Echoes of Magic (15 page)

The sun cast a bright orange glow over the
land as it sunk into the horizon. The sunset was breathtaking with
the clouds that captured and held various shades of orange and
yellow that streaked the sky.

He couldn’t help but wonder how many more
sunsets he would get to see before the evil found him—or he found
the evil. Grayson had seen firsthand how this man, this Nigel,
fought. If he really had sold his soul to the devil, then it
certainly explained his excessive strength.

Grayson was a good warrior, but nothing
could compete with supernatural power.

He turned and entered the inn, his arms
filled with the new clothing. As he climbed the stairs to their
chamber, he found himself contemplating how his life would have
been had he not lived it full of secrets.

Just as he raised his hand to knock, the
door opened. He pressed his lips together. “I thought I told you
not to open it for anyone but me.”

Adrianna smiled at him, her golden hair
still damp from her bath. “I knew it was you.”

“
I could have had someone
with me.” He stepped into the chamber and shut the door. “You need
to be more careful.”

“
I am. I recognized your
footsteps, which is also how I knew you were alone.”

Grayson set the packages on the bed and
faced her. The soft pink gown she wore only heightened her beauty.
The gown was simple, but perfectly beautiful for her elegance,
though he would much prefer the gown to be puddled on the floor at
the moment.

He silently cursed. He’d
been walking around with a constant arousal the entire day. All he
could think about was the softness of her skin, the sweetness of
her lips, and her lush curves he longed to caress.

“
Is everything all
right?”

Grayson turned his head to find her beside
him. “Aye. I picked up our new clothes as well as a few other
things.”

“
Other things?”

He pulled the dagger from atop his boot to
show her. Her fingers caressed the leather wrapped pommel before
pausing at the intricate knot work on the hilt.

“
It’s beautiful,” she
murmured.

“
I realized when you
attacked the knight you had no weapon.”

“
Nor do I know how to use
one.”

“
That I can rectify.” He
held it out to her.

Tentatively, she reached
for the dagger. Her hands clasped the dark wood of the pommel and
the sheath, and after a moment’s hesitation, she pulled the blade
free.

His eyes took in the simple and stealthy
appearance of the dagger. Its sharp, piercing blade made it perfect
to thrust through chainmail.

Her gaze lifted to him. “You think I need a
weapon?”

“
I know you need a
weapon.”

She nodded. “How do I use it?”

For the next hour, Grayson showed her the
technique she would need to properly thrust the dagger through the
chainmail. Its wide blade that narrowed to a fine point was the
perfect weapon for her since it wouldn’t take a lot of strength to
penetrate the chainmail.

“
Just remember,” he
cautioned. “If he’s wearing armor, aim for the neck or behind his
knees.”

With her lips compressed into a thin line
and her brow furrowed, she listened to every word he said, matching
his movements nearly to perfection. Grayson prayed she wouldn’t
have need of the weapon, but he would sleep better knowing she was
armed.

“
Very good,” he
said.

She grinned, glancing at the ground almost
as if she were embarrassed that she had been given praise. He never
tired of watching her, and the more he learned of her, the more he
found himself completely and utterly fascinated.

And damned if he didn’t enjoy it.

Women had always been a necessity, one he
delved into frequently. But Drina was unique,
special...captivating. With her, it wasn’t just about physical
release. He wanted to know of her life, and her opinion mattered
greatly to him.

Adrianna straightened after lunging as if
she were attacking someone to find Grayson’s brow creased and his
eyes distant.

“
Did I do something
wrong?”

He jerked and turned away. “Not at all.
You’re an excellent student.”

“
I have an excellent
teacher.”

He glanced over his shoulder at her and gave
her one of his lopsided grins that always made her heart plummet to
her feet.

“
Are you trying to flatter
me?” he teased.

“
You know you’re that good.
I don’t need to flatter you.”

“
Every man needs to be
flattered,” he mumbled.

She stared at his back, wondering if she’d
heard him correctly. Grayson was such a powerful man, a strong man,
and he didn’t have a problem with his confidence. Then why was he
seeking her approval now?

Her feet moved toward him until she
remembered how dangerous it was to be near him. It had been sheer
torture to have him mold his body to her back as he showed her how
to move with the dagger. All she had wanted to do was melt against
him, offering her body to him to do as he pleased.

Would that be so bad?

It would be exquisite, like a taste of
heaven. And that was the problem.

When he faced her, Adrianna had reconciled
herself to the fact that she couldn’t deny herself Grayson’s touch
when he gave her a curt nod and strode out the door mumbling about
their supper.

* * * * *

Hours later Adrianna opened
her eyes from dozing to find Grayson standing beside the bed. Her
gaze roamed over his nude body from his wide shoulders to his trim
waist and narrow hips to his cock jutting forward, waiting for her
to touch it.

“
I cannot deny what is
between us a moment longer,” he said.

Her breath lodged in her throat as he threw
off her covers and grasped her gown at her neck. With one jerk, he
ripped the garment in two. Adrianna felt a quickening in her blood
as she stared at her bold warrior. She reached for him, yearning to
feel his hands on her.

He moved atop her, his hands on either side
of her face. “You’re mine, Drina.”

“
Aye, I’m yours. I’ve
always been yours.”

His lips claimed hers then, tasting,
teasing, exploring. When his tongue slipped through her lips, she
sighed and plunged her hands into his long, black locks. As he
worked his magic with his lips, his hand moved between them to cup
her breast.

He began to thumb her nipple, sending desire
shooting straight to her sex. Instinctively, she moved her hips,
grinding against his.

Grayson groaned and deepened the kiss as he
rolled them until she was on top. He broke the kiss to move her
legs until she straddled him. She straightened, eager to know what
he would do to her next. He then grasped her hips to lift her over
his cock, holding her above him so that his rod teased her sex.

Adrianna glanced down to
find a bead of moisture on the tip of his arousal. Her sex clenched
greedily. “Grayson. Please,” she begged.

He lowered her onto his cock with achingly
slowness. She gasped as he filled her, stretching her with small
delicious thrusts until he was seated to the root. Adrianna’s body
burned with a need long denied. She began to rotate her hips,
reveling in the desire that coiled within her.

And then his hands found her breasts,
tweaking and thumbing her sensitive nipples until she cried out
from the intense pleasure.

She looked down to find his lips parted and
his silver eyes ablaze with a hunger that matched her own. Already
she could feel her orgasm building. She wanted to prolong the
pleasure, but Grayson had other thoughts in mind as he reached down
and parted her curls until he found her pearl.

With just a simple swirl of his thumb, he
sent her spiraling into an abyss of delight, her body wracked with
the intense desire flooding her.

Adrianna jerked awake, her body still
pulsing from her orgasm. She lay as still as stone while she
listened to the sound of Grayson’s deep, even breathing.

Slowly, she relaxed, forcing herself to slow
her erratic breathing. But every time she closed her eyes, she saw
Grayson below her as she climaxed, his gaze promising untold
pleasures.

* * * * *

Adrianna mounted her mare
the next morning with eyes tired and feeling as though someone had
rubbed sand in them. She had only herself to blame. With multiple
opportunities to let Grayson know she wanted him, she’d gone to bed
agitated with herself and the situation.

Now she understood why so
many
bana
‐
bhuidseach
gave in to their desires. It took a much stronger woman than
her to refuse a man such as Grayson.

“
Did you sleep
well?”

“
Perfectly,” she
lied.

She followed him as they
set out for the next village. Though she would have preferred to
ride behind him, he kept even with her.

“
You seem
distracted.”

She almost rolled her eyes.
“I’m just thinking of what’s ahead.”

“
I vowed I’d protect
you.”

She turned her head to him.
Was that suspicion in his gaze, as if he wondered at her trust in
him? “I have no doubt of your skill, Grayson. You’ve proven that
already.”

He blew out a breath, his gaze straight
ahead. “You don’t seem yourself.”

And she wasn’t, but it wasn’t as if she
could tell him the reason why. Not now at least.

“
I’m worried.” When his
gaze turned to her, she continued. “I keep wondering about this
connection to Hawksbridge. Something doesn’t make
sense.”

“
None of it makes sense,”
he said with a frown. “I was a small child, and my young mind might
not have grasped everything.”

“
Nay, I think you saw
things just the way they were.”

“
Have you looked into the
future?”

“
I can tonight. I had
planned on it anyway. We need to know what’s ahead of
us.”

He grunted. “And the evil?”

“
You know his name, don’t
you?” She wasn’t sure how she knew he did.

“
Aye. Baron Nigel
Creely.”

“
I’ve not heard of
him.”

Grayson looked back at the road. “Pray you
don’t meet him.”

Adrianna let the silence stretch between
them. The closer they drew to Hawksbridge, the more she knew
something big was going to happen. As fearful of that outcome as
she was, none of that compared to the yearning in her body. The
deep need that hungered for Grayson’s touch like water to a dying
man.

After her dream, she could think of nothing
else but Grayson and the pleasure they would find in each other’s
arms. No more running, no more denying. She knew what she
wanted.

Grayson.

Chapter Eighteen

Grayson rotated his shoulders in an effort
to work the knots from his muscles. Between the nightmares that
plagued him and Adrianna’s soft moans, he hadn’t been able to
sleep. His need for Adrianna consumed him so deeply, if it had been
safe, he would have gone outside and used his hand to give himself
a measure of relief.

He knew something bothered her. She hadn’t
woken with her usual mellow smile. It was almost too much to hope
that her body had kept her awake as well. He almost had a mind to
stop the horses and take her right then.

“
Tell me what you know of
this Nigel?” she asked.

Grayson eagerly turned his
thoughts to something other than his desires. “I don’t know
much.”

“
He was the evil I saw
after Drogan and Serena?”

“
Aye. Serena said he sold
his soul to the devil.”

Adrianna nodded thoughtfully. “That would
explain why I saw something that wasn’t quite a man. Did you see
his face?”

“
Nay. He wore a helm and
never took it off. Drogan is an amazing swordsman. Few men could
best him, and Nigel was knocking him to the ground like he was a
small child.”

She worried her bottom lip with her teeth.
“Drogan should have died then.”

“
Should have, but he
didn’t. Serena had given him an amulet that was her father’s. It
took the impact of Nigel’s sword and saved Drogan.”

“
An amulet?” she murmured
more to herself.

Grayson shrugged. “Cade said it was because
the amulet had been blessed.”

She nodded slightly and
turned her head forward. “Blessed. That would make sense. It’s
evil’s enemy. At least we know how to protect you.”

“
By having me blessed?” He
snorted. “I don’t imagine that’ll work.”

She grinned. “Perhaps not
but, combined with some magic, it’ll give you a fair
chance.”

“
I’ve seen him fight. He’s
more powerful than any man I’ve ever seen. No one can withstand
that.”

“
Your sword.”

He glanced down at his weapon. “What about
it?”

“
We’ll have it blessed.
Just like Drogan’s amulet, we’ll protect the sword.”

Grayson contemplated her words. “It might
work, but I’m hesitant to put all my hopes on a weapon.”

“
Isn’t that what a knight
does?” she asked with a twinkle of laughter in her eyes.

He chuckled. “How you can jest in a time
like this?”