By love enslaved

by Conn, Phoebe

  Unable to believe him, Dana placed her palms on his chest and attempted without success to push him away. "Don't lie to me, Brendan. You were already on your way

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  to Giena's when I left the house the other night. You can't deny it now."

  Gripping her arms forcefully to hold her fast, Brendan repeated his promise. "Don't make the mistake of doubting my word, Dana. Neither you nor your loved ones will come to any harm because of me."

  *'I have akeady been harmed," Dana reminded him coldly.

  "No, you haven't. You have only been loved." Just as he had anticipated, the mention of the word love startled her into silence, and before she could diink of a reply, Brendan lowered his mouth to hers. With the gentleness he knew she craved, he caressed her lips lightly until he felt her lift her arms to encircle his neck. Rather than take pride in the fact he had again overcome her resistance to him, he continued to ply her with lavish kisses until he felt tremors of desire fill her lithe body with a beguiling weakness that left her clinging to him for support.

  She was again fully dressed, but Brendan did not let that obstacle slow his relentless progress toward intimacy. Slipping one hand beneath her chemise, he ran his fingers up her thigh, then over her hip to satisfy himself that she wore only a simple linen shift as an undergarment. He wondered what she had done with the one he had torn. Had she taken the trouble to mend it with tiny stitches, or had she just dirown it away?

  The state of her wardrobe was the farthest thought from Dana's mind as Brendan's caress grew increasingly more bold. To escape that torment she raised herself up on her tiptoes, then discovered that only made it easier for him to probe the soft recesses of her body more deeply. He knew precisely where to concentrate his touch to make her crave more, and when she leaned against him, she felt the hardened evidence of his desire pressed firmly against her belly. He was blatantly willing their bodies to fuse into one, but this time she wanted to make certain he removed his clothing as well as hers first.

  "I want you nude," she whispered against his cheek. "Surely I am worth the trouble it will take you to undress."

  He had not dared waste the time when they had first made

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  love, but now Brendan agreed. He pulled oflF her tunic before removing his kirtle, however. "Help me," he urged, but rather than seeing to her own clothing, Dana dropped to her knees to unlace his boots. Rather than explain that she had misunderstood his request, Brendan stood still to simplify her task. He doubted she had ever seen to a man's boots, and it was so touching a gesture he didn't know why she refused to speak the words of endearment he knew she had to feel. When she stood and reached for the button at the waistband of his breeches, he caught her hands.

  "Remove your chemise while I do this. I don't want to lose another pair of breeches due to your impatience."

  While the taunt would have infuriated Dana at another time, in the moonlight-drenched woods it seemed only the sweet teasing one lover gives another, and she did not object. Taking a step backward, she untied the bow at her neckline and let her silk chemise slide to the ground. Her shift followed, and she stepped out of them both, apparentiy unembarrassed about appearing before him in the nude as she removed her own boots.

  While he lacked her grace, Brendan managed to cast oflf the last of his clothes without looking too clumsy. He reached out to Dana then, and drew her back into his arms. Her silken flesh felt cool as it brushed against his far warmer skin. The ftiUness of her breasts begged for his kiss, and he quickly lowered her to the grass where he could caress her with eager kisses as well as his seductive touch.

  As he drew the firm tip of one lush breast into his mouth, Brendan slid his hand between Dana's thighs to again use a knowing rhythm to lure her toward surrender. Her slippery wetness was proof enough her body was ready to accept his, but he need^ still more from her. That he wanted her so badly tore at his soul, for no woman had ever exerted the control over his emotions Dana did. If only to assuage his masculine pride, he had to know he aflFected her just as strongly. He gave her a lingering kiss, then used his knee to spread her thighs wide before shifting his position to lie comfortably between them. Instantly he felt her grow tense, but knowing this time he would cause her no pain, he summoned all his willpower and began with only a shallow

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  penetration. Balancing his weight on his elbows, he looked down at her, silently willing her to beg him for more.

  As she lay beneath him, Dana saw only the compelling light in Brendan's eyes. Her body had opened easily for him this time, and while she disliked feeling so vulnerable she did not understand why he had not begun the motions he had taught her would fill them both with indescribable pleasure. "What's wrong?" she asked, fearing her inexperience had presented a problem she didn't see.

  Brendan moved slightly then, but still his thrust was so shallow he succeeded in his ploy to tease her senses. At the same time he had to fight the impulse to plunge into the warm, moist depths he alone had savored. "Nothing is wrong," he murmured softly, "but we needn't rush. There's time for you to admit that you love me."

  "Love you!" That she was with him was bad enough, but to say it was out of love when surely it was not was sometiiing Dana would never do. She felt him move in re^)onse to her tacit denial, almost completely withdrawing the soft, smooth tip of his manhood before again barely sliding into her. The sensation was the most exquisite torture she could imagine, and she knew he would keep it up all night if she didn't think of a way to turn his trick back on him.

  "Kiss me first," she begged in an enticing whisper. "Then I'll say whatever you want to hear."

  While that was not exactly what he had had in mind, Brendan lowered his mouth to hers. Her tongue teased his, drawing him lower still as she opened her mouth to accept his kiss, and in the next instant she moved beneath him. Sliding easily on the grass, she took the whole length of him inside her, then wrapping her legs around his hips, she crossed her ankles to hold him tight.

  The worst of insults leapt to Brendan's lips, but recalling how he had longed to have her wrap her legs around him the first time they had met, he could not be angry widi her. All he could do was think her as glorious a paitner as he had known she would be.

  His body blocked the light and he could not see her expression, but be imagined it was oac of triumf^ant

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  satisfaction. She had robbed him of that same sense of pleasure, but he did not really mind her defeating him in so stunning a manner. Knowing she was all the woman he would ever want, he finished what he had begun with a joyous abandon that left them both drained of all emotion except the marvelous afterglow of perfect peace. He fell asleep with her cradled in his arms, her fiery red curls fanned out over his chest.

  When Brendan awoke later, he found himself alone in the woods and more determined than ever to wrench a tender confession from Dana when next they met. Then he realized, in die heat of passion they had made no plans to meet again, nor had Dana spoken of her desire to discuss his freedom. She had not even mentioned the subject that she had claimed was so vital. He was thoroughly disgusted with himself for promising never to harm her or her family when she had given him no sweet vows in return. He had wanted her to take him for her lover, but not when she left him without a shred of pride. Cursing his weakness for her, he made his way through the woods, and when dawn broke Erik found him sleeping with the other men and never guessed he had been away.

  CHAPTER XV

  *'Drink this," Grena ordered with a grim determination that discouraged argument.

  Recognizing neither the pale green color nor the peculiar fragrance of the brew, Berit took hold of the tankard but did not take a sip. "What is it?"

  "Merely one of Olga's herbal beverages to help you sleep."

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  Berit was still as thoroughly miserable as she had been before dawn when Grena had dragged her and the twins aw
ay from her Aunt Freya's. Since then she had been confined to her bedchamber, where she had repeatedly cried herself to sleep.

  *'I don't want it," she insisted, but when she tried to hand it back to her mother, the solemn woman refused to accept it.

  *'Do as I say, Berit. You must drink every last drop.'*

  Instantly suspicious, Berit took another look at the strange liquid. She could see her reflection dancing on the oily surface and doubted the drink was as innocent as her mother claimed. Fearing it would do her more harm than good, she held the tankard away from her body and poured its contents out on the floor. Her expression as defiant as her action, she handed the now empty vessel back to her mother.

  Grena knocked the tankard aside, then slapped her daughter with a vicious backhanded blow. '*You little fool! That you have given yourself to a man who is so far beneath you is tragic, but we must do all that we can to prevent you from bearing his child. When I return with more of that potion, you will drink it willingly."

  "You expect me to drink poison willingly?" Berit gasped incredulously. Her mother had never struck her before, but the resulting physical pain wasn't nearly so acute as the emotional turmoil she had endured all day.

  *'It is not poison," Grena informed her coldly, "but a medicinal brew."

  "It is poison if it will kill an unborn babe, and I'll never drink it."

  Grena was determined to put a swift end to Erik's influence over her daughter and again make her the considerate child she had always been. "Oh, yes, you will," she threatened convincingly, "because you'll have nothing to eat until you do."

  "You would rather starve me to death than see me wed to the man I love?"

  "Yes," Grena replied calmly, and seeing no point in again listening to Berit's childish protestations of love, she left her bedchamber and locked the door.

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  Berit felt as though she had never really known her mother, the woman had changed so greatly since finding her in Erik's arms, but she would never give in to herinpossible demands. Stretching out across her bed, she focused her thoughts on the man she loved, not the mother who had treated them both so cruelly. It had been slightly more than two weeks since the first time she and Erik had lain together, so it was too soon to know if she had conceived a child.

  Perhaps, as her mother insisted, she was barely out of childhood herself, but because there was a chance she might be carrying Erik's babe, she would never drink anything that would end its life before it had even begun. She loved Erik so dearly the mere possibility of a child was as precious to her as a living son would be. She wasn't at all frightened at the prospect of defying her mother, since she had no choice in the matter, but as she drifted oflf to sleep she wondered if starving to death could be any more painful than dying of a broken heart.

  When Freya continued to regard her with a disappointed glance, Dana tried to be patient. She thought her mother would eventually adjust to the fact that Erik and Berit loved each other, but when several days passed without the slightest brightening of Freya's downcast mood, Dana feared she had seriously misjudged the depth of her anguish. Not in the least bit sorry for what she had done to aid her half brother and cousin, she waited until Thora was playing with some of their servants' children and her mother was alone in her room. She then took matters into her own hands.

  Freya glanced up as Dana came to her door, but then looked away, unwilling or unable to speak with her. She aK>eared very tired, as though she had not been sleeping well, and while Dana had had a diflTicult time sleeping herself, she was ready to confront the issue that had divided them rather than to allow the uncomfortable silence between them to continue.

  Entering her mother's bedchamber as diough she had been invited, Dana closed the door, then sat down on the

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  edge of the bed. 'Tm truly sorry our deception hurt you. When Erik first confessed his love for Berit, I encouraged him to clakn land and build a house, hoping it would make it easier for him to win Grena's consent for their marriage. We had planned to come to you when the house was finished. Obviously that wasn't soon enough, but it doesn't change the fact that Erik and Berit love each other and want to marry. Erik had hoped that you would help him convince Grena to allow them to wed. Has what happened made that impossible?"

  As her daughter spoke, the tension in Freya's expression relaxed only slightly. "You simply don't understand," she replied sadly.

  *'I understand the fact we're all heartbroken over this, but we needn't stay that way."

  Freya shuddered slightly, then took several deep breaths before she spoke. "Over the years your father and I have had horrible arguments about Erik, but I fear none will compare to his rage when he learns about this. He will undoubtedly say that had I not treated Erik as one of my own sons, he would never have dared hope he might marry Berit. Haakon will swear Erik would have known such a match was impossible, and he would never have created the {woblem he has. He will insist this is not merely an instance of a young man following his heart, but the natural result of the love I showed him."

  Dana had never heard her parents raise their voices with each other, so she was understandably shocked to learn they had had heated arguments about her half brother. "Erik is as fine a man as Svien and Soren. That Father treats him with less respect than he gives our servants, rather than as a son, upsets all of us as badly as it does you. Counting Thora, there are six of us who think Erik is being abused. If we stand up to Father together, then—"

  Freya refused to encourage such a foolhardy action. "No, you mustn't even suggest that to the others. You dare not risk increasing your father's anger when surely it will already be terrible. That will only make the situation all the more difficult for Erik, and none of us wants that."

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  Dana had never imagined their current dilemma would require her to choose between two men she loved dearly. It had all begun with Brendan, she mused silently. They had taken in a slave in defiance of her father's wishes, and their lives had failed to run smoothly ever since. Because thoughts of the Celt caused an entirely diflFerent type of pain, she struggled to push his handsome image to the back of her mind.

  Thinking she had only one possible choice, Dana made her decision quickly. "Father is wrong. It's as simple as that. I'll do whatever I can to help Erik, and if Father becomes angry with me for my loyalty to my brother, then so be it. Things could not possibly get any worse here than they already are."

  ''Dana!"

  The vibrant redhead shook her head. "Nothing you can say will change my mind. If you and Father were to plead Erik's cause, I think Grena could be persuaded to allow him to marry Berit. If you'll not speak out in his behalf, then he'll have to fight J0m for that privilege. I think he'll win too."

  Freya was astonished by the sudden change in her elder daughter, for while she had always spoken her mind, she had not once been openly defiant of her parents' wishes. "And if Erik is killed? Could you live with the thought he died for love?"

  "Yes," Dana answered easily, thinking she saw the question far more clearly than her mother. "It's the only thing wortti dying for, isn't it?"

  Moira r^ped softly, then peered in the door, interrupting them before Freya could respond. "Mistress, there's an old woman from Grena's here. She's begging to speak with you."

  Freya welcomed the news with a delighted smile. "She must have brought a message from my sister, and I hope that it's a good one. Send her to me at once."

  Dana recognized the woman immediately as the one who had taken care of her cousins in infancy. Quite old and frail now, she appeared exhausted from her journey. Rising to her feet, Dana helped the woman to a place at the

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  foot of the bed. ''Your name is Ulla, isn't it? Please, make yourself comfortable. Were you given something to eat and drink?'*

  **Yes, mistress, thank you. I did not think you would remember me," Ulla replied shyly, obviously pleased to leam her
long service to Grena's family had not gone unnoticed. After taking a deep breath, she hurriedly explained her mission. "In the four days since visiting here, my mistress has given her daughter nothing to eat, and only a few sips of water to drink. They are in the midst of some terrible argument, and each is so stubborn I fear Berit will die before their dispute is resolved. That is why I came here. I trust you will be able to help Berit in a way I cannot."

  When her mother appeared too stunned to conmient on her sister's cruelty, Dana questioned their caller herself and soon came to the conclusion that her cousin's plight was genuinely as desperate as her former nurse claimed. Not wanting to discuss their personal business in front of Ulla, she thanked her for coming to them, then ushered her from the room before she spoke to her mother.

  "You had suggested that we all meet again in a few days. Clearly Grena isn't going to be able to discuss Berit's future calmly anytime soon, but it's imperative that we help Berit now. What do you want to do?"

  "There's only one thing we can do," Freya announced with the same determination that had always allowed her to stand up to Haakon where Erik's welfare was concerned. "We'll have to stop Grena from tormenting Berit in the only way we can. Tell Erik to take some of the men and go-and get her before she has to suffer through another day of her mother's spiteful treatment. Grena has never had a bit of sense, not since she was a child, but I won't allow her to get away with this."

  Before she had fallen ill, Freya had been the most self-reliant of women, and Dana was thrilled to find she had lost none of her former spirit during the long months of her recovery. "Try and rest a while longer. I'll take care of everything."

  Dana hurried away without explaining the details of a