A Warrior's Heart

by Donna Grant

  “My turn.” Gabriel’s voice was hoarse, as if it pained him to speak.

  She was about to ask him what he meant when his hands began to bunch her skirt at her waist. Her heart raced as her gown was drawn over her head and the rest of her underclothes soon followed.

  The cool air of the chamber raced across her bare skin, but the heat from Gabriel’s gaze warmed her. When his hands reached toward her, she was ready, anxious to feel him against her again. Yet, he didn’t take her into his arms. He began to unbraid her hair until it hung in waves around her. She turned and stepped toward the bed when she suddenly found herself in his arms.

  “I’ve wanted to carry you to my bed since the night I first saw you.”

  For some reason Danielle found it difficult to breathe. She became lost in the wonderful silver eyes staring at her. Her surroundings melted away again, leaving only her and Gabriel. And the bed.

  Gently he laid her atop the bed and stretched out beside her. Danielle could feel his gaze on her, could feel the desire strumming through him.

  And it only quickened her blood.

  She squeezed her legs together and nearly cried out from the longing. As much as she wanted his hands on her, Danielle wasn’t going to beg. Patience was a virtue she had learned very early in life, though it was being sorely tested now.

  He rose up on his knees and straddled her legs. Then, finally, his warm, large hands touched her. Her skin burned as he gripped her hips and began placing kisses along her stomach, stopping to lick her bellybutton.

  She squirmed, wanting more. Needing more.

  Her hands dug into the covers as his moved up her side to her waist, then higher until he was…almost…touching her breasts.

  A moan rushed past her lips as his hands cupped her breasts and massaged them as his mouth continued to follow his hands. When his hot mouth closed over her aching nipple, Danielle’s back arched off the bed as pleasure spiked to her core.

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  The pleasure was intense and all-consuming. She was drowning in it but didn’t care. She yearned to throw off her cloak of worries and revenge and just be Danielle, the woman that used to laugh and smile easily.

  While his mouth and tongue did delectable things to one breast, his fingers gently pinched her other nipple, sending a cry of satisfaction from her throat. With each flick of his tongue, each tweak of her nipple, spasms of need pulsed in her sex.

  “Gabriel,” she whispered as she ground her hips against his chest.

  His hand left her breast to travel down her side, over her hip to her thigh. His mouth soon followed, leaving a trail of hot kisses and warm breath over her skin, heightening her senses even more.

  When he moved her legs apart with his knee, she opened for him, silently giving him her consent that she wanted more. Much more. His hands moved over her legs, touching her as a skilled lover would, a lover that knew just what would leave her trembling and begging for more.

  She bit her lip as his fingers traced the line of her inner thigh until he reached her sex. She held her breath, waiting for him to touch her, to bring her some release. But his hands continued on. Again and again he teased her, tormented her with feather light kisses and near touches.

  Then, finally, he touched her. Danielle moaned as his tongue flicked across her swollen pearl. With his hot breath tickling her skin, his tongue swirled around her pearl, bringing her to new heights of pleasure. Deep inside she could feel the pressure building like a slow crescendo.

  Gabriel had never felt anything so right in his life. With each lick, kiss…touch Danielle became more and more familiar to him. He no longer tried to remember the past as he gave in to the desire humming in his veins. All that mattered was Danielle and the pleasure he was giving her.

  He didn’t question how he knew exactly where to touch her or how to touch her that would drive her wild. Her soft whimpers had become moans, and it wasn’t long before cries of pleasure left her delicious lips.

  Gabriel could spend eternity loving her body and still it wouldn’t be enough.

  Just holding her, touching her brought him more pleasure than a thousand women. She was special somehow.

  He continued to move his tongue over her tiny pearl that had grown hard and swollen. She was near release, but he wasn’t ready for her to peak yet. He dipped a finger inside of her to feel her hot, tight sheath, and he couldn’t stop the moan that fell from his lips.

  His rod yearned to sink into her, and it was all he could do to hold back. Her body responded as if she had been waiting for his touch. He could feel her begin to tighten around his finger, her climax nearly upon her.

  Gabriel raised his head to look at her. Her hands were fisted in the blankets at her side, her golden hair spread around herm, and her mouth parted slightly as she moaned her pleasure. She was intoxicating to watch.

  He added a second finger inside her, stretching her as best he could until he could stand it no more. He removed his fingers and leaned over her, his rod touching the A WARRIOR’S HEART

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  entrance of her sex.

  Her beautiful hazel eyes opened, and she smiled up at him. His heart nearly burst from his chest at her smile. He leaned down and took her lips in a fierce kiss as he slowly entered her.

  Gentle hands moved to his back and gripped him as he pushed inside of her.

  When he was fully seated inside of her, she wrapped her legs around his waist and Gabriel knew true heaven then, for it was Danielle, the angel in his arms.

  He began to move, sliding in and out of her with a tempo she quickly matched.

  Their desire soon spurred them on as each sought to find their release.

  Gabriel was so close that he feared he would spend himself before Danielle reached her climax, but then she suddenly stiffened as her body convulsed around him.

  He let go then, giving over to the passion that consumed his body. As he poured his seed into her, he felt her arms tighten around him.

  “Oh, Gabriel,” she whispered in his ear.

  And then he knew.

  Everything.

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  Chapter Twenty One

  Gabriel waited until Danielle was asleep before he rose naked from the bed and walked to the dying fire. He stoked the embers until flames once more rose high in the hearth.

  He reached for his pants that had been discarded in their hurry to undress and slipped them on. Then he collapsed in a chair before the fire and faced the truth.

  All his memories had returned. Every last damn one of them. And they were exactly as he had feared.

  He knew why Danielle was at Stone Crest. He knew why she sought revenge.

  Because of him, because he had betrayed her. He leaned forward and dropped his head into his hands.

  But you aren’t that man anymore.

  Nay, he wasn’t, but it didn’t absolve him of his sins, especially not the ones toward Danielle.

  Nothing will ever right the wrong done to her. Nothing.

  He sighed and raised his gaze to the dancing flames before him. All the answers he had sought he now had. He knew who he was, where he came from, and if he had left someone behind. That someone had been Danielle.

  “Sweet, Danielle,” he murmured.

  And now that he had his memories back, he wanted them gone. He wanted to pretend he didn’t know he was such a monster, a betrayer of lovers…a murderer.

  To think he had thought about urging Danielle to give up her revenge after they had made love. In truth, he wanted her to carry out the revenge. It was what he deserved. He just hoped she waited until after the Great Evil was defeated, for the Shields would need him.

  The Shields. Aimery.

  What was he to tell them? He knew if he told them the truth, there was a possibility they would see him for what he had become and not what he was once. But then again
, they could very well consider him a part of the evil and kill him on the spot.

  And they needed him.

  So he would keep silent.

  And do his best to stay away from the Great Evil. It was amazing Hugh and the others hadn’t figured out why the evil was after him, but he prayed they stayed ignorant of the facts for he didn’t think he could face the men he called family if they knew all he had done.

  His head snapped up as he heard movement behind him. He rose and walked to stand beside the bed. Danielle slept peacefully, her beautiful lips slightly parted and her chest rising and falling slowly. Her blonde locks were spread around her like a golden crown.

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  She was beauty personified. The one woman who had been able to capture his heart. The only woman he had ever loved. A smile pulled at his lips as he recalled the joy they had shared, the simple pleasure of being together.

  The smile soon faded, however, when he remembered her beautiful hazel eyes growing wide with realization, then the hatred that shown in them as she looked upon what his betrayal had done.

  If he could take it all back he would. But there was no changing the past. Even though the Fae had taught them how to shift through time, Gabriel wasn’t fool enough to try and change his past. The consequences for his actions would be more severe than he was paying now.

  “Danielle. My sweet Danielle,” he whispered as he ran a finger down her smooth cheek.

  He turned on his heel and quickly finished dressing before he walked from his chamber. He stopped just short of reaching the great hall. His emotions were all mucked up, and his worry of his fellow Shields discovering the depth of his treachery made him want to return to his chamber.

  But he had played the coward long enough.

  Gabriel took a deep breath and was about to continue down the stairs when he heard a voice behind him. He turned and found Nicole descending the stairs.

  “I haven’t seen you all day,” she said, her Scottish accent thick as she looked him over.

  Gabriel swallowed and gave a swift nod. “Aye. We’ve been busy.”

  She laughed. “You mean you’ve been busy trying to discern just how much Danielle has lied to us. Have you discovered anything?”

  For a long moment Gabriel simply stared at her. The urge to tell someone of his deeds, of his awful past, was great. His shoulders grew heavy as his burdened settled upon him. “I’ve learned a little,” he finally answered.

  “Gabriel,” she said and took a step closer to him, her gaze searching his. “What is it? Something is wrong.”

  He forced a smile. “Do not worry over me, Nicole. It’s just the strain of finishing this mission,” he lied.

  Her violet eyes grew sad. “We all grow worried. I know the other Shields are trying to be patient with us, and we are trying the best we can to figure out just what we are supposed to do.”

  Gabriel held up his hand for her to stop. “There is no need for you to explain to me,” he said softly. “When the time comes, I have complete faith that the Chosen will know exactly what to do to destroy the Great Evil once and for all.”

  A slow smile spread over her face. “You’re a very kind man, Gabriel. I hope you find the answers to your past. Maybe then you’ll find peace.”

  He watched her walk away knowing that peace would only be his when his final breath left his body.

  * * * *

  Aimery was more than frustrated as he arrived at Cranon Megeg. The city was small compared to most in the Realm of the Fae, but very influential people made their A WARRIOR’S HEART

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  homes in the quiet city.

  A whip of cool air passed over him. He looked to the mountains surrounding the picturesque city. Cranon Megeg was in the northern mountains were many dragons made their homes. It was the chosen place of the white dragons.

  “My

  lord.”

  Aimery turned and found a dozen of his soldiers standing behind him waiting for orders. He sighed. “Begin to question everyone. I want as many details of who killed the dragon as we can get.”

  The troops swiftly began their orders. Aimery raised his hand and motioned for the others to take their places. Some would guard each entrance to the city while others would scout the perimeter for signs of where the murderer had entered and left. The rest followed him to the dragon.

  Aimery could hardly believe his eyes as he stared at the fallen dragon on the outskirts of Cranon Megeg. Even in death the beautiful white dragon was a spectacle to behold. It was one of the largest dragons as well as the purest. It held more magic inside of it then an entire city of Fae. The death of a white dragon did not bode well for the magic of the Fae realm.

  Slowly, Aimery walked around the enormous dragon. One wing had been totally ripped off while the other was bent at an odd angel. He looked at the ground and noted how deep the groove was where the dragon came to lay.

  “He was killed mid-flight,” he said sadly to himself.

  Aimery continued around the dragon until he stood looking at the animal’s underside. It was too heavy for them to roll it on its side to see what weapon was used to bring it down, and Aimery didn’t wish to disturb the dragon any more than he had to.

  He knelt by the dragon’s great head and bowed his own. They had lost so many dragons recently, that any more could greatly affect the Fae’s lives.

  The boots of a soldier stopped near him. Aimery took a deep breath and turned to him. “Do you have news, lieutenant?”

  “Aye,

  my

  lord.”

  “Well? Tell me you found someone who saw the murderer?”

  “We did, my lord.”

  Aimery sighed, but before he could ask the soldier who it was a woman burst through the small crowd and soldiers. She pointed a finger at him, her blue eyes blazing with fury.

  “You want to know who killed the dragon?” she shouted. “It was him. Aimery killed the dragon.”

  Aimery stepped back he was so taken aback by her words. “I would never.”

  “I saw you,” she screamed. “I saw you with my own eyes.”

  With his heart pounding in his chest, Aimery moved and placed his hand on the dragon’s forehead and closed his eyes. He concentrated all his magic toward the dragon.

  Then, slowly an image of the dragon flying through the air flashed in his mind. It was as if he saw through the dragon’s eyes, and through them he saw himself standing not twenty paces away with an arrow aimed at the dragon.

  Aimery yanked his hand away and stumbled back. He knew he didn’t do it, but A WARRIOR’S HEART

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  he also realized he couldn’t convince the growing crowd of that either.

  His entire body jerked as he heard Hugh call out to him. For a moment he almost left, but he knew to go to Hugh now would make him look guilty. And he had to prove his innocence.

  “Theron,” he called silently. “Theron, I need you now.”

  Almost instantly the Fae king stood by his side. “What is it? Did you find who killed the dragon?”

  Aimery slowly raised his gaze to his king. “I’m being told I killed it.”

  “What?” Theron asked softly. He licked his lips and looked around him.

  “Aimery, what is going on?”

  Aimery stepped aside and motioned to the dragon. “See for yourself.”

  Theron hesitated but an instant before he moved to the dragon and placed his hand on its forehead. His face contorted with pain, then he dropped his hand and raised his gaze to Aimery.

  “I didn’t do it,” Aimery said before Theron could speak. “I know what you saw for I saw it myself, but I tell you honestly, it wasn’t me.”

  The crowd began to grow restless and the woman who accused Aimery walked nearer. “What are you going to do King Theron? Killing a dragon is punishable by death.”

  Soon the entire cro
wd called for Aimery’s death. He sighed and turned to Theron. His king and the man he had called friend for centuries wouldn’t meet his eye.

  “Take me before they kill me now,” he said to Theron. “I know I didn’t do it, but I cannot prove that if I’m dead.”

  Theron glanced at him before he motioned for the soldiers to surround Aimery.

  Then he turned and faced the crowd. “Thank you all for aiding us in finding the killer of the white dragon. Aimery will be punished according to our law.”

  All Aimery could think about was the Shields. They would need him soon now.

  He could leave and go to them, but it would only make matters worse on his realm. He had no choice but to return to Caer Rhoemyr with Theron.

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