“I suggest we eat and drink and discuss this matter more calmly,” Cree said. “Your men must be hungry, as are mine.”
Kellmara almost laughed at the way Cree discreetly let him know that his warriors would easily devour the few men that protected him. “That is hospitable of you, Cree.”
Though tempers continued to remain high, caution prevailed and the three men took seats at the dais while the warriors in the Great Hall retreated to the tables. Once full, the remaining warriors stood along the walls until a warrior who finished his meal exchanged places with one standing.
As soon as tankards were filled, Cree asked, “How did you come to know my mother? Your land is nowhere near where our farm was.”
“What difference does it make?” Kellmara asked clearly annoyed by the question.
“A big difference, for you have yet to convince me that you did not take advantage of my mother.”
“Advantage?” Douglas laughed. “Colleen stole my heart at first sight. She was a beauty, but more than that she never spoke an unkind word. She was like no woman I had ever met and have still not met. I was visiting an old friend of my father’s and came across your mother foraging in woods that she was not permitted to forage in. She told me that her young son was sick and she needed some of the plants to help heal him.” He paused as if lost in the memory of that day.
Cree clearly recalled it. He had been sick for days with a fever, but he never knew that his mother had taken the chance of foraging on restricted land to help heal him. She had placed herself in danger to save him, and she had placed herself at Kellmara’s mercy when he found her.
“What did you do?” Cree demanded, his hand clenching his tankard tightly.
“She was so kind, so apologetic, and pleaded so sincerely for her young son that I dropped to the ground and helped her gather what she needed, and then I saw that she got home safely to you.”
Cree’s hand relaxed. “I thank you for that.”
“But you certainly cannot thank me for falling in love with her, for my love brought her anguish instead of happiness. And I never meant that to happen. I had every intention of wedding your mother and taking you on as my son. My father had other ideas.”
“She never spoke of you to me,” Cree said.
“She felt it was best not to just yet. I could not blame her. Here I was a mighty chieftain’s son claiming to love her and wed her. She had told me I was dreaming that it would never be, but that for now she would love me, for I had stolen her heart when she had thought she would never love again. I intended to prove her wrong, and it breaks my heart and infuriates me that I had given her my word and failed to keep it.”
Kellmara turned and looked at Torr. “I will not, however, fail to claim my daughter and protect her.”
“And what Wintra wants does not matter?” Torr asked.
“I am her father and will determine what is best for her.”
“Good luck with that,” Torr said on a laugh. “I thought she was much like Cree, but it appears that she not only got her tenacity from him, but you as well.”
“I will talk with her and she —”
Cree and Torr burst out laughing.
“She will talk with you only when she is good and ready to,” Torr said.
“He is right,” Cree agreed. “I placed her in an abbey to be cared for and kept safe after our mother died since I hired out as a mercenary to help build a better life for us. She was furious and let me know it each time I visited her. Three years ago she refused my visits unless I was there to take her home. Three years and she never wavered. You might be in for a wait.”
“She cannot refuse me, I am her father.”
Cree and Torr laughed again.
“Your mother had a kind heart. Surely, her daughter has one too.”
“She does have a kind heart,” Torr said, “but she lingers often in her thoughts, causing her stubbornness to wind up winning out more often than not.”
Kellmara looked away as if he was to blame.
“You suffer from the same affliction?” Torr asked trying not to smile, but failing.
“Colleen was the one person who understood my constant musings and helped me to not linger in them. I miss her to this day as badly as I ever have.” Douglas shook his head and turned on Torr. “If you claim to love my daughter so much, why didn’t you go after her when she ran out of here?”
“Wintra’s not only angry with you, but all three of us,” Torr said. “And Dawn, Cree’s wife, followed after her. She is the best person to talk with Wintra right now. She would understand what she is going through and help her. And if you’re thinking it was because I feared you would try to stop me, think again. Nothing would or will stop me from being with my wife.”
Dawn rushed into the Great Hall, her hands flying as she gestured.
“Calm down,” Cree ordered as he jumped up out of his chair, the sudden jolt sending it tumbling. “I cannot understand you.”
Dawn slowed her gestures.
“Wintra is nowhere to be found?” Cree asked to make certain he heard her correctly.
Dawn nodded vigorously.
Torr bolted out of his chair. “Where was she last seen?”
Dawn gestured again.
“At the cottage?”
She nodded.
The Earl of Kellmara was already standing. “We cannot waste a minute. Form a search party.”
Cree raised his hand. “Not yet. I want to hear more.” He nodded to his wife.
Everyone watched as Dawn gestured.
“Wintra grew upset with what happened here and ran out of the cottage?”
Dawn nodded at her husband and gestured again.
“Wintra wanted away from everyone?”
Dawn nodded again and rubbed her hands nervously.
“That’s it,” Kellmara announced, “I am going to take my men and search for her.”
“Go ahead,” Cree agreed. “I will send some of my men as well.”
The Earl of Kellmara gathered his men and hurried out of the keep.
Torr turned to glare at Dawn at the same time Cree crooked his finger at her. “Now come here and tell me the truth.”
Dawn grinned sheepishly and approached her husband, her hands gesturing.
“Wintra wanted the Earl of Kellmara otherwise occupied so that he could not keep Torr from her tonight?” Cree asked and when Dawn nodded, he laughed and looked to Torr. “My sister protects you from Kellmara and the King’s command while getting her way.”
Torr stepped forward. “She is a courageous one for sure, though it was unnecessary. I will allow nothing to keep us apart.”
Dawn gestured to Torr.
“No, I do not fear what the King may do if I disobey his orders. And I do not think he truly cares. He appeases the Earl of Kellmara by sending an emissary when he knows full well that Wintra and I are soundly wed by now.”
“I agree,” Cree said, “but we cannot simply disregard Kellmara. He is a worthy adversary and must be taken seriously.”
“I understand that, but I will not bow to his demands. If Wintra truly is his daughter, then he must learn that her husband will suffer no dictate from him. He treats me respectfully or he suffers the consequences. Now I want to find my wife and make it clear that she has nothing to worry about and does not need to concern herself with Kellmara.”
Dawn smiled and pointed overhead.
“Here in the keep?” Torr and Cree said simultaneously.
Dawn nodded and kept pointing her finger up.
“The room at the top of the keep?” Cree asked and after she nodded, he looked to Torr. “Go to her. I will send some warriors to join Kellmara, but I will tell them not to hurry or worry.”
Torr nodded and turned to leave, but stopped when Cree called out.
“And you better make certain that my sister understands that her actions are not acceptable.”
“I’ll leave that to you,” Torr said with a grin.
“Coward,” Cree said.
“Wise husband,” Torr counted and hurried up the steps.
~~~
Wintra paced the room, thinking how much the small space reminded her of her tiny quarters at the abbey and oddly enough she found it a bit comforting. Of course this room had a fireplace, though small and adequate for the room. Her cell-like room at the abbey had no such comfort, which was why she had snuck out and slept in front of the fireplace in the gathering room during the cold winter months. She had made sure to wake before sunrise and scurry back to her room so as not to be caught or else the abbess would have had someone stand watch over the fireplace.
She looked to the door, wishing for a knock. It would either be Dawn telling her that their plan had failed or Torr.
The knock startled her, though not as much as when the door flew open and her husband strode in. She was never so relieved to see him, though he didn’t look too happy to see her.
“Do you think me incapable of protecting you?” he asked as he approached her.
She had to laugh, which stopped him in his tracks. “After all we have been through together, how could you even ask me that?”
He walked over to her, his arm capturing her waist in a hug. “Then why hide away, up here, where we cannot be found?”
“Simple. I love you and will not be kept from you,” —she pressed her finger to his mouth when he went to speak— “and I know you feel the same and would place yourself in danger to be with me.”
He kissed her softly and briefly. “I would battle hell itself to be with you.”
“And that is exactly what you could face if you disobey the King, and I will not have it. We simply need to be discreet until this matter can be settled and Kellmara leaves.”
Torr shook his head. “No. You are my wife and I will not sneak away to be with you. We are wed good and sound and no one is going to take that away from us, not even the King.”
She poked him in the chest. “You claim that I am stubborn, but you are much more tenacious. I will not have anything happen to you. I love you much too much to lose you.”
“I think I am just realizing how very much you actually do love me.”
“Just now?” she accused, this time with a playful punch to his stomach.
He hugged her closer. “I think you may have realized the same recently yourself.”
Wintra tilted her head as if in question and surprisingly said, “You could very well be right. The thought that Kellmara could be my father was not half as upsetting as his intention of annulling our marriage. That he would take from me who I loved most tore at my heart. You are too much a part of me for me to ever let you go, which is why we will make certain that Kellmara thinks we obey the King’s command.”
The knock startled them both and Torr went to open the door.
Flanna rushed in and looked to Wintra. “The Earl of Kellmara is insisting the keep be searched from top to bottom before he begins his search elsewhere. It seems he feels you will try to trick everyone and remain safely within the keep.”
“No doubt something he himself would do,” Torr said with a grin to his wife.
“The hiding spot,” Wintra said and she and Flanna hurried over to a section of the stone wall.
“What hiding spot?” Torr asked. “And how do you know about it.
“Cree’s men discovered a small hiding room upon inspection of the keep after he took occupation of the castle. It is on the wall opposite the fireplace. Dawn told me about it in case we needed to make use of it.” Wintra said.
Torr shook his head when the concealed door was finally opened with his help and he got a look at the small space barely big enough for two people. It was dark and musty, not a place you would want to be stuck in too long. He was about to tell her it wasn’t necessary for them to hide. He would confront Kellmara and put an end to this nonsense when they heard footfalls on the stairs.
“Hurry,” Wintra urged as she shoved him into the confined space and yanked on the metal ring as Flanna pushed from the outside.
Before he could protest the door closed shut and they were pitched into complete darkness.
Wintra tried to tell herself not to panic when she realized she could not move an inch. The space was so small and the air so musty that she felt as if she needed to gasp for breath. She grabbed hold of Torr’s shirt, squeezing the linen in her hands and not dare letting go.
He felt her body grow cold and shiver. She was afraid, and he could not blame her. The confined space would tempt anyone’s sanity. And the stale air would not last long. He reached out to grab the metal ring and open the door when he felt her grab his hand to stop him.
“This is—”
She pressed her finger to his lips and her body tightly against his.
Her shiver turned to a tremble, and he wasn’t sure what she feared most, the dark confined space or him confronting Kellmara. He decided it was best to let her have her way for now and to let her think that he would hold his tongue when it came to Kellmara.
“For now,” he whispered, “you can have your way.” And before she could argue with him, he reached for her chin and tilted her head up so that he could bring his lips gently down on hers. At first she seemed reluctant to return the kiss, but he remained patient and determined. He intended to break through her worry and have her relax and fully taste the kiss.
He kept the kiss soft so that she was not compelled to return it, but rather to simply relax and enjoy. He allowed his tongue to gradually slip in and tease hers into responding, which she did with some hesitation.
Her body remained tense and no doubt her mind was overwrought, and they had only been in the room for a minute or more. He needed her to forget where they were, to think of nothing but the two of them.
There was just enough space for him to slip his hand down along her back to her bottom and he gave one round cheek a gentle squeeze as he urged her firmly against him. The kiss had aroused him, growing him hard, but as she fit herself against him and snuggled there, he grew even harder.
He ended the kiss, needing to take a breath and rested his face in her sweet scented hair. She smelled so good, felt so good, and he wished they were in bed so that he could strip her naked and…
The groan that echoed in the small space came from him as her snuggles turned to a deliberate grind against his ever growing arousal. Her hands remained gripped to his shirt and her brow rested against his chest.
“I want you so badly,” she whispered.
“Damn,” he murmured and with both hands cupping her backside, pressed her to fit against him.
She gasped softly and burrowed harder against him as if somehow she could force him inside her.
He dropped his head back and it hit the stone wall. He growled low in his chest, aching to bury himself deep inside her, aching for this ordeal to be done so that he could make love to his wife without any damn interference from anyone.
He wondered if the room was clear and he could open the door, though right now he did not care who the hell was in the room. He would scoop Wintra up in his arms and walk right past anyone who was there and deliver a good punch to anyone who tried to stop him.
“Torr,” she said as if in agony, though pleasurable agony.
It was too dark to see anything, but he knew her blue eyes were steamed with passion and he knew she could not wait.
“I’m going to make you come,” he whispered in her ear.
“Yes, please,” she begged.
Her soft plea tore at his heart and he silently cursed Kellmara over and over. He should be in bed with his wife, slipping into her and watching her writhe and cry out as she climaxed. The man would pay; he would definitely pay.
Torr held tight to her bottom and rubbed hard against her. Her hand clutched desperately to his shirt and her breathing grew rapid. She kept rhythm with him, pressing as hard as she could against him. He cursed beneath his breath as he grabbed at the sides of her dress and hoisted it up past her hips.
She followed suit, shoving his plaid aside.
Unfortunately the confined space would not let them do anymore. But at the moment Wintra didn’t care. At least now nothing separated them, and she welcomed the feel of his shaft rubbing against her already throbbing nub and bringing her closer to climax. It came fast and hard and she gasped as she exploded in a never-ending wave of pleasure.
Torr kept a firm arm around her and a steady rhythm going until he felt her climax ease, and then he slowed to a stop even though he remained hard as a rock.
Wintra still continued to clutch his shirt tightly in her hands. “My God that was fabulous. So much better than—”
“So much better than what?” Torr asked a bit brisk.
“It is not permissible for me to say.”
What the hell was going on? What had she kept from him? “Why?” he demanded as he straightened their garments.
“I should really think before I speak.”
“No, you should say what you please. Now answer me.”
“The nuns told me it was sinful and I should not speak of it.”
Now he was curious and on the verge of furious. “You can tell me anything.”
He had proven time and time again that she could. He never belittled her or chastised her over any of her endless questions, so she spoke her mind. “The nuns warned me against urges and how when I got them it was a sin to give into them, but I could not help it. I surrendered many times over. I spent more time on my knees praying for my wicked soul. And they warned me that I was never to do such a thing after I wed that my husband’s needs would be enough.”
“Do you mean to tell me that the nuns warned you not to pleasure yourself?”
“I was told that good wives do not discuss intimacy with their husband.”
“I think we both can agree that that information has been proven wrong, at least where we are concerned,” he said. “And one day, Princess, you will show me how you pleasured yourself.”
“I cannot,” she said with a gasp.
Torr did not need any light to see that she was blushing, the heat from her cheeks when he pressed his against hers told it all. “You can and you will.” He kissed her quick. “Now it is time to get out of here.”
It was as if someone could hear him, for the stone wall started opening.