The King & His Queen (Pict King Series Book 3)

by Donna Fletcher

  He crossed his arms over his chest and said, “You threaten your King?”

  Hemera nudged Verity to take a step back, leaving enough room for Hemera to partially stand in front of her sister. “We protect each other and that will never change.”

  Talon glared at Hemera. “Everything changed the moment I claimed you mine.” He snapped his finger at her. “Come with me.”

  Hemera turned to her sister and with a hug and a whisper said, “Wait here and we will talk more. There is much I must tell Talon.”

  Verity nodded and reluctantly released the grip on her hand, fearing as she did that she was losing her sister. There was a tender familiarity in the way Hemera had spoken the King’s name, as though she spoke it often. It made Verity wonder how long the King had been intimate with her sister.

  Hemera followed Talon to the High Council Chambers and was relieved to see Anin enter the feasting hall and hurry to Verity. It pleased her to know her sister would not be alone.

  The door to the Council Chamber no soon as closed, then Hemera found herself in Talon’s arms and his lips on hers. She relished the way he kissed her with such power and intent. He would not be denied and though it seemed that he demanded, he more coaxed her into responding, not that she needed coaxing. She was eager to kiss him any time she could. She missed his lips, the taste and strength of them.

  She draped her arms around his neck and was about to press harder against him when he tucked her closer and she felt him hard and ready against her.

  She eased her mouth away from his, no easy task, since he refused to let her go, but she managed and whispered in his ear, “It has been too long since last you were inside me. I miss having you there.”

  Talon’s groan rumbled deep inside him and he silently cursed as his manhood demanded relief. He wanted Hemera so badly that nothing else seemed to matter at that moment. The only thing he cared about was burying himself inside her and claiming her over and over and over, so that no one could dispute that she belonged to him.

  He shoved her away, though it was the last thing he wanted to do. “We need to talk before...”

  “We couple,” she finished, though added, “numerous times.”

  “Enough!” he said and turned away from her. He needed to get control of himself. There were things that needed to be discussed, issues that needed settling, and—he jumped when he felt her hand rest tenderly against his back. He could almost feel her warm flesh straight through his garments and it made him yearn even more to feel her gentle touch upon his naked flesh.

  “There is much I must tell you. Later we can make up for the time we have missed together,” she said softly.

  He turned and cupped her face in his hands. “That we will.” Just as he was about to give her a quick kiss, an angry voice could be heard on the other side of the closed door.

  “I command you to let me in now!”

  Talon flung the door open to see an angry Gelhard shaking his finger at one of the guards.

  Gelhard turned away from the guard to enter the room. “How dare he keep me from entering after—” Gelhard did not hide his distain when his eyes fell on Hemera. “It is true.”

  Hemera took a step back, the man’s scowl so angry that it contorted his face, making him appear more like a demon.

  Gelhard swerved around, turning his scowl on Talon. “You cannot be serious. You will be thought a fool if you claim this witless woman as your own.”

  “If you want to keep your tongue, Gelhard, I advise you to watch it carefully,” Talon warned his anger tangible.

  The tips of Gelhard’s ears turned red with fury, his eyes grew wide and his lips twitched.

  Hemera stepped in. “This is no time to argue. The future queen is being poisoned.”

  “What nonsense does your witless tongue speak?” Gelhard demanded, his tone as harsh as a father reprimanding a misbehaved bairn.

  Paine and Wrath entered as Talon ordered, “I warned you, now you will lose your tongue. Paine, see it done!”

  Paine and Wrath stood shocked by his command.

  Hemera shook her head. “That is a senseless command.”

  Paine smiled, Wrath ran his hand over his face, and Gelhard stared at Hemera, his mouth hanging open.

  “You let your anger speak,” Hemera said, shaking her head at Talon. “How will Gelhard serve you if he cannot speak? He is your High Counselor. It is his task to advise you wisely.”

  “He loses his tongue for speaking harshly to you, and I owe you no explanation,” Talon said annoyed, wondering why he had even explained.

  “Of course he speaks harshly. I sound the fool to him. After he hears the whole of it, he will think differently and I am sure he will offer an apology.” Hemera turned to the short man who had paled as white as the clouds that filled the sky on a sunny day. “What say you, Gelhard?”

  “Aye,” Gelhard said with a nod, “I need to hear the whole of it.”

  Talon ordered them all to sit and Hemera to speak once they did.

  She explained what she had heard. How the future queen was being poisoned and would die soon if word was not sent to her family.

  Talon listened to her every word, thinking all the while what danger she had placed not only herself in, but if she should be carrying his bairn, then the future Pict King. The thought that it could possibly be true, that their child was growing inside her this very moment had him feeling all the more protective of her. And all the more reason to make certain she did not go off on her own again.

  Talon turned to Gelhard. “Go make arrangements for someone to leave at first light and give warning to the Fermour Tribe and let them know they have a traitor among them and that he is poisoning Daria.”

  Gelhard looked hesitant to leave the room and Hemera could not blame him. The King was dismissing him, not allowing him to remain and hear what else Hemera had to say. It was obvious the King was letting him know he did not trust him or that Talon was still angry with the man for the way he had spoken to her.

  “As you say, my King,” Gelhard finally said and took his leave, wearing his worry heavily on his stooped shoulders.

  “Tell us the rest,” Talon ordered as soon as the door closed.

  “You need not worry about any of your personal guards betraying you,” Hemera said, excited to share this particular news with him. “The traitor talked about how he would not dare go near your personal guards that they were all faithful to you.” She continued, letting him know that the pair had spoken about the unrest over the King’s failure to secure an heir and how they felt they would taste victory with the help of the Northmen.

  The three men kept their eyes on her when she abruptly stopped speaking. She tilted her head and scrunched her eyes, then broke the silence suddenly. “The traitor has a good knowledge of how faithful your personal guards are, which could only mean that he holds a positon that gives him access to the King.” —Hemera turned her head— “or Wrath.”

  Wrath nodded. “Since I lead the King’s personal guards.”

  “You would know things others would not,” Hemera confirmed. “Think on whom you see often and who has asked more questions than others, or perhaps someone who simply lingers nearby and watches.”

  Wrath nodded again, his thoughts already stirring on possibilities.

  “This information remains with us alone,” Talon ordered.

  Paine looked to the King. “You do not suspect Gelhard, do you?”

  “Gelhard is not the traitor,” Hemera was quick to say. “He is more faithful to the King than anyone realizes. It is why he questions the King so often. Gelhard makes him see possibilities, problems that lie ahead with decisions he may make. It wins him no favor, but his position as High Counselor to the King is more important than being favored by others.”

  Her acute observation of Gelhard amazed Talon. If she was slow-witted, how did she understand the very reason why he had chosen Gelhard as his High Counselor? There was more to Hemera than he had been told or perhaps no o
ne ever realized.

  Talk continued, though Talon brought the discussion to a quick end when Hemera yawned. “We are done for the evening. Go home with your wives and we will talk and plan more on the morrow.”

  To Talon’s dismay, Hemera hurried out of the room first, leaving the men to follow. He was not surprised to see she went to her sister when he followed her out. He was glad to see that the feasting hall was empty, but then it was late and all were where they should be. The prisoner was under full guard and more sentinels patrolled the stronghold. All was safe. It was time for everyone to take their leave.

  Talon stood at the bottom of the stairs as Wrath and Paine gathered their wives.

  “We will see Hemera safely to her dwelling,” Verity said, standing in front of her sister as if shielding her from the King.

  “Hemera stays with me,” Talon commanded and silence hung so heavy in the air that the only sound heard was the spit and crackle of the fire in the fire pit.

  Hemera broke it as she stepped around her sister and approached Talon. “For tonight,” she said and walked past him and climbed the stairs.

  Verity and Wrath looked on in surprise while Anin smiled softly and Paine held back laughter, especially when Talon hurried up behind Hemera, scooped her up, and carried her off to his sleeping chamber.

  Chapter 22

  After entering the room, Hemera coiled her arms around his neck as soon as he set her on her feet. Her lips found his and her kiss showed him how much she had missed him, missed being alone with him, missed his touch, missed coupling with him.

  Talon’s hands sat at her waist. They ached to strip off her garments and join with her, having thought nearly of nothing else while away. But there was something he needed to know before they spent the remainder of the evening enjoying each other.

  Reluctantly, he ended the kiss and asked, “Do you carry my bairn?”

  Hemera shook her head. “It is too soon to tell, but if my sister’s vision is true, then the bairn does grow inside me now.”

  His heart pounded in his chest that it might be so. “When will you know?”

  “Not long after the moon turns full.”

  He had not meant to speak his thoughts aloud, or perhaps he did. “Why you and not my previous two wives?”

  “A question many might ask if it should prove true. I imagine some would even question if the bairn is truly yours.”

  His anger flared. “They would not dare.”

  Hemera smiled and softly caressed the anger lines bunched between his eyes. “I am pleased to know you never gave that thought.”

  “Why would I? I saw your virgin blood and know you have been with no other than me.”

  “But will others be as sure as you or will their tongues tell tales?” she asked a sudden worry filling her.

  A shudder of concern ran through her and he drew her closer into the crook of his arm. “It does not matter. When the bairn is born, he will look like me and any doubt will be laid to rest.”

  Silence fell over her along with a frown that Talon was about to chase away with a kiss when she said, “What if I give you a daughter?”

  “You will give me a son first,” he said, sounding more confident than demanding.

  “How can you be sure?” she asked, though felt pleased that he did.

  “You are too stubborn to do otherwise,” he said with a brief laugh.

  Hemera was about to argue when she abruptly shut her mouth, tilted her head in thought, then after a few moments said, “You are right, I would be. It is a son you need and a son I shall give you.”

  “Stubborn,” he said and lowered his mouth to hers.

  “Something we share,” she managed to say before his lips touched hers.

  The knock at the door had them both groaning with anger.

  “Forgive the disturbance, my King,” Tilden said from the other side of the door. “It is important.”

  Talon went to the door and opened it. His threatening glare warned Tilden to speak fast and be done with it.

  “The prisoner says he must speak with you now. It is about the Northmen. Paine will meet you at the torture chamber.”

  “I will be right there,” Talon said and closed the door. He went to Hemera and yanked her into his arms, wanting desperately to keep her there. “I must go, but when I return I want to see you naked in my sleeping pallet. I have ached to have you naked in my arms since we parted. I missed the feel of your soft, delicate skin, and I have hungered for the sweet taste of you.” He kissed her quickly and let her go just as hastily and left the room with the same suddenness.

  Hemera stood shocked by his abrupt departure, though more curious over what the prisoner had to say about the Northmen. Possibilities ran through her mind and she decided that while she wanted nothing more than to be there naked in Talon’s sleeping pallet upon his return, she wanted even more to hear what the prisoner had to say. The question was could she do both?

  She had no doubt she could and with that thought in mind, she went to the secret door in Talon’s wall and made her way down the stairs. Once at the bottom, she eased the door open and peered out to make sure no one was about, then she took off for the torture chamber.

  The darkness covered her swift steps, though she need not worry since no one was about and that made her task much easier. She managed to creep close enough to the one side of the dwelling that had no guard. She braced her ear against the wood and asked the worn wood to let her hear what was being said inside.

  “A drink. Please a drink.”

  Talon nodded to Paine and he partially filled the vessel beside the near empty bucket not far from the prisoner and held it to his mouth. He drank hungrily, groaning afterwards from either the pain of his seared wound or pain from hanging from the shackles at his arms and legs that bound him tightly to the wall.

  “Speak,” Paine ordered, throwing the last of the drink from the vessel in the prisoner’s face.

  The man lapped at the drink splashed around his mouth and looked to Talon. “I will tell you something I know of the Northmen,” —a cough choked off his words— “something I heard in secret.” He coughed again.

  Talon said nothing, he stared at the man. He did not trust him and wondered what this was truly about.

  “No one knows I heard.” He gagged more than coughed this time. “I heard and I know. It will help defeat you once and for all.” A cough took hold that refused to let go and the prisoner struggled through it until he barely had a breath left. Blood began to drip from the side of his mouth and when he coughed, he spit blood.

  Paine looked to Talon. “He has been poisoned.”

  The prisoner laughed, blood spewing from his mouth. “By your hand.”

  Paine looked to the bucket.

  “We are among you.” He choked on the blood that spilled from his mouth. “Hemera will be the one to end you.” He gasped and fought for breath, as if someone was choking the life from him.

  Worry gripped Talon’s insides. He nodded to Paine and left the dwelling, his only thought to see that Hemera was safe in his sleeping chamber.

  “Too late,” the prisoner gagged. Too la—” His head dropped down.

  “For you,” Paine said and turned away, leaving the man to take his last dying breaths alone.

  Hemera moved cautiously away from the dwelling after hearing Paine speak and the door to the dwelling open and close. As she made a wide berth around the dwelling, she saw that Paine was alone and it struck her then that she had not heard Talon speak for some time before Paine’s last words. Had Talon left before Paine?

  The thought had her racing off to reach Talon’s sleeping chambers before he did.

  Talon took the stairs two at a time, eager to see that Hemera was safe and even more eager to find her naked in his sleeping pallet. Before he reached his door, he slipped off his foot coverings. He opened and closed the door quietly in case she was asleep and stripped off his garments ready to join her. He went to the fire pit to add more logs an
d light to the room, wanting to see every beautiful part of her body that he intended to touch and kiss.

  Since she had made no sound or heard her stirring, he looked forward to caressing her awake. The fire sparked and the flames grew brilliant and when they did, Talon saw that his sleeping pallet was empty.

  Hemera fastened the door shut behind her, securing it tight so that no one would see from the outside that a door existed. While she wanted to rush up the stairs, she had to take them cautiously with no light to guide her. When she reached the top, she opened the slim door slowly and slipped in, pleased the shadows hugged her, and closed it quietly behind her.

  Hearing not a sound, she breathed a sigh of relief that she had made it to the room before Talon...until she stepped into the light.

  Talon stood near the sleeping pallet stark naked, his arms folded over his solid chest, his long, muscled legs spread slightly apart and his manhood aroused and growing more so when her eyes fell on it.

  “You disobey me again,” Talon said annoyed, though relieved she had returned.

  How did she defend herself when he was right? Why even try? She chose silence and she chose to shed her garments, her need for him soaring with him standing naked in front of her.

  “You will not distract my anger by removing your garments,” he warned, knowing what she was up to by how slowly she revealed every part of her naked flesh. “You deserve to be punished.” Her response was to turn her naked backside to him as she leaned over to place her garments on the bench. He wanted to reach out and grab hold of her taut, round bottom, bend her over, and plunge into her swiftly, but he stopped himself.

  She would not get out of this punishment. He would win this time.

  Hemera stretched her arms slowly above her head, her plump breasts rising high as she reached higher, locking her wrists together. “Punish me then.”

  His manhood betrayed him, stiffening so hard he almost let out a loud groan. His anger at his body’s own betrayal had him saying. “We will not couple.” He almost cringed at his foolish edict.