She licked his nipple and his breath hissed out. His stomach muscles tightened as she dropped one of her hands to his groin and slid it inside his linen to discover his straining cock. She kissed him there too, kisses, licks, and nips that made his hips rise from the bed in mute appeal for her to take his prick—to take all of him.
She pulled down his undergarments and he helped her take them completely off. She straddled him again and wrapped her hand around the base of his shaft.
Her own anticipation of what was to come had already prepared her for him. She positioned the crown of his cock at her entrance and guided him inside the first inch. He groaned at her tightness and rocked against her.
“Help me,” she whispered.
His finger settled over her bud and he circled and flicked it until she was rising and falling to his touch, taking him deeper with every roll of her hips. She opened to him inch by slow inch and took his shaft inside her. She could hardly see him, but his sighs and the slick, wet sounds of their bodies made everything as clear to her as if burning torches surrounded them.
When she sank down on him completely, he removed his hand and rested it on her hip. She started to ride him and he seemed to forget about keeping quiet, although the sounds he made were scarcely eloquent. He set his mouth on her breast and suckled, making her gasp his name. Pleasure gathered and she ground herself against him, tightening around him like a vise.
His fingers dug into her hipbone and he held her down over him as he emptied his seed high inside her and his climax joined hers. She collapsed forward, her mouth meeting his, and he kissed her and moved against her until she climaxed yet again. She cried out and he held her close, her head on his uninjured shoulder and her legs wrapped around his. In her mind there was nowhere else she wished to be. She wished she could have this dream forever.
Rhys’s last thought, as he fell asleep, was very clear. Verity was the love he had been waiting for. He had been a fool not to tell her how he felt sooner. In the morning he would tell her, and one day, if he survived the Vampire, he would ask for her hand in marriage.
But when he woke up, Verity had gone. Rhys rolled onto his stomach and slammed his right fist into his pillow. He’d missed his opportunity and would have to wait until the next time he and Verity were alone. Then he would tell her how much he loved her—and make sure she believed him.
Chapter 16
“L
ady Verity.” Verity startled as Rhys came up behind her and hastily stuffed the note from Mistress Hopkins into her hanging pocket.
“Sir Rhys.”
He bowed, but there was a grim set to his mouth that made her think he wasn’t particularly pleased to see her. She realized that might be because her conscience was not unsullied and so she made herself smile at him.
“Are you free, my lady? There are some things I wish to discuss with you.”
“Right now?” Verity glanced distractedly around the queen’s busy chambers. “We are preparing to remove with the queen to Hampton Court for her lying-in.”
Rhys leaned against the doorframe and blocked her retreat. “When I saw Mistress Hopkins this morning, she asked me if you had received her message about the Druid Elders consenting to your plan.” He paused. “I was not aware there was a plan. When did you intend to enlighten me?”
Verity contemplated his implacable expression and put down the pile of swaddling bands she was holding. “It isn’t exactly my plan. It was more Elias’s idea.” He didn’t move an inch and she was suddenly aware of the intimidating strength of his body, a body that she had touched intimately only a few nights ago and had avoided ever since.
“Now that the Elders have given permission, I must find Elias and then we will explain it to you.”
“I would prefer that you explain now.”
She met his hard stare head-on. “I’m sorry, Sir Rhys. I can’t do that. However, you are more than welcome to come and find Elias with me.”
In truth she’d rather talk to Elias first, but she suspected she would be unable to prevent Rhys from accompanying her. Best to give in on this point, as they had far greater need of his cooperation with their plan.
Verity turned to find that Lady Rochford was watching them and walked toward her. “I need to speak with my cousin for a moment, my lady. He has brought me news from home.”
“I do hope your grandfather isn’t sick?” Lady Rochford pretended to look concerned. “He is well remembered here at court.”
“I believe Sir John is in excellent health. This news concerns my cousin Rosalind. Do you remember her?”
Verity tried not to recoil as Lady Rochford’s eyes flashed red. “How could I forget dear, sweet Rosalind. Whatever did happen to her?”
“That is what I hope to find out.” Verity curtsied and turned to Rhys, who was still leaning against the doorjamb. “Shall we find somewhere a little quieter to talk, Cousin?” She looked back at Lady Rochford. “I will not be long.”
Verity placed her hand on Rhys’s leaf green sleeve and walked away from the Vampire.
Rhys patted her fingers. “You certainly have cowed Lady Rochford.”
“I don’t think I have,” Verity said thoughtfully. “She is far too scared of Janus to care about me.”
“Scared of whom?” Olivia joined them, her blue eyes full of curiosity. She held her skirts in her hand and was out of breath. “Lady Rochford told me to spy on you, so I’m coming along.”
“You are not,” said Verity.
Olivia ignored Verity and batted her eyelashes at Rhys. “May I come with you, Sir Rhys? I promise not to be in the way.”
“Why not? I assume you know all about this secret plan as well, don’t you?” Rhys said grimly.
“She knows nothing, Sir Rhys. I am trying—”
“Thank you, Rhys.” Olivia flashed Verity a triumphant smile and took Rhys’s other arm. She chattered to him as they walked, leaving Verity feeling left out. She tried to disengage her hand from Rhys’s, but he refused to let her go. She settled for staring straight ahead of her and ignoring Olivia’s chatter.
“Did Lady Verity tell you that the queen seems frailer than ever, Sir Rhys?”
Rhys glanced down at Verity before replying. “It seems that Lady Verity tells me only what she wants me to hear.”
Verity bit down on her lip and fought an impulse to stamp on Rhys’s foot.
“Then you must be glad I am there with the queen as well.” Olivia squeezed Rhys’s bad arm and he winced. “I am always available to help—you know that,”
“We all need to work
together
to defeat this Vampire,” Rhys added, his gaze again on Verity.
She gave in to the temptation to glare at him. “Which is why we need to come up with a plan to defeat him once and for all.”
“I couldn’t agree more, my lady. Let’s find Elias and settle this, shall we?” Rhys growled.
Elias appeared ahead of them, his smile all for Verity. “My lady, are you well?”
“Indeed I am, Master Warner.” Elias looked pointedly at Rhys and Olivia as if wishing them gone. “Sir Rhys is most anxious to hear about your plan.”
Elias paused. “My plan?”
Rhys pushed past Elias and headed for a small outbuilding next to the stables. “So neither one of you wishes to admit to scheming behind my back.”
“
Scheming
, Sir Rhys?” Elias looked positively shocked.
“Aye, scheming.” Rhys opened the door and glared at them both. “Something that comes quite naturally to you, Elias. I had hoped my lady was above it, however.”
Verity felt her skin heat and heard Olivia’s quiet chuckle. “I did what was necessary, Sir Rhys.”
Rhys leaned up against a bench. “Which was what, exactly?”
Verity took a deep breath. “The Druid Elders will allow us inside the stone circle without penalty.”
“That is excellent news,” Elias said. “Do they say when we may attempt it?”
“As long as it isn’t the night of a festival, we should be fine.”
“Do we have to give them a specific date?” Elias frowned. “I would hate to enter the circle and anger your deities. I’ve seen what can happen to those who offend them.”
“Wait.” Rhys held up his hand. “What are you talking about?”
Verity turned to him. “We had an idea about how to help you.” Rhys said nothing, so she continued. “Elias and I believe that if we share our blood with you, we might be able to weaken the Vampire’s hold.”
Rhys stared at her for a long moment. “You’re suggesting I take
more
Vampire blood inside me?”
His tone indicated that he thought she’d run mad, but she persevered. “Not just Elias’s blood, but mine as well.”
“And how do you intend I do that?” Rhys leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest. “Do you imagine I am capable of drinking your blood? Or is Elias going to drain you dry, then drink from me and replace my blood with his own? Don’t you understand that you would be dead and I would be turned into a Vampire?”
Verity looked pointedly at Rhys and fought an impulse to slap his face. Did he really think her so brainless?
Elias cleared his throat. “I don’t intend to drink blood from either of you. Do you remember what happened to Lord Christopher in the stone circle?”
“Aye, after Anne Boleyn tried to rip out his throat, he almost bled to death. My gods and the Elders saved him. What does that have to do with what you are proposing?”
“My blood was also spilled that night and it sank into the altar stone with Lord Christopher’s.” Elias grimaced. “I have been blood-linked to Lord Christopher ever since.”
“That isn’t possible,” Olivia gasped.
“It isn’t possible for Rosalind to be linked to Christopher either, but it happened.” Elias paused. “You have met their son, Nicholas, many times, Sir Rhys. You know he is ‘unusual.’”
Rhys slowly looked up. “He spoke of you. Do you have a link with him as well?”
Elias nodded and Rhys shook his head. “This makes no sense. You want the three of us to mix our blood over the altar?”
Verity touched his arm. “Don’t you see? There is magic in the stones. It will be as if our blood is mingled inside of us. If we succeed in strengthening your blood, Janus won’t be able to take you over completely.”
“But it’s not about me, is it? We’re supposed to be saving the queen and her child. What if our attempt to share blood goes horribly wrong? That will leave the queen with no one to protect her.”
“I will protect her,” Olivia said eagerly.
“I’m sure you will,” Rhys answered. “But you are not strong enough yet to defeat such a Vampire. We all need to play our parts and then we will destroy this monster together.”
“I think it is already too late for the queen,” Elias said somberly. “She has been in the Vampire’s thrall for far longer than you have, Sir Rhys. Do you truly believe she has the strength left to fight?”
Frustration rose in Verity and she spun around to confront Elias. “You must not say that! There is still hope—there is always hope.”
Rhys took her hand. “If the queen is feeling as feeble as I do, I fear for her mortal soul.”
Elias nodded. “I suspect she would not have survived this long had not Janus been keeping her alive.”
“Why?” Verity whispered.
“Perhaps Lord Thomas Seymour insisted she not be killed,” Elias answered. “Or perhaps his master has his own reasons for wanting her alive.”
“Lord Thomas is her
brother
. How can he allow such a thing to happen? How can he bear to watch his own sister fade away?”
“Because she carries the king’s heir,” Rhys said. “And Janus and Lord Thomas gain more power by controlling the heir to the throne than by controlling the queen. She is, unfortunately, expendable.”
Verity pulled out of his grasp. “We can save the queen. We
have
to save her. Do all men think women are so disposable?”
“That’s not what we meant, my lady,” Rhys said gently. “But sometimes—”
“Sometimes we must not give up!” Verity glared at him and was pleased for once to see that Olivia looked equally insulted. “If you share blood with us, and it is successful, mayhap we can do the same thing for the queen and protect her too.”
Rhys drew back. “I haven’t agreed to share blood with either of you yet.”
It was too much for Verity. “Oh, for the love of God, Rhys, can’t you share even that much of yourself?”
She swung around and headed for the door, slamming it behind her. The warm air made her feel stifled and she veered off the path and turned down toward the river. She reached one of the streams that eventually fed into the Thames and sat down at the edge of the bank. She knew she was supposed to go back to the queen, but she had no inclination to do so.
With a groan, she drew her knees up to her chin and wrapped her arms around them. What had possessed her to take issue with Rhys like that in front of Elias and Olivia? Especially Olivia, who by now would be fawning over Rhys and telling him how wonderful he was and how Verity was not good enough for him. Not that Olivia needed to tell him that. Verity already knew her place in Rhys’s life.