Honor's Price (17 page)

Kane smiled one last time. “It's up to you how you choose to spend your night, of course, but I'll be waiting anxiously to learn of your decision.”

When Kane walked away, his mood was vastly improved.

T
heda slipped out of bed and quietly got dressed. She put on a simple gown designed so she could fasten its laces without help, adding only her slippers and her darkest cloak. She felt a bit wicked about leaving her undergarments in a pile on the floor, but then she did have seduction on her mind. Somehow she thought Kane would be appreciative rather than scandalized.

All was quiet in the hallway, and Theda arrived at where Tom guarded the door without encountering another soul. He frowned at her, clearly not happy about her frequent nighttime excursions, but he opened the door without comment.

Out in the garden, the air tasted fresh and clean. She drew a deep breath, enjoying the scent of the roses and lavender. Finding the bench empty was a disappointment. Surely Kane would come to her. Too restless to sit and wait, she kept moving, strolling through the garden and watching the shadows for her lover. When he hadn't appeared by her third pass through the gardens, she swallowed her disappointment and made her way back toward the door.

She was about to knock to signal Tom she was back when a man's hand clamped down on her mouth and his other arm encircled her waist. Her first instinct was to fight, but then Kane whispered near her ear, “I'm sorry I kept you waiting.”

As soon as she relaxed against him, he released his hold on her. She spun to face him, relieved and delighted that he'd come.

“I know it can't always be easy for you to take time from your duties.”

He leaned down to kiss her. “My duties to the duke be damned.”

Perhaps, but his other duties would soon take him from her. Shoving that unhappy thought to the back of her mind, she placed her hands on his chest, kneading his muscles like a contented cat.

“Can we find someplace more private?”

Her words sounded husky even to her own ears. Kane's eyes flared wide, clearly understanding what she was really asking.

He nodded. “It's risky, but I was hoping you would accompany me to my quarters.”

“Gladly.”

He'd mentioned before that his rooms were not all that private, but then taking him through the keep to her quarters offered its own risks.

“We shouldn't tarry in my room for long, my lady, but I have something we need to do that can only be done there.”

He was already leading her in the direction of the barracks. She'd do whatever he wanted, but she decided to tease him a bit. “Are you sure you can think of only one thing we can do together in your room? I was hoping for so much more.”

Kane usually moved with such predatory grace, but her question caused him to stumble. He caught himself and then turned those pale eyes in her direction. It was difficult to judge his reaction, but then he smiled at her.

“I will endeavor to ensure you suffer no disappointments, but we must be cautious no matter what activities we pursue.”

They'd reached the entrance to the building. “Wait here while I make sure it's safe.”

He was gone but a few seconds. Inside the building, it was completely dark except for the faintest hint of moonlight from a window farther down the hallway.
Kane tugged her along, holding her hand in his as he led her through a small office and into his private quarters. The room contained only a small table, a chest for clothing, and a narrow bed. His shield sat propped in the corner.

He had left a single candle burning. Its small flame provided just enough light to cast Kane's face in harsh relief. Her heart sang to see the same needs reflected in his eyes that coursed through her veins. He might have other plans for them, but she couldn't think beyond the driving compulsion to take pleasure in each other's arms.

She let her cloak drop to the ground. Next, she kicked off her slippers, leaving her bare feet peeking out from under the hem of her gown. Before she could reach for the lacings on her dress, Kane stepped forward to wrap her in the iron-hard strength of his arms.

His kiss tasted of the night, cool and shadowy and mysterious. His tongue thrust against hers, teasing her with the promise of what was to come.

As his hands wandered across her back and down to her bottom, he froze. “Theda, what are you wearing beneath this gown?”

“Nothing at all,” she answered, letting the heat licking at her skin show in her smile. “It seemed foolish to put on all those layers only to have to take them right back off again.” She pulled her laces loose, letting the dress slip down off her shoulders to settle along the top curve of her breasts.

Kane groaned, his eyes following the slow descent of the soft fabric as she tugged it down even farther, leaving her bare to the waist. He immediately took control, sending her dress tumbling down around her ankles. Then he lifted her high enough to suckle her breast and leave her gasping for breath.

She threaded her fingers into his hair, pressing him closer, asking for so much more. When he raked the tips of his canine teeth across the sensitive skin, she shivered with delight and cried out.

He froze, his pale eyes flashing red in the dim light. “We must be quieter, Theda. Voices carry in the night.”

Her breath caught in her throat as she whispered, “Your eyes, Kane. They're . . . they're red.”

He immediately shut them and set her down at arm's length from him. When he started to back away even farther, she followed right after him.

Taking his hand in hers, she tried to cross the divide that had opened between them. “Kane, just explain. Don't shut me out.”

He still refused to look at her, but at least he stopped his retreat. After tugging his hand free from hers, he brushed his fingertips across the mark on his face.

“It is a sign of the magic that I was born with. I forswore the curse of my grandfather's bloodline when I was but a youth. That doesn't mean I could wash my blood free of its taint. Even though I don't practice dark magic, it has still marked me in several ways.”

He finally opened his eyes again, and they were back to their usual color. “In times of high emotion or danger, a little of the magic breaks free of its fetters.”

As he spoke, he bent down to retrieve her dress and held it out, still being careful not to touch her. “Perhaps it would be better if we focused on my original purpose in bringing you here.”

He'd carefully banked the fire that had burned so brightly between them only minutes before. She missed that connection, missed its heat and the promise of where it could take them both. Kane obviously expected her to reject him, and clearly that had been his experience in the past.

Theda hated that others had been careless with his heart. She knew right down to her bones that the cool reserve Kane showed to the world was how he protected his heart just as he carried a shield in battle to protect his body.

“Kane, there will be time enough to show me what you brought me to see.” As she spoke, she took her gown
from him and carefully folded it before setting it down on the table. She tried to act as if it were perfectly normal to be walking around nude in a man's room. She might have lost courage if she hadn't felt the hungry weight of Kane's gaze following her every move.

She half expected him to hold out her cloak next, but he didn't. That gave her hope that the wound she'd unintentionally inflicted wouldn't prove fatal to their original plans.

“I apologize for my thoughtless outburst, Kane. I truly meant no insult. I was just surprised.”

As she spoke, she moved back toward him, allowing him to look his fill and reveling in being able to rekindle the desire in this man.

He shifted restlessly, clearly having an increasingly difficult time holding on to his hard-fought control. “It was no insult, Theda, but an unpleasant truth. There is no denying I carry the taint of dark magic. You are right to be repelled by it.”

“You have it wrong, Kane.” She shook her head. “I am neither repelled nor attracted by the magic. There is no denying it is a part of you, but it's not what defines you. What I value is your honor, your courage, and your gentleness.”

He actually snorted in derision at that last comment. “Don't make me out to be something I'm not, Theda.”

“I won't if you won't. You would never raise your hand to a child or a woman. You have spent centuries serving at the side of your friends as a warrior who fights for the gods. How does that make you a bad man?” She smiled at him again. “The right answer to that question is that it doesn't.”

By moving slowly and steadily, she finally stood close enough to him that only a breath of air separated them now. He stood rock-still as she wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned in to his strength.

“Please don't let my outburst ruin tonight for us.”

She drew a deep breath, savoring the sharp, clean
smell that was all male. Her patience was finally rewarded when Kane's arms encircled her, holding her close as if she were something precious.

When he pressed a soft kiss to her temple, she raised her face to his, asking without words for more. He granted her wish, brushing his lips across hers, softly at first, but then gradually giving in to his hunger for her.

Oh, yes, this is what she needed. The tension that had been thrumming through Kane took on a new feel, a new purpose.

“Do you still want this?” he murmured.

She answered the question he was really asking with brutal honesty. “I still want
you,
just as you are. I don't care what color your eyes are or what that mark on your cheek means. You are not your grandfather.”

“He would have hated the man I've become.”

She started untying the laces on Kane's tunic. “Then he was a fool. Now, make love to me, Kane. I've waited long enough.”

*   *   *

Kane stared down at the woman—no, the miracle—in his arms. He had done his best to explain what he was, but she'd have none of it. In the past, he'd known women who wanted him to bed them because they liked the taste of danger. He'd learned early on to avoid such females because he hadn't liked the way he'd felt after coupling with them.

But Theda wasn't like them. When she looked up at him, those dark eyes were filled with an honesty that was just as seductive as her beauty. He let her continue stripping away his clothing just as her words stripped away the layers of protection he'd built up over the centuries.

He should have felt raw, too exposed to remove those final layers between them. Right now, all he could think about was how sweet it would be to lay her down and show her with his body what he couldn't find the words to say.

When she freed his cock from his trews, she smiled
happily, as if greeting a friend she hadn't seen in a long, long time. He knew just how she felt. It had been but two nights since they'd spent hours tangled up together in her bed. It felt like an eternity.

He wrapped her in his arms, kissing her as he backed her directly toward his cot. He wished he had a more suitable place to lay her down, but right now proximity outweighed any other requirement in a bed.

He took great care in lowering her down to the narrow mattress, wanting her to never doubt that he cherished the gift of her trust. He lay down beside her, keeping his eyes closed and letting his other senses guide him. The warm silk of her skin was such a stark contrast to his, and its scent went straight to his head, like the finest wine. Kissing the fluttering pulse point at her throat, he smiled.

Theda captured his face with her hands. “Kane, look at me.”

He knew what she was asking, but still he hesitated. The nearly white color of his eyes, which marked him as an avatar of the gods, was strange enough. He would not subject her to the red glow that was the curse of his grandfather's dark magic. For centuries his control over it had been unshakable.

He had no idea if it was the link Keirthan had been forging between them or simply the riot of emotions that Theda herself had unleashed in his heart that left him feeling as if he were tumbling down the side of a mountain. The cause didn't matter, only the outcome. But his lady was nothing if not stubborn.

“Kane, don't hide who you are from me.” She brushed his hair back from his face and added, “Please.”

He breathed in, doing his best to regain his iron-willed control. Not sure how successful he'd been, he did as she asked and looked down at her pretty face. She rewarded his efforts with one of her bright smiles, bathing him in the warmth of her simple acceptance.

“That's better,” she murmured. “Now, where were we?”

Theda studied him, nibbling her lower lip as her hand
wandered down his body, as if searching for the answer to her question. When she encountered the evidence of his aching desire for her, she gave him a smug look and murmured, “Ah, now I remember.”

He couldn't help but laugh, the last of his dark mood gone as he showed his lady that he, too, remembered.

*   *   *

Despite Kane's belief that they shouldn't tarry long in his quarters, they'd made love twice. The first time had been slow at the start, but hard and fast at the finish. The second time had been gentle and sweet. Both were perfect.

But as Theda laced up her gown and put on her shoes, she felt the press of time, the minutes and hours sliding by with no way to slow their passage. She hated it and not just because dawn was approaching. Kane felt the same even though he hadn't said so. It was there in his lingering touches and the way he stared at her as if memorizing every detail of her face.

Right now he was fussing with his shield. After setting it on the rumpled bed, he stood back to look at it. He made one last adjustment, angling it to face the room.

“I need to show you something, Theda.”

His voice was deeper than usual, a clear indication that his emotions were stirred up. She accepted his proffered hand and stood at his side.

“This is my shield.”

That much was obvious. What was special about it that he wanted her to see? She studied the image emblazoned on its surface.