Beneath The Assassin's Touch (Daggers 0f Desire Book 2)

by Katherine Hastings

  “This is fascinating, Viktor. And John and Charlie? Are they Liberta, too?”

  Viktor chuckled. “Funny you should ask. John was part of the Order of Lions, our enemies, and Charlie a Liberta. When those schmucks fell in love they managed to unite the factions into one. Hence, why I’m bored senseless sailing around at sea with nothing to do. I guess you could say, their love killed mine.” Viktor laughed.

  “And now what will you do? With no more pirating missions? Where will you go?”

  Viktor sighed. He had long been thinking about retiring but had no real destination or interest to fall back on. One look in her eyes, though, and he knew where the rest of his life would be spent.

  “In your arms, of course.”

  Her smile could have lit up every dark corner of this castle. Viktor returned it and closed his eyes as she leaned in for a kiss. He inhaled her sweet scent and savored the taste of her lips. He frowned when she pulled away.

  “I wasn’t done with you yet,” he teased, pulling her back into his arms.

  “So, now what, Viktor?” she asked, settling back into his embrace.

  “Now we sleep. Then we get word to John and Charlie with our whereabouts. Then we find out who’s trying to kill you, I kill them, and you and I live happily ever after. Sound good?”

  “Sounds perfect.”

  Viktor pulled the blanket over her shoulders and sighed when she snuggled deeper into his arms. He had lived a great life, a full one filled with adventure, laughter and joy. But this. This was different. An overwhelming happiness crept through every inch of his body, a feeling of fulfillment he’d never even knew he missed. His next great adventure lay wrapped in his arms.

  Viktor woke to the feeling of her lips pressed to his. He moaned and pulled her to his chest, sinking deep into the weight of her kiss.

  “Good morning, love,” he said, blinking his eyes open.

  She flashed him her brilliant smile. “Good morning, love, to you.”

  “How did you sleep?”

  “Better than I have any other night in my life.”

  “It was the orgasms. Works every time.” He winked.

  “Then I look forward to many, many nights of good sleep ahead of me.”

  “Not as much as I look forward to giving them.” Viktor shot a glance to her breasts that brushed against the skin of his chest. “Are you almost ready for a nap?” He waggled his eyebrows.

  “You’re incorrigible. First, I’m starving. We barely ate yesterday. I need food if I’m going to have the energy for more of that sleep remedy.”

  Viktor groaned. “I suppose you’re right, love. I’ve got a few bits of bread and salted meat in my satchel, but I saw some feral chickens still roaming around the property. I’ll go searching for their nests and with any luck we can have fresh eggs.”

  She kissed his nose. “You stay here and rest. You’ve done so much for me. I’ll fetch the eggs and make you breakfast.”

  “Nora,” his voice warned, “I think you’d better stay put. For your safety.”

  “Pish-posh. No one knows we’re here. Stay, rest, and for once, let me do something for you.”

  Against his better judgement, he nodded in agreement. With a big smile she hopped off the chaise. The sight of her naked body in the soft morning light woke up the rest of him that still slumbered. She pulled her dress off the floor and stepped into it. His eyes followed the length of her legs, the soft curve of her hips and the delicate small of her back before it disappeared beneath the fabric. He watched in silence while she fastened the laces of her corset and straightened her skirt.

  “You had better hurry back. I’m looking forward to undoing all that again.”

  With a giggle, she blew him a kiss before disappearing down the hall. He waited until he heard the last of her steps going down the stairs before climbing out from under the blanket and hurrying to the window. She may feel confident to venture out alone, but he would feel much better if he could keep an eye on her.

  When she appeared in the courtyard, several chickens scattered as she approached. He walked the length of the hallway following along as he peered out the windows and smiled when she laughed and chased them around. He passed his old bedroom, pausing to look inside. It looked different today. With Nora’s happy laughter echoing from down below, the pain from the memories seemed to fade away. He could almost envision it now as it once was, when his mother was alive. Laughter and love radiating from every stone, from every room, filling the house with joy.

  Her giggles pulled him back to the window. She crouched in a corner, a small nest at her feet. Viktor watched her gather the eggs and stand up with a triumphant grin. He ducked behind the window when her eyes moved in his direction.

  “I can see you up there, Viktor,” she shouted from down below.

  He chuckled and stepped back into the window.

  “Don’t you trust me?” she hollered up.

  “I trust you! I don’t trust the world with you!” he shouted back. They exchanged a smile and she headed back across the courtyard.

  “Where is the kitchen?” she called up.

  “Downstairs in the east wing. It hasn’t been used in a long time, love.”

  “I’ll make do! Just stay up there! I’m making breakfast!” She hoisted two handfuls of eggs above her head and grinned.

  “Whatever you say, love.”

  He watched her disappear below. Anxiety gripped him while he paced the room. The minutes ticked by and his concern for her grew with each one. There was no reason to fear for her here, but the thought of losing her ripped at his guts. For the first time in his life he understood what had caused his father to turn into a monster. At one point in his life, he’d been charismatic, charming, and filled with laughter. Losing the love of his life snuffed out everything that made him happy, and replaced it with grief. Viktor felt sadness for him now instead of anger. He couldn’t imagine losing Nora.

  Too much time had passed, and he couldn’t stand it any longer. He pulled on his pants and set forth to find her. Memories washed over him as he passed by familiar rooms. Even after all these years, he remembered each one as it had been in his youth. Even though they were now gone, he remembered every candlestick, every painting, every vase. He closed his eyes for a moment and allowed the vivid memories to take hold, as if no time had passed at all.

  Viktor heard a crash. He raced through the castle grabbing a dilapidated broom for a weapon when he raced by. He snapped it in half and exploded into the kitchen, muscles trembling while he searched the room for an assailant. A cloud of smoke choked his lungs and obscured his vision as he entered.

  “Nora!” he shouted. “Nora!”

  “I’m all right!” She coughed. “I’m over here!”

  He sighed with relief. “What happened? Are you all right?” He waved the smoke from his face and squinted to find her. The cloud dissipated and revealed Nora standing beside an old hearth, black soot patches speckled across her face and her dress. She frowned when she saw him.

  “Oh, my.” He choked back a laugh. “What happened?”

  Nora huffed. “I tried to light a fire. It spit smoke back at me instead!”

  Viktor arrived at her side, his smile uncontrollable while he tried to wipe the soot from her face. All he managed to do was smear it around.

  “I was going to make you breakfast, instead all I made was a mess.” She stuck out her lip and crossed her arms.

  “Perhaps you should let me light the fire now,” he said. He placed his hands on her waist and backed her up toward the worn wooden table on the side of the room.

  She furrowed her brow and glanced behind her. “What are you doing?”

  “I’m lighting a fire.” He continued backing her up.

  “The oven is over there,” she said, her brow wrinkling deeper as she pointed behind him.

  “I’m not lighting that fire, love.” Viktor winked.

  Nora’s face lit up with recognition. “Oh...”

  Viktor
grabbed her around the waist, hoisting her into the air. She squealed and wrapped her legs around him. He pulled her down into a kiss, his tongue invading her mouth as she melted into his embrace. They bumped into the table, tongues twirling together while her hands grasped his hair. He leaned her backward, setting her on the table.

  Crack.

  They both froze, Viktor’s eyes growing wide to match hers.

  “What was that?” he asked, staring at her sprawled on the table before him.

  “The eggs. You set me down on the eggs.” Her lips pursed as she nodded.

  “Oh, shite. Sorry, love. No worries. I’ll get you more.” He beamed.

  “My dress,” she grimaced. “They are soaking through!”

  He arched an eyebrow. “I have an answer for that as well.”

  With a strong pull he yanked her from the table, she gasped with the ferocity of it. He grabbed front of her corset with both hands. Nora gasped as he ripped it apart, the frayed strings giving little resistance.

  “Viktor,” she panted while he pulled her dress down and dropped it to the floor.

  He grabbed her bottom and lifted her to his waist again. Responsive legs wrapped around him once more. He could feel her heat pressing into his skin as he backed her to the other table. He peeked for eggs before resting her back down before him. She slipped from his embrace and he took a step back to admire her.

  Golden hair fanned out beneath her, soft skin beckoning him to touch it. Heavy eyelids batted as she reached out her hand, gesturing him to join her. Viktor slipped his pants down, her eyes falling to the throbbing member that pulled him toward her. Her legs parted, opening wide and exposing herself to him, calling for his touch.

  Viktor dropped to his knees, less of a choice than a response to the sight of her. Her pink skin glistened before him, his tongue throbbing to taste it. His finger reached out, brushing against the warmth and finding its way to the swollen flesh that called for his touch. He stroked it with the lightest pressure, pausing when he heard her cries. He drank in the sight of her before him, watching as she responded to his skill, her body writhing on the table as moans echoed in the room.

  Viktor let his finger drift down. It slid inside of her, eased by the wetness that encouraged him on. She cried out while he worked his fingers inside of her, her hips bucking and begging for more. Viktor let his tongue loose on her flesh. She screamed as he licked and sucked the swollen heat between her legs, his fingers exploring inside of her. He felt her tighten around him, her hips pushing hard against his tongue and his hand. Viktor quickened his pace, his tongue working her hard while his fingers drove as deep as her body would allow. Her screams unleashed as her body pulsed around him. Viktor softened his touch and held her in his mouth until the last of the waves had passed.

  Rising up from his knees, he looked down at her sprawled before him. He couldn’t stand another minute not being inside of her. With no warning he plunged himself deep with one mighty thrust. Nora gasped and sighed as he drove himself in and out of her tight body. Her hips pushed against him, her hands gripping the wooden table as she panted in rhythm with his thrusts. His finger found its way back to her soft spot, caressing it as he drove deeper and deeper, her moans encouraging him on.

  The tension built up in his body. The sight of her writhing below, her own pleasure mounting, pushed him over the edge. He moaned and released himself, her own pleasure clamping around him in rhythm as she screamed his name. He collapsed forward into her arms, his legs shaking and threatening to give way. They lay together in silence, panting together, entwined in each other’s embrace. If this was life with Nora, there was no adventure more enticing than the one he would enjoy in her arms.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  “THESE EGGS ARE FANTASTIC,” Nora moaned, savoring each bite. They sat naked together wrapped in the blanket in front of the fire in the sitting room, each devouring the eggs from the bowl in front of them.

  “I told you I could cook,” Viktor said, slipping an entire hard-boiled egg into his mouth.

  “At least you didn’t set the kitchen on fire, like me.”

  “Oh, we set the kitchen on fire, all right,” he teased.

  She flushed at the thought of him between her legs. Such pleasure was something she had never even imagined possible, and yet he gave it to her with such ease. He had given it to her two more times this morning, once just a few minutes ago while the eggs boiled in the pot.

  “Are you feeling rejuvenated, love? Ready for round four?”

  “Viktor, let me finish eating,” she scolded.

  “So demanding, love.”

  They shared a smile, and each took a bite of their last egg.

  “How do you think Charlie and John are doing on their search?” she asked, swallowing her last bite.

  “If I know them, they are well on their way to discovering whatever idiot wants you wiped from this earth.”

  “I wish I could think of who would want me dead. I don’t mind hiding out with you here. In fact, I have no desire to leave this room again. However, my family will be needing my support and with my disappearance, who knows if Cuddy will still care for them.”

  “I’ll send money to your family, love. They don’t need to know where it came from.”

  Looking into his eyes, she sighed. Warmth and love radiated back to her. It sent a tingle through her body.

  “You really have no idea who it could be?” He stopped long enough to spear her with a searching gaze. “I mean, if I had an assassin after me, I could give you a list of at least three or four dozen people who would be the most likely suspects.”

  She shook her head. The dangers he faced every day were so foreign to her, yet they’d been woven right in to the tapestry of his life.

  “Well, his mother hates me. She’s the only one who knows I wasn’t from an affluent family like he told everyone else. Her, and the man who owed him the favor and conjured up my identity.”

  “No one else knows?”

  “Of course not. Cuddy is a proud man, and if anyone found out about my humble background, he would be mortified. Knowing him the way I do now, I’m surprised he even bothered with me. I suppose he’s not used to hearing the word ‘no’, and for some reason it drove him to great lengths to get me into bed.”

  “There isn’t a length in the world any man, myself included, wouldn’t go to get you into bed, love.”

  She chuckled.

  “Besides, if he’s as proud as you say, having the most beautiful wife in England is certainly worth the risk. Having you on his arm would make him the envy of any man he met.”

  “I’m not the most beautiful woman in England,” she argued, rolling her eyes.

  “Ah, I’ve seen most of the women in England. In my opinion, there are none more deserving of the title.” He leaned forward and planted a kiss on her cheek. The tenderness of his touch, of an assassin’s touch, was a complexity she still couldn’t comprehend. That a man capable of killing anyone with ease could be so gentle and loving shocked her.

  “Well, whatever his reasons, he wanted me for his wife badly enough that he pulled me out of the dirt.”

  “So, his mother hates you. But why would she want you dead now? What reason would she have? Does he have enemies, someone envious, perhaps?”

  “Perhaps. We rarely speak so it’s a mystery to me. He does keep a lot of guards around the estate, so perhaps he has some nefarious business dealings.”

  “Why did Captain Hector say on the ship that the bounty would be paid if your death was made to look like an accident or suicide? I still don’t understand who would benefit from your death.”

  Nora felt like she got punched in the gut. “What did you say?”

  “Your death. On the ship, Captain Hector said the bounty was for making your death look like an accident or a suicide. Don’t you remember?”

  She shook her head. Terror had gripped her so tightly in that tense moment, it was quite a blur.

  “Why do you have that
look on your face? What does this mean to you?” he leaned forward.

  “Cuddy’s first wife, she died from suicide. They all said it was because she was heartbroken from being barren.”

  “Oh.” Viktor pursed his lips. “I do remember you mentioning that now. So, Cuddy’s first wife kills herself and now his second wife has a bounty on her head to make her death look like a suicide? That is far more than a coincidence. Perhaps his first wife didn’t die from suicide after all.”

  Nora shook her head.

  “What benefit did he receive from his first wife’s suicide?”

  “Well, he got to marry me and try to have a child again. Divorce is far beneath him. Murder looks too suspicious. Viktor—” she gasped.

  “It’s Cuddy. He killed her, so he could remarry without a stain and now he’s planning the same for you.”

  “It has to be, Viktor.” She reached out and grabbed his hand. “It’s the only thing that makes sense. I know he has a mistress, a new one. Perhaps he intends to marry her once I’m out of the way.”

  “I need to get word to John and Charlie. They need to know what we have discovered.”

  “How do you intend to do that?”

  “There’s a village with a post not far from here, or at least there used to be. I’ll ride there today and send the letter to our headquarters in Brighton, John and Charlie’s home. They can get word here when they find something.”

  “What if someone intercepts your letter?”

  “Charlie and I write in code. No one but the two of us can translate it. My message, and our location, will be secret from anyone but Charlie.”

  “And you trust her?” Nora bit her lip.

  “More than anyone. Well, other than you, love.”

  “Then let’s go.” She stood up, pulling the blanket with her.

  He caught her hand and tugged her back down. “You need to stay here. I’ll write the letter, hurry to the post and return before you know it.”

  “Viktor, I want to go with you.”

  “It’s not safe for you to be seen. Stay here, love. I’ll be back soon.”