Page 33 of Warrior’s Lady

Compassion registered in the depths of his eyes, and something more. Tears did not come as she'd expected. Instead, her entire body tensed as his lips descended toward hers.

His lips covered hers, tender, almost hesitant at first, then bolder, as he wrapped his arms about her.

Sad memories faded as shivering waves of pleasure took their place. He left her lips to trail a hot path over her cheeks, brushing away the tears with his lips, to her ear. Slowly, he feathered his lips back and forth across her lobe, before he dipped lower, tracing each curve of her neck, her jawline.

The tension drained from her as his arms tightened around her, supporting her while his tongue explored her ear. His hand curled around her nape, sensually stroking it, and he began trailing scorching kisses down her neck, to her shoulder.

"I'll never hurt you like that." His warm breath stirred her hair and his whisper was achingly gentle as his mouth began retracing its stirring path to her ear again.

Imprisoned by his protective embrace, and seduced by his mouth, Rhiannon clung to him, sliding slowly into a dark abyss of desire.

His tongue traced a hot line between her lips, coaxing them to part, and then insisting. The moment she yielded, his tongue plunged inside, stroking and caressing. Rhiannon surrendered mindlessly to the stormy splendor of his kiss.

Her hands shifted restlessly over his heavily muscled shoulders and forearms, her lips moving against his with increasing abandon as she unwittingly fed his hunger. Each time she stroked her lips over his, she felt him shudder, felt the thunder of his heartbeat against her own breast. The knowledge empowered her, encouraged her to go on, to explore him more deeply.

The shadow of time shifted within the small cottage. Neither noticed. And when he finally pulled his mouth from hers an eternity later, their breathing came in mingled gasps. His face was dark with passion, his eyes a smoldering blue.

"We have to stop," he whispered on a long, tortured breath. He lifted a lock of her hair, tenderly brushing it off her shoulder. "I promised you'd be safe here from me, but if we continue…" His voice sounded strangled, as though it took everything he had to pull away from her.

Rhiannon mourned the loss of his lips upon her flesh, but then her swirling senses returned to reality, slowly at first, then with a sickening plummet. Passion gave way to anguished shame. "I didn't expect … I never should have…" Where had the wild attraction she felt for his man come from? Was this just one more family "attribute" she had inherited?

Mother Agnes was right to call her a black seed. The passion he had unleashed in her went far beyond what was considered civilized and proper. What they'd shared had been wild and uncontrollable.

She issued a sound that was part sob, part groan. "What have I done?"

"You are not the only one at fault here, Rhiannon," he said softly, as though understanding her anguish.

"We must leave." She jerked out of his grasp and with wooden movements made her way to the door. She pulled it slightly open and nearly sobbed with relief to see that the snow had stopped. "We must leave now." She hurried to the hearth and snatched her cloak, but a loud crack of thunder startled her before she reached it. The door shattered, wood splinters flying everywhere. Camden surged for her, taking her with him to the ground.

She shrieked as her shoulder hit the ground. But before she could feel any pain, Camden rolled her on her side, his big body covering her own.

"What's happening?" she cried. "I thought you said this cottage was abandoned."

"It was."

"Maybe whoever started that fire has returned," Rhiannon whispered as silence settled around them.

"Whoever started that fire is no friend of ours." Camden shifted her to his side. "Stay down," he ordered. His muscles tensed and he strained to listen. Other than their own harsh breathing, silence surrounded them. Time seemed to stand still as they lay there on the floor of the cottage. Then a soft squeak of a floorboard sounded from near the door.

Before she had time to draw a breath, Camden sprang up, sword in hand. The clang of steel sounded.

Rhiannon sat up, scooting back toward the hearth, to where she could see that Camden had charged another man dressed all in black, his face partially concealed by a dark swatch of fabric over the lower half of his face.

The man slashed his sword toward Camden, who spun away, leaving the other man swinging at the air.

Camden whirled, then lunged. The attacker parried, then counterthrust with deadly precision. Each thrust intensified in a lethal game where only one man would walk away.

Camden said something, but above the clang of their swords, she could only make out a few words. "Mistake … changed … do not…" Their blades came together, sliding to the hilts, the stranger spun away, feinting to the left while he cut with an agile backhand high across Camden's upper arm, leaving a streak of red on the exposed flesh.

Rhiannon gasped. Camden bared his teeth and with a savage roar went on full attack, forcing his opponent out the door into the snow. In the background a horse shrieked, and Rhiannon knew what she had to do.

She gained her feet and hurried to the open doorway. Her heart thundering in her chest, she slipped outside to where they had tied their horse. With fingers that suddenly felt as though they were weighted with lead, she untied the stranger's horse, and with a whack on the rear sent it racing off into the distance.

A moment later, she'd freed their horse and hoisted herself onto the animal's back. With a prayer for luck, Rhiannon kicked her heels into the horse's flank, thrusting herself and the horse into the battle. "Give me your hand," she yelled a moment before she reached Camden and the stranger as they fought in the snow that came up to their knees.

Both men startled at the sight of her. Taking advantage of the moment and drawing on strength she did not know she possessed, she hauled Camden onto the horse behind her. Tucking her head against the wind, she spurred the horse into a sprint, putting distance between them and the swordsman in black.

A roar of outrage filled the air. No doubt the man had discovered his horse was missing. Rhiannon smiled to herself.