“Bria,” Terran said, stepping into her path. He cupped her face in his hands. “Did Kenric hurt you? Are you all right?”
Bria seemed to focus on Terran’s face for the first time. “Oh, Terran,” she whispered and leaned heavily against him, exhaustion overwhelming her.
Instinctively, Terran’s arms went around her, crushing her to him. Relief flooded through him. He brushed a kiss against the top of her head.
Bria looked up at him, her eyes clear despite her fatigue. “Terran, she’s my friend. I can’t leave her in there.”
“Your friend?” Terran echoed.
“Please. You have to let her go.”
Terran held her at arm’s length, searching her face. “She attacked me. I can’t let her go.”
“She thought you were Kenric,” Bria said defensively.
Why was she always taking someone else’s side over his? Anger simmered his blood. “She’s a criminal, or she wouldn’t be in the dungeon. I will not let her go.”
“What did she do?” Bria demanded.
“She murdered a woman,” Terran replied tightly.
“What?” Bria asked in confusion.
“She murdered Widow Anderson, the village herbalist.”
Bria’s mouth dropped open at Terran’s accusation. Mary hadn’t killed that woman, Kenric had. But she’d tried to tell Terran that before and he hadn’t listened. She shut her mouth and gritted her teeth.
“She’s a danger to me and to my people. I couldn’t let her roam the streets. She’s lucky to be alive. Only at Kenric’s insistence did I allow her to be locked up instead of beheaded.”
Beheaded? The word sent chills through her body. And why would Kenric save Mary? Why not just kill her and be done with it?
The soft sound of footsteps reached her ears and Bria lifted her head to see the guard moving into the room from the dark hallway. She turned her gaze to Terran, her chin lifted slightly in defiance. “Now what? Do you plan to have me beheaded?”
“You mock me thus after I have saved you?” Terran growled.
“Saved me?” Bria retorted hotly. The fatigue she’d felt burned away. She was very much awake now. “You sent me here!”
Terran opened his mouth as if to argue with her, but then shut it. The muscle of his jaw clenched. “For that I am sorry,” he managed to grind out.
Surprise rocked Bria. Was that an apology from the tyrant? Had she heard him correctly? She stared hard at Terran, trying to see past his closed expression, but his eyes mirrored the flickering torchlight back at her.
Suddenly and unexpectedly, Bria felt a strange stirring in the pit of her stomach. Flustered, she glanced away and found herself looking at the guard. He was staring at her breasts. Bria glanced down, realizing she was still in her chemise. Mortified, she did her best to cover herself, crossing her arms over her chest and leaning toward Terran for cover.
Terran stepped in front of her, his gaze burning into the guard. The guard backed away from Terran, finally turning his back. Terran whirled to Bria, placing his hand on her lower back, and ushered her up the stairs.
They moved quickly through the hallways and Bria kept her head lowered to avoid the curious gazes of the peasants. Terran ushered her into the room she’d occupied before -- their room. Just as she stepped over the threshold, someone called, “Lord Terran!”
Kenric approached them with quick steps. Bria straightened slightly, defiance and hatred sizzling through her.
Terran urged her into the room with a gentle shove and closed the door behind her.
Bria stood in the dark room alone. At first, she didn’t know what to do. She had the strangest impulse to rush out of the room and into Terran’s arms or to plant herself before him and protect him from Kenric. It didn’t seem Terran truly knew just how evil Kenric was.
And then she heard the voices.
“Why have you removed her from the dungeon?” It was Kenric.
“She is lady of this castle now. A dungeon is not the place for her.”
Again, surprise made Bria’s heart jump.
“You told me to do what I must to find out who the Midnight Shadow is,” Kenric defended himself.
“And did that include stripping her of her dress?” Even behind the wooden door, Bria could feel Terran’s anger.
Bria reached out and ran her fingers over the wood of the door, wanting to touch Terran, to thank him for defending her.
There was a pause before Kenric replied, “I did what I thought I must.”
“You’ve humiliated her for the last time, Randolph. I will not tolerate it again.”
“Cousin, what’s come over you? This Midnight Shadow is a threat to you and your lands! We must find out who he is, and she is the only one who can tell us.”
“We’ll find another way,” Terran said.
“But I’m certain I can make her talk.”
“I said we’ll find another way!”
Bria whirled in joy and leaned her back against the door, smiling. Her heart bloomed with pride. Terran was defending her! She was so overcome with joy she didn’t hear the handle being turned until it was too late. She barely had a chance to step away from the door when it opened, smacking her in the shoulders and propelling her to the floor.
Terran stood over her, the torchlight from the hallway flickering behind him, casting his face in shadows. He reached out a hand to Bria.
After a brief moment of hesitation, Bria lifted her hand and placed it in his outstretched palm. His fingers closed over hers and he pulled her up, bringing her tight against his chest with a tug.
His eyes danced with curiosity. “Were you spying on me?”
Bria was too startled and embarrassed to offer any explanation.
“You were,” Terran said.
A flash of white shone in the darkness and Bria realized it was the first true smile she’d seen on his face. She liked it. “No, I wasn’t,” she countered half-heartedly. She looked down at her hands splayed on his wide, broad chest. She could feel the muscles beneath his black tunic, the beat of his heart.
Bria lifted her gaze to his dark, midnight eyes. She could barely see his features in the dark room, but she could feel his breath on her lips as he drew her closer. He smelled faintly of sweet ale and leather. She half closed her eyes. She loved the scent of leather.
“Bria,” he whispered, his lips nearly touching hers. “I know we could be happy together. Just tell me who the Midnight Shadow is.”
“I cannot tell you that, but I promise you he is not my lover,” she replied in a soft whisper, lifting her mouth to his.
Terran shoved her away from him. “You are as great a liar as Kathryn,” he snarled, “and as great a whore. Wife or not, I cannot accept you as long as the Midnight Shadow stands between us.” He whirled away from her and stalked to the door.
“Terran!” Bria called out desperately. “There has been no one,” she pleaded. “What can I do to prove it to you?”
Terran turned to look over his shoulder at her. The light from the candles reflected in his black eyes. “There is one thing.” He shut the door, sealing them in the dark room. “Show me your virgin’s blood.”
Terran watched Bria’s mouth drop slightly. In a stray beam of moonlight from an open window, he saw the uncertainty in her bright blue eyes. Then resolution passed across her face as she pursed her lips, followed quickly by determination. She lifted her chin. “All right,” she said.
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 th
e 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 the 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 A
nderson.” 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.
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.”
Daring Damsels Page 81
