by Terry Spear
“Aye. You know you dinna have your da’s permission for this.” Quinn took her face in his hands and kissed her.
“You have to know how to understand him. He said you might even take over our clan. Either way, if you take over your own, or ours, I am yours.”
He kissed her soundly. “I havena done either.”
“This is just in preparation and to give you even more of an incentive to fight well. You are mine, Highlander. We have pledged our love and our marriage to one another. It is done. Naught that my da can say will undo it.”
Quinn smiled down at her. “Do you still think of me as your prisoner?”
She wrapped her arms snuggly around him. “Aye, you are.”
“Then I am all yours to do with what you will.”
“You willna hurt too much if we make love?”
He chuckled and swept her up in his arms and carried her to the bed. “Naught would keep me from making love to my beautiful wife.”
She was glad he was brave enough to join her.
“You said we would tell your da we were wed as soon as the leadership was decided.”
“I did, but I couldna wait. When no one else was too close to us, I told my da we were wed. He said, ‘That’s nice, lass.’ My da was in his cups. I doubt anything I said to him this eve, he would remember on the morrow.”
“Hamish encouraged me to see you. I told him we were wed, just in case he wished to defend me, should any of your clansmen attempt to stop me from being with you.”
She tugged at Quinn’s belt. “Mayhap Hamish also overheard me telling my da we were married. He is good at overhearing things.” She finished removing Quinn’s belt. “I love you, Quinn, and naught was keeping me from being with you tonight.”
“I wasna planning on letting you be alone.” Quinn’s voice was already rough with urgency, and he was hurrying to pull off his plaid and shirt.
She treasured how eager he was to make love to her and ran her hand over his glorious, naked muscles, his arms, his back, his arse. He was already hard with need, and she prized that he was always ready and eager for her. He began pulling off her plaid, and she kissed his shoulder, nuzzling her face against his chest, heard his heart thrumming with desire, just like hers was.
Their mouths connected. He ran his hands over her breasts, and she moaned against his mouth. He pulled her léine off. Then he slipped her chemise over her head and dropped it to the floor. With a fire blazing in the hearth, the light on their faces and hair, the warmth heating their already hot bodies, he lifted her off her feet. She wrapped her legs around his hips. And then she was hugging his body, his staff pressed against her mound, making her feel deliciously wanton.
They were still kissing when he carried her to the bed, laid her down, and he moved on top of her. She ran her hands through his hair, and he leaned down and pressed his mouth against her lips. He slid his hand down her belly and started to stroke between her legs. She felt hot and wet and achy.
She arched against his questing fingers, wanting him to finish her off like he’d done before in the shelter by the ocean with the storm pounding all around them. Then she felt lifted up, loving the way he excited every part of her with his touch.
He kept stroking her, kissing her. His eyes were smoky with desire.
“Beautiful,” he whispered against her cheek, and then he inserted a finger between her legs and stroked.
Not expecting that, she went over the top and cried out with pleasure. Wolf came out from underneath the bed to check on them, and they both told him, “Go lie down.”
Wolf returned to his spot underneath the bed, and they hoped he would get used to them making love soon.
Avelina ran her hands over Quinn’s arse, and he groaned before he pressed his staff between her legs and pushed.
“Ohmigod, you are incredible,” she said, and he continued to thrust.
“As you are.” Quinn loved his wife. She intoxicated him, made his head spin, just from her touch, the whisper of her breath on his cheek, the way her heart pounded, and she wrapped her legs around his.
Deeper he thrust, hoping no one would hear Avelina, and worry that she was in trouble, but he was glad she found pleasure in his making love to her. He kissed her mouth, and she parted her lips to take him in. He tasted the mead on her tongue, and her blue eyes fluttered open. She smiled a little, and stroked his tongue with hers. And then he moved his mouth over her nipple, and sucked and she arched against him.
“Ahh,” she groaned, her inner muscles contracting around his rigid staff. “You are amazing.”
He groaned with exquisite release and continued to thrust until he was spent. “Lass, you are amazing.”
Before dawn, someone was banging on Avelina’s barred door.
“I will see to it,” Avelina said, as if she intended to defend Quinn from anyone who would attempt to fight him for being in her chamber through the night.
“Nay, lass, I will.” Quinn threw on his shirt and headed for the door. He would straighten out whoever it was.
When he opened it, he found her da standing there, frowning at him. “You were to sleep in the barracks with my men,” Baudwin said, but he wasn’t armed, and Quinn suspected her da already knew the truth.
Quinn motioned to the cloaked bed. “My wife had other plans for me.”
Baudwin smiled. “I’m finally free of my duties to the lass then.”
“I heard that, Da,” Avelina said from the cloaked bed.
“You could have told me. I shouldna have had to learn it from Hamish.”
Avelina came out of the bed wearing her chemise and léine. “I told you last night, Da. See? You dinna even remember.” She began wrapping her plaid around her.
Baudwin rubbed his bearded chin. “Mayhap.” He frowned at Quinn. “We need to know how you plan to oust your brother from power, so we can prepare.”
“You will back me in this?” Quinn said, surprised that Baudwin would want to aid him after Quinn took Avelina for his wife without her da’s permission and when her da had a contracted marriage for her already.
“Aye, if you are true to your word that you intend to have an alliance with us once you remove your brother from power. You have put me in a bind with your brother’s clan. It’s only right that you straighten this matter out. Now that you are my son by marriage, you have my support. And Hamish agrees. We’ll wait until more of our people have healed so that we’re at full fighting strength. We’ll send word that I’ve taken over and that we’ll be bringing Avelina to wed Cormac.”
“I would give anything to be the messenger,” Quinn said.
Baudwin gave him a dark smile. “As would I, but it would be too dangerous. He’d kill you, and I’d have to give my daughter up to the bastard, if we were to be allied. I’ll send someone else. But later. I want to be ready to leave once my messenger gives Cormac the news. I’m sure Cormac will understand after all the fighting that we’ve had, we need time to recover.”
“Aye. Mayhap he will send one of his men to see what has happened here though. He might have learned Fenella’s da died in battle and may want to learn what is happening about the contract.”
Baudwin rubbed his chin again. “God’s wounds, we would have to kill the messenger. He would be sure to learn that you still live.” He slapped Quinn on the back. “Come, we have a wedding to attend.”
“Da?” Avelina said, frowning.
“I know this is already official, but I want my only daughter wed in the chapel.”
“Aye, Da.”
“Come,” Baudwin said to Quinn. “We must talk. Your wife needs to finish dressing.” Then he frowned at Quinn. “As do you. Meet me in my solar.”
Then he left, and Quinn shut the door.
Avelina threw her arms around Quinn. “I told you my da wouldna remember what I spoke to him about last night.”
“Good thing I told Hamish. I canna believe your da would back me in this.”
“He would do anything for an alliance when
he felt his ally wouldna turn on him, especially after he saw you fight yesterday.”
Someone knocked on the door, and Quinn released Avelina to answer it, surprised to see Fenella there. She glanced at his state of undress, her cheeks blushing, and she stammered, “I…I came to help Avelina change for the ceremony.”
“Of course.” He smiled and hurried to finish dressing. He gave Avelina a hug and a kiss before he left, and Fenella sighed.
As soon as he began to shut the door on his departure, she said, “I hope Ewen is half as braw as your Highlander.”
“I do as well,” Avelina said, and Quinn finished shutting the door and headed to Baudwin’s solar.
They had a lot of plans to make if they were to ensure they were successful. Quinn wasn’t expecting to see Hamish in Baudwin’s solar too. Both cheered him for having married the lass.
“She is a handful, as no doubt you already know,” Baudwin said, offering Quinn a tankard of ale.
“Aye, she is a fighter too, and yet she aids everyone she can who canna do for themselves. She will be sorely missed here,” Hamish said.
“’Tis no’ enough that I love her, but that my people will love her also. I have no’ doubt they will adore her. What about Ewen? What kind of a mon is he?” Quinn asked, hoping that Avelina’s cousin would be happy as well.
Baudwin and Hamish smiled at each other.
“See? What did I tell you, Baudwin? Quinn would be just as concerned about your niece as he is about your daughter.”
“Aye. When we escort Fenella to see Ewen, you can judge him then,” Baudwin said. “But we must get this other business done first.”
Quinn was surprised Baudwin would be willing to take him with him to see to Fenella’s welfare. But he knew Avelina would also want to go, and he would take her with some of his men. If he didna like the man? He wasn’t sure what he’d do then.
Odran came to Baudwin’s chamber, still limping badly, but he wouldna let it keep him down. “Your daughter is ready to be married.” He sliced Quinn a glower. “Some say I would fight on your behalf, Highlander. They misspoke.”
“Aye, but I will watch yours.”
Odran growled and limped out of the room as fast as he could.
“They didna misspeak,” Hamish said. “Believe me, if anyone made a move to cut you down, he would be at their throat.”
“Aye,” Baudwin said. “What are we waiting for? I need to marry my daughter off.”
Avelina didn’t know why she was so nervous about marrying Quinn in the chapel, when they were already wed. But she’d been coming here as a bairn and with everyone’s eyes on her, she felt self-conscious. Some of the women had made a flower garland for her hair, and Gwyneth had surprised her by giving her a blue gown that many of the women had worked on so she would be ready for her wedding day. Fenella had also worked on it and had selected the color, knowing it was Avelina’s favorite. She should have known the women would have done so because she’d been working with others to create Fenella’s gown. Also blue, but darker.
When she saw her beautiful husband standing beside Hamish, and to her surprise, Odran, she smiled. Quinn smiled back at her, looking as though he wanted to sweep her off her feet and carry her to the altar.
“He looks eager,” her da told her as he escorted her to him.
“As eager as you were to wed my mother?” she asked.
“Aye, lass. Though I dinna think I stood as straight and tall and still as Quinn is doing. I was rather anxious to have it over and done with. And just so you’ll know, we handfasted on the way from her farm to the chapel.”
She smiled at her da. She loved him.
Before she knew it, she was looking up into the eyes of her adoring husband, and she knew he was the only one for her—as long as he didn’t get himself killed when he tried to take over from his brother.
After three days of feasting and a week later, Avelina was taking supplies to Judith while Quinn had been teaching the men his sword-fighting skills. She would miss helping her people, and she knew they’d miss her.
When she returned to the outer bailey, everyone had dispersed to do their chores, some of which meant to help rebuild crofts and byres. The wall surrounding the castle had already been finished. Avelina couldn’t find Quinn, but she suspected he was helping others somewhere else on the island. He’d become a valued member of the clan and many would miss him also.
“Have you seen Quinn?” she asked Hamish as he was giving some of his men orders on what they needed to do next.
“He went to see Lendon, to help him fish after he did some sword practice with the men. You should have seen Odran trying to fight Quinn with a bum leg.”
“Do you think Odran’s leg is broken?”
“Nay. But he is still limping, so Quinn must have done some more damage after Odran injured it in battle.”
“Is Odran angry with Quinn?” Avelina couldn’t believe he’d hold a grudge against Quinn for fighting him the best he could. He’d been injured too.
“Nay, he respects Quinn now. It had to be done.”
“What has the council decided?”
“They were no’ happy you took things into your own hands and married the Highlander. But they agreed that Quinn will be valuable to our clan, in any event. I canna say what the council has decided, only that they are fighting amongst themselves as to who should lead the clan.”
“Did I hurt my da’s chances of being chief?” She’d worried about that. Perhaps she and Quinn should have waited a little longer to declare their intent, but she hadn’t wanted this to be decided for her.
“Aye. If you had said you would willingly wed Cormac to gain the alliance, one of the men on the council would have voted for your da. As it stands, he willna. Though, everyone appears to like the Highlander. Except his brother, it seems. Quinn is a strong fighter and a good and fair leader of men. Even while he was teaching the men some of his fighting techniques, and I was attempting to lead, he had it well in hand. I’ll warn you though, the council and everyone else in the clan are watching everything he does, lass.”
“Thank you, Hamish. I thought you might be our new chief.”
“Or mayhap your da will, and I will lead his men.”
She smiled. “I would vote for that.”
“But then your Highlander would have to fight his brother, take over the clan, and ally with us.”
Could Quinn even fight his brother? Or would it feel wrong? Could he fight his clansmen, if more of them should back their chief? Would his council even support Quinn’s bid for power? She supposed he could fight his brother, if he attempted to kill Quinn. And Cormac would, she was certain, when Quinn went there with the intention of taking over the clan.
More than that, she didn’t want to risk losing Quinn in a fight, yet she knew it was always a possibility when he went into battle. “I’ll return. I’m off to see how my fisherman husband is doing.”
Hamish snorted. “From what Lendon has told me, Quinn should stick to fighting rather than fishing.”
She smiled. She knew Lendon would teach him the tricks of the trade, sooner or later. She left the keep and headed for the beach. When she came up over the sand dune, she saw Quinn looking out to sea, no sign of Lendon and his boat. She assumed they’d quit for the day, and Quinn had carried Lendon’s boat back to his byre for him. Wolf ran to catch up to her.
“Where have you been for most of the day?” she asked Wolf.
He wagged his tail at her. He’d accompanied her to most of her visits to the farms, but he smelled of the sea, and she thought he must have been looking for Quinn when she returned to the keep. He preferred when Quinn and she were together, so he didn’t have to protect only one or the other.
Quinn was standing still, looking out to sea, braw as ever. At hearing her approach, he turned to see her, inclined his head, and then looked back out to sea.
He seemed in a contemplative mood. She joined him, placing her hand on his arm and pressing her head against
his back and shoulder as the sun was beginning to set, coloring the sky in a wash of pinks, yellows, and oranges, the dark blue water turning golden. She didn’t say anything, wondering if he was thinking of returning home and what would happen then. She wanted to ask him about his brother and what he would do, but she was afraid to.
Instead she asked, “Did you catch a lot of fish?”
“If I had to prove my worth to your clan by fishing for my lot in life, I would fail.” He continued looking out to sea, and she felt his tension, as if he was eager to leave, ready to do something, anything, other than stay here.
“You dinna need to prove anything to my kin, or to me either.”
He pulled her arms around his waist and continued to look out to sea.
“I mean what I say.” She knew in the way he didn’t speak, he didn’t feel as she did. “Quinn—”
“I must earn my respect like any other man in your clan. ‘Tis the only way. I have promised I will take over my clan and become an ally to your people.”
“But…can you fight your brother and no’ feel badly about it?”
“Nay. But it must be done.” He turned around then, and drew her into his arms, and she nestled her body against him.
“You dinna have to go. Fight for our chief, whomever they choose to lead our men. Fight for my clan. Be one of us. Da is making an alliance through a marriage for himself, and with Fenella marrying Ewen, that is two more alliances than we had before.”
“Your da promised your people an alliance with your marriage to my brother. He will get one, only with me instead.”
If Quinn didn’t die.
“You will stay here for the time being,” she said. The longer he remained with her people, the more they would see he could be a help to them and maybe they would convince him to stay, to be one of them, that they could live without another alliance. But she knew the men were only preparing for another battle, healing their wounds, ready to fight Quinn’s cause this time.
He leaned down and kissed her head. “Will you and Wolf make me stay?”
She smiled through her tears. “Aye. For the time being. Come, ‘tis time for the meal. You are teaching the men many good fighting skills.”