “Oh my, you are not wearing bedclothes! I – I will wake T-Trevan while you d-dress, he’s in Wenna’s room.”

  “How do you know he’s in Wenna’s room?” Gabriel asked.

  “I – I heard n-noise…earlier.” Senny blushed and turned to leave Gabriel to dress.

  The occupants of Menadue began assembling downstairs within five minutes from the sound of the first alarm. The women remained upstairs per the Duke’s order.

  Wenna and Senny sat in their Grandfathers’ room. A pistol lay next to Robert Penrose on the bed.

  They could hear shouting and commotion filtering up from the lower floor. Soon, the gunfire began. The barrage of shots seemed to last an eternity. There were shouts and the sound of windows breaking. The acrid smell of gunpowder seemed to fill the air. The sounds of deep male voices echoed from below stairs. Occasionally there were cries of pain along with screams of horses and men.

  Wenna knew all of the violent energy affected her sister. She knew the moment Senny started trembling and shuddering she was overwhelmed and unable to shut out all of the energies and noise. Up to that point, she had done very well.

  Wenna knelt before her sister and gently shook her shoulders, “Breathe, Senny. Take deep breaths.”

  “Zenny girl, you must calm down,” Robert Penrose called lovingly from where he sat up in bed, propped upon pillows, his fingers now resting on the pistol handle.

  After a time, Senny calmed enough and Wenna moved to sit beside her on the settee.

  “Blood, so much blood,” Senny whispered. She did not know if she was seeing what was truly happening, or if it was a rem
nant of her dream earlier. She tried to block out the blood and focus on her breaths, but she wasn’t strong enough to push this vision away entirely. It kept creeping back into her mind. She would focus and try to push it away then it would slowly come back. After a time, she was able to keep it from entering her mind.

  The gunfire and shouting continued for the next quarter of an hour.

  Another quarter of an hour passed and the cacophony of shouts and deep male voices lowered. Senny began to feel calmer as the noise from downstairs slowly receded.

  The vision came to her unexpectedly. The image of Gabriel flashed vividly before her. She saw a brown-coated man sneaking up behind him. She saw the flash of a knife in the man’s hand.

  “Gabriel!” Senny shouted. She rose swiftly and ran from the room, leaving the door to clang against the wall behind her. She heard Wenna call after her but she did not stop. She ran down the stairs in her bare feet, her wrapper and nightrail flowing behind her.

  “Where is Gabriel?” She asked as she passed Tristan, who was helping one of his wounded cousins up the stairs.

  “In the drawing room, but Zenny you can’t go in there-”

  “Gabriel’s in danger!” Senny called out as she continued without even slowing. She headed straight for the drawing room.

  She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Gabriel standing on the far side of the room. Just as she saw him and he noticed her, she saw the dark flash of a quick moving man charging him from behind. In the lamplight, she saw a flash of metal held in the man’s hand.

  “Move Gabriel! Behind you!” Senny screamed as she pointed.

  Gabriel had turned in time and was able to move out of the way, as the man struck out with his knife.

  A loud boom exploded behind her.

  Senny covered her ears and watched as blood soaked the brown-coated man’s chest. She turned to see Tristan holding a pistol.

  “You should have told me what you saw, Zenny. You shouldn’t have come in here,” Tristan scolded her gently.

  “I – I had to warn Gabriel, Tristan.” Senny froze as she noticed the blood splattered around the windows and on Aunt Morva’s gold velvet draperies. There were a few pools on the floor near bodies, and more splatters upon the carpets.

  “Blood. So much blood,” she whispered as she looked around. She began to tremble and her legs suddenly felt like water.

  Something happened at that moment which had never occurred before. She was barraged with scenes of how each dead man had met his end. She sank to her knees as she felt the dead men’s pain in their final moments. She experienced their fear. She was no longer able to hold herself up. The next thing she knew her cheek was against the deep red and blue carpet.

  Senny felt Gabriel’s strong arms come around her and felt herself lifted from the floor. She felt his warmth and strength as he held her tightly against his chest. He was taking her somewhere, she knew he was walking, Senny could feel the motion. She still could see nothing save what the dead men saw in their final moments. Over and over the scenes played before her.

  She heard Trevan and Gabriel’s voices, though they seemed distant. She felt the rumble in Gabriel’s chest as he spoke. His voice sounded so far away in her ears. The horrible scenes continued to unfold before her. The sounds the men heard were deafening in her ears. She could not escape them. She tried to concentrate on Gabriel. Still she saw the dead men’s faces, felt their pain and their fear. She heard their hearts thundering, their moans, the shooting around them.

  “Is she hurt, what’s happened to her?” Trevan asked as he came up beside Gabriel.

  “I do not know, Trevan, but there is something wrong. She came to warn me, and no doubt saved my life. She noticed the blood, and I fear she is trapped in a vision of some sort. Look at her. She is frightened. Her heart pounds madly in her chest, and she trembles so. She does not speak.”

  “Senny!” Trevan’s mother, Morva, called out as she met them on the stairs.

  “Tell me what happened to her, Gabriel,” Morva demanded as she walked beside him.

  Gabriel relayed what he saw take place as he carried the trembling, wide-eyed and pale Senny in his arms. Her heart thumped hard in her chest, he could feel it. He feared she might be dying. Morva walked with Gabriel into Senny’s room.

  “I have witnessed a similar thing happen to her mother. Lay her down!” Morva commanded. Trevan had bypassed Senny’s room and walked further down the hall to check on Wenna and Robert.

  Gabriel carefully laid Senny down upon her bed. Her body trembled so violently, the bed actually shook underneath her.

  “I need to strike her forehead. It’s where the visions come from,” Morva informed him before she gave Senny a loud smack above her eyes. Morva drew her hand back.

  Together she and Gabriel watched Senny’s trembling begin to subside.

  “Gabriel?” Senny whispered. Her eyes focused. She looked from him to Morva. “Aunt M-Morva?” A ragged sob escaped her chest.

  Gabriel was beside her in a second. He gathered her into his arms as she cried. He began consoling her. “Shh, Senny you are safe. You are fine. I am here.”

  Morva smiled. “She seems to be back to normal now, Gabriel. There are many wounded. Will you stay with her? I’ll take Wenna down to help me see to those who need our care. Send for me at once if you need me.”

  Gabriel turned to regard his aunt and nodded.

  “Senny?” Wenna called loudly as she ran into the room.

  Once she saw her sister was unharmed, she kissed her atop her head and said, “Gabriel, I must help Aunt Morva. Send for me if you need me.”

  “I will.” Gabriel held Senny tightly to him. “Wenna, send up some brandy, to calm her.”

  Wenna nodded and left.

  By the time the maid arrived with the brandy, Senny’s sobs had subsided. She was much calmer and breathing easier.

  Gabriel poured two brandies. He brought one to Senny’s lips. “Drink this, love. It will help to calm you.”

  He chuckled as Senny grimaced after taking her first sip. “Take more, Zenny. I promise it will help.”

  Senny nodded weakly and took another sip.

  “I want you to drink it all, Zenny.”

  After she drained the glass, Gabriel drained his in one swallow.

  He smoothed back her golden hair and gently caressed her cheek. “Can you tell me what happened, Zenny, love?”

  “The visions began when I noticed the blood and bodies. Somehow, I was connected to all those dead men. I saw everything, how they died, what they saw in their last moments. I felt their pain and their fear, everything.” She sniffed. “I kept seeing it over and over, I couldn’t stop it. I could hear your voice, but it sounded so far away. I couldn’t see you. I could only see what the dying men saw. I tried to break free of it and couldn’t. I was trapped.”

  “Aunt Morva had to slap your forehead. She said this happened to your mother before.”

  Senny nodded. “Mother always said this is where the visions come from.” Senny pointed to the middle of her forehead. Her lips turned down in a frown.

  “Why the frown?”

  “I do not like being so different from everyone else, Gabriel. I was starting to feel more normal when I thought I could control the noise in my head. Then this happened. I was trapped in the visions, it was frightening.”

  “Zenny, you have a gift. Tonight it saved lives. If we hadn’t alerted the household and the outside watch, things could have been very bad for us. You prevented us from being taken by surprise. You have a gift just as I do. It does set you apart from others. I for one am very happy you are different and not like everyone else. I wouldn’t want you to be anything other than what you are.”

  He kissed the pink spot on her forehead where Morva’s palm had connected with her skin. “Aunt Morva said the visions come from your forehead as well. How are you feeling now?”

  She nodded slowly. “I suppose my gift did save lives tonight. It is a good thing, you are correct,
Gabriel. I certainly feel better than I did earlier. Thank you.” She yawned, “I suppose I am a bit sleepy.”

  “Lie down, Zenny try to sleep.” Gabriel instructed softly as he helped her ease back against her pillows. “I’ll be right next door.”

  “Could you stay for just a little while? I don’t want the visions to come back,” Senny pleaded.

  Gabriel knew he could not sleep with her, but he also knew she was frightened. He had never seen anyone so affected by anything. It had scared him, to see Senny so. Her heart had been beating so rapidly as he carried her up the stairs, he actually feared she would expire as he held her.

  He poured another glass of brandy for each of them. “Have some more, Zenny. I will stay with you for a bit.” He intended to stay with her until she fell asleep. Then he would go to his room and leave the connecting door open so he could hear her if she cried out. He wanted to check on his family, but he knew if they needed him, Trevan would send for him. Everyone was worried about Senny. They all knew he could calm her better than anyone could.

  Senny drank the brandy, offering only a small grimace this time. Gabriel drained his glass.

  He sat on the bed with his back against the headboard. After a time, Senny slept. Her sleep was fitful. She whimpered and trembled occasionally. Once, a sob racked her chest.

  Gabriel finally decided to lie down beside her when she cried out in her sleep. He pulled her against him and tucked her head beneath his chin. She calmed after a time. He decided there would be no harm in his dozing beside her until she rested peacefully.

  Hours later, Trevan sat with his brothers, Tremayne and Tristan, in his study.

  It was nearly four o’clock in the morning.

  “Our raiding party took out seven of the guards they left behind after the attack. The rest fled,” Tremayne, three years Trevan’s junior, and three years Tristan’s senior, spoke.

  “The broken drawing room and library windows were boarded up, so was the side door that was kicked in. The drawing room doors are closed. No one will be allowed in there until the room is cleaned and repaired. Mother will make arrangements tomorrow for the room to be painted in the coming weeks,” Tristan provided.