Marek (The Knights of Stonebridge Book 1) (13 page)

The goddess? Had she heard him correctly?

“Arduinna,” he whispered. Then he passed out.

***

The setting sun glistened on the surface of the river as they passed through the gate into the bailey. The water was still and the level low. The fields between castle and village had been tilled. Thane had told her that planting would begin soon and that every man, woman, and child prayed the recent rains would continue through the spring.

The man in the village was no doubt at death’s door. When it became clear he would not regain consciousness anytime soon, Kitty had let Thane convince her to leave. She was disappointed not to learn more, but she would return tomorrow. Hopefully, he would still be alive.

When they arrived at the stable, Thane taught Kitty how to remove her horse’s saddle and curry the sweat from his coat. “We have grooms for this,” he said, “but ‘tis good for you know how.” He then showed her how to pick out the animal’s feet.

She found this last the most difficult. Not the picking, but the picking up. The two front feet were easy enough. But when she finally pulled a hind foot from the ground, the beast almost kicked her in the face.

Thane laughed. “You need to stand up a bit when you feel him lift it.”

“At last!”

Kitty’s horse shied at the sudden shout from the door of the stable, yanking his hoof from her grasp and nearly causing her to fall on her face.

“What the hell?” She stood up and glared at Marek from the opposite side of her horse. “You trying to get me killed?”

“Where have you been?” He scowled from her to his brother and back. “You have been together all this time?”

Thane had the decency to duck his head before grinning at his brother’s jealously. “I escorted your lady wife to the village.” He tossed the curry comb he still held into a box. “Would you have her traveling about the countryside alone?”

“I would have her within the walls of the keep,” Marek nearly shouted.

“She would have gone with or without an attendant, brother.” Thane, at least, managed to keep his tone light.

Marek clenched his fists at his sides. “In future, I will attend my wife.”

Thane chuckled. As he passed, he slapped his hand against Marek’s chest, his chest that was puffed out like a rooster’s. “As you wish.” He lowered his voice. “I believe she was pleased with your gift.” He nodded his head, indicating Kitty’s horse. She didn’t miss the wink he gave him. “Milady,” Thane said before he left them alone.

Marek stepped closer, speaking softly to the nervous animal between them. He ran his hand down the length of the horse’s back and over his haunches. “He suits you?” He looked over the horse at her.

Kitty nodded. “I’m going to name him Taurus,” she said. “That’s the name of my…uh…
ride
back home.”

“Bria missed you all day.”

“Did she?”

“Aye. She asked for you many times.”

“What about you?”

“Aye,” he repeated. “There was no one to prepare supper.”

Kitty gaped at him? “Are you kidding me?” She moved around her new horse with a huff and stomped toward the door.

He caught up with her in two strides, grabbed her arm. “Wait.” He turned her to face him.

Kitty scowled up at him, forcing herself not to tap her foot while she waited for him to speak. When he said nothing, she raised her eyebrows.

“I am not one to woo a lady,” he said. “I can never seem to find the right words.”

“You have no trouble finding the wrong ones.”

He smiled. “That is true.” He stared into her eyes. “I actually felt fear for you today, concern for your welfare.”

Kitty softened at the words, her anger dissipating almost as quickly as it had risen.

He continued. “I have ever felt hostility toward you before now. I would have been relieved to find you gone. Indeed, when I believed you dead, I could not even manage to show regret.”

“I went looking for you.”

He still held her arm. Now he pulled her to him. “I find of late that I would be loathe to lose you.” Pulling her even closer, Marek lowered his head.

He kissed her hard. Kitty’s heart beat madly against her ribs, longing unfurling from deep inside her. This was not kiss of a drunken man, but a man who knew what he wanted and had the wits to take it.

He wrapped both arms around her, pulling Kitty hard against him. He squeezed her ass, lifting her slightly off the hard packed earth and pressing her against the bulge between them.

Kitty had not truly felt the hardness of a man in months. She couldn’t get enough of him. She wanted,
needed
, more. More of his powerful, protective arms. More of his demanding, delicious tongue. She ground her hips against him. She could feel her own juices making her inner thighs slick with wanting him. Just like that, she was ready for him, more than ready to feel him pounding into her.

He pulled one of her legs around his waist. “I’ll not share you again, ever.”

His words seeped through the fog of her lust-fuddled brain.

“You are
mine
.”

Kitty froze. She pulled back to look at him.

He stared hungrily at her breasts spilling over the neck of her bodice. “No other man will touch you thus,” he said. He leaned forward and slipped his tongue into the cleft, drawing her flesh between his lips.

Kitty leaned her head back, eyes squeezed shut. “Because I belong to you?”

He blazed a trail across her aching mounds, alternately licking and nibbling her as he went. “Aye,” he mumbled against her.

Wrong answer.

She languished for a moment in a mire of disappointment, nearly undone by the feel of his tongue sliding across her breasts. She pushed against him. “You don’t want
me
,” she accused.

“Did I not just declare that I do?” He looked up at her, baffled if his expression was any sign.

“You
declared
me your property, that you would tolerate no other taking what was yours.” Kitty heaved herself out of his grasp. “It has nothing to do with me.”

“It has everything to do with you!” His shout faded as she stormed away.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Kitty descended the stairs to the sound of a family having breakfast the next morning, a boisterous household who obviously enjoyed one another’s company. As she stood on the landing eavesdropping, she felt like an outsider. Having grown up the only child of busy parents, she had always wanted a big family. When she was little, she’d desperately wanted brothers and sisters. She and Jake had discussed having more children, but though she’d never used birth control, there had been no more pregnancies after Vanesa.

She slipped past the great hall hoping no one would notice her, but then pouted in disappointment that no one had. Why should they? It wasn’t like anyone missed her. She was, after all, just the lord’s property.

Kitty curled her lip and reminded herself that to these people, she was Lord Stone’s unfaithful wife. They would not be favorable to her simply because she’d been nice to everyone for a few days.

She stepped out into the morning sun, lifting her face towards the warmth and allowing a moment for all her troubles to fade away. A twinge of guilt washed over her that she could even fantasize about living here when her daughter so desperately needed her. She drove the thoughts from her mind.

Peeling her eyes open, Kitty surveyed the bailey. Workmen had removed all signs of the old motte keep. Kitty could only be impressed by the accomplishments they had made in just a few days. From this vantage point she could see several men, nearly naked from the waist up, already at work on a new D-shaped tower in the corner of the wall near the gate. Their bare torsos glistened in the heat of the morning. A woman could grow fat on all the eye candy in this time.

If she stood on tiptoe, she could see over the wall to her right. The countryside spread out with nothing but fields and trees in sight for as far as she could see. To her left, the river snaked lazily past the towering walls of the castle.

Stonebridge Castle. It was beautiful. If only she had some way to retrieve Vanesa. There were certainly worse places to hide out from the pain of the world.

She decided this was as good a time as any to try to get more information out of the injured man in the village. With any luck, his condition would have improved and he would be able to tell her the what connection the medallion held to her predicament. How exactly was she to use the elements? And who was Arduinna?

Her horse greeted her when she slipped into the stable. She reached out and rubbed him between the eyes. He pressed against her hand, bobbed his head up and down.

The saddle lay across a rail just outside the stall. Kitty heaved it, expecting it to be heavy. But although sturdy and not light by any means, it wasn’t as heavy as she would have thought. Lugging it over one arm, she opened the stall gate and stepped inside.

Just as she’d seen Thane do the day before, Kitty lifted the saddle over the horse and set it gently on his back. He looked around at her, but otherwise did not move.

She reached underneath, feeling for the belt that should be hanging down on the other side. Finding nothing, she squatted down for a better look. Nothing. Still squatting, she duck-waddled under the horse, rising up on the other side. She immediately realized that was probably not the safest thing to do.

At least she found the belt. It had been secured over the flat board in the front of the saddle. She lifted it down, then walked around behind the horse to her original position.

Kitty shook her head. That probably wasn’t such a good idea either.

“How am I supposed to move around you?” She patted the animal on the neck, grateful for his tolerance of her.

It only took her a few minutes to figure out how to hook the belt. The bridle took a little longer. Luckily, the nice horse just opened his mouth and let her slide the bit inside. The straps could only go one place, over his ears, but she felt bad twisting and bending them to make the bridle fit. He seemed unbothered, but she was glad when she had it done.

She led him out of the stable and reached a foot up into the stirrup. As soon as she applied pressure, the saddle slid toward her.

She pushed it back into place, tightened the girth, and tried again. This time the saddle stayed on the horse’s back and she was able to climb aboard. Once seated, she had to wiggle her butt several times to get the saddle centered. That belt thing definitely had to be tighter. She would get Marek to show her later how to do it.

Kitty kicked her horse into motion and guided him toward the gate. As she passed the sweaty, bare-chested workmen, they stopped to watch. Some dared to call out to her.

She grinned, but otherwise ignored them. Construction workers hadn’t changed in eight hundred years.

The guards at the gate inclined their heads as she passed but made no move to stop her. Again she wondered that she had such freedom. She had expected women of this time would have been more like prisoners inside the safe walls of the castle, protected like the rest of the lord’s
property
.

She frowned. Maybe she had been too hard on Marek yesterday. She had to stop treating him like she would a man of the twenty-first century. He was nothing like any man she had ever encountered in her own time. She found herself glad of it.

The gate into the village seemed to appear much quicker than in days past. Since she had made the trip several times now, the road had become more familiar. It seemed shorter. Kitty passed the home of the boy who had died in her pig shed just a few days before. She decided to return later with some supplies for the boy’s mother. Food could certainly never take the place of a son, but she vowed to ensure the woman did not go hungry. She went directly to her fellow time-traveler’s house.

Kitty knew something was wrong the minute she saw the house. The shutters were closed, as was the door. All remained silent from inside as she dismounted.

She knocked lightly. No response came from within. Kitty banged louder.

This time the door opened to reveal a boy, maybe a little older than Vanesa, but not much. Eleven or twelve, perhaps.

“Is your mother here?”

The boy said nothing but turned to look over his shoulder into the darkness.

Kitty peered in to follow his gaze but could see nothing. “Is she there?” she asked again.

He stepped back, opening the door wider.

Kitty reluctantly stepped into the dark house. The stench threatened to overwhelm her, worse than yesterday. She covered her nose and mouth.

The woman sat on the floor next to the dead body of her husband. She sat crossed-legged, hugging her arms around herself, rocking back and forth.

Bucking up her resolve, Kitty went to her. “Ma’am?” The woman continued to rock back and forth. Kitty put a hand on her shoulder, but she did not stop her rocking. She turned back to the boy. “How long has she been like this?”

“My father died during the night,” he said. His voice trembled.

Even in the darkness, Kitty could see he fought back tears. She walked over and put an arm around his shoulders. He made no response, only stared down at his parents.

“Have you eaten?” Why did people think to comfort survivors with food?

The boy shook his head. “There is naught to eat.”

“What’s your name?”

“Gadrin.”

“Well, Gadrin. See if you can rouse your mother. I’m taking you both home with me.”

He looked up at her now. “You live in the keep.” It was not a question.

“Can you get her up?”

He did not answer, but went to his mother, pulled her to her feet. The woman did not protest. She seemed unaware of the goings on around her.

“Take her out and see if you can get her onto my horse.” The boy did not seem so eager to follow this request. “Don’t worry, he’s very gentle.” Still he made no move to obey. Kitty gave him a nudge, turning him toward the door. “Let’s get her to the castle, clean her up, feed her. I’ll send someone back to take care of your father and gather your things.”

Apparently he saw the wisdom in her thinking. After much coaxing, he led his mother outside. Kitty could hear him trying to get her to mount the horse.

Kitty made a quick search of the room. The small dwelling held little furniture or other belongings. She wondered if the family owned anything worth collecting. Maybe she could get Bryn to come take the man to the church for burial, then torch the place. At least that would get rid of the stench.

She found a ruined balloon clutched in the man’s cold hand. As repulsed as she was to pry the fingers open, she was not leaving without it. She would leave no clue behind.

She went outside to find the woman mounted, Gadrin waiting beside her horse holding the reins. She gave him an encouraging smile. “Ready?”

They endured curious stares as they passed through the village and out into the countryside. No one spoke as they made the trek to Stonebridge Castle. The trip took much longer on foot, and the landscape rose gradually. The village sat along the banks of the river with the road rising to the high cliffs upon which Bryn had suggested they build the new keep. Kitty was breathing hard as they waited for the guards to open the gate.

Gadrin stared in wonder at the interior walls of the bailey. Kitty noticed, not for the first time, the sunken eyes and cheeks of his small face. His skin seemed to hang from his bones. Had he ever had enough food to sustain him?

“How old are you?”

“I was born thirteen or fourteen winters ago. Mother has difficulty remembering when, just that it was cold.”

That he did not know his age or even his birthday did not seem to bother him, only that his birth had been an added hardship on his parents. She glanced up at the stoic woman on Taurus’ back. How difficult, and different, life would be here with a husband who could barely provide. And then to lose him –

They stopped before the lean-to that housed the kitchen. Together, Kitty and Gadrin pulled the woman to the ground, ensured she maintained her footing, then guided her inside. Luckily, Sarah and a few other women were heating up leftovers for the noon meal.

Kitty settled mother and son at the big table with instructions for Sarah to feed them until they could eat no more and a promise from Gadrin to get some food into his mother. He mumbled an agreement through a full mouth.

Kitty led Taurus to the stable, unbuckled the belt and pulled the saddle from his back.

She rubbed him on the side of his powerful neck. Then laughed as he craned it, encouraging her fingers beneath the long black mane. She got the hint, scratched along the base.
If only it were so easy to read a man’s mind
, she thought.

Cradling the saddle over her arm, Kitty turned to find Marek leaning on a post behind her. She jumped back with a shriek , dropping the saddle and startling the horse. He jerked his head up and shied away from her.

Marek rushed forward. He settled the horse with a calming hand on his withers and pulled Kitty away from harm with the other.

“I did not intend to frighten you,” he said.

Catching her breath, she leaned over and picked the saddle up off the ground. “Don’t sneak up on me like that.”

“I did not
sneak
,” he defended himself. Marek took the saddle from her. “You are pleased with the horse?”

Kitty stroked Taurus’ soft nose and nodded. “He’s great. You know, I always thought horses would smell kinda funky, but it’s not unpleasant at all.”

He gave her that look, as if she were speaking a foreign language. She had to laugh.

“I love him. Thank you.”

He seemed satisfied with her response. One corner of his mouth tilted up. His proximity made Kitty’s heart pound in a way that had nothing to do with the start he’d given her moments before. “K-Katherine. I…”

“Call me Kitty.”

His eyebrows rose sharply. “Kitty? I never thought, I mean I assumed your name –”

She cut him off. “My name
is
Katherine, but everyone has called me Kitty since I was a little girl.” She smiled up at him and extended her hand. “Kitty Petty. Pleased to meet you.”

He stared down at her hand a moment, then took it, engulfing it in his much larger one. A shock shot up her arm when he touched her. She trembled. Her palm tingled. Her heart flip-flopped when he squeezed her hand.

“Kitty Petty.” His deep, sensual voice barely rose above a whisper.

She pulled her hand from his with a nervous laugh. “Please, no smart ass comments about
petting my kitty.
”

This time he only lifted one eyebrow. The quirk of his mouth was proof enough he understood her meaning.

She made to step around him, but he stopped her with a hand on her arm.

“I must apologize for yesterday. I am unclear what it was I did wrong, but –”

“You don’t know what you did, but whatever it was you’re sorry?” She made no attempt to hide her sarcasm.

He shrugged. “In essence.” This time it was he who stepped away from her. He left the stall and set the saddle on a rack in the breezeway. “I have hated you almost since the moment we met, yet I am drawn to you. I find you ever in my thoughts.” He looked at her with narrowed eyes. “Thou art not a witch?”