by Donna Grant
“Strange. Had you told most anyone else, they would have burned you at the stake.”
“True,” she agreed. “I knew they wouldn’t speak of it since they are outcasts in most villages anyway.”
He glanced at her long, slim fingers as they continued to play with her sleeve. “Are you happy with the gypsies?”
“They are the family I never had.”
He heard the pain in her voice and recognized it for what it was—loneliness. He knew it all too well. What made it worse was that he remembered what it was like to have the love and comfort of his mother. She had been his entire world.
“What about you?” she asked. “Were you happy at Wolfglynn Castle?”
Grayson thought of his men and Drogan. “As happy as a knight can be, I suppose. Drogan is a good man. I’ve been fortunate to be able to lead his knights into battle and fight by his side.”
“Are you close to Drogan?”
“I consider him a friend.”
Her gaze burned him as she stared, waiting for him to continue. “Not as close a friend that you would divulge your secrets?”
“You know the answer is nay,” he said and looked at her. “It’s because of my friendship with Drogan that I wouldn’t bring war to his steps.”
Her lips turned up into a smile. “And that’s why you’ll always have him for a friend.”
“I count myself lucky to be able to call Drogan friend. He doesn’t have many, and the few he does, he would readily die for.”
“Which is why you didn’t tell him.”
He gave a small jerk of his head. “Drogan has Serena now. He has a chance at a future bright with love and happiness. What kind of man would I be to take that away from him?”
“You aren’t giving Drogan enough credit. I’ve heard tales of his exploits. His reputation precedes him throughout England. Having him by your side would have given you a distinct advantage. Not to mention Serena. I imagine both of them would like to destroy the evil for good.”
Grayson shrugged. “Maybe you’re right. Maybe I will regret not confiding in Drogan, but I’ve made my decision. For good or bad, my path is before me, and I’ve already taken it.”
“You can turn around.”
There was something in her tone that made him hesitate in answering. He glanced at her to see her looking straight ahead, her face impassive. But he wasn’t fooled. “You’ve seen my future.”
She sighed and turned her head to him. “I looked into a part of it. I wanted to see if my leaving the gypsies would keep them alive.”
“Does it?”
“Aye.”
Grayson clenched his jaw. He knew he shouldn’t ask, knew he was better off without the knowledge, yet he couldn’t help himself. “What else did you see?”
“You will battle him, Grayson.”
“I assumed I would.” Still, assuming and now knowing it for a fact were two different things. Though he longed to know if he died at the man’s hands or not, he couldn’t bring himself to ask.
And thankfully, Adrianna didn’t volunteer the information.
“Has your magic always come easy to you?” he asked in way of changing the subject.
Adrianna chuckled. “There was a time I purposefully didn’t use my magic. I didn’t want to be like my mother. I didn’t want to be a bana‐bhuidseach. So, I did the only thing I could. I pretended not to have magic.”
“I imagine that caused your mother great distress.”
Adrianna leaned forward and rested her elbows on her knees. “I thought if I didn’t have magic I might have a chance at a normal life, and then my mother could be happy. I didn’t realize until later that I had only made things worse.”
“What did you do then?”
She looked into his silver depths and saw genuine curiosity. Few people rarely asked about her past and, now given the chance to talk of her mother, she found she wanted to share it with someone.
“As soon as I realized what I’d done, I confessed to her. The look of relief on her face had a profound change to my life. I focused on my magic like never before.”
“In other words,” he said softly. “You made her proud.”
“I’d like to think I did.”
He gave her a lopsided smile before he turned back to the road. Adrianna let the silence stretch. She was too lost in memories of her time with her mother to want to talk.
Was Grayson correct? Had she made her mother proud? She wasn’t so sure.
Her mother had cautioned her about giving her heart to a man and bearing his child. For years Adrianna had weighed her options, and then she’d met James.
“Do you believe in love, Grayson?”
He jerked his head to her, his brow knotted in a frown. “I beg your pardon?”
“Love. Do you believe in love?”
“I suppose,” he answered with a shrug. “Drogan and Serena claim to love each other, and I’ve seen what each will do for the other. If that’s love, then aye, I believe in it.”
“That’s love,” she confirmed.
“Why do you ask?”
She propped her chin in her hand. “My mother told me that if I chose love, then my life was doomed. If I chose to be against it, I would be alone.”
“Seems like either way you weren’t going to live happily.”
Adrianna chuckled. “It’s true.”
“Did you love your husband?”
She licked her lips and lowered her head. “James wasn’t my husband,” she confessed and waited for the deluge of insults she was sure would follow.
When none came, she slowly lifted her face to him.
“You’ve never told anyone that, have you?” he asked softly.
She shook her head.
“Why tell me?”
“I don’t know. I’ve told you more about myself and my past than I have anyone. Ever.”
He reached over and put his hand atop hers. “Thank you.”
“Do you not think badly of me?” She knew she should leave well enough alone, but she had to know. It was suddenly very important he not look down on her.
“Life isn’t easy, Adrianna. Sometimes the choices we make aren’t the wisest. We learn from them and move on. No one should have to carry the weight of those mistakes forever.”
She couldn’t help but smile. “Is it that simple?”
“It is,” he said with a wink. His expression then grew serious. “If you don’t mind me asking. Why didn’t he marry you?”
Should she lie or give him more of the truth? She decided on the truth since there was no use in lying. Not now. “Actually, he asked. Several times. I’m the one who refused.”
“Because of the curse?”
“That was part of it. It would also allow him to marry someone else should he so choose.”
“And your son? You were willing to let him be labeled a bastard?”
“Aye.” His comment stung, but she wouldn’t let him know how much. “I knew as soon as James left that I would as well. A different village, a different life.”
He nodded at her explanation. “It would have worked. No one would have been the wiser. Would you have told your son the truth eventually?”
“I’d like to think I would have,” she said. “In truth, I don’t know. I’ve seen what living with the label of bastard can do to a person. I wouldn’t want that for my son. I suppose I should be thankful I don’t have those decisions to make now.”
Their gazes locked. His silver depths didn’t look at her with censure or anger, but with acceptance and understanding. She would be forever grateful to him for that.
He raised a brow. “Do you believe in love?”
“Oh, aye.”
“Did you love James?”
She opened her mouth to answer then hesitated. “Before, I would have answered aye but, after seeing Drogan and Serena, I’m not so sure. I enjoyed James’ company and, though it wounded me greatly when he left, I wasn’t steeped in despair as my mother was.”
&nbs
p; He flicked the reins to keep the cows moving. “Have any of your people ever loved a second time?”
Her heart raced at his words. She refused to look at him for fear the hope in her eyes would give her away. “I don’t know,” she finally answered.
“They were too distraught,” he said. “It’s understandable.”
She drew in a shaky breath. Up until the moment she had first seen Grayson, she had thought her body blind to the desires men offered.
Suddenly, he turned and looked at her. “Do you think you’ll find another man you might someday want to be with?”
Her mind swirled with possibilities. She had never even thought to take another man to her bed, never had expected to want to. Except, that’s all she’d been able to think about lately.
“Anything is possible,” she said and forced her gaze away.
She tried to swallow but found her mouth dry. Grayson was the temptation her mother had always warned her about. He was the man who would haunt her dreams, waking and sleeping.
He was the one man she would do anything to be with.
And she’d been fool enough to put her fate in his hands.
Chapter Ten
After Adrianna’s response, Grayson lapsed into silence. He’d expected her to answer with a firm ”never”. Instead, she’d said there was a possibility. It had him reeling. He refused to put himself in the same situation Drogan was in. There was nothing in heaven or on earth that could bond him with a woman who was cursed.
He had never thought to have a family of his own but, if he ever did, he would damn sure be around to see the children grow. Besides, he didn’t expect there to be a woman whom he could want to spend the rest of his life with.
Not that it mattered. He would die soon, of that he was certain.
When they stopped at noon to eat, Milosh motioned him over. Grayson jumped from the cart and reached for Adrianna. There was no way he was going to miss holding her for a few moments, even if he was torturing himself.
His hands spanned her small waist as his gaze met her pale blue eyes. The sun broke through the clouds to shine upon her golden locks.
“You’re being summoned,” she said with a grin. “Best not keep Milosh waiting.”
Grayson grunted and set her down on the ground. He was sure Milosh wanted to have another talk with him about Adrianna. The big Romanian wasn’t going to let Adrianna go easily.
“Aye,” Grayson said as he walked to Milosh.
Milosh leaned against his cart. “We will come upon a village before nightfall. Usually we continue on.”
His gaze narrowed on the gypsy. “Why are you telling me this?”
“In case you wish to stop.”
Grayson ran a hand down his face. “Indeed, I do. Since I’ve lost my horse, weapons and armor, I’m in need of more.”
Milosh nodded and moved to walk away.
“Wait,” Grayson stopped him. “Why are you asking my opinion?”
The gypsy looked over Grayson’s shoulder. “Because it’s what Drina would want me to do. You cannot battle these men without weapons, and we have none to give you.”
“Thank you.” Grayson was cautious by nature, but maybe he needed to learn to give a little trust sometimes.
Milosh bowed his head. “No need. I do this for Drina. I want her safe.”
“And she will be.”
“I expect so,” the leader said before he walked away.
Grayson chuckled and turned to find Adrianna watching him.
She had such fire, such spirit that it fairly glowed within her. Life had dealt her a cruel blow with her lover leaving and her son dying, yet here she stood ready to look death in the face. All to help him.
How she could think to live her life in solitude, never letting her beautiful body be loved by another man didn’t make sense to him. She was passionate by nature, and it was that passion that gave her a zest for life few would ever know. He was envious of her in that moment.
Despite the curse, despite her loss, she continued to live with a smile and kindness. There was no hate or revenge in her heart. Whereas with him, that is all that filled his heart. They had spoken of love, but he knew nothing of it except for what he remembered of his mother. And there was no room for it in his heart, either.
Vengeance is what had kept him going, and revenge would be how he died.
“Everything all right?” she asked when he walked to her.
He gave a nod before bringing a bucket of water to the cows so they could drink. Once they’d gotten their fill, he left them to graze and found Adrianna holding food for him.
“Thank you.”
She smiled and leaned against the cart. “What did Milosh speak to you about?”
Grayson stopped chewing and glanced at her. “Frank aren’t you?”
“Aye,” she said with a laugh. “I know it was about me. I think I have a right to know what the conversation was.”
He slowly lowered his hand, debating on just how much to tell her. In the end, he realized there was no use keeping it from her. “Milosh wanted to know if I was interested in stopping near a village this evening.”
Her brows drew together as she faced him. “You cannot possibly be considering it. What if those men are there?”
“Exactly,” Grayson said. “I need to be prepared. I cannot do that without a weapon.”
“How will you get a weapon? Are you planning to steal one?”
He shrugged. “If I have to, though only as a last resort. I may not have any coin, but I have ways,” he said with a grin, eager to reach the town.
“I’ve coin,” she said. “It’s yours if you need it.”
“I won’t need it.”
She turned away with a sigh. “Regardless, the offer stands.”
He finished eating, the silence growing between them. Grayson was used to meek women, women who did what was expected of them and asked no questions.
Then Serena had come to Wolfglynn. Serena was an anomaly, but then there was Adrianna. He was beginning to think it had to do with their magic that made them strong, out‐spoken and independent.
Whatever the reason, Adrianna was a woman who knew her own mind and dared anything to stand in her way. She had more courage than most men, and he admired her for that. She would have been a great warrior, had she been a man.
“Take me with you,” she suddenly said.
Grayson shifted his gaze to her face once again. He looked into her pale blue eyes and saw excitement. “Take you where?”
She chuckled. “The village tonight. Take me with you.”
Grayson clenched his jaw and shook his head. He wouldn’t be able to relieve the ache in his cock if Adrianna was with him. “Absolutely not. There could be danger, and I’d rather you stay behind with the gypsies where it’s safe.”
“I’ll go on my own after you leave.”
He cursed, not caring that she heard. “I could tell Milosh and let him tie you to the cart to keep you here.”
“You could,” she said and raised her chin as if daring him. “But you won’t.”
“Why do you want to come?”
“I normally stay away from the villages, but I could prove helpful in a tight situation.”
“I don’t plan on being in a tight situation,” he said between clenched teeth. All he’d thought about was finding a willing woman so maybe he wouldn’t desire Adrianna so desperately.
She laughed. “Come, Grayson. What could prevent me from accompanying you?”
“The fact I plan on spending a few hours with a woman.”
“A wom...” Her voice trailed off as she realized what he meant. “Oh. I see.”
And damn it all if he didn’t feel bad at her crestfallen expression. What was a few more days with a aching cock?
Are you forgetting you’ll be alone with her soon?
He certainly hadn’t forgotten it. He would love to spend an entire day seducing her until she gave into the desire he’d seen in her beautiful eyes. Then
he’d spend another day learning her, tasting her...pleasuring her.
“All right,” he reluctantly agreed. “But only if you do what I say when I say it. No arguing, no questioning.”
She smiled, her eyes dancing with glee. “You have my word.”
“Don’t make me regret this.”
“Never,” she murmured and walked away.
Grayson watched her go, his gaze moving to the gentle sway of her hips that made him think he had another sport in mind that could make her eyes dance so.
He ran a hand down his face and tried to rein in his desire. The memory of his hands around her trim waist, of fighting the urge to slide her down his body as he lifted her from the cart invaded his mind.
He’d seen the way she looked at him. The hunger in her pale blue eyes was palpable and would make his seduction easy. And he wanted nothing more than to seduce her, but he couldn’t, not when he knew of the curse.
Adrianna was a good woman. She deserved something good in her life, and that most certainly wasn’t him.
* * * * *
Adrianna couldn’t believe Grayson had agreed to let her accompany him to the village. The need to go had been overwhelming. It had also been a test for Grayson. She wanted to know what to be prepared for when they left the gypsies. Would he keep her in her cart at all times, or would he actually allow her to help when she could.
A fool she wasn’t. Adrianna no more wanted to get mixed in a battle if she could help it, but there were other ways she could aid Grayson. And she was going to make sure he let her.
As Adrianna walked among the gypsies, she caught sight of the young, beautiful Nadya watching Grayson. Adrianna stopped and turned to look at Grayson who stood talking to Yoska, unaware of the young girl who wanted him so desperately.
Adrianna didn’t like the way Nadya looked at Grayson. She told herself it was because Nadya was too young to know the ways of a man such a Grayson, but she knew it for the lie that it was.
Grayson had brought a measure of excitement into her life she hadn’t had in years, and Adrianna didn’t want that to end. She was being selfish she knew, but she liked having Grayson all to herself.
Soon it will be just the two of you. No Milosh and no Nadya to interrupt.