by Donna Grant
Yet, after speaking of it to Cade, after witnessing him accept what she said as real, she had felt good. Maybe it was his expert hands and the way he made love to her, maybe it was because she leaned upon Cade instead of keeping her problems to herself. Whatever the reason, she never wanted the feelings to end. Never.
Her hand stopped just short of touching his cock. Last night, he had been incredibly rigid, thrusting hard and deep inside her.
She circled the tip of his rod before she placed her hand over him. To her surprise, he began to harden before her eyes. Francesca’s breath came faster, moisture gathering between her legs as she felt his heat.
Unable to help herself, she wrapped her fingers around him. She hadn’t expected him to be so soft, so hot.
“By the saints, witch,” Cade said, his voice gruff from sleep as his gaze pinned hers.
She grinned as she slowly moved her hand up and down his length. When he said “witch,” it sounded like an endearment, and she loved it. “I cannot help myself when it comes to you.”
“You’re sore. We shouldn’t.”
But the desire in his vivid blue gaze told her he wanted her as much as she did him. Francesca decided words would be useless. Action was needed instead. Remembering how he had licked her sex, making her mindless with need, she lowered her head and traced the swollen head of his arousal with her tongue.
He hissed in a breath, his hands threading into her hair. She worried that he might try to force her head up, but instead, his hands seemed to hold her there, almost as if he were afraid she would stop.
Francesca grew bolder with each stroke of her tongue. She slid her lips over his head and took his rod in her mouth. Up and down her head moved, taking him deeper in her mouth each time. His groans drove her wild, urging her to give him more pleasure.
He began to move his hips, to thrust upward each time she took him in her mouth. And when his hands moved between her legs to caress her, she jerked at the pleasure, her moans joining his.
She cupped his balls, rolling them gently in her hands. He groaned and thrust two fingers inside her. Francesca closed her eyes as the sensations engulfed her. The next heartbeat, she was on her back and Cade between her legs. He lifted her leg and plunged inside her.
Francesca gasped at the sensation of him filling her. He held still for a moment, their gazes locking. Her heart skipped a beat as she looked into his blue eyes. Her feelings for Cade had grown quickly in the past few days, and she feared she was falling in love with him.
Would it be so bad to give my heart to such a brave man?
The answer was nay, but having to leave him would be impossible. And she had no choice in that matter.
“Witch?” he asked, concern in his eyes.
She cupped his face. “I’m overwhelmed with the pleasure you give me. Don’t stop.”
For a moment, she didn’t think he would accept her excuse, but then he began to move within her. She forgot about everything and everyone save the man who had shown her paradise.
Francesca arched her back as he scraped her nipple lightly with his teeth before suckling the tiny bud. He plunged into her with long, slow strokes that sent her body wild with desire. She couldn’t get enough of him, couldn’t get close enough to him.
Her body began the familiar tightening that happened when she was about to climax. She wasn’t ready, didn’t want to stop the desire being with Cade gave her. But her body didn’t listen.
When he quickened his pace, their bodies slapping against each other and sweat glistening on their skin, she was powerless to stop the orgasm. She gripped his shoulders as wave upon wave of bliss washed over her, sending her spiraling down an abyss.
With her body still pulsing from the power of her climax, she opened her eyes to see Cade’s body jerk and shudder as his own orgasm took hold. He buried his head in her neck and held her while his cock jumped inside her, filling her with his seed.
Knowing any day Nigel would arrive, signaling her death, Francesca should have been frightened of getting with child. Yet the thought of Cade’s child growing inside her filled her with a warmth she hadn’t expected.
She had never wanted children. Not until now.
“Witch,” he murmured as he kissed her neck, her cheek, her eyelids, the tip of her nose, and then her mouth.
Francesca wrapped her arms around his neck, ignoring the fact that the rain had stopped. She didn’t want to leave. There would be questions that she didn’t want to answer, but it wasn’t that. She didn’t want to leave Cade.
He rolled off her and sighed. After a moment he rose, pulled on his breeches, and built up the fire. Francesca wrapped the blanket around her against the cool morning sea breeze. She smiled when he brought her some oatcakes and a water skin. They ate their morning meal in silence, each lost in thought.
Finally, Francesca broke the silence. “I’m not ready for this to end.”
“But it has to,” he said and met her eyes over the fire. “For your safety, you must get to the castle and stay there.”
“And you? You’ll walk the forest until Nigel arrives?”
“Aye.”
Tears stung her eyes. “I won’t see you again, will I?”
“Don’t think I’m sending you to the castle because I don’t want you, witch. I’m doing it because I can’t stand the thought of you getting hurt.”
“What of you?” she argued. “How do you think I feel standing in the castle? Alone. Wondering if you’re all right, if Nigel has already found and killed you.”
Cade sighed and shifted his gaze to the fire. “I won’t survive Nigel’s attack. I’ve known this from the beginning. I’m going to kill Nigel, which will kill the darkness within me.”
“And in doing so, kill you,” she finished.
He met her gaze. “The darkness is a part of me now. There is no separating it, as much as I wish it otherwise. Nigel needs to die. I need to die lest the darkness take over again.”
“You beat it last night.”
“Only because of you. I don’t know why, and I’m not going to try to understand. Maybe it’s your magic.”
She shook her head. “Does Drogan know you plan to die?”
“Aye. I told him last night.”
Francesca stiffened. “You left me?”
“Drogan came here looking for you. He was worried that I might have hurt you. Once he realized you were safe, he left.”
“But not before you told him your plans.”
Cade nodded. “Everyone needs to stay in the castle. That includes you. I’ve planned too hard and too long for this to go awry.”
“You’re not going to let anyone help you, are you?”
“No one can help me, witch. I’m the only one who can kill Nigel.”
She didn’t argue, even though she knew for a fact he was wrong. So very wrong. And she was going to make sure he knew that in the end.
Francesca finished her oatcake and rose to her feet. She bit back a wince at the pull between her legs. Her nightgown was useless, having been ripped in two. She wasn’t sure how she would get back into the castle without being seen, especially since it was already dawn.
“The storm has stopped,” she said as she walked to the entrance.
“He’s on his way.”
She glanced at Cade, surprised to find him beside her. She hadn’t heard him move. “Can you feel him?”
“Aye.”
“And the darkness? Is it still there?”
He turned his head to look at her. “You calmed it, witch, but it’s still there. It’ll try to rise again soon.”
“Let me stay and help you.”
One side of his mouth lifted in a sad smile. “What kind of knight and lord would I be if I allowed you to stay and put your life in danger?”
“The kind who wanted to be rid of the evil inside him.”
He cupped her face, his thumbs caressing her bottom lip. “You are the bravest woman I know.”
She knew it was useless to
argue. He was only trying to protect her. She would leave, but she would also come back. “I’d better return now, since I’m not properly dressed.”
“Wait.” He walked toward the back of the cave and reappeared with a long cloak. “It’s not a gown, but it’ll be better than a blanket.”
Francesca wrapped the cloak around her and held it in place with her hands. She would have to take small steps in order to keep her bare legs from showing.
“Be safe, witch,” he said as he bent to kiss her softly, and all too quickly.
She stopped herself from pulling his head back down for another kiss. She would not beg. “You as well.”
With that, she turned and started toward the castle.
Cade felt as though someone ripped his heart out. It had taken everything he had to send Francesca away. Already he missed her, her scent, her magic. It wouldn’t be long now before the darkness tried to take over again. It had tasted power, and it wouldn’t be satisfied until it had it.
He jerked off his breeches and grabbed a bar of soap as he strode to the water. The waves were like ice slamming into his legs, but still he waded deeper and deeper. The cold water cooled the desire boiling his blood, which was what he needed to keep away from Francesca.
After lathering the bar, he scrubbed his body and hair before he rinsed and swam back to shore. He rubbed his jaw and felt the prick of his whiskers. He’d never liked the feel of a beard on his face. After he pulled on his breeches and boots, he reached for his dagger and set about shaving.
His mind wandered, thinking of his family and Stonelake. He wondered if his land was a beautiful as it used to be. Francesca would love it, he was sure of it. He wished he could show it to her.
Fool.
He was a fool. Death was coming. There was no future for him, no hope of evading Hell, no hope of having Francesca forever.
He had set his fate in motion by accepting Nigel’s offer. Nigel brought death and blood wherever he went. Cade had feared him greatly in the beginning, and when Nigel had threatened his mother, brother and sisters, Cade had given in to his demands.
Had Nigel known then that the darkness, when it first took hold and was uncontrollable, would lead him to kill his family? Had he laughed when he’d learned the news?
Cade squeezed his eyes shut as he recalled his sister’s frightened face staring up at him, begging him not to kill her. He had tried to get control from the darkness, tried to stop. But he hadn’t been able to.
It had been his fault for going back to Stonelake to begin with. But he had needed his family. If only he’d known how powerful the darkness was.
He shuddered and tried to push their deaths from his mind. He could blame it on the darkness all he wanted, but the truth was he was a murderer. He had killed everyone in his family, leaving the castle coated with blood.
But it had been Nigel who’d set it on fire.
Chapter Sixteen
Francesca walked the back corridors of the castle, much as she had done hours before when she’d left to seek out Cade. Her dream had made her leave the castle, but she knew she would have gone to see him anyway.
When the door to her chamber closed behind her, she leaned against it and closed her eyes, remembering Cade’s hands, his mouth. She shivered and removed his cloak. A servant had already been inside her chamber to get her morning bath ready.
The water was still hot when Francesca slid into the wooden tub. Normally, she relaxed and got her mind together for the day, but this morning was different. This morning, action was needed.
Francesca hurriedly washed before drying off and reaching for the cream gown that was her favorite. The elongated sleeves, neckline and hem were adorned with thread of burnished gold. Once she was dressed, she combed out her hair and braided it.
She needed to talk to Drogan. The men most likely had a plan, and though she had no intentions of telling them everything, she could aid them in the battle.
Francesca found everyone in the great hall breaking their morning fast. Drogan smiled at her and motioned for her to sit. Though she normally sat at the dais with them, she needed to be able to see everyone, so she chose to sit at another table.
“Did you sleep well?” he asked.
Grayson looked up at Drogan’s question, but Fran kept her eyes on Drogan. “I did.”
“The storm has passed,” Adrianna said. “I don’t sense another.”
“Nigel is controlling the storms, so one could hit any time,” Serena said. “We need to be prepared.”
Drogan nodded. “I’m going to see how much damage there is. I suspect there is flooding with the river.”
“And the lightning,” Serena added.
Drogan grunted in response. “Grayson, will you ride with me?”
“Aye,” Grayson said around a mouthful of food.
Francesca took a deep breath and pushed her food around her trencher. “Cade will be angry that you’re leaving the castle.”
“I know,” Drogan said. “I need to see to my people, though.”
“She has a point,” Adrianna said. “He risked his very soul for us. The least we could do would be to stay safe.”
“No one is safe from Nigel,” Drogan ground out, his voice growing louder with each word. “No one. Do you think I like sitting in my safe castle while my people, my brother are out there fighting alone?”
“We cannot let him die,” Francesca said. All eyes turned to her. She licked her lips and folded her hands in her lap as she sifted in her seat to face them. “Cade plans to kill Nigel himself. He believes that the evil inside him will die with Nigel, but it will also kill Cade.”
“Shite,” Grayson said and shoved his trencher away from him. “You spoke with Cade? Again?”
“Last night,” Drogan answered for her. “We both spoke with him, though I believe he told her more.”
Adrianna looked from Francesca to Drogan. “There is more going on here than we’re being told.”
Francesca knew they would all learn the truth soon enough. She didn’t like lies anyway, and she carried a big enough secret without adding another. “I was with Cade. All night.”
“I see,” Adrianna said with a knowing look.
Serena smiled. “You’ve found happiness, Fran. It’s what we’ve wanted for you for a long time.”
Francesca glanced at her hands. “Cade didn’t tell me all his plans, but I do know he believes Nigel will attack any day.”
“Any day?” Adrianna asked.
Grayson took her hands in his. “It’ll be fine, Drina. I’ll protect you.”
“It won’t be alright,” Francesca said as she got to her feet. “I’ve seen it. In my dreams. The devastation is...catastrophic.”
“Why haven’t you told me before?” Drogan demanded as he leaned forward and rested his forearms on the table.
“Why do you think I’ve been placing every ounce of magic I can into this castle? Why do you think I’ve begged you to stay within its walls?” she countered.
Serena rose and walked around the dais to take Francesca’s hands. “How long have you known?”
“Since I was ten summers.”
Adrianna sucked in a breath, Grayson let out a string of curses, and Drogan raked a hand through his hair.
“You should have said something,” Drogan said. “That is information I needed to know.”
Fran raised a brow. “Its information you have that Cade doesn’t. I tell you now, because”—she paused, her stomach fluttering—“Cade needs to be saved, too.”
“I don’t know that he can be,” Grayson said.
Serena rolled her eyes. “Cade had been overtaken by the darkness yesterday, just as we all feared.”
“But,” Adrianna said, her eyes wide, “He didn’t harm Fran or Drogan.”
Drogan fisted his hands on the table as if he were struggling to contain his frustration over the situation. “Cade told me that somehow Fran pushed away the darkness, gave him peace, if you will. Maybe it’s her magic.”<
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“Nay,” Serena and Adrianna said in unison.
Francesca looked from one to the other. “If it’s not my magic, then what is it?”
“Your heart,” Serena answered softly.
She already knew that she cared for Cade much more than she should, and though she thought she might be falling in love with him, Fran wasn’t sure and wouldn’t admit it.
“Cade cares for her,” Drogan said, unaware of her turmoil. “He’s very protective.”
“Love?” Grayson asked.
Drogan shrugged. “Maybe.”
“Enough,” Francesca said. “This isn’t about my feelings for Cade, or his feelings for me. This is about keeping everyone alive. Even Cade.”
“I’m not sure that we can,” Adrianna said. “Doesn’t Cade believe he’s the only one who can battle Nigel?”
Francesca’s heart pounded in her ears. She wanted to tell them, to assure them that she could battle Nigel and win, but she knew neither Drogan nor Grayson would allow her out of the castle. And if Cade ever learned what she planned, he would likely tie her to her bed to keep her away from Nigel. Nay, it was better to keep that secret to herself.
“Aye,” Serena said. “Cade has the best chance at winning.”
Adrianna gained her feet and walked to stand on Francesca’s other side. “We’re bana‐bhuidseach. Combined, our magic can heal him, and we will make sure he doesn’t die.”
Francesca smiled, but as she turned away, she caught Drogan watching her intently. If she wasn’t careful, he would figure out she was hiding something.
* * * * *
Drogan guided his horse toward the forest. He needed to talk to Cade again, if Cade let himself be seen.
“You’re quiet,” Grayson said from beside him.
“Just thinking. I don’t like this. Any of this.”
“None of us do.”
Drogan scanned the trees. “It was good to talk to him, almost as if years hadn’t passed since we had last shared a meal. Cade is a good man. He shouldn’t have to suffer all this alone.”