A Forbidden Temptation [The Shields 4]

by Donna Grant

  Gabriel didn't know what to be more shocked about, that Nicole wanted to have sex with him, or that Val was about ready to beat him to a pulp because of it.

  "She's asking you,” Gabriel said carefully, “because she's attracted to you. She doesn't know that's what she's feeling since she's been so excluded from people."

  Val sighed dramatically and raked a hand through his long hair. “I know."

  "Then what's the problem?"

  "She's the problem,” Val said. “I can't be around her without thinking of bedding her."

  "Go into the village and find you a willing woman."

  Val propped an elbow against the cave wall and leaned his head into his hand. “That's the crux of the matter, Gabriel. I want her too desperately for someone else to do."

  "You want her, but you won't take her. Is that it?” Gabriel asked. At Val's nod, Gabriel snorted and crossed his arms over his chest. “You've never held back from taking a willing woman. Why now?"

  "Because she reminds me of my sisters."

  It was a huge admission for Val, one that Gabriel wasn't going to ask more about. For the moment.

  "I have no words to guide you."

  Val's sad gaze rose to his. “I know. I don't expect anyone to. I've made a vow to keep her safe, and that's what I'll do."

  Gabriel silently wished his friend all the luck he was going to need in his endeavor to stay away from Nicole, because Gabriel had seen their passion with his own eyes. There was only one thing that could keep passion like that from being together, and that was death.

  Val jerked and turned toward the entrance. He peered through the blizzard that still held the land in its grip.

  "Has it come?” Gabriel asked.

  "Aye,” Val said and turned to find his sword and halberd. Once his sword was strapped on, he reached for the array of daggers Gabriel always kept with him and chose two, one for inside his boot and one for his back. After everything was secured, he reached for his halberd.

  Gabriel had just finished checking the daggers he had on him and began to inspect his bow and array of arrows. He smiled when he finished and reached for a particular dangerous arrow that had a ball with tiny spikes that resembled Cole's.

  "Ready?” Val asked.

  "Since we arrived."

  Val turned around to find Nicole watching them. “No matter what, don't leave this cave. If something happens to us, call out Aimery's name. He'll hear you and come for you."

  She opened her mouth to respond, then closed it and stared at him a moment. “Be careful."

  "Always,” Val said with a wink.

  He didn't want her to know just how crucial killing this creature was. She had enough to worry over, and there was no need to add another worry to it. Besides, he and Gabriel were more than capable of handling the Gryphon.

  Just don't fail her.

  Val gave her one last look then turned to Gabriel. At his nod, Val walked out into the blizzard. He had left his cloak off so he would be able to move easier as well as reach his weapons.

  The snow stuck to his eyelashes and pelted his face. He ignored the biting cold and slowly worked his way down the mountain. The plan was for him to coax the Gryphon out, and then Gabriel would kill it with his arrows. Somehow Val knew their plan would never come to fruition because of the weather, but the plan had worked in the past, so they were willing to try it again.

  A distant sound reached Gabriel over the snow. He looked to the right and then the left, but found nothing. It wasn't until he looked straight ahead over the loch that he saw the dark shape that was moving closer at an incredible speed.

  He heard Gabriel shout “Gryphon” the same time he realized what it was. Instinct alone had him diving to the ground as the Gryphon reached him. The snow cushioned his fall, but he still felt the rocks dig into his stomach and thighs.

  Val looked up and saw the Gryphon circling back around for another attack. Thankfully, the snowfall began to lessen so that it wasn't stinging Val's face like tiny swords.

  He gripped his halberd and rose to his feet, ready to strike the Gryphon when he approached. Instead, the creature stared down at him and smiled.

  "You cannot win, Shield."

  Val didn't even bother to wonder how the Gryphon knew what he was. “I can and will win,” Val retorted.

  "We'll see about that,” the Gryphon said before he dove straight at Val.

  Val tried to dive out of the way again, but the Gryphon was faster. His talons snagged Val's leather jerkin and tossed him into the air. Val saw the ground approach at a rapid rate. He knew there was going to be pain upon the landing, so he tried to roll with the impact.

  Instead, he felt a deep pain in his right side. He tried to rise to his feet despite the stinging in his side and saw that somehow he had dropped his halberd. There was no time to look for the weapon though as he heard the beating of the Gryphon's wings as he approached again.

  This time when the Gryphon went to attack him Val heard his scream and knew Gabriel had let loose one of his arrows. Val chanced a look over his shoulder as he made his way down the mountain and saw the Gryphon pull an arrow out of his hind leg.

  Val silently thanked Gabriel for giving him a second to reach the bottom of the mountain. He unsheathed his sword once his feet hit the ground and turned to find the Gryphon flying towards the cave entrance.

  As soon as the Gryphon reached it, it was like he ran into an invisible shield as he was thrown backwards and tumbled down the mountain in an ugly array of feathers and fur.

  Out of the corner of his eye, Val saw Gabriel leave the cave and move to the side of the entrance. Val would keep the Gryphon occupied while Gabriel let loose a volley of arrows, and with the snowfall stopping nearly all together, it would be easier for Gabriel to see the creature.

  Val turned back to the Gryphon and watched him stagger to his feet. The creature was massive in height and brawn, and he knew it was going to take cunning to kill it.

  "Did the snow break your fall?” Val taunted.

  The Gryphon shook off the snow and turned his eagle head to Val. “You both will pay for that."

  "Come and get me,” Val said as he planted his feet and evened out his weight for the attack.

  The Gryphon launched himself at Val, and Val raised his sword and sliced open part of the Gryphon's wing as he pivoted to the side. He didn't get clear in time though and felt the Gryphon's talons rake across his back, tearing open his clothes.

  Val cursed as pain blinded him. His side still ached from the landing and with his back now throbbing with new pain, he knew he was going to have a difficult time deflecting the creature's attacks.

  An evil chuckle reached him then. Val slowly turned to find the Gryphon standing ten paces away regarding him silently.

  "Something amusing?” Val asked.

  "I thought all Shields were immortal, but by my guess, you're very much a mortal."

  "What does that matter?"

  The Gryphon clicked his beak. “It means that I cannot toy as long and hard with you as I'd like."

  Val renewed his grip on the sword. “Give it your best then."

  The Gryphon shook his head. “I think I'll take him instead. For now."

  Val looked over his shoulder and saw Gabriel making his way down the mountain. When he turned back around, the Gryphon was gone. Val tried to get his feet to move faster as he raced up the mountain calling Gabriel's name.

  "Look out,” he warned just before the Gryphon dove at him.

  * * * *

  Nicole's heart plunged to her feet when she saw the Gryphon toss Val about as if he were a sack of flour. Then, when the Gryphon turned to attack Gabriel, she tried to shout out a warning, but Gabriel didn't hear her in time.

  The Gryphon then turned in midair and made to attack again. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a gray blur race past her and realized too late that it was Laird.

  "Laird, nay,” she screamed, but the wolfhound cared only about protecting Gabriel.
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  With her heart now pounding maddeningly in her chest and her blood running cold in her veins, she watched helplessly as Laird propelled himself from a boulder and clamped down on one of the Gryphon's hind legs just before he was about to rip Gabriel to shreds.

  Tears streamed down Nicole's face as she watched the wolfhound fighting to keep the Gryphon from both Val and Gabriel. The huge dog fought valiantly as he hung on with his massive jaws while the Gryphon used his long talons to slice at Laird, the Gryphon's screams of pain reverberated off the mountain.

  But through the cries of pain, Laird never relinquished his hold on the Gryphon's hind leg, until the Gryphon slammed the wolfhound against the side of the mountain.

  The many cuts combined with the vicious knock were too much for Laird, and he fell with a small yelp of pain. Then there was silence.

  Nicole slowly pulled her gaze from Laird's still form to see the Gryphon turn and fly to the right. She took that time and dashed from the cave. Gabriel was the closest, so she ran to him first.

  His breathing was shallow and blood was everywhere. Nicole had never felt so helpless in her life as she tried to figure a way to drag Gabriel into the cave before the Gryphon returned. Fear clogged her mind of rational thinking as she moved to Gabriel's head and lifted his arms as she pulled back.

  Her hands slipped from the blood on his arms as she tried to drag him, and she fell hard on her bottom. She wiped away the tears with the back of her hand and then used her skirts to try and get some of the blood from Gabriel's arm before she tried to drag him again.

  Inch by agonizing inch, she pulled Gabriel toward the cave. In the distance she could hear the Gryphon as he released his anger. She chanced a look and saw him destroying her cottage, the only home she had ever known.

  Anger gave her the extra strength to move Gabriel up the steep slope. She glanced at Val and saw him stirring. She wanted to call out to him but didn't want to draw the Gryphon's attention yet.

  The harder it became to pull Gabriel up the mountain, the more she cursed her weakness and helplessness. But she refused to give up. Val and Gabriel had protected her, the least she could do was try to save them.

  To her relief, she discovered she had nearly pulled Gabriel into the cave. With one last pull, she tugged his torso into the entrance and then raced around to push his legs inside. And though she wanted to tend to his wounds, they would have to wait until after Val was safely inside the cave.

  Nicole picked up her skirts and raced down the slope. She passed Laird and wanted to check on the wolfhound, but she knew there wouldn't be time now. After she got Val inside the cave, then she would return for Laird.

  She slid on some rocks, and her feet came out from under her, landing her on her behind as she slid the remainder of the way down the mountain. She ignored the cuts and scrapes to her legs as she jumped to her feet and raced to Val.

  He moved his arms as she knelt beside him. “Val? Val, can you hear me?” she asked.

  She glanced at her cottage when she realized she could no longer hear the Gryphon's mighty roars as he unleashed his anger on her cottage.

  "Val, please,” she begged. She knew the Gryphon was most likely circling the air, and she wanted back in the safety of the cave.

  "Leave me,” he choked out.

  She shook her head and pushed her long hair out of her face. “Never. Now get to your feet, general,” she said in her most stern voice. “It's time to get moving."

  When his pale green eyes opened to look at her, she felt her heart break at the pain she saw.

  "Leave me, Nicole. I'm not going to make it and you need to get to safety."

  "Save your strength, because we're going to need it to get you up that mountain. I used most of mine to pull Gabriel inside. I don't think I can pull you up that steep slope."

  "Nicole...."

  "Stop,” she demanded and wiped at another tear. “You gave me your word."

  His hand suddenly reached over and took hers. “All right,” he said after a tense moment of silence.

  Nicole silently said a prayer to God and helped Val first sit up then gain his feet. She staggered under his heavy weight once he leaned on her, but she refused to give up.

  "We have to hurry,” she urged him.

  "Where is the creature?"

  She took a quick glance around. “I don't know."

  "Damn,” he muttered and tried to move faster.

  Nicole clenched her teeth together and urged her legs to move faster under the heavy weight. They were nearly half way up when Val spotted Laird.

  "Laird?"

  "I'll tell you everything once we're inside the cave."

  "How bad is Gabriel?"

  Nicole tripped over the hem of her skirts and barely stopped them from falling to the ground. “He's bad, Val, but nearly as bad as we're going to be."

  He pulled his weight off her and fell to his knees. She was about to argue with him to get up when she saw his hand clamp around something, and then he lifted his halberd.

  She took his arm and brought it back around her shoulders as they once again started up the slope.

  And then they heard it. The flap of the Gryphon's massive wings.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Val felt Nicole stiffen and realized that something was terribly wrong. He shifted through the fog of pain and looked over his shoulder to see the Gryphon fast approaching them.

  Using what little strength he had left, Val pushed Nicole toward the cave and yelled at her to run then he turned and faced the Gryphon. Just before the Gryphon reached him, Val lifted his halberd and threw it with all his might just as he had done with the javelins when he was a boy in Rome.

  The pain in his sides doubled, and he wrapped his arms around his torso as he fell to his knees. He knew the halberd couldn't kill the Gryphon, but he wanted to give Nicole all the time he could for her to reach the safety of the cave.

  He raised his head and saw his halberd sticking from the creature's chest as it screamed in pain. A small smile pulled at Val's lips before he fell to his side as the pain became too much to bear. He knew he had lost a lot of blood, and, without Gabriel's special healing skills, there wasn't anyone to help him.

  His vision began to darken, but he was able to see the Gryphon turn and fly away. Val closed his eyes then. He had fulfilled his promise and kept Nicole safe.

  "You bloody well haven't,” he heard whispered in his ear.

  He cracked open an eye and saw Nicole kneeling over him. It was difficult for him to speak, but he had to make her understand that she needed to be in the cave.

  "Nay,” she stopped him. “You cannot give up. You vowed to keep me alive. I need you."

  Her violet eyes were filled with doubt and fear, but her determination brought a smile to his lips.

  "We're almost there,” she urged. “Get to your feet so I can help you."

  Val shook his head. His blood poured from him with every beat of his heart, and he was becoming weaker by the moment. There was no way Nicole could get him into the cave, not by herself.

  He licked his lips before he said, “Tend to Gabriel. He will kill the Gryphon."

  To his surprise, she leaned her head close and placed her lips on his for a soft kiss. “I will tend to Gabriel but not before I get you inside the cave."

  He watched as she reached for her skirts and tore a long strip off. Then, she helped him sit up as she wrapped it tightly around him to help staunch the flow of blood.

  "We're almost to the cave,” she said as she looked deep into his eyes. “Can you make it?"

  There was no way Val was going to give up after everything she had done, so he nodded and, with her help and several tries, got to his feet.

  The climb to the cave brought even more pain and was made more difficult because he was so weak. He didn't like how vulnerable Nicole made herself by trying to help him, but it was also because she had made herself vulnerable to the Gryphon that he simply refused to give up before he reached the cave.<
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  When they finally stepped into the entrance, he let out a deep breath and wanted to sink to the ground.

  "Not yet,” she stopped him. “I need to get you to the fire."

  Val turned his head and saw Gabriel's still form just inside the entrance. “Gabriel?” he called, but, as he expected, his fellow Shield didn't answer.

  "He's bad off, Val,” she told him. “I'll get you settled and then come back for him."

  But Val knew by then it might be too late. As much as he hated to do it, he silently called out to Aimery. He wasn't sure how strong his call was and tried to call out again just to be sure as Nicole helped lower him to his pallet. But he couldn't keep the blackness from closing in on him, and his last thought before he passed out was that at least Nicole was safe.

  * * * *

  Nicole breathed a sigh of relief and quickly added more limbs to the fire so she could boil the water. Their supply of wood wouldn't last the night, but she didn't know if she could chance leaving the cave again.

  She put that worry out of her mind and rushed to Gabriel. His complexion was pale and his skin cool to the touch. It could be because he had lain in the snow for so long, but Nicole couldn't chance it. She lifted his arms again and pulled him into the cave.

  Her muscles screamed in protest, but the trail of blood he left from the entrance to the fire was enough to keep her moving.

  She wasn't able to get him to his pallet, so she moved the blankets to him. The first thing she did was pull out one of his daggers and slice open his tunic. Then she rolled him onto his side and cut both his jerkin and the tunic down the back. She was then able to remove both easily.

  When she saw the extensive wounds on his chest and sides, she knew it would take a blessing to keep him alive. She got to her feet and dashed to Gabriel's things to find his black bag of herbs. She took a quick look at Val and found his breathing erratic and slow.

  She realized then that she could very well lose both men. Her mind scrambled to find a way to tend to both men. With a quick shake to clear her mind, she unrolled Gabriel's black bag and stared at the herbs—none of which she recognized.

  Vial after vial she picked up and examined, and there were only two of several dozen that she recognized. She sat back on her feet and blinked back her tears.