Tarr sat up, swinging his legs off the bed to sit on the edge. “We best wed quickly for you are bound to get with child soon.”
Her hand rushed to cover her stomach. “How exciting to think that I could now be carrying your child.” She hurried over and threw herself at him.
He caught her and they fell back on the bed together.
She snuggled her face against his. “I would be proud to carry your child.”
“I am pleased to hear you say that, but I will worry endlessly about you.”
She sat up on top of him. “Why? I am strong and healthy and I will push that babe right out.”
His hands went around her waist as he laughed. “I bet you will, but I still fear—”
She poked him in the chest. “What do you fear?”
He pulled himself up so that their noses were touching. “I fear losing you.”
Her hands ran up his arms to grab hold near his shoulders. “I am not going anywhere. You are stuck with me for a very long time.”
“Promise?” he asked with desperation.
“Aye, I promise you, Tarr of Hellewyk, that I will live a long life with you, and when it is my time to go I will expect you to follow.”
He placed a sweet gentle kiss on her lips. “I will follow you, Fiona, whether it is heaven or hell you go to.”
She laughed, hugged him, and slid off him to kneel between his legs. “Mmm,” she murmured, and slowly traced her lips with her tongue. “I wish we had more time.”
He shut his eyes and ordered, “Get dressed.”
She laughed again and did as he said, but not before running a hand over him.
Tarr kept his eyes closed. “Let me know when you are dressed.”
“Coward,” she teased, hurrying into her garments but sauntered to the door as she laced the ties to her blouse. “I am done.”
He opened his eyes.
“Not with you, though. Tonight I shall have my way with you.” And with another lick of her lips, she scooted out the door with a laugh.
Fiona did not stay long at her sister’s beside. It was not necessary. Anya was fussing over Aliss like a mother hen tending a favorite chick. She had cleaned Aliss and combed her hair, tying it to the side away from the wound. A light blanket covered her and she checked her head at least three times for fever while Fiona spoke with her.
That she enjoyed tending her daughter was obvious, and that she intended to let no one interfere was also obvious, so Fiona left her to fuss.
She hurried down the stairs eager to learn why Tarr had been summoned to the great hall and grinning over what had delayed him.
Her grin soon vanished when she entered the hall to see the solemn faces on Tarr, Kirk, and Raynor, the three men present. A shiver ran through her, something was wrong and she worried that it had to do with her and Aliss.
She raced forward and took hold of Tarr’s arm. “What is wrong?”
“The stable lad who took your mare to tend on your arrival has discovered that your saddle strap has been slashed near through to the end.”
Fiona stared at him for a moment, comprehension dawning like a bright rising sun that blinded then shed light.
She nodded slowly. “Then it is so, someone wants Aliss and me dead.”
Chapter 30
The sun was rising though bleak clouds and a cold wind whistled past the window, reminding that the weather this far north was often unpredictable, bright sun one moment, freezing rain the next.
Fiona stood in front of the window watching the fast-moving clouds swallow the debuting sun, and wrapped her shawl more tightly around her naked body. She gave a quick glance over her shoulder to see that Tarr still slept, his large body sprawled across the bed. Of course if she were in the bed he would be wrapped around her. It was now like that when they slept; it was as if they were one, forever entwined.
She sighed and turned to look out the window once again. She had awakened just before sunrise, unable to sleep any longer; her mind heavy with thoughts and her heart weighted with sorrow.
Who could possibly want twin babes dead? They could harm none.
Raynor was in line to inherit the leadership of the Blackshaw clan, while the sisters would be absorbed into other clans once they wed. Perhaps their abduction was a spiteful act against Anya and Oleg?
She shivered and hugged herself as the drafty room took on a decisive chill from the relenting wind. She should return to the warm bed and the heat of Tarr’s body, but she felt restless with her nagging thoughts and would only disturb him.
Normally she would ride her mare when she felt like this and had the need to clear her head. But she had given Tarr her word that she would not ride off on her own, and besides, it would be a foolish thing to do when she knew that someone hunted her.
She closed her eyes and shook her head. At the moment there was little to do but think and worry. She was good at thinking while worry irritated her, it usually set her into action. For this situation, she was not sure what type of action was called for, so she silently recited a prayer for her sister’s speedy recovery.
Aliss could reason better than she, and would know what to do.
Her eyes sprang open as she was suddenly wrapped in strong arms and ensconced with Tarr in a warm wool blanket. He tugged at her shawl and she released it to drop at her feet. He drew her back against him and she welcomed his heat. It drifted through her body, chasing the chill away and toasting her flesh.
“You will make a good husband; you keep me warm.”
He nibbled playfully at her ear. “I prefer you hot.”
“Keep that up and you will ignite me.”
He stopped after placing a kiss on her cheek. “Something bothers you. I can hear it in your voice. You and Aliss are safe, you have my word.”
“How can we be safe when we do not know who pursues us? He could be in this keep right now, planning his next attack.”
“If you believed that, you would be at your sister’s side this instant.”
“Anya would not hesitate to kill anyone who dared to threaten Aliss’s safety. She will not lose her daughter twice. She is the best guard Aliss could have at the moment.”
“You have not considered Anya a threat?”
“Briefly, but I dismissed it. You can see the pain she has suffered these many years in her eyes and the relief of finding us. Have you not determined the same yourself?”
He hugged her and pressed his cheek to hers. “We think alike and reach the same conclusions. We make a good match.”
“It took you long enough to realize that.”
“It took me?” he asked with an incredulous laugh.
“Aye, but I forgive you your stubbornness.”
“My stubbornness?” His laughter continued.
“In time you will learn patience.”
Tarr laughed, sputtered words that made no sense, then laughed again.
“It takes a strong man to admit his weaknesses.”
When his laughter finally subsided, he whispered in her ear. “I have but one weakness—you.”
She turned in his arms and took his face in her hands. “I love you, and do you know why?”
“Tell me.”
She kissed him first, tenderly as if in gratitude. “Because you love me for who I am: stubborn, impatient, sometimes impossibly willful, but all of me—Fiona—and you often do it with a smile. That smile tells me how much you care.” She pushed up at the corners of his mouth. “Even when it’s barely a smile, I see it there and it fills my heart with joy.”
Her fingers fell away as his smile grew freely.
“You make me happy; I cannot help but smile.”
“And you make me happy, more happy than I ever thought possible.”
“I have been told love does that to you, now I know it is true,” he said, and kissed her.
She responded as always and they were soon laughing between kisses as they stumbled together to the bed.
A knock interrupted them.
“Sorry to disturb,” Raynor said with a chuckle from the other side of the door. “Aliss wakes and wishes to talk with you.”
“She is well?” Fiona asked anxiously.
“Aye, but she is eager to see you,” Raynor said.
“Tell her I will be right there.”
Raynor acknowledged with, “I’ll go to talk with my men. I will see you later.”
Tarr dropped the blanket that held them together. “Go, your sister needs you.”
“You will make a very good husband. I am glad I picked you.”
He shook his head and dressed along with her.
“Come with me?” she invited as they left the bedchamber.
“Aliss asked for you.”
Fiona took his hand. “We are one now; her summons would be for both of us.”
“You are so sure?”
“It is how I would feel if Aliss were wed and since we are twins and think alike.” She tugged at his hand. “Come. She is eager to see us.”
Aliss was sitting up in bed, a white cloth wrapped around her head and not a speck of blood soaking through. Her cheeks were rosy, her eyes alert, and she was smiling.
“Fiona,” Aliss cried out happily, “Mother is spoiling me.”
“And happy I am that I can do it,” Anya said and moved out of the chair beside the bed, leaving it for Fiona.
Fiona hurried to hug her sister. “You heal well?”
“Mother has done a good job tending me. She keeps the wound covered and clean, bathes my face with cool water to keep the fever away, and makes certain I drink the brew I instructed you to make. I feel good, though I still must be watchful and not do more than I should.”
“Which is why she will remain abed a few more days,” Anya said firmly.
“Who can tell me what happened?” Aliss asked. “No one has spoken of the incident to me.”
Fiona had no intention of keeping anything from her sister. Ignorance of the situation would only prove dangerous.
Obviously Tarr felt the same way since he answered, “We believe the arrow was meant to kill you. We have also learned that someone cut the straps to Fiona’s saddle, and if not found it would surely have meant her death.”
“Fiona and I thought this might happen.”
Anya did not look surprised. “We all worried over it.”
“Has any progress been made in finding the culprit?” Aliss asked.
“It is like chasing a ghost,” Anya answered.
“I do not believe in ghosts,” Tarr said.
“They are real, I tell you,” Anya insisted, and sat on the edge of the bed. “I saw one.”
Fiona squatted down beside her mother. “What did you see?”
“Months after you girls disappeared, I woke one night to see Shona standing beside my bed. She told me the twins were safe and I should not worry. Then she was gone.”
“She said nothing else?” Fiona asked.
Anya scrunched her eyes as if trying hard to remember, then all of a sudden her eyes rounded. “She made a sign in the air with her finger before she disappeared.”
“What sign?”
“A protective sign, the sign Giann the prophetess would make on entering and leaving our home.”
“Why would she do that?” Tarr asked.
“I assumed to protect us.”
“Where can Giann be found?” Tarr asked.
“I do not know. She travels the land and goes from village to village. I have not seen her in many months, though,” she said, startled by her own realization, “it is said she favors the Wolf clan.”
“Not a friendly clan,” Tarr said.
“But Giann is a generous woman. She goes where her skills are needed, perhaps if we let word out that her skill is needed here in Hellewyk, she would appear?” Aliss suggested.
Fiona stood and shook her head. “It could take time to reach her. We need information now.”
“True, but it is worth a try,” Tarr said. “Anya, who in your clan sought Giann’s skills?”
“Many went to her.”
“Anyone more than another?”
She thought, nodded, then slowly shook her head. “Odo spent much time with her, though it was more because he favored her, and not for her skills.”
“Still, he may be able to tell us something that would help,” Fiona said. “Was Giann around when we were abducted?”
“Nay, she had left before you girls were born, though she predicted the birth of twin girls for me.”
“Did you seek her skill to help find us?” Aliss asked.
“Odo did. Giann confirmed it was the slave Shona who abducted the twins, and she said they were taken far away. That was all she could tell us before she took her leave. I had hoped for more and wished she would remain with us just in case she was needed. But she had other matters to tend to, and she was a free woman; we could not force her to stay. When next I saw Giann she told me you girls were safe, but refused to say any more.” Anya grew upset. “You do not think she had something to do with the kidnapping, do you?”
“She knew more than she told,” Tarr said.
“Why keep it from me?”
“That is a good question,” Tarr said. “I will leave so that you three may talk.” He hurried out of the room.
“Such a sudden departure,” Aliss said, curious.
“I agree,” Anya added.
“He is up to something and I intend to find out.” Fiona fled the room.
Tarr braced himself against the wall at the top of the stairs and waited. He did not expect it to take long; Fiona should be following him in mere minutes. He heard her approach, though he had to admit she was quiet. Most would probably not hear her gentle footfalls, but his father had trained him to hear not only in the chaos but in the silence as well.
As she rounded the corner, his arm reached out and caught her around the middle.
“You set a trap,” she accused, and shoved his arm away. “You knew I would follow because you are obviously up to something.”
“You are angry that I caught you, not that I set a trap and I realized Giann is the key to this mystery? I wanted to speak with Odo about her.”
“I have not been snared since I was young, and father taught me the skill of avoiding capture. You should have told me that.”
“Why would he teach you such a thing?”
“It was a game to us, nothing more, and do not change the subject.”
“Forget that for now, I think I have discovered something more important. It was much more than a game,” Tarr said. “He was preparing you.”
“Preparing me?” Fiona glared at Tarr. “That would mean—”
“He knew this day would come.”
While the news surely must have shocked Fiona, she remained calm. “Why would he not have told Aliss and me?”
“You were probably too young to fully comprehend the situation.”
“Keeping us ignorant of it certainly was not wise.”
“Preparing you to defend and avoid capture was definitely wise,” Tarr said, “and if you think back to what your parents taught you girls, they prepared you well for the future. One of you defends and the other heals.”
“Then it can be assumed that the slave Shona confided the truth to my parents.”
“I would agree with that. Raynor spoke to me of the love the slave had for him and the twins. She would do whatever was necessary to protect them,” Tarr said and took her hand. “Let us see what else he can tell us of Shona.”
“And Odo, we must speak with him about Giann,” Fiona said.
Tarr turned to descend the stairs, but Fiona tugged him back.
“A kiss,” she demanded with a smile. “I miss your lips on mine.”
His hand grasped her cheek, his thumb stroking her lips. “There will be no other lips but mine on yours.”
“I want no other lips but yours.” She grimaced. “The thought of another man ki
ssing me makes me ill.” She poked his chest. “I would gut any man who attempted to kiss me and—”
He kissed her silent, and he did not relent until he felt her body melt against him. Then he tugged and nipped along her bottom lip and whispered, “Promise to let me protect you now and again?”
“Perhaps.”
He nuzzled her neck, sending gooseflesh racing over her. “You will let me protect you or else . . .” He stopped nuzzling.
There was laughter in her green eyes when she looked up at him. “Do I detect a threat? Perhaps you think to keep your favors from me if I do not comply?”
“I did not say—” He gasped, her hand grabbing hold of his loins and stirring them to attention.
“A useless threat,” she laughed, squeezing the hard length of him. “We both know you cannot resist me.”
He grabbed her hand. “You play with danger.”
She licked her lips. “I like danger.”
That was enough for him. He grabbed her, swung her over his shoulder and turned to take the steps when he heard voices coming their way. He put her down reluctantly.
“We are not finished.”
Her grin was wide. “You are right; I have just started.”
She sauntered down the steps leaving him to stare at her swinging backside and grow more lustful as his imagination went wild.
She stopped, the voices near, and mouthed, I want to taste you.
He rushed to her side. “You will pay for this.”
“Promise?” She laughed with delight and was still laughing when Raynor and Kirk came into sight.
Chapter 31
Fiona had not only teased Tarr but herself as well. She was ready for him, not just moist but wet and aching. When he had tossed her over his shoulder, her passion spiked like a flame to a dry log. He could not get her to his bedchamber fast enough to her way of thinking.
Unfortunately they never made it there, and now here she sat in the great hall at a trestle table near the hearth with Tarr beside her and Raynor and Kirk across from them, discussing what?
Damn. She needed to pay better attention, but her passion refused to abate. Of course, Tarr’s leg pressing against hers did not help any.
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