The Dark Lady

by Dawn Chandler

  He crept silently past many closed doors, but did not pause. He knew exactly where he was going. He shifted the rag that he carried in one large hand and slinked close to the walls.

  He stopped before Lady Vanessa’s day maid’s chamber. He lifted the latch and pushed the door. It swung open silently on well-oiled hinges. Slight moonlight fell through the openings in the walls, illuminating Amy’s sleeping face.

  She lay comfortably and undisturbed by his presence. He walked silently toward her. Towering over her sleeping figure, he smiled. Excitement thrummed through his veins and he began to harden.

  He shook his head and forced himself to focus. He must get her out of the castle first. Once safely out of the castle, he could take her. Then, when he was sated, he would complete his task.

  He adjusted the rag once more and clamped it over her mouth. She struggled violently, but was unable to scream as he tied the rag tightly behind her head.

  She kicked hard and swung her arms as he threw her over his shoulder. He rushed out into the darkness. He noticed with elation that clouds had concealed the moon. His movements were lost in the darkness as he rushed to the stables. He wrapped an arm around her tight round bottom in order to keep her from falling.

  Once inside the stable, he gently tossed Amy to the hay littered ground inside one of the stalls.

  He pulled the rag from her mouth and pressed his lips to hers, cutting of her screams just as they had begun. The horses snorted from the stalls beside them. Amy pressed her lips tightly together and punched and kicked.

  Kissing her harder, he ran his hand down her leg pulling her sleeping gown up and out of his way. He forced his knee between her legs and pulled off of her to speak.

  Her knee connected. His words were lost and his swelling manhood retreated in agony as he groaned loudly and rolled off her. Amy tried to run, but he shot a trembling hand out and caught her ankle. She fell.

  She began kicking at him, but his words finally stopped her. “Wait. Amy, please.”

  “Devon?” The moon peeked from behind the clouds, and she stared at him dumbfounded. “What were you thinking?” She pulled herself toward him and laid a hand on his heaving chest. “I am sorry if I hurt you, but you are lucky it wasn’t worse.”

  “How could it be worse?” He laughed breathlessly, the movement causing pain to shoot up his stomach. Horses grumbled and pawed at the ground in their stables while Amy helped him to a sitting position.

  “I could have been wearing the dagger Lady Vanessa gave to me,” she said with a small, insolent grin.

  “Aye, well.” He pulled her quickly into his lap and was pleased when a small grimace of pain was all that was detected. “I started to tell you who I was, but then your knee found me.”

  He didn’t wait for a response. He began kissing her roughly and hoped that she had not hurt him too seriously, for that would spoil all the plans he had for the night.

  Her response was warm and inviting. When her hand slid into his shirt, twinning into the tight blond curls, his response showed him that she had done no permanent damage.

  Amy did nothing to stop him as he flipped her onto her back and followed her over. He pushing her night rail around her waist and pressed her thighs apart with his knees and freed himself. He would love to feel her skin on his, but that would have to wait. He had to be prepared in case someone came in.

  She hesitated only a moment when he lay upon her. Then she relaxed and returned his kisses. He placed his throbbing member up against the warm folds of her sex, allowing her to feel the way it moved and jumped in response to her. He rocked the head of it across the small knob where her folds met. She groaned lightly and clung to him.

  He would take his time with her. They had all night. He had only been with one virgin, but the older women he had been with had taught him how to go slow, how to ready her. So that he would not hurt the next one as he had the first.

  He slid his hand between them, feeling her, caressing her, until she rocked her hips in time with his searching fingers. Her head fell back and he ran his tongue along her exposed neck. He kissed it gently and then more aggressively careful not to leave marks. Her body shuddered below him and her hands threaded through his hair as she began to writhe and moan.

  He listened to her harsh breathing and soft moans and moved his lips back to hers. He kissed her deeply. Sliding his fingers down between her swollen folds, he slipped one of them into her now moist hole. It was tight, but he would not hurt her more than necessary.

  She gasped and tried to struggle beneath him. He pulled his lips away, but left his finger inside her warmth. “All you have to do is tell me to stop.”

  She said nothing. She looked up at him with trust and he had to struggle to keep control. He began to kiss and nibble at her neck and ears as he pushed his finger deep inside her. He could feel the thin membrane that spoke of her purity.

  He increased his rhythm to match her rocking hips as he pressed on the walls to loosen them. He gently added a second finger and, pushing them into her gently, readied her to accept him. He allowed her to set the pace, although it was hard. The feeling of her body beneath him had his blood boiling and his heavy shaft jumped with anticipation.

  Her face glowed with pleasure and her moans washed over him. Her eyes widened in shock when he hit a spot that must have sent jolts of ecstasy through her. He was almost undone and had to fight to keep himself from plunging into her before he felt she was ready.

  Just as he was sure he was going to lose the battle of wills with himself, her rhythm suddenly became frantic and her cries so loud that he quickly covered her mouth with his. As she lost herself in the feelings he had drawn from her, he positioned himself. He pulled his fingers from her and quickly pressed the tip of himself into her. It was all he could do to keep from plunging it in deep.

  He pushed in until he felt the restraining barrier and then withdrew. She stiffened below him and he slid his hand between them once again. He began to manipulate the pulsing knob at the apex of her folds. “Relax,” he said against her lips.

  Kissing her, biting on her lips, her chin, and her neck, he fought to hold on. Amy began to squirm beneath him and he increased his speed.

  Suddenly her muscles tightened around him and her fingers dug painfully into his shoulders. He deepened his kiss and caught the sound of her cries as the waves of pleasure grew. She rocked her hips forward and he plunged deep and hard inside her. She stiffened in pleasure as the waves crashed over her. He moaned her name against her lips as her warm juices pushed him over the edge.

  With one hard thrust he plunged forward and spilled his seed. Lying still, he began to kiss her gently and lovingly as she began to cry.

  “Did I hurt you badly? It will not hurt the next time.” He rose up on his elbows, easing some of the weight from her, while still remaining inside her. She would soon get accustomed to him, and if he were a lucky man, he would get to take her again this night.

  “Nay, it did not hurt too awful, but we promised Lady Vanessa that we would be respectful. That we would wait,” she said in a small tearful voice.

  Relieved that that was her only problem with it, he smiled, kissing her again. “Nay, I promised her I would not get you pregnant and not marry you. That I would leave you be until I made a decision. I would like you to marry me.”

  Her eyes widened in shock and she just stared at him. Letting her have time to think it over, he began to kiss her. Gently at first until he felt the stirrings of life in him once again. He made love to her gently once more, smiling when he brought her to pleasure.

  He pulled himself out of her and cringed at the blood on his manhood. He moved to her side and pulled her against him. “I decided, I think, when I first saw you, that I loved you. I know I still need to get permission from Lord Grayweist, but I would like for you to be my bride.”

  “Lord Grayweist?” she asked in apparent confusion.

  “It is the way things are done. He is my Lord—”

&n
bsp; She waved his words away. “He should not be.” She jerked her head up, glancing in his eyes, then away. “I cannot marry you, unless you ask the permission to marry from Lady Vanessa.”

  “That is not the way things are done. Why would I ask a woman?” Devon was drawn to the lady as well as the other men were, but to treat her like the lord of the manor would be unheard of. What would Peter say?

  Amy looked to be almost into a panic. He tried to draw her close to him once again, but she pulled away. “Would you not ask my father if he were alive?”

  “Of course,” he said humorously.

  “And if my father were dead, would you not ask my mother if she were alive?” Her voice was still low, but had taken on a desperate tone.

  “Yes.” He knew where she was leading, and if it were that important to her, he would do it. He would probably do anything she asked of him, reasons or not.

  “They are both gone,” Amy said. “Please, you have to ask her. Van is all I have.”

  Devon wondered for a moment about the name, but let it go as a stutter in her fear and excitement.

  “Please, Devon. She is all there is for me, and she is responsible for me, not Lord Peter. She is the one who promised to take care of me.”

  “All right.”

  “All right what?”

  He pulled her close. “The sun shall rise soon, and if I am to talk to Lady Vanessa in the morning, I should get some sleep.”

  Amy jumped to her feet and all the horses whinnied in response to her cries of joy.

  Flying up, he threw his hand over her mouth. “If you scream, everyone will know we are out here, and if Lady Vanessa kills me, it will be difficult to marry you.”

  CHAPTER 15

  Verges stood in the early morning shadows off the side of the road and watched a large group of boys marching toward Grayweist Castle. The boys trudging along the dusty road were still too far away for him to see individual faces. The sun had not deemed to show her head over the horizon and only sent teasing lights up to color the clouds and to whisper promises of the warmth it would bring.

  He could tell by the way they walked that they were all mere children, fresh from plowing the small plots of land allotted them. He hoped there was a boy among them that he could use.

  For his purposes, or more for the purposes of The Knight of Fear, a weak, pliable man was useless. A man who was too strong would be just as worthless. He would recognize the type he needed, of that he was sure. He had used many a boy and they all were the same.

  Eolian’s first instinct when he had learned that the King was sending these men to Grayweist for training had been to send his men to kill them before they arrived. Then he had thought about it for moment and grinned. He had told Verges he had a better plan. To find a man or a couple of men who would be willing to spy for him.

  This worked well for Verges. It gave him reason to be close to the castle and to keep an eye on Van.

  Verges leaned against one of the stout trees. Van had always been an enigma to him and now it was much more so. He tried to picture her in a gown and proper settings, but his mind could not form the image, even though he had seen it over the last few days. He laughed lightly and shook his head.

  He had not yet sent her a missive, letting her have time to come to terms with her new surroundings and to make some decisions. Today, he would send her a message to let her know that he had found her.

  He would do whatever was necessary to help her. He had told her little maid Amy that he had pledged his life to her and he had. It was not something he took lightly. Van had been the first thing in his life that had been good and decent and he intended to keep her safe.

  Pain and persecution were all he had known as he grew up. An outcast, abandoned by his parents, he was beaten and abused for his grotesque appearance. He had become full of rage and had used all his intelligence to take revenge on those who had scorned him. Murder and rape had come as second nature to him and he felt no remorse for his actions, believing all people were the same and deserved whatever punishment he doled out.

  He closed his eyes and took several deep breaths. His life had been full of strife. He had thought that over the years all the decency within him had been lost. That had changed when Van had saved him.

  For reasons that he still could not comprehend, she had risked her life for him, throwing herself in a raging, flood-engorged river.

  He opened his eyes, but he could still see her face shimmering before him. He chuckled deeply and thought that her risking her life was not the oddest part to him. The oddest thing was that this beautiful woman had shown him trust and caring, even after she had seen him up close. At that time he had pledged his life and his loyalty to her, and only to her.

  Loud arguments drew his attention back to the soon to be warriors. Two boys were being obnoxious, speaking of rank and crude things, pushing and shoving. They were bigger than the others. These were boys who had seen the end of a whip many a time. Not weak, but maybe a little on the stupid side. The kind he could use.

  As the others began to walk faster, the two boys, brothers from the looks of them, began to fall behind. They watched the group walk away from them. Verges watched the group as well, pleased that not one of them looked back.

  He pulled his hood tighter around his head and stepped into their path. He didn’t say a word as they stopped and regarded him warily.

  “Why, we have no coin if that is what you are after.” The older of the two boys was the first to speak up. His large eyes betraying the fear he was trying hard to hide.

  Verges smiled beneath the dark hood that shadowed his face as he regarded them closely for a moment. He took in the way they shifted uncomfortably and eyed the direction where the group had disappeared. They were probably wondering if it had been wise to fall behind, after all.

  The younger boy slipped behind his brother. Verges smiled wider. The older boy was the one to use. The other would just go along with whatever his older brother said to do. It is always the same, Verges thought.

  He chuckled and the boys both jumped and took a step back. Deciding they had stewed in their fear long enough, he asked in an amused voice, “Would you like some?”

  “Some what?” the older boy spat out, raising his fists.

  Verges shook his head in aggravation and deadly humor. “Coin, you said you had none.”

  They looked confused for a moment and the older of the two dropped his hands. Verges patiently waited for them to figure it out on their own and nodded when they seemed to grasp what he was saying.

  “If I like what you have to say you will have plenty of coin, enough never to return to the rear of a plow.” He waited patiently for them to talk. If he had judged them correctly, and he thought he had, then they would agree.

  “What do you want from us?” The fear was still evident, but now greed had overcome it as he knew it would. He really liked predictable people. He almost laughed as he realized that was why Van confused him so often. She was anything but predictable.

  He pushed her from his mind and focused on the task at hand. “Nothing but a moment of your time. I will tell you what is expected of you and you will agree. If not, you will go on your way.” That they would die right here in the road if they declined was information he thought best kept to himself, at least for now.

  The boy’s eyes darted around him, but neither made a move. “We will be late. We are supposed to be with that group.”

  “Go then.” Verges turned away and made it to the trees before the two boys caught up with him.

  “Wait.” There was a desperate note in the boy’s trembling voice.

  “Wait for what?” He turned back to them quickly and his hood slipped back. The night air felt cool against his heated skin.

  The boys almost fell over themselves as they stepped back quickly. “Are you going to kill us?”

  “Nay, at least I am not planning to. What tomorrow brings, no one knows.” He shrugged. “Does this mean you are willing t
o talk to me?”

  The older one nodded. The younger just stood staring.

  “You are going to the Grayweist manor to train for the King.” It was not a question and Verges did not wait for an answer. “What I want from you is to watch, that is all. Watch and tell me anything you see, that you think I want to know.”

  “How are we supposed to know that?” the young one said from behind his brother’s shoulder.

  “What are your names?” Verges wanted to be done with these two. He was tired and still needed to send a message to Van.

  “I am Edward Hurtado and this is my younger brother Harry.”

  “Edward and Harry, you will use your judgment. If you think I want to know then I probably will. If you need to get in touch with me you can find me at the Doveslane Inn.” He pointed to the east where the inn sat not more than a mile down the road.

  “If I am not there leave a message with Annette.” Verges was sure they were going to say yes, but a little incentive always helped, so he added for good measure. “She is the small red head that takes the boys upstairs for half a bit.” Edward’s eyes lit up at that little piece of encouragement and Verges held out a small pouch that jingled of coin. “Are you interested?”

  Without a word, Edward reached out and snatched the coins. Verges’s smile widened and he walked away, disappearing into the darkness of the woods.

  “Now do we go to the castle?” Harry looked at his older brother. He was unsure if this was a good idea or not, but he would not argue with Edward. He had looked up to Edward all his life. He may not be the best at the things he did, and he certainly wasn’t a nice boy, but Edward was his brother and he loved him.

  “Not just yet. Just to be safe I think we should acquaint ourselves with the location of the inn. And get to know Annette a little more on the personal side.” He laughed as he shook the hefty sack.