Wed to a Highland Warrior (24 page)

Trey went over to her and reached down to help her up.

She slapped his hands away. “You don’t know what you’ve done. Now King Kenneth will kill my da.”

Chapter 29

B
liss woke Roan. “I must go back to the keep.”

Roan sat up. “I cannot let you go on your own, and I cannot leave Langward.”

“I will be fine,” she assured him. “The woods will guide me, and my husband needs me. Langward is well on his way to healing. Feed him the brew I have prepared and bring him to the keep when he feels up to traveling. You will need to speak with the MacAlpins about this attack.”

“I do not like your traveling on your own,” Roan said.

“I have done it many times, and at the moment, there is nothing for me to fear. I will be fine.”

Bliss left the safety of the cottage and followed her instincts, the snow tapering off as she traveled. She had decided against telling Trey she was on her way home. He would worry, and he presently had enough to deal with.

She couldn’t help but wonder if fate had a hand in what was happening tonight. Had she grown tired of waiting? Was she forcing secrets to be revealed?

Whatever the answers, Bliss was glad of one thing . . . Trey’s love.

She tucked her cape tightly around her and hurried her steps. It wouldn’t take her long to reach the keep though by then more trouble would be brewing.

T
rey was still trying to comprehend what Leora had said as Mara and Mercy helped the weeping woman to the table in front of the hearth and wrapped a soft wool blanket around her shivering body.

He noticed that she had gotten much thinner than he had first realized, her gown hanging on her where once it had clung to her every curve. He felt bad for what she must have suffered, but it also made him wonder who this woman was. Had he ever known her? Had she ever loved him?

He shut his eyes for a moment against the unthinkable. Had she been a spy for King Kenneth all this time? He opened his eyes and saw on all their faces that their thoughts were similar to his.

Trey walked over to Leora and gently moved his mum aside. She looked ready to protest, but the resolve on his face warned her otherwise, and she stepped aside.

“It’s time to tell me the truth, Leora,” Trey said, sitting on the bench beside her.

The others gathered behind them, all eager to hear.

Her thin hand slipped out of the blanket and took hold of his. “I never meant to hurt you. You are a good man.”

“What have you done?” Trey asked, not knowing if he’d be relieved or hurt by her answer.

“You must understand that I had no other choice. King Kenneth took my da and held him prisoner. The only way he would even consider freeing him was if I”—she choked back tears—“if I infiltrated the MacAlpin clan and pretended to fall in love with one of the four warriors, one of whom would be king. I was to feed all information I learned to him and try to find out who was the true king. When I did, he promised he’d release my da.”

Trey sat silent. Their love had never been real, and yet he had believed it was. How could he have been so blind? He had brought peril on the true king. Did he continue to do so all in the name of love?

“You never found out the true king’s identity, so why was your death staged? Why did you leave?” Trey asked.

“The king was in a fury. He had discovered that a spy had infiltrated his court at the deepest level and was going mad with the need to find him. So he insisted I return and tell him everything I knew and help him find the spy.”

“We pulled our spy out before he could be discovered, and he didn’t go that deep in the king’s court,” Trey said.

“It wasn’t your spy,” she said, shaking her head. “I helped the king discover that his mistress was a Pict, and her intention all along was to waylay his plans to destroy the true king.”

Mercy gasped and rushed forward, Duncan fast to follow her. “My mum was no Pict.”

“You must be Mercy, the king’s daughter,” Leora said, “and from what I have learned, it is the truth. Your mum was a Pict.”

“But she had no markings,” Mercy said.

Leora shook her head. “I do not know anything about that. I only know that she was a Pict.”

Mercy turned to her husband, and he wrapped her in his large arms.

“Why did you return here?” Duncan demanded.

“You all seemed to thwart the king’s plans at every turn, from taking his stepdaughter to robbing him of a significant bride price. He believed he had another spy in his court, and the only way for him to find out was to send me back here. He insisted I wed Trey and gain his full confidence as only a wife could.”

“He used the threat of harming your da to force you to do this?” Trey asked.

“He had my da moved to one of his hidden prisons, where they do unspeakable—” She shook her head as tears trailed down her cheeks. “I couldn’t let my da suffer when I had the chance to save him. And now it is all for naught; my da will die a horrible death.”

“What were you doing in one of those prisons?” Charlotte asked.

“I had been there only a day and was about to escape, allowed to escape, and make my way back here when you suddenly showed up. I couldn’t believe my good fortune.”

Charlotte nudged Bryce in the side. “Remember Donald’s story?”

Leora’s eyes turned wide. “Donald is my grandda’s name. You’ve met him?”

“He’s here,” Bryce said. “Charlotte and I met him while on a mission. He had lost all desire to live until he discovered we had met his son.”

Leora jumped up. “My da escaped?”

“He did,” Charlotte said, “and he helped me find my way to that prison so that I could free my da. The king had put you in the same prison he had banished your da to.”

Tears streamed down Leora’s face. “Can you tell me where you last saw my da?”

“He’s here with your grandda,” Bryce said.

“Take me to them please,” she pleaded. “I will tell you everything in detail from start to finish, but first, please let me see my da and grandda.”

“It’s not possible to see them tonight,” Bryce said. “Your da prefers to live a distance from others, so his place is a bit of a walk from here.”

Leora’s shoulders slumped, as if in defeat. “There is something else you should know though I cannot confirm it, for I heard it in whispers and only recently. There is talk that the king plans something against the Picts.”

“The Picts will not take kindly to any intrusion from the king,” Trey said.

“The king does what suits him,” Leora said. “And when things do not go his way, those around him suffer.” She shivered, as if recalling such a time.

Mara stepped forward. “I think Leora should get some rest. We all should. It’s late, and we can talk in the morning, after a good night’s rest.”

The women drifted off, knowing that the men needed to talk alone, and Mara, with Mercy’s assistance, helped Leora to her room.

“It makes no sense that the king would attack the Picts,” Bryce said. “It would be a foolish battle move on his part, and I do not believe he’s that foolish though I do believe he plans something.”

“Perhaps Leora lies to us,” Reeve said.

“For what reason?” Duncan asked. “Her da is safe.”

“Perhaps the Picts know something,” Carmag suggested.

There was a moment of silence before Bryce turned to Trey. “Whether you want to or not, there is something you need to consider. One woman used you to suit her own needs; does another one do the same?”

Trey took a quick step forward but stopped, keeping his clenched fist at his side when he wanted nothing more than to plant it in Bryce’s face.

“It’s a question that needs answering, son,” Carmag said.

“We protect the king above all else,” Duncan reminded.

“Just tell us how your marriage came to be, and this can all be settled,” Reeve said.

Would it or would it create a larger problem? Bryce’s comment had wounded him. Leora had made a fool of him. She had led him to believe that she loved him. He had been sure that she loved him, and he had suffered greatly when he thought her dead. And now to find out it had all been a ruse . . . just like his marriage to Bliss?

Was he seeing only what he wanted to see as he had done with Leora, or was Bliss different? Leora had reason to trick him. She wanted to save her da. What of Bliss? What could she want from him?

He needed answers as much as his brothers did. And they were right, the true king came above all else.

Trey told them everything, from the time he came upon Bliss, to the many detours they had encountered, and he also informed them of how easily the marriage could be dissolved.

“Then you truly aren’t wed,” Duncan said, as if he sounded relieved.

“You can spend more time with Bliss and make certain it is love that brought you together and not some plan of the Picts to help protect their people that brought this marriage about,” Reeve said.

“That would be wise of you to do, Trey,” his da advised.

Trey looked to Bryce. “And your thoughts, since I’m sure you have them?”

“The Picts have been our friends, and I do not believe there is any deception on their part, but one can never be sure, especially during these troubling times. I would suggest that you take your time and think this through, not for the sake of the true king or your family, but for you.”

“What do you mean?” Reeve demanded. “He’s been made a fool of once—”

“The precise reason he needs time to think this through,” Bryce said. “Don’t you think he’s asking himself that very question? Don’t you think he now wonders if Bliss truly loves him? Don’t you think he wonders if love is even worth the trouble it has caused him?”

Reeve nodded and looked to Trey. “I may have faced possible death in wedding a death bride, but I had no doubt that Tara loved me, and that made all the difference. Bryce is right—you need to make sure for yourself.”

“I agree,” Duncan said. “I never once doubted Mercy’s love for me, but I wonder if I would have been so easily accepting of it if I had been deceived by a woman. Though I must say Bliss has been a good friend to our family. She healed Mercy and she healed you and she keeps the secret of the true king’s identity.”

“But does she truly love me?” Trey asked, voicing his concern aloud.

“If you feel you must ask that, then you are not the man I thought you were.”

The men turned to see Bliss standing a few feet away, her cloak sprinkled with snow and her cheeks flushed red from the cold.

At that moment, seeing the hurt in her eyes, Trey knew that he was a fool ever to allow himself to think that she might not love him. He felt as if he had betrayed their love, a love he had come to know, to accept, to revel in as honest, solid, and everlasting.

He stepped forward, and her hand went up in a flash as she took a step back.

“Do not come near me. You are not the man I wed. Until
he
returns to me, bother me not.” And with that, she hurried from the keep.

Chapter 30

T
rey didn’t hesitate; he ran after her. The snow was falling heavily again, and he could barely see her, but it didn’t matter. He had to make this right. He had to make amends for being an idiot.

He thought he saw her duck around a cottage, no doubt in an attempt to lose him, and so he was fast to follow, but she wasn’t there. She seemed to elude him at every turn, and it upset him. He drove her away when only a short time before he had let her know how eager he was to be with her. How had he ever allowed himself to doubt even for a moment that her love was real and no ruse?

He had come to know his beautiful, unselfish wife in the short time they had been together. She hadn’t hid herself from him, she had been open and honest and loving. And it hadn’t been possible for her to hide her desire for him. She had responded like only a woman in love could, but, then, hadn’t Leora done the same.

He stopped, paying no heed to the snow that accumulated more heavily on his hair and shoulders, having failed to grab a cloak before chasing after his wife. Taking a closer look, he’d have to admit that it was different with Bliss than it had been with Leora.

Bliss responded to his every touch, whether innocent or intimate, it didn’t matter. It was obvious she desired him. It was as if her passion for him simmered on the surface and waited eagerly for his touch.

He turned hard with the thought.

Damn, now all he could think about was making love to her, burying himself deep inside her and hearing her moan with desire for him. It was like an addictive melody to his senses, one he longed to hear and would never grow tired of.

Instinct finally kicked in, and he turned and caught sight of her; he followed. She was headed to the woods, her haven. It would shelter her and keep her safe, so attuned was she to its magic.

He hurried after her. He had no intentions of letting her spend the night alone in the woods. She belonged with him, in his bed, and that was where he intended to take her.

He hastened his pace, catching up quickly, and soon he’d be able to reach out and . . .

Bliss stopped abruptly and spun around, holding her hand up to warn him not to come any closer. “I want to be alone.”

“That’s not going to happen,” Trey said with a shake of his head. “You’re coming home with me.”

“We need time apart. It is what I saw and what must be.”

He shook his head again. “Not this time.”

“You can’t deny fate.”

“I’m not,” he said, and took a step toward her. He was glad she didn’t retreat. “It was never distance that you saw that would separate us; it was doubt and fear.”

“I have no doubt that I love you, and as far as fear?” Her smile was sad. “My only fear is losing you.”

“I feel the same.”

She shook her head. “I don’t believe you.”

“You can’t be serious. You’re letting your fear interfere with your instincts. You can feel what I feel for you. I can’t hide it from you.” He spread his arms wide. “Look, I have nothing to hide—my love is there for you to see.”

“You doubted.”

“I won’t deny that,” he conceded. “Leora’s return confused me, though thinking on it more, it actually frightened me. It made me question. What if, like her, you didn’t truly love me? What would I do then? How would I live without you?”

“I should have realized that she never loved you,” Bliss said, as if it were her fault. “In my visions, she kept claiming that she needed you; but never once did she say that she loved you.”

“It isn’t your fault. It’s mine for even doubting briefly that you loved me.”

Bliss pressed her hand to her chest. “It hurts to hear you say that. My love for you is eternal. It always has been and always will be. I have dreamt of the man I would call husband all my life, and that man is you; I have not a sliver of doubt.”

He stepped forward again, eager to scoop her up and carry her back to the keep and make love to her.

She jumped back. “While I have not had a shred of doubt, you did, and you must settle that in your heart and mind before we can be together again.”

Trey nodded slowly, his brow scrunched in thought.

“When your heart is certain, return to me,” she said sadly, as if it pained her deeply to say it.

Trey nodded and went to turn, but instead swung around to reach out and scoop her up in his arms and yank her tightly against his chest. “You’re mine and always will be. There is nothing to think about.” He walked at a fast pace. “I love you, wife, and that love will only continue to grow with time, which means I will love you more and more each day.”

“I—”

He silenced her protest with a kiss, before saying, “I will hear no more foolish objections from you. I intend to take you to our bedchamber and make love to you. All night, if we’re both not too exhausted.”

Her soft laughter sounded like a gentle melody floating on the night air.

“We belong together, Bliss. Fate decreed it, and what fate decrees, nothing can separate.”

He kicked the door to the keep open and walked in, then kicked it closed.

His da and brothers still lingered in the great hall, and they stared at him, though Reeve grinned.

“Don’t disturb us,” Trey commanded, and disappeared up the steps.

Once in the bedchamber, Trey didn’t waste a minute. He stripped himself fast as Bliss took a couple of steps back, then he stripped her, not giving her a chance to protest since he kept kissing her as he shed her garments.

When he was done, he hoisted her up so that she had no choice but to wrap her legs around his waist. Then he carried her to the bed and lowered her, burying himself slowly inside her as he did.

He loved the initial moment of entering her. She was always ready for him, always slick with moisture, as if just the thought of making love with him made her wet and that excited him and grew his erection harder and made sliding into her easy.

She gasped, though in moments she was moaning with delight as his rhythm quickened. It would be a fast joining—they both knew that and they both needed it to be. Though it hadn’t been long since they had last made love, it had been much too long for them. It was as if their bodies, their minds, and their hearts could not live without it. Making love nourished them in ways neither understood but would not deny.

He grabbed her hips, forcing her to meet his potent thrusts more vigorously.

His name spilled from her lips in a whisper, and he knew it would grow stronger and louder as she begged him to bring her to climax. She wanted him; only he could drive her wild with passion, only he could satisfy her burning need, only he could deliver the climax that would leave her shuddering with satisfaction.

She belonged to him, body, heart, and soul.

The thought had him driving into her with such passion that she shouted out his name, and he knew, he could feel, her climax near. He moved with power that brought him pleasure and her satisfaction as he sent her flying over the edge.

He felt her explosive climax, heard her cry out his name, forcing him to join her. He burst in climax with her. So strong was it that it felt as if it went on forever. Not surprisingly, he sensed and felt another climax hit Bliss, and he kept his thrusts strong so her pleasure would be great.

When passion finally faded, leaving tingles to run through them, Trey stretched out beside her. He tucked her close to his side, smiled, and, with a slightly labored breath, said, “I love the way you’re always wet and ready for me and how you moan and tighten around me just before you explode with passion.”

“And I love that you sometimes enter me slow and easy and other times”—she didn’t need to pretend to shudder, she did—“it’s fast and hard.”

“That’s because I cannot wait; my need for you is too great.”

“I feel the same,” she admitted, snuggling closer against him.

He ran his hand over her breast, teasing the nipple. “I can’t stop touching you. I can’t stop thinking about you. I can’t stop wanting you, and I will never stop loving you.”

C
ontentment filled Bliss like never before. She eased herself over him, covering his warm, damp body with her sleek, moist one and rested her head on his chest. His arms went around her, his hands stroking down her back and along her backside.

She sighed with pleasure, cherishing the intimate moment with him. “I knew I would find love, but never did I think it would be as strong as the love I have for you. There is, however, one thing that I don’t understand.”

“And I know exactly what it is.”

She raised her head, her eyes wide. “You do?”

He nodded. “You sensed it would be a while before we made love again and yet here we are and you wonder how you could have been wrong.”

She smiled. “You know me well.”

He laughed. “Every inch of you.”

“Then if you know me so well, you must know the answer.”

“I do,” he said proudly. “It is a simple one. Time is different for us. A full day is even too long for us to go without making love. The intimate act connects us in a way it does no other. It is as if making love nourishes us, gives us strength, and so we hunger for it like others hunger for food.”

“You know, I think you may be right,” she said with surprise. “There are times I feel empty, as if somehow I need filling, then you . . . touch me. And I know it is you who will fill me to overflowing.”

He kissed her, lingering on her lips before slipping his tongue inside to tease, taunt, and tempt. He hadn’t expected to grow hard so soon after such a powerful climax, but to his surprise, he did. And the stronger the kiss grew, the harder he grew until . . .

He quickly rolled her on her back and slipped over her.

“I want to make love to you again,” he said, his hand cupping her breast and his tongue darting across her nipple until it turned hard. “Slow and easy this time.”

She smiled and reached down to stroke him. “And this time, I get to touch and taste as well.”

M
uch later, their bodies exhausted and sleep ready to claim them, Bliss realized that she had forgotten to tell him about the attack on the Picts. She thought to wait until morning since nothing could be done about it tonight, and they both needed sleep.

“Something troubles you?” Trey asked.

“We grow ever more attuned to each other.”

“And that troubles you?”

“No, not at all,” she assured him. “It pleases me. It’s just that I recalled something I meant to tell you and wondered if I should wait until morning, but it appears that, having sensed it, you should hear it now.”

“Tell me.”

“Roan and his group were attacked by the king’s soldiers.”

Trey tightened his arms around her.

“Now something troubles you,” she said, sensing his concern.

“Leora told us that she heard talk that the king was possibly going to attack the Picts.”

Bliss was silent for a moment. “That makes no sense. It would only cause us to side with you, and the king cannot be so foolish as to believe that with the Picts being neighbors of the MacAlpins these many years, the two would not have formed some mutual allegiance so that peace could prevail.”

“Bryce voiced similar concerns.”

She sat up shaking her head. “The king must have another reason for planning to attack the Picts, but what could it be? The attack would generate severe retaliation and guarantee the Picts’ joining forces with the MacAlpins.”

She wished she could sense something, have a vision, anything that would help solve the pending problem. But what she got would offer little help.

“You don’t sense anything, do you?”

Bliss yawned and eased down alongside him. “I only know that the answer will soon present itself.”

In no time, they both drifted off to sleep in each other’s arms.

T
rey woke just before dawn, and while he wanted to stay beside Bliss, be there when she woke and make love to her, duty to the true king came first, especially now, when battle lay much too close on the horizon.

He eased out of bed, tucking the covers around her. He took a moment and looked at her, as if just realizing she was his, they were wed, and she carried his child. It amazed and pleased him that they belonged to each other. It all had happened so fast. One day he was mourning the death of the woman he had loved, or thought he had loved, and the next he was falling in love.

Fate.

He smiled. Perhaps fate
was
much wiser than he had believed. Though the lesson had been a difficult one, fate had given him the opportunity to distinguish lasting love from passing love. He couldn’t be more grateful or more grateful that fate had given him Bliss. If not for her, he would no doubt have been thrilled with Leora’s return, only to later discover her betrayal and once again mourn, only this time he would have mourned a love that was never true.

He kissed his wife softly on the cheek, and whispered, “I love you.”

She smiled, as if hearing him, and cuddled beneath the blankets. He wished he was there beside her, touching her, kissing her and . . .

He got up and dressed lest he surrender to his passion and climb into bed with her. He could delay no longer; his brothers and da needed to know what he and Bliss had discussed last night.

Reluctantly, he left his sleeping wife.