My Lady Mage: A Warriors of the Mist Novel (28 page)

He withdrew his hand, instead settling his body in the cradle of hers. He rocked against her, telling her without words what would come next. With the difference in their size, he should have felt heavy; he simply felt right.

She stared up into the silvery glitter of his eyes, his face stark in his efforts to hold back. She didn’t want that. She wanted him.

“Take me, Gideon! Now.”

“Patience, Merewen. I’m trying not to hurt you.”

“You won’t.”

Then he thrust forward, his shaft, thick and heavy, stretching her until the sensation tiptoed on the near side of pain. At her gasp, he froze briefly and then rocked slowly until her body softened, melted, and offered him welcome. He flexed his hips to settle deep within her.

Their joining was amazing, the connection a miracle of the gods.

His skin was damp, as was hers, easing the slide of their bodies together. He finally pushed up, his thickly corded arms supporting his weight as he began working his hips in powerful strokes, letting them swing harder, faster, deeper. She wrapped her legs around his, seating him more firmly deep within her. Once again the air around them tingled with the feel of a summer storm about to break loose with lightning and thunder.

Her body grew tense, arching high off the bed as he drove them both on and on. Then his entire being went rigid, shuddering in her arms as he growled her name and pounded out his release, throwing Merewen over the edge at the same time. It was if they flew through the night sky before finally coming back to rest in her bed.

Tears trickled down her cheeks. She didn’t know why she was crying, but perhaps it was in sheer wonderment at what they’d just shared. Finally, Gideon collapsed, at first lying on top of her, breathing hard and spent. Then he stared down at her with the oddest look on his face as he brushed her tears away.

“Gideon? Is something wrong?”

He rolled to the side, tucking her in next to him. For
several seconds he stared up at the canopy in silence, scaring her. At last he answered.

“No, my heart, nothing could be more right. That was the single most perfect moment in my life.”

“Mine, too.”

She shivered, but she doubted the blankets he pulled back up into place would do much to ward off the chill. Because while she didn’t doubt the truth of his words, she just wished she knew why their most perfect moment had made him look so sad.

A few hours later, Gideon awoke to the rumble of familiar voices in the hallway. Murdoch and Duncan were arguing over which of them should knock on the door. By the sound of things, they’d already quietly searched the keep from cellar to roof looking for him. They’d narrowed his location down to one last possibility, but none of them wanted to be the one to knock on Merewen’s door.

It wasn’t clear if they were more worried about being wrong or right.

He would have found the whole discussion amusing if he hadn’t been concerned for Merewen’s reputation. Another speaker joined the discussion, followed by the sound of retreating footsteps. Gideon was already up and reaching for his clothes from the previous night. The smell of smoke and soot immediately wafted up to clog his nose, but the garments were the only ones he had handy at the moment.

As soon as he got rid of Kane, he’d let Merewen know he was leaving. He didn’t want her to wake up and find him gone with no word.

Shoving the trunk aside, he winced as it scraped across the stone floor. A quick glance at the bed showed that it hadn’t disturbed Merewen. Good.

He opened the door only far enough to squeeze
through. Kane stood across the hall, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. He drew a sharp breath, his nostrils flared wide. Gideon suspected the heavy smell of smoke did little to hide the musky scent of sex that clung to his skin.

Kane’s expression remained impassive, but he made his opinion of the current situation all too clear as soon as he spoke.

“I won’t insult you by asking if you slept on the floor, Captain. However, I will remind you that all of us answered the call to serve the lady’s best interests. From the beginning you have been drawn to Lady Merewen, but have you considered the possible consequences?”

Gideon’s first inclination was to tell his friend that what had transpired between him and Merewen was none of his concern, but that wasn’t true. He’d done nothing but think about all the possible consequences. His dreams had been filled with images of Merewen holding his babe close with such a loving smile on her pretty face.

His heart ached because he wouldn’t be there to see it.

The door behind him opened again to reveal the lady herself. If Kane still had any doubts about how she and Gideon had spent the night, the sight of her kiss-swollen lips and faint blush on her cheeks would have dispelled them.

She didn’t need to know that their private business was being discussed. “Kane, thank you for the report. I’ll join you shortly to decide how best to proceed.”

“Thank you, Captain. I’ll look forward to it.”

Then Kane looked directly toward Merewen, his pale eyes softening. “Just so you know, according to Murdoch and Duncan, Gideon slept in the same room as they did. Since I posted Hob up here to guard the hallway, it is unlikely that any of your people would have been brave enough to venture anywhere near your door.”

Merewen’s blush deepened, but she offered the gruff warrior a warm smile. “Thank your friends for me, Lord Kane, and thank you. And I’ve been meaning to tell you that I would love to meet Hob. Perhaps you’ll find time to introduce us.”

It wasn’t often someone managed to surprise Kane, but he was clearly taken aback by Merewen’s request. “He’s resting in my shield now, but I will make the time, my lady. By the way, he likes sweets.”

Then he pushed off the wall and walked away. Gideon waited until he was out of sight, and then a little longer to make sure he was also out of hearing.

“So does Kane—not that he’d admit it.” Then Gideon smiled at her and added, “That was well done, Merewen. There aren’t many brave enough to approach Hob.”

“I would guess he’s as scary as his owner is on the outside, but I will not let that deter me. If Hob is anything like Lord Kane, he may even act as if he enjoys scaring those he encounters. However, I suspect that makes for a lonely life.”

The woman never stopped surprising Gideon with her insight and wisdom. If his men weren’t waiting for him downstairs, he would have been tempted to show her how much he appreciated her kindness.

Not trusting his ability to resist the urge to revisit her bed, he stopped short of the threshold. “I regret that we woke you, but I was getting up anyway and would have wanted you to know where I was going.”

“I’ll get dressed and join you soon.”

“Are you sure? It’s still early, and you had a long night.”

Her smile was sly. “As did you, I seem to recall.”

True enough. Innocent though she’d been, his lady had proved to be an enthusiastic and inventive lover. Despite his relative lack of sleep, bedding her had left him feeling invigorated and ready to face the day ahead of them.

“Yes, well, I should change clothes and then find Kane. We’ll either be in the hall below or out studying the fortifications.”

Her smile dimmed at the reminder that this was but the calm before the storm. He lifted his hand to her face.

“Always remember that the gods sent us to ensure that your people are kept safe.”

What would she think if he told her of the goddess’s visit or that she’d approved of their coupling? He held his tongue, though. Merewen had suffered enough shocks in the past twenty-four hours. Finding out that the Lady of the River had appeared in her quarters might prove to be too much.

Merewen nuzzled his palm, the gentle touch once again soothing his spirit. Surely he could risk a kiss without losing control.

He leaned close, at first offering a simple brush of his lips before settling them more firmly against her mouth. She turned her face up to his as a flower sought the sun, her hands finding their way around his waist.

It was good—too good. He pulled back before he gave in to the temptation to deepen the kiss or, worse yet, to drag her back into her room and slam the door.

His will was weakening, though, when she refused to let go and held him prisoner with the simple warmth of her smile. He was saved from his wavering resolve when a familiar voice spoke up.

“Captain Gideon! Merewen! What is going on here?”

They both turned to face Lady Alina, who was looking less than pleased. Gideon’s first instinct was to step in front of Merewen, blocking her aunt’s access. But as usual, Lady Merewen preferred to face things head-on.

She smiled at her aunt. “Why, Alina, I would have thought you would recognize a kiss when you saw one. Please come in while I dress. Gideon, I believe you had business with your men.”

He took his dismissal with good grace. But as he walked away, Alina gave him a considering look that warned him she wouldn’t let her question go unanswered for long. He’d rather face five men in armed combat than have that particular discussion with the lady, but neither would he act the coward.

He bowed first to Merewen and then to Alina. “Lady Merewen, we will inform you what is needed to protect the keep. Lady Alina, until later.”

“I will be looking forward to it, Captain.”

He was glad that one of them was. As he walked away, he could feel her gaze boring into his back. It was with some relief that he reached the room where his men had bedded down for the night and could put the stout weight of the door between himself and Merewen’s lady aunt.

G
ideon joined his men outside near the gate. All four turned as one to face him, each of the warriors weighing and judging him according to his own beliefs.

Kane had already made his opinion clear. If Gideon’s actions hurt Merewen, Kane would defend her as he saw fit. Duncan, ever the scholar, looked curious but with a hint of disapproval. Averel shifted from foot to foot, clearly uncomfortable but unsure how to react.

And then there was Murdoch. The big warrior had always served Gideon without question; yet even he was frowning. Although he understood their concern, Gideon hated being second-guessed.

“Let’s walk outside the palisade.”

He wanted to get far away from any prying eyes or ears within the keep. While he hoped that all those loyal to Fagan had left with Olaf, he wasn’t going to count on that being the case. Not to mention he didn’t want Merewen’s name to be connected to his other than as the captain of the forces she’d brought in to defend her home.

They walked in silence until they reached a small rise within easy running distance of the gate. He wished it had taken longer, because he didn’t know how much to tell them, not to mention that he truly hated having to justify the most meaningful experience of his life.

He stared off into the distance, for the moment seeing the past more clearly than the present.

“I hate this life we lead.”

If it could be called living at all. Yes, they walked, talked, ate, and fought. But real life meant so much more. He wished he’d realized that all those centuries ago. If only he’d chosen differently just that one time, but he’d been too young, too foolish.

“It was my mistake that caught us up in this endless service for the gods. I well understand that any decision I make affects all of you.”

Kane spoke first. “We’ve never had cause to question your decisions, Gideon. Not even the one that brought us to this point. Even now, I trust that you are thinking of more than only yourself, but we need to hear the words.”

“Merewen makes me forget that I am no longer a mortal man.” He looked back toward the keep. “I forget almost everything else when I am around her.

“Almost everything,” he repeated with more emphasis. “But not our purpose and not the four of you. Last night I was about to walk away from the lady even though my refusal to enter her room hurt her deeply.”

“But you didn’t walk away.” Kane spoke again, his words blunt but not angry.

“No, not after the Lady of the River spoke to me.”

He held up his hand to cut off the torrent of questions and exclamations. “Looking back, it feels like a dream, but I assure you it was real. Our goddess formed out of the bathwater and moved about the room. The gods agree with what we have sensed, that this challenge is about more than simply ridding the keep of Lord Fagan and his men. But also, we are reacting differently than we have in the past. In truth, Merewen means more to me than anyone else I have been ordered to champion.”

A brief silence was broken when the dark warrior murmured, “As she does to me.”

Kane’s admission didn’t really surprise Gideon, but it
clearly shocked the others. The warrior’s hand brushed the mage mark on his cheek, and he shrugged at their incredulous looks.

“She has courage enough to do one of us proud, and her first concern is always for her charges,” Kane said, “whether they have four legs or two.”

He stared at the ground. “That first night, she urged Gideon and me to hide while she drew her uncle’s attention to her. When was the last time someone tried to protect any of us?”

No one answered. None of them had ever known much in the way of softness in their lives. That a small slip of a woman would offer herself up to pain and injury to protect Gideon and his friends was almost beyond their imagining.

Gideon saw it was time to bring this discussion to an end. “All I am going to say about the events of last night is that the goddess believes our strong connection with Merewen and others within her household is a good thing. The growing darkness means not even the gods can foretell how the future will unfold, but the goddess believes our connection to Merewen and her people has strengthened our chances of success.”

He let them mull that over for a few seconds before continuing. “Duncan, how goes your search for answers in the library?”

“Several sources contain veiled hints of a dark magic that can strike at will, although I’m having trouble translating a couple of the older manuscripts. I’ve been comparing the various texts I’ve found without much success. I fear it may become necessary to search out a library with a more extensive collection if there is one within a reasonable distance.”