Time of the Draig (22 page)

Minutes ticked by before Samantha realized she was on a bed and not floating in a distant sea. A soft kiss laced with ragged breath could be felt just below her ear. Her legs ached with the pressure she used to hold his body inside, and she let them fall to bend at the knee against his hips.

As she struggled to catch her breath, Faolan whispered against her neck, “Mine.”

Heaven help me, he always speaks the truth.
There was no room for argument at what had just happened. Samantha knew that even if she managed to survive what was to come, she would always be his, no matter where or when she lived. But that didn’t mean she had to say it. She replied, “I love you.”

She felt his chuckle inside her spent body. “Your sweet words are a gift to my ears, wife.”

Before she could argue, he placed a soft kiss to her lips and lifted his body away from hers. Samantha gasped as he removed his length from inside her and watched the smile cross his face as he rolled to his side. Without thought, she shifted to drape her body over his, much the same as she had while they slept in the meadow.

Faolan kissed her hair while his hand traced the dragon on her back. Samantha squirmed against him to allow his hand full access as she did the same to his front.

Faolan cleared his throat. “You should have told me you came to me untouched. Our joining should have begun with sweet words and gentle touches, nay with my harsh demands.”

With a kiss to his chest, Samantha lifted enough to see the regret on his face. Her hand brushed the tangled hair away from his face. “It was perfect.” The worry left his eyes, and she settled back against his warm skin.

He pulled her close. “Did I hurt you?”

In a way the answer was yes if only because the night would leave her only wanting more. Samantha wanted the time she would be denied, time to know every thought in his head, time to explore his passionate nature, and time to enjoy the simple pleasure of just being in the same room with him.
Now
had never seemed so fleeting.

Yet she knew he asked about her physical being. “I think I did that to myself.”

Faolan laughed, and her cheek bounced lightly on his chest. She continued, “I meant it. That was perfect.”

“You are now mine, and there can be no greater perfection,” Faolan said after he kissed the top of her head.

The sigh that left her lips wasn’t for the contentment she should feel wrapped in his arms because it held only pain. She said, “Just now, Faolan.”

Once again Samantha found herself flat on her back. There was no resistance for the movement she could have prevented. Her hand lifted to tuck his hair behind an ear as he looked down on her.

“You agreed. Mayhap we should question the men who currently guard the walls what word left your lips?” Faolan growled at her from his perch on his elbow at her side. “Your loud cries of aye had to have been heard by all.”

Once again she had only made him angry. Samantha smiled at his irritated face. “You asked me multiple questions with the intent to get the response you wanted.”

Surprise covered his face at being caught, along with a broad grin. “It worked.”

His playful nature was back, and Samantha pulled his head down for a kiss. Faolan rewarded her, his chest covering her and a kiss that promised sweet tenderness. When he lifted, she said, “Only for now.”

The debate was written in his eyes as she watched; he wanted to argue, but apparently saw the futility. Instead, Faolan lifted from her and rose from the bed. While he stood, his eyes wandered her body from head to toe with a look as solid as any touch. “You are a fine sight in this bed. If you even think of moving, you will regret it.” The threat came with a smile.

Samantha appreciated the outline of the bare male form that crouched before the hearth. Sounds of liquid could be heard as it poured into a cup. Even in the dim shadows, his powerful back flexed with the light activity. The guilty smile came as he glanced over his shoulder and caught her perusal.

When he rose with a cup and something else in his hand, Samantha rolled onto her stomach. For some reason beyond her scope of reason, she didn’t want to see the full dragon on his flesh.

The bed dipped slightly as Faolan crept on from the other side out of her line of sight. She smiled into the pillow as a cool damp cloth bathed away what the lovemaking had left on her thighs. The act didn’t surprise her, as he always sought to make certain she was comfortable.

A cup touched her arm, and she lifted enough to sip the wine and hand it back without seeing him. Samantha knew he waited for her to say something, but she didn’t have the words either one of them wanted.

The next sigh she uttered was very different from the last. Warm fingers traced the dragon from her shoulder blade to her back, around the swirl of the serpentine body and down her backside to end on her thigh. It was a whimper that followed when he repeated the process with light kisses. Her body moved into the soft lips and anticipated every point of contact.

Against the back of her thigh, Faolan whispered, “Mayhap I simply need to make you agree again, wife.”

The only reply she made was to whisper his name. The argument was cut off by his body that covered hers and pressed her against the bedding.

He asked in a harsh whisper, “Can you feel my beast merge with yours? Can you feel how even now we are one?”

The thought of
one
tickled the edge of her mind, and she knew it meant something else and something she missed. The word
one
had significance, more than Faolan’s implored question.
What is one?

But thoughts ended as she felt the part of him harden against her upper thigh. When a warm hand smoothed up her sides and palmed the side of her breast, all coherent thought evaporated. There was just
now
as the same hand continued its soft caress over her arm on the pillow and fingers intertwined with hers.

She breathed out, “There is now.”

Faolan laughed against her hair. “On the morrow, there will be another now. The next day will also gift us with a now to be savored. I see a great many nows for us to share.”

For a man who has never dreamed of a clock, he has an interesting perspective on time,
Samantha mused. Her eyes closed as his fingers gripped hers tighter than before. Still she said nothing because she could argue time better than anyone and understood the repercussions all too well. Yet he was correct, and she loved him even more for finding the loophole even if it couldn’t change what would happen.

“I like this now with us,” she whispered.

Samantha felt the smile he gave in her hair. Faolan released her hand, and his finger traced back up her arm, over her shoulder, and came to a halt against the side of her breast. At the unspoken request, she lifted just enough for the hand to cup the flesh she laid upon.

Faolan kissed her hair and nuzzled it aside enough to kiss the side of her cheek. “‘Tis a fine now, Samantha.” With a light squeeze for the mound in his hand, he continued, “In this now, I will love with the slow passion you should have had from me. In this now, my touch will be soft and gentle against your skin. My lips will utter how your beauty stirs my need for you and how you give such meaning to my life. In this now, there will be softly spoken words of love and devotion at my desire to always have you by my side.”

He shifted to place a kiss to the back of her shoulder. “In this now, I would have your wee hands on my flesh as we discover all the ways to find pleasure together. Be warned, for in this now once again you will scream you are mine and in the now of the morn, all will ken we are one.”

Faolan was a man of his word, and she relished every part of his vow. For this now, she would love him as he loved her, completely. Samantha pushed away the thought of the dawn and the task to be completed. She whispered, “I love you and this now,” and rolled under his body to face the man who wanted to give her everything. She bathed in the soft glow of the eyes that held hers as if she were the only person who ever existed. The love was clear in his features and in the tenderness of his light kiss. A silent prayer floated in her mind of how she wanted the night to be longer than any other even if that were impossible. With great force she pushed away the certainty that one night would never be enough.

She smiled into his eyes. “Love me now.”

Being a man of his word, Faolan did.

Chapter 14

Faolan had fallen asleep, as he had wished, tangled in a web of exhausted sweaty flesh. Yet in the light of the morning, he stood alone in the chamber to stare at the stain upon his bedding. Samantha had fled, and he would give chase until she honored the vow given so many times during the night.

With a rough tug, he heard the rip as the sheet pulled from the bed. It mattered little, as the cloth would never again grace the mattress. The evidence of the marriage would be hung in the hall for all to witness. Their words would resonate off the stone walls with the same passion in which they had first been made.

With the sheet bunched in his hand, he stormed into the corridor. Faolan stopped in mid-step to face Boomer, who clearly waited for him dressed once again as a guard. The massive man leaned against the wooden wall with arms folded across his chest. Faolan growled, “I dinna wish to argue with you now, Dark Mountain. Where is Samantha?”

Boomer closed the short distance between them. “Save the pet names, but not in her chamber, if that’s where you were headed.” The man’s eyes looked him up and down, and he said, “We have a problem. Samantha’s not willing to speak to me. She always talks to me about everything, but not this. So, you need to tell me what’s up.”

“Where is she?”

“No, first we talk,” Boomer declared.

A blind man would have been able to see the agitation on Boomer’s face, and Faolan knew better than to make the mountain angry, yet he said, “Samantha thinks to deny the vow she made to me. I would see it honored. I would call you brother this day if only by right of marriage.”

Boomer glanced at the bunched sheet. “Do you think it’s a good idea to approach her with that attitude?”

Faolan frowned at the man. “Apparently sweet talk has little meaning to her ears.”

Boomer laughed. “Looks like there’s a first time for everything.” His gaze found the stairs. “She’s in the kitchen helping to make breakfast, which is another problem. Samantha only cooks when she believes she’s done something wrong.”

Faolan weighed the words and understood the meaning. Given all she said about having to leave to repair time, a marriage was the last entanglement she wanted. His mind argued that it was too bad; she had him whether she liked it or not.
One cannot deny the love we shared just because it isn’t convenient.

“Your friend has erred in no way other than to commit to me. Though she thinks it is a mistake given the possibility of no return,” Faolan said. He looked up at the man. “She told me of the need to leave my time and her doubt of being able to return, yet the word
impossible
never crossed her lips.”

Boomer nodded. “Please stop looking at me with those pathetic puppy dog eyes. Just give me one good reason to let you pass.”

With no hesitation, Faolan replied, “I love her.”

Satisfaction crossed Boomer’s face. “I was hoping that would be your answer.” He paused and added, “You do realize in some misguided way she is trying to protect you. Everyone here seems to be under the impression your mother left because she couldn’t face being here without your father. I respect that kind of love.

Samantha doesn’t want that to be you. Can you accept we might be gone and never come back? She was thoughtful enough to leave you an out. Don’t go after her because you feel some sort of obligation.”

Faolan’s breath caught in his throat at the notion the woman he held in the night would think to save him. Her words and tears all made sense with the simple declaration. “Tell me, do you think she errs and may be able to find a way back to me?”

Boomer rubbed his hand over his hair. “In all the years together, I’ve never known her to be wrong, even when she thinks she is. But I have never accepted impossible as a final answer. So you know, if she told you we can’t come back, it’s probably the way it will be.” A sly smile crossed his face. “Between you and me, there’s something she missed, but I can’t say more than that. So, my question is, do you still want to go after her knowing she might be wrong? If you go after her, there is a small chance she might come back.”

“I would nay waste a single moment together, and I pray you speak true and that she can return to my side,” Faolan answered as he studied the conspiratorial look on the man before him. He would swear Boomer knew more than he shared. “What did she miss?”

The look was gone and replaced by something Faolan could not name. Boomer answered, “Let’s just call it hope.” Boomer pointed at the bundle in his hands. “Is there a reason you’re carrying that around?”

Faolan nodded. “It hangs in the hall as proof of our joining.”

Boomer shook his head and laughed. “Oh yeah, she’s going to be thrilled about that.”

The sarcasm dripped from the mountain, and Faolan wondered why. “It proves Samantha is a fine, virtuous woman, and most would be proud to have such evidence shown.” Faolan then asked, “May I go to find my wife?”

“If you can talk her into it, she’s your wife. So you know, I will protect her even from you,” Boomer warned.

“I ken this, Boomer. But for the days we have left together, she is mine to protect,” Faolan stated.

Boomer laughed. “First convince her, and then we’ll decide who has to stand around while she logs into that thing.”

The walk down the stairs passed with words of wisdom from the mountain he did not expect. Boomer ended with, “Lose the confrontational attitude, and you may have a chance.”

The hard stone of the hall greeted his feet, and Faolan nodded in thanks. “Will you come with me?” Not that he wanted Boomer close, but the man deserved the opportunity to protect his friend.

“No way. You’re on your own. For what it’s worth, good luck,” Boomer said as he walked to the table where Jeff and some of their men sat.

With a quick glance, Faolan noted how the two clans were intertwined. His men sat with hers, and they shared the food from the table. He called for Keira, who walked to greet him. From the way Jeff turned at her name, he knew peace was yet to come between the pair.

Faolan thrust the sheet into her arms. “See it hung.” Without further delay, he walked to the corridor that led to the kitchen and the woman who ran.

The aroma of the food being prepared greeted him first. While the kitchen bustled with women who worked to fill the bellies of the men, the shortest woman in the kitchen stood out. Samantha once again wore the garb of a man with her hair restrained in a tight braid down her back. His hand twitched at the memory of its glorious soft feel.

Boomer’s words rang in his mind as he approached from behind. Samantha scooped eggs laden with meat and cheese into the serving dish. As the last drop hit the platter, he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close. With a kiss to her head, he said, “There is no need for my wife to make the meal.”

The body that had spent the night wrapped around his stiffened in his arms and uttered a sigh that carried no pleasure. Faolan picked a piece of egg from the tray and popped it in his mouth. “Though if all you cook is so fine, I may insist you spend your days trapped within the kitchen.”

Samantha turned within his arms. “I’m sorry, I can’t . . .”

As soon as the first word left her lips, Faolan lifted her head within his hands and stopped her speech with a soft kiss. The lips that would have denied him with words returned the sweet offering. He lingered long enough to count silently to five and parted to see her closed eyes.

Loud enough for the women standing close by, he cheerfully said, “Good morrow, wife.”

The wince showed on her features as several women called out their best wishes. Even as she spoke, her eyes remained hidden. “Our now is past.”

His fingers slid along the soft contours of her cheeks to cover the sides of her head. Faolan requested, “Look at me and tell me we are over.”

Had he known what would greet him, Faolan would have never asked to see. The brilliant green was alive with pain. Boomer was correct; Samantha walked away to save him the hurt, even if it crushed her spirit. Staring in the depths of her eyes, he said, “The new day gifts us with a now.”

With no inflection in her tone, Samantha replied, “I need to work today and every day until I have the answer needed. I can’t just . . . I can’t be . . . what you want.”

Faolan forced a chuckle, even if he only wanted to scream at the ridiculous words. “You are what I want even if you are locked from sight during the day. I need to assist with planting my crops and make certain the warriors train. While I would happily spend the day at your side, both of us face duty.” With a smile, he said, “At day’s end we can share a meal and talk of our events. Then we can sleep wrapped in the warmth of the other.”

“I need to focus on finding a way to leave. Being with you will only make that harder,” Samantha said as a lone tear slipped from one eye.

Faolan wiped the tear with his thumb. “What would be worse is kenning how close you are and nay having the now we could share. Let work fill your days and escape the burden with me at night. Share your thoughts with me while I hold you in our bed. I can nay save you as I wish I could, but I can make your last days here full of love and life. Should we be parted, then we will have sweet memories of the other.”

“I don’t need to be your wife for that to happen,” Samantha replied.

“Mayhap nay and yet ‘tis the truth between us. You gave yourself only to me, which has such great meaning. Words of love and agreement to my claiming were given. I would see you honored as wife before your men and never seen as a woman I use only to warm my bed.” Faolan could only smile as her eyes searched his. Samantha only closed her eyes when she wished to hide.

Without a moment for her to speak, Faolan continued, “We have this now, the now of this night and more to follow. Share them with me. Love me if only for a short while.” With a ragged sigh, he made the only vow he never intended not to keep. “When you leave, I will nay wait. On that day, I will kiss you farewell with all the love in my heart kenning it was the last one ever to be shared.”

Before Samantha could reply, Boomer called from behind, “You two are needed in the hall now.”

Faolan turned to glare at the disruption, but Boomer was already gone. When he looked down at Samantha, the major had replaced the hurting young woman.

She pulled away from his touch and donned the jacket of her uniform. A stronger voice said, “Let’s go see what’s so important.”

Not to let a chance slip by, Faolan guided her by the back to the hall. “Our clan may have need of us this day.” He caught her scowl and laughed until they reached the hall. The sight of all the men gathered around Jeff at a table told him all he needed: there was trouble and it was big.

Men stepped aside to allow him and Samantha to stand across the table from Jeff, who held the image of his lands out for all to see.

Jeff said, “The men on the wall have bogies moving in from here, here, and here.” The captain pointed to three points on the picture of Faolan’s lands.

Faolan’s first instinct was to scowl at the detailed representation of his lands. Clearly more detail was depicted than what had been shown to him for the outhouses. Yet his eyes noted the areas Jeff pointed to: the far side of the village, the land beyond his planting fields, and the area surrounding the main trail to his gate.

“Bogie means people in this case,” Samantha clarified.

Faolan nodded and listened to Jeff state the intruders were still a half an hour away on foot. His eyes bulged at the number of men approaching; fifty-plus men was not a small attack. He only held thirty-two warriors. Samantha and her men added another ten, and still they were outnumbered. While there were men in the village, they were farmers and craftsmen. Still, he knew all would wield a weapon in defense of their home.

“We spotted the scouts scurrying back or we would have missed them completely. It was only on infrared were we able to find them. I’m still not positive on the count given the distance, though it is definitely three main forces approaching with runners going back and forth between the squads. Can’t be a coincidence that they aren’t approaching via the training fields. These scouts have done well,” Weiler added.

Jeff looked up from the detailing of Faolan’s lands. “My men are grabbing their weapons. Kagen has gone to warn your men who are training and have them report to the gate for instructions.”

Faolan nodded and yelled, “Men, arm yourselves! We fight for our lives this day!”

He felt Samantha’s hand on his arm before he could turn to the door. “We need a bit more of a plan than charge.”

“We need three groups of men to face the approaching squads,” Jeff said.

Samantha asked, “Where is Miller?” When her eyes found him, she said, “I want you on the roof with a communicator. You are our eye in the sky. Each squad takes two of our men with communications, and Miller calls the battle.”

“Ma’am, I can hold my own,” Miller objected.

With a warm smile, she said, “I know that, soldier. However, you are the only medic, and odds are we will have wounded.”

“Fine. The local midwives are very skilled and can handle the basics. But what happens when serious injuries come in?” Miller asked.

Faolan understood the question and turned to stare at one of his men. He asked, “Can you work the tool that allows us to speak over distances?”

Rolph had fought with his father and earned his sword from his grandfather’s hand. The old man growled, “I would rather use my sword one last time in service of the clan.”

Dana’s voice surprised the gathering. “Easy, Rolph. You can serve me better by watching over the battle and using your experience to guide the young ones. I would feel much better knowing a strong warrior stayed within the walls to see to my protection.”

Faolan smiled as the old one bowed before his grandmother. In a flash, Miller and Rolph were on their way to the rear of the keep and the ladders that would lead them to the rooftops.