Donna Fletcher Short Story Collection (11 page)

Her name was shouted again and she could have
sworn that the stones shook in fear from his mighty voice and she
sighed with relief. It took several minutes for him to reach her.
He placed the candle on the ground and reached out for her but she
winced in pain when he tried to lift her.

He released a string of oaths beneath his
breath and then gently moved her into his arms. She was ice cold
and he wrapped his arms drawing her close to his body to get her
warm.

She buried her face against his heated chest
and her eyes closed, unconsciousness once again reaching out to
claim her.

Her head rolled away from his chest and he
gripped her chin. “Stay awake, Brianna, do you hear me? Stay awake.
I will not lose you.” He thought of how the hound had howled and he
knew someone would die this night and he would not let it be his
wife.

“I found the ghost,” she said and pointed,
though she was not sure where. “He’s free now.”

Royce looked around and spotted the bones,
his eyes settling curiously on the skull. His attention was
diverted when he heard his men approach. It wasn’t long before
Royce wrapped her in two warm blankets and carried her through the
passageway and out into the raging snowstorm. He shielded her from
the fierce wind with his body and cloak, tucking her tightly
against him.

He entered the keep and took her straight to
their bed chamber placing her in a chair and moving it with her in
it in front of the blazing hearth to keep her warm.

He went to the door and spoke to one of the
two guards that stood in the hall, then returned to his wife
hunching down beside her

“I have sent for the healer.”

Brianna winced when she attempted to free her
arm from the snug blanket.

“Do not move. She will see to you,” he
ordered wanting to reach out and comfort her but fearful of causing
her more pain.

“I am fine. What I need is a hot bath to warm
my bones, a hot brew to chase the chill and your body wrapped
around mine in bed to keep me warm. But first I need to feed our
daughter.”

Royce stood, though before he reached the
door there was a knock, the door opened and the old woman from the
woods entered.”

“What are you doing here?” Royce demanded
harshly. He’d already dealt with a ghost. He didn’t need to deal
with a witch.

“Your healer is busy so I offered to
help.”

“Royce,” Brianna scolded. “Where are your
manners?”

He placed a firm hand on his wife’s shoulder.
“I have none when it comes to protecting you.” He glared at the
woman. “I have been warned that you are a witch.”

The woman paled. “I am no witch.”

My witch.

They all heard it and watched surprised as
the ghost materialized until he looked as human as the three of
them.

“Ryan,” the woman cried and went to him.

His arms went around her and tears filled her
eyes.

She looked up at him. “I waited for you.”

“Someone murdered him,” Royce said. “A blow
to the head, I saw your crushed skull in the passageway.”

“His brother,” the woman said and the ghost
nodded. “He freed me, telling me that Ryan and he had planned the
escape. That he had convinced his father to lock Ryan in the room
that held the secret passageway. He told me where to wait in the
woods. For some reason I didn’t trust him and so I hid. You never
came but he did and with his sword drawn calling out to me and
telling me that you had been injured and I needed to help you. I
knew he was lying and I knew you were gone so I slipped away.”

“Why return here?” Royce asked. “And why
didn’t you tell me this when I inquired about the ghost?”

“It was time and do you remember what I told
you about secrets? It wasn’t safe for me to tell anyone.”

Brianna finally unraveled herself from the
blanket and stood with a wince and a groan, her husband’s arm going
around her waist to help her. She looked at the woman. “You didn’t
only come back to free him; you returned to join him.”

She smiled. “It is time for us to finally be
together. The truth has been made known. We are finally free.”

With that the woman collapsed, Royce catching
her before she hit the ground.

“Thank you,” she whispered with her last
breath.

A mist rose from her body and the Christmas
ghost faded to a mist, joined with hers and they vanished
together.

~~~

Late that night Royce tucked the blanket
around his daughter asleep in the cradle next to the bed. He then
slipped into bed beside his sleeping wife and wrapped himself
around her and gave her cheek a soft kiss. He sent a prayer to the
heavens for all he had and with a glance at the hearth smiled at
the hound sleeping soundly in front of it and drifted into a
peaceful slumber.

~ The End ~

You can read how Royce and Brianna got together in
Love Me Forever
, second book in my Scottish Duo,
the first book is
Isle of Lies
.

Based on characters from the Warrior King
series.

Duncan watched his wife grab her garments to
hurry and dress, her lovely body flushed with the aftermath of
making love. They had snuck away to their bedchamber right after
the noon meal both eager to love. And while there were chores to
attend to and missions to be planned they couldn’t help but linger
in each other’s arms when they had finished. It was a time that
they both enjoyed sharing, a time they felt the closest.

He left the bed suddenly eager to touch his
petite wife’s naked body once again. He caught her around the waist
before she slipped on her shift, his hand coming to rest gently on
her slightly rounded stomach. “You are feeling well?”

“I feel good. The babe gives me no problems.”
She laughed. “But he has many months to go yet.”

“He best behave,” Duncan said turning her
slowly around to hug her close.

Mercy placed her hands on her husband’s
muscled arms. “If he’s the size of his da I could be in
trouble.”

Duncan cringed. “Don’t say that. I don’t wish
for you to suffer in childbirth.”

“Then it is a miracle I will need,” she said
on a laugh and kissed his cheek. “Don’t worry. I’m sure all will go
well. Your mum has helped birthed several babes and we can always
ask Bliss for help.”

“She is a powerful healer.”

“More than she realizes,” Mercy said. “Now we
best get back to our tasks or someone is bound to come searching
for us.”

“They saw us sneaking out of the Great Hall
and knew exactly what we were about.”

Mercy swatted his thick arm. “You’re going to
have them thinking that all we do is—”

“Love each other and you’re the one who
couldn’t wait to sneak away.”

“It must be the babe making me pant after you
all the time.”

Duncan shook his head. “Not so. You’ve wanted
me all the time since the day we were first chained together.”

She blushed. “Maybe not then... but very soon
after.”

“I knew it,” he said with a boastful
grin.

She jabbed his hard stomach. “And you didn’t
desire me?”

“Every minute we were chained together and
afterwards.”

They kissed, lingering in the gentleness of
their love.

“Now get dressed,” she ordered playfully as
she stepped away from him. “We have matters to see to.”

Duncan did so reluctantly wishing they could
spend the rest of the day together and not only in bed, but she was
right, there were matters that needed their attention.

Once in the great hall, Duncan was summoned
by his da to the table in front of the hearth and Mercy turned to
leave.

“Be careful,” he called out to her. “Soldiers
have been spotted much too near MacAlpin land.”

Mercy nodded and waved. “Worry not. I have no
plans to leave the village.”

Duncan sighed in relief knowing his wife
would be safe amongst the clan and turned to join his da.

~~~

Reeve gave the red-haired woman a kiss.
Margaret was a wild one and he enjoyed the romps he shared with
her, though neither of them allowed their liaisons to be known. He
wasn’t interested in any more than a romp now and again and she
felt the same.

He gave her ample bottom a squeeze. “You go
ahead. I’ll wait here in the barn a few minutes and then
leave.”

Margaret plucked several pieces of straw from
his dark hair, gave him a quick kiss, put a big smile on her face
and was about to stroll out the door.

Reeve laughed and grabbed hold of her arm. “I
wouldn’t go wearing that satisfied grin if I were you, though I do
think it makes you look even more beautiful than you already are,
unless you want the village talking.”

She threw her arms around his neck and kissed
him again. “I can’t help it. You’re as powerful a lover in bed as
you are a warrior on the battlefield, and you satisfy me like no
other man.”

“That’s something I like hearing,” Reeve said
and nuzzled her neck briefly before turning her toward the door and
giving her bottom a pat. “Be gone with you, woman, before you make
me hungry for you again.”

She stopped at the door and turned. “Sweets
later?”

“As long as I’m not limited to what I can
have.”

“You can have
anything
you want.”

No soon as Margaret shut the door than it
opened again and Reeve grinned spreading his arms wide. “Can’t get
enough of me?”

“Maybe you didn’t give Margaret enough to
begin with,” Duncan said with a laugh.

Reeve dropped his arms. “No one needs to know
that Margaret and I—”

“Romp most regularly?”

“So help me, Duncan, I’ll give you a good
beating if you breathe a word.”

“I promise no one will hear about it from my
lips. But they don’t need to since it’s been the village gossip for
a while now.”

“You lie.”

Duncan laughed. “A liar I’m not and you know
it.”

Reeve mumbled beneath his breath.

“There are even odds on when you’ll be
announcing the wedding,” Duncan chuckled.

Reeve shot him a menacing look.

Duncan raised his hands. “Don’t blame me. You
and Margaret brought it on yourselves with all the time you’ve been
spending together.”

“I’d accuse you of being jealous, but—”

Duncan gave a hardy laugh.

Reeve shook his head. “You and Mercy are
always at it.”

Duncan rested a firm hand on Reeve’s shoulder
and though Duncan was taller and broader than Reeve they both knew
that Reeve could beat Duncan senseless if he chose to. Being
brothers, though not blood ones, but as close as if they had been,
both knew just how fierce a fighter Reeve was and that not many
would choose to go up against him.

“We aren’t always
at it
; we’re always
making love,” Duncan corrected. “You might want to try it
sometime.”

“When I can find someone as wonderful as your
wife, I’ll consider it,” Reeve said. “Now did you come looking for
me?”

Duncan nodded. “Da wants to talk with us.
There’s a mission—”

“I volunteer.”

Duncan opened the door and they walked out, a
brisk wind whipping around them.

“You don’t even know what it is about or
where you are to go,” Duncan said.

“I don’t care and Margaret would probably
agree with me. She won’t be happy being the village gossip and with
me gone she’ll find herself another man soon enough. She doesn’t
like to go too long without a good romp.”

The two laughed and entered the keep.

~~~

Mercy kept her head down and her blue wool
cloak closed tightly around her against a sudden gust of winter
wind. It didn’t feel like snow yet but no doubt it wasn’t far off.
She hurried her steps through the village, her destination Harry,
the smithy. He had fashioned another dagger for her, smaller and
lighter and one that could be easily concealed and she was eager to
try it.

She’d been busy learning how to use various
weapons. With the brewing troubles in the Highlanders she wanted to
be prepared to defend herself and her babe if necessary, and of
course Duncan.

She laughed and so would anyone if they had
heard her thought. Her husband was a big one and well able to take
care of himself. But you never know what could happen and she
wanted to be prepared just in case.

Her smile betrayed her eagerness or was it a
remnant of making love with her husband. Lord, but she couldn’t
keep her hands off him. She feared she was becoming a sinful woman,
the way she always hungered after him.

She giggled for she had confided her fear to
Duncan and he had assured her that she could fall into as much sin
with him as she wanted to. The good lord would forgive her since
Duncan and she were husband and wife.