“Na one!”
“He had my father's blessin'....” she started as she hid her face in shame from his eyes.
Kagan stilled and his back stiffened, “Who?”
She shook her head and refused to answer. Her tears streaked her temples and dampened her hair as he let her hands go and wiped them away, “Was it Calin?
“Nay!” she cried as he held her face in his hands.
“Damn woman tell me and I will...”
“Ye will what? Make it go away...It will'na go away. It burns in my heart and soul e'ery second of e'ery day. I am ...worthless and dirty, I deserve na man's touch.”
“Pierre?” Kagan's voice boomed in her ears and she shrank from his dark look.
“Aye, he...”
“Tell me...tell me what he did to ye,” Kagan growled as he dropped his head onto her shoulder.
“He made me touch him and stripped me of my clothin' e'ery time we had a lesson,” she whispered, hoping he could not hear, “I had to learn how to protect myself and had to pose in front of him naked. He whipped me with a leather strap when I ...”
Andra pushed at Kagan and he rolled over onto his side. She turned her back to him as she continued, “He forced his fingers inside of me and hurt me.”
Kagan growled as he pulled her back against him and held her waist. Andra continued, “He shoved himself inside of me, it felt like he was rippin' my insides apart. I bled and was sore for se'eral weeks.”
Andra took his hand and slid it to her backside. She felt Kagan tense as she said, “He hurt me here.” Andra caught her breath as Kagan caressed her bottom gently with his fingertips. He rubbed her delicately until she stiffened.
“What are ye doin'?”
“If done correctly, it will'na hurt. It will feel good,” he whispered as he massaged the pink oracle.
She lay motionless as he rubbed and caressed her. She pushed back against his hand as he skillfully breached her. She moaned in fascination as he kissed her shoulder.
“Does this na feel good?”
“Aye,” she whispered as he moved with her rocking hips.
He stopped and slid down her back, kissing her spine and turning her onto her stomach. He pulled her to the edge of the bed and knelt down between her legs. He seared her backside with his tongue and reeled in pleasure as she screamed his name. His tongue slid down and she arched, knowing what she wanted.
He stood and pulled her to her knees on the bed. Gripping her tender hips, he pushed his shaft inside of her womanhood. The warmth enveloped him and turned into raw heat as he thrust himself inside. She begged him for more as he pulled out and rubbed her backside. He entered again and completely buried himself inside of her.
He knew she was tight and prayed he had not hurt her again. She rocked against him and he groaned as they soared together to the gates of Valhalla. He touched her and teased her backside as his thrusts quickened. His release came and she fell forward with him completely submerged in her passion.
The isle hummed with glorious happiness as the sun rose across the highlands. All was going as intended and soon the isle’s freedom would come. She danced and laughed as the man in Andra's bed hugged her closer. She looked to the north and giggled as Haley stared into the orb in her room. Her laughter swept through the wind and echoed around the world as Darten walked into the shimmering orb's surface.
Haley held her breath as he dropped his kilt and plunged into the dark lake. The isle tugged at her hair and clouded the vision.
“Oh, stop it. And don't you dare tell mother!” Haley swatted at the air and smiled, “Please send for Deylia, I wish to visit my cousin again.”
The isle’s soft laughter echoed around Haley, both knowing it was not her cousin she wished so much to see.
Chapter 20
Rain poured from the sky as the laird's guests began to gather at his door. Rain! Andra watched the wealthy men and women and their daughters enter McKregan Keep and she frowned.
It seemed that the more that came, the prettier the daughters appeared. Red heads, brunettes, and loads of raven haired women fled to the keep's safety. They squealed in horror as the rain splattered their beautiful gowns and threatened to muss up their mounds of tediously curled hair.
Andra giggled as a red headed girl slapped her father and refused to move from the dry carriage. The agitated man handed the girl over to her distraught looking mother and hurried to the keep. She had a sudden pang of guilt as the poor girl slipped on the bottom step of the carriage and fell face first into a puddle of mud.
She took a deep breath and turned to the mirror at her vanity and her frown deepened. She had swept her golden hair up on top of her head and let her natural curls fall about her bare shoulders. The red gown that she chose from the seamstress was beautiful. The fabric was smooth and as soft as buckskin and fell from her shoulders to reveal the round full cleavage that yearned for Kagan's caresses. It hugged her waist tightly and delicately revealed the curve of her thighs before flaring out at her knees in silver satin.
His colors.
The rain poured harder and chill bumps raced up her arms. She turned to the secret door and wondered if he was already welcoming his guests and want to be wives. She jumped as the door opened and Kagan glided in. They stared at one another for a few brief seconds before he could gather his wits and speak.
“Ye are a bonnie lass and na other woman could wear my colors as ye do,” he drawled as he went to her side. “Na other woman will hold my attention this night as ye do.”
Andra felt the chill disappear as he took her hand and placed a lingering kiss on her wrist. She held her breathe as his lips moved up her arm and sucked greedily on her neck. She pulled him closer and leaned into his arms as lightning streaked across the sky and filled the dimly lit room with light. Kagan growled as she slid her hand up his chest and under his tunic.
He is what my heart has been longing for. How can I leave him?
“Kagan.” Andra could not find the words to express how she felt.
“Aye,” he whispered as he kissed her ear and caressed her breast.
“I can'na marry ye,” she whispered as tears blinded her.
“We ha'e already talked of this. Ye can and ye will. Ye are mine and I ha'e already taken what belongs to me.” His words were whispered and muffled against the skin of her neck but held her in check.
“I want ye to choose one of the ladies in the great ballroom. Ye deserve one that is as beautiful as ye are.”
“I ha'e already chosen the bonniest of all women and if we donna lea'e this room soon I will be forced to claim ye body again. Then all downstairs can hear ye scream my name as I bury my manhood inside of ye sweetness.”
Andra groaned and turned her lips to take his heated kiss. His tongue invaded her mouth and she sucked hard as her need met his. The room disappeared and the rain lulled the pair into a private world of passion and bliss. Andra's body begged for more as his hands teased her flesh and her heart begged for the words that she needed to hear.
“Kagan, do ye love me?” Her question was breathed into his ear as he fought with the small buttons that ran down her back.
He stilled his hands and pressed her closer to his body. He grimaced as a sharp pain ran through his temple and slammed into his brain. The simple word yes echoed in his mind as he gritted his teeth. She pushed at his chest and looked into his clouded eyes, searching for an answer.
She watched as his jaw twitched and his eyes darkened. Her heart broke as tears rimmed her eyes. She knew it would take an unnatural force to rip those words from his mouth.
Part of her had hoped that he would just nod his head and part of her screamed for him to say those three little words. But she knew that he would not say what she needed to hear. Her heart shattered and the tears flowed down her face. She would have even accepted him saying that he was hers, but his lips remained clinched together as his hands settled on her shoulders.
“Ye donna love me. Tell me why. Is...is it
cause I am so different? Is it my hair? Is it the green eyes that I see with? Is it my bronzed skin? Is it my defiance?” Her tears flowed harder and she tried to pull from his grasp. “I am na good enough for ye and yet ye want to wed me? Why? Why do ye settle for me as ye wife when ye could ha'e anyone ye want?”
Kagan took her wrists and held her in front of him, “I want ye. Is that na good enough reason?”
“Want and love are two different things. If ye can'na love me then I will'na marry ye.”
“In the eyes of Dagma, we ha'e already pledged our vows.”
Andra twisted from his grasp, “Takin' my virginity donna make ye my husband!”
“It was na just ye virginity I took. I took ye love. Donna deny it. I saw it and I felt it.” He smiled as her eyes widened and her jaw dropped.
Andra recovered and turned from his smug smile, “Ye only felt the lust that claimed my body and nothin' else.”
“Then explain ye jealousy of my past lovers.”
Andra thought quickly and turned to face him with a smug smile of her own, “And ye can explain why it nags at ye that I hugged Flaron and doted o'er Darten. Na to mention why e'ery time I speak of Calin ye go into a rage.”
Kagan stiffened his back and frowned as he narrowed his steel eyes at Andra, “Now that ye mention ye pup, perhaps ye would care to see him again?”
Andra edged closer to Kagan and took his hand in hers, “If I should see him again, I would be tempted to throw myself into his arms. Now that I know what to expect from a man, I am sure he can make my blood boil as ye do.”
Kagan's low growl stirred Andra and passion filled her eyes as her warrior flinched at the thought of her falling into Calin's arms. She smiled and ran her fingers up his arm to his shoulder. She wrapped her fingers into his long black hair and tugged his head to her lips.
Before she kissed his glorious lips she whispered, “If ye truly donna love me, I will find someone who will.”
Kagan let her kiss him and almost lost the restraint that barely held him from taking her to bed. He wanted to plant his scent all over her body before facing the crowd that waited downstairs. He ran his fingers through her hair and torn it free from the top of her head. It poured down over his arms and its silky fingers urged his arousal to nestle in her warmth.
“Ye are mine and na other can e'er touch ye like I do. If ye let a man so much as breathe on ye precious fingers, I will break e'ery bone in his body.” Kagan's body shivered in delight as she kissed his chest and reached up on her tippy toes to take his lips in a deep kiss.
She pulled from his arms and bowed slightly, “Then start breakin' bones milord.”
She giggled in delight as he caught her waist and picked her up. His roar of claim heightened her desire and she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck as he carried her to the bed.
Flaron slowly edged his way from the crowded ballroom in search of more private surroundings. He turned the corner and caught his breath at the sight before him at the window sill. She turned and he felt faint. If not for her red hair, he could have sworn that Keyra was standing at the window.
He quickly gathered his wits and bowed slightly, “I beg yer forgiveness. I did na mean to invade yer privacy.”
The woman smiled and walked to his side, “Are ye not Flaron Douglas?”
“Aye,” he answered as his brows knitted together.
“I am Haley....Haley Douglas.”
Flaron stared at the woman and confusion clouded his brain, “Are we kin?”
“As close kin as possible.”
“Are ye a niece or cousin?” He asked in bewilderment.
“I am ye daughter. I am one of four twins born on Vacrey twenty two years ago to Keyra Joaquinn.” Her voice never wavered and her eyes sparkled with the same blue of Flaron's own eyes.
The color drained from his face and his knees became weak. He could not find his voice nor could he find any sanity in what she said.
“My mother loves ye very deeply and she made me swear that I would find ye. There is no mistake, ye are my father. Mother said that I had ye eyes and hair and ye stature.” Haley smiled as Darten turned the corner and stopped to take her hand.
She turned to Darten, “This is my father.”
Darten laughed, “I should ha'e guessed it. I knew I had seen yer eyes somewhere 'fore.”
Haley held out her hand to Flaron. He slowly took her offered hand and took the small orb from her fingers as she spoke, “She has loved ye more each day since she had to leave ye and she regrets that ye heart broke so badly.”
Flaron stood in complete silence as Haley and Darten walked into the ballroom. He stared at the orb and nearly passed out when Keyra appeared before him in a green mist. She was lovelier than he remembered.
She appeared as shocked as he and smiled softly as pink butterflies swam around her head. She stepped back, the mist pushing her forward as butterflies danced around her ears. They warned her to grab him in an embrace as the mist grew heavier.
Keyra reached for Flaron and he reached for her. Their embrace was tight as if they would be torn from each other again. The mist enveloped them and they were instantly transported to Flaron's cottage.
“How? I thought ye dead? How did we get here? Ha'e I died? Is this Valhalla? Keyra...my Keyra..” Flaron fell to his knees and pulled her to him, “Keyra..”
“I am here and ye are not dead. I have been on Vacrey Isle all these years and I have raised our beautiful daughters.” She hoped Flaron could forgive her but felt sure that she had little time to explain.
He stood and a dark expression filled his face, “Ye left me! And ye was with babes! Daughters! Four of 'em! I ha'e daughters....all grown up now.”
Keyra's eyes rimmed with tears as she looked to his feet, “I know ye cannot forgive me for what I chose to do. Just know that I have never stopped loving ye and I have always watched ye from Vacrey and looked over ye.”
Flaron's eyes softened and drank in the only woman who had ever branded his heart. He had thought her dead and now here she was as if twenty two years had not even passed. He reached to her hair and ran his fingers down the strand of green and purple silkiness that ran from her temple. They had once been his colors when he had been a laird. Colors that he still wore proudly.
“I ha'e ne'er stopped lovin' ye woman!” His words were husky and filled with desire.
She looked up and stared into the blue eyes that she had fallen in love with so many years ago. She flung herself into his arms and cried uncontrollably as he whispered over and over to her that his love was still as great as the day he first laid eyes upon her.
“Love me now before Vacrey pulls me back from ye arms. Take me now as ye once did.”
Her plea did not fall on deaf ears and he eagerly took her lips in a fevered kiss. If he could only have seconds, he would use them wisely with the wife he had never forgotten.
Haley looked over her shoulder as her mother and father disappeared and she silently thanked Fae for the kindness she showed them. She looked about the room searching for Ell'andra.
“Where is Kagan and my cousin?”
Darten grinned mischievously and whispered as he pulled her closer, “Perhaps they are doin' what I prefer to be doin'.”
Haley blushed and grew weak kneed as he bent to place a very passionate kiss on her lips. The room suddenly did not feel as crowded when he consumed her thoughts. The people mulling about vanished and she could only hear, see, and feel the warrior who so wantonly was explaining in detail all the things he wanted to do to her.
His whispers and mind shattering touches gripped her heart with such fierce intensity that she all but begged him to take her back upstairs. She did not have to beg nor did she need to whisper her thoughts as Darten led the way to his bedchamber.
Guilt washed over Andra as she redressed. His guests had been awaiting his arrival for well over an hour. She darted her eyes at Kagan as he stepped from her tub and toweled himself dry. Her eyes lingered on his manhood a
nd she pushed the guilt from her mind. They could wait a little while longer for she had a warrior to please and her eyes begged to see more of his naked flesh.
She smiled and took the linen from his hands as she provocatively slid her hand across his chiseled abdomen. He was too fine a man to allow clothing to hide. She caressed his muscles and shivered in delight as his shaft peaked its head. She stared as it bobbed upwards in its full glory.
“Ye are a strong mighty warrior and I wish to ride ye wildly and feel ye heart beat inside of me.”
He grabbed her hand and huskily growled his excitement. She placed her fingertip on his lips with her free hand. She wanted to tell him the truth of her body's weakness to his.
“Ye strong shoulders and divine hair drive my heat to the brink of sanity when I look upon ye. Ne'er ha'e I wanted another as I want ye. I want ye to touch me, kiss me, take the fire in my loins that burns for ye and pleasure my heart with ye fiery kisses. If ye can summon the strength to lay 'tween my legs again or ha'e me sittin' astride ye, I promise to take ye to the depth of my desires and scorch ye with the passion I find I can na quench.”
Kagan's tightly guarded heart thundered its warning as his eyes became overwhelmed with the beauty before him. Her words were sheer bliss to his ears and a part of him wanted to bow down and kiss her feet. His thoughts ran like wild fire through his partially operating brain and encountered the wall that refused to let his knees bend. He knew she wanted him but that was not enough. He wanted more, he wanted everything she had to offer and he would not be satisfied until he could claim her body and soul. He had to have her faithful devotion and love.
Andra leaned into his chest and listened to his raging heart. She waited patiently for his answer and groaned when he moved from her touch. She turned away as he wrapped his kilt into place and took a deep breath.
Do you not see that I am in love with you? Do you not see how my heart trembles and aches for you? Why do you not love me in return?
“I ha'e an announcement to make and ye presence is required.” His words were shaky at best and he refused to look at the woman who plagued his heart.
A Warrior's Perception Page 22