by Donna Grant
“I should never have brought you,” he whispered. “How I wish we were still at the inn.”
“It wouldn’t have mattered,” she said and pulled back to look at him. “Nigel would have found us eventually.”
He knew she was right, but it didn’t make their situation any better.
“You found your mother,” she said and ran her hand down his cheek.
“Aye,” he admitted, unwilling to release her for the moment.
Adrianna ran her hands up and down his back, her caress soothing the beast within him. “She did what she thought was for the best. I would do the same thing in her situation.”
“I could have died.”
“But you didn’t. She would never have let you leave if she hadn’t known in her heart you would be all right. I understand the anger, but you have it directed at the wrong person. Turn it to Nigel where it truly belongs.”
He couldn’t stop the grin that tugged at his lips. “You always have the answers, don’t you?”
“Always,” she said with a wink. “Now, what do you need me to do?”
He cupped her face. “Stay safe. Leave if you can.”
“I’m not leaving you.”
Her words touched him as nothing else could. He leaned down and took her lips. His body roared to life, his hunger for her demanding he take her. He crushed her against him and cupped a breast. She moaned into his mouth when his thumb brushed her nipple. Saints, how he craved her. Each taste, each touch only deepened his yearning until he feared he might never be able to let her go.
Her hand grasped his cock. He groaned as she ran her hand up and down his length, fueling the flames of his desire until he burned with a need only she could put out. If he didn’t step away from her now, he’d have her up against a wall, thrusting into her hot, wet sex.
With reluctance, he ended the kiss. “Drina. I want you more than you can imagine.”
“Then take me.”
He growled and kissed the soft skin of her neck as she released his rod. “I’d like nothing better.”
“But you have duties to see to.”
“Aye.” He dropped his forehead to hers. “Don’t leave the castle without me.”
“If that is your wish.”
He chuckled. “My wish is for none of this to be happening.”
She took his face in her hands and leaned up on her toes to kiss him. “You are a warrior, a knight skilled to defeat those who would do evil. You couldn’t turn your back on this, even if this weren’t your family home.”
“Shite,” he cursed and turned away from her. “My family home. I cannot believe it.”
“What? That you’re a nobleman? I saw it in you the first time you looked at me. Whether we like it or not, this is your fate, Grayson.”
He blew out a breath and shifted to face her. “Have you looked into the future?”
“Not yet.”
“Will you?”
“For you, I would do anything.”
Grayson didn’t know how he had come to have Adrianna, but he knew in that moment he would never let her go. His past no longer matter. It was the future he was looking to.
And he wanted her by his side. Always.
Chapter Twenty‐Four
Adrianna sat silently with Leoma while Grayson cleaned and sharpened the weapons he had chosen. Their meal had been a quiet affair with Leoma staring at Grayson, and Grayson looking anywhere but at his mother. The hurt in Leoma’s eyes was enough to make Adrianna want to try to have Grayson see reason. But his wound went too deep.
“How many Hawksbridge people are within the walls?” she asked Leoma.
Grayson’s mother tore her gaze from her son and focused on Adrianna. “I’d say at least fifty. We used to house many more, but people have left over the years. Not that I blame them.”
“You could have left,” Grayson said.
“And leave my people to suffer Nigel’s rule?”
“I don’t see how you’ve made it any better. They’re in rags.”
Adrianna had heard enough. She glared at Grayson, daring him to say more. “Leoma, would any of your people willingly take up arms against Nigel’s men?”
“A few,” she said. “Why?”
Grayson smiled at Adrianna. “What plan is forming in that beautiful head of yours?”
She tried not to show how pleased she was to hear him call her beautiful. Instead, she thought of the strategy she had been thinking over for the past hour.
“The gates are closed,” she said. “If we can get the knights in the dungeon before Nigel returns, there’s a chance we can hold him off.”
Grayson drummed his fingers on the table. “It’s a good plan, Drina. I could manage to get a couple of the knights myself but, unless the people take a stand, it won’t work.”
“Then we make them see how it can work.”
“Do you ever give up?”
She thought of the future she desperately wanted with Grayson, the future she was doomed to never have. “Nay. Never.”
“It could work,” Leoma said. “The people aren’t content, but they fear Nigel.”
Adrianna stood, resolved to do what she could. “Let’s find out, shall we?”
Grayson grasped her hand as she passed him. “We only have a few hours.”
“Then we needn’t laze around the hall.” She winked at him, glad to see when he returned her smile.
When Leoma turned toward the kitchen, Grayson called out to her. “Take Adrianna with you and, if anything happens to her, you’ll feel my full wrath.”
“Nothing will happen to her,” Leoma replied and turned on her heel.
Adrianna caught up with her. “He needs time.”
“It’s something we don’t have, I’m afraid. Nay, even if he had a score of years, I fear he would never forgive me.”
“He thought you dead all these years.”
Leoma shook her head sadly. “I wish I was. I’ve waited for so long to see his face again, to look upon the man he had grown into. It’s bittersweet.”
No more was said as they reached the kitchen and she and Leoma began to talk to the servants. Many flat out refused, their fear palpable. Yet, a few were willing to stand with them.
* * * * *
Grayson strode to the stable. He counted fourteen knights in the bailey and on the battlements. Once inside the stables, he let his eyes adjust to the darkness before he walked to his mount.
The horse stuck his head over the stall door. Grayson scratched the grey in his favorite place behind his ears. “Are they treating you good, lad?”
In response, the horse bobbed his great head up and down. Grayson patted him on the neck and turned. Only to stop in his tracks at the two men before him.
“We know who you are,” the eldest said.
Grayson looked at the man’s balding head and ragged clothes. “And who I am?”
“Lord Grayson, Baron William’s son.”
The second man nodded, his straight blond hair swaying. “You look just like yer father.”
Grayson studied the two men. They were frail, old. But they could hold a sword. “Do you know why I’ve returned?”
“Aye,” the eldest said. “You’ve come to defeat that devil.”
“I have. Will you stand with me?”
For a moment, he thought the men would refuse. They glanced at each other before their mouth’s split into grins.
“Aye, milord,” the second man said. “I’ll gladly stand by yer side.”
The first man nodded eagerly. “Just tell us what you need, milord. And call me Henry.”
“I need as many of you as will volunteer, Henry. Nigel is due to return by nightfall. I’d like to have the knights locked in the dungeon by then.”
The men nodded. “We’ll see to it.”
“There are plenty of weapons in the armory. Come to the castle, one by one to get your weapons. We need to hurry though.”
He waited until they left before he sagged against the sta
ll. Adrianna’s plan could work, but the possibility of innocents dying was a definite. When he returned to the bailey, he saw two knights standing near the castle door. The sooner he got them in the dungeon the better.
Grayson walked to them and smiled. “Just the men I was looking for. Lady Leoma asked to see two knights immediately.”
“What does she want?” one asked testily.
Grayson shrugged. “I’m just a guest here. Let’s find her, shall we?”
He followed behind them as they walked into the castle. As soon as he closed the door, the knights turned to him. He wasted no time in elbowing one in the face. The second he kicked in the knee. As the first crumpled to the ground unconscious, the second held his leg, his screams echoing in the great hall.
Grayson stepped over the first knight and leaned down to the one that screamed. “You’re a knight. Act like it,” he said before he punched the man out.
“Well. That’s one way of doing it,” Adrianna said.
He turned his head to find Adrianna and his mother walking toward him. He straightened and lifted a shoulder in a shrug. “Where is the dungeon?”
“Below. I’ll show you,” Leoma said.
Grayson slung one knight over his shoulder and started after his mother.
“What about the other?” Adrianna asked.
He glanced at Adrianna. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
The knight was heavy upon his shoulders, dead weight that he carried down the narrow stairs. The lower they tread, the mustier the air smelled. He heard water dripping down the walls as they reached the bottom. His eyes had grown accustomed to the darkness, and he was able to follow the outline of his mother. She stopped at the first door and swung it open.
Grayson, not trusting her, didn’t step inside the cell. He lowered the man to the ground and gave him a push that rolled him farther inside so they could close the door.
When he turned around, his mother stared at him, one black brow arched. “Do you think I would lock you in?”
“In truth, it wouldn’t surprise me. I will do what needs to be done to ensure Adrianna leaves here alive.”
He turned on his heel and hurried back to the hall. As he reached it, he found another knight kneeling by the fallen on, Adrianna by his side, wringing her hands. Her gaze rose to his, relief etched across her beautiful features. Grayson gave her a small nod as he walked to the knight.
“What happened here?” the knight asked him.
Grayson shrugged and with one punch, the man crumpled.
Adrianna smiled. “You’re rather good at that.”
“You learn quickly how to survive,” he said. He looked at the two men. He didn’t want to leave Adrianna alone again.
This time, he grasped each man by an arm and began to drag them down to the dungeons. Once they were secured, he entered the hall to see Adrianna and Leoma passing out weapons to any who came to ask for one. Grayson was surprised at the number of men and women who continued to pass through the castle.
“If they don’t slow down, they’re going to draw attention,” he warned Adrianna.
She only smiled. “I think that’s what we want, aye?”
There was a loud commotion at the back of the hall coming from the kitchen. Grayson turned and started toward it when two men holding their swords at the throat of a knight dragged him toward Grayson.
“We caught one, milord. He was sleeping when we found him.”
Grayson smiled. “Well done, men. I’ll take him from here.”
The knight jerked his arms out of the men’s grasp. “You have no right to hold me.”
“Actually, I do,” Grayson said. “This is my castle after all.”
The knight’s eyes widened, but he didn’t duck in time to miss Grayson’s fist.
“Why do you keep knocking them out?” Adrianna asked.
Grayson chuckled as he hefted the man on his shoulders. “Easier to handle down those narrow stairs,” he said.
As he descended to the dungeon, her laughter followed him. Despite what awaited him upon Nigel’s return, her laugh could banish all his dark thoughts. It frightened him how much he wanted Adrianna. She was all he thought about, day and night. He craved her like a starving man craved food.
He would have to be careful. No one could know how much she meant to him because, if anyone found out, they would use her first and foremost to stop him. And the thought chilled him.
It would be his plan, were he in Nigel’s place. Already she was linked to him just by being at Hawksbridge. If there was a way to get her to safety, he would have to convince her to leave. Though he knew no one could protect her as he could.
Yet, he didn’t plan to be hidden in the castle. He wanted a battle with Nigel. The bastard would pay for taking his mother, controlling Hawksbridge, and trying to kill Drogan.
Grayson put the knight inside another cell and closed and locked the door before he retraced his steps to the great hall. Night was falling fast. Nigel would arrive any moment and there were still many knights to be put in the dungeon.
It seemed near impossible to get everything done, yet he had to try. He wasn’t going to make it easy for Nigel, not this time. The bastard had had his run of Hawksbridge for too long. Grayson reached the hall and looked around. It was his home. He didn’t remember much of the castle, but he remembered being happy here. That mattered more than anything.
Shouting erupted as a group of men rushed into the castle. Grayson could only smile as he watched the people of Hawksbridge—his people—herd the knights to the dungeon.
“The few who weren’t taken gave themselves up,” Adrianna said as she walked to him. “All the knights are now accounted for.”
“Amazing.”
“It is. Your people now await your command.”
Grayson turned to find the hall filled with people willing to defend the castle to their dying breath. He inhaled deeply and began shouting out orders positioning people along the battlements and towers as well as the gatehouse. Others he positioned inside the bailey and near the postern door to make sure no one tried to sneak out of the castle. When all was done, he looked around for Adrianna but couldn’t find her. He glanced at his mother to find her pointing to the stairs.
“She’s in the tower,” Leoma told him.
Grayson hurried to climb the stairs to Adrianna. He found her standing by the window in the tower, her arms wrapped around herself.
“He’s been delayed,” Adrianna said as Grayson approached.
He fingered the end of her braid. “Nigel?”
“Aye. Something has halted him.”
“He could still arrive tonight.”
She shook her head. “Possibly, but I don’t think so. Whatever made him stop has taken his full attention.”
It was all Grayson needed to hear. “We have tonight?”
“We have tonight.”
Chapter Twenty‐Five
Adrianna’s heart raced as Grayson’s eyes burned with desire. Her blood sizzled, her body hummed, and the ever present hunger roared to life.
She almost didn’t recognize her own body. The insatiable need that flared whenever Grayson was near made her forget everything but him.
His hands gripped her shoulders and turned her toward him as he backed her against the wall. Cool stones made contact with her back the same instant his hot mouth slanted over hers. His kiss was hypnotic, awakening desires and need she hadn’t known she possessed. He was turning her into a wanton.
And she loved it.
She matched him kiss for kiss, her arms winding around his neck while her fingers delved into the thick, silky locks of his midnight hair. His body molded to hers, his hard rod pressed against her stomach. But it wasn’t enough. She wanted to feel him inside her, sliding his delicious length in and out of her.
Adrianna shoved aside his tunic and clawed at the fastening of his breeches. His hands joined hers until at last he was freed. She reached for him, but he grasped her wrists in one hand
and raised them above her head, holding her immobile.
“Grayson. Please,” she begged.
He kissed down her neck then grazed his teeth over her hardened nipples that puckered beneath her gown. She hissed and arched her back, seeking more of the pleasure he promised with every kiss, every touch.
Cool air met her bare thighs as he bunched her skirts at her waist. Desire pooled, her sex clenched. How she hungered for him and the desire that made her heart pound and her blood heat. She wanted every part of him to hold against her heart always.
Coherent thought fled when his cock rubbed against her exposed flesh. He lifted one of her legs beneath her knee until it rested at his waist. Her chest rose and fell rapidly as she waited with baited breath for him to touch her.
His deft fingers parted her curls before caressing her sensitive flesh. She moaned, moving her hips to have him touch more of her. He dipped a finger inside her before pulling out and stroking her pearl. Each swirl of his finger wound her desire tighter and tighter until she thought she might burst from the pleasure.
“I cannot wait,” he ground out and released her wrists.
Adrianna’s arms lowered to his shoulders as he gripped her thighs and lifted her. His cock slid into her with one, smooth stroke until he was buried to the root. She locked her ankles around him as he began to thrust hard and fast.
It was just what she needed to match her own desperate desire. She clung to him, her body his for the taking. She drifted on a sea of such intense pleasure that everything around her faded to nothing—nothing but her and Grayson and their pleasure.
She was powerless to hold off her orgasm when it began to build. It consumed her with a ferocity that left her breathless, her body not her own. With her sex still convulsing from her climax, she distantly heard Grayson shout her name before his body jerked and his seed filled her.
Adrianna, her body now completely drained, rested her head on his wide shoulder. “I’ve never felt anything so wonderful.”
He chuckled near her ear. “I’d be lying if I said I had.”
A contented warmth spread through her. How could she be so happy with such impending doom looming over them? The answer was simple—Grayson. He had given her what no one else could, what no one else would ever be able to.