Echoes of Magic (14 page)

Adrianna gratefully wrapped her arms around
his neck and leaned her head on his shoulders. “Were they here for
you?”

“
I don’t think so. It
didn’t take them long to know I was in the village
though.”

She held her tongue until they were once
more in their chamber and the door shut. Grayson set her on the bed
and went down on his haunches before her.

“
Now. Tell me truly. Are
you injured?”

“
Nay. You stopped him
before he could do anything.”

“
You climbed on his back.”
He shook his head in disbelief.

“
I didn’t know of another
way to help you.”

“
You should have stayed
here. Do you know what would have happened had I not seen the
man?”

She took a deep breath.
“Aye. He would’ve killed me.”

“
Exactly,” Grayson said and
rose to his feet.

“
But I’m not dead or
injured.”

“
I’m grateful for your
help, but don’t ever frighten me like that again.”

“
I won’t.”

“
Good. I’m going to hold
you to that.”

Chapter Sixteen

Grayson had never been one to care much for
fashion though he knew it mattered a great deal to women. So he
stood in the shop as Adrianna shifted through bolts of material. He
watched the elegant way she moved, the easy smile that came to her
lips, and, just like the night before, his gut clenched at the
thought of her wounded or worse, dead.

When he’d seen her on the
brute’s back, he hadn’t been able to believe his eyes. It was the
knight’s blade hovered over her that propelled him into action.
Every time he thought of what would have happened had he not seen
her in time left him in a cold sweat.

Adrianna seemed no worse
for wear. She hadn’t mentioned his kiss either. In a way, he was
grateful. He wasn’t ready to explain his all
‐
consuming lust. Yet, as a man, he
had expected her to say something, even if it was to slap his face
for daring to kiss her.

She acted as though it hadn’t happened when
it was all he could think about.

“
Grayson?”

He jerked and looked at the dark green
fabric she held up. “I like it. Will it be ready today?”

“
Today?” the hefty woman
who owned the shop shrieked. “Of course not. If you need something
immediately, I have gowns already made that can be
altered.”

Duly chastised, Grayson leaned against the
wall and crossed his arms over his chest. But he didn’t miss the
way Drina’s hands lovingly touched the fabric.

Adrianna smiled kindly at the woman as she
replaced the green velvet. “I’ll see what you have then.”

He eyed the velvet. Once
Adrianna and the woman had walked to the back of the shop, he moved
to the table that held the fabric. The velvet was a deep, rich
green that would look lovely on her. He hoped she found something
else that suited her since there wasn’t time to make her a gown in
the green. He almost had a mind to buy the bolt of fabric and give
it to her.

Just as he was about to, Adrianna walked
toward him, a satisfied smile on her face.

“
Did you find
something?”

“
Aye. It’ll be ready this
afternoon. Are you game to find yourself some new
clothes?”

Grayson inwardly groaned. “I’ve no need for
fancy attire.”

“
Remember the plan,” she
whispered. “I think a tunic of deep red or even a light blue would
look nice.”

“
The choice is yours
then.”

She smiled brightly as he offered her his
arm.

* * * * *

By the time they returned to the inn,
Grayson could have walked around naked for all he cared. It had
never mattered to him what color his tunic was or how it looked
against his hair and skin. A tunic was a tunic.

But Adrianna was happy, and he liked to see
her smile, so he held back the comments and kept his face devoid of
expression.

“
You can admit it now,” she
said as she leaned against the door of their room.

“
Admit what?” He sat at the
table and inspected his sword.

“
That you had an awful time
of it today.”

He glanced at her, but
there was no anger or regret in her gaze, only humor. “All right. I
admit it. I don’t understand the fuss. Its just
clothes.”

“
Ah, but to the nobles, the
type of material your clothing is made of is a symbol. I would’ve
thought you’d understand that being in service with Lord
Drogan.”

“
Drogan could care less
about clothing either.

“
I’m curious about
something.”

“
And what would that be?”
Her quick change of subject did not go unnoticed.

“
I’ve been waiting to see
if you would speak of last night, and why we’re still in
Dirkshire.”

Grayson blew out a breath. He studied her
calm expression and wondered how much to tell her of his plans. She
would be better not knowing everything, but he knew she wouldn’t
stand for it.

“
How much are you keeping
from me?” She pushed away from the door and walked past him to the
window. “If I’m going to be left out of your decisions, maybe you
should leave me here.”

Now he felt like a horse’s arse. “Please
understand, Drina. Secrets have been my life. It can be difficult
to trust someone.”

“
And you barely know me. I
understand.” She spoke softly, no annoyance in her voice. She
turned to face him. “It’s going to take both of us to get you to
Hawksbridge alive.”

Now it was his turn to feel as though she
were keeping something from him. “What have you seen?”

“
Nothing. Yet. Last night
proved that you may be able to battle these men one on one, but you
are exposed if there are more.”

“
What can you do? You are
only a woman with no experience with weapons. You were lucky last
night. Very lucky.”

“
I know. I’ve never
admitted to having skill with a weapon, but there are other ways I
can help.”

Grayson raked a hand down his face. “We
could leave now and with a hard day’s ride make it to the next
village outside of Hawksbridge.”

“
But?” she
prompted.

“
I wanted to see if more of
the men would arrive. It’s strange that only two of them were here
seemingly unaware that I was in the area.”

She tapped her jaw with a slim finger. “If
they weren’t looking for you, who were they looking for?”

Grayson had an idea. With Drogan secure at
Wolfglynn, the men could be after Cade. His first meeting with Cade
had come after Drogan’s battle with the evil. Cade had an emptiness
about him that was dark and terrible. Drogan often spoke of Cade as
a younger brother rather than just a friend.

“
What are you
thinking?”

He jolted, jarred from his
thoughts. “There was another, a man Drogan considered a brother.
Drogan rarely spoke of it, but he and Cade were in service to the
king together.”

Adrianna licked her lips and began to slowly
pace the chamber. “They could be looking for Cade then, which would
explain why they weren’t together. Do you remember how many of the
men there were?”

“
Nine or ten.”

“
They’re less two now,” she
said with a smile. She paused and faced him.

“
That they are.”

“
What’s your
plan?”

He scratched his chin and
tried to ignore the hunger in his body for her, which was becoming
impossible after tasting her lips, lips soft and inviting. “We
spend the rest of the day relaxing as we wait for your gown to be
altered. Then, in the morning, we set out.”

“
To
Hawksbridge?”

“
Nay. The village outside
of the castle. I want some time to survey the land and castle
before I ride through the gates of Hawksbridge.”

“
You think the men will be
waiting for you, don’t you?”

Grayson shrugged. “It’s a
possibility. If they are, I want your promise you’ll ride away. I
refuse to put you in danger again.”

She turned her back to him and looked out
their window to the southeast. “I’d rather you not ask for that
promise.”

“
I have to.”

Her shoulders drooped as she let out a long
sigh. “Who rules Hawksbridge now?”

Grayson let her evade the promise. For the
moment. He was determined to get her vow soon. “I’m not sure who
has control. The previous lord, a baron by the name of William,
disappeared some years ago.”

“
Disappeared?” she asked
she whirled to face him.

“
That’s what I was
told.”

Her brow furrowed in thought. “How long ago,
Grayson? You said you were once at Hawksbridge. Could you have seen
the baron?”

Grayson blew out a breath and sank onto a
chair. “I don’t know. I was so young. I remember my mother and
Hawksbridge, but nothing else.”

“
You expect to find all the
answers there.”

It wasn’t a question. He shrugged. “I don’t
believe I will, as much as I’d like it to work that way. The truth
is, it was many years ago. Most people probably wouldn’t remember
my mother or me.”

“
Somebody has to remember
when she was taken. You said it happened in the bailey. Something
like that couldn’t have occurred without someone noticing. What I
find strange is that the lord of Hawksbridge allowed your mother to
be taken. He should have done something about it.”

“
I certainly would have.”
It had always been something that never sat well with Grayson. What
kind of lord had the baron been to allow a mother and child be
separated by such men?

Grayson stood and raked a hand through his
hair as he walked the length of the chamber. Every day that passed
without being at Hawksbridge made his frustration double. The
likelihood his mother was dead was great, but he had to know what
had happened to her.

Maybe then he could sleep.

“
If I had been older,” he
said, more to himself than Adrianna.

Adrianna hated the pain and resentment
evident on Grayson’s handsome face. It tore at her soul that she
couldn’t delve into his past.

Unable to stop herself, she went to him and
laid a hand on his chest. “You cannot blame yourself. You were only
a child.”

The words died on her lips when her gaze
locked with eyes. His silver eyes burned, not with anger but with
desire. Her skin tingled, and heat surrounded her hand that touched
him. That same look had been in his gaze just before he had kissed
her last eve. And how she wanted another taste of him, to feel his
soft, firm lips moving over hers. Just imagining it made her
breasts swell and her nipples harden, the hunger, the need
consuming her.

She wanted to give in to the desire pulsing
through her, to throw caution to the wind and wrap her arms around
his neck. It seemed such an easy thing to do, but Adrianna couldn’t
let herself do it.

Before she could step away, his hand covered
hers, holding it captive against his chest.

“
I do blame myself. I
wasn’t able to help my mother, but I’ll be damned if I allow
anything to happen to you.”

She opened her mouth to respond when a knock
on the door interrupted them. Grayson dropped his hand, releasing
hers, and took a step back.

Adrianna fisted the hand that had been held
and walked to the door. She glanced at Grayson to see him give her
a nod to open it. When she did, she was promptly pushed aside as
men came in with a large wooden tub and pales of steaming water.
She looked at Grayson through the people.

Once the tub was filled and steam curled
enticingly above the water, Grayson moved to the door.

“
You did this?” she
asked.

“
I’ve some errands to see
to. Don’t open the door for anyone but me,” he warned.

“
Grayson,” she called as he
started out of the chamber.

He turned to her.

“
Thank you.”

One side of his mouth lifted in a smile
before he left.

Adrianna bolted the door and hastily removed
her clothes. She couldn’t wait to sink into the heated water. She
tested the water with her hand before climbing into the tub. A sigh
of pleasure escaped her. The only thing better would be a night in
Grayson’s arms.

And she knew well enough that she was
powerless to stop it.

* * * * *

Grayson leaned against the wall, his hands
clenched at his side as he fought with himself on whether to walk
back into the chamber and ravish Adrianna as he longed to do. Or
walk away.

Every fiber of his being told him to take
her. He’d seen the lust swimming in her pale blue eyes. She
couldn’t deny what was between them, not any more. His cock ached
for release, to slide into Adrianna’s hot, wet sex and let the
desire rule him.

Somehow, he managed to rein in his need and
walk from the inn. It frightened him, this hunger for her. No woman
had ever captured his attention so. And he doubted another ever
would again.

Chapter Seventeen

Grayson took extra time with his errands,
not wanting to chance walking in on Adrianna’s bath. So far, he’d
kept control over his desires, but he didn’t know how much longer
that could last.