Chapter 13
Brighit hugged her knees close and stared into the fire.
Why was Seigine here? What game was he playing?
The air was thick, saturated from the impending rains and clogged with suspicion.
The clouds overhead lumbered across the sky to block out the stars.
She tightened her grip on the mantle, hoping it would warm a chill that had little to do with the cold.
“Mmm. That was quite a show.” Seigine came toward her from the darkness. “My guess is that ye have said nothing about yer dagger being buried in my brother. I am glad ye have waited until we could talk again.”
She jumped up, struggling to appear calm. “I did not murder him. I was defending myself.”
“Tsk. Tsk. Is that what ye will claim?”
“’Tis the truth and well ye know it.”
He shook his head, his lips compressing as if considering a great dilemma.
“A wild lad taking on a seasoned warrior twice his size? Who would believe such a tale? Certainly ye snuck up on him.” He quirked a brow, and her body tightened with outrage.
She would have liked to slap that smug look right off his face.
“Ye will lie outright and say it was a sneak attack?” She guffawed. “No one would believe that of me.”
Seigine did not answer. He simply watched her—his stare so long and intense, fear tingled down her spine. “Well?”
“Ye are most desirable when ye are defiant.”
That was not the answer she had expected. When he moved closer to her, she instinctively backed away.
“Is this the game ye will play, little one?”
“Ye are a horse’s arse.” She threw the words at him without thinking through what he might do, but he moved swiftly for such a large man, twisting her arm up behind her, the pain excruciating.
Through tight lips, he asked, “Did ye learn nothing from yer encounter with my brother?”
Brighit tried to maintain the space between their bodies, but he roughly yanked her closer, painfully flattening her breasts against him.
“I am not a man to be taunted.” His gaze roamed over her face before landing on her lips. “Kiss me.”
“I will not.”
With the slightest movement, he bent her arm further up.
White-hot pain shot through her upper body while his lips moved ever closer.
Demanding. She closed her eyes to block him out.
He jerked her forward, crushing her lips to his.
Then he released her just as quickly, and the pain was gone.
She caught herself before she fell, gingerly testing her shoulder and arm for damage.
When he turned away, she wiped the feel of him from her lips.
“Am I not as pleasing to ye as yer new husband?”
“Ye don’t please me at all.”
“And ye did not seem so very pleasing to yer husband since he did not see to yer… obvious needs.” He glanced at her, then laughed as if he saw something in her expression.
Her face heated. She hated to think Seigine had seen her and Darragh together.
She’d been so lost in her husband’s kisses, and then he’d warmed her heart by giving her his own blade.
Her hand reached for it now, but Seigine stopped her.
He gripped her hand so tightly her fingers felt as if they were about to be crushed.
“Making the same mistake twice would not be wise.” He released her hand and waited until she dropped her hand again.
The huge man threw his brait over his shoulder at the same time that he squatted down in the spot where Darragh had been. “Let us discuss this husband ye want so badly. How will he react when he learns he has married a murderer?”
Her gasp was unbidden, and she clamped her jaw tight, angry with herself for revealing so much weakness to her enemy. She flexed her fingers, the thought of Darragh’s dagger giving her confidence. Taking a calming breath, she spoke in a low voice. A quiet voice. “I am not a murderer.”
“D'ye not know our laws? Women and children are protected by our laws. The belief is that they would never harm another.”
She stilled.
His smile widened. “Ah, ye did not realize another would be forced to pay for yer crime.”
Not sure if she should trust what he was saying, she held her breath and waited for him to finish this latest taunt.
He glanced out into the darkness, his eyes narrowing as if he were searching for words at the very edge of his memory.
“Hmm, ’tis the father of an unmarried woman who pays the price and…
” His wide eyes turned to her, impaling her with a smug gaze.
Her body went rigid with fear. “…the husband of a married woman.”
“Pays the price?”
“Either with money or his life.”
Reeling as if she’d been slapped, she shook her head, denying what he was suggesting. Her own guilt or innocence was not even her own to face?
“’Twould be better if no one ever found out.”
She struggled not to reveal the hope his comment had sparked in her. Until Seigine had come to the feast, she had been prepared to live her life without anyone ever knowing. She could do no more than nod in agreement.
“If ye give me what I want no one ever need know.”
Did he seek to bed her? She shuddered at the idea even as her imagination worked at how terrible it would be for this man to touch her the way Darragh had.
The decision hadn’t even fully formed in her mind before she hurled it at him. “No!”
His cruel scowl sent her into a panic.
“No?” His voice was tight with incredulity. “Did ye tell me… no? Ye will not give me what I want?”
The sound around her was being muffled by the blood rushing through her veins at top speed, her mind struggling for another way to get out of this, but she couldn’t back down now. Not if that was the price she would have to pay. “I will not.”
“So ye wish everyone to know that ye are a murderer?”
“I am not. I defended myself against his assault.”
“An assault ye baited him into making. How reprehensible yer behavior was to a warrior. Any lad who thinks he can best a warrior must be taught. My brother gave ye more than a fair chance. Ye killed him because ye could not best him. Ye killed him to save yer own pride, and then ye left his body to be eaten by ravens. Who would not call ye a murderer?”
He was right. Guilt washed over her. She had been a coward. A rumble of thunder sounded in her ears. And if she was found guilty, she would not be paying the price.
“What is it ye want?”
Seigine smiled, tipping his head down to look at her like an affectionate puppy at his feet. When he moved to pat her head, she reacted without thinking and swiped his hand away.
“Oh no.” He yanked her closer by the front of her gown, her feet only skimming the ground now. “That is not how ye will react, little one.”
Petrified of what he might do, Brighit dropped her eyes. “Forgiveness.”
Not a twitch of a muscle, not an audible breath. Seigine remained still as a stone. She knew without asking what he wanted. By her words she conceded. By her apology she showed her weakness. And now he wanted her eyes on him again for total submission.
Closing her eyes for an instant to gather her courage, she slowly raised her gaze to meet his dark expression. So fierce, it felt like a blow. His lips turned up at the corners.
“Mayhap I will keep ye close. I enjoy this battle of wills with ye.”
Brighit seethed inside, but she kept herself from tightening her jaw, instead keeping her eyes rounded in supplication. Was it truly only an act?
“Ye will do as I say, and I will keep Cathair’s murderer a secret.”
She glanced at the bulge in his trews. She would die before she allowed him to touch her, but he noticed her glance and laughed again. “I am referring to something else ye can do for me.”
Her relief did not last long. He would demand a high price.
“Ye need only convince yer husband and yer father to side with my clan over the Dubhshláine.”
With her mind frantically searching through what he’d told Darragh, she forgot to be afraid. Instead, she blurted out the words, “Ye were the one who didn’t want to join with them.”
“Very good. I will always have ye this attentive to my desires.”
She cringed at the word, but he was clearly pleased.
So much so that he lowered her so her feet touched the ground then smoothed out the material he’d gripped near her breast as if testing her willingness to have him touch her.
Her mind reeled, and she struggled not to react even while her gut churned in revulsion.
“But I have given it much thought.” He dropped his gaze to her bosom, his breath quickened. “If they wish to join with our clan, so be it, but I have as much right to become overking as their ri túath.”
Seigine had described the Dubhshláine’s ri as an old man, which meant he was no longer able to lead his warriors into battle.
“With the support ye provide for me, little one, I will become overking, an equal to both yer father and yer husband’s father.”
A show of prowess in battle was the normal way to become overking. The entire clan relied on the ri for protection, so they were usually asked for their blessing. This man was hoping to obtain kingship by overstepping the process—and he was looking for her to help him.
“D'ye not have the ability to gain the kingship on yer own?”
Though her tone was merely questioning, his face shifted into a look of rage and his eyes darkened. The fear blasted out of her stomach right up into her chest.
“A pampered princess who believes she can fight as a man cannot be expected to grasp the finer points involved in gaining support from other kings.” His tone was surprisingly calm compared to his scowl. “It matters not if ye understand, only that ye obey.”
He tipped his head, questioning if she agreed or not. When he raised his brow, his irritation was irrefutable. Her stomach tightened, but she forced the question out.
“How do I make this happen?”
Seigine watched his fingertip as it slid along her jaw. “Cleave unto yer husband for now. Speak to him of how dangerous the divide is among the clans.” His eyes piercing her made her jaw tighten. “Mention how impressed ye are with me.”
His gaze dropped momentarily to her throat when she swallowed.
“And what a wonderful king I will make as yer neighbor.”
“He’ll never believe I’ve put that much thought into ye.”
He seized her chin in a death grip. “Convince him.”
His hold made it impossible for her to respond but, just as suddenly, he released her.
“Ye have the choice on how things will go for ye.”
The sound of the men returning, laughing and talking, put an end to his intimidation. She stepped away, moving into clear view of those now approaching. Her nose in the air and her breath heaving.
“Careful, little one.” Seigine’s quiet words sliced through her pride, his eyebrows raised in question. He was amused by her discomfiture.
Brighit would be his puppet and well he knew it.