Forbidden Fate (Sisters of Danu Book 1)

by Mia Pride

  Still, she remained silent for an uncomfortable moment. Eventually, she turned her head toward him and her features thawed slightly. “Liam, how could I ever blame you for all that he has done? He is a man of his own convictions. He will pay for his offenses however the tribal assembly sees fit. I just hope to not be there when they do. I cannot face him again, ever.”

  “I will make sure you are not present, a chailín mo chroí,” his lips lifted up slightly at the corners, seeing how his term of endearment made her eyes visibly glimmer. “You deserve to be cherished Gwynneth, in the way that I have always cherished you.” He looked away from her, turning his eyes to the scenery ahead, and feeling confident that he was slowly breaking down her defenses.

  “Oi! I need to eat!” Gorman shouted loudly, breaking the silence in the woods and causing a flock of birds to flutter away from the trees in aggravation. Another two hours had gone by and it was, indeed, past time to have a meal.

  “Aye, me too.” Rioghan said as he stretched his large back while sitting upon his horse. “My arse has taken a beating, it has,” he bellowed as he unceremoniously rubbed his backside. Gwynneth wished, in that moment, that she were a man. Only men were allowed to announce loudly when their posteriors were aching and proceed to publicly rub them without cause for embarrassment.

  The truth was, she had not complained even once on this long journey, promising herself to keep up physically with the men. But her rear was aching profusely and her back and legs were just as sore. Her stomach had rumbled in complaint more than once, but she refused to be the reason they slowed.

  Gorman’s outburst, however loud and startling, was welcome to her ears and she prayed the other men agreed.

  “Would you like to rest, Gwynn?” Liam looked over at her on the horse, slowly trotting beside him. She only shrugged, feigning aloofness, but Liam could read between the lines. He felt ashamed for not having asked her before now if she needed to rest. He had been in very deep thought since their last conversation about Baine’s trial and time had slipped by.

  “Aye, let us stop. I see a clearing, just there.” Liam pointed to the west. “And if I’m not mistaken, I hear a stream. Fresh water would be welcome.” The horses travelled another few yards and stopped in a beautiful green patch of grass with leaves scattered all around. It was the perfect spot to rest. There were ample trees to tie up the horses and lots of open space to make a fire to warm them while they ate some dried meats and bread generously packed by Abigael.

  The men all dismounted with ease. Gwynneth was not used to horses, in general. She had ridden them before, but always much smaller ones given to her by her father. She much preferred to travel by cart. Liam offered her his favorite white and grey mare, the one he had borrowed from Garreth, but it was still a large horse, and though gentle, made for a painful mount.

  Looking down was a daunting sight and it made her still slightly woozy head spin. Liam took a few powerful strides over to her and lifted his hands up onto her waist, supporting her body as she slid off the horse. Gwynneth felt small, yet protected in his strong arms. He skillfully glided her down onto her feet, while pressing her slightly into his body as he lowered her, creating a friction between them.

  Her feet touched down gently onto the soft grass and he kept his hands wrapped tightly around her slim waist, lingering a tad longer than necessary. She felt a tingle flow through her body at his touch, but kept her head down, waiting for him to pull back. When he did not, she snuck a peak at him through her downturned lashes and saw his eyes boring into hers. His expression was hungry, as if he would prefer to have her for his afternoon meal, and it caused another blush to spread along her cheeks.

  Becoming quite sick of her incapacity to stop blushing at his touch, she jerked her eyes away from him and stepped out of his grip. “Are you determined to make this journey as hard as possible, Liam?” She was frustrated and he was feeding off her energy like the flowers feed off the sun.

  Lifting his brows suggestively as his eyes trailed down her form, he walked away leaving her to watch as he went, his tight beige trousers clinging to every muscle of his legs. His tunic covered his backside, but she had seen it often enough to envision its taut muscles clenching with every stride of his powerful legs. She allowed herself to stare a bit longer than was appropriate. Duncan stepped in front of her view, bushy red brows raised up at her, giving her a knowing look.

  “Tie your horse up, my lady.” He handed a rope to her and walked away with a grunt. Too embarrassed to admit she could not tie up a horse, and most definitely unwilling to ask Liam for help, she decided it couldn’t be so hard to figure out herself. She wrapped the rope around the reigns and then proceeded to tie it around the tree. The horse was secure and still had enough slack to lie and rest, or graze as needed. Feeling quite accomplished, Gwynneth smacked her hands together and strutted over to the brothers, who were working on the fire.

  She was smiling to herself, thinking her sister could make easy work of the fire pit as she watched the men struggle to get it started. A spark appeared and they frantically fed it kindling. In no time, a warm fire was blazing and Gwynneth found a nearby tree to lean against while she slid off her leather slippers and warmed her feet.

  Wiggling her toes luxuriously near the fire, she allowed herself to stretch back and lift her hands high above her head while she pressed her back into the trunk of the tree for support. She could hear the five men around her murmuring away about their plans to set up camp tonight and what to expect as they, hopefully, reached Iverni by nightfall on the morrow.

  The sound of the stream served as a soothing background sound and within moments, Gwynneth had drifted off under the shade of the large oak tree.

  “What are ye going do about her, Liam?” Brion was looking at her peacefully sleeping under the tree. Liam turned around and saw her resting face. His heart warmed and he was glad she was getting some well needed rest.

  “I’m going to bring her back to her home.” He shrugged matter-of-factly. Four sets of eyes rolled at him simultaneously and a few grunt and snort combinations filled his ears.

  Liam’s eyebrows drew together at their snarky sounds. “What?” he looked around at them all, urging them to say what they meant to say, and be done with it.

  “C’mon, Liam. This is Gwynn we’re talking about! The love of your life! She is finally a free woman. Aren’t ye going to try and marry her? Bed her? Anything?”

  Duncan slapped his leg with a snort as he sat with his legs crossed under him in front of the fire. “Bed her? Liam has been doing everything he can to NOT bed her. I have never seen a man suffer so.”

  Liam shot him a look of warning and Duncan abruptly stopped laughing and started chewing on the dried squirrel meat in his hands.

  “I plan on allowing Gwynneth to make her own decisions, as I promised her. She is just…highly disgruntled at the moment.” Liam looked down at the handful of dried blueberries in his hand and popped them all into his mouth all at once.

  “What? After all you’ve been through to help her, she’s mad at ye?! What for?” Rioghan was staring at Liam across from the fire, clearly trying to unravel the mystery of women as he shook his head in disbelief.

  Liam just shrugged, and poked a leaf with a stick in distraction, unwilling to go into the details of his horrible argument with Gwynneth. Not at all feeling the same qualms, Duncan snickered and said, “Fiona,” with a satisfied look on his face.

  “Ohhhh…” all three brothers nodded and exclaimed in unison.

  “Shhh! What are you doing? You want her to cry again?” Liam looked angry as he pointed a finger at Gwynneth, sleeping just a few feet away. “She is very upset. I’m not even close to being out of trouble.”

  “Out of trouble? The king is in trouble? With a woman? Aye, mate, you’ve got it bad.” Gorman laughed and slapped his leg, but he stopped immediately upon receiving an angry grunt from Liam. Gorman had the wherewithal to bite his lip and look away.

  “I’m go
ing to wake Gwynn. She needs to eat. Duncan, try and snag us an animal to roast for tonight. Then we need to be on our way.” Duncan scrambled to his feet, wiping the organic debris from the forest floor off his trousers and walked over to his horse to grab a spear.

  The brothers went to the stream to fill a few flasks with water and to take a quick dip, They had not bathed since they started their original quest to find Liam. Looking over at Gwynn, Liam could see her bare toes just in his reach. He brought his finger to her heel and slowly ran his nail up her arch and over the pad of her foot, making her toes wiggle as she twitched. He pulled his body a bit closer and placed her legs across his lap, watching her sleep. The need to touch her was much too strong to ignore. He could see her delicate ankles peeking out from under the hem of her dress and he lightly ran his hands up and down her lower legs. “Gwynn? Time to wake up Gwynneth…”

  Liam was enjoying this contact with her. She was warm and soft, so delicate boned and precious to him in every way. “Gwynneth?” He whispered in her ear, smelling the scent of sweet lavender in her hair and inhaling as he nuzzled into her neck.

  Gwynneth awoke from her sleep with an earth shattering scream that sent all the birds in the trees fluttering away, leaving random feathers to float down to earth in their wake. The horses whinnied in fear and started to stomp their feet. Luckily they were all tied to trees and, though they struggled to escape, they were forced to remain. Liam jumped back at her reaction and she started to thrash at the ground around her, trying to make contact with her assailant.

  “Gwynneth!” Liam shot forward and squatted down to her level, not caring if she attacking him or not. He grabbed both of her arms and pulled her face close to his, foreheads touching as she breathed frantically. “Tis me Gwynn, Liam.”

  His voice was soothing to her ears. She locked eyes with him and immediately turned to liquid in his arms, all terror leaving her body. He held her close to him while rocking her soothingly.

  “What is it, a chailín mo chroí?” he was running fingers down her cheek and cradling her in his arms as she leaned into him, heart rate pounding, but slowing with every new breath.

  “Liam, I’m sorry. The last time someone woke me up whispering my name in my ear, it was Baine and he attacked me because…” her voice trailed off. She realized she was sitting on his lap with her back against his chest. She could feel his heartbeat against her and his arms were wrapped around her, restraining her after her panic attack. She looked over her shoulder to see his face. He was looking down at her with deep concern in his eyes. “I thought he was you, come back for me. He became angry when I said your name and…he attacked me.”

  “Mo chroí. He will not touch you again, not ever.” He released his firm grip on her waist and allowed her to turn in his arms to look up at him, her glittering eyes growing wide as she registered the seriousness of his words. “I swear to you Gwynneth, if you will just let me, I will be the only man to ever wake you up again. And it will always be with a kiss…” he tilted her head up, and she could feel his breath mingling with hers. His lips smelled of blueberries and ale and it was a sweet and temping combination. She instinctively leaned into his embrace. Just before their lips made contact, she turned her head and he kissed her cheek instead.

  “Will you never forgive me, my love?” He whispered in her ear as he intentionally taunted her with warm breath on her neck, scooping her hair away to gain better access. “What do I have to do to make you trust me again?”

  She shook her head, feeling lightheaded as his warm breath tickled at her nape. “I do trust you. Tis not that…” she sighed as he nibbled on her lobe, causing gooseflesh to break out over every inch of her body as she stifled a groan.

  “Then what is it, Gwynn?” He ran his teeth along the bottom of her ear before releasing it, sending chills of pleasure down her spine. She had to stop this now before the fire in her core melted her completely through.

  “I’m just not ready. I keep thinking of you, doing this, with her.” She lowered her eyes, knowing what she said was selfish and ridiculous, but she could not help her feelings. Every time he touched her, she wondered how many times he had touched Fiona in the same way.

  “Alright, Gwynn.” His voice was soft and reasonable, even understanding. “Let me help you up.” He pulled his legs out from under hers, stood up and adjusted his white tunic. He put a hand out to her and she hesitated, but decided to take it.

  She brushed the stuck pieces of earth off the back of her dress and looked up at Liam. He had not denied doing the same with Fiona, and she felt her breath hitch in her throat. Had he held her in his arms, nuzzled her neck and nibbled at her ears, as well? It had felt so intimate, so personal, as if his touch was only for her. But he had done that before, had he not? It wasn’t special, not to him.

  He grunted as he adjusted the bulge in the front of his trousers, not at all ashamed of his obvious desire for her, and once again she was reminded that another woman had had the same effect on Liam, many times. She had to keep these dark thoughts at bay or else they would consume her. Nay…they already consumed her. What would it take for her to just accept the past and move toward her future?

  If only she could forget all the years of mistreatment from Baine and appreciate the love of this great man without feeling it was tainted by another woman’s memory. How did Liam handle the thought of Baine bedding Gwynneth? That was an unfair comparison though, and she knew it. Never, not even once, had she felt loved or impassioned. She had been a prisoner to him, there for his perverse desires and worth nothing more. More than ever, she saw the true damage Baine had caused her. Those scars were not just skin deep. Even without being present, Baine was destroying her chances of happiness every time she turned away Liam’s affections.

  The realization was an eye opening one, like lightning striking down at her from the sky. She immediately regretted her treatment of Liam and her unfair judgments of his past. Just as she was about to open her mouth and apologize, he spoke first. “Let us go find the others. We need to move on.” His deep voice knocked her out of her disturbing thoughts and she was thankful for the reprieve. He reached into a bag and pulled out a chunk of dry meat. “You haven’t eaten.”

  He handed it to her and walked away toward the stream, seeking the others, but he did not have to go far. He found them walking along the stream’s bank, toward the horses. All four men had wet hair from bathing. Liam was suddenly irritated that he missed a chance to bathe and was, once again, completely rejected by Gwynneth.

  He gave a frustrated grunt and ran his fingers through his hair. “Let us get going. We have mayhap three hours of daylight left. Let us cover some distance and keep an eye out for a camp site once dusk approaches.”

  The men walked over to the horses, discussing which direction they should continue. Liam came to a sudden halt. “Gwynn? Come here, please,” he said in a husky voice, as if ready to scold a child. She slowly walked over, dried meat in her hand and an anxious look on her face, noticing without much effort what had triggered Liam’s annoyance. They had arrived with six horses. Now only five remained. The missing one was, of course, the white and grey horse Garreth had entrusted them with.

  She turned scarlet with embarrassment and averted her eyes as all five of the men stared at her with the same reproving look. “I tried,” she said in a small voice. “I’m sorry.”

  “Perhaps we will find her on our travels,” Liam said with a level voice. “For now, Gwynneth, you must ride with me.” He gave her a dangerous look when he saw her hesitation. “Would you prefer to ride with Duncan?” Duncan’s eyebrows flew up high on his forehead.

  She knew better than to even respond to his rhetorical question and slowly walked over to Liam’s horse. He laced his fingers together to give her a boost onto the horse. She swung her leg over and sat in humiliation as Liam gracefully swung up behind her.

  He whispered in her ear, “I will have to hold on to your waist, so you do not fall. Is that acceptable to you?”
she wasn’t sure if he was being condescending or serious, so she just gave him a nod as she felt his strong arm come around her front and wrap firmly around her entire waist, holding her securely onto the horse while he held the reins in his other hand.

  “Lead on lads.” All five horses surged forward and the group headed toward the west, following the guidance of the slowly descending sun.

  Chapter 24

  Two more hours of strenuous riding passed and Gwynneth’s backside was aching more than ever. Aside from the occasional outburst of bawdy songs from the men, a few political discussions to update Liam on the happenings of Iverni, and two bad jokes Liam whispered into Gwynneth’s ear, successfully making her laugh, the rest of the ride was in comfortable silence. It was neither forced, nor awkward and it gave Gwynneth some serious time to think.

  She knew she was being a fool, holding on to Liam’s past. The problem was that it wasn’t so very long ago. In fact, she was quite certain Fiona would be waiting at the gates of Iverni for Liam when he arrived. How would he handle that? It occurred to Gwynneth with a sudden feeling of dread that if she kept withdrawing from his advances, she would be doing herself a disservice when he was reunited on the morrow with Fiona. What was to stop him from going to Fiona’s bed straight away? After all, Gwynneth had not given Liam any confirmation of her desire to marry him. He very easily could decide that Gwynneth would never choose him and go back to the woman that would.

  The thought of him going back to Fiona caused a sick feeling to gnaw at her gut. Aye, she was hurt by his relationship with Fiona. But was that hurt worth pushing him away forever? Had he not suffered the same, seeing her with Baine? Yet, Liam never rejected her when he had the chance to have her, never wallowed in his envy and self-pity. He had seen the opportunity to take what he wanted, and he took it. Well, she was finished with her tirade. It was only hurting them both. It was time she took back her life. Neither Baine nor Fiona were going to steal away the happiness she deserved any longer. She would marry Liam. And the next time he tried to show his affections, she would not only embrace them, she would return them.