Conquering the Dark Axe (32 page)

Rourke scowled in his sleep. 

He was having the most wonderful dream and he did
not wish to wake. 

He was in a wheat meadow lying on his back, the
bright sun beat down on his face as Alexa leaned over him.  Her long amber
tresses unbound the way he favored and her sweet lips pressed hotly against his
skin.  She had just told him that she loved him, ever so softly in his
ear. 

He had wanted to call out to her his pleasure at
hearing those words, but then she’d risen, commanded he come back to her before
turning away.

He’d wanted to scream that he had and to tell her he
was right here in front of her.   But how could he when she kept
walking away.  The gentle sway of her curved hips holding his cloudy gaze
captive.

Command him, would she? 

Rourke’s scowl deepened as she walked across the
meadow out of his sight.  His high and mighty, hellion!  No matter,
she had said she’d loved him, so he’d let it slide. 

His scowl turned into a grin as he strolled
leisurely through the sunny meadow.  He would wait and he prayed his
hellion returned.

With her back aching Alexa stretched to remove the
kinks. Her heart heavy she trailed her fingers over the new growth of whiskers
starting to cover Rourke’s jaw.  after washing and drying her hands in the
washbowl, she crawled nigh blind with sleep deprivation up onto the bed and did
what she had nightly since his return, curl her body around his.  Sleep
came to her instantly. 

That’s how Rourke woke to find her three more long
days and nights after when his fever finally broke. He had to blink several
times; his eyes were sensitive to the morning light streaming through the
windows. God he felt as if he had been struck by that mace once again but this
time against his head.

Her clean scent and the heat from her body cleared
his senses. He moved.

He groaned. God’s teeth! His limbs felt like they
were on fire. He reached out and touched her back and she shot straight up.

Alexa looked wildly about, disoriented for a second
before her hands patted him from chest to gut. Her lids closed again and she
said in a hushed whimper, “All is well. Shh. Shhhh. All is well.” Her soft
soothing voice of exhaustion pulled at him. 

She moved to climb off the bed. “I’ll get a cloth.
Hold on. I’m right here. Hold on.”

Rourke watched her, confused.  First he thought
she still slept. He’d heard of people doing this. But when she turned and faced
him her eyes were wide open and met his gaze.

The clay washbowl she held in her hands crashed to
the floor and shattered.

Aye. She was definitely awake. Her shout tore his
chest open.

“Rourke!”

She was at his side in an instant. Rourke was
stunned to see the bright tears spill over and down her pale cheeks.

When her hand cupped his cheek, it trembled and he
knew, for all the rest of the days in his life that he would never forget what
he saw so openly in her gaze.  Happiness and sorrow shone brightly in her
amber luminous depths before those long lashes shut out the beauty of them. She
laced her arms around his neck and clung to him as heavy sobs racked her body.
He wanted to hold her tightly to him but he found he’d only one arm free.

Rourke was stunned to see the moisture, the bright
tears spill over and down her pale cheeks. When her hand cupped his cheek, her
hand trembled and he knew, for all the rest of his days in life that he would
never forget what he saw so openly n her gaze.  Happiness, sorrow shone
brightly in her amber luminous depths before those long lash shut out the
beauty of them. She laced her arms around his neck and clung to him as the
heavy sobs racked her body. He wanted to hold her tightly to him but he found
he’d only one arm free and was too weak yet to move the other to apply any
pressure.

Hoarseness and phlegm choked him.  “Alexa.” He
had to call her twice before she lifted her tear ravaged face.  “Why do
you cry so?”

Whatever it was must have been too great for she
only shook her head, choking and gagging.  Rourke smiled or hoped he did
and patted her back gently with his free hand.

A loud banging sounded on the chamber door. 
They ignored it.  “It is alright, hellion. Whoever has caused you such
great pain; I will make it so they rue the day. Come now. Be still your tears.”

 He was surprised to hear her laughter mixed
with her painful sobs burst from her. She leaned over him and pressed a wet
kiss to his lips. He groaned when she pulled away. God he missed her!

“Oh, Rourke. ‘Tis good to see you back. Hold. That
racket no doubt is your man.” A grin spread over her flushed face. She crawled
off him and went to the door.  She opened the door and Goran spilled into
the room with a fist raised to knock again.

“My lady! My lady! You are well- what-“

“Cease your shouting man. We are not deaf in here.
What the blast do you mean by aiming to break down our chamber door? Ho!”
Rourke let out a shout as his friend nearly lifted him clear from the bed in a
bear hug that would have crushed a lesser man tied by one arm to the bedpost. 

He heard Alexa’s warnings and the sound of her fists
on Goran’s back to release him.  When he did, Rourke was stunned beyond
words to see that his friend’s eyes were moist. Goran turned away and walked
across the room to the hearth.

“Will someone please tell me what goes on
here?”  Rourke tried to affect a strong bellow, but it came out in a low
craggy growl.  Alexa shushed him and sent Goran a dark gaze before she
climbed back on the bed next to him, a worried look upon her face.

"Do not sulk, hellion. ’Tis most unbecoming of
you as are your tears.” Rourke told her in attempt to lighten the mood. “I wish
to see you smile again. It chased away the images of that horrible dream I was
having.”

Her crestfallen look stung him.

"You do not remember what they did to you?”
came her strained response.

"Nay. I do not,” Rourke muttered, hearing Goran
approach the bed.  Her fresh tears broke his heart and he knew he'd
carried his teasing too far.

"I don’t know if 'tis a blessing or not,
"Alexa started and let out a cry when he snatched her in a tight embrace
with his free arm.

"I jest with you, Alexa."

Rourke was not at all surprised when her hands
gently pushed at him to free her.

Her voice was angry. “This is not a jesting matter.
Rourke! Why you...oh!"

He reached up and cupped her cheek, a smile curling
his lips as he said softly, "I thought 'twould be better and less pain for
you were I to say I did not remember. I wish for your tears to cease, Alexa
,
’tis not you, my
hellion.”

What he didn't want more of, poured from her even
more and he groaned. Goran scoffed in the background and shook his head.

"To spare me is a noble gesture but that is
most unbecoming of you." Alexa told him. 

Rourke’s healthy chuckle filled the room. Goran
joined his friend and Alexa’s whole being warmed at the sound. To hear it
almost caused more tears to well in her eyes as she took in every inch of his
beautiful face. Not caring that Goran bore witness to her affection for her
husband, she leaned in and kissed Rourke softly on the lips. She felt him
stiffen beneath her and she whispered against his lips. "This is no jest,
Rourke. Thank you for coming back to me."

‘Twas his time to feel the heat of a blush rise to
his own cheeks. Clearing his throat Rourke looked over to an uncomfortable Goran
who had retreated back to the hearth.

When Goran’s serious gaze met his, Rourke
nodded.  He knew his friend wanted to know if it was all right to
continue. 

Clear memories of the whispers she’d spoken to him
when he’d been locked away in that hell of a fever surged through him.

He squeezed her hand and heard her soft intake of
breath next to him. But he didn’t look at her again. He would always want her
at his side from now on and Rourke swallowed as more warmth pierced his heart.
His eyes returned to Goran in signal to carry on.

“Darc Renald asked me to pass on his apologies for
not being here. He had wanted to remain to speak with you further on this, but
he was called away by William to see to a matter regarding a Sax-, ahem, a
northern lord that has struck caused a personal ill against the king’s brother
Odo. He went on further to say that when you are well, up and about, that you
and my lady visit him anon.”

Rourke gave a curt nod and looked to Alexa.

Would she wish to go to his home?

To Normandy?

She smiled down at him and his heart nearly burst
with the warmth in her shining gaze.

Her eyes still brimmed with tears and worry, yet she
said nothing and instead, crawled off the bed. She went to Goran and pushed him
from the room.

“That’s enough for now. He has only just awakened
and more talk can come later. For now, please have Margaret bring me a tray of
fresh fruits and bread. He needs more than broth now.”

“Aye, my lady,” Goran didn’t protest and smiled at
her. He turned when Rourke called out to him again from the bed.

“Thank you for everything, Goran.”

Goran gave a nod and left.

Rourke watched his wife close the chamber door and
lean against it, her eyes on his. She was the most beautiful thing he’d ever
seen. Her tall statuesque frame and bountiful curves enticed him even though
his body was sore. 

He wanted to hear the words she’d spoken to him
again, but he would not ask. She would tell him again when she was ready. Right
now, he just wanted to look at her.

Rourke’s eyes widened a fraction as he watched
her.  She was dressed in one of his tunics and he was glad. Rather she
wore them than fashion another rope for escape.  He smiled with the memory
of her climbing down from their bedchamber window in her attempt to escape. 
He blinked back the surprise moisture that welled in his own eyes. 

He loved his hellion.

Her passion, like no other and she was his.

Testing his arm that was tied to the post, the
memory of when he had bound her to the bed came back to him. He closed his eyes
in shame over all that he’d done to her.

He must have made a sound for she flew back to the
bed.

“Rourke?”

The worry in her voice had him open his eyes and he
smiled up at her. Huskiness filled his tone when he made his promise to her. “I
will never hurt you again, Alexa.”  A perplexed look crossed her brow and
Rourke patted the spot next to him. “Come. Sit. Tell me about these wounds that
itch me like lice burrowing under my flesh and how long I have truly been
gone.”

THIRTY-NINE

Rourke’s wounds healed at a rapid pace over the next
several days and continued to heal without signs of any infection or alarm over
the next few weeks that passed.

During this time, Alexa found he was not the best
patient in the world. He had a hard time listening not only to the healer, but
her and Goran.

They argued.

Nay.

She argued mightily.

He demanded.

In the end she won, most of the time. Alexa laughed
lightly to herself as she watched him now practicing near the window holding
his sword in his left hand. He was steady on his feet, but his movements
slightly stiff. The wound in his head had affected his balance the healer had
said. He wasn’t out of the woods yet. Only time would tell if his normal
balance would return.

During this healing time, Alexa noted the subtle
changes in her Norman. 

He had shown her a tender side to him that melted
her heart and caused it to flutter and a blush to rise to her cheeks more often
than she’d believed possible. Yet, the more he struggled to return to normalcy,
the limits and restraints of his body soured his mood and his anger showed.

Oh, he tried to hide it, but she had come to know
him very well of late with much of her time spent in his presence.

He snapped and growled at servants, but used to it,
they viewed it as a sign he was back to his old self. Some were pleased with
that. Alexa wasn’t.

His confidence had taken a blow and he was having a
difficult time getting it back.

The one day, he refused to speak to her after she’d
left him and Goran to themselves for over an hour when the missive from King
William had arrived. The king was glad to hear that he lived and wished him a
speedy recovery.

She had thought to be around another male would be
good for him. But he almost seemed angry that she’d dared leave his side. 
Alexa had known it was more than that.

She had overheard part of their discussion before
she’d left the room. It had been about his capture and the person behind it.
Whoever this Raven character was, it ate away at him night and day that no body
had yet been found or if this man still lived. When she’d questioned him on it,
he shut her out. He just wanted to get back to a condition so he could go hunt
this Raven character down and kill the bastard. Alexa itched to have her sword
at her side, watching him now.  Were he ever found, she would behead this
Raven herself.