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Instantly repulsed, Kieran released her with a rude shove. “I’ll not ask Egan for anything, ever!”
Madi turned toward him, and even in the flickering torchlight, her displeasure was clearly etched upon her finely shaped brow. She closed the distance between them with a graceful sway and spread her small hands over Kieran’s broad chest. Madi looked up at him through her long sable lashes and relied upon well-practiced charms. “Am I not worth such a small sacrifice?”
Kieran grabbed her wrists to force her away. “Not without a more enticing incentive than you’ve offered tonight, my lady.”
Yanking free of his grasp, Madi stared at him coldly. Her mother had not felt up to making the trip, but she had been raised to place such a high value on her virtue that to bed Kieran without the security of marriage was unthinkable. That he had not responded positively to her softly voiced encouragement to bring their union into reality cut her temper as short as his.
“Earlier this evening you referred to me as your treasure. Now it appears your hatred for Egan is far stronger than your love for me. How fortunate that I discovered the truth before you hurt me any more deeply. I’ll not bid you a good night when I hope you’ll choke to death in your sleep.”
She had slipped into her chamber and thrown the bolt before Kieran could think of a suitably insulting reply. No woman, no matter how lovely, was worth what it would cost him in pride to approach Egan for a favor. He despised his brother and wished with all his heart that Egan had been the one to fall ill and die.
After Albyn’s utter failure with Egan, he left the fortress to walk the bailey in distracted circles. He had rushed home to offer sympathy, which Egan had certainly appreciated, but that the future king placed a higher value upon his elegant companion’s advice than his boyhood friend’s was appalling.
When lightning tore the chilly mist, Albyn adjusted his hood with a disgusted tug. The gift of prophecy might elude him, but he still trusted his instincts, and no matter how stubbornly Egan refused to see the tumult swirling around him, it would remain.
“And so will I,” Albyn vowed, for he would not abandon Egan when the situation could only grow worse. The first drops of rain forced him back to the fortress, but he was as uneasy as when he had stepped outside and doubted he would find any restful sleep that night.
After they had all enjoyed a hearty meal, Garrick had included the visiting Druids in the final plans for the coming ceremony. The meeting had closed with a familiar chant, but even as he had swayed with the ancient rhythm, he had noted Albyn’s conspicuous absence.
Cadell had been an astute ruler, and though he and Garrick had never been close, each had respected the other. The Druid and Egan shared no such mutual regard, however, and now the dutiful Albyn had returned home to provide a most unwelcome complication. Garrick had spent too many years amassing power to relinquish a modicum even momentarily, but as he made his way to Ula’s chamber, he shoved such distressing thoughts aside and turned his mind toward pleasure.
Her door was unlatched, allowing the fragrance of her haunting perfume to seep into the corridor. It was an enchanting invitation, and after making certain the guards who toured the fortress during the night were not lurking about to observe, he entered. On the hearth, a bright fire blazed to clearly illumine Ula curled atop her bed. Clad only in a lace-trimmed shift, her fair skin still glowed with a youthful beauty, and she was as lovely as the first time they had made love years ago.
“Why have you kept me waiting so long?” she asked accusingly. “Don’t bother to blame the length of the Druid’s incantations. Had you wished, you could have brought them to a prompt close.”
As usual, Garrick chose not to take affront at her tedious complaints. He drew his robe and tunic off over his head and cast them aside before replying. “Aye, I could have done that easily, but these are sensitive times, and it would not serve our purpose to arouse anyone’s suspicions.”
Bored and eager to capture his full attention, Ula arched her back toward him and pinched her nipples to create enticing buds that pushed against her soft linen shift. “I heard rumors all evening about Egan’s whore. She has proven to be even more useful than you’d promised, for she distracts not merely Egan, but all who see her.”
A sly smile lit Garrick’s face as he removed his shoes. He then slid across the end of the fur-strewn bed to reach for Ula’s tiny feet. “Aye, she makes Egan almost too easy to destroy, and I know how much you’ll delight in his undoing.”
“It will scarcely compare to the boundless joy of having Kieran named the rightful heir and king of the Dál Cais.”
“You must be patient for a few more days, my beauty, and for tonight, enjoy only me.” He slid his hands up her thighs to open her to him and laughed as she drew in a startled breath. He explored her moist depths with his fingertips, slowly tantalizing her until she squirmed beneath his touch and begged for more.
“Not yet,” he cajoled, and he paused to remove his trousers so that she might first pleasure him with her mouth. It was an erotic entertainment he had taught her on the journey to wed Cadell, and he was still amused that he had successfully delivered a virgin bride without denying himself a single opportunity to sample her favors. There was no longer any need to hide their lengthy affair, but the inherent danger had always enhanced Ula’s appeal, and he had no intention of ever revealing their liaison.
He considered Ula as great a whore as Egan’s mistress, but that was merely one of the many dark secrets locked away in his heart.
The wind-driven rain ruffled the tapestry covering the narrow windows in Egan’s chamber, and thickened the air with the dank odor of the ocean’s depths. A sizzling bolt of lightning filled the room with a blinding flash, and the whole fortress vibrated under a deafening clap of thunder.
Jolted awake, Oriana sat up and wrapped her arms around her bent knees. She’d had a greater fright than any caused by the inclement weather. Fighting panic, she longed to run, but in the dead of night there was no escaping Egan or the fortress.
Egan had slept so fitfully, he had already been awake and eased himself up to a sitting position. “It’s just rain clouds hovering over Mount Royal,” he assured his uneasy companion. “Tonight’s storm is more violent than most, but it will pass with the dawn. It always does.”
“I’m not afraid of the storm.” Oriana dipped her head momentarily, and then swept her hair from her eyes. “I’ve just had the most vivid dream.
“An enormous hawk soared above me. His wings were outstretched, beating the air, while his long, sharp claws reached out toward me like daggers. I truly thought he was going to pluck me from the ground, and my only defense was to roll into a small, tight ball. Then I heard my mother’s laughter and peeked through my fingers to see the hawk land upon her gloved wrist.”
Rocking slightly, Oriana paused to glance toward Egan. His hair was as sleep-rumpled as hers, and dark stubble shadowed his cheeks, but she had grown so accustomed to his presence she did not find his unkempt appearance alarming.
“You once asked me if the gods brought food to my doorstep. I thought it a rude question.”
Anticipating an exciting story, Egan chose not to argue. “Which it was. Please forgive me. Go on.”
Oriana dismissed his apology with an impatient wave. “I’d completely forgotten that my mother once owned a hawk who’d hunt for us. I must have been very young, and I don’t recall the bird’s name, but I’m positive it was a memory just now, not a dream.”
Easing closer, Egan dropped his arm around her shoulders to encourage her to lean into him. When she did, he offered a comforting squeeze. “Are you certain?”
