The King & His Queen (Pict King Series Book 3) Read online

  Paine looked around. “Not where there are so many ears to hear. My dwelling, Anin went with Verity to see how Hemera is doing.”

  “Tell me,” Wrath said, his concern having grown in the silence between them before they had reached the dwelling.

  “Everyone wonders if there is something wrong with Talon since no one has seen him take a woman to his sleeping pallet in some time.”

  “You tell me something I already know.”

  “Then you already know that he never goes long without a woman,” Paine said and smiled when he saw Wrath’s eyes light with surprise.

  “He has a woman.” Wrath shook his head. “Why keep her a secret?”

  Paine shrugged. “It could be anything. A short liaison he wants no one to know of or he believes others may frown upon the woman he has chosen or with his impending marriage he feels it is best to keep it quiet.”

  “That was why he went into the woods alone. He was meeting a woman,” Wrath said with the excitement of finding an important piece to a puzzle. “Bower and Hemera prevented their meeting. Hemera may have seen a woman in the woods. We should talk with her now.” Wrath did not wait for Paine to agree, he hurried off, knowing his friend would follow him.

  Hemera stood by her dwelling, her hands clenched at her sides. Warriors came and went to and from the torture chamber. The body of the two warriors had been placed inside with orders that they be examined for any signs of torture before being presented to their family. The wife of the one dead warrior wept in the arms of the brother of the other warrior who had died. Many wanted to know more about what happened. There was worry that the stronghold could be invaded by the enemy and they were all in danger.

  Did they not realize that the enemy purposely did this to make them doubt that the King would keep them safe? They had to stay strong together to defeat the enemy or the enemy would destroy them from within. How did they not see what the enemy was doing?

  “They should leave. There is nothing they can do here,” Hemera said, turning to her sister. “You should go too. You see that I am fine. There is no reason for you to be here.”

  Anin reached out, hoping a gentle touch would calm her.

  Hemera pulled away, not wanting Anin to know how she felt. “Do not touch me.”

  “What goes on here?” Paine asked sharply, taking hasty strides to his wife’s side.

  “She is agitated, perhaps too many people disturbing her usual quiet,” Anin whispered to her husband and patted his arm that circled her waist to rest on her rounded middle.

  “Let us go inside,” Paine suggested, feeling relieved his wife was in his arms. “Wrath has a question for you, Hemera.”

  Hemera shook her head. A confined space would not help her. She longed for the solitude of the woods, the soft whisper of the trees, the gentle melody of the birds, the feel of the rich earth beneath her bare feet. There in the silence she could think more clearly.

  Wrath saw the worry for her sister in his wife’s pinched brow and in the way she gripped her own hands so tightly. He rested a tender hand on her shoulder and whispered, “It will be all right.” He went to take a step closer to Hemera.

  She jumped back away from him. “No more questions. I have answered the same over and over. There is nothing left for me to say.”

  “Just one,” Wrath said.

  “Nay, no more,” Hemera said, shaking her hand in front of him, warding him off. Why did they continue to ask when the answer would always remain the same?

  Verity reached out and slipped her hand in her husband’s, tugging him back to her side. “She is upset and I wish I knew why. Please leave her be.”

  Wrath surrendered to his wife’s wishes and bothered Hemera no more.

  Hemera did not understand her own frustration. She disliked crowds, but she coped with them when necessary. For some reason this crowd, that seemed to be growing more hostile, disturbed her greatly.

  Wrath turned and, seeing the sizeable crowd that had gathered, gave a nod to Paine.

  Paine eased his wife toward Verity. “Go home, now.” When she looked ready to argue, he leaned close to her ear and whispered, “Do not argue with me on this, wife.”

  Wrath did the same with Verity, only his anger flared when she protested leaving her sister.

  Hemera spoke up. “Do as Wrath says, Verity, unrest grows in the crowd and you have a bairn inside you to worry about.”

  Wrath was grateful to Hemera since Verity listened to her words of warning and turned away reluctantly, with Anin, though not before saying to her sister, “I will see you at supper in the feasting hall.”

  Hemera gave a nod, though she had no desire to be in a crowded hall this evening, listening to the grieving and complaints of what took place today. That would solve nothing.

  “They should leave. This does no good.”

  This time Paine ordered sternly. “Go inside.”

  Verity heard his strong voice as she and Anin walked off. She stopped and turned. “Leave her be, Paine.”

  Wrath rolled his eyes and shook his head.

  “She would do better inside her dwelling,” Paine said.

  “That is for her to decide,” Verity said, leaving Anin’s side and marching straight to her sister.

  Hemera backed away. “Leave. Go now. It is better for you to be away from here.”

  “I agree with Hemera,” Wrath said. “Go now!”

  Verity scowled at her husband and he scowled right back, walking over to her. “You will listen to me, wife.”

  Hemera watched as everything seemed to collide at once. Her sister argued with Wrath. Anin and Paine exchanged words and the crowd seemed to roar with anger, at least to her they did. The discord was too much and reminded her of the night she and Verity had been taken from their village. People screamed, fires burned, and she could do nothing to stop it. Would the Northmen come for her again? Would they take her from Talon? The thought gripped at her heart and filled her with fear

  “Silence!”

  Hemera caught her breath as Talon’s powerful voice sliced through the noise and silenced it. Her eyes turned wide and fear began to crawl over her like little bugs nipping at her chilled flesh.

  “Return to your chores now or suffer for it,” Talon roared. “There is nothing to see and nothing to fear.” The crowd spread as he marched to the front and stopped in front of the grieving wife and brother. “Avena, your husband Bard and, Hollins, your brother Tumason died brave deaths defending our people. Hold your head high in honor of the courageous warriors they were and walk with pride in their memory. They will be prepared for burial and brought to your dwellings for all to pay their respects this evening. Tomorrow they will be buried with the dignity they deserve.”

  That the King honored them by addressing them by their names and speaking the fallen warriors’ names pleased the two grieving people and they bobbed their heads in respect to the King and, holding on to each other, walked away. The crowd followed behind them in dead silence.

  Talon was grateful to Tilden who had made him aware of the situation and had assembled all of his personal guards to follow the King. They now walked behind the people, making certain no straggler remained behind.

  Talon turned to Wrath and Paine, neither men looking too pleased, but that did not matter to him. What troubled him was Hemera. Her face was deathly pale, her eyes as round and wide as the moon when full in the sky, and her body taut and anxious, fighting the urge to run into his arms.

  As he approached the group, he ordered, “Leave, and you,” —he pointed to Hemera—“come with me. We have your punishment to settle.”

  He brushed past Verity as Wrath pulled her away before she could protest and Anin who turned and took her husband’s arm to walk off, and reached out to take hold of Hemera’s arm and rushed her inside the dwelling.

  Chapter 16

  The door closed and Hemera collapsed in Talon’s arms, her head dropping against his chest and her arms going around his waist. Talon’s powerf
ul arms closed tight around her, her body’s quivers shuddering against his hard muscles. She was not one to submit to fear, so what had made her fearful?

  He held her, saying nothing, letting his strength seep inside her and chase her tremors away. When they were all but gone, he scooped her up and went to the sleeping pallet to sit with her, settling her in his lap.

  “Where does this fear come from?” he asked in a whisper and before she could answer he kissed her lips, eager to not only taste her but to return a soft blush to them. He eased his mouth off hers and was glad her lip had healed some and was pleased it had plumped a gentle red, and when she laid her head on his shoulder, he knew no response would be forthcoming. “More memories you do not wish to recall?” He felt her nod and lifted her chin, forcing her to look at him. “I will not wait for you to tell me one day. You will tell me now.”

  She stared at him and the words spilled eagerly from her lips as if she needed to be rid of the memories. “The people, the noise, the arguing reminded me of the evening Verity and I were taken by the Northmen. With Northmen in the area, I feared they would come and once again take me away... away from you.”

  Her brow crinkled as if her own words surprised her.

  His words did not surprise him, though the catch to his heart did. “I would kill anyone who would try to take you from me. I will remind you again—you are mine. No one takes what is mine.”

  She shivered, recalling another time someone had said those exact words to her. No one takes what his mine.

  “You are safe here with me. You will always be safe with me. There is no reason the Northmen would come for you. You are a Pict. You are home. You are mine.” His lips came down on hers and proved how possessive he was of her. It was not a gentle kiss like before. This one claimed her, branded her, made it clear that no one would come between them.

  He gripped a handful of hair at the back of her head and yanked her head back. “No one will ever take you from me.”

  His lips settled on hers once again and Hemera let herself be swept away in the power of his kiss. It consumed her, ravished her, and vanquished her fears. She almost cried out her disappointment when he ended the kiss and rested his brow to hers as he fought to steady his breathing and to speak.

  “I cannot stay,” he said through labored breaths. He suddenly lifted her and sat her on the sleeping pallet before walking away.

  Hemera was reminded of this morn when he had done the same, walked away, and she wished things could be different. She wished he could stay as long as he pleased, visit her as long as he pleased, and couple with her as often as he pleased.

  Talon turned away, seeing the disappointment in her frown and his own disappointment evident in his scowl.

  “My punishment,” she said, getting him to turn around.

  He swerved around. He had used the punishment as an excuse to be alone with her after having seen how upset she had been. He was glad for the short time he had had with her, though ached for much more with her and, like her not wanting to be separated from him, he did not want to be separated from her. It was a feeling foreign to him and yet so potent it consumed his senses.

  “Your punishment is mine as well for I must take my leave and I want nothing more than to strip you of your garments and plunge into you again and again until we both are spent with satisfaction and exhaustion. Then we would rest and do it all again.”

  Sadness filled her eyes and her shoulders slumped. “Aye, it is a most painful punishment to endure. I hope it will not last long.”

  “I hope to come to you tonight, but I must pay my respects to the fallen warriors families and spend time with my people, reassuring them that all is well and they are safe.”

  “Your duty comes first. I will wait for you, but if I fall asleep wake me,” she urged her soft smile as enticing as her lush lips still plump from his kiss.

  “With pleasure,” Talon said, a smile teasing the corners of his mouth, and not trusting himself to give her one last kiss, he took his leave.

  Hemera lay awake unable to sleep. She shivered and wrapped the blankets more tightly around her, wishing Talon was there his, body snug around hers. The dark had brought cold with it that would leave frost on the ground by morn and a wind that seeped through the dwelling. Though she made sure the fire pit would burn strong until morn, there was still a chill to her naked body that only Talon could heat.

  She hoped that his duties would not keep him from coming to her this evening. She needed to feel his powerful arms settle around her, hug her tight against him, feel his strength that rippled through every muscle in his potent body. Mostly though, she wanted to feel him slip inside her and join with him as one.

  A soft sigh escaped her lips and she turned on her side and stared at the flames roaring strong in the fire pit. She had been trying to make sense of the fear that had consumed her earlier. She had been frightened, but also angry when the Northmen had yanked her sister out of her arms and threw her into the arms of another Northmen before reaching down and grabbing her and tucking her under his arm.

  Her fear then had been nothing to the terrifying feeling she had experienced earlier when the thought of being ripped away from Talon had hit her. The pain had been unbearable to the point where she had thought she would collapse. He had become part of her and if ever they should separate, she worried that she would not survive, not want to survive without him.

  It was a strange feeling, one she had never felt before. She had worried for her sister while with the Northmen, but she had made sure that Verity had been protected. Talon was King. There was little she could do to protect him and she wondered how much he could actually do to protect her.

  Marriage, to her, was a necessity to most and a duty to others. Few if any wed because they felt tuahna toward one another, a caring so deep it stole the heart and never let go. It was rare or perhaps not as rare as she thought since her sister had found it with Wrath, and Anin had found it with Paine, and her mother had found it with her father, though fate had warred against them.

  Had the terror she felt today been because she was losing her heart to Talon? Or had she already lost it and had yet to realize it? And what would she do if that was so? Would she be able to watch him wed, know that he would join with his wife as he did with her? Her stomach roiled at the thought.

  “Stop! Stop! Stop!” she ordered her thoughts.

  She had survived more pain than she thought she ever could. She would survive this. No matter what she would survive. A tear fell from her eye and she brushed it away. Tears did no good. She had learned that a long time ago.

  Courage and strength had been her shield and her sword, a gift given to her long ago, and one she would always cherish.

  She forced her thoughts silent and listened to the melody of the wind outside her dwelling and let it loll her to sleep, an inkling of hope that Talon would come to her strong in her heart.

  The hand was cold that touched her bare shoulder and woke Hemera and when the blanket was pulled down, she smiled and turned ready to greet Talon as he climbed in the sleeping pallet beside her.

  Her smile vanished and she grabbed for the blanket when she saw that it was not Talon standing over her.

  It was Hollins, brother of Tumason, the sentinel that had been killed, and he held a long, thin dagger in his hand. With his other hand, he yanked the blanket away from her, leaving her naked.

  While he had pleasant features, anger had distorted them until he looked more demon than human, his dark hair having been whipped wild around his head as if the wind had battered him and his eyes bulged with a murderous glint. He was slim, though there was strength to the grip he had on his dagger and it had grown his muscles taut beneath the sleeve of his shirt.

  Hemera drew back as he stepped closer, her bare back hitting the wall and she shivered, whether from the chill coming from the wall or fear of what he intended to do to her, she did not know.

  “I know who you are,” he whispered with a sneer.
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br />   It was not his foul breath that roiled her stomach, but his remark. She stared at him.

  He tapped the side of her head. “Do you understand what I say, dimwit?”

  Once hurtful words stung her as hard as a physical blow, but her father had been the one to gift her with a shield of courage and a sword of strength, and he had taught her how to use both.

  “Ulric has plans for you. You will be the one to defeat King Talon and end his reign.”

  Her heart hammered against her chest that she could hurt Talon that way. She held her shield strong as she probed carefully to find out what Ulric had planned. “I have no such power.”

  “No, you have no power at all,” Hollins said, waving the dagger dangerously close to her face. “You are nothing but a slow-minded woman and how fitting it is that one such as yourself will bring down the mighty King Talon.”

  “You make no sense,” she said.

  Hollins stuck his face right in front of hers and sneered. “It is you who makes no sense. Ulric will see you dead and see that it is blamed on King Talon. Your battered and abused body will be found in the woods, since all know how much you favor the woods, and the person from the stronghold who finds you will weep as all learn that it was with your dying breath that you let it be known that it was King Talon who brutally attacked you after you denied mating with him.” His sneer grew. “I will be the first of many men who will leave the evidence of his brutality.”

  “No one will believe it. The King can have any woman he wants.” She hoped she could keep him talking until Talon arrived.

  Please, Talon, please help me. I need you. Please, wind, hear me and take my plea to him.

  One good thing was that he thought he had time to do as he pleased with her. That her dwelling was far enough removed from others that no one would hear what went on, so he would not be in a hurry. She had to keep him talking.

  Hollins laughed. “Everyone knows he has had no woman lately and believe he must be in desperate need of one. When he found you alone in the woods and you refused him, he took what he wanted. The person who tells the tale will make everyone at least doubt and that is all that is needed since King Talon’s end is already near.”