Dread stretched out within her at the thought of him coming to harm.Fates help her, she kept imagining his hands upon her and the way he made her feel.
You’re using him, her brain warned.She knew, full well, that a man like Balor was a forbidden temptation.Her family would be appalled that she was fascinated by a bastard warrior.
But his kiss had awakened her in ways she’d never experienced before.He had worshipped her mouth with his own, tasting her as if she were a cup of the sweetest wine.And the feeling of his body against hers had quickened her heartbeat, making her want to pull him closer.She’d gone breathless in his arms, and maybe it was because he was completely wrong for her in all the right ways.
Mairead climbed down each staircase.She needed to keep her distance from Balor Ó Phelan.He could escort her to her uncle’s home, but after that, she had to let him go.It was the right thing to do.
But part of her wondered whether Alanna’s prediction had come true about the May crown—that she had somehow met her future husband on the morning she’d looked through it.Shehadmet Balor that day, after he’d saved her from the Norman scouts.And was it so wrong to let herself dream?
When she reached the bottom of the stairs, she sat upon the last tread and took a deep breath.It seemed she had a habit of choosing men she could never wed.First Diarmud, and now Balor.
The familiar tendrils of grief wrapped around her as she remembered him.Then she leaned against the cool stone wall and closed her eyes.
After what seemed like hours, she heard a voice call out, ‘Mairead!’
She opened the door slightly and saw Balor standing outside the base of the roundtower.Relief poured through her at the sight of him.She struggled with the ladder but managed to lower it down.Within moments, he’d climbed up and pulled it back inside.
‘Who was following us?’she asked.
He closed the door behind him.‘They were Normans, not Irish.’After a pause, he added, ‘I think they might have been the men we overheard at Laochre.I led them towards Rionallís and waited for them to go inside the gates before I came back.’
‘Do you think they were the ones who took my brother?’
‘I don’t know.But if they went searching for you, they won’t find you,’ he promised.
A sudden uneasiness flooded through her.There was no reason for a group of Normans to travel to Rionallís from Laochre in the middle of the night—not unless they were trying to capture her as a hostage.‘I don’t like this.’
Balor sat beside her.‘I wish I could say they were your father’s men, looking to bring you home again.But they weren’t.’
‘How did you even realize they were following us?’she asked.‘I never noticed anything.’It had been virtually silent, with only their mare walking through the forest.And yet, Balor had sensed an enemy was there.
‘When we spoke to your father in the solar, the servant who delivered food to your father and mother was listening to everything your family said,’ he told her.‘It’s possible she was paid by the Normans to listen and send word.’
The thought of servants who might betray them was sobering.‘I’m starting to believe I should have stayed at Laochre,’ she said quietly.‘My father was right.At least there, I would be surrounded by soldiers.’She met his gaze and added, ‘I am sorry for asking this of you.It was wrong of me.’
‘It’s late,’ he responded.‘We’ll make a decision in the morning.’
Mairead leaned back against the wall, huddling within her cloak.But sleep wouldn’t come, no matter how she tried.Her mind raced with fear and uncertainty.Although she knew she was safe for the night, it felt as if all their plans had been upended.The moment they left the roundtower in the morning, they would be found.She had no doubt of it.
But the idea of trying to sleep in this place was impossible.Balor seemed to sense her unrest when he reached for her hand in the darkness.
‘Your hands are freezing.’He pulled her palms between his hands to warm them.‘Come here.’
Without asking, he pulled her onto his lap and drew his own cloak around her.Though she wanted to protest, his body heat and the extra layer of his cloak brought an immediate warmth that made her sigh with gratitude.She nestled in close and murmured, ‘Thank you.’
And when she tucked her head beneath his chin and snuggled against him, his arms came around her in an embrace she wanted far more than she should.
* * *
After all the years of Fergus’s abuse, Balor was truly in hell—all because of a beautiful woman.
Mairead was burrowed against him, and he could smell the faint floral aroma of her hair.He didn’t really know what to do.This was, quite possibly, the worst torment he had ever endured—because with every moment, he craved her more.To have this woman in his arms, to hold her in a way that was utterly forbidden, was taking apart the only shred of honour he possessed.
He leaned back against the stone tower, keeping her in his arms while he stretched his legs out.After a few moments more, her breathing grew soft and even.She’d fallen asleep in his embrace.And it humbled him that she had given him that trust.
Mairead would be the death of him—of that, he had no doubt.And yet, there was a strength in her he admired, along with her endless belief that there was good in everyone.She even treated him as if there was something worth saving.
No one had ever really looked at him in that way.For a brief moment, he allowed himself to imagine what it would be like if someone like her cared for him.Or what it wouldbe like if a woman nestled close to him like this, welcoming his embrace.She felt right in his arms, and he brushed a kiss against her hair.
