Bliss nodded. “That sounds like the man I tended.”
“Where is he now?”
“I sent the farmers to my people . . . the Picts. They will look after them until they can be moved to the MacAlpin village.”
Mary frowned, and Bliss knew why. She was torn between going to help her husband and seeing to her daughter.
Bliss reached out and took hold of her hand. “Don’t worry. I’m sure you all will be reunited very soon.”
Mary calmed some though her eyes remained misty.
As soon as Bliss released Mary’s hand, her senses were bombarded with warnings. She hurried up alongside Trey, and whispered, “Soldiers draw near.”
A
llena was quickly handed over to her mother, and Bliss walked a few feet away to talk with Trey.
“How many?” he asked.
“Too many for you to battle on your own,” she advised.
“We’ll have to hide—”
Bliss didn’t let him finish. “No time to find a hiding place.” She grabbed a handful of dirt and turned it palm up close to his face and blew.
He coughed and sputtered and rubbed at his burning eyes. “What the—”
She grabbed his arm. “Don’t argue; do as I say.” She took the bedroll off his back and shook the blanket open, then draped it over his head. “Keep your head down and cough frequently when the soldiers draw near.”
She tugged at him to follow her back to Mary and Allena. “We must appear sick,” she said, and did the same to Mary as she had done to Trey though she didn’t wrap a blanket around her. She smeared dirt on Allena’s cheeks, and it wasn’t necessary to make her eyes red as fearful tears were already beginning to do that.
“Say nothing, just cough and keep your heads bent,” Bliss ordered, and did the same to herself, her eyes turning red and watering as the first soldier appeared.
Bliss stepped forward, her head slightly bent, her shoulders slumped and in between coughs, she begged, “Help us . . . please.”
“Back away,” the soldier demanded.
“Please,” Bliss said, reaching out to him with her dirt-covered hand, to which she added a slight tremble.
“Be on your way,” he ordered sternly and pointed to his right. “I’ll not have you crossing paths with the soldiers.”
“But—”
The soldier moved his horse closer to Bliss. “I’ll not contaminate my sword on your putrid blood, but I will have a skilled archer take aim if you do not move on.” With that said, he gave her a kick, sending her sprawling to the ground.
Bliss’s first thought wasn’t of the pain that tore through her chest but of Trey. She feared he would not contain his anger, and so she scrambled quickly to her feet though the pain robbed her of breath.
She nodded repeatedly and shuffled over to Trey and Mary and, with great effort, managed to say loud enough for the soldier to hear, “We must move on.”
Mary bobbed her head and coughed. Even Allena gave a cough though she kept her head tucked in the crook of her mother’s neck, Mary hugging her tightly.
Trey’s head didn’t bob, and his cough sounded more like a snarl. Bliss was quick to wrap her arm around his back and give a pat, hoping it would reassure him that she was fine even though she wasn’t. And she worried that he just might sense the truth and jeopardize their safety though that would be a foolish move, and Trey was not a foolish man.
They walked slowly though their feet wished to take flight and run from potential harm. That their cautious actions proved wise was made obvious when the large troop became visible through the trees as they made their way through the woods away from the soldier.
Mary gasped though quickly turned it into a hacking cough, and they heard the soldier Bliss had spoken with yell, “Keep your distance from the sick peasants.”
Bliss felt the muscles in Trey’s back grow taut beneath her hand, and, once again, she gave it a pat, hoping to calm him.
It took time to pass the long line of soldiers, which seemed never-ending, and it wasn’t until hours later that they finally felt safe enough to stop for a rest.
As soon as they did, Trey threw off the blanket and turned to Bliss. “How badly did he hurt you?”
“You showed remarkable restraint,” she said rather than answer him.
“He kicked you awfully hard,” Mary said, Allena clinging to her leg.
“How badly?” Trey repeated more firmly.
“It hurts to take deep breaths”—though she quickly added—“but I will work on healing it.”
Trey swore beneath his breath. “You need rest.”
“He is right,” Mary agreed.
Bliss shook her head. “I appreciate the concern”—she stopped a moment to catch her breath—“but we all know that the longer we linger”—another breath—“the more danger we place ourselves in.”
Trey gave an angry growl and walked away, his fists clenched.
“He knows you are right, but his love for you overpowers reason, and he battles with it,” Mary said with a bittersweet smile.
Bliss pulled a small sack from the other rolled bedding and handed it to Mary. “Allena must be . . .” She rested her hand on her chest.
“Go and comfort your angry warrior. Allena and I will be fine.”
Bliss didn’t hesitate and walked over to Trey. He paced between two trees, his hands still fisted at his sides and his eyes an angry blue, like the sky before a storm.
When she was near enough to him, he stopped pacing and reached out to gently draw her against him. His hands went to rest at her waist, and he lowered his brow to hers, closing his eyes as he did.
“I cannot stand to think of you in pain.” His frustration came out in a hard whisper.
She attempted to reassure him. “I can heal myself.”
He opened his eyes and shook his head. “Where will you find the strength? Your sleep was restless last night, which means you didn’t get the rest you should have. You need time to regain your strength so that you can heal yourself.”
“We have no choice.”
“Do you know what it took not to rip that soldier off his horse and kill him?”
“Love.”
He shook his head again. “Love was the furthest thing from my mind.”
“I have not the breath to explain,” she said, needing to maintain what strength she had left to heal herself.
He cupped her face. “We make camp here so that you can rest.”
“We can’t,” she said, and walked away from him. She had to get them moving. She had to get home. Only there, in the safety of her people, could she heal herself properly.
“More danger?” he asked, catching up with her.
She took his hand and rested it on her chest. “I need to get home.”
She didn’t need to say any more. Trey walked over to Mary and Allena and hoisted the little girl onto his shoulders.
“We need to keep moving. We need to get Bliss home.”
“My daughter Deryn?” Mary asked anxiously.
“I’ll send someone to see that your daughter reached the MacAlpin village safely,” Trey said. He then turned to Bliss. “You will tell me if you need to stop and rest.”
Bliss nodded, relieved that no one would attempt to speak to her as they traveled. She would use the quiet time to begin healing herself. It would depend on their pace, but if they could maintain a good one, with few or no stops until nightfall, and they left with the first light of dawn, they could reach her home—
“We could possibly have you home by midmorning tomorrow,” Trey finished as if reading her thoughts.
The day wore on endlessly for Bliss. Her attempts to heal herself faltered at times, the pain interfering with her focus. She had hoped she would have at least eased the pain, but all the walking had only served to worsen it.
When it came time to stop for the night, Trey and Mary would not allow her to do anything, and so she took the time to sit and heal. By the time she was ready to stretch out beside Trey on the blanket in front of the campfire, she was feeling better . . . that was until she lay down.
She gasped for breath from the pain, her hand clawing at Trey for help. He sat her up so swiftly that everything around her spun for a moment. It took several minutes to regain normal breathing.
“It is too painful for you to lie on the hard ground, isn’t it?” he asked.
She nodded and saw that Mary looked at her with concern from the opposite side of the fire, Allena asleep and cuddled against her.
Trey didn’t hesitate; he moved to sit behind her and reached out to ease her into his arms.
She shook her head and pointed adamantly back and forth between him and the blanket on the ground.
“No, I am not going to lie down and sleep while you sit up all night.” He waved her to him. “Now come here to me.”
She shook her head again.
He grinned. “Shaking your head will get you nowhere. I’ll have my way.”
She jutted her chin out stubbornly.
He leaned closer to whisper, “I need you in my arms. I need to feel your warmth. I need to hear your heart beat against me. I need to know you are safe. Won’t you satisfy my need for you?”
She sighed, his words so lovely that they stole her heart. She didn’t object when his arms wrapped around her and gently drew her into them.
“Find a comfortable spot against me,” he said, “and I will see that you stay there throughout the night.”
That he would so unselfishly give up a restful night’s sleep so that she could sleep without pain was another reason among many others that made her see what a wonderful, caring, unselfish husband Trey would be to his wife.
She did as he asked and, surprisingly, found herself more comfortable than she thought she would. Still, she felt guilty that she should rest so peacefully while he sat cradling her all night.
“Do not worry about me,” he said, once she was settled. “I am where I want to be.”
He leaned down and kissed her lightly. “A brief kiss, or else I might excite you,” he teased.
“Too late.”
He laughed. “How easy it will be to keep you in my bed.”
“It will be hard to get me out.”
He laughed again, and she couldn’t help but laugh herself . . . a mistake. It sent a stabbing pain through her, and she gasped.
“Easy,” he urged, and stroked her cheek with a gentle hand.
His touch soothed and helped ease her pain, and her eyes fluttered closed.
“I’ll take care of you. I’m right here, I’ll always lo . . .”
Her mind had gone fuzzy, and she repeated aloud what she was sure she had heard him say, “I love you.”
D
id Bliss say what he thought she did?
“It is so gratifying to see two people so much in love,” Mary said with a smile before closing her eyes and snuggling closer around her sleeping daughter.
Trey stared down at Bliss, sleeping peacefully in his arms. Love certainly poked at him though he had yet to acknowledge it. But why? Did Leora still haunt his heart? Did he feel guilty for allowing himself to feel again?
He gently lifted a strand of Bliss’s blond hair and carefully tucked it behind her ear. She was such a beautiful woman and in so many ways. He grinned. He loved waking up and seeing her face first thing in the morning. He loved holding her hand when they walked. He loved her smile, which seemed to brighten even the most dismal day; he loved her unselfishness; and he truly loved the passion for him that forever burned in her light blue eyes.
He chuckled quietly. He had no choice but to finally acknowledge what he knew from the very first. He loved Bliss, loved her more—
He shook his head. It wasn’t possible, but his heart told him differently. He loved Bliss more than he had Leora. There was so much more to Bliss than there had been to Leora, and it made him wonder why he had fallen in love with Leora in the first place.
There was no point in lingering in the past anymore. Nothing would change it, and finally, in almost a year’s time, he was ready to let it go. He felt the urge to feel, to love . . . to live again.
He leaned his face close to hers and finished what he had stopped himself from saying, “I will always love you.”
T
rey was never so relieved to see the Pict sentinels drop from the trees when they crossed into Pict territory. True to her nature, Bliss inquired, through labored breath, to see if the farmers had arrived yet, and when she learned that they hadn’t, she attempted to speak again.
Trey stepped forward. “Bliss has been injured, and speaking only worsens the injury.”
The men looked at her with concern.
Trey was quick to reassure them. “She will heal, but she needs the rest to do so. And she will never rest if she continues to wonder why the farmers have yet to get here.”
One of the Picts said, “I’ll take some men and see what keeps them and offer whatever help is needed.”
Bliss smiled her appreciation at Langward, a young Pict warrior.
“Has Roan returned from seeing my family?” Trey asked.
“We expect him home in a few days,” Langward answered.
“Dolca?” Bliss asked.
Trey gave no time for an answer. He scooped her up. “After you heal yourself, then you can heal others.” He looked to Langward. “Would you see that Mary and her daughter Allena are given food and shelter?”
Langward nodded. “Of course.”
Then Trey walked over to Allena, held in her mother’s arms, her skinny arms wound tightly around her mother’s neck. “These are good people, Allena, and they will help you and your mum. You have nothing to fear. And I will be nearby if you need me.”
“Promise,” she asked, wide-eyed.
“I am at your service, m’lady.”
Allena giggled.
Langward escorted them away, and Trey, familiar with the area, went straight to Bliss’s cottage.
“I should at least—”
“Have the sense to know that you are useless to others if you have no strength to heal.”
He shoved her cottage door open with his shoulder and walked in. He sat her on her bed, and ordered, “Stay there.”
She smiled and nodded.
He shook his head. “Why is it that I think you are only placating me?”
Her smile widened, and she continued nodding.
He hunched down in front of her and grinned. “Move, and I’ll strip you bare and remove all your clothes from the cottage so you have no choice but to rest beneath the covers of your bed.”
She rested her warm hand on his cheek. “Would you join me?”
His groin tightened, and he could feel himself grow hard. He jumped up and walked to the door, though he stopped, turned, and pointed at her. “When you are well, nothing will stop me from making love to you.” And with that he walked out the door though not before grumbling that he was going to get firewood.
B
liss sighed and carefully stretched out on the bed. There was some pain but not as much as when she had lain on the hard ground. She was relieved to be home, safe in her cottage, where she would have no trouble healing herself.
There was peace in her home that she always found comforting, and it seemed even more so now that she was not alone. Not that being alone had bothered her, but knowing Trey would return shortly, build a fire, and look after her made her feel better already.
And, of course, here was where he would make love to her for the first time. The thought tingled her senseless, and she lingered in the pure pleasure of anticipation.
You must heal first.
Leave it to her grandmum’s voice to remind her.
Grow strong. You will need strength.
She sensed a warning in her grandmum’s voice and wondered over it, though not for long. Her eyes began to flutter shut, and, try as she might to remain alert to her grandmum’s advice, she couldn’t. Sleep quickly claimed her.
She woke to a delicious scent of something bubbling in the cauldron in the fireplace and an empty cottage. She didn’t have to wonder where Trey was . . . she knew. He had gone to find Dolca and talk with her. She hoped he would find the answers he searched for though she sensed he was not meant to know all the answers . . . yet.
Feeling refreshed from her nap, she took the time to heal herself. With quiet and focus, she hoped she’d be healed in no time . . . preferably a few hours.
She chuckled at how eager she was to make love with Trey. But had she given enough thought to the consequences of her decision? Did she realize that to her people, it would bind him more tightly to her than any document could?
Of course, as she had told him, there was always the exchange of a few words that could end their marriage. But it was not as simple as reciting a few words. There had to be meaning behind them; they had to renounce their love for each other. And where at first she had believed it would be no problem, now it was different.
She loved Trey, and she could not in all honesty stand before him and renounce her love for him. It wasn’t possible.
She shook her head to clear it. She couldn’t think on this now. Now she needed to focus and heal herself. She tried for several minutes and grew frustrated. All she could think about was Trey’s joining her in bed tonight and what a mess she was, covered with sweat and dirt.
Careful to ease herself off the bed, Bliss gathered clean garments and a towel, then grabbed her white cloak off the peg by the door and draped it around her. She would heal herself while bathing in the water hole she was so fond of using.
Few used it but her, for they believed it magical and were afraid of its powers. There was a similar thought about her abilities. While her people respected her skills and accepted her, there was also an inkling of fear many harbored, and so that was why her cottage sat removed from the others. It brought her people peace, and she didn’t mind the solitude at times.
It had grown colder since their arrival, and with the sky a dull gray, they could very well see a few snow flurries tonight. She hurried along and made her way inside the cave. She was thrilled upon reaching the luminescent pond. She discarded her clothes and boots, grabbed one of the soap chips she always kept stashed in a crevice in one of the large rocks that bordered a section of the pond, and stepped into the water.
She sighed, the water warm and welcoming. She walked farther in and sunk down until the water reached her neck. She would focus on some healing first, then wash herself thoroughly and heal herself some more. Then, if she was feeling well enough, she would swim. She loved to swim here. Her grandmum had taught her when she was young, and it had always helped ease her worries.
She got to work, scrubbing her hair first.
T
rey sat across the table from Dolca in a small cottage. He was impressed with the woman. Though older with signs of age, she appeared young and vibrant, her bright green eyes more like those of a young, inquisitive lassie. Petite and slim though regal in stature, she gave more the appearance of nobility than peasant. And her mass of pure white curls refused to stay contained on top of her head, several stubborn ones falling loose around her face and neck.
She had graciously welcomed him when he had knocked on her door and introduced himself. She had invited him to join her for a hot brew, and he eagerly accepted, anxious to speak with her.
He had asked as to her health, not wanting to bother her if she wasn’t feeling well, but she had assured him she was recovering nicely and feeling quite fit.
She asked with tender concern about Bliss, and Trey explained what had happened and how Bliss was at this moment healing herself.
“She’ll go to the cave,” Dolca said. “The water is good for her there and will aid in her healing.”
“The cave?”
Dolca explained to him where it was and how it was strictly for Bliss’s use though sometimes she would take people there and let them make use of it. “A good place for her to be now,” Dolca said.
Trey nodded, glad he had learned of it.
“You have many questions for me,” she said with a smile. “But I am not sure if I have the answers you seek.”
Trey’s first question was obvious. “You are Mercy’s grandmother?”
She smiled and nodded. “I see that Bliss has told you. She realizes it is time for the truth.”
“What is the truth?”
“While I would love to share it with you, I believe it is for my granddaughter to hear first.”
“I can understand that,” Trey said, “but perhaps there is a question in regard to the true king that you can answer now.”
“I will do my best.”
“Why would your daughter, Mercy’s mother, have been in possession of a scrap of hide that pertains to the true king?”
Dolca didn’t answer directly. She seemed to pause in thought before she finally spoke. “The truth is best left for those who need to know it.”
“You know more about the true king than you share,” he said, his own revelation surprising him. “How?”
“It is safer for the true king that I do not answer that.”
Though bursting with questions and curiosity, Trey knew that the older woman would say no more, and while he wished she would, he understood that she did so to protect the true king. And he could not argue with that.
“I think it is time I met my granddaughter,” Dolca said with a smile. “May I accompany you and Bliss when you return home?”
“I would be honored to have you travel with us.”
“It will be good to see Mara again.”
“You know my mum?” Trey asked.
“We are old friends. She visits me from time to time.”
That bit of news surprised him and for some reason nagged at him, as if somehow it should connect something, but he didn’t know what. Though it did bring a question to mind, and so he asked, “Does my mum know that Mercy is your granddaughter?”
“She knew only that I had a granddaughter.”
“You’ve never met Mercy?”
“Briefly, when she and Duncan happened by my home one day,” she said. “I knew who she was right away. She resembles her mother though I also saw some of her father in her.”
“But you said nothing?”
She shook her head, and her face saddened. “It wasn’t time yet.” She reached out and rested her slim hand on his arm. “I know you are anxious to hear more, but let it be for now. As I’ve advised, it is best for the true king.”
Trey nodded. He had been taught the importance of keeping information private until the time was right, and so he would honor her request no matter how curious he was.
“We have spent much time conversing. Surely, Bliss must wonder where you are?” Dolca said.
He liked how wisely she had brought their time together to an end, by giving him a strong reason to leave.
He stood. “Thank you for your gracious hospitality, and we shall talk again.”
Dolca gave him a nod, and he left.
His thoughts were heavy as he walked to Bliss’s cottage. While he didn’t learn as much as he would have liked to, he had learned something. His mum knew Dolca. Why that surprised him, he couldn’t say. She had many friends, and sometimes would be gone a few days visiting with them. But for some reason the knowledge nagged at him.
It hit him just as his hand settled on the door latch. Just because Dolca had never met her granddaughter didn’t mean that her daughter hadn’t visited. And if his mum visited Dolca . . .
He shook his head. How could he think that his mum would be the one who had stolen the scrap of hide that was kept hidden in the solar and passed it on to Mercy’s mum? It was a crazy thought that made no sense, yet he knew that it would continue to nag at him.
He entered the cottage, hoping that Bliss had woken. He was eager to see how she was feeling and to talk with her.
The cottage was empty, and, in a heartbeat, a chill of fear raced through him. Then he recalled what Dolca had told him about the cave and the directions. He smiled and left the cottage, thinking he could use a good swim.
He found the place easily enough and made his way to the belly of the cave though he stopped as soon as he saw Bliss. She stood waist high in the water, her hands stretched upward, her breast perfectly round, the nipples hard, and a slight bruise marring the creamy flesh just above her breasts.
His fists clenched, recalling how she had gotten the bruise, but the image soon vanished when she brought her arms down, her hands going to her mouth as in prayer, her eyes closing as she then pressed her hands to the bruise and healed herself.
Quietly as possible so as not to disturb her, but with every intention of joining her, he made his way to where she had discarded her clothes. His garments soon joined hers.
He stood completely naked at the water’s edge. He wanted to join her, but he didn’t wish to disturb her healing. He wanted her healed, and right now, since he didn’t want to wait another minute to make love to her. He had waited long enough as it was, and this secluded cave was the perfect setting to consummate their vows.
“You are welcome to join me,” she said, her eyes opening and her arms spread in invitation.
He didn’t hesitate. He walked in and dunked himself to rid himself of some of the dirt before he reached her. His body glistened along with his long auburn hair as he rose out of the water and went straight to her.
His hand went directly to the bruise that looked to have faded even more than when he had seen it from a distance. He rested his hand upon it ever so gently. “Does it still pain you?”
“It is healing fast, and I have no doubt it will be gone by morning.”
He frowned, not wanting to touch her until she was well, but aching to do so anyway.
She settled his dilemma, saying, “But the pain is mostly gone, a twinge now and then. I am well enough to resume my work.”
He smiled and slipped an arm lightly around her waist before kissing her, a tender kiss that tempted. “Well enough for me to make love to you?” he asked, and kissed her again before she could answer though he truly didn’t expect a response.
She responded, though not with words, her arms going around his neck and her body pressing against his.
Damn, if she didn’t feel good naked against him, and damn if he didn’t like the feel of her hard nipples poking at his chest. And damn if he didn’t want to feel more. His hand ran down over her round backside, and he eased her closer to him, settling her right against his hardness.