“Two complicated days,” he agreed, a smile dancing across his handsome face.
She fought the urge to kiss him — this was an important conversation and she didn’t want to muddy it with physical contact, no matter how much her body might be protesting at the lack of touch from him.
“But I know exactly what you mean, Bethany. I feel… very strongly about you. You brought me out of a kind of years-long daze. And I know you’re not my lost wife. I’ve grieved Galena… and I’ve let her go.”
She smiled up at him, relieved beyond measure to hear him say that. She couldn’t pretend to be Galena for another second… it would tear her up too badly. If she was going to enter into some kind of relationship with him, whatever that was … she needed to be certain that it was her that he loved, not a woman who’d died hundreds of years before she was even born. And looking into his face now, she was as sure as she’d ever been about anything that she could trust him.
“It’s going to be a long few days, with the siege,” she said quietly, wanting to break the rather intense silence that had fallen between them. “We might not get many opportunities to talk, to spend time together.”
“Then we’ll break the siege,” Graham said, grinning. “Easy as that.”
“Oh, is it?” she challenged him, laughing as they walked across the dining hall together, arm in arm. It was unbelievably comfortable to be around him — especially now that they were allies, fighting on the same side against the same enemy. “You’re that good, are you?”
“I am,” he confirmed with a cocky grin. “But before we get into siege-breaking… would you mind showing me where I’m staying?”
“I suppose so,” she said loftily, taking his hand in hers and leading him to the stairs. There are a few hours to go before dinner, she thought, running rapid calculations in her mind… would either of them be needed anywhere for the next little while? It was unlikely. He’d told Donal, Gavin and Eamon a lot of information about Matthew — they were briefing their men now. And as for Bethany, she’d done more than her share of domestic work. The walls were quiet — Matthew was still regrouping after the horrific attack on the village the night before.
We have time, she thought with a grin. They had time to spend together… alone. And this time, their passion wasn’t going to be cut short by a band of mercenaries.
Chapter 27
“Here we are,” Bethany said brightly as they reached the end of the corridor and she pulled open the now-familiar door to her little room. “It’s a guest room, technically, but I woke up here, and they sort of let me keep it.”
The room felt smaller with Graham in it. He paced in a small circle around it, taking in the fireplace, the table… and, with a slightly raised eyebrow, the bed. She glanced down at it, a blush rising to her cheeks. “Only one bed, I’m afraid,” she said, trying to keep her voice steady. “We’ll have to share again. If you don’t object, that is.”
“If I don’t object?” He chuckled, moving closer to her. “I suppose I could do the chivalrous thing and offer to sleep on the floor.”
“Oh, the freezing cold stone floor? And catch your death of a cold? We can’t afford to lose any able-bodied men with a siege going on, Graham. Honestly,” she scolded him with mock irritation, her eyes dancing with amusement.
He was chuckling, too. “How foolish of me. Well, I suppose we’ll have to share the bed.”
“I suppose we will. How scandalous.” She paused, looking up at him with one eyebrow raised. “Would you like to try it out?”
And then he was all over her, his powerful arms wrapping around her and lifting her to him as he pressed his mouth to hers in a bruising kiss. Though it had only been a few days they’d been apart, somehow it felt like so much longer since their time together in the cave… she clung to him as though she’d been drowning, kissing him hard, desperate to make more contact, to get more of his body close to hers. There was a shadow of the angry passion they’d shared in the cave — but this time all the fury and distrust was gone from their contact. They wanted each other, true — but that was all that drove them. No competition for a weapon — just pure, animal magnetism, drawing them into one another, speeding up their breathing and making Bethany’s heart beat so hard in her chest she was worried she was going to pass out.
He lay her back on the bed as though she weighed nothing, pressing her body against the bed with his as he kissed her, his mouth roaming across her face, down her throat, lighting fires in her belly as he kissed and bit at the sensitive parts of her neck. She reached up, pulling irritably at the tunic he was still wearing, feeling his hands on her body doing the same thing… she grinned as he yanked away the skirt she was wearing, tugging it down over her hips and tossing it across the room once it was free of her body. It was a good thing the fire wasn’t lit, she thought with dizzy amusement as it fell into the fireplace — she’d need to wash the soot from it later.
Later, but not now. Now, all she could think about was Graham — the magnetic force of his body against hers, the heat of his mouth against her lips, her throat, her body… he’d torn her shirt away, too, exposing her bra, and she resisted, tugging at his trousers, too, insisting that he keep pace with her as they unclothed. Finally, they were both naked together, gazing at one another as the afternoon light spilled in through the window. Bethany shot a glance through the window, oddly paranoid that they’d be observed… but at this angle, the only thing that could see into their room and onto their bed was the birds that flew by the Keep, and the clear blue sky.
Still, the air in the room was chilly, and she pulled the blankets off the bed and over them. Graham smiled as he kissed her, pulling her into the warmth of his arms, chasing away the dark and the cold as they fell more completely into one another’s embrace. It just felt so good to be together like this… beyond the sexual attraction she felt to him, just the physical contact, the warmth of his body, the reassuring press of his arms. It was surprising, how important touch was to a person.
The urgency of their kissing increased — she could feel his manhood pressing against her thigh and she reached down to caress him, feeling her own arousal spike as she caressed his hard cock. He groaned at her touch, bucking his hips against her, clearly as aroused as she was… but she wasn’t going to let him rush this. Not when they had several hours to themselves, and a whole lot of catching up to do. So she stroked him, agonizingly slow, refusing to let him take her into his arms and further their lovemaking… before long, he was gasping, writhing beneath her touch, his blue eyes darkening with lust.
She couldn’t tease him any longer… as much as she’d intended to resist for as long as possible, she was growing impatient, her body craving his touch. So she shoved at his shoulder, rolling him onto his back, and before he could respond she’d climbed astride him and driven him inside her.
They moved together, her biting her lip to stop from crying out too loudly with the ecstasy rushing through her body, and it wasn’t long before they were both on the edge of climax, their bodies rocking and moving together, slamming the bed into the stone wall. She held off as long as she could, wanting to extend their passion for as long as possible… but before long, it was inevitable that her climax was going to crash over her like a great wave. And with perfect timing, Graham was groaning beneath her too, his hips thrusting him ever deeper into her as they found their release in each other’s arms.
She was breathing hard as her consciousness slowly returned to her — she realized she was curled up against Graham’s side, his arm wrapped around her shoulder and his lips pressed against her head. To her surprise, she realized the sun was much lower in the sky than it had been… had it really been so long? She must have fallen asleep for longer than she’d thought… he was stirring a little too, clearly surprised to have lost consciousness.
“You’re a wonder, Bethany Cortland,” he murmured, his voice hoarse from their efforts, and she grinned, burying her head in his chest. This close, the smell of him w
as sweet and spicy … she felt like she couldn’t get enough of that smell as long as she lived. Her whole body was tingling pleasantly in the afterglow of their lovemaking… a little like the feeling you got after a long run, but ten times as nice. She felt like she could lay here forever… but looking out the window had reminded her of the smoking wreck that was all that remained of the village, and she heaved a sigh.
Graham had followed her gaze, and his face was solemn when she looked up at him. “The village,” he said softly. “Small mercy nobody was hurt.”
“Thanks to Donal,” she said. “He took his men and rode down to evacuate them as soon as he learned the attack was coming.”
“Learned from you,” Graham pointed out, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “You’re as responsible for the sparing of their lives as Laird Donal. Don’t sell yourself short.”
“Well, I didn’t do much to save the village itself, did I?”
“But you saved its people. Buildings can be rebuilt. Human lives, they can’t be restored. And mark my words, Matthew wouldn’t have spared any lives had he found the villagers still there. He’d have put every man, woman and child to the sword if it meant getting his revenge against the MacClarans.” Graham’s face was bleak, and she huddled a little closer to him, trying to comfort him with the warmth of her body.
“How did you fall into his company?” she asked, frowning. “A man like that…”
“He found me.” Graham shrugged. “He knew who my father was… knew he’d been close friends with his brother, hoped that he’d find a willing pawn for his army. And I was so lost when Galena died… I was already so deep in grief that signing on to get revenge… well, it was something I could dedicate myself to. A purpose for the long, empty days without her. And I was so numb from losing her that I barely noticed the evil things he was doing… at least, at first. It wasn’t until I met you that I woke up completely, though. I shudder to think of what I allowed him to do.”
“At least you’re out of that army now,” she said softly, pressing a kiss to his naked shoulder. “You’re here, with me… and with your family. We can start a new life here.”
“Not yet,” he said firmly. “Not until Matthew is defeated and his awful army scattered to the four winds.”
“We’ll take care of them,” she promised. “All of us together… we’ll sort them out.” She sighed. “I’m more worried about Cristabella than I am about Matthew, honestly.”
“So am I,” he said, frowning. “I’ve seen her power at work… it’s something to behold.”
“Well, we’re not without our secret weapons,” Bethany murmured, smiling broadly as she traced an idle pattern on his chest with her fingertip. “There are women here with real power… they’re working on a counter-spell as we speak.”
Graham stared down at her, a look of shock and horror mingling on his face. “You mean to tell me that after all this — there are real witches here?”
“I mean, the word ‘witch’ is a bit loaded,” she said, raising an eyebrow. “But… well, magic’s real, you know that from Cristabella. Why shouldn’t we use it for good — like, for example, to stop her from doing whatever it is she does that sends men berserk?”
“You’re right, of course. You and Delilah,” he corrected himself. “A sword can do acts of great evil, in the wrong hands… but in the right hands, it can defend the innocent, protect the weak…”
“Exactly. Magic’s just — a tool, like any other. We don’t assume that everyone with a sword must be an evil man, so we shouldn’t assume that women who wield magic are evil, either.” She sat up, yawning and running a hand through her tangled hair. “But we should get up. They’ll be serving dinner soon — and I’d imagine your friend Matthew has something planned tonight.”
“Aye,” Graham nodded, getting out of bed — she took a brief moment to admire him, a grin dancing across her face at the angles and planes of his hard, muscular body. “It’s likely he’ll strike tonight. Whether that will involve Cristabella’s powers, I’m not sure. Can your — your good witches tell whether magic’s being cast?”
“I’ll ask them at dinner,” she promised, pulling her clothes on. A part of her would have preferred to stay in bed with Graham all evening, and all night, and most of the following day, too… but they had things to do. There’ll be time for that once the siege is broken, she thought… provided the siege went well, of course. She dismissed a pang of worry. They could handle Matthew’s forces, magic assistance or no. With Graham at her side, she could do anything. She was just so grateful he wouldn’t be down there below the walls with the rest of Matthew’s forces, ready to get obliterated by arrows… as much as she regretted any loss of life, she was pleased that Graham would be somewhere that she could at least try to keep him safe.
They headed down the stairs together, hand in hand as the last of the light drained from the sky. It was a cold night, and she shivered a little, squeezing Graham’s warm hand in hers as the chill evening crept into her bones. Morale was not high in the castle. As they headed down the stairs, they saw dozens of villagers traipsing into the hall for their allotted ration of food, their heads bowed and looks of serious worry on their faces. It made sense, she supposed — they’d lost their homes overnight, and though they were safe in the castle for now, rumors were flying about the impending attack.
“This is exactly what Matthew wanted,” Graham said to her, his eyes burning with anger. “This is why he burned the village down… he wanted to make the people feel this way, like they had nowhere to turn. It’s an attack on morale.”
“Psychological warfare,” Bethany agreed, her heart heavy. It was an unfortunately common tactic… an enemy was much easier to defeat if you could break their spirit before you broke their forces. “But it won’t change the fact that we’re in here and he’s out there. We’ll outlast him — we’ve got enough food to keep everyone going for at least a few weeks. Longer, if we cut rations again… Mary’s been figuring out how to stretch things even further.”
“It may not come to that,” Graham said solemnly as they took a seat at a crowded table in the dining hall with their rather paltry meal allocations. “If Matthew’s instructed Cristabella to perform her berserker magic, it’s likely he’s planning a climactic assault for tonight. Under her powers, the men will either climb the walls and break the siege… or die trying. And it’s not the kind of magic that only affects a few men… he’ll be enchanting his whole army.”
“You told all of this to Donal and Eamon, right?”
“Aye, they’re readying their forces now. But I’m still worried. As many sieges as I’m sure this castle’s withstood, they’ve never seen anything like this before.”
They ate in silence. She was imagining all the horror stories she’d heard of berserk soldiers… men with nothing left to lose, a terrifying bloodlust coming over them as they hurled themselves body and soul into a conflict… were the MacClarans really ready to face something like that?
Marianne and Fiona came through the hall, deep in conversation, both looking exhausted. She rose to her feet, hurrying over to intercept them quickly, wanting to know how their magical interference had gone. Perhaps there was no need to worry about berserk soldiers, if their own resident counter-magic unit was on the case… but both Fiona and Marianne shook their heads when she approached.
“We did our best,” Marianne said, looking forlorn. “We may well have had some effect… it’s hard to be categorical about magic. But from what I could detect, this Cristabella is a powerful witch.”
“We’ll keep working, of course,” Fiona said briskly. “I mean, neither of us are soldiers nor nurses, it’s not like there’s much else we can do in a fight like this.”
“Audrina, Karin, and Cora have that covered.” Marianne smiled. “I’ve never seen the infirmary so busy... we’re in safe hands for sure.”
“All we know is — the attack’s coming soon,” Fiona said, and Bethany could tell that the usually confident woman was
worried. “Like — soon, soon.”
“Graham thinks it might be tonight,” Bethany said with a sigh. “I hope we’re ready.”
“Donal and Eamon are on the walls. There are a dozen of the best archers in the country up there. I’ve got every confidence,” Marianne said firmly. “All we can do is our best. This castle’s withstood worse.”
Bethany nodded. She was about to ask if there was anything she could do to help with the magic… but then the distant but unmistakable sound of drums pulled her attention. Marianne and Fiona turned, too, as an eerie hush fell over the dining hall, all of its inhabitants listening to the drums.
The attack had begun.
Chapter 28
The sound of drums echoed through the castle, setting Bethany’s teeth on edge. The villagers were rising to their feet with looks of fear in their faces, but amongst them, the people of the castle looked resolved and ready for the attack. Still, Bethany could feel the adrenaline beginning to pump through her chest. She looked at Fiona and Marianne, who had wordlessly linked arms — they gave her a nod then turned and headed off toward the doors, no doubt on their way to whatever out-of-the-way little corner they used for their spellcasting. She watched them go, wishing them well with whatever strange practices they performed. Maybe if they all got through the siege, she’d learn a little bit about magical defenses. In a way, it was a little like what she had done back in her old life.
But her old life wasn’t important now. What was important was the siege that was about to break. Graham was behind her all of a sudden, his jaw tense — and she realized with a shaky breath that he didn’t have a weapon. Neither did she, technically — she had her gun on her all the time, but with five bullets it was hardly going to make a decisive difference in a fight like this involving potentially hundreds of assailants. Still, she reached into her clothing and touched the weapon, taking a kind of comfort in its presence there. She’d be able to take a few enemies out before the weapon was as useless as her phone was.
Highlander Avenged: A Scottish Time Travel Romance Page 22