Unarmed (Unarmed Trilogy)

by Nina Monroe

  “Jackass,” Tamzin whispered as she pressed a kiss to his jawline and his beard tickled her upper lip. “Tell me about your aunt and her children,” Tamzin asked as she ran her nails across his exposed chest from the opening in his sweater.

  “My aunt loves to have parties, but she is very fierce. She killed a man herself in her court when he tried to make her marry him after her husband was killed. She is kind to those loyal to her, but has no fear about harming those who stand against her,” Will recalled fondly as he combed his fingers through Tamzin’s hair.

  “She sounds amazing,” Tamzin replied dreamily as she tucked her head under his arm. Her legs and feet entwined with his and Will shivered at the touch of her freezing feet. “And your cousins?”

  “John is a year younger than I am, but he is not well versed in the ways of the world. He is painfully shy, but a good lad. Truth be told, I’m not sure he would make the best heir but life has a way of hardening us,” Will explained as he stared up at the ceiling of his tent. He carried fond memories of his sensitive cousin, but the death of John’s father had harmed him in ways Will did not understand. “Before my Uncle Breton died, my aunt and him had a little girl. Dinah should be five or six now. I doubt she remembers me.”

  “Have you written John in the years since you’ve seen him?” Tamzin asked softly, her ear pressed against his beating heart.

  “A bit, yes. He asks a lot of questions about girls,” Will laughed before he kissed her forehead. “Sleep, my love. We will be leaving early in the morning and God knows it takes you long enough to get ready in the morning.”

  “Are you complaining?” Tamzin teased lightly as she ran her fingers over a ticklish spot on his side. Will let out a girlish laugh as Tamzin tickled him before he rolled her over so she was beneath him.

  “I wouldn’t dare complain, Tamzin,” Will whispered as he pressed a kiss to her neck. He ran his tongue across her pulse point and listened to her sigh as he shoved his hand down the front of her breeches. “You’re uncomfortable, aren’t you?”

  “I am never, ever opposed to making love to my husband, but I must admit that I could imagine far more comfortable settings for it,” Tamzin laughed as Will withdrew his hand. “When we are warm and in a bed, or at least a couch, I am yours.” She pressed her lips to his before she felt Will roll off her. Will laid on his side and traced her hip with his hand beneath the furs. The ministrations lulled Tamzin to sleep as she snuggled into his side.

  With her warm breath on his face, Will slept as peacefully as possible for sleeping without a bed. The sun shined through the slight crack in the opening of the tent and it forced Will to open his eyes. He rarely dreamed and nearly never had a relaxing sleep; sleeping in the woods was no different. With Tamzin still tucked into his side, Will sat up slowly and placed her back on ground.

  His Tamzin always dreamt. Sometimes when he had trouble sleeping, Will would lie awake and watch her face. Her eyes moved rapidly beneath her eyelids and sometimes, she spoke in her sleep. Will stood up, with aching muscles, and tied up his breeches. He slid on his boots and adjusted his sweater. He could hear the footsteps of the men outside his tent as Will pulled back the flap. The sunlight was nearly blinding as it came over the horizon.

  “Warm day, Your Grace,” Garrett said to him as he wiped his eyes. “Your aunt has an odd terrain. It’s farther north, but warmer than home.”

  “Tamzin will be thrilled,” Will laughed as he watched the men prep for the last leg of the journey. “When do we leave?”

  “In an hour or so. You slept later than usual. Did she give you a good workout?” Garrett grinned as he nodded to the tent.

  “I don’t want to think of the pain I would be in if we had from that ground alone,” Will said as he ran a hand through his hair, which acted as a comb. “I should wake her.” Without a second word, Will returned to his tent and a still sleeping Tamzin. He knelt down next to her and ran his hand softly down the furs that were still wrapped around her. “Wake up, my love,” he whispered in her ear as he placed a soft kiss on her cheek. She stirred lightly and stretched her arms above her head. She opened her brown eyes and sat up slowly, she was pale and it was obvious her body ached. “We leave in an hour. Do you need Kendall’s help in dress?”

  “Is it appropriate for me to wear a riding dress to your aunt’s court? It has front laces,” Tamzin asked as Will helped her stand up. His breeches hung low on her hips and he watched as she turned from him and pulled her chemise over her torso. Her back was smooth and pale, like the rest of her body and Will longed to embrace her. Since her bedding, it had been nearly impossible for Will to keep his hands to himself. “Do you wish to tease me?”

  Tamzin turned and looked behind her shoulder. Her wavy brown hair slid down her back as she smiled brightly at him. Will watched as Tamzin untied the laces of the breeches and forced them down her legs. Will swallowed as he stared unabashedly at his wife’s naked form. He continued to watch, his light eyes darkening with lust, as Tamzin leaned down and opened her trunk. She was pulling out a dark blue dress as Will placed a firm hand on her thigh.

  “I thought we only had an hour,” Tamzin murmured as she stood up straight and felt Will wrap an arm around her hips and pull her to him. His hand slid down to the warmth between her thighs and felt her lose her breath as he slid a finger deep inside of her. She was already wet and slick, like velvet. “I want you,” she whispered as she reached behind her and pulled at his breeches. Will removed his finger and untied his breeches with his other hand and forced the fabric down his hips and legs. He gripped his hard manhood as he felt Tamzin yield to him as she laid across the chest.

  “Is this all right?” Will asked as he brushed against her entrance. He had never taken her this way and while he desired greatly to, her consent was of utmost importance. Will pressed his chest into her back and kissed her earlobe as she breathed her consent to him and opened her legs wider. “I love you so much, my princess,” Will whispered as he slid his length inside of her slowly.

  Tamzin gasped at the stretching and how deeply Will could reach inside of her in this position. She tried so hard not to cry out in pleasure, as he pumped in and out of her in a smooth rhythm. Will held her up with an arm around her waist and braced his body with his other arm on the chest. His fingers played with her swollen bud and Tamzin felt herself tightening too quickly. Her stomach tensed as the coil broke and she nearly cried out as her muscles began to spasm.

  Will shot his seed inside of her and kept himself deep inside of her as Tamzin collapsed on top of the trunk. Will smiled against her shoulder before he slid out of her warmth. He noted that his cum dripped out of her sweet cunt and her thighs shook as she sat up from the trunk. Will wrapped his arms around her and held her close to him.

  “I hope this takes root in my belly,” Tamzin whispered as her fingers touched her smooth stomach. “Give us a son for a single bloodline.”

  “Give us a son to teach how to read and ride horses. He will probably be good at chess as well,” Will corrected as he kissed her cheek. “This will be our son, not an heir.”

  “Will you feel that way if I give you a daughter first? Douglas Johansson would beat me for that.”

  “I welcome any child, son or daughter, that comes from your loins, my sweet. You could give me one hundred daughters and I would be a very happy but worried man,” Will laughed.

  “Worried?” Tamzin asked as she felt Will pull her to stand up.

  “One hundred daughters will bring home one hundred boys. I fear no man will be good enough to have a daughter of William Thurston,” Will said as he picked up the dark blue dress that rested on the floor. “While this is a beautiful dress, I have something better.” Will continued as he reached into her trunk and at the very bottom, he pulled forward a red silk dress. The bodice had golden embroidery and a long slit to reveal the beauty of her torso. It was long, but light; a good fit for warm weather.

  “It’s far too cold for this, Will,” Tamzin said a
s she stared at the beautiful dress. “It’s so lovely,” she whispered as she touched the light fabric. “A cloak cannot keep me warm in this.”

  “My aunt’s kingdom is very warm. It’s an odd terrain, but it will be perfect weather for this dress. Though I do believe it would look much better on the floor of our chambers tonight,” Will said as he shut the trunk and tied up his breeches. “I hope I did not offend you with how I took you. Did you like it?”

  “I did,” Tamzin smiled as she lifted her arms as Will slid the silk dress down her body. The dress clung tightly to her womanly body as Will placed his hands on her hips. “It didn’t hurt. It felt very good, actually.”

  “There are more positions,” Will suggested as he watched Tamzin slid her boots over her feet. “It looks like we are still leaving on time. I would like you to ride in the carriage, if you may. I fear riding a horse will stop my seed from taking root.”

  “A good idea,” Tamzin said as she kissed his chin. “When this is over, when your uncle is defeated and the Johanssons are married to your cousin, and we have our child, can we visit my family? I know that I am a Thurston now and that our child will be a Thurston, but I want them to know that their mother is also a Roth.”

  “Our child will know that they are from two noble houses, and will know your parents as well as my father. If it is a boy, he may end up ruling over two kingdoms,” Will explained as he grabbed the handle of her chest and brought it out of the tent.

  “If it is a girl, she may have to rule over two kingdoms as well,” Tamzin corrected as she followed him. She shivered from the cold air before she felt a cloak be thrown across her shoulders. Her blood was still warm from Roth Territory. Will must have grabbed it from their tent when she hadn’t been paying attention. The camp was completely packed up as Will escorted Tamzin to her carriage, flanked by both her ladies. He held her hand, their fingers laced together as Will helped her up the steps of the carriage and watched her sit down next to Kendall and across from Lucy. He nodded to the girls before he returned to Angus.

  Will pulled himself onto his horse and kicked his side lightly. He trotted ahead of the carriage, towards the front with his other bannermen and Garrett. It didn’t take long for the air to warm considerably and despite the breeze, Will felt his brow become covered with sweat.

  “I never thought I would say this, but I miss the cold,” Garrett said as he untied his cloak as the sun began to beat down on them. The air had become thick with humidity as Will pulled off his cloak and pulled on his leather jerkin. It wouldn’t be long until he saw his aunt’s kingdom, if the weather was any indication. “If your cousin agrees to this marriage offer, will we leave right away?”

  “I would like to, but the men need to rest. Perhaps we will spend a week or two resting before we leave. It’s a long journey to Johansson Territory. It would have been better for my aunt to come to Thurston, but she can’t stand the sight of my father,” Will explained as he looked over his shoulder to look at the carriage. He could see Tamzin’s face pressed against the glass. He smiled at her before he turned to face forward and pulled at the laces of his leather jerkin to open the shirt a bit. “They will agree.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “If my Uncle causes problems for my father and our territory, it will have repercussions across the region. The southern territories would love to see us fall,” Will replied solemnly as he gripped his leather reins tightly. “We shouldn’t be doing this. The Johansson family is a joke and we all know it. He trains children to fight, and we’re only trying to stop this so we won’t kill young boys.”

  “If your cousin marries the Johansson girl, then your aunt’s forces will have to serve when he calls. Would he use this wedding to put your aunt’s soldiers against Thurston?” Garrett asked as the bannermen began to fan out.

  “Your Highness, there is someone waiting towards the end of the pathway. It would be wise for you to stay back towards the Princess,” one of his bannermen ordered as his twenty-five men began to stand in between the Prince and the unwelcome guest.

  Will watched as the man holding their banner approached the man on his horse. The man was around his father’s age, but had light colored hair and fair skin. Though he looked to be of a similar age to his father, the man had a scar from his eye to his chin that marred his skin. His skin was rough, like leather, from years of standing out in the sun. He was not a man from the North.

  “Prince William Thurston,” the man called out as he pushed through the bannermen and rode towards the party. “I am a friend, I assure you.”

  “Quincy?” Tamzin’s voice rang out as she came out of the stalled carriage. “Quincy!” she called out again as she stepped forward in an attempt to embrace the man, but was stopped by a bannermen.

  “Who are you?” Will asked as he dismounted Angus and stood in front of Tamzin. Tamzin may have known the man, but Will carried an air of wariness of the man. Quincy smiled, his teeth yellowed and black, but Tamzin didn’t seem frightened.

  “Father sent you?” Tamzin asked as she laced her fingers together with Will’s. “He is a friend, Will. He was my father’s…bodyguard, for all intensive purposes.”

  “Aye,” Quincy began. “Your father sent me for you will be going into unfriendly territory with the Johansson’s. You don’t trust the Johansson’s.”

  “We’re not going there now,” Will continued as he interrupted Quincy. “I assure you that my aunt will not harm us. How did you know of this deal?”

  “We’ve been around, Prince William. And when you travel to Johansson Territory, we will be waiting,” Quincy said as he nodded to the men that came behind him. “I am no fan of the Johanssons.”

  “Will, it’s good that he’s coming,” Tamzin said as she wrapped her arm around his as she pulled herself closer to him.

  “While I am thankful that King Turner has sent reinforcements, though he is apparently spying on me, I assure you that my bannermen can protect Tamzin. I assure you that I can protect her,” Will said as he felt encroachment on his territory. “I am her husband. There is no one that can protect her better.”

  “With all due respect, Your Highness, but you are not a father. When you have your children, you will understand that no husband can protect your daughter better,” Quincy said with a raised eyebrow. “You are young, you are not as experienced as you think. Battle strategy is not the same as dealing with these people. They are snakes, vipers. If you want to protect yourself and your wife properly, you will let us help you.”

  Will winced at the verbal lashing, but he also narrowed his eyes at the man. Who was this man to speak to him this way? He was the Crowned Prince of Thurston Territory; he demanded respect from all men. Will meant to continue the argument, but Tamzin interrupted him.

  “I am happy that you are here, Quincy. Quincy’s men plus Thurston bannermen, we will be very safe. I would ask you to join us at Queen Isabelle’s, but I don’t wish to be rude to my host,” Tamzin said graciously as she smiled at Quincy. “Can we offer you some food or drink before you take your leave?”

  “No thank you, Your Grace. My men and I will be fine. We will take refuge outside of Queen Isabelle’s territory and wait for you to join us. Safe travels, Princess,” Quincy nodded to Tamzin, but only glared at Will. Will gripped Tamzin’s hand tightly as he watched Quincy return to his horse and the men in the forest began to retreat.

  Tamzin smiled at him, but slowly began to frown when she saw Will’s angry face. He nearly wretched his hand from hers and began to walk back towards Angus when she stopped him.

  “Are you honestly having a temper tantrum about this?” she scolded as she took the reins into her hand. “There is nothing wrong about having extra protection.”

  “Your father is sticking his nose where it doesn’t belong. Sending his physician because obviously the doctors employed for Thurston people aren’t good enough, and now my own men and myself aren’t good enough to protect you?” Will spat with controlled rage in his voice. He
was angry with King Turner, not Tamzin. Though he wished she had backed him up, it wasn’t something worth fighting with her about.

  “My father has every right to be concerned for me. Our first meetings did not go as well as expected, as I know you remember. I haven’t written my mother to let her know things have changed. He wants me for feel comfortable,” Tamzin defended and explained fiercely as she crossed her arms over her chest. “If this is a sacrifice for you, then it is the least you can do. I have made many more than you.”