Return of the Warrior

by Kinley MacGregor

Is that not how it should be between husband and wife? But she didn’t say those words aloud. They would drive him away from her, she was sure of it.

  “Show me how much you crave me, Christian,” she said instead. “I want to feel you inside me again.”

  Christian’s groin jerked at her brazen words. He felt her hands unlacing his breeches before she slid them down to cup him in her hands. He rubbed himself against her touch, delighting in the coolness of her skin on his fevered flesh.

  “How do I feel inside you, Adara?” he asked, wanting to hear her describe it.

  “Full and warm. It’s as if I can feel the tip of you all the way to my navel.”

  He growled as she cupped him and gave a light squeeze. Hissing, he rolled over until she was on top of him. “Show me what you like, my lady. Our passion is in your hands.”

  She bit her lower lip as she pulled back and removed her bliaut. Christian held his breath as she sat up on her haunches and surveyed his body. She trailed a blinding circle around his nipple before she spread her thighs and straddled his body.

  His heart thundering, he reached to touch the part of her that was now opened for his delight. He watched the ecstasy on her face as he gently stroked her with his thumb until she was thoroughly wet for him.

  Needing more, he slid her back until he was completely sheathed by her body.

  Adara gave a small cry at the perfect feel of her husband inside her. He lifted his hips, driving himself even deeper into her.

  He held her hips and showed her how to ride him. It was glorious.

  His lips curled into a perfect smile as he watched her. “That’s it, love. Have your way with me.”

  She returned his smile as she quickened her strokes. Christian arched his back as complete pleasure glowed in his light eyes.

  He sat up beneath her to ravish her mouth so thoroughly that it actually made her dizzy. She loved the sensation of his breath mingled with hers, of his tongue spiking through her mouth in time to her strokes.

  Christian laid his head against her shoulder as he watched her body giving pleasure to his. Her sleek wetness was a haven to him. Tenderness exploded through his whole being.

  And he wanted to possess her with a ferocity that wouldn’t be denied.

  Their bodies still entwined, he lifted her up until he could lay her back against the mattress so that he could take control of their union. He was no longer in the mood to be easy and playful.

  There was a bestial part of him that only wanted to possess her. To bury himself in her over and over again until he was at last sated and content.

  Adara bit her lip as Christian rode her fast and hard. His strokes echoed through her, sending pleasurable tremors through the length and breadth of her body.

  Her head spun as she came in his arms.

  Christian nibbled her mouth as he felt her climax. She dug her nails into his shoulder as his name was torn from her lips.

  Two heartbeats later, he joined her there in that moment of perfect bliss. When his body was finally drained and sated, he collapsed on top of her. He laid his head against her breast so that he could hear her heartbeat pounding beneath his cheek.

  She played lightly with his hair while she cradled his body with hers.

  Neither of them spoke in the quietness of the night. He merely let her touch soothe him until he fell asleep, skin to skin, his body still resting inside hers.

  Adara kissed his brow as she felt him fall to sleep in her arms. This was the most blissful moment of her life and she hoped to have many more times like this shared with her husband.

  Closing her eyes, she held tight to that dream and hoped that he, too, felt it.

  Christian came awake to the scent of his wife on his skin. Even before he opened his eyes to see her face, he felt her hand in his hair, her thigh resting between his, her breasts against his back.

  Her loins pressed against his buttocks.

  It fired his lust immediately. Still groggy from his sleep, his only thought was to feel even more of her warm, supple body.

  Smiling, he lifted himself up and over her while she slept. Adara awoke to the sensation of Christian deep and hard inside her. Moaning, she realized that he had one of her legs bent up as he entered her from behind and thrust against her.

  “Good morning,” he whispered against her ear before he tenderly kissed her cheek.

  She drew her breath in sharply as he went particularly deep. “Indeed. It appears to be a most spectacular one.”

  His laughter warmed her as he cupped her breast in his callused hand. He dipped his head so that he could run his tongue around her ear. Adara shook from the force of the chills that went through her. There were times when her husband could be a most greedy man. And she liked that about him.

  Christian inhaled the scent of his wife as he reached up to smooth her midnight hair. In that moment, he never wanted to leave her body or her side.

  He wrapped his arms around her and let her feminine scent wash over him as he thrust himself in and out of her body until he felt her spasm. She cried out and dug her nails into his arms.

  Christian quickened his strokes until he joined her. He ground his teeth as his orgasm swept through him. The force of it left him weak and sated.

  Closing his eyes, he lay entwined with his wife, never wanting to leave her.

  “Christian!” someone knocked forcefully on his door. “Come quick, we need you.”

  His heart cried out in refusal. But he had no choice. It sounded too urgent to wait.

  “Sorry, my love,” he whispered to her as he pulled away and left the bed to wash. He quickly poured water over his body to cleanse himself.

  To his amazement, Adara readied his clothes and helped him to dress in his monk’s robe. For the sake of urgency, he forwent his armor, but grabbed his sword and went to see what had happened.

  Adara quickly washed and dressed, then followed Christian. The inn was mostly empty below. It appeared as if the soldiers had all but vacated it.

  “What has happened?” she asked the old man who owned the establishment as he cleaned dirty dishes from a large trestle table.

  He straightened up to speak to her. “I know not. Apparently, something is amiss down at the docks. One minute the inn was full of men eating…the next we were empty.”

  Her heart stilled. Had the Sesari come for them?

  Her chest tight in apprehension, she quickly made her way out of the inn and through the streets alone to where they had docked just the day before.

  As she drew closer, it wasn’t hard to find where her husband had gone. A large crowd of their army was already there. Most of them were silent, solemn. It was very eerie to see so many men that quiet.

  “They are not heathens!” the captain was shouting at Dragon as she approached. “My crew are good and decent men.”

  “We understand that,” Dragon said from between clenched teeth. “But you need to have mercy on the man below. All he sees are Moors and Muslims.”

  The captain’s eyes flared. “And he’s about to tear a hole in the side of my ship. If he does any damage—”

  “We will pay for it,” Dragon snapped. “Just give us time to get him out of there before you have him arrested.”

  Adara frowned at his words. She saw Corryn, who was making her way away from the ship, back toward their inn.

  “What has happened?” she asked, stopping her.

  Corryn sighed heavily as she glanced back at the captain, who was still arguing with Dragon. “Dagger was bringing home three men from the Holy Land. After they docked, one of the men saw two of the crewmen who are from Egypt and has lost all reason. He’s in the bottom of the ship now, threatening to kill anyone who comes near him, including Dagger.”

  “Dagger?”

  “Another member of the Brotherhood. Like Christian, he is one of a few who escorts and guards the Crusaders and pilgrims they free. They bring them all the way home again and make sure no one harms them.”

  So that w
as Christian’s role in his Brotherhood. It made a lot of sense to her now.

  “Why are you leaving?” she asked Corryn.

  Corryn clenched her teeth as she stared out with an unfocused gaze. “You’ve no idea what they look like when they’re released. I saw my brother when he returned home, and I lived with him before he was completely adjusted to his freedom. He was a frightened shadow, a shattered shell. Though he doesn’t say it, I know that is why he has amassed this army. Our number is so great that no one will ever again be able to take him captive. I don’t think they ever get over what happened to them down there. They are too strong to say it, but I can see it in their actions.”

  Corryn swallowed audibly. “Quite honestly, I can’t face seeing another man like that.” Then she left her.

  Afraid Corryn’s words were all too correct, Adara wanted to see if there was something she could do to help Christian and the others. Skimming past the crowd of men, she boarded the ship.

  She’d only taken a few steps on deck when a loud shout made her pause.

  “You have to leave,” one of the sailors snapped as he left the rigging to approach her.

  She gave him an arch look she hoped would let him know that she had no intention of letting him sway her. “I am here to help with the man below.”

  She could see him silently debate with himself for several heartbeats before he agreed to allow her on board. He finally led her down to where Ioan, Phantom, and several other men were gathered.

  The sailor went back topside.

  Adara paused as she took in the dreadfully small size of the ship’s hold. All the men had to bend their heads to stand upright. The space was cramped and saturated with the stench of ocean salt and decaying waste.

  The men were completely silent and crowded around a small area. In front of them was Christian, who stood before a man who held a sword angled for her husband’s stomach.

  It was obvious that at one time the man holding the sword had been huge. Well over six feet in height, he now appeared frail and skeletal. His face was gaunt, his eyes haunted and deep-set.

  “You’re not the Abbot,” the man snarled at Christian. “I heard he was dead by Saracen hands.”

  “I’m not dead,” Christian said in a calm tone as he held his hands up to show the man that he was unarmed. “And I swear no one will hurt you. You’re not going to be sold. No one is going to beat you anymore.”

  The man’s face was anguished. “I saw them. I saw the devils! This is a trick they’re using. I know it. You’re lying to me!” He swung the sword at Christian, who stepped out of his reach, but made no move to disarm or fight him.

  Terrified for her husband, Adara stepped forward.

  Phantom turned at her action and quickly rushed to her side. She opened her mouth to speak, only to have him clap his hand over her mouth.

  “Not a word,” he said sharply in her ear as he blocked her way to the men. He quickly moved her back topside.

  “What are you doing?” she asked angrily after he released her on the deck.

  “You are dark-skinned, dark-haired, and dark-eyed, Adara. No offense, but you don’t look European. If that man had seen you, there’s no telling what he might have done to you or what Christian would have been forced to do to him to protect you.”

  She swallowed as that reality seeped in. “I only wanted to help.”

  “I know. But you have to understand that when you have suffered as we did, the mind plays tricks on you. You do things that even you don’t understand. The simplest sound or gesture can terrify you. One wrong word and you go mad and lash out.”

  She couldn’t imagine Phantom being like that. Nor Christian. They were too controlled and in charge of their emotions.

  “Corryn said there were others with him?”

  He nodded. “Sphinx took them to the inn where he is staying so that they could eat while we sent for Christian.”

  “Why Christian?”

  “This is what he does, Adara. This is why he’s so important to the Brotherhood.”

  Adara wanted to know more about her husband and his role in all this. “I want to see…Please, Phantom. I won’t make a sound. I promise.”

  Phantom looked skeptical at first. But after a brief debate, he pulled his cloak off and wrapped her in it so that no one could see her. Then he led her below.

  By the time they returned, the man had laid down his swordpoint and was weeping while Christian held him.

  “I am free,” the man mumbled over and over again.

  “You are free,” Christian repeated. “There is no one here who will ever drag you back. We will fight the devil himself if they try.”

  Ioan moved forward to take the sword from the man’s hand. His grip tightened before he released it.

  “We are brothers, Agbert,” Ioan said to him. “There’s not a man here who doesn’t understand and know how you feel.”

  Agbert let go of Christian to wipe his eyes. “I haven’t stepped foot on French soil in over six years.”

  “It was nine for me,” Ioan said.

  “Seven for me,” another knight added.

  “Twelve here, and I kissed the sand of the beach where I landed like a hot whore in my bed.”

  That actually succeeded in almost wringing a smile from Agbert.

  “Come, Agbert. We’ll lead you to freedom and to home.” Christian held his hand out to Agbert, who took it gratefully.

  Ioan kept one hand on Agbert’s shoulder as they headed for the ladder.

  She and Phantom stepped back as they passed, then followed the procession up.

  On deck, Agbert stumbled as he saw the French town. “’Tis beautiful,” he said, his voice catching.

  “Just wait,” Christian said. “Wait until you taste your first bit of real Norman cooking.”

  “I ate myself sick on peppermint tarts,” one of the knights said.

  Another knight laughed. “And drank enough French wine to flood the Thames.”

  The small group of men made their way down the gangplank until they were on the docks. Adara watched from the deck as the men who had once been prisoners themselves came forward to show Agbert the mark on their hands. Then they embraced him.

  “It’s amazing, isn’t it?” Phantom said from beside her. “So long as Agbert lives, he will never want for anything. If he needs coin, one of them will gladly give it. If he needs shelter or clothes—”

  “What of you, Velizarii?” she asked, remembering the way Dragon had greeted him the day before. “Do they all make such offers to you?”

  His gaze blank, he started away from her.

  “Velizarii?”

  He didn’t answer her question. “You can go to your husband now, Adara. I’m sure he needs the warmth of your touch to ease the painful memories that Agbert has awakened inside him.”

  “And who eases yours?”

  He gave her a bitter, self-deprecating smile. “’Tis why God gave us beer and wine.”

  With that, he headed off the ship to vanish into the crowd.

  Her heart heavy for her childhood friend, she left the ship to go after Christian.

  Adara caught up to him on the docks, where he frowned at her for wearing Phantom’s cloak.

  “I saw you on board the ship,” she said quietly.

  “I know. I saw you as well.”

  She glanced over to where Agbert was being led into town by the others. “Will he be all right?”

  “In time he should heal enough to where he can be normal again. Dagger will take him to the castle of one of our members, where they will help him get used to being free and safe.”

  She frowned at that. “Would he not be better off with his family?”

  He shook his head. “They wouldn’t understand.”

  “Understand what?”

  Christian’s throat tightened as old memories assailed him. “When I first came to Europe, I couldn’t sleep for days on end. I would walk the halls of Stryder’s home, clutching my sword and searc
hing every shadow for someone who might pounce on me. Stryder was the same. The only way we learned to sleep again was to have two beds set into his chambers. I would stand watch and guard over him while he slept and then he would watch over me. If I heard the simplest footstep or voice outside my room, I would awaken in a sweat, clutching my sword in expectation of an attack.”

  Her heart ached for the horror he described.

  “To this day, I can’t sleep well unless I can identify every sound around me and know that it isn’t masking the sound of an enemy coming after me. It is only in the last year that I have finally learned to lay my sword aside at night.”

  “But you still keep it within arm’s reach.”

  He nodded. “It is a hard way to live. Many of those demons are gone now, like shadows of a distant nightmare. But others…they are more resilient and they stalk me even now.”

  Christian paused to frown at her. She could feel him searching her gaze as if seeking something he needed. “At least they did until you.”

  He picked up a lock of her hair and stroked it with his fingers. “I don’t hear them whispering to me whenever you’re near. I only hear your heartbeat.”

  Those words lightened her heart and gave her hope. “Then I am glad for you.”

  His eyes tormented, he pulled her into his arms and gave her a thunderous hug. Adara held him close, reveling in this moment. He had reached out to her. For the first time, he had spoken of his past and shared it with her.

  It was a breakthrough.

  As in all battles, his heart wouldn’t be won by a single victory. It would take many small ones such as this to bring him to her.

  She would be patient and she would trust that in the end, Christian would finally see all that she offered him.

  And yet even as that thought went through her, she saw an image in her mind of Agbert holding Christian. Of his gaunt, terrified face that had only been eased by Christian’s kind and patient reassurances. It was true that Christian’s people needed him.

  But now she was no longer sure if his people were the Elgederions or the ones who were still being freed and returned to their families.

  Eleven