In Rapture (Destined) (28 page)

Malinda
clamped her legs together and looked at Grant with determination. “Enough. My
turn.”

Grant
looked as if he were about to deny her request, but he sat back and gestured
for her to make her way. She sat up and advanced at him so swiftly that she
caught him off guard, and he fell back into the mossy bank below them. She
wrapped her hand in his dark brown tunic, ran it slowly up the ripples of his
abdomen, up over the taut nipples surrounded by dark blond hair, up over the
sturdy shoulders, until he had no choice but to raise his arms in the air in surrender.
She whipped the garment over his head and tossed it carelessly on the ground
beside them. She ran her hands over every inch of his upper torso until they
reached the waist of his dark breeches. She unlaced them and slipped a firm
hand inside, reveling in the rush of air that left his lungs. She let her hand
roam past the curls that fell just below his hips and bit her lip when they ran
into the tip of his swollen member, the softest part of his body, sweet and
soft mixed in with hot and heavy. Malinda grabbed onto him and squeezed the
length as best as she could with her hand trapped in the confines of his
breeches. She removed her hand slowly and began to tug the breeches from around
his hips. Before she could get them all the way off she captured the head of
his cock in her mouth, wrapped her tongue around the tip, and let her mouth
kiss him as they had kissed earlier.

Malinda
felt as if a hole had opened up below her and she would suddenly be swallowed
within its ecstasy as she continued to take his heat into her mouth. She wanted
to cover every inch of him at once. She felt him push into her mouth, the heat of
him intense.

“Enough,
Malinda.”

“So
you’ve had enough now? That was almost too easy, my love.” Removing her mouth
from him, she reached down to remove the rest of his breeches and realized that
she had not removed his boots. She stood there on her knees, her breasts high
in the air, as she worked the boots off his feet. Malinda knew he was enamored
of her chest, for her breasts had grown larger with each month of her
pregnancy, and her nipples that were once a soft pink had turned a light brown
hue. He reached up to grab her nipples in his hands, and she dropped his foot
in reflex. The hot shards of longing that encompassed her the moment he touched
her were more than she could take. She sat on top of him and straddled his hips
so that he was just inches from her entrance. She leaned over to kiss him, half
reticent of the small mound of her belly that rocked gently into his abdomen.
She rose as if to remove her extra weight from his body and he enticed her
deeper into him. Their kiss only intensified their need for each other. When
Malinda sat back she sank onto his shaft and sat up astride him, her long black
hair cascading down her back, her chest rocking in rhythm to the splay of their
hips. The wildness that had been dormant within them both raised its weary head
and took them over. When they both were satiated Grant pulled her down into his
arms and cradled her into his body. Sudden exhaustion drifted through her and
she soon found herself drifting into a peaceful slumber, her body held almost
preciously against him.

Chapter 34

Malinda
awoke to the wind tearing through the trees. She bolted upright, pushed her
hand into Grant’s shoulder to wake him up, but he seemed to be in a deep sleep.
She picked up her clothing, quickly jerked her shift over her, and soon
followed it with her blue calico dress. She raised her nose in the air and
closed her eyes. The winds rustled leaves from the ground and levitated them in
small circles. Malinda walked over to them and let them swarm around her as the
message whispered into her ears.
They have her!

“Grant!”
The terror in her voice was hard to hide. She kneeled down beside him and
pushed at his shoulders with all her might, rolling him over so that his face
smashed into the ground. His head jolted upon impact and his eyes quickly
opened.

“What
are you doing, Malinda?”

“It’s
Sophia, Grant. Something’s wrong. We have to go immediately!”

Grant
knew better than to question her intuition. He dressed as quickly as his hands
would allow and reached for Malinda’s hand, but she would not take it. “Malinda?”

“You
will move faster without me. Go! There may still be time.” She gestured for him
to leave and was happy to see him comply. She would follow after him as quickly
as she could. As she walked through the orchard guilt ate at her soul. If she
and Grant had left together, followed right after Desiree and Sophia, then she
would never have been in danger. Grant had said the Lair was close to Wickford.
They should have made sure everyone returned unharmed. Malinda knew she could
sit there blaming herself until the moon fell out of the sky, but it really
would not help the situation. She needed to focus on bringing Sophia back. She
put her hand on her belly to support it as her feet moved as fast as they could
over the terrain.

When
she made it to the manor the ladies directed her to Grant’s study. When she
entered it, she saw Grant sitting at his desk, clutching a swatch of red fabric
that looked old and faded. “Grant? What happened?”

“Seamus
has her. He ambushed Desiree and Sophia, right at our back door. Malinda, I’m
sorry.”

“What
do you have to be sorry for, Grant? You did not make this happen.”

“Desiree
is a little shaken, but she will be fine. They were ambushed before they made
it to the end of the orchard. Desiree was knocked unconscious. I can only
assume they did that so someone would be able to inform me of Sophia’s
abduction. It’s just like Seamus.” Grant looked down uncomfortably before
continuing. “Malinda, they killed Mule.”

Malinda
felt emptiness slide into the pit of her stomach. Tears lined the rim of her
eyes, but she was determined to stay focused on the things she could change.
She had loved that dog, for he was so much more like a best friend than an
animal. While his death pained her she was more concerned with the matter at
hand. Sophia needed them. “He left the fabric?”

“Yes.
Did you hear me, Malinda?”

Malinda
nodded her head, but refused to meet his eyes. She did not want to show any
form of weakness, not if she wanted to travel with her husband to save her
daughter. “I heard you, Grant. There are more pressing matters at hand here. I’ll
deal with Mule later. First, what is that from?” She picked up the swatch of
material and ran it through her fingertips, hoping to get a vision from it. She
sat it back down when nothing came through. “Neither one of them was wearing
clothing made from that material.”

Grant
refused to meet her eyes. “It was Maria’s.”

Suddenly,
Malinda understood the dark shadows that had circled around her husband. This
was more than just a kidnapping. This was a vendetta that, up until this point,
had not seen a resolution. So be it. If Seamus Finnigan wanted a show down then
he would have one. “Then she is alive, Grant. Did he leave anything else with
it?”

Grant
gestured to the dagger on the desk. “It was stuck through it.”

Malinda
picked up the dagger and felt as if she had been stung with a hot poker. She
saw Maria, a young woman, perhaps a Maria that had existed long before Grant.
She was walking through a marketplace, a carefree look across her face. Maria
snuck up behind a man who was checking on his horse that was saddled to a
wooden pole. She wrapped her arms around him and covered his eyes with her
hands. He turned to her and Malinda gasped when she heard Maria call him
Seamus. It was Seamus Finnigan, she was sure of it. Malinda then saw the
flashing image change before her. Suddenly Maria was in a chapel with Grant on their
wedding day. As they departed the church she saw Maria break away for a moment.
She was pulled into the arms of Seamus, but she pushed him away. She told him
that he was not nearly as worthy as Lord Timberlin, for he had no wealth or
riches to keep her with. Another flash and the same dagger being used to rip
the red dress from her body. Hours of torture forced their way into Malinda’s
brain too quickly and she dropped the dagger, but not before she saw the pouch
that Seamus had filled with Maria’s teeth and hair.

“Malinda?”

“I
get it now. It all makes sense. He’s behind ALL of it. We have to find, Sophia.
I will contact Lysandra at once. She is good at locating people.”

“I
can’t wait forever. I have to move, Malinda.”

“Trust
me, Grant. Stay put.” Without his notice she pocketed the dagger and took it
with her. She went to her place of meditation and sent a desperate plea along
the wind, hoping the message would make its way to Lysandra swiftly. She closed
her eyes and prepared her soul to take flight, hoping that her wait in Lena
would not be too long.

The
beauty of Lena was usually all it took to fill her with peace, but there would
be no peace, not until she found Sophia. She paced back and forth in the fields
hoping to see a familiar flash of light. She was not disappointed. Soon three
orbs of light flickered before her, landed on the grass around her, and then
took on their earthly shapes.

“Malinda?
What’s wrong?” Lysandra looked over at her with concerned eyes.

“They
took Sophia. We have to find them.”

“When
did this happen?”

“A
few hours ago.” Malinda looked down to the ground with a red guilt flushed
face. “Grant and I were distracted. We never should have let them go back to
the manor alone.”

Lysandra
reached out for Malinda and hugged her against her. “Hush now. Don’t worry. We’ll
find her.”

Malinda
hugged Lysandra tightly before letting her go. “Here’s what I know. Seamus
Finnigan has her. When I touched the dagger he left behind I saw more bits and
pieces about his relationship with Maria. I don’t think Grant knows that Seamus
and Maria were in a relationship before they got married. Seamus blames Grant
for taking Maria away from him. He murdered Maria because she had turned him
away. He took Sophia to get back at Grant.”

“Then
you must assume it is a trap,” interjected Brenda as her red hair bounced
around her. She was visibly upset. “You cannot just rush into this unprepared.”

“Aye.
I know it is a trap and I don’t intend to be unprepared, but I do need to know
what direction he traveled in.” She looked over at Lysandra, the desperation
clear in her face. “Lysandra, that is my child out there, as true as if I had
carried her under my own heart. Please help me find her.”

Lysandra
bit her lip and nodded her head. “Of course, but you are not doing this on your
own. We’re only a day’s ride away from you.” Lysandra closed her eyes and let
her mind’s eye travel on the Earthly plane below. She seemed lost to time and
space as her hands waved in front of her, as if she reached out to touch the
invisible lands before her. It took a few minutes before Lysandra opened her
eyes. “We’re in luck. He’s headed in our direction, to the east. If you send
your men to the east we will send ours to join you. I’ll send you a message on
the wind when we are nearer. The fates tell me they will stop for the night.
Leave now, travel through the night while they rest, and you should find them.
I’ll inform Aiden right away.”

“Thank
you!”

“I
know I cannot stop you from going, but please take great care. Seamus will be
expecting you. It is a trap.”

“I
will make sure Grant is aware of the trap, but I guarantee it will not make any
difference.”

“Go
with love and light, Malinda.” April hugged Malinda and ran a hand along her
belly. “All will be fine, my dear. Just take it one step at a time.”

“Are
you sure?” Malinda knew that April had great healing powers and keen intuition
when it came to the unborn.

“Just
take care how fast you ride.”

“I
will. Thank you ladies. Your assistance is invaluable.” Malinda waved a fond
farewell to the ladies before traveling back to her body.

The
instant she returned to her body, she raced into the manor. She found Grant
pacing the study, his brows furrowed with the darkest thoughts. “We go east.”

“I
go east,” Grant corrected her.

“You
cannot expect me to stay here. You’ll need me.” Malinda saw the stress that
made a chord pop out in his neck. She knew she was pressing her luck, but she
would not rest until Sophia was brought home safely and she refused to lose her
husband in the process. He may not realize it now, but he needed her help.

“What
I
need
is to know that you are safe, Malinda.” Grant started toward the
door.

“You
cannot leave me here, Grant. I will find a way to follow. You can either go
without me and worry about which means I use to follow you, or you can take me
with you and know that I am safe with you every step of the way. No room will
hold me, no chains will bind me. Besides, if you are so worried for my safety,
how do you know they have not left more men hiding around here? I will be
safest with you and your men, for they will do whatever they can to use those
you love against you.”

Grant
grasped her arms tightly and shook his head in frustration. “You cannot travel
in your condition, Malinda.”