His Conquest

by Diana Cosby

At Seathan’s silence, she focused on him. “We will be leaving for the Highlands posthaste, will we not?”

  “We will depart on our journey when I deem it prudent,” he finally replied.

  She turned to face him, irritated to find his expression had hardened to a scowl. “Do not try to intimidate me with a fierce look. You promised you would take me to the Highlands.”

  Only the slightest inflection betrayed his displeasure at her challenge. “And I will.”

  “When?”

  Duncan cleared his throat, and she glanced over to find him watching her with mirth.

  As if aware of her embarrassment, Seathan drew his steed to a halt. “Ride ahead,” he ordered his brothers. “We will catch up with you.”

  Alexander halted his mount beside them, frowning. “It is unwise. Tearlach’s men may be about.”

  “With the viscount’s knights thinking Linet and I are on foot, even if they search this route, I doubt they’d believe we would have traveled this far.” Seathan nodded. “Go. We are within a league of Lochshire Castle.”

  Alexander hesitated, then his eyes narrowed. “We will ride beyond the tree line. No more.”

  Tension hummed between the brothers. That any would challenge Seathan surprised Linet. But the defiant glare Alexander shot his brother assured her that on this, his younger sibling refused to budge.

  Seathan’s body stiffened behind her. “Wait beyond the tree line then.”

  Alexander kicked his steed forward. Duncan shot her a wink as the brothers disappeared into the thick stand of pines ahead. The soft clop of hooves faded, then grew quiet.

  “Your brothers only want to ensure that you are safe,” Linet said.

  Seathan turned back to her, his jaw taut. “My brothers’ wants are not what I wish to discuss. I have given you my word that you will be taken to the Highlands. I will not break it.”

  “I did not ask if you had given your word, but when we will be leaving for my mother’s home?”

  “Upon my return.”

  “Return?”

  Pain flickered in his eyes, then disappeared as quickly. “There is a matter I need to take care of first.”

  Her heart softened. “Dauid.” The word tumbled from her lips before she could stop it.

  “Is not your concern.”

  “It is,” she said, understanding too well the hurt of being betrayed. “You led me to believe there would be no delay in our travel to the Highlands.”

  “I could not tell the truth and give you the chance to abandon me, to leave me to die.”

  “From the start you misled me?”

  His eyes narrowed. “Dare you accuse me of what you yourself chose to employ?”

  “I had my reasons.”

  “As did I,” he said, his voice cold. “I will take you to the Highlands as promised.”

  “When it suits you, clearly,” she added, anger wrapping around her words.

  “Aye.”

  Linet exhaled, striving for calm. Seathan was not to blame for her situation. That honor belonged to Fulke. “How long will you be gone?”

  Seathan hesitated, surprised by her quick acceptance, but not fooled. “Until I finish the task.” The pulse at the base of her neck pounded. Linet was upset, but on this he would not budge. Until he found Dauid, he’d not rest.

  “So,” she said, her voice dry, “I sit and wait until your return?”

  “You will reside within my home, Lochshire Castle, and be allowed every freedom.”

  “Including to leave?”

  Annoyance flickered through him. “It would be far from safe to travel without a chaperone.”

  A humorless smile flickered on her mouth. “After traveling with an injured warrior who could barely fend for himself, I will take the risk.”

  Bedamned. “You will wait for me.”

  “Dare you order me about?”

  “You will not put yourself at risk.”

  “The decisions I make are my own. Neither you, nor any other, will dictate to me.”

  “You will not argue with me.”

  “There is no argument. I am a free woman. Unless”—lavender eyes narrowed—“you have decided to keep me against my will. Then, it would seem that I would be your prisoner.” She angled her jaw. “So, tell me, which am I?”

  He couldn’t help admiring her bravado, that she’d dare challenge him at every turn. Still, it changed nothing. “Do not twist my words.”

  “Then do not dictate what I can or cannot do.”

  “God’s teeth, you have the sense of a pignut.”

  Instead of anger, she laughed, a soft, pure sound that had his pulse kicking up.

  Her eyes smiling, she looked up at him. “There again, it seems we are even.”

  He wanted to remain irritated—it would be easier when dealing with the lass—but her sharp wit, and the way she stood up to him when most would back down, drew him to learn more about this intriguing woman.

  Seathan nodded slowly. “Mayhap.” Her ability to disarm him, and to make him want her, spelled danger. He had too important a task ahead to allow his thoughts to ponder a lass who shielded secrets, a woman who, if he’d guessed correctly, might be betrothed to his enemy.

  Silence spilled between them, the breath of wind cleansing the discomfort of moments ago until it shifted into something intimate.

  The rich scent of pine, earth, and desire melded into one. An essence so real, so potent, it incited images of her lying naked beneath him, her body arched to meet his.

  Her eyes widened. “Do not kiss me,” she whispered.

  “It would be foolish,” he said, even as he caught her chin with his hand and angled her mouth to his. “And a mistake.” But it seemed a time for whimsy, to give in to what logic forbade.

  On a groan, he claimed her mouth, gentle, probing, wanting to taste her essence, to savor this woman who would stir up a saint.

  She stiffened beneath him as if to reject him, but he’d already seen her need, tasted her desire even as her mind fought to refuse. Seathan accepted her silent challenge, enjoyed her strong will. Never had a woman aroused him on so many levels.

  He slid his tongue over her lips, teasing, toying with her mouth until her pulse raced beneath his thumb. “Open for me,” he whispered.

  “No.” But her words lacked conviction.

  “Open.”

  For a moment she held firm. Then, on a sigh, she acceded.

  Her taste infused him, the slick warmth igniting his body like a torch tossed upon dry tinder. He took the kiss deeper, wanting her full compliance, for her to admit that she wanted him, a truth she sought to deny.

  On a shudder, her body softened, then she was kissing him back. Seathan had thought himself ready, but as before, the full impact of her kiss, the heat backed by need, exploded through his mind, and for a moment, all he could do was absorb.

  Taking control, Seathan cradled her face within his hands, turning her so he could fully explore her mouth. Christ’s blade, her taste was a combination of heaven and sin. The softness of her flesh teasing him to stay, to explore her body until he sated his every need.

  With his senses steeped in desire, he nibbled along the curve of her neck, inhaling her scent. His mind spun with erotic fantasies, of the pleasures he could give her. And when she believed she could take no more, begged him to stop, he’d savor showing her there were no boundaries when making love.

  Instinct assured him a night of sensual seduction would but whet his appetite. With Linet, he would need a sennight or more to slake his need.

  Then, would even that be enough?

  “Seathan.”

  At the rough passion in her voice, his body trembled with anticipation. He kissed the silken length of her neck, his hand skimming where fabric brushed against flesh. “Aye.”

  “Should…we not go?”

  “We will.”

  Her hands shook as she pressed against his chest, shoved. “I do not want this.”

  He drew back, irritated. “Y
our kiss tells me otherwise.”

  Eyes dark with passion, she stared up at him. She drew in a shaky breath. “But that is not the point.”

  “What is?”

  “My freedom,” she replied. “Or do I truly have a choice in either?”

  Irritation edged through him. “Never have I forced a lass to my bed.”

  “Yet you pressure me.” At his silence, she pressed forward. “I did not want your kiss.”

  “No?” he asked, taking in her lips swollen from his kisses. “Your body is pressed against me, at odds with your words.”

  She pulled back. As he began to lean forward, she pushed back harder. “Do not.”

  The nervousness in her voice stayed his actions. “Why?” he demanded, wanting to hear her say the words they both knew she held back.

  She glared at him. “Because, damn you, I want you too much already.”

  Satisfaction rushed through him. “Who are you angry at?” he asked before she could speak. “Me, for making you admit what you feel, or yourself for feeling it?”

  Herself, Linet silently admitted, ashamed she’d taken the turmoil of her feelings out on him. Still, she refused to argue, she’d caused herself enough shame. “We need to go. If you have forgotten, your brothers await us beyond the bank of firs.”

  “Their choice.”

  “And leaving is mine.”

  He watched her for a long moment. “What is between us is far from over.”

  That she believed. A fact that unnerved her far more than Fulke’s threats ever had. This powerful lord had no idea he held his enemy’s sister before him. God help her if he found out.

  Then a new, unsettling thought came to mind. She’d believed it prudent to keep Seathan ignorant of her blood tie to Fulke. But having come to know Seathan, she’d learned he was a fair man. Should she tell him? Would he believe her? Be furious? No, it was best to remain silent. In but a short while she would be in the Highlands.

  The time to tell Seathan the truth had long passed.

  At her continued silence, his mouth tightened. Then he kicked his mount forward.

  Relief washed over her as if she’d escaped something monumental. She faced forward as he guided his steed toward where his brothers waited. No, she’d far from escaped, but had delayed a moment she feared was inevitable. He wanted her in his bed.

  A place where she wished to be as well, but a place she could never choose.

  Her heart ached. Never had she imagined that she would be so attracted to a man that she would consider casting aside society’s strict rules in search of pleasure. But Seathan had her mind exploring dangerous ground. And if she chose to join him in his bed, would it destroy her when she left? How could it not? Already she cared for him more than was wise. At least she wasn’t in love with him.

  Lord Grey caught a limb, shoved it aside as they broke through the sweep of firs. In the distance she made out Alexander standing by a tree keeping a lookout while Duncan kicked back against a stump.

  Alexander shoved away from the elm with a dark frown. “I see you have decided to join us.”

  “Mount,” Seathan said, his tone equally sharp.

  “Tossing orders about after he lags back to kiss the lass,” Duncan quipped.

  Heat stole up her face. His brothers had seen their kiss. Judging by their expressions, despite Duncan’s humor, they still weren’t sure what to think about it. Alexander looked particularly grim.

  “On with you,” Seathan growled.

  After Duncan and Alexander mounted, they guided their steeds up a sharp, angled bank.

  The trees crowding around the timeworn path forced them to ride single file, which was fine with her. With Alexander and Duncan ahead of them, she didn’t have to see their knowing gazes, feel guilt that it wasn’t so much the kiss that worried her, but that she didn’t want Seathan to stop.

  In the rich mix of pine and earth, she caught a whiff of a tangy freshness. Surprised, Linet looked around. “I smell water.”

  “You would,” Seathan said. “My home is surrounded by a loch.”

  She scoured the thick swathe of trees, but caught no sign of a shoreline.

  “Once we reach the crest,” he said, “the keep will come into view.”

  The soft clop of hooves upon the sodden pine broke the silence, the swish of branches as tree limbs brushed against them adding to the sense of expectancy.

  If possible, the steep trail grew steeper, angling up toward a sky so blue it was like a path to heaven. Among the trees, wild herbs lay sprinkled about, scenting the air with their bold richness.

  A horse snorted.

  She glanced ahead. The brothers rode through thick limbs of fir, then Linet lost sight of them. Without warning, the land fell away.

  Her breath caught. Before her, a sweep of rolling mountains embraced a large expanse of water, calm beneath the golden, orange-red glow of the setting sun.

  Seathan had explained that a loch surrounded his castle, but of all the images she’d crafted, none had prepared her for the majesty of what man and nature had created before her.

  On the southern curve of land, cradled within the lake whose smooth surface mirrored the color above, Seathan’s home stood as if it was a magical castle inspired by bards. Quarried rock, the shade of a wise man’s hair, arched toward the sky with proud defiance, so like the Scots who guarded it within, so like the man who was its lord.

  A peninsula jutted from the southern curve of the loch, the only point of entry to his home. In the waning sun, the shoreline shone like a ring of gold cast from a spell.

  A shiver rippled through her as reality intruded. However enchanting, the strategic placement, as well as the guards making rounds upon the wall walk, revealed the castle’s true intent. This might be Seathan’s home, but it was built to be defended against an attack, a fortification designed for war.

  And if he chose, her prison.

  Seathan halted his steed. “My home, Lochshire Castle.” Pride swelled in his voice, that of a man who fought for what he believed, gave everything and more to protect those he loved.

  Tears burned her throat. How would it feel to be loved without question? To have a man like Seathan in her life? “It is amazing,” she replied, deeply moved. “I never expected to find a castle of such caliber.” Nor a man.

  “Most do not.”

  Linet turned, needing to see his face, curious to know more about the man who lived in this magnificent fortress.

  “It must have taken years to build.” Green eyes held hers, their fierceness sending a shudder straight to her soul.

  “Lochshire Castle was built by the Normans and handed down to the oldest son ever since. This is my legacy, a home I will one day pass to my son.” He scanned the majestic view before facing her. “No one will ever take Lochshire Castle from me, including your English king.”

  “My English king?” she asked, irritated by his reference. “Think you I claim England or its ruler as my own? Or have you forgotten I am half Scottish?”

  “When it comes to you, with the secrets you keep, I know not what to believe.”

  His words hurt. Her belief that he was beginning to trust her fell away.

  “I see.” She started to turn from him.

  Seathan caught her chin. His expression softened. “You do not, but you will.”

  She jerked from his hold, not wanting his gentleness. Already she cared for him too much. “You may be a powerful lord, but with me, you will find that you do not always get what you wish.”

  “Wish?” Coldness flickered in his gaze. “I do not believe in anything as fanciful as a wish. You err to compare me with one of the spineless men of your past.”

  She stiffened. “You know nothing of me.”

  He arched an intrigued brow.

  What had she done? Though he’d not replied, her words but tossed him a gauntlet. She remained silent. To say more would only pique an already dangerous interest.

  “Seathan?” Alexander yelled back.
>
  He ignored his brother. For a long moment, he held her gaze. “I see more of your thoughts than you would like.” His soft words held a quiet warning. “This is my home, my people. Do not defy me nor make decisions spawned by your emotions. ’Twould be an error, one you would regret.” He kicked his steed forward. With care he guided his mount down the steep incline.

  The cold certainty of his voice, his single-minded focus, reminded her of Fulke. But though both men were driven, had clear, concise goals, morals guided Seathan’s hand.

  Nerves wove through her as she scanned the outline of trees and shore surrounding the loch. Where was Fulke now? Had he and his men picked up their trail? Seathan and his brothers had carefully erased the path behind them as they rode, so she doubted they’d left any sign of their travel. Still, she wouldn’t underestimate her brother.

  Regardless, both men were a threat. Except with Seathan, the threat arose from the need he evoked, a need she’d never expected or wanted, until now. She’d believed once she arrived in the Highlands, she would have no problem watching him ride away. Now, it would be far from simple.

  To linger at Lochshire Castle, to learn more about Seathan, to want him more with each passing day, would make their parting difficult. Or was it already too late?

  A long ache sifted through her, threatening her composure, assuring her that, indeed, the time to escape the pain of separating had passed.

  Damn him for having made her care, for making her want what was forbidden. She refused to stay. Once he left to find Dauid, she would slip out and travel to the Highlands alone. Mayhap somehow she could procure a horse. Her decision made, she focused on the steep path ahead.

  A rock tumbled from under his mount’s hooves. Seathan frowned. The lass was too quiet, but Seathan deduced what brewed inside. “Do not think of trying to leave.”

  “Why would I?”

  “Because I have upset you, made you admit you want me. Now, you are still mulling over our kiss, the fact that you want me as well.”

  “Are you always so arrogant?”

  A smile teased his mouth. The lass would always be able to touch him. “More so with you.”

  “’Twould seem a sour blessing.”

  “Tell me that after you have come to my bed,” he whispered.