Chapter Nine
Lifting his head, Reyes sniffed the air, sorting Shanara’s scent from the hundreds of others that assailed him ~ the scent of damp earth and trees and rotting foliage.
He detected the fear rising from rabbits and mice and other small creatures that cowered in their dens and holes, hiding from the fierce predator that stalked the night.
He howled as he honed in on Shanara’s scent, growled when her spoor led him to a wolf trap. Anger twisted through him. Fearful that he might accidentally stumble into one of the pits some dark night, he had long ago declared that all such traps be filled in.
Hackles raised, he padded closer to the edge of the pit. In spite of the depth and the darkness, he had no trouble seeing the bottom of the chasm, or the woman who crouched there, looking up at him through frightened green eyes.
Giving what he hoped was a reassuring bark, Reyes backed away from the edge of the pit.
Sitting on his haunches, he closed his eyes and pictured his human image in his mind, visualizing the transformation.
He howled in protest as his body began to change, the man overtaking the wolf, humanity overtaking the wildness.
When the change was complete, he crawled back to the edge of the pit and peered over the side. “Shanara?”
“Reyes!”
“I’ll have you out of there soon.”
Rising, he cast around for something he could use to pull her out of the pit. Spying several long vines, he braided them together then tossed one end over the side.
“Catch hold and hang on tight,” he said. “I’ll pull you up.”
Moments later, she was standing beside him, brushing dirt from her gown and her hands. “How did you find me?”
“I followed your scent. There was a man with you. Where is he?”
She shook her head. “I know not. He dumped me in the pit and…” She shrugged.
“And Alyce?” he asked curtly. “What part did she have in all this?”
Shanara stared at him, mute.
“Answer me!”
“She said she would help me get back to my father.”
Reyes swore a vile oath. He would kill Alyce for this, and Ragan, as well!
He blew out a deep breath, then took Shanara’s hand. “Is the thought of being my bride so repulsive to you that you would rather risk death than take your vows?”
She looked up at him, not knowing what to say, afraid to admit to him, or to herself, the depths of her feelings for him, feelings she could not begin to understand. No matter how hard she tried to hate him, no matter how often she reminded herself that he was her enemy, she could not hate him.
She gasped as he drew her into his arms. She placed her hands on his chest, intending to push him away. Only then did she remember that he was naked. The warmth of his body quickly penetrated her clothing, the heat in his eyes seared her soul.
“Shanara…” His fingers brushed her cheek, slid down her back to cup her buttocks, drawing her closer, letting her feel the visible evidence of his desire.
“Please, do not…”
“What?” he asked gruffly. “Do not touch you? Do not kiss you…” His gaze moved over her face. “How can I resist? Your hair is like silk beneath my hands. Your skin smells of lavender. Your body is a temptation no man could resist. Shanara… accept your fate and be my bride.”
In her heart, it was what she wanted, but how could she wed him now, when she knew about the curse that awaited his offspring?
His hands caressed her and then, murmuring an oath, he lowered his head and kissed her.
For the space of a heartbeat, she resisted.
And then, with a sigh, she surrendered to her heart’s desire.
Slipping her arms around his neck, she closed her eyes and returned his kiss, reveling in the pleasure that flowed through her, the excitement that fluttered deep in the core of her being, urging her to give him everything he wanted, to surrender everything his touch and her own heart were urging her to give.
Her hand slid down his back, exploring the deep vee between his shoulder blades, the indentation of his lean waist.
He groaned softly and then, with a cry that was almost a growl, he gently pushed her away.
She blinked up at him, her whole body aching and on fire for his touch.
“Not now,” he said tersely. “Not here. I will not take you like a wild beast in heat.” Tenderly, he drew her back into his arms. “When I take you, it will not be in the dirt but upon silk sheets. And you shall be my bride.”
He gazed deep into her eyes, wondering at his sudden change of heart.
Only days ago, he had vowed never to marry.
Now he was equally determined to make Shanara his woman, in name only if nothing else.
Right or wrong, he could not let her go.
Should Montiori arrive on the morrow to take his daughter’s place, Reyes knew he would turn his enemy away rather than lose the woman in his arms.
~ * ~
It was near morning when they returned to the keep. He quickly retrieved his trousers, then headed for the kitchen door. Under other circumstances, he would have taken the secret passage to his chamber, but he didn’t want Shanara to know of its existence.
By a stroke of luck, they met no one when they entered the castle. Reyes saw Shanara to her room. Inside, he searched for anything she might find useful should she try to escape again. He confiscated the knife from her dinner tray, kissed her long and hard, then locked her in her room.
Going to his own chambers, he rang for Rolf and ordered baths to be drawn for himself and Shanara, then added that he wanted a morning meal for two sent to his bedchamber in an hour.
Rolf was about to leave the room when Reyes’ called to him.
“Yes, my lord?”
“Where is Alyce?”
“Below stairs, my lord.”
“Send her to me immediately.”
With a nod, Rolf went to carry out his lord’s bidding. Reyes paced the floor, his anger building with each step he took. He was in a fine rage when she knocked on his door. “Enter.”
She stepped into his room, a smile of anticipation on her face. “You summoned me, my lord?”
“Shut the door.”
She did as he asked, her smile not quite so bright when she faced him again.
“Why did you do it?” He held up his hand when she started to speak. “Do not lie to me, Alyce. I know what you did. What I want to know now is why? What did you hope to gain by murdering my future bride?”
She stared at him, her face pale, her lower lip quivering. “My lord, I didn’t know…I…”
“Go on.”
“Forgive me, my lord! Please, be merciful. It was only that I love you so much! She said she wanted to return to her father…”
“And you were going to help her?”
“Yes, my lord. I thought if she returned to her father, you might…that is, that we…”
“So you had Ragan throw her into a pit?”
“How did you…?” She bit down on her lower lip as she realized she had given herself away.
“You tried to kill Shanara because you love me?” he asked incredulously. He had known the maid was infatuated with him, but love?
Alyce looked at him, her eyes brimming with tears.
Whether she loved him or not, there was no excuse for what she had done. And she had not done it alone. Her accomplice was somewhere within the keep.
“I want you out of the keep by nightfall.”
With a sob, she threw herself at his feet, her arms wrapping around his ankles. “No! Please, not that!”
“Count yourself lucky that I’m letting you keep your head!”
“Where will I go? Please, my lord, let me stay!”
“Go where you will. Be gone from my sight! And take Ragan with you.”
Sobbing, she gained her feet and moved woodenly toward the door. She paused to look back at him, her eyes begging him for mercy. Finding none, she left the room, closing the door behind her.
Reyes stared after her. He would have no one within the keep that he couldn’t trust. He held loyalty above all else. To betray someone under his roof was the same as betraying him. Alyce had crossed the line and there was no going back.
Later, after he had bathed and dressed, he summoned Shanara.
She arrived a short time later. She was more beautiful every time he saw her. This morning, she wore a lavender, long-sleeved gown. The square neckline revealed a modest amount of golden-brown flesh. Her hair fell over her shoulders, a mass of thick auburn waves that tempted his touch.
He felt his gut clench when he thought of how he had found her in the bottom of the pit.
Had he not found her in time, she might have fallen prey to wild beasts, or starved to death.
For the first time that he could remember, he was grateful for the curse that plagued him.
Without it, he might never have found her.
He took a deep calming breath, then gestured at the table, now laden with covered dishes. “Sit, Shanara,” he invited.
She walked across the room and took a seat at the table.
She carried herself like a queen, he thought. Her every movement was regal. He sat across from her, every fiber of his being aware of her beauty, her nearness. It had been a mistake, inviting her to his chambers. She was far too desirable and his bed far too near at hand for his peace of mind.
He filled her plate with the meal the cook had prepared for them. They ate in silence for a time. Reyes had no interest in food, not with Shanara sitting across from him. All he could think of was carrying her to bed and making slow, sweet love to her, then falling asleep in her arms.
“My lord, you must not stare at me so.”
“It displeases you?”
She blushed prettily under his regard. “It is unseemly.”
“Unseemly?” he asked, amused. “There is nothing unseemly about a man admiring his bride to be.”
“I never said I would marry you.”
“But you will.”
“Nay.”
“I will have my way in this, Shanara. Tomorrow, the castle seamstress will attend you. We will be wed on Sunday.”
“You said a fortnight!”
“I have changed my mind.”
Rising, he rounded the table and lifted her into his arms.
“My lord, we must not…”
“Just a kiss,” he murmured, lowering his head. “One kiss.”
One kiss, she thought, and she was lost. What power did he possess that he could so easily make her want him?
All thought of right and wrong, friend or foe, fled her mind as his lips captured hers.
Her stomach fluttered at his nearness. Her legs grew weak and she leaned against him, gasping as she felt his arousal.
Her body grew warm, her heartbeat erratic.
She moaned softly. It was meant to be a protest. Why then, did it sound like a sigh of pleasure? A distant voice in the back of her mind whispered that she should push him away. Instead, one arm wrapped around his waist while her other hand slid around his nape to bar his escape.
He broke the kiss for a moment, his eyes looking deep into hers, and then he was kissing her again, his lips moving over hers, his tongue dueling with her own in a way that made her think of their bodies joining together.
“No. We mustn’t.” It took all her willpower to push him away. She could not surrender her maidenhood, not while there was a chance she might still escape. With her virginity gone, no other man would want her.
“You are a wise woman,” he said, his voice raw with desire. “Another moment in my arms and you would not have been a maiden on our wedding day.”
She stared up at him, her lips bereft, her body trembling. For a moment, she was tempted to return to his arms, but then she remembered that he was supposed to be her enemy, and that, even worse, he was only marrying her to antagonize her father.
Wordlessly, she opened the door and left the room.
She wasn’t surprised to find Rolf waiting for her in the corridor. Silent as a shadow, he followed her down the hallway to her chambers. When she went inside, he closed and locked the door behind her.