Time of the Draig (16 page)

With a hand against her back and one stroking her head, Faolan said, “If my touch bothers you, I will cease.”

Again, choked laughter stuck in her throat. Samantha knew he thought it was because he touched her in the courtyard and guilt weighed heavy. She said, “This has nothing to do with you.” But even that was a lie.

Faolan placed a kiss to her head and asked, “Then tell me what has you so upset.”

It took several breaths to find a shred of composure. Samantha finally said, “In my trying to prevent the destruction of my world, I may have caused the end of everything.” Then it all poured out: the horror of a world she left behind, the want to prevent UNK005 from being found as it was one of the major root causes of the war, the foolish pride that made her believe she could and should intervene, what had gone wrong, and the uncertainty it could be corrected. She spoke of the grief of being left without her parents, the daily fear for her life, and the greater fear for Boomer. She added the unexpected side effect of Dana’s arrival and the guilt she carried for changing the world, even if for the better. Samantha ended with a tirade on how many lives may never exist versus the new ones that did and her responsibility for it all. Then she cried for all of the times she had held it in.

When her sobs had finished, Faolan said, “Ease your mind, Samantha, for I shall always be grateful your work allowed me to draw breath. If it brings you comfort, all I do will be to make the clan a fine one for the generations to come.” He nuzzled against her head and asked, “‘Tis why Jeff drank so deeply?”

“No. He enjoyed drinking with men his own age a bit too much,” Samantha said.

With his cheek resting against her head, Faolan asked, “Did you tell him what you told me?”

“Only the part where I need to find a way back or time could pop,” Samantha replied. “He doesn’t need to know about my personal fears.” At the moment, she could only be grateful to be wrapped up somewhere safe and warm. His heartbeat could be heard as she rested on his chest, and the sound was soft and steady.

The smile could be felt against her head as Faolan spoke, “Thank you for sharing all your thoughts and fears with me.” He again kissed her head. “Why did my touch cause all of this to pour from you?”

“It’s one more thing I don’t understand,” Samantha whispered.

“There is no mystery in my want for you. You called to me the moment I saw you fall through the door you created and every moment since. Sitting with you tucked into me gives me peace as I have never known. My greed knows no limit with you. Yet, I wish for you to feel the same need.”

“This may just be some crazy sexual attraction and nothing else.” Sadness overwhelmed her at the possibility.

“What does that mean?”

The laughter found a way out at the idea of explaining her statement. Samantha nestled into his neck. “This may just be a mutual want to touch and nothing more.”
Those several drinks have paid off. I never would have said that sober.

Faolan shifted her body and forced her eyes to his. He wiped the remnants of tears from her cheeks. “There is no denial in my want to touch you and to carry you to my bed. A single night with you would never be enough. While I want your passion, I want so much more.” His eyes searched her as he continued, “I want this too, for you to share with me what is in your thoughts and in your heart. My day is best when it begins with you to break our fast and ends with you by my side at the evening meal.”

The tear slid from her eye. “There may not be many more days because of me.”

“I have faith in you, even if you lack it this night. But should there only be a handful of days left, I would spend them only with you,” Faolan answered and wiped the errant tear from her cheek with the pad of his thumb.

“But why?” Samantha asked.

Faolan placed a soft kiss to her lips. “At first I thought you came here for me, that fate led you to me. Now I believe you, in a way, created me for you. Either way, all that matters is that we found each other. Our dragons ken the other, your orb of power kens only us, and our bodies beg for the touch of the other. Let me into your heart, Samantha. Together is all that matters.”

“I’m afraid,” she whispered as her eyes closed.

“Do you think this brings me no fear? Never in my life have I even dreamed of wanting someone by my side like this,” Faolan said as his hands cupped her face. “Yet I fear more the thought of you nay with me for all time, especially if time grows short.”

Faolan sighed. “You will fix this. I have no doubt. You are so verra wise, and your heart matches the strength of your wisdom. The only question I have is, will you seek to return to me?”

Unable to speak, Samantha nodded her head in agreement while held by Faolan’s hands. The kiss that answered her unspoken reply was warm and soft. His lips moved with slow ease over hers while her hands buried in his hair. The moment her nails grazed his scalp, it changed to something with greater need.

Faolan shifted her body to press against his as his tongue demanded entry. Soft and gentle had been replaced by hard want and need. The whimper echoed in her throat as his hard member pressed against her bottom. Worry, thought, and any notion of concern evaporated as she became lost in his embrace.

When she wriggled against him, Faolan rose to his feet with her still cradled in his arms and walked toward the stairs without breaking the kiss. How he managed to kiss her so thoroughly and climb the stairs defied all explanation.

She heard his shoulder hit something, and his mouth left hers gasping for air.

Faolan chuckled and placed a hard kiss to her lips. “The door was supposed to be unlatched. I dinna wish to give you a moment to think about us, but again fate is present. I am done with wasted time. Begin your life with me this night.”

Desire hummed through her veins as her hand reached for the latch. A night lost in his embrace called to her with a siren’s song.

The voice called out from behind them, “Put the major down.”

Samantha felt Faolan tense at Boomer’s softly spoken command. She called out, “Go back to bed.” Even as she spoke, her body was released to stand.

With her back braced against the door, she studied Faolan. Uncertainty flashed in his eyes, yet he still looked at her with hunger.

“I saw you throwing them back with Jeff. How drunk are you?” Boomer asked.

The question was mystifying. She was unsure if her reaction to Faolan was the alcohol or what he did to her every time he kissed her. Truth was, she didn’t care. When Faolan kissed her, nothing else mattered.
Is it so wrong that I want a night with no care or worry and just the security I feel when I’m wrapped in his arms?
With her gaze locked on Faolan’s, she replied, “Maybe Berlin drunk but definitely not San Diego drunk.” Boomer would catch the meaning as he had been with her on both occasions.

“Then tonight is over, Sam,” Boomer replied.

A smile crossed her face as she stared at Faolan. “I’m not done yet.” The reply was meant for both of them even if different meanings went out simultaneously.

The quiet stretched as Faolan gritted his teeth under her watchful eye. Samantha asked, “Are you going to tell Boomer to go away?”

Faolan’s potent gaze wandered from her head to her boots and back up again. He whispered, “While I am nay as wise as you, I am nay so foolish as to argue with the dark mountain at my back.”

Samantha heard Boomer’s laughter and pulled Faolan’s head down to meet her. “Really?”

Faolan whispered, “If your mind is clouded by drink, I will wait. There will be no excuses after I bed you. You will be mine for all time.”

Samantha shifted enough to cast a dirty look at the man who stood several paces behind them and pointed toward her chamber door. She pulled back to look up at Faolan with the understanding the moment was gone.

Faolan’s knuckles grazed her cheek. “Have sweet dreams, Samantha. I shall be with you in the morn.”

Samantha sighed in acquiescence and then made a move that surprised both of them. She pulled Faolan’s head down and kissed him as if her life depended on it. There was no gentle lead, just a release of the passion he had created throughout the night with his comfort, then words, and finally his kiss.

While her lips crushed his, her tongue took possession of his mouth. She claimed every part of it while her hands buried in his hair. There was no halt when his hands flattened on the door next to her head. If anything, she changed the rhythm. With slow strokes of her tongue, she mimicked the event that would not happen that night. Only when he growled into her mouth did she pull away and leave him gasping for air.

Her hands slid out from his hair and traced the strained vein on his neck before they dropped to her sides. Samantha would have smiled at the haunted look in Faolan’s eyes, but she knew hers held the same.

She whispered, “Sweet dreams,” and turned to walk to her door.

The smile crossed her face when she heard Faolan growl. “Go back to your bed, Boomer.”

“Not a chance. A sober Sam would have never done that,” Boomer replied.

“I dinna care.”

Boomer moved to stand between them in the corridor. “Thanks, Sam. Now I have to sleep at your door.”

Samantha turned to face him, but stared at Faolan, who still had hands braced on his door. She said, “I’ll behave,” but even she didn’t believe it. She wanted the man who stared at her over his outstretched arm. She craved the absence of thought that came when in his arms. Most of all, she wanted the secure feeling he placed in her heart, a heart that had never held such cravings.

Boomer moved with intense speed, and she was off her feet before she saw him coming. In a blink, she was in her chamber and thrown onto her bed. Boomer said, “You’ll thank me in the morning . . . or you won’t. Decide without half a pitcher of whatever that stuff was that you want him, and I won’t interfere.”

He could have at least thrown me on a pillow,
Samantha decided as she shifted on the bed. Her head hit something in the way, and she lifted the tied bundle in her hand. Even in the dark chamber, the fragrance gave it away—a tied bunch of dried lavender.

She added it to the collection of aromatic items on the bedside table: the pine branch, several sprigs of dried herbs and a small cutting of a tree that bloomed. It should have all overwhelmed the room, but the sea air moderated the scent. After so many years below ground with only stale recycled air, it made her happy.

The chamber was too empty. After only seconds of internal debate, she rose and walked to the door. There were no sounds in the corridor, and she doubted Boomer would seriously spend the night on patrol. The door opened slowly without a sound, and she took a step in to the corridor with Faolan’s door only five feet away.

“Get your drunk ass back in that room,” Boomer said from a chair placed to the left of her doorway.

She couldn’t restrain the laughter at the man who snarled at her. “Come on, Boomer. Lighten up. I’m a big girl.”

With a fluid grace no man his size should have, Boomer rose and stood before her. “We both know what Faolan is going to ask of you if you sleep with him. I’m beginning to think he’s as tenacious as you are. The man stood here and asked me to leave so he could claim you as his wife. Are you ready to face tomorrow with a hangover and a husband?”

Her head cocked to the side as she mulled over the options.
Go to bed alone while only able to think about him or wake up and argue about how there is no way I can marry him.
Samantha frowned as she admitted, “I can’t marry him. That would be too much interference in the fabric of this time. All I wanted was one night of feeling safe and desired. That’s how he makes me feel, safe and desired.”

Boomer nodded, and his tone softened at her confession. “Right now you’re drunk. Sober Sam doesn’t confess her emotional status, even to me.” Boomer pulled her in for a hug and held her against his massive chest. “Make decisions in the morning when you have a clear head.”

With a light push, Samantha found herself back in her chamber. Boomer said, “Go pass out, Sam. I’m in this chair until I hear you snoring.”

With a quick dirty look, she closed the door. To her, the notion that she snored was ludicrous at best. Samantha forced her body to move enough to remove her boots, socks, and the gown before slipping under the sheets. The fabric on her bare skin proved to be a small torture as every part of her had an idea of what it had been denied.

Her fingers moved with practiced motion to remove the day’s braid.
If only the problems that haunt my mind could be solved by letting my hair down.
She refused to drown in sorrow again. As she settled onto the pillow, Samantha focused on the scented air and tingle under her skin. Her thoughts wandered to everything Faolan had said in the hall. Then they wandered to what could have been before she fell asleep.

Chapter 12

The wine did little to quench his thirst. Faolan shifted again on the bench in the hall in a futile attempt to find a comfortable position. After two days, the part of him that craved to join with Samantha still longed for what it had been denied. Sleep had become elusive, his temper was quick to rise and his thoughts centered on the kiss she offered before his chamber door. His mind reeled at the tormenting memory of her passion unleashed.

His eyes closed as he raised the cup to his lips. Somewhere a voice called to him, yet he only heard her whisper his name. Blood roared through his veins at the thought of Samantha’s voice screaming his name in passion.

“Faolan, have you heard a word I’ve said?” Jeff asked again.

The wine washed down his throat before his eyes opened. Faolan finally gazed at Jeff seated across from him. “Forgive me, my mind wanders from the task at hand.”

“Maybe Samantha was right and we should find another way to do this.”

Faolan’s hand stopped the movement of the sensor tablet Jeff threatened to remove from the table in the hall. He said, “‘Tis fine. While I dinna understand how this tool works, I believe when you say this shows the ground beneath my feet.”

Jeff continued with his explanation of the world beneath the ground: the natural caves caused by the sea, the river that flowed in one cave that supplied the water for the wells, and how the outhouses needed to be moved to protect the water.

As if by magic, the image changed to a design drawn by Jeff to show the work needed. Faolan studied the map and nodded in approval. “There is great wisdom here. My grandmother has long spoken of the need for cleanliness. If you say this will keep my people safe for many generations, let the work begin. The Draig clan has many strong backs to aid in the task.”

“Then, as soon as the rain passes, I’d like to begin,” Jeff replied.

The rain was the reason they met in the hall in the late afternoon. Faolan would have preferred to walk the ground they had discussed, not rely solely on the tool Jeff possessed. He added, “Mayhap in the morning we can begin.”

Faolan smiled as his grandmother entered the hall and sat by his side. With a kiss to her head, he asked, “‘Tis there a problem? You never leave the kitchen when the evening meal is being prepared.”

“Keira has it under control.” Her irritated gaze shifted to Jeff. “How long are you going to let this go on?”

For such a fine question, Faolan again kissed his grandmother’s head. He had asked the same and received no definite answer.

“As long as there is no risk to Samantha, I have no reason to interfere. Boomer is with her and has said she is fine and in control.” Jeff’s voice lowered. “She’s the only one who can save this world.”

Dana snorted and said, “I understand that, but she has been at it since yesterday morning. The girl needs a break.”

With a smirk, Jeff said, “She’s on one now, though I doubt you’d approve that either. In truth, I’d rather see her get some sleep.”

“What does that mean?” Faolan demanded.

Jeff raised his hand to ask for calm. “Right before you and I sat down, I saw Boomer and Samantha head outside. They were going to train for a bit.”

Without another word, Faolan was on his feet and headed out into the rain. Jeff followed and urged restraint.

“Samantha said she needed the physical exertion to clear her mind. Boomer won’t let her do anything that could jeopardize her safety,” Jeff called as he jogged after him.

In Faolan’s mind, Boomer was a poor judge of what Samantha needed. If the mountain had not interfered, Samantha’s well-being would be his concern. She would sleep and eat as necessary. If her body needed motion to clear her thoughts, he would leave her gasping for air without the risk of weaponry.

Faolan heard the clash of swords before lightning lit the darkened afternoon sky to reveal the pair locked in combat. Cool rain fell in a torrent as they battled. Though Jeff called out, neither responded.

Faolan was again awed at her fluid grace; the weapon moved as if it were a part of her body. Her legs spun to offer kicks to Boomer as his sword fell again and again to strike hers. Faolan’s eyes bulged in concern when her weapon flew from her hands after a well-timed blow. Yet Samantha showed no concern as her lips peeled back in a harsh grin. Before he could blink, Boomer was on the ground, and his sword belonged to Samantha.

With a shift Faolan did not see, Boomer flipped her over, and the weapon flew away. He pinned her beneath his massive frame and demanded her surrender.

Jeff stepped to the pair on the mud-soaked field. “A bit too much lightning to be playing with metal, children. You’re done.”

Samantha laughed and pushed at the mountain that did not move. “We’re just getting warmed up.”

Though Jeff commanded Boomer to move, the man remained. Boomer playfully said, “Not until she yields.”

Faolan stepped close enough to catch the flash in her eyes, and he knew she was down but the fight was not over. He crouched next to her head. “It has been raining all day, and so by now there is plenty of heated water for a bath.”

“Sounds like heaven. As soon as I finish kicking his ass, we’re done.”

Boomer snarled and pressed his weight onto her chest while his knee pinned one arm beneath and a hand gripped her threatening hand. He warned, “You may want to step aside now.”

The next batch of lightning forced the small hairs on his neck to rise. Faolan heard a tree fall in distance due to the increasing ferocity of the storm.

Jeff grabbed Boomer’s arm and rolled him off of Samantha. “Mother Nature says you’re done. Get inside now.”

As Boomer rose to his feet, he offered a hand to lift Samantha and helped her rise. He looked down at her and mocked, “Looks like this one goes to me.”

Samantha laughed, “Only because we were interrupted.”

Faolan used his hand to brush the mud off of her braid. “Take no insult, but you were down.” Her eyes flashed with the lightning, and he drew a sharp breath. The restless spirit still showed the emerald brilliance. If Boomer and Jeff had not been present, he would have taken advantage of the situation. Samantha was clearly not done with the banishment of her demons. His thought raced with all the ways he could bring exhaustion to her flesh.

She knew his thought, Faolan was certain as the slow smile crept over her features. “Just because he had me pinned on my back doesn’t mean it was over. I was far from beaten,” she chided.

Faolan’s teeth ground as his mind saw her beneath his body and her skill used to add fire to their passion. A small silent thank you went out to the thunder that masked his groan.

Samantha leaned forward to let the rain wash the mud from her hair and back. He stared as her lips curved in a grin while the rain washed over her upturned face. Faolan was thankful the party made their way into the gate and around to the back of the keep. If she had stood any longer in silent surrender to the rain, he would have lost his mind.

Dana waited at the kitchen door and said, “Take off the muddy boots and go straight into the bathing area, all of you.”

Keira stood to separate Samantha from Faolan. With the crook of her finger, the women were behind the curtain that separated the two tubs.

Jeff asked, “How did it go today?”

The question was meant for Boomer though all waited for an answer. Faolan was certain Samantha had not shared her fears with them, as both showed only calm. His heart swelled with the knowledge she had only shared all with him.

“Not sure, but there were no signs of distress. She’s got it under control.”

“Do you always fight like that?” Faolan asked.

“No, the rain and muddy ground slowed us down. Normally we really go for the jugular, and it can get pretty ugly.” Boomer stripped and settled into the hot water. He sighed. “I’m looking forward to a quiet night.”

“Relax now, but we’re not done yet,” Samantha said, pulling back the curtain. “I’m going back in.” With a sharp look at Jeff, she said, “No arguments.”

Faolan stared like a man who had not seen a woman in years. Wet, loose hair hung to one side of her face. The muddy jacket was on the floor behind her as were her boots. Dainty bare feet met his eyes, wet trews clung to her legs, and the thin fabric of her soaked shirt hid little from his inquisitive gaze. A slender waist gave way to full breasts that appeared to be covered in the same garment she had worn in the loch. The strange clothing could not disguise the puckered nipples that his eyes feasted upon or the cleavage he had briefly touched.

There was amusement on her face. One eyebrow lifted as she pointed to the brilliant green of her eyes. She mouthed, “Up here,” and turned back to her private bath. The chuckle emerged as he recalled her speaking those same words on the eve he had first seen her dressed in a gown, which had offered him a peek at the flesh he craved to touch.

Before Keira could close the curtain completely, Samantha lifted the wet shirt over her head, and he caught a flash of her beast. His hand gripped the handle of his dagger rather than reach for the skin that tempted him beyond reason and settled for the raised pattern of the dragon. The sounds of a splash were the only confirmation needed to know she was sitting bare in the tub of water.

Keira called out from behind the curtain, “Laird Faolan and Jeff, stay here. You two are next. I dinna need a keep full of fever due to the cold rain.”

Though wet from head to toe, Faolan felt only heat and warmth as his mind imagined her bare body soaking in the tub.

Samantha reached to disengage the connection with UNK005. Her sigh escaped as the metal was removed from her temple. With a glance at the light from the window, she asked, “How long?”

Boomer shifted his head from side to side as he checked his watch. “Roughly fourteen hours. Not sure on the time zone here, but the men have all eaten breakfast.”

“I’m sorry. Why don’t you go eat and then get some sleep?” Samantha said. Though Boomer never once complained in all of their years together, she felt horrible for the sleep deprivation and missed meals.

“Keira brought me something an hour ago. She said when you’re ready they’ll have something in the kitchen,” Boomer replied and proceeded to stretch. “Do you need to get it out?”

Samantha rose from the chair and copied his movement. The thought of a quick fight was interesting, but she hadn’t slept for two nights. She was too certain Boomer could take her.

With a hug for the man who gave up all his comfort for her protection, she said, “Go to bed, and that’s an order, Sergeant.”

Boomer’s arms wrapped around her shoulders and returned the embrace. “Only if you’re sleeping, too.”

“After I eat,” she replied as she let go and walked to the door.

“Maybe you want to get dressed first, Sam,” Boomer chided.

She laughed, as she noted she still wore the robe from the previous night’s bath. With a quick check on the empty bed, she asked, “Where’s my uniform?”

“It only stopped raining a few hours ago. Keira said clothes won’t be dry until later today.” Boomer held up the garment that was on the table behind her computer, “Civilian today.” With a quick check to the items that hung by the fire, he added, “But your unmentionables are dry.”

The best decision she had made was to not let the laundry women touch her underwear. Everything went into the boiling pot; no one was concerned with a delicate cycle. Samantha dropped the robe and began to dress.

Boomer said, “You could have asked me to leave.”

As the pale blue dress slipped over her head, she said, “I need your help to tie this thing.” She stepped closer to give Boomer access to the side lacing. “Any chance my boots are dry?”

“A fireplace in the room has certain advantages,” Boomer replied, pointing at them.

She smiled at the dry boots before the cooling embers. In a flash, her hair was braided and she was in the corridor. It took little to coerce Boomer to go to bed.

Bright daylight flooded the hall from the open front door. A warm breeze wafted in, and she could hear laughter from the courtyard.

Jeff rose from his seat at the table, “Nice to see you unplugged. Have you slept?”

He should have asked if I solved the problem, which I haven’t
. Every time she thought she was close to the answer, UNK005 proved her wrong. With a shake to her head, she forced away the disappointment and fear. Jeff didn’t need to see the self-doubt, and she wasn’t ready to share what she had encountered.

When she looked at him again, she noted the handmade pants and shirt. “Uniform still wet?”

“Yes, but I’ve ordered everyone into civilian dress today. It’s a day off all around. Faolan gave his men the day, so I followed suit.”

Without any hesitation, she replied, “They deserve it.”

“That means you, too. No more going in, no more calculations, and no more thinking. Take the day off and do something else. It’s beautiful outside. Go play.”

With an eye roll, she answered, “No can do with the fabric of the universe in jeopardy.” Samantha attempted to make light of the precarious situation.

“A wise man once said, ‘we can’t solve the problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.’ Go find a new way to think in the fresh air,” Jeff replied.

“Did you just quote Einstein to me?” Samantha asked with disbelief.

“Actually, it was one of your father’s favorite quotes when we were in strategy sessions,” Jeff said with a quick wink.

“Mayhap I can find a way to convince Major Samantha to enjoy the day,” Faolan said as he approached.