Echoes of Magic (22 page)

Coherent thought fled when his cock rubbed
against her exposed flesh. He lifted one of her legs beneath her
knee until it rested at his waist. Her chest rose and fell rapidly
as she waited with baited breath for him to touch her.

His deft fingers parted her curls before
caressing her sensitive flesh. She moaned, moving her hips to have
him touch more of her. He dipped a finger inside her before pulling
out and stroking her pearl. Each swirl of his finger wound her
desire tighter and tighter until she thought she might burst from
the pleasure.

“
I cannot wait,” he ground
out and released her wrists.

Adrianna’s arms lowered to his shoulders as
he gripped her thighs and lifted her. His cock slid into her with
one, smooth stroke until he was buried to the root. She locked her
ankles around him as he began to thrust hard and fast.

It was just what she needed to match her own
desperate desire. She clung to him, her body his for the taking.
She drifted on a sea of such intense pleasure that everything
around her faded to nothing—nothing but her and Grayson and their
pleasure.

She was powerless to hold off her orgasm
when it began to build. It consumed her with a ferocity that left
her breathless, her body not her own. With her sex still convulsing
from her climax, she distantly heard Grayson shout her name before
his body jerked and his seed filled her.

Adrianna, her body now completely drained,
rested her head on his wide shoulder. “I’ve never felt anything so
wonderful.”

He chuckled near her ear. “I’d be lying if I
said I had.”

A contented warmth spread through her. How
could she be so happy with such impending doom looming over them?
The answer was simple—Grayson. He had given her what no one else
could, what no one else would ever be able to.

He pulled out of her and slowly lowered her
feet to the floor. Adrianna wished they could stay in the tower,
locked away from the outside world, to enjoy their passion. Yet,
she knew it was impossible.

She straightened her skirts, already missing
Grayson’s arms around her, shielding her, holding her. When she
looked up, he was leaning against the wall, staring at her.

“
It’s not polite to
stare.”

He grinned. “I cannot help myself.” His
smile faded, and her heart lurched. Nigel had intruded upon them
yet again.

“
I know,” she said before
he could speak.

“
I won’t be long,” he
promised.

Adrianna leaned her head into his palm as he
cupped her face. With one last kiss, he left her standing in the
tower. She turned to the window again.

She should have told him of the note she
sent to Drogan, but there hadn’t been time. And now, now she wasn’t
sure he would welcome what she had done. It might not make any
difference anyhow. She had no idea if the rider would reach Drogan
in time. Even if he did, Drogan would have to gather his army and
make for Hawksbridge. That could take weeks.

They only had hours.

Adrianna shivered and wrapped her arms
around herself. If this were her last night with Grayson, she was
going to make sure it was one neither would ever forget.

* * * * *

Grayson stood on the battlements. The gate
had been checked, twice, by him. It was bolted in place, not to be
raised for anyone, or anything, until he had seen who asked for
entry into Hawksbridge.

The night was quiet. A gentle breeze drifted
over the land, and the moon hung above them, watching...waiting.
Much as Grayson did. He closed his eyes and could still feel
Adrianna’s sleek body next to his, hear her soft cries as her body
clenched around him. Saints how he wanted her. The feeling she
stirred in him left him faint, hungry, and excited for more.

The future he had never wanted he now held
in his grasp, but it could never be. He was doomed to die at
Hawksbridge, just as Adrianna was cursed to be alone.

Grayson sighed and opened his eyes. He
didn’t want to die. Not now, not after finding Drina. He wanted to
spend years with her in his arms, holding her, loving her. He
wanted to see her stomach swell with his child, to watch their
children grow before their eyes.

He wanted to see her beautiful golden locks
streaked with silver. He wanted her. All of her. For eternity.

Though he had never cursed fate before, he
did so now. Life was unfair, but it seemed more than cruel now. To
show him what life could be like with Adrianna only to jerk it away
from him just as he reached for her.

He turned on his heel and took the stairs to
the bailey. Nearly every man and woman of Hawksbridge was on guard.
Few would rest this night.

“
Milord?”

Grayson turned to a young lad of about
twelve winters. “Aye.”

“
Will we win against the
baron?”

Grayson swallowed and wished he had sent a
courier to Drogan. At least with Drogan they might have stood a
chance. The people of Hawksbridge were brave, but they weren’t
knights. It would be like leading lambs to slaughter.

“
Nigel is a powerful man,”
Grayson finally replied. “His men are highly skilled.”

“
And we are but common
folk,” the lad said and lowered his gaze.

Grayson gripped the boy’s shoulders. “Do not
lower your gaze, lad. You’ve more bravery in your little finger
than Nigel’s entire army. Whether we win or not, know that we stood
for what is right.”

The lad’s eyes burned with emotion as he met
Grayson’s gaze. “Aye, milord.”

“
Nobleman or common, a man
must stand his ground against evil.”

A smile pulled at the boy’s
thin lips. “It’s glad I am ye returned, milord. All will be well
now.”

Grayson watched the lad walk away, praying
his words were true. It had been one thing to know he would die at
Hawksbridge, but now all his people, as well as his mother and
Adrianna, counted on him to keep them safe.

He strode to the castle. It was nearly time
for supper, and he wanted one more meal with Adrianna.

Just as he suspected, she and his mother
awaited him on the dais. He would have preferred a private meal in
a chamber where he could strip Drina and lay her across his lap to
feed her with his own fingers.

Adrianna’s smile brightened the hall. He
gave her a wink as he approached and sat between her and his
mother, the place his father would have occupied. He remembered
nothing of his father, not even a vague memory.

“
Most everyone is securing
the castle, so our fair will be simple,” Leoma said.

Grayson nodded. “I didn’t expect a
feast.”

“
I...I would have liked to
give you one,” his mother said softly. “You deserve
one.”

He fisted his hands under the table. All his
life he had wanted to belong somewhere. Even at Wolfglynn where
Drogan had welcomed him more as a brother than a commander, Grayson
had never felt he truly belonged. Hawksbridge was his. Or would be
once he killed Nigel. Just knowing he had a home, a real home, gave
him a contentment he had never thought to feel.

“
A feast can come once
Nigel is defeated,” Adrianna said as she looked past him to his
mother. “A grand feast, fit for a lord that has finally returned
home.”

Grayson gazed into her pale blue eyes and
knew in that moment she was his and he was hers. “Aye. A feast fit
for a king.”

Adrianna smiled and touched his hand beneath
the table. He entwined his fingers with hers, wishing he could bind
their souls as easily as he bound their hands. Desire darkened her
gaze, causing his balls to tighten. Magic or not, there was no
denying the need he had for Adrianna. His body craved her, his soul
yearned for her...and his heart needed her.

Their food arrived then. Grayson reluctantly
turned his gaze from Adrianna and began to eat. The boar meat
wasn’t fresh, but it was food and, at the moment, it tasted
wonderful. The bread, however, was fresh and still warm, and the
wine was some of the best he had ever drunk.

“
Leoma and I have been
talking,” Adrianna said after several moments of silence. “We want
to help when Nigel arrives.”

Grayson shook his head. “Remember my
condition on allowing you to come? You gave me your word.”

“
Aye, yet it’ll do no one
any good if I’m huddled in a chamber while everyone battles
Nigel.”

“
Drina,
please,” he said as he lowered his dagger. “If I don’t know you’re
safe, I cannot concentrate on the battle. I
have
to know you’re
safe, that he cannot harm you.”

Leoma set her goblet down. “Pray if he wins
that he doesn’t find her. For if Nigel discovers what she is,
she’ll learn what true hell really is.”

Grayson sat back in his
chair and looked at his mother. “How could he possibly know what
she is?”

“
He’ll
know,” Leoma answered. “He always does. He didn’t want Hawksbridge
because it’s a grand castle, though that was part of the reason. He
wanted it because of me. Because I’m a
bana
‐
bhuidseach
.”

“
Explain yourself,” he
demanded.

Leoma glanced at Adrianna before she clasped
her hands in her lap. “Nigel used me.”

“
By the stars,” Adrianna
whispered.

Grayson looked from one to
the other. “Someone tell me what is going on.”

Adrianna’s gaze swung to
him. “She’s how he knew Drogan and Serena left the castle in
disguise. She’s how he was able to catch them so quickly on their
way to Wolfglynn.”

“
Nay,” he said and faced
his mother. “Why would you do that? They are good people you nearly
had killed.”

“
I had no choice. Whenever
I refused, he killed any child he could get his hands on. So much
death,” she murmured and looked away.

Grayson felt sick to his stomach. The
thought of Nigel using Adrianna made him want to kill something. He
clenched his jaw in an effort to control the murderous beast within
him.

“
I’ll see him in hell
before he ever gets near Adrianna,” Grayson vowed.

Chapter
Twenty
‐
Six

Adrianna paced her chamber.
She wished she could curl up on the comfortable bed with the
beautiful dark green velvet bed hangings. But she couldn’t, not
without Grayson. He’d promised to come to her. Yet, as the minutes
ticked by, she began to fear he wouldn’t. Then her door
opened.

She spun around to find him. Her heart leapt
into her throat, and the slow spreading smile on his lips made her
weak in the knees. No words were needed as he closed and bolted the
door. Adrianna walked to the bed, the blanket she had around her
trailing at her feet. Once there, she faced Grayson and let the
blanket drop.

He groaned and leaned down to pull off his
boots, never taking his eyes from her. She climbed onto the bed and
watched each wonderful inch of his skin exposed to her.

When he joined her, she pushed at his
shoulders until he was on his back. She then moved between his
legs, letting her hands trail over his incredible body. His skin
was warm, his muscles hard beneath her fingers.

And his eyes watched her every movement.

Adrianna turned her head so that her hair
cascaded to the side, the ends brushing his skin. He hissed and
reached for her. She leaned back and shook her head.

“
It’s my time to have my
way with you, Lord Grayson.”

He grinned wickedly. “Then I am yours to do
as you please, my lady.”

Just what she wanted to hear.

Saints, how she loved this man. She hadn’t
wanted to, had even begged herself to keep her heart safe, but one
look in his silver eyes, one taste of his lips, and she had been
well and truly lost.

She leaned over him once more and kissed
him. Before he could deepen the kiss, she shifted and kissed down
his chest to flick her tongue over his nipples. She licked and
kissed down his chest until she reached his narrow hips. His cock
jumped as she neared, and she could stand it no longer. She had to
touch him.

Adrianna closed her hand
over his arousal. He was hot and hard and velvety smooth. He moaned
her name, his hips rising off the bed as she slid her hand up and
down his length. She loved to see the pleasure etched across his
face, to know she was the one he called out for. With her other
hand, she cupped his sacs and gently rolled them in her
hand.

“
Drina. I’ll spill,” he
whispered tightly.

But she didn’t care. She wanted to touch
him, to taste him, to please him as he had pleased her. A bead of
moisture welled on the end of his rod. She caught his gaze and bent
to lick him.

He groaned, his breathing coming in great
gasps. But she wasn’t finished with him. Not yet.

Grayson clutched the blanket in an effort to
keep his hands from Adrianna. But when her sweet mouth slid over
his cock, he nearly died. Her lips sucked him deep into her hot
mouth while her hands continued to stroke his shaft and his
balls.

The pleasure was an exquisite, terrible ache
that built with each lick of her tongue. He could feel his orgasm
building, and the thought of spilling in her mouth left him panting
with need.

“
I cannot take much
more.”

Still her head moved up and down his length,
her curtain of hair draping over him like a golden veil. His
control was about to snap. Grayson sat up and grabbed her. He
lifted her until she straddled his hips, her lean legs wrapped
around him and his cock standing between them. He pinched her
nipple as he took her mouth in a kiss meant to show her just how
much he had enjoyed what she had done.