Legacy of the Mist Clans Box Set (84 page)

He pulled away only slightly and stared into her eyes, once again feeling as if he was falling into her emerald gaze. He rose, pulling her with him. His gaze flicked to the bed then returned to her. But her attention was locked on his chest. He remembered a night that suddenly seemed a lifetime ago when she had gazed upon him with desire in her eyes.

“See something that interests ye?”

She bit her bottom lip, her face turning crimson, but this time she looked up at him and gave him a shy smile. “I do.”

He slid his fingers slowly down her arms until he gripped her hands then placed them on his chest. “I dinna ken what the future holds for us, except that tonight, my sweet sparrow, I shall make ye my wife in body. When we arrive at Castle MacGrigor, I shall make ye my wife in name.” He touched his lips to hers, lightly nibbling as he guided her fingers to touch and explore. His entire body coiled with the feel of her fingers against his skin. Every nerve came alive, sending tremors deep through his being.

Aidan again kissed her deeply, stepping closer and backing her toward the bed. As she grew more confident in allowing her fingers to journey wherever they willed, traveling over the deep cuts of muscle that clenched under her delicate touch, he allowed his hands to move to her waist, caressing upward, skimming her waist, following the delicate line of her form.

The pleasure that thrummed through his body with her touch provoked the fire within him, settling deep, making him grow painfully hard. But she still had on too many clothes. There was only one problem. She was dressed as a man. As he backed her into the bed, he ended their kiss and looked down at her, arching an eyebrow. “I must say yer clothing poses new challenges. Were ye wearing a dress, I’d have ye out of it already.”

She returned his gaze evenly and her lips twitched. “There be a solution tae that.” In a blink of an eye, she pulled her tunic over her head and cast it away.

Aidan suddenly couldn’t breathe, and his heart threatened to stop in his chest as his gaze locked on her beautiful breasts, perfect in size for his hands.

Just as he had done with her a moment ago, she gripped his hands and placed them upon her. He needed no further prompting as he cupped and fondled her, lightly dragging his thumb over her nipple. It pearled beautifully in response to his touch.

She gasped softly, her breathing suddenly ragged. He inclined his head, his lips tugging upward, knowing if she experienced half of the powerful sensations he did when she touched him, the intensity of it would startle her. He untied the laces holding her trewes then slid both of his hands down her body and inside her trewes, pushing them down her legs at the same moment he eased her back onto the bed, enabling him to completely rid her of them.

At least that had been easier than he had thought. He kissed her again, his tongue exploring her mouth with complete abandon, but he also encouraged her to move more toward the center of the large bed. Her hands mimicked his, tugging at the laces of his own trewes. She pushed them downward, and he pulled away to remove his boots so he could rid himself of the clothing that was now irritating him to no end.

He stood next to the bed completely naked, his swollen cock jutting out from his body, hard and aching.

Kenna looked at him, her eyes growing wide, but she licked her lips, an unconscious reaction that nearly drove Aidan mad on the spot. Yet he also saw a hint of fear in her eyes, fear that was perfectly natural for a maiden.

He caught her hand and guided her to touch him, showing her how to stroke him. He closed his eyes and savored the sensations as she grew bolder and more forceful. He threw his head back, squeezing his eyes shut, fighting to breathe, but all he could think about was how good it felt to finally have her hand pleasuring him. If they continued this course, he would spill his seed in moments, but as his entire body bowed, fighting against his release, he knew he had to stop her, but he couldn’t.

He managed to pry open his eyes and watch, but she was completely focused on what she was doing to his body, as if she could not believe her touch elicited such a response from him. She brought him to the edge, and Aidan strangled on a curse, quickly moving her hand away and covering her body with his. He wanted nothing more than to bury himself inside her, but he knew she wasn’t ready yet. He was a fool for allowing her to provoke him so intensely. He couldn’t rush this; to do so would cause her pain. He needed her body as roused as his was. But he was nearly at wit’s end.

Aidan’s hand slid over her curls, then his fingers dipped between her folds and he found her nub, hard and aching. God she was hot and wet. He drew her breast into his mouth at the same moment he pressed forcefully on her nub and began to stroke it.

She gasped and her body froze underneath him, but then her legs opened to him. “Aye,” he murmured against her breast then laved at her nipple with his tongue. He drew on her again as his fingers stroked with more pressure.

“Aidan,” she whispered, weaving her fingers through his long hair. “What are ye—” She cried out even louder and her legs opened even more.

He knew he was losing control of himself, but her response to him was more than he could bear. He raised enough to watch her as he purposefully pushed her legs open even more and his fingers toyed with her, alternating from stroking her to thrusting deep within her. He explored her walls, delighting in the pleasure he gave her as she writhed before him, her fingers clutching at the bedding.

He worked her into a frenzy and moved so his hips were between her legs. He stroked her nub and once again pressed hard, feeling a tremor begin deep within her. He moved decisively, pushing his shaft through her maidenhead with a quick thrust, then continued, sliding deep inside her.

She gasped, but when he was certain she would cry out in pain, she didn’t, and to his surprise, his taking of her maidenhead brought her to her pleasure. The tremor he felt within her intensified, rocking through her and bowing her body. Her walls tightened even more around him, and he found himself thrusting slowly and deeply into her. He guided her to wrap her legs around him as he began his own journey of delight.

Her body relaxed as the pleasure released its hold on her, but he knew she was far from achieving its potential and was determined to lead her to it.

He murmured her name, fighting to keep his thrusts from growing too forceful, but the deeper he buried himself, the more he wanted. She instinctively lifted her hips to match each thrust, her legs tightening around his waist, her arms pulling him closer. Her soft cries encouraged him, and his control slipped like sand through his fingers. His own release threatened again, but he battled it back. He wanted to give her so much more. He wanted her to experience true joy in their passion. He wanted her to know how much he loved her. His control completely shattered and he moaned her name, seeking greater depths.

He felt her coil even tighter beneath him, but he was unable to stop. Her nails dug into his back as her true fulfillment swept through her. Aidan groaned as he buried himself. Dear God, never had he felt a lass find her pleasure with such intensity while he was embedded so deeply. He threw his head back and lifted her hips with his hands until he could go no further and simply savored the ecstasy roaring through the deepest fiber of his being.

He opened his eyes, watching her in her throes. She was so open to him, wanting all of him. The reaction of her body along with her cries of pleasure, how she murmured his name over and over, drove him to greater heights. He had always been so careful to never spill his seed inside a woman, but as his own fulfillment took him, his love for her ignited like the brilliant golden edges of the clouds igniting in the new dawn. He gave her his seed and so much more.

Aidan collapsed on top of her, fighting to suck in some air. His muscles trembled and sweat dampened his skin. Kenna clung to him and also seemed to be trying to remember how to breathe. With another groan, he rolled away and pulled her close, settling back into bed, but his heart continued to rattle like a drum. The tighter he held Kenna, the more he realized her heart did the same. She was shaking. His arms tightened around her, but his thoughts raced as madly as his heart. What had just happened?

Kenna slowly relaxed against him, her body growing languid, and she buried her face in his hair, nuzzling his neck. He shivered at the exquisite sensations that again roared through him. Never had he felt such intensity, and after making love to her, the feelings only grew stronger.

He squeezed his eyes closed, trying to make sense of everything. Since he had met her, all she had done was conquer her fears. One by one, they toppled before her as an enemy would when faced with her biodags. She had found her true strength, and in doing so had found the heart he had buried so long ago.

T
hree days after leaving the inn, they had been forced to skirt around the advancing English army but were now able to travel northeast. But giving the encamped army such a wide berth had added days to their journey. Aidan longed to reach the safety of the Highlands. The rugged terrain would dissuade any who did not know the land and who might think to pursue them.

The morning was already growing unusually warm. The plants lining the trail had begun to bloom, adding a bit of color to the dreary landscape as winter finally loosened its chill grip on the land and turned more toward spring. They had left their cloaks stowed in their packs when they broke camp, and Kenna’s honey-gold hair shone in the morning light. She still dressed as a man; it was just far easier for her considering all the hours they were putting in on horseback. She wore her biodags strapped to each thigh. Aidan found the vision before him so wonderfully different. Never had he imagined himself falling in love with anyone, let alone a such a beautiful and courageous lass. Now he thought he understood something of what had happened to his brother when he fell in love with Lia. Aidan resolved not to give him quite so much grief about it in the future . . . well, he had to give him some grief, at least.

But Aidan’s pleasant mood faded as he thought about bringing Kenna to Castle MacGrigor. He knew he had forfeited the Bruce’s offer of a holding by slaying Stewart and some of the Bruce’s men. He wanted nothing more than to marry her, and he resolved he would, but where would they live?

Would Ronan allow her to stay? Aidan scowled at the thought. As laird, Ronan could object to Aidan residing with Kenna at Castle MacGrigor. He doubted his brother would do that, but here Aidan was in the midst of the exact situation he had tried to avoid.

“Aidan?” Kenna asked, startling him.

“Aye?”

“What troubles ye?”

He shook his head and gave her a smile. “Nothing tae worry yerself over,” he said and held out his hand. She took it, moving her horse closer to his. They crested a small rise and Aidan stopped his horse, scanning the area around him.

Movement on the trail behind them, several miles away, caught Aidan’s attention. “Kenna, look,” he said and pointed.

She shielded her eyes against the sun. Abruptly, her face lost color. “Riders? Hurstal?”

Aidan’s throat tightened. They were still a good distance, a strange speck on the land behind them, but there were more than a handful, and they were riding hard.

“Aye,” he said tightly.

She lowered her hand and looked at him, her emerald eyes wide. “Are ye sure they’re no’ English patrols?”

Aidan shook his head. “We’ve put enough distance between us and the army. It’s Hurstal, mark my words.”

“What do we do?”

“We ride!” He spun his horse around and spurred it into a gallop.

Kenna did the same, her mount again falling in stride beside his. “But Aidan, our horses have been on the trail too long. If theirs are fresh . . . ”

“We haven’t a prayer,” he finished for her and asked for more speed from his mount.

HHH

They rode hard for two days, finally reaching the Highlands, but they were still two days from MacGrigor keep. They stopped only to rest the horses, many times continuing along the trail at night. Aidan used every bit of knowledge he possessed to keep moving as quickly as possible while saving their mounts.

Their only advantage was that they rode rangy coursers, animals bred to cover long distances at a gallop. The knights-errant rode heavy horse and carried more weight. They were stronger but slower. Still, the fact that their mounts were fresh while Aidan and Kenna’s were trail weary made its presence known quickly. Every time Aidan was able to catch a glimpse of their pursuers, they had gained ground. Despite Aidan’s best efforts, it soon became obvious the knights-errant would reach them before they would see Castle MacGrigor in the distance.

Aidan warred with himself. He could send Kenna on to the castle then double back and see if he could delay them or even lead them on a merry chase away from her. If he had a fresh horse, he might have done just that. But he knew Kenna would never agree to such a plan. She was his sparrowhawk and did not take kindly to being bullied by anyone.

They reached a low spot in the trail and had to check their pace. A bog covered the area and encroached over portions of the trail. If they were not careful, their mounts could become mired in it or pull up lame.

Aidan stopped short, studying the trail before him.

He looked ahead. The trail angled upward gently to a rise and a thick copse of trees. If those trees were more than just what he could see here . . . 

“Aidan?” Kenna said. “We’ve got tae keep moving.”

“Wait, Kenna,” he said, studying the bog around him. He allowed his mount to pick its way through. At the very last, it leapt awkwardly over a large mud puddle. He grinned and pulled it to a stop on the other side.

“What?” she said, allowing her mount to do the same thing. She squeaked, startled, as her mount copied Aidan’s and jumped the puddle.

“Kenna, the bastards are less than a day behind us. They will be on us before we reach the castle.”

He didn’t like her pale features. She swallowed hard and nodded.

Aidan’s thoughts turned to a time just before this fiasco had started, when he lured the knights to the field his brother had chosen. Ronan had set a trap, and Aidan had been the bait.

“It’s time tae stop running,” he said softly.

“What?”

He grinned at her, but in truth, his heart was racing in fear. He was placing everything on the line—not only his life but Kenna’s as well.

“They called down the thunder,” he growled. “Now there be hell tae pay.” He spun his horse and galloped up the rise to the trees with Kenna right behind.

HHH

It was midafternoon by the time Hurstal’s group gained the trail where Aidan had discovered the bog. It had been plenty of time for Aidan and Kenna to scour the land ahead and develop a plan. Aidan prayed it would work, otherwise they were probably both dead.

Aidan noted as the group crested the last rise that Hurstal and Stewart’s man-at-arms rode in the lead. They had been hard at work. The group was now at least twenty strong. Aidan knew they wouldn’t be able to kill all of them, but he could take most of them out of the fight for a time, and if he could slay Hurstal, hopefully the others would decide two Highlanders weren’t worth the effort. But Stewart’s man-at-arms was an unknown.

Aidan and Kenna had hidden their horses deep into the thick forest. Now Aidan stood at the top of the rise, overlooking the bog. If he could gain their attention before they spotted the bog, there was a good chance they would run smack into it before they realized it was there. He whistled sharply. That sound would not only gain Hurstal’s attention but was a signal to Kenna as well.

The group pulled to a stop. Hurstal glared up at him.

Aidan grinned cheerfully and waved then took off running.

He heard Hurstal exhort his men, and the men, in turn, exhorted their horses. Within moments, Aidan heard horses squealing in fear as they hit the bog and floundered. He didn’t check his pace, knowing many would be able to either pick their way through the bog as he had done, or determine away around it.

He glanced over his shoulder as the first horses crested the rise. Only half of the original number pursued.

“Hey, ye bloody codswallops!” Kenna screeched.

Aidan blinked, wondering if she had somehow learned how Ronan needled Aidan with that very insult to no end. He glanced to his left and saw her jumping up and down, waving her arms like a bloody fool. He kept running, fighting not to laugh at her antics.

Five of the riders broke off to chase her. She threw a rock at them, which fell woefully short, but its intent was obvious. She turned and sprinted for the trees.

Aidan reached the trees, cutting through the thick undergrowth, diving through bushes. The knights pursuing him had to check their pace and entered the forest slowly. Aidan found the old oak he wanted and skittered up into the branches, his experience chasing his brother across the walls of MacGrigor keep coming in handy as he climbed. Toward the top, more branches intersected with the oak, forming pathways that a squirrel—and a laird’s miscreant brother—could appreciate.

From his vantage point, he saw Kenna reach the end of the field, the five knights continuing to pursue her. He held his breath and prayed.

One horse went down, squealing in agony, a second followed, then a third. The other two stopped, staring at the ground fearfully.

The field had been littered with gopher holes. The creatures had burrowed huge networks just under the surface. When the horses galloped over them, the holes collapsed and the mounts went down with broken or badly injured legs. Even at a walk, a gopher hole could be deadly to a horse if it collapsed and the horse panicked while trying to pull its leg out. The two remaining knights would have to dismount and pick their way out of the field lest the same happen to their horses.

Kenna disappeared into the trees, and Aidan breathed a sigh of relief. All that remained were the few pursuing him. But Aidan still had to move fast. The knights that had lost their mounts to the bog or the field were only delayed. If Aidan didn’t take advantage of the turn in numbers now, he would lose it. He vaulted an insane path through the branches and whistled his birdsong.

The answering whistle sounded and Aidan grinned. All was going according to plan.

He reached the clearing he and Kenna had examined previously when they had devised their plan. The canopy was thick overhead, and it was already quite dark as afternoon turned to evening. He wished it could be a little darker, but there was no help from it. He grabbed his sword from its hiding place and again chirped his soft birdcall.

The answer sounded immediately. Kenna was ready. He heard the sound of horses crashing through the undergrowth, and within moments Hurstal, Stewart’s man-at-arms, and four mercenary knights galloped to the edge of the clearing and stopped. Aidan had picked this ground for a reason. The trees and undergrowth were thick enough to make fighting astride a horse impossible. If Hurstal wanted a battle, he would have to dismount.

“You bloody bastard,” Hurstal growled as he leapt out of the saddle. “I’ll have your head for this.”

Aidan grinned. “That’s what ye keep saying, but no’ what ye keep doing.” Still, his heart raced. Six against one would be a much tougher fight and made the clearing seem quite small. “How be the wound my lassie dealt ye?” he taunted and hefted his sword, preparing for the charge.

Only a step behind Hurstal, the other five men entered the clearing.

Aidan spotted a shadow behind one of the knights. Suddenly, a bright, thin blade exploded from the man’s throat with a spray of blood, just under the gap of his gorget. The knight dropped his weapon, clawing at his throat, struggling to breathe. He collapsed, a sickening gurgle sounding as he died.

Aidan blinked. The shadow behind the man had disappeared before he hit the ground. Holy hell, even though he had known what to expect, his sparrowhawk still amazed him.

The others turned and stared at their fallen comrade in horror. One crossed himself.

Aidan’s grin grew. “Ye didna think ye could dance with me with nary a worry, did ye?”

Except for Hurstal, the remaining knights’ faces lost color at the same time. Aidan laughed as he continued to adjust to their positions.

Stewart’s man-at-arms looked from Aidan to Hurstal and back again. He swallowed hard, his hand tightening on his sword hilt. “Hurstal—”

“Slay the bastard,” Hurstal snarled, shoving Stewart’s man forward.

Stewart’s man pitched toward Aidan, off balance.

Still gripping his sword, Aidan’s fist shot out and slammed into the man’s jaw. His head snapped back, and he plowed into the ground, unconscious.

Aidan shook his head. “The laddie canna seem tae stay awake during a fight,” he muttered.

“I’ve heard tale of you,” one knight snarled. “They say you’re the Demon Laird’s brother.”

Aidan immediately seized on the opportunity to capitalize on their superstitious fears. His smile grew. “Hurstal, ye didna tell them who they chased? For shame. They should ken that their souls be on the line here.”

“Bastard whelp!” one knight roared and lifted his sword.

In a blink of an eye, the shadow appeared behind him, and a biodag buried itself into his armpit, then the shadow vanished as the man collapsed.

The remaining two turned gray as they stared at the second dead man. They lowered their weapons and took a step back.

“You fools!” Hurstal barked. “’Tis only the wench.”

“Ye be certain?” Aidan asked. “Or be it the stuff of nightmares?”

It bothered him that Hurstal no longer focused on him but on the trees lining the clearing. Damnation, he was watching for Kenna now. Aidan took a breath to chirp the warning signal they had agreed on. Only their ability to work as a team gave them a chance at victory. Before Aidan could make the sound, two knights charged, and he was forced to release his breath and block.

He kept one man between him, Hurstal, and the last knight, so once again Aidan only had to face one at a time. But Hurstal didn’t have his heart in the fight; instead, he kept watching the trees. Saints have mercy! Aidan knew he had to get Hurstal’s attention back on him. Just as Aidan measured the pace to charge him and change the tempo of the fight, the first knight before Aidan lunged in an attack.

Kenna darted from the trees, attacking the knight who tried to attack Aidan.

But Hurstal had hung back and was focused on Kenna completely. He was on her in an instant. His sword cut outward.

“Nay!” Aidan bellowed. He thrust his sword into the knight’s ribs, slaying the man he faced.

Kenna skidded and blocked the blow from Hurstal, but the force of it knocked her flat on her back.

Hurstal lifted his sword for the death blow.

“Nay!” Aidan bellowed again and leapt, terrified that the distance was too great, that he wouldn’t cross it in time. He extended his body to its fullest. Pain exploded in his side as he intercepted the strike that would have surely killed his beautiful little sparrow. He roared in agony and plowed into the dirt.