The King's Raven

by Kristen Cobb

  “Marta is still sleeping. Maybe we could eat out here.”

  He’d already eaten but the touch of her hand set his heart to beating faster. Thinking about last night then seeing her in nothing but his tunic was bad enough but now she touched him. His shaft flared to life, a reaction beyond his control.

  When he failed to answer she sat down on a patch of soft green grass not far from the door, opening up the light brown hemp sack. Conri watched her for a moment trying to decide what to do. Leaving right now would be the wisest course of action. Escorting her back to Leinster as Rory ordered even better. Neither of which he seemed inclined to do.

  Conri sat down on the ground in front of Nessa, unable to resist spending time with her. The bushes and evergreen trees planted around the cottage gave them a great deal of privacy from the road. He watched her pull out the half loaf of bread, tearing off a hunk, holding out the rest of the loaf to him. He shook his head. Nessa searched inside the bag, finding the wedge of cheese. Conri unsheathed the dagger at his waist, silently holding out his hand. Nessa laid the wedge of cheese gently on his palm. He cut off a thick slice for her then slipped the rest back into the sack.

  “Does Alana generally watch while you train the men.” The expression on Conri’s face almost made her laugh, a cross between frustration and disgust.

  “Always. She is always there. The daft woman is everywhere. Some days I swear there must three of her.” Conri’s eyes narrowed as he glared angrily in the direction of the castle.

  Nessa could not contain the laugh that escaped as she watched his reaction to the mere mention of Alana’s name.

  “You think this is funny?”

  She took a bite of bread in an attempt to quell the laughter and nearly choked on it.

  Conri pulled a bladder out of the bag, handing it to her. “Drink before you die from amusement.”

  Taking a sip of cool clean water she considered the wisdom of her next statement. “I could go with you, that is, if you are agreeable to, well, you know.” Just mentioning the plan made her think of kissing him, which then sent an odd tingling sensation shooting through her entire body. Taking another bite of bread she looked down at the ground for a moment before glancing at Conri. He never did actually agree to her proposal when she mentioned it last night.

  “To kissing you repeatedly in public.” He thought about little else last night. The most beautiful woman he ever set eyes on telling him she wanted him more than he would ever know. No man in his right mind would turn down her proposal.

  “Hmm, yes, that.” Thinking about the kiss they shared last night a moaning sort of sound escaped as she answered. The grin that spread across his face was well worth the embarrassment. The man did not smile near enough.

  “I am very much in favor of the plan, although, not to complain but what happens when you leave? She will be right back to following me around.”

  Nessa took another drink of water as she finished chewing the bread and cheese in her mouth. “That is where the long term plan comes in.”

  “Which is?” Conri stretched out muscular legs, leaning back on his hands.

  “To make her fall in love with someone else.” It was the only way to get her out of Conri’s hair permanently.

  “Who is the intended victim? There are plenty of men willing to give her a tumble but very few would want her permanently. She is a bit much in case you have not noticed.” The idea did have appeal though. Nessa was right, diverting Alana’s focus would be the only way to get rid of her permanently.

  “How about Eion? From what Allister and Sedric said he is almost as enamored with her as she is with you.” Eion might not be an ideal male specimen but it sounded as if he were in love with the girl. All they needed to do now was somehow make Eion more appealing to the opposite sex.

  “Eion?” If he’d been eating anything he probably would have choked. “Scrawny, sullen Eion? His sword nearly topples him over. You want to substitute Eion for me?”

  “When you put it that way it sounds ridiculous.” She debated grabbing another hunk of cheese from the bag but decided against it. “You are not eating?”

  “I already ate and it is a ridiculous plan. If Alana were inclined to fall in love with Eion it would have happened already.”

  Nessa pulled the rope at the top of the sack closed. “Not necessarily. We just need to make him more attractive.”

  “How exactly are you planning to do that?” Conri grabbed the sack from her and stood up.

  Nessa picked up Conri’s tunic she wore to bed and stood up as well. “I do not have all the details yet but I will think of something.”

  “It would take a miracle.” Conri slowly opened the door to the cottage then quietly stepped inside.

  Nessa followed him into the dark cottage. After being outside in the bright sunlight of a clear day it took her eyes a moment to adjust. Conri gently laid the sack of food down on the table while she walked over to the bed. After folding Conri’s tunic she laid it over her bag then picked up her boots and the strip of cloth to tie her hair back. They quietly slipped out of the cottage without waking Marta.

  Conri gently shut the door, slowly lifting the blackened metal handle to fit the latch in place without making a sound. Nessa leaned against the cool stone of the cottage to slip her leather boots on. After running her fingers through her hair a few times she tied it back with the strip of brown cloth.

  She followed Conri to the dirt road, noticing there were already people out and about. A woman with two young children slowly walked up the road toward them. The boy appeared a bit older than the girl. He ran around his mother and his sister yelling something that did not even sound like words, red curly hair flopping about his head. The woman valiantly attempted to ignore him. His sister laughed and swatted at him every time he came around again.

  Conri held out his hand to her. “People newly in love should probably be holding hands. That is what they do, is it not?”

  “I have heard that it is. Growing up in a monastery then a military encampment I have had very little firsthand experience.” She placed her hand in his as they continued on down the dirt road. Nessa noticed the woman’s eyes open a bit wider as they walked by her.

  “You have never been in love?” Conri found himself silently hoping she would say no even though it should not matter. This was only a fake relationship after all.

  Nessa thought about Will immediately. He’d been her best friend for years. She should be in love with him. “No, I have never been in love.” It made her sad to say it.

  “But you had to think about it for a moment. Who is he?” Whoever it was she did not love him. For some reason that made him happy. He held onto her hand just a little bit tighter.

  “His name is Will. He asked me to marry him. I said no so he left to marry someone else.” Although she did not love Will in that way the thought of him married to another woman caused a variety of unpleasant feelings she had yet to sort out.

  “So you have your own suitor?” Was she against marriage altogether or just marriage to that particular man? He really had no business caring since he had no intention of ever getting married. His life did not allow for such attachments, hence the reason he simply stayed away from women altogether now. They always seemed to want more than he could give.

  “I guess you could say that. We have known each other since we were children. I hated him when we first met.” The memory of that day made her smile.

  “How old were you?”

  “About ten years old. He almost ran me down with his horse. Instead of apologizing he blamed me for getting in his way. His father is a very successful trade merchant. Will was fairly certain everyone should do his bidding.” She could still see the dirt path overhung with lush green trees in her mind.

  “I am guessing you disabused him of that notion.” Conri watched a couple come out of their house. The man pointed at them and poked his wife. The woman swatted her husband’s hand away, watching them intently. He wondered
what surprised them more, seeing him walk down the street holding hands with a woman or who that woman happened to be?

  “I informed him that my father, the king of Leinster, could have him beheaded. He thought I was lying so I took him to meet Dermot. Will became a bit more humble after that.”

  Conri laughed, apparently shocking the couple standing in their doorway. The woman’s eyes opened wide when she heard Conri laugh. The man walking toward them leading a horse was staring as well. She looked at Conri and suddenly realized he had not revealed anything about his own life. “I have answered all of your questions but you have told me exactly nothing about yourself.”

  “What would you like to know?” He would not necessarily answer but what harm could it do to let her ask. He supposed it was only fair.

  “Have you always lived here?”

  “No.”

  “Do you have any family here?”

  “No.”

  “Are you going to answer everything by saying yes or no?”

  “If that is all the question requires, yes.” He couldn’t help smiling at the frustrated expression on her face. “The fault lies with your questions, not my answers.”

  “The problem is not my questions. It is the fact that you do not want to tell me anything. Well fine, have it your way.” Her hand still wrapped tightly inside of his, she stared straight ahead, refusing to make eye contact.

  They continued walking in awkward silence. Nessa could feel him watching her but she refused to continue the conversation. She already revealed quite a bit of information about herself but he had given her absolutely nothing.

  “I have been on my own since I was about ten years old. I have no idea if my mother is still alive and I never met my father. My family considered me defective and sent me away.” He had never admitted that to anyone.

  They were within sight of the wooden bridge that crossed the moat. She watched the guards lounging beside the bridge, one of them was laughing when he spotted Conri holding her hand. The guard pointed at them, smacking the man next to him in the shoulder. Conri’s words caused her to stop walking and just stare at him. She forgot all about the guards watching them.

  Still holding her hand Conri was forced to stop walking as well. Initially he avoided making eye contact with her. Nessa waited patiently until he looked into her eyes. “You are not defective and I never want to meet your family.”

  Conri smiled but his eyes were filled with so much sadness she could tell he was reliving the memory of his family’s rejection. She felt guilty for pushing him to reveal something intimate about his life. She could think of only one way to get his mind off it. Pulling her hand out of his grasp she wrapped her arms around his neck.

  That was all the encouragement Conri needed. His mouth descended on hers and the rest of the world faded away. She hoped it had the same effect on him. They continued kissing long after they should have stopped, hands roaming, exploring the feel of each other. She could not seem to get close enough to him.

  They were both breathing heavy when Conri finally pulled away. It had never once been like that when Will tried to kiss her. With Conri it felt like a completely different experience. She could stand here kissing him all day and be perfectly content. The man was a menace, a handsome, brave, enigmatic menace.

  “If I had known you would react like that I might have started revealing secrets sooner.” Conri grasped her hand again, leading her toward the drawbridge over the moat. All eight men guarding the pass watched them in open-mouthed astonishment.

  “How did you end up with Rory?” He seemed far too young to be the captain of Rory’s guard, maybe early thirties.

  “I propose we limit the sharing to one fact a day. I will tell you something about myself but you have to do the same.” A dangerous game but one he could not resist.

  “I have already revealed the equivalent of five or six very personal facts to you.” Actually she had probably revealed too much personal information already. Getting to know him any better was likely a horrible idea. On the other hand after sucking on his tongue mere moments ago that ship had probably sailed away well out of view. She suddenly realized he called it revealing secrets. Did that mean she was the only one here who knew about his childhood? She glanced at the handsome mysterious warrior as they crossed the portable footbridge over the moat surrounding Rory’s compound. Reluctant to bring up the subject of his childhood again she allowed it to pass. He seemed to be in a much better mood since their kiss, which made her desperately want to kiss him again as they headed toward the stonewall surrounding the castle.

  The portcullis was raised, the metal spikes at the bottom just visible at the top of the arched opening in the wall. All of the guards at the entrance and on top of the wall stared in near shock as they passed through hand in hand. Apparently Sedric had not exaggerated when he said they’d never seen Conri with a woman. That was another question she found intriguing, why would a man as handsome as Conri be completely alone, by choice apparently. Last night he mentioned not having been with a woman in a very long time. Actually, now that she thought about it, she should probably consider that something personal revealed on his part.

  Every single person they passed stared at them in some version of wide-eyed astonishment. Allister and Sedric were the only two people who did not seem at all surprised. Quite a few men had already gathered in the large open area between a few outbuildings. Some were paired up practicing. Others watched men in mock battle. All wielded wooden swords, a common practice to prevent anyone from being seriously injured. The clack of wood on wood rang through the air.

  Sedric clapped Conri on the back, an enormous grin on his face. “Mighty fine taste my boy if I do say so myself.”

  Conri released her hand as Allister hugged her, lifting her entire body off the ground. The man was enormous with the strength of an ox. “Lucky for us the boy turned you to our side. Now maybe Nolan will stop worrying about being turned into a rock.”

  Allister held out his hand toward Conri who promptly grasped the man’s arm. Allister pulled Conri closer with the other arm, slapping him on the back so hard Nessa was surprised Conri didn’t fall over.

  She heard one of the men yell watch out angrily. All four of them looked up at the same time. Conri groaned. Alana strolled right through the middle of the practice field, her yellow dress almost as bright as the morning sun shining down on her. It was plain and worn but somehow Alana made it appear a garment worthy of a queen. Soft, thick brown hair cascaded over her shoulders. In comparison Nessa felt completely inadequate as a woman. Glancing down at her own worn, plain, manly clothing she sighed.

  Conri watched Nessa’s reaction to Alana’s appearance and it instantly sparked his anger. Alana was a self-absorbed nuisance, not fit to even exist in Nessa’s presence. “There is not a man on this field that would choose her over you.”

  Allister and Sedric both nodded in agreement. “Listen to the boy. He speaks the truth.” Allister’s booming voice made his statement seem more like a command than an attempt at consolation.

  She noticed that Allister and Sedric always called Conri the boy. “Why do call Conri the boy?”

  Sedric laughed. “Because he never seems to age, still looks like a boy.” Sedric slapped Conri on the back.

  Alana finally reached them, standing with her arms crossed and a scowl marring her beautiful face. “She should not be here. I heard Rory say she had to leave. I am going to tell him right now.”

  “Rory is well aware of the situation. She is not going anywhere.” Conri glared right back at Alana.

  Eion walked up behind Alana, setting a hand gently on her shoulder. “Do not embarrass yourself this way. Come with me…”

  Alana swatted Eion’s hand away. “I am not going anywhere with you and she is the one that should be embarrassed. Look at her.” Alana’s face scrunched in clear disdain, looking her over from head to toe, making Nessa feel like the lowest form of life.

  Conri stepped in front of Al
ana, blocking Nessa’s view. “You are a vile human being. I would not share your bed were you the last woman alive.”

  Nessa splayed a hand against Conri’s back. He immediately turned around to face her. “Go train your men. I can handle Alana.”

  “Are you certain, because I will…”

  “Go, I will be fine, and take the others with you. I do not need a guard.” Although not entirely certain about that she needed to fight her own battles.

  “Do not let her intimidate you. Remember what I told you.” Without any warning at all Conri pulled her close and kissed her, this one slow and sensual rather than possessive and desperate like the others. His mouth caressed hers as he gently pressed his way inside. It was over far too soon. One intimate stroke of his tongue against hers and he pulled away.

  Alana’s eyes were shooting daggers and fire at her by the time Conri, Allister, Sedric, and Eion walked away. “You are just a passing dalliance. I am the one he is going to marry.”

  “Really? Did Conri tell you that?” The woman truly did seem to be out of her mind.

  “No, but I am the most logical choice. He is the best looking man and I am the most beautiful woman. It only makes sense.” Alana tossed long thick brown tresses over her shoulder as she continued a futile attempt at intimidation by staring intently.

  Interesting, so her tireless pursuit of Conri was not so much insanity as extreme vanity. That she could work with. At least some logic stood behind what seemed complete madness. She simply needed to convince Alana someone more worthy of her attentions existed. Who that could possibly be eluded her at the moment.

  She could not think of a single man more physically attractive than Conri. He also had a quiet confidence that bordered on outright arrogance. Taken all together it made him incredibly alluring. She could not fault Alana’s choice in men. Nessa glanced across the training field at Conri. He stood next to Eion, watching Allister and Sedric practice with wooden swords. Conri was speaking to Eion, pointing out a technique Allister just implemented. Apparently Conri decided focusing on Eion might not be such a waste of time after all.