Ria Cantrell - Celtic Storm 03 (22 page)

And she believed him. She believed him because, though she did not want to admit it, Rhianna suddenly knew that she was falling in love with Erik as well. So when they had rested, it was not Erik who woke her to make love again. Erik dozed only to feel the tempting vixen touching and kissing him. He smiled. He had awoken her sensuality and he had a feeling that now unleashed, she was not going to be easily stopped. Erik was fairly certain that stopping Rhianna’s sensuality was the last thing he wanted to do.

~Chapter Twenty-Six~

Rhianna woke early the next morning. She stretched and felt so good. She had no more nightmares after she and Erik had made love. She had been able to rest without incident and not another tear was shed. Rhianna wondered if he slept in her bed every night, would the terrors be banished forever?

He was still there, sleeping beside her; his hand gently resting on a breast with the familiarity that came with becoming one’s lover. He must have felt her shift beside him, for she felt his hand softly squeeze that breast and he murmured a sleepy, “Good morning, beautiful.”

She shyly responded, “Good morning.”

He kissed the side of her face and the shyness evaporated. Erik pulled her to face him and he smiled at her. “Did you sleep well,” he asked, while playfully palming her breast.

“Well enough…when I did sleep.”

“Yes, I remember being woken several times by someone who had need of me. I dare say that the times she allowed me to sleep were sweetened by the times she loved me.”

“Erik!”

“Well, t’is true. It was wonderful; all three times.”

“Four,” she bantered, knowing that she had clearly kept better track of the number of times he made love to her. They had explored each other; testing and trying the things that brought both of them pleasure. Thinking back on those uninhibited discoveries made heat course through her. She felt the stirrings of desire forming once again.

“Oh, yes, four times it was. I think I was nearly close to losing consciousness after the third time.”

She giggled and kissed his sensual mouth saying, “No you were not. You fairly screamed in pleasure and you know it.”

“Woman, a knight never screams. Those were not
screams
.”

He pulled her on top of him and he tried to tickle her. She laughed until tears trickled from her eyes and she thought to seduce him again, but she was thwarted by a loud knocking on the door.
God’s bones!
Now what
, she thought.

She called from atop of Erik, “Who is it?”

“My lady, you must hurry. There is a small riding party approaching.”

It was Andarra.
Damn it to hell!
Rhianna looked down into Erik’s face and he motioned that he would remain quiet. Rhianna called, “Under whose banner is the party riding?”

“I know not, my lady. You must make haste. Tristan is trying to find Sir Erik, for his bed has not been slept in. His horse is in the stable but….”

“I know where Sir Erik is,” Rhianna added hastily. “I will, uh,
find
him and tell him to meet us at the gates.”

Rhianna was not sure, but she thought she heard the old chatelaine chortling as she moved down the corridor. Rhianna quickly rose and pulled on a shift. She glanced over at Erik and he was laying with his arms behind his head, watching her every move. Despite their night of passion, she still felt embarrassed that he would watch her like that. He smiled at her blush and wondered at it. She had seduced him on more than one occasion the past night and even when she had not, she did not ever seem to want him to stop at any point. In the few hours between night and dawn, he had kissed or touched every part of her and nothing had been hidden, so why was she shy now?

Rhianna pulled on a gown and she tried to tie the lacing on her sleeves. Erik then left the bed and he stole behind her. Lifting her hair from her neck, he placed taunting kisses at her nape and his hands deftly pulled the laces which went fully down her back, in order to close the gown around her. Rhianna did not want to think too carefully about how easily he had done that and she was not naïve enough to think that he had trained as a woman’s dressing servant any time in his past. No, he had done this before for he was quite good at it. There was not much he wasn’t good at, Rhianna thought and blush stained her cheeks deeper at that memory.

When Rhianna was dressed, she looked over at her lover, who stood so comfortably in his nakedness. She could not avert her eyes, even if she wanted to and he grinned. It pleased him that she liked what she saw and it that it seemed she could not stop looking. He kissed her quickly on the mouth and said, “If you keep looking at me like that, we will not make it back down to the feast hall. As it is, I fear I will not be able to get into my trews.”

Her large emerald eyes widened and she saw he was indeed telling the truth. As much as she may have wanted to spend more time exploring sinfully delicious things with Erik, she knew that now was not the time for that. Riders were coming and she needed to see if they were friend or foe.

Erik saw that she seemed torn as in one instant she appraised him boldly, desire fairly dripping from her eyes. In the next moment, he saw her look apprehensive and he realized that she did not know who would be seeking entry now at du Montefort Keep. As uncomfortable as it may have been to don his tightly fitting trews, Erik pulled them on and slid his tunic over his head. Rhianna quickly plaited her hair, as she was certain it was well tousled at the moment, leaving her braid to dangle over one shoulder. Erik dragged his fingers through his hair and they checked the corridor to see if it was clear for them to leave together. If not, Rhianna would go first and Erik would follow thereafter. As luck would have it, there seemed to be no one about so, walking side by side, they ventured toward the main hall.

Some eyebrows were raised when the Mistress of the Keep and Sir Erik approached together. Neither of them could miss the knowing smirks on both Andarra’s and Drew’s faces at their arrival. Erik pulled her closer and whispered, “Do not worry. Hold your head high. You are my lady and you are soon going to be my wife.”

He linked his arm through hers and walked with her toward the gates. The riding party was nearly at du Montefort keep. One of the watch guards came down to report to Rhianna and Erik. He bowed before the lady and saluted the king’s knight.

“My lady, Sir Tristan said to inform you that it would appear that Lord Randall is among those riding toward the keep.”

“Randall? My brother Randall? He is alive?”

“Aye, my lady. So it appears.”

Rhianna looked into Erik’s eyes and he said, “Please guard my lady. I will ride out to meet the party.”

“Why, Erik?”

“This may be a trap. I fear that this may be some sort of ploy to open the gates for ambush.”

“But it is my brother.”

“Who they could be using in attempts to bait you. Please, my love. It could be nothing, but I beg you to not disobey me on this.”

Rhianna wanted to challenge him. She had missed her brother so much and now he was back. She needed to know what had happened to him and where he had been, but as she thought on Erik’s words, she realized that perhaps he was right. There were many people under her protection at the moment. She said, “Randall would rather die than endanger any of us.”

“I am sure he would, but he has been gone a long time. We do not know what has befallen him. I will ride out to meet them with Drew and if I believe there is no threat to you or the people, I will lead them through the gates. Randall will know that it is for the protection of his people and his sister, when he learns of the recent threats against some of the outlying villages. I seek to protect you.” Then more quietly, Erik added, “I am not prepared to lose you now. Please heed me this time.”

Rhianna nodded with resignation at his words. He turned again to the guard and said, “Protect the lady at all costs.”

He quickly kissed her and she watched him hurry to gain his mount. Drew winked at her and was at his knight’s heels. She whispered so only her heart could hear, “I am not prepared to lose you, either, Erik. Not now…not ever.”

Andarra approached and she said, “Come, the gates will be lowered until Sir Erik clears the riders.”

She had heard what both Rhianna and Erik had said and her heart was warmed at the realization that these two had finally found each other.

“But, Andarra, t’is Randall. What if he is hurt?”

“Then Sir Erik will lead him inside soon enough. He is here to protect you and he wants only to assure your safety. Come inside. Please do not give him reason to worry about you now. If he knows you are safe, he will see to his own safety.”

Rhianna went inside the keep and watched as the drawbridge was raised after Erik and Drew had ridden over it. The portcullis was lowered and the gates were closed to the inner bailey. Those milling about in the bailey were asked to move inside the keep and so many again crowded the main hall. Rhianna could not trust her instincts that all was well. She had two men who she loved that may be outside of the castle’s shelter and until they were safely inside, she could not trust that her heart told her there was no threat.
Two men who she loved…oh no, it cannot be…I do not love him.
I can’t.
But even as she told herself she did not love Erik Ragnorsen, she knew in her heart that nothing was further from the truth. She certainly did love him and no matter how she tried to tell herself otherwise, her heart could not deny it.

Time seemed to stand still while Rhianna waited for the riding party to be granted admission. She did not like having to wait. She did not like worrying about Erik. She did not like knowing that she worried about him because she was in love with him. She did not like that feeling at all.

~~~~~

The retinue consisted of one woman, Randall du Montefort and a handful of men at arms. The party was not well escorted by any means and that set off warning signals with Erik. Why, if they were not bringing some sort of trap, were they traveling so lightly? Erik, Drew and several of his men blocked the drawbridge as they stood in a line across on horseback. Erik’s hand twitched over his sword and he looked every bit of the dangerous warrior he was known and feared to be.

The woman said something to Randall and he looked up at the line of men guarding the keep. His eye did not miss the blonde giant’s hand ready at the sword. He did not recognize the man, but that meant nothing. He did not recognize much of anything. As he looked up at the battlements of the keep beyond the line of fierce looking fighters, he felt a flicker of hope. Yes, this was his home. It was starting to infiltrate his foggy memory. He recognized the standards flying from the turrets. The man who was clearly leading the others in the line looked grim and he wondered why he did not look ready to welcome their small riding party. Randall pulled his reins to halt his horse from riding any closer. Janelle followed suit and the remaining riders slowed.

Janelle searched Randall’s face for recognition of anything and saw only confusion in his eyes. He whispered, “I do not know any of these men.”

“They do not seem to know you, either. They are riding under the du Montefort standard for it is similar to the crest you wear around your neck, but they also don colors that are not yours, my love. These are the king’s soldiers.”

Janelle recognized the royal emblems on each shield and on the badges worn by the men flanking the tall Nordic blond man in the middle. These must have been the men sent under the king’s order that her brother had mentioned in the letter. They were now stationed at the keep.

“Oh, yes, well then that makes sense. I had thought I could not recognize them but you are right. I do not know them.”

He smiled and raised his eyes to the guards before him. He called, “I am Lord Randall du Montefort and I request entry into my home.”

He knew he should have said he demanded entry for it was his home after all, but these men knew as much about him as he knew about them. There was no point in provoking them at the moment. Besides, the tall one looked like he would be happy to murder anyone who opposed him.

Erik’s eyes scanned the horizon and then he looked into the trees before the road. He could not detect any glints from hidden weapons of men possibly seeking cover in the woods. He listened for sounds of snapping twigs or the slightest sound of movement, but he heard none.

“Where are the rest of your men?”

“There are no others, Sir,” the woman offered. “We have come to bring Lord Randall home.”

Erik thought it was odd that the woman said “bring” him home. Bring him home from what? What was wrong with the man? He kept looking to the woman for reassurance, as if he did not know exactly where he was.

“What means you? Bringing him home? Why has he not sought to come home on his own?”

“Please, Sir, allow us entry. We have ridden a long way. I have only just learned where Randall’s home was and we left to return as soon as we were able.”

Erik thought perhaps this was some sort of a ruse. Why would Randall
now
know where his home was? Something was very wrong. His hand grasped the hilt of his sword and he was ready to do battle if need be. Janelle’s eyes widened in fear and she said, “Please, we mean no harm. Lord Randall has been most unwell.”