“Promise,” she whispered, her warm breath fanning his lips.
“Damn, woman, but you tempt my soul.”
She laughed, licked her lips in a slow circulating motion, then leaned in and ran her tongue over his lips in the same lusty manner.
His teeth captured her tongue in playful nips, and they were soon lost in a long lingering kiss that seemed to go on forever and ever until finally Tarr reluctantly ended it.
“Any more of this and our first coupling will be here on the cold, hard ground.”
Her green eyes blurred with passion. “A tempting thought.”
“Too tempting. Now, go to sleep before you get us both in trouble.”
She sighed like a disappointed child.
“Go to sleep,” he repeated firmly.
“I will have you,” she said with a yawn, and closed her eyes.
He smiled and hugged her. “That you will, Fiona.”
Chapter 17
Not a human sound could be heard as Tarr’s men waited silently for orders. They sat on their horses at the edge of the stream that divided Tarr’s and Raynor’s lands, prepared for whatever was necessary.
Fiona kept a steady eye on the other side, grateful for the near end of autumn, the foliage not being as dense. She watched for signs of Tarr’s return.
They had arrived at the stream a few hours after dawn, and at first it appeared as if they had followed a bogus trail. Two trails had been picked up on the other side and were being investigated when suddenly Tarr was summoned.
Fiona had wanted to go with him. She had a feeling it had something to do with her sister. Why else would he be summoned? He had insisted she remain behind and had cautioned her about following him.
He had stationed two guards on either side of her before he had left, letting her know he would not be long. But it had been too long, much too long. Something was not right; she could feel it.
“He takes too much time,” Fiona said, looking to John, the larger of the two guards.
“He told us to wait on his return. We wait.”
Fiona knew not to waste her time arguing with him. He would do what he was trained to do, follow his chieftain’s orders.
With each passing minute her concern grew, and when early morning turned to early afternoon it was obvious something was terribly wrong.
John appeared the one in charge, for if one warrior dare move from their position his look alone would stay the man.
“We cannot continue to remain here and do nothing,” Fiona demanded. “Something is wrong. Tarr would have returned by now.”
She was surprised when he agreed with her.
“Aye, you are right.” He looked to the man beside her. “Patrick, tell the men to prepare. We cross the stream.”
Fiona almost sighed with relief, though instead she sent him a firm nod, acknowledging his wise decision.
The men were ready and eager, the horses impatient, and John’s hand poised ready to give the order to cross when James, one of the warriors who had gone with Tarr, walked out of the woods and waved for them to cross.
John did not hesitate; he lowered his hand, signaling the men to cross. Fiona knew as he did that the warrior would have died before calling them into a trap. It was a matter of honor with a Scotsman.
James approached John, walking between his and Fiona’s horse. “Raynor’s men have taken Tarr.” He then turned and looked to Fiona. “The message is that you are to come alone to Raynor’s keep if you want to see Tarr and your sister.”
“Fiona goes nowhere,” John said firmly.
Fiona sent the man a scathing look. “That is not for you to decide.”
“My orders were to protect you. I cannot do that if you ride into our enemy’s hands. Raynor sets a trap, and I will not be fool enough to send you into it.”
“If Raynor wanted Tarr dead he would be. It is obvious he wants something from us and I want something from him—Tarr and my sister alive and well.”
John mumbled beneath his breath, Fiona hearing an oath or two while he scratched his bushy mustache.
“What you are telling me is that we have little choice.”
“Now you understand.”
“What I do not understand,” John argued, “is how do I protect you.”
“You don’t; I protect myself.” Fiona slipped off her horse. “I will need more weapons and a means to strap them to me. Raynor will expect me to be armed, and I do not want him to find all my concealed weapons.”
John ordered the men to dismount, then he and James helped ready her.
“How much time do I give you before I strike?” John asked, strapping a knife to the under part of her forearm while James worked at her ankle.
“No more than an hour. That should be enough time to convince Raynor to free the prisoners.”
John and James stopped what they were doing and glared at her.
Fiona glared back. “Raynor kidnapped my sister and then he had the gall to take Tarr. Do you think I go to reason with the fool?”
“You said ‘convince,’ ” James replied.
Fiona drew the knife from the sheath attached to her arm. “A sharp blade convinces nicely.”
John shook his head. “I would doubt your ability if I had not seen your skills.”
Fiona returned the blade to the sheath. “Good, then you will have no cause to worry. Now, get the men mounted, we ride to Raynor’s keep.”
“We will remain a strong force for Raynor’s men to see,” John promised as they rode.
“Send one of the men to Kirk to advise him we may need more men, but he is to do nothing until word is received.”
John followed her orders without thought of objecting, and she was pleased that he trusted her decisions and respected her command.
It was a couple of hours before they reached the keep and Fiona knew it would not be difficult to take it even with the few men they had. The keep was not fortified with a surrounding wall and was constructed of more wood than stone, though it appeared that construction was about to begin on something. Stone and felled trees were stacked in piles around the keep.
“Take note of the men positioned in the trees and how the men as well as the women are armed,” Fiona said at their approach.
John nodded. “A broom or rake can serve well as a weapon.”
“They are ready to defend their home if necessary. Be prepared.”
They were stopped on the outskirts of the village and Fiona was waved on.
“One hour; no more,” John reminded.
Fiona nodded and rode her horse forward.
Two warriors halted her mare at the steps of the keep and while one handled her horse, the other told her to follow him.
Fiona was fully alert to her surroundings. She could tell that much in the village was newly built and the people protective of their homes and land. Cattle were plentiful and grazed in the field to the right of the keep and beyond. Garments also appeared newly stitched, and Fiona wondered if Raynor had suddenly acquired wealth.
A small empty room preceded entrance into the great hall and Fiona was immediately relieved when she saw Aliss standing beside Raynor speaking with him. She, however, was not happy to see Tarr shackled to a chair near the huge fireplace.
His scowl and intent glare told her he was ready to kill someone, and probably with his bare hands since his knuckles were white from being so tightly fisted.
Her presence seemed to annoy him, and she thought he most likely assumed that she was foolish for walking into the enemy’s hands. He would learn differently soon enough.
No servants milled about, though a bounty of food was spread on the dais table and the few tables that lined the room.
“Welcome to my home,” Raynor said with a smile.
Fiona approached him, satisfied that they were the only ones in the hall, the warrior who had escorted her there having left as soon as they had entered. It seemed too easy, the brief thought invaded her head as she reached out. Instead of
taking Raynor’s offered hand she pulled the knife from her sleeve and had it at his throat before he could retaliate.
“Aliss, release Tarr,” Fiona ordered.
“Tarr is not being held prisoner and neither am I,” Aliss said, and walked over to her sister’s side.
“Tarr is shackled to a chair,” Fiona said bewildered.
“Only because he refuses to listen to reason,” Raynor attempted to explain while the blade remained at his throat.
Aliss placed her hand on her sister’s arm. “Let Raynor go; he means us no harm.”
Fiona had no reason to doubt her sister’s words. She moved the blade away, though kept the knife firm in her hand. “What goes on here?”
Raynor stepped a safe distance away from her, rubbing his throat. “I wish all of you to be guests in my home.” He saw Fiona’s confusion. “I could not very well invite you to my home while being held prisoner by your soon-to-be husband. And I doubted Tarr would accept my invitation once I escaped, so I had no recourse but to take Aliss with me. Which guaranteed you would follow.”
“I am listening,” Fiona said, “but I will listen better if you release Tarr.”
Raynor walked over to the shackled man. “Will you give me your word that you will be reasonable and listen to what I have to say?”
“Where are my men?” Tarr asked Fiona.
“They wait on the outskirts of the village. If they do not hear from us within the hour they will attack.”
“Your men are invited to join us and enjoy the food I have had set out for them,” Raynor offered.
Tarr stared at Fiona and she knew his thought. He was concerned with her safety; she however was not. She was confident in her ability to protect herself and her sister. She gave a slight nod, letting him know that she thought Raynor’s proposal safe.
“I will listen,” Tarr said gruffly.
Raynor released him and he walked over to Fiona, rubbing his wrists. “You have done well.”
“Did you doubt I would?” she grinned and poked him with her elbow.
He slipped his arm around her waist and pulled her next to him. “Never.”
He spoke with such heart that she pressed her cheek to his and held it for a moment, enjoying the feel of his warmth mingling with hers. Then reluctantly she squirmed out of his arm and turned to her sister.
They hugged.
“I knew you would come for me,” Aliss said, her wide smile letting all know how glad she was to see Fiona.
Fiona sent Raynor a heated glare. “You have explaining to do.”
He spread his arms. “Gladly, come sit and enjoy the food.”
“My men could use nourishment,” Tarr said.
Fiona understood that he brought his men in for added protection, but then Raynor did not object. He welcomed them, which meant he spoke the truth. He intended none of them harm.
“First, I wish to know why we have been brought here,” Fiona said, having waited long enough for an explanation.
Tarr did not object.
Raynor smiled as though overjoyed. “I wish you to meet my parents, who are on their way here and should arrive in a few days.”
“Why your parents?” Fiona asked, completely confused.
“Let me explain it all,” Raynor offered eagerly.
“That is a good idea,” Fiona said, “since I grow tired of this game of cat and mouse you seem to be playing.”
“It will all make sense,” Raynor said, and hurried on with the telling. “When first I laid eyes on Aliss I knew, and when you appeared”—he shook his head as he laughed—“you were how I imagined you would be. That was why it was so easy to tell the two of you apart.”
“Easy?” Tarr asked as if the man was insane. “They are identical in every way.”
“They are as different as night and day,” Raynor insisted, “especially when you know what to look for.”
Tarr pointed to Raynor’s head. “That wound to your head has done damage.”
Raynor patted the spot. “It has healed miraculously due to Aliss’s skills.”
“What do you mean what you imagined I would be?” Fiona asked.
“Your look, your strength, your stubbornness.” Raynor smiled. “You are so much like her.”
Aliss and Fiona glanced at each other.
“Like who?” Aliss asked cautiously.
Raynor walked over to the twins. “Do you remember that night I grew impatient to see again and forced my eyes open?”
“You screamed out in pain,” Aliss said.
“It was not only the pain that caused my reaction. It was seeing your face that shocked me.” He placed his hand on her arm. “I mean no insult. You are as beautiful as I knew you would be.”
“There you go again,” Fiona said. “Can you finally explain this so we know what you are talking about?”
Raynor took each of their hands. “I have waited long for this moment. This day when I am finally reunited with my twin sisters.”
Chapter 18
“Brother?” Fiona questioned, and looked to Aliss.
Aliss reached out to her sister and Fiona grabbed her hand.
“I know how shocking this is for you both, but believe me when I say I am thrilled to have found you,” Raynor said. “Please take a seat at the dais and give yourself a chance to consider the startling news.” He turned to Tarr. “Let your men know all is well and invite them to feast at my tables.”
“Half my men will join me here and the other half will make camp.”
“Then I will see that food is sent to them.” Raynor left, promising a swift return.
Tarr went to Fiona’s side. “Discuss nothing until my return.”
“You doubt his claim?” Fiona whispered.
“Is there reason he could speak the truth?”
“Aye, there is.”
“Then I wish to hear all, so that this can be settled reasonably.” With swift strides he was gone.
Aliss moved closer to her sister’s side as they rounded the dais to sit.
“Mother warned us about trusting,” she whispered, taking a seat as Fiona took the one next to her.
“We have Tarr’s protection and I am curious, are you not?”
“Of course I am. Can you imagine meeting our true parents and having a brother? It is almost as if we are dreaming.”
“It was no dream but a nightmare when I discovered you gone,” Fiona said, annoyed. “If Raynor is our brother, he could have found a better way of letting us know.”
“My absence forced you to divulge your identity,” Aliss said regretfully.
“Your kidnapping left me no choice.”
“Perhaps it is for the best,” Aliss suggested. “I see in your eyes how you feel about Tarr.”
Fiona cast a heavy sigh and rested back against the chair. “Is it that obvious?”
“To me, because I know you so well.”
“I think I am falling in love with the stubborn man,” Fiona grudgingly admitted. “But do not ask me why, for I cannot tell you. It simply makes no sense.”
“Love never does, or so I have heard.”
“Falling in love is downright agonizing. One minute he is the most wonderful man in the world, the next minute he makes me mad as hell.”
Aliss smiled. “But the question is, can you live without him?”
“Of course I can,” Fiona snapped. “But do I want to?” Her sigh was even heavier than before. “No, I do not. Oh, how pitiful I sound.”
“I think it is remarkable.” Aliss smiled. “And I am so very happy for you. It is what you wanted.”
“To be loved, but does he love me?” Fiona shot forward in the chair. “Or does he simply want a brood mare.”
“I think you have grown on him.”
“Like a boil that blisters.”
The twins laughed.
“Think how wonderful this all really is, Fiona. You are falling in love and I believe Tarr is falling in love with you, though he is probably as bullheaded about
it as you are and”—Aliss’s smile grew—“and we may have found our true parents.”
“You really think Tarr loves me?”
“How could he not? You have overwhelmed him.”
“I truly have,” Fiona said with pride. “Sometimes he does not know what to make of me.”
“Which probably makes him all the more interested in you.”
Fiona suddenly glared at Aliss. “Here I am babbling like a fool about Tarr when I should be focusing on the news of our parents.”
“That is all right, love interferes with everything. It cannot be helped.”
“I should be more concerned with the matter of our parents than loving Tarr.”
“Why?” Aliss asked softly. “Love rules the mind, heart, and soul—and, presently, Tarr is first in all of them, as it should be. The issue of our parents will be addressed and settled with Tarr by your side.”
“Your side too,” Fiona insisted. “He had all intentions of rescuing you whether I threatened him or not.”
“I never doubted that Tarr would not rescue me.”
Fiona stared at her perplexed.
“Tarr is a chieftain, a man of considerable honor. Many believe him hungry for land and power, but is it not that very hunger that actually provides and protects his clan? He could not allow me to be abducted and do nothing, even if I was not the twin he would marry; his home offered me protection and his home had been violated. Honor would have him seeking revenge.”
Fiona shook her head. “I was so angry and frightened finding you gone that I gave no thought to his reaction, only my own.”
“A trait we both share, for I was fearful for a moment that I would never see you again.”
“That would not happen,” Fiona all but hissed.
“I wonder now what will happen? Will our parents be as loving as the parents we thought were ours? Will they want our return? Demand our return? Will we be given a choice?”
“It changes much.”
“More than I think we realize,” Aliss said, and nodded toward Tarr marching into the hall, sword strapped to his side, sheathed knife tucked into his belt, looking ready for battle especially with twenty of his warriors following in behind him.
The Daring Twin Page 12