Damn it all, but Killian was weak when it came to vulnerable women. Without asking, he pulled her into an embrace. She stiffened the moment he touched her, but he didn’t let go yet. Instead, he rubbed her spine lightly. “She’s going to try to force you to go back with her.” There was so much tension radiating from her, and he didn’t know if it was anger or something more. He stroked the back of her head, letting the silky strands fall through his fingertips. “What do you want to do?”
She glared at him. “I want you to take me to the High King. I want to move forward and forget about her lies.”
He didn’t ask what she would do if the Queen wasn’t lying. Taryn would have to make that decision for herself when she saw her father. And if it turned out that King Devlin was not to be trusted, Killian fully intended to leave him where he was.
“Release me, Killian,” she demanded.
“Not yet. Your mother is watching us.” He moved his palm up her spine. “And I know how to free you from her commands. She will have no choice but to let you go.”
Her blue eyes narrowed with confusion. “No matter what you say to her, Maeve will never give up.”
In that, Taryn was wrong. There was a way to force the Queen’s hand. “If you want to see your father again, follow my lead,” he said. “I swear to you, I can get you out of here without violence. She will have no choice.”
Taryn would be indignant and furious, but the deception would work. He grazed her cheek with his thumb. There was worry in her eyes, but he took her face between his hands. He was well aware that Maeve was watching them, and this would work to their advantage.
Lightly, he leaned in and kissed Taryn. “Trust in me.”
What was he doing? Taryn wanted to fight against his kiss, to push him away and demand an explanation. But he was doing this for a reason. She knew, after last night, that he wanted to show Maeve that there was more between them than a lady and her guard. But why?
The softness of his mouth poured over her like a river of suppressed needs. She couldn’t deny that she craved his mouth upon hers, or that she enjoyed his touch. But her cheeks were burning at the knowledge that they were being watched.
And soon enough, as she’d expected, Maeve hurried forward. “Take your hands from my daughter,fuidir.”
Killian kissed her harder, as if to taunt the Queen. Then he pulled back, his silver eyes demanding that she do everything he asked.
Taryn didn’t want to. He was domineering, demanding that she bend to his will. For a servant, he had more arrogance thanany man she’d ever met. And she suspected that his actions had something to do with getting the land he wanted.
“We are returning to the rest of our men,” he told Maeve. His arm slid around Taryn’s waist in a blatant show of possession.
“She will go nowhere with you.” The Queen gestured for her men to step forward, and Killian placed his hand upon the blade at his waist.
“In that, you are wrong, Queen Maeve. No longer do you have the right to say where Taryn goes.”
What was he doing? Taryn couldn’t quite grasp it, but she held her tongue, waiting for the answers.
“I am her mother,” Maeve insisted, striding forward until she stood before them. “I have every right.”
“And I am her husband,” Killian answered. “That gives me command over her. Not you.”
Taryn blinked at the lie, her heart pounding. She buried her face in his shoulder, knowing that her expression would give everything away if she dared to look at her mother.
Her husband. Someone she had sworn he would never be—and yet, she saw the wisdom of the deception. A husband did have the right to command his wife, over her parents’ wishes. She became his property, to do with as he wished.
Her mother’s face went white with rage. “I don’t believe you. You could not do such a thing.”
“We took sanctuary at the round tower,” he informed her. “And we said our vows before we left, in the presence of the priest there.”
Her mother was arguing that it was impossible, that such a marriage could never be real. But when she lifted her head, Killian was facing down the Queen, his gaze like ice. “I am taking my wife back to our traveling companions. You will allow us to continue our journey without interference.”
“My daughter would never wed a slave,” the Queen insisted. But Taryn saw the flicker of doubt in her mother’s eyes.
“I am not a slave.” Killian released her and took a step forward, using his height to intimidate her mother. “I am the High King’s son. And it is my right to bring her home to Tara.”
That put an end to her mother’s protests. Taryn could see the shock giving way to fear. No, Killian had not admitted that he was a bastard. But it seemed that he bore a strong enough resemblance to the High King that her mother could not deny it.
Taryn felt the need to say something, instead of remaining silent. She moved forward and took Killian’s hand. “What he says is true, Mother. And we are going to leave now.”
“I don’t believe you,” Maeve snapped. “Why would the High King’s son choose a bride with a scarred face...when he could have anyone else? And why would he wed a traitor’s daughter?” She shook her head, refusing to acknowledge the possibility.
