“She must be since all she has eaten today is a small piece of bread,” Hunter said and stood to hold her chair out for her.
His eyes were not only sharp, but watchful and just as inconspicuous as her warrior’s had been. Another thing she had to keep in mind about her husband.
She sat, paying heed to her own advice that she made sure her warriors followed and her sisters in case something should ever happen to them... and it had. She only hoped they remembered, but then she had reminded them about it often enough.
Keep up your strength. Eat when you can and rest when you can. Rules her warriors were mindful of and made certain to follow, and she prayed Heather was doing the same. Before she dug into the light fare, she thought of Beast and his need to keep strong.
“Beast needs to eat,” she said.
Una grabbed a small sack off the floor. “He was not outside when I went to feed him. I wondered if he had gone off with you. I will see to him now.”
Patience ate, though sparingly compared to the others. When she finished a piece of bread and small hunk of cheese, her husband handed her another. She took it and ate slowly, finding the bread far too bland for her taste.
Una returned and talk resumed. Patience did enjoy hearing about Ewan and Una’s younger days. And from their stories, Patience got the idea that somewhere along the way their friendship had turned to love. Unfortunately, as was the way with things, duty came first. Still, though, there seemed to be a sparkle in their eyes for each other.
Hunter offered her another piece of bread and cheese but she declined it. The bread already felt like a rock in her stomach and made her long for food from home.
Ewan yawned and stretched himself out of his chair. “Time to get some sleep.”
Una stood as well. “I will walk with you and find a place to rest my head tonight.”
“Nonsense,” Patience said. “You will sleep here in the cottage.”
Una shook her head. “No, the cottage is for you and your husband. She went to Ewan’s side and slipped her arm around his. “Ewan will make certain that I am settled well for the night and I will see to Beast.”
Ewan patted her arm. “That I will.” He looked to Patience. “Newly wed couples should have their time together.”
Ewan snatched up Una’s cloak, draped it over her shoulders, and ushered her to the door, sending a backward wave to them as the pair hurried out laughing.
Patience turned to her husband. “Were they once in love, for they seem so...” she wasn’t quite sure how to explain what the couple shared.
“They are comfortable and familiar with each other,” Hunter finished for her. “It would torment my da when Ewan came to visit, for he saw something in them that he never had with his wife... trust. My da would get angry after he left and treat my mum poorly, as if somehow she was at fault, never admitting that he was jealous. Then he would feel guilty and spend time making up for his meanness. It always surprised me how much he loved my mum. I used to wonder how such a hostile man even knew how to love. Then as I got older I understood. My da loved her as he would a possession.”
“Are wives not considered possessions?”
Hunter learned about women from an early age out of complete necessity. He had grown tired of the endless fights with his brothers, so he had sought companionship elsewhere. His very first true friend had been a lassie who he had discovered would rather talk than fight. He had been devastated when her family returned to her mother’s clan. But she had been the first to teach him about females, and he had continued to learn about them until he felt he knew them better than they knew themselves. That was why he understood that the question his wife had just asked was a trap waiting to be sprung, even if she did not realize it.
He smiled and walked over to her, his hand going to rest on her arm for a moment before slowly running it down to her wrist, and then lace his fingers with hers. He then brought her hand up to his mouth to press tender kisses on her fingers. He was pleased to see that she could not hide the shudder that ran through her.
“Need to think over your answer?” Patience quipped, trying to divert his attention away from her body’s unexpected response to his innocent kisses or were they? Her body certainly had not thought so.
“I suppose it is common thought that a wife is a husband’s possession, but I do not wish to own my wife as one does a slave. I want my wife to know that I cherish and admire her and wish for us to share a good life together and that we choose to belong to each other, and not out of necessity.”
“If not necessity then what?” Patience asked curious.
“Friendship to start,” he said, “and hopefully love will follow.”
“And if it does not? Does the couple spend their lives indifferent to each other?”
“When a man or a woman first lay eyes on each other there is a moment when interest sparks or it does not. Those sparks can be the beginning of something if pursued. When I first laid eyes on you, I felt such a spark and I saw a similar one in your eyes.” He lowered his mouth to hers and whispered, “Why not see if that spark can ignite into love?”
He did not wait for her to respond. He kissed her and not a simple kiss, but a complex one. It was as if he was demonstrating what they could have together, for Patience felt he kissed her as if he loved her.
The intensity of his kiss overwhelmed her, sending ripples throughout her body, turning her legs weak, and making her heart beat wildly. Could this be the prelude to love? Was it possible? Or was it nothing more than lust?
His arms slipped around her and drew her close ever so slowly, as though giving her a chance to reject him if she so chose to. That was not an option she gave thought to. Instead, she grew impatient to get closer to him and hurried to press her body against his.
His arms tightened around her and she welcomed their firm grip for it drew her even tighter against him. She did not know when she began returning his kiss with as much or perhaps more fervor than he did, she only knew that she could not get enough of him. She wanted more, so much more.
His hands roamed down over her backside and gave it a firm squeeze before they slipped beneath her plaid and squeezed her naked bottom. And damn if a bolt of delicious pleasure did not strike between her legs, turning her weak in the knees. If Hunter had not kept a tight hold of her, she feared she would have collapsed. He had in all essence, kissed her senseless.
The realization struck like a bolt of lightning, alerting her to her vulnerability and possible consequences. Her training as a warrior had her pulling away from him and hurrying to place the table between them and to use the back of one of the chairs for support, her legs still trembling.
She was relieved that he did not approach her, but stayed where he was, though his blue eyes remained fixed on her. That in itself was unnerving, since his blue eyes stirred with such heated passion that her legs grew weaker and her hold on the chair tighter.
“What I make you feel frightens you,” he said.
“Not frighten,” —she searched for a more fitting word and could think of only one— “confused.” She shook her head, as if the simple action would clear her troubled thoughts. “I understand duty and honor and doing what is best for my clan.”
“And you thought to do your wifely duties with me and be done with it, but you have discovered it is not that simple.”
“You stir things in me,” she admitted, then quickly added, “though it is probably nothing more than lust.”
“I suppose it is a possibility. Lust and love can often be confused, the difference being that one wanes fairly quickly whereas the other lingers in the heart and captures the soul, connecting the man and woman for life.”
“And how do you come by this knowledge?”
“Observation.”
“You have seen or perhaps experienced enough of both to reach this conclusion?”
“I have seen, and experienced, lust often enough to envy love when I see it. Love, thus far, has escaped me as I have alread
y told you.”
Her legs had regained their strength, to her relief and she stepped away from the chair, no longer needing its support. She did recall him telling her that, though for some foolish reason she seemed relieved to hear it again. This man—her husband—played havoc with her thoughts and feelings, and that would not do.
Patience raised her chin a notch. “Lust or love, what difference does it make. We are wed and nothing will change that.”
“So we surrender to lust and be done with it?”
Why did his suggestion disturb her so? Would that not be the simplest solution?
Patience shook her head. “I cannot think on this anymore tonight.” It was a poor excuse, but a truthful one. She was tired in mind and body, and she preferred a good rest before deciding anything.
Hunter walked over to her and slipped a gentle arm around her. “I do not wish to add to your burden and I do not wish to force anything upon you.” He lifted her chin so that their eyes would meet. “When you are ready to make love, not just consummate our vows, then tell me and I will make love to you and show you what we can share together.”
“But our vows—”
“Are sealed as far as anyone is concerned. We are wed and we will stay wed.”
“Tonight—”
“We sleep together and every night from this night on, and when you are ready we will make love.” He brushed his lips over hers. “But know one thing, mo chridhe, I will not—I cannot—stop kissing or touching you. I favor the taste of you and my hands instinctively reach out to touch and comfort you, and I cannot stop from doing so.” He stepped back and took her hand. “Now come, we both need rest for tomorrow’s journey and whatever my brother has waiting for us.”
She went with him to the bed and after removing her boots and he doing the same, they settled beneath the blankets fully clothed. She turned on her side and he wrapped himself around her, kissed her cheek, and in a few minutes he was asleep.
Patience did not fare as well. She lay there thinking of what he had proposed and she wondered how long it would be before she gave into the passion that her husband had ignited in her.
Chapter Twelve
As usual, Patience woke during the early morning when light had yet to claim dominion over the land. Hunter lay wrapped around her and though his arms were a comfort, she also found them confining. She slipped away from him as gently as possible, needing distance, needing to be alone. She was glad she was clothed, allowing her to immediately take her leave, her boots in hand.
It was while she was slipping on her boots that she noticed a shadow rush by the pens that had once contained farm animals. She made her way quietly along the short distance and followed the shadow into the small cropping of woods. She kept her footfalls light and her breath shallow so as not to be detected.
When she heard a birdcall that sounded foreign, she halted her steps and listened. A rustle of branches caught her attention, and she ducked low to the ground, her ears alert and her eyes focused as much as possible in the dark just before dawn.
“He wants this settled,” a voice said with authority.
“I am trying, but it did not go as expected.”
Patience recognized Ewan’s voice.
“He wants no war,” the voice advised.
“I agree, but there are those who intend to prevail no matter what,” Ewan said.
“He will intervene if necessary and it will not be to anyone’s liking,” the voice informed.
“He may not have a choice,” Ewan said.
“Unfortunate,” the voice said.
“One thing,” Ewan said. “This one sister is not to be ignored. I fear nothing will stop her.”
“Time will,” the voice confirmed.
With each word, Patience grew angrier. Ewan had lied. He was more involved with the Dark Dragon than he had claimed. She calmed her temper and gave thought to her options. She would be foolish to make herself known, for then she chanced being taken prisoner like her sister. If she kept Ewan in sight, then he may just lead her to the Dark Dragon.
She would assign one of her warriors to trail him. Ewan McCuil was not to be let out of sight. He was her connection to the Dark Dragon and the thought gave her hope that she would finally have a way of finding her sister.
When the meeting between the two men was over and they took their leave, Patience waited before she moved, not wanting anyone to know that she had been there and heard the men talk. Daylight was just peeking on the horizon when she returned to camp, staying close to the shadows so that no one knew she had been in the woods.
She quickly sought out Edward and explained that Ewan was to be watched and followed at all times. The warriors would take shifts so that Ewan did not suspect anything, and this was to be kept in strict confidence, shared with no one outside the troop.
Patience shared an early breakfast with her warriors, her mind on what had transpired in the woods. She could not help but wonder if Una knew of Ewan’s involvement with the Dark Dragon or if Una herself knew the infamous warrior. And then there was Hunter. Could he possibly be more familiar with the Dark Dragon than he had admitted?
Ever since her arrival in this region of the Highlands, it seemed that more truths than lies sprouted. She would need to remain attentive, and as far as war? She agreed with the Dark Dragon on that one... she wanted no war.
But how to stop it and rescue her sister were the answers that most eluded Patience.
~~~
Hunter woke, not surprised to find the spot beside him in the bed empty. What continued to surprise him was that she had been able to slip away without him knowing it. He was usually alert to movement and sound, and yet he had felt or heard nothing. She was quite a skilled warrior.
With a slow stretch, he got himself out of bed ready to find his wife. A smile touched his lips as he thought about last night and wondered if she had left before he woke because she was fearful she would surrender to the passion that he had seen burn so often in her eyes and felt ignite just as often in her body.
He may have given her a choice of when they would make love, but he would make certain to see it brought to fruition sooner rather than later.
With thoughts of making love to her growing him hard, he left the cottage, forcing his thoughts elsewhere. They fell on his brother Greer and he realized the possible consequences if he should discover that Patience and his wedding vows had not been sealed. On the other hand, it mattered little, since Greer no doubt had plans to see him killed and a war started.
He spotted Patience at a rain barrel, filling a bucket with rainwater. Her shirtsleeves were rolled up well passed her elbows, exposing her taut muscled arms and the bruise that was beginning to fade. She hefted the full bucket with ease and placed it on a bench. She then got busy scrubbing her face, neck, arms, and hands. He had noticed that she did everything with intense determination, even now while she scrubbed herself it was not with slow leisure enjoyment, but firm intense movement. She dried herself the same way, tucking the cloth she used at her waist.
Hunter crossed his arms over his chest and rested back against the corner of the cottage, continuing to watch her. She yanked off the stripe of leather that held her hair back and shook her head so that her long dark hair fell freely around her face.
His breath caught in his chest, his arms fell to his sides, and his eyes rounded wide. He could not believe how freeing her hair had changed his wife’s appearance. He thought her a beautiful woman when he had first seen her, but with her dark hair released from its restraint to fall naturally over her shoulders and frame her face to perfection she was more than beautiful; she was stunning.
He winced for her, when she did not, as she roughly ran a comb through her long dark strands. She did it several times, then grabbed her hair and brought the silky strands to rest over one shoulder to comb, over and over again. Then she tossed her head so that her hair fell down her back and with deft hands restrained her lovely locks with the leather tie once again.<
br />
She set the comb on the bench and picked up a small crock that sat there and removed the top. She scooped something out with her fingers and began applying it to her face, neck, and then arms until she had rubbed it well into her skin.
Curious, Hunter finally walked over to her. The scent hit him when he was only a few feet from her and it stopped him, his nostrils flaring to drink in the pleasant aroma. It reminded him of a warm spring day when the wildflowers in the meadows were in full bloom.
He approached her with smile. “Do I smell wildflowers?”
She smiled while returning the top to the crock. “A salve my sister Heather created for me and Emma to keep our skin well-healed.”
He reached out and took hold of her arm, running a single finger over it ever so lightly. “I would say it works well since your skin feels so very soft and so very appealing.”
Patience eased her arm away from him reluctantly. She enjoyed the light feel of his finger stroking her arm, too much. It had sent ripples running through her that tingled her unmercifully, and she could not have that. She needed to remain focused at all times.
Hunter stepped closer, leaning down to sniff softly at her neck, then brought his lips to whisper in her ear, “Your delicious scent makes me want to touch and taste every inch of you.”
Patience took an awkward step back and Hunter reached out to take hold of her arm so she would not fall. His remark stirred images in her head that caused her cheeks to rise with a soft heat.
She was unable to stop from scolding him. “You are wicked.”
He laughed. “Oh, mo chridhe, I can be very wicked.” He kissed her quick and whispered, “And I would love for you to be wicked with me.”
She stared at him for a moment, giving it thought, then quickly stepped away. Whatever was the matter with her, letting his suggestion take root? She had to be careful around him, for he easily stirred her senseless.
“We have no time for this nonsense,” she scolded again. “We need to be on our way and we need to keep an eye out for your brother.”
Highlander's Rebellious Love Page 10