by Kristen Cobb
“The king. The king is coming.” Alana smoothed down her dress, suddenly a bundle of nervous energy.
Nessa glanced back to find Rory walking toward them, flanked by four guards, the hilts of the swords at their backs glinting in the sunlight. She shifted her gaze quickly back to Alana. Fluffing her hair Alana watched Rory’s approach with something akin to awe. Nessa could not contain the smile that spread across her face as a plan began to form.
The answer to Conri’s problem strode toward her right now. The only man more worthy of Alana, in Alana’s mind, would be Rory. Thankfully their high-king was notorious for his wandering eye, and body for that matter, the man’s prowess in bed rivaled her own reputation as Dermot’s druidess.
It seemed the perfect plan for all of a moment until she remembered the reason for her presence, to seduce Rory. The smile immediately vanished from her face, replaced with a despondency that assaulted her all at once. How could she have forgotten? Conri. She was playing a dangerous game with him, like a child pretending to be queen of the castle. A normal life with the handsome warrior would not be an option. She needed to remain focused on the task at hand. Seducing and murdering Rory O’Connor.
She now had exactly what she wanted, access to Rory. Why then did it feel as if her world were crumbling as Rory approached? A pretend life with a fake love, something that did not actually exist could not be destroyed. She needed to remember that. Conri would likely be better off with Alana.
Forcing herself to avoid glancing in Conri’s direction, Nessa attempted a smile as Rory approached. Dressed in a bright red tunic adorned with gold edging around the bottom of the sleeves, the neckline and hem, the man definitely stood out on the field of burly warriors. He wore no weapon other than the dagger at his waist, apparently trusting that his men were all loyal and capable of protecting him against any threat, another fatal flaw, overconfidence. What manner of king did not wear his sword at all times? Come to think of it she had yet to see Rory wearing a sword. Dermot’s plan was actually brilliant. Sending her as an assassin took advantage of Rory’s weaknesses, women and overconfidence. In the end it would cost the man his life.
“Good morning ladies.” Rory barely glanced at Alana before directing all of his attention toward her. “I heard you were here. I trust that you have not turned anyone into a rock this morning.”
“She cannot do that.” The hesitancy in Alana’s voice belied the confidence of her words.
Rory cocked his head to the side with a grin, shrugging his shoulders. “I do believe that were I you Alana I would err on the side of caution.”
Alana’s eyes narrowed, suddenly suspicious rather than antagonistic and haughty. “You cannot do that.”
Nessa decided to ignore Alana’s comment and focus her attention on Rory, where it belonged. “Are your men always so efficient in keeping you apprised of the movements within your walls or is the urgency specific to my presence?”
Before Rory could answer Alana inserted herself into the conversation, refusing to be ignored. “You told her to leave I heard you myself.”
The playful glint in Rory’s eyes vanished, turning a cold, angry glare on Alana.
Alana immediately attempted to talk her way out of trouble. “I only meant to remind you.”
“I do not need you to remind me of my orders. If I desired Nessa gone it would be so.” The hard unfeeling king returned, quickly replacing the flirtatious man determined to seduce every woman he met. The change did not come as such a surprise this time.
“I am sorry my king. Please forgive me.” Alana was staring at the ground submissively. “Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?” Blue eyes glanced up at Rory coyly, her head still bent in submission.
“Leave.” Rory dismissed Alana by turning his attention to the men on the practice field.
To Alana’s credit she left immediately without saying another word or even shooting one last hate filled look at her imagined adversary. Conri passed Alana as he headed toward them. The girl was humbled enough by Rory’s rebuke that she did not even cast Conri a longing glance.
“To what do we owe this honor my king?” Conri put an arm around her shoulders possessively.
Rory smiled. “I had to see it for myself. You have dangerous taste in women my friend. Dermot will undoubtedly be furious when he learns that we have stolen his druidess away.”
And there it was, the reason Rory had been so accommodating when he asked permission for Nessa to remain indefinitely. Conri knew Rory well enough to realize his easy acquiescence likely hid an ulterior motive. He felt some satisfaction in the knowledge that his relationship with Nessa was nothing more than an illusion. “She is a treasure no man would ever want to lose.”
“Then let us hope you are able to keep our treasure satisfied.” Rory’s tone implied more command than suggestion.
“I will endeavor to do exactly that my king.” Deep down, in a place he refused to analyze too closely, Conri felt an incredible sense of relief that Rory did not appear interested in Nessa romantically.
“Excellent. We can have the wedding on Samhain. As your future wife she will of course be welcome within the castle walls. Perhaps she can convince you to actually sleep in the bedchamber I have given you.” With that bold proclamation Rory simply walked away.
“Conri.” She could barely breathe. What just happened? They were apparently getting married and Conri said not a word to disabuse Rory of the notion they intended to remain together permanently.
Conri removed his arm from Nessa’s shoulder, turning to look at her. He expected anger. Instead she appeared as stunned as he felt. He should have told Rory in no uncertain terms they were not getting married but something stopped him from saying the words. “At least you will not have to share a bed with Marta tonight.”
No, she would be in bed with Conri. A new wave of panic washed over her, speech impossible at the moment. All she could do was look at Conri. Should she say no, definitely not? Should they play along for a while, pretending to have every intention of getting married then refuse at the last moment? Would they be able to sleep in the same bed together and not have sex? That seemed to be the question that deserved her attention first. “We need to talk.”
“Later. I need to work with the men for a while. Why not go visit with Marta for a bit. I will come get you later.” Conri walked away, hoping she would do as he asked, too confused about his own feelings at the moment to deal with any of it.
Nessa sat at the base of an oak tree near the training field watching the men practice. Three stone stables flanked the field completely devoid of anything beyond dirt, the tree she sat beneath the only one in the area. In truth she mostly watched Conri. There seemed no point in talking to Marta or anyone else until she decided what to do about her current predicament. In the end there was one obvious advantage to this unexpected development, being allowed back inside the castle where she would have daily access to Rory. She did not actually need to go through with the marriage. Perhaps she would not even have to sleep with Rory to get close enough to poison him when the time came.
She would however have to share a bed with Conri. Watching him practice with the men did not exactly help her resolve to do the right thing. The mere thought of lying next to him made her whole body grow warm. Conri removed his tunic some time ago, currently executing some specific moves with Sedric for the younger men, the muscles in his upper body on full display. Fitted black pants clung to strong legs and firm muscular buttocks as he lunged at Sedric with the wooden sword. She found herself sighing and staring shamelessly at the man she was apparently expected to marry.
Marry Conri. There it was again, that normal life dangling in front of her. Taking the bait would mean leaving Conor and the people of Ireland to their fate without even attempting to alter it. Knowing the course of future events often proved more of a curse than a blessing. Never once had she been able to change the outcome. This time would be different.
Nessa tried to stop
thinking about bedding Conri, focusing on the techniques he executed for the younger warriors. He appeared to be an excellent teacher, patient and attentive, his skill with a sword obvious. He always seemed to know the right-move to counter a potential threat from his opponent. Eion on the other hand was atrocious. He lacked the strength and skill to defend himself in any way. No matter how many times Conri attempted to lead him through a particular technique or move Eion could not successfully implement it. Conri eventually looked her way after Sedric whispered something in his ear.
She watched Conri as he walked across the training field toward her, Sedric by his side. Conri’s bared upper body glistened with a light sheen of sweat, brown eyes focused on her, wooden sword still in his hand. Why had he refrained from informing Rory their relationship was a fraud perpetrated to dispel Alana from his life?
Sedric spoke first when they reached her. “We need your help training Eion.”
“My help?”
“We need someone a little less, well, strong, to give the lad a bit of confidence. I was thinking maybe you could help us out with that. Take it easy on the boy. Let him beat you.” Sedric said the last tentatively, almost as a question.
Nessa noticed Sedric was doing all of the talking. Conri stood beside him silently, appearing less than thrilled about Sedric’s plan. “I take it you do not agree?”
“Your reputation as a warrior was most likely concocted by Dermot to make men fear you. I fail to see how pairing Eion with a woman will boost his confidence. I would be willing to wager that you do not even know how to use a sword.” Conri honestly had no idea what to do about the problem Eion posed, the boy had no skills or abilities whatsoever, but this seemed completely absurd.
“I am quite capable with a sword.” The highly skeptical look on Conri’s face annoyed her, causing a need to prove herself for pride’s sake. She would instinctively collect power from the world around her to build up strength. That and her skill put together made for a combination well beyond Eion’s abilities. Nessa stood up, holding out her hand toward Sedric. “Give me your sword.”
Sedric immediately held out his wooden sword to her. Nessa grabbed the hilt of the sword, waving her hand at Sedric to shoo him away. “Step aside please.” Nessa turned to face Conri, spreading her legs slightly.
“What are you doing?” The daft woman looked as if she expected him to fight her.
“I am too good to fight Eion. I have no wish to embarrass the boy. I also know you are unlikely to believe me.”
The look on Conri’s face could only be called utter disbelief. “Absolutely not. I could hurt you.”
“You will not hurt me.” She began collecting energy in anticipation for the fight, well aware she would need quite a bit of extra strength to battle Conri even if he took it easy on her.
“I told you the rumors were not exaggerated.” Sedric sounded quite pleased with himself for being right.
“I am not going to fight you.” Conri folded his arms across his chest, wooden sword still in hand.
Pride demanded she prove her skill. There seemed only one way to convince him to fight her, leaving him no choice. Sword held in her right hand, Nessa turned her body slightly to the left, quickly swinging her weapon at the left side of Conri’s head, trusting that he would block her blow instinctively.
Conri unfolded his arms at the last moment, just barely managing to block her blow with his sword. “I am not going to fight you.” Conri lowered his sword and damned if the woman didn’t swing at him again. Her next blow came from the opposite side, forcing him to reposition his body to block the blow. She almost knocked the sword from his hand there was so much strength behind her swing. “Where did you learn to fight?” She did indeed possess some skill with a sword and a great deal more strength than he would have expected from a woman.
“Is that your question for the day?” Nessa grinned as she stepped back, swinging down at Conri’s shoulder. A direct hit to that area could immobilize your opponent’s sword arm just long enough to gain an advantage.
Conri was not prepared for her next move as she swung down at him, forced to duck then step sideways out of her weapon’s path. He thought about the deal he made with her earlier, that they would each share one personal fact a day. “Yes” It was time he went on the offensive, within reason of course. He had no desire to see her hurt but now he was curious to see how much skill she actually possessed. Conri swung a low blow at her legs.
Nessa slammed her sword down onto Conri’s, kicking up dirt at the point where his weapon hit the ground. “I started training with Dermot’s men when I was about fifteen.”
“Why on earth would he have allowed that?” Conri backed up to free his weapon from hers, finding himself on the defensive again. She nearly knocked the sword from his hand again.
Nessa swung her sword straight down toward the top of his head knowing he would be forced to defend with an upward swing. “I wandered onto the battlefield during my first campaign with him while searching for wounded. I wound up having to fight my way out with a pilfered sword from one of the men who lay dying on the ground.”
He still could not believe she endured her first battle at the age of fifteen. When most women were thinking about finding a husband she had obviously been fighting on a battlefield. Forced to block her blow with an awkward upper swing he needed to go on the offensive now. She was not only strong but smart as well. Conri stepped back and took a swing at her neck hoping to catch her off guard.
Nessa ducked below Conri’s sword, feeling the wind created by his weapon above her head.
Nessa swung at his leg, forcing him to slam his sword down onto hers. The tip of Nessa’s sword kicked up more dirt as she quickly raised it forcing his sword up and off of hers. Nessa found herself trying to collect more energy to continue blocking his blows. She was balancing on a slippery slope by doing so. Collecting too much would make her eyes start to glow. She might have taken on a bit too much in challenging Conri, and he was most likely taking it easy on her.
“So instead of leaving you at home where you belonged he allowed you to train with his men?” To his amazement Nessa actually possessed quite a bit of strength and skill. Conri stepped back, just beyond her reach, sticking the point of his sword in the dirt. Thankfully Nessa stood down rather than continuing to attack.
“Yes.”
Conri took two steps toward her, holding out his hand for the sword. “Wait for me at Marta’s.”
“And what exactly am I supposed to tell her?” Nessa handed Conri the wooden sword, reluctant to say anything specific with Sedric standing beside them. Nessa turned, suddenly noticing that all of the men on the training field were gathered behind them.
“Tell her you are getting married and moving into the castle. I will come for you when we are done here.” Conri watched Nessa’s head whip back around to look at him, shocked by his words. He was a bit shocked by what he just said as well, proclaiming to the world they were to be married when she had not yet actually agreed. To be honest he had not even asked. Some instinct deep inside seemed to be propelling him forward in this without any real forethought.
Sedric swept Nessa up in his arms, twirling her around so fast her feet went flying up in the air. When her feet finally hit the ground Sedric wrapped his arms around her before finally releasing her. “Our boy is getting married!”
The men began coming up to Conri, congratulating him along with a few bawdy comments about pleasing his new wife in bed. Nessa stood there in disbelief watching it all play out. Once the initial shock wore off she realized gratitude would probably be the most appropriate emotion. Conri was willing to continue the charade even though their plan had clearly spun out of control. She could not have anticipated things would turn in her favor so quickly and with so little effort.
Conri’s eyes never left hers. He appeared less than confident about her reaction to his bold statement. It seemed only fair that she answer his shocking statement with a bold retort of her own. N
essa laid a hand on his bare chest, staring intently into his eyes. She ran her hand down his upper body, slowly, feeling every ridge and contour of muscle all the way down to his waist. The light sheen of sweat helped her hand slide effortlessly. Pressing her body tightly against him she could feel his member spring to life.
“Do not be too long.” Nessa wrapped her hands around Conri’s waist and kissed him. He seemed a bit reluctant and reserved until she became a bit more aggressive, clamping her lips down on his tongue as it finally slipped into her mouth then slowly sucking on it as he pulled it back. Conri’s hands immediately went into her hair, pulling the tie loose, plunging his tongue into her mouth possessively. Her hands ran up his back over hard muscle. When a soft, almost pleading moan escaped her body she pulled away.
She could hear the men cheering but it sounded as if they were far away, their voices muffled inside her ears as a strange panic set in. Nessa basically pushed her way past them in a frantic bid to get away, walking as fast as she could without running. It seemed like such a good idea until implemented. She meant to embarrass Conri not herself.
By the time she reached the wooden footbridge over the moat Conri was beside her, shirt back on, handing her the tie for her hair. “Are you all right?”
“I moaned in front of your men.” She stopped walking and turned to look at him. Like most men he appeared virtually clueless when it came to matters such as these. The man was actually smiling. Not a small mischievous grin but an ear-to-ear eyes twinkling with happiness kind of smile. “You do not seem even remotely concerned. Actually, you appear quite pleased with yourself.”
She pleased him but telling her that would probably not go over very well at the moment. The woman standing beside him did not seem like the type to run around passionately kissing men in public. Every time Nessa touched him she seemed to lose control. That made him happier than a pig in a pen full of fresh mud.
Nessa ignored him after that. He walked beside her in silence over the bridge and down the dirt road toward Marta’s house. A sudden thought wiped the smile from his face, bringing with it a dark storm cloud threatening the happiness that reigned only moments before. Had she been just as passionate with Will? The very idea that Nessa might have kissed another man the way she kissed him proved to be seriously upsetting, an entirely ridiculous notion because he had only known her for a matter of days and their relationship was feigned.