Time of the Draig (19 page)

He dared a glance at her face and was rewarded by the soft smile. The green of her eyes was enticing and welcomed him. Samantha’s lips parted in a soft gasp when he loosened the fabric that hid her bounty from him. While she stared at him, his eyes shifted to feast on what was revealed. Flesh the color of cream was trapped within the confines of the strange black garment that tormented his sight.

Faolan pushed the fabric off one shoulder and moved the foreign strap as well. He bowed to allow the tip of his tongue to skim the swell at the edge of the black. With a kiss for the hardened peak hidden from sight, he growled, “If you dinna remove the foul fabric, my dagger will cut it from you.” In a way, he wanted her to delay her response, the thought of his dagger in action for such a task aroused him a way that stole his breath.

Samantha’s laughter filled the air. Her hands reached and pulled up his head to kiss him with fire and need. When she was through, she whispered, “I’d prefer my clothing intact, thank you.” With another kiss to his lips, she whispered, “I’ll take care of it.”

When she lifted, Faolan rose to crouch at his knees. His gaze left her face to watch the gown open further. Air sucked in as she slowly pushed the fabric from the other shoulder, and the top of the gown rested on her elbows. Still, the black fabric mocked him and hid the full breasts from his sight. Her laughter once again filled the air. She said as her hands stilled, “My eyes are up here.”

Faolan’s return laughter came out choked. “I have seen the beauty of your eyes. Show me what has been kept from my sight. I need to see all of you, my heart.”

A sly smile crossed her face as she moved with an exquisite and deliberate gradual pace. One dainty hand pulled a sleeve to cover her hand, and Faolan’s hand found his dagger at his side. He growled, “End this sweet torture, or I will.”

He heard her reply of “patience” and then a sound that forced a cry of anguish from his lips.

“Samantha, report,” the device stuck within the pooled fabric of her gown demanded.

In one heartbeat, he watched her face pale, and she reached to find the source of Jeff’s voice. Faolan closed the small space between them and held her face within his hands. “He kens you are with me. Leave it alone and be with me, my heart.”

Though her hand stayed within the fabric, Samantha leaned in to kiss him with deliberate passion. He held tightly as he returned the offering and used his leverage to bring them back to the ground.

Jeff’s voice again rang out to disturb the quiet sanctuary. “Major Sykes, report, or I will assume you are incapacitated and in need of assistance. A rescue party will track your signal. You have ten seconds before orders are given.”

Faolan lifted to see the end of the passion in her eyes. He asked, “Can they track you from this thing that carries voices?”

Samantha’s hand lifted to cup his cheek, and she nodded. Her other hand pulled the dark abomination from the fabric. She held it and said, “You have the major. What happened to having the day off?”

Jeff responded, “If Faolan is with you, he has a messenger waiting.” Faolan heard Jeff’s voice shift to an angry tone. “You and I need to talk. I don’t appreciate being kept in the dark. Get back here now, or I will come find you. Captain Harrison out.”

The shock was clear in her eyes at the command. Faolan said, “I have no wish to leave this place.” His kiss was met by cooled passion, and he knew she was already gone.

“Something must be incredibly wrong, or he never would have spoken to me like that.”

Faolan lifted his body from hers at the silent request. When her hands moved to straighten her gown, he pushed them aside. With great care, he pulled the fabric back over her shoulders and tied the strings. He placed a quick kiss to her lips. “When you have dealt with Jeff and I have heard my message, I will find you. Give me this night, my heart.”

Samantha sighed and smiled at him. It was only when he left her side to fetch the horses that he realized she had not spoken. He took a deep breath while he shifted the part of him that ached for her within his leather trews. He also knew she had not denied him.

With a quick glance back, Samantha had laced her boots and sat braiding her hair. Faolan took advantage of her lack of attention and used his dagger to take a branch from the bush with the white flowers. He tucked the future gift within the bag on the horse and moved back to her side.

She gave him the tie for his hair, and he pulled the tangled mess from his face. Still Samantha said nothing. Faolan stepped in front of her and pulled her hard against his body. He kissed her as if they had all the time in the world and no one waited on their return. When she mewled in her throat, he pulled back enough to see the passion once again in her eyes. He whispered, “You are mine this night,” and lifted her to place her on the horse that waited.

He picked up the leather belt that held his sword, strapped it across his back, and mounted his animal. He left out the statement that by morning she would be his completely. Some conversations could wait for the light of the new day.

Chapter 13

Samantha’s hand open and closed and open and closed, over and over again. She felt only the loss of what had been held earlier in the day. Her skin tingled with the remembrance of the cloth of Faolan’s shirt, the soft feel of his hair, and the warmth of the skin of his neck. A sigh escaped with the certainty the stolen hours were only a memory never to be duplicated. While not a believer in fate, she wished it had kinder plans for her.

Jeff’s question pulled her back into the events in the hall. She, Boomer, Jeff, Faolan, Kagen, and Dana sat and listened to the messenger from the Campbell clan. The young man, Finian, the youngest of Dana’s sister’s grandchildren repeated, “The dead man had the Draig mark upon his arm.”

Campbell warriors out for a day’s hunt had chased a man who appeared to be making notes of the landmarks through the forest. When the man had called out in a foreign tongue, the warriors attacked and killed the potential threat. There had been no trace of anyone else in his company, though footprints dotted the muddy trail.

Jeff asked, “Are you certain it’s the same mark?”

Finian responded, “We brought the body back to the keep to be certain. Faolan visits enough, and his mark has been seen by many while swimming in the loch with the men.” With a wink to Faolan, he added, “We had a few of the lasses take a look to be certain.”

Samantha held in the wince that wanted to come out after the statement. She could feel Faolan’s gaze shift to her and kept her eyes on the table. She wasn’t some naïve fool and didn’t think for a minute she was the only woman he had ever touched. Yet her mind acknowledged she still didn’t want to think about the plural nature of the remark.

Jeff had taken control of the conversation with a keen eye. He looked across the table at Dana. “Now may be the time to tell us what you know.”

The old woman nodded. “Finian, be a good lad and go to the kitchens. Keira will find you something to eat and drink. Though I hope you will stay for the evening meal. I would hear of my family.”

“While I would love to stay, Aunt Dana, my men are waiting to return home. Next visit will be a fine long one, I swear it,” Finian said. He turned back to Faolan and added, “I dinna ken if it means trouble or simply coincidence, but Da thought you should ken the whole of it.”

“My thanks for riding to share this with me.” Faolan glanced at the pale face of his grandmother. “Tell your parents I will visit soon.”

Before Samantha could blink, Keira appeared and ushered Finian to the kitchens with the comment his men waited for him to eat. When the pair was gone, Boomer asked, “Jeff, how did you know Dana left something out?”

“I’m no fool and can normally spot an omission immediately. It’s why Samantha’s father kept me on staff for so long,” Jeff replied.

Samantha heard the edge in his voice as if he challenged her in some way but let it pass. She knew there was a chance she was just too agitated given the interrupted events of the afternoon.

“I left out quite a bit because it wasn’t relevant. When you spoke of the men you battled after your arrival, I thought any threat had been eliminated,” Dana said. She looked up at the stone ceiling and asked, “Seriously, who carries a grudge after more than fifty years?”

Samantha shifted in her seat between Jeff and Boomer. Though they were the only ones in the hall, the two pressed in as if she would try to run away.

Dana began, “My husband, Alff, conquered these lands about one year before we met. In all of our years together, he only spoke of his home prior to this land once. And that was because I pestered him about it.”

Samantha listened as Dana described the presumed Nordic village and the night foreign warriors took control. They were warrior priests who served a dragon god. To save the village, they demanded the strongest male warrior as a sacrifice. Outnumbered and in fear for his people, the chieftain, Alff’s father, offered his son.

“Alff was drugged and marked for sacrifice with one head of the dragon starting at his neck and the other head on his foot. The creature swirled down his chest and wrapped around his leg.” She continued with his story of escape, the dagger stolen from the head priest and the battle that raged within the village that left too many dead. The story ended with Alff’s banishment from the village.

Samantha felt pity for the man banished by his father, though Alff left with most of the remaining young men to seek a life somewhere else.

“So, he wound up here by accident and adopted the dragon as his symbol but definitely not his god.” Dana looked at her grandson. “He thought the creature gave him luck and good fortune. Your father emulated his father, and the mark has now been passed to the third generation. The dagger you carry is the one he stole. Again, my Alff believed it was his to possess. But he thought that about a great many things.”

Samantha asked, “Where does the threat come into play?”

“Apparently you don’t escape warrior priests without being cursed. Alff knew he had been threatened with being tracked and punished, but time passed and so did the fear.” Dana added, “He never thought it would be a threat passed down through the generations.”

Jeff said, “You should have told us this. We could have had men patrolling the borders and—”

“My borders are always patrolled. My men ride each day to survey the land and keep all safe,” Faolan interjected.

Jeff stood abruptly. “I don’t trust you. There has been nothing but lies between us since we met. Only out of respect for Dana will we stay and defend this land. Once the threat is gone, we leave.”

Samantha looked up at the unexpected statement from Jeff. “What are you talking about?”

Jeff glared down at her. “I won’t stay here to watch you trade yourself for my room and board. How dare you not tell me Faolan demanded you marry him to keep us safe!”

“There was no demand. It was a misunderstanding. When you agreed to a treaty of peace, he assumed it came with a marriage to seal the deal. Faolan is clear that we don’t work that way,” Samantha explained as she rose to her feet.

“Bullshit, Samantha,” Jeff retorted. “Everyone here seems to be under the presumption you will marry him and that the men are some twisted form of human dowry.”

“I offer Samantha marriage, and you find it insulting?” Faolan roared and leapt to his feet. “You would prefer I use her as you use Keira.”

“Leave Keira out of this,” Jeff snarled.

“Keira is already in,” the woman stated as she entered the hall from the kitchen. She marched to stand in front of Jeff and demanded, “How dare you speak of leaving? Where was such talk this afternoon? I recall many words whispered in my ear. None of them even hinted you would leave.” She pushed at his chest. “You are insulted that my laird offers for your Samantha a home and a name. How dare you? You are the liar for the empty promises made. Stay away from me!” Then Keira fled the hall out the front door.

Samantha grabbed the back of Jeff’s shirt when he moved to chase the fleeing woman. “Are you done picking fights?”

Jeff whipped around to face her. “Your father would never have permitted you to whore yourself for anyone.”

Samantha felt rather than saw Boomer rise to his feet. Air moved over her head, and his massive fist struck Jeff across the jaw. She winced as the captain hit the floor. Though Boomer moved to finish what he started, Samantha held out her hand to his chest. She said, “Enough, Boomer. He’s down.”

With a hard glare for the man on the floor, Samantha said, “My father was the one who instilled in me the notion that nothing comes before the men, nothing.” Before she could finish the statement, Faolan turned from the table.

“I never wanted your men, Samantha,” Faolan spat and stormed from the hall.

In the space of two minutes, everything had gone to hell. Once again she had made Faolan think the wrong thing. Jeff was on the floor because of Boomer’s need to protect her, Keira had fled, and somehow the responsibility for everything lay at her feet because she was supposed to be in command.

Samantha extended a hand to Jeff only to have him bat it away. She said, “Fine, stay there but hear me. The men come first, end of story. Still, how dare you think I would whore myself for anyone.” Even the use of the word sickened her. “I should have told you what Faolan initially expected but felt no need as we resolved the issue. I’m sorry you heard it from Keira.

Putting all of the drama aside, we have a potential situation. I want someone with binoculars on the wall nonstop. Use the batteries and go to infrared. Hourly reports go to you as I try to go back to work. Come get me if and when we have a problem,” Samantha finished.

Turning to face Dana, Samantha softened her voice. “You have my apologies for everything that just happened.”

Dana rose from her seat and walked over to embrace her. When she pulled back, Dana said, “I would have been proud to welcome you to my family, but for now, stay away from Faolan. I’m tired of seeing him hurt after spending time with you.” The woman looked up at Boomer, she said, “Now you know why I stay in the kitchen.”

The words would have hurt less if they had been a physical blow. Samantha sighed and wondered how to even begin to fix the mess. She turned to look up at Boomer. “How was your day?”

The smile she had hoped for never appeared. Boomer glared at her with anger for the first time she could remember. He grabbed her arm. “We need to talk now.” With a glance at Jeff on the floor, he added, “Outside and alone.”

Samantha had to jog to keep pace with the giant footsteps that led her out into the courtyard, past the barracks, and to the cliffs by the sea. Only when they were at the edge, did Boomer release her arm. She waited for him to break the silence that lingered uneasily between them.

After a while, Boomer said, without looking at her, “You left and didn’t tell me. How in the world can I protect you if I’m not with you?”

The anger and hurt were clear in the voice. Samantha sighed. “You needed to sleep.”

“Don’t give me that crap. I can keep up with your messed up sleep habits. I’ve been doing it for years,” Boomer retorted as he turned to face her. “You left with him and didn’t have the decency to tell me.”

“I didn’t think it was a problem. You were safe, and that’s all that mattered,” she replied.

Boomer threw up his arms in exasperation. “In case you missed it, I’m the guard. You need to be in my sight or at least tell me where you are.”

Samantha laughed and said, “Funny, I thought I was the one protecting you.”

“I have your back, and you have mine, always,” Boomer stated.

With the pronouncement, she knew his anger was gone, or at least diminished. A vow so powerful could never be made without love. Yet in a way he was right. In all their years together, he had never left without informing her as to where and when he would be back. “I’m sorry, Boomer. The last thing I ever want to do is make you worry.”

“I did worry. You left with a man who wants more than a little kissy face. I’m only trying to keep you from getting hurt,” Boomer replied with a softer tone.

Samantha wrapped her arms around her middle. “Too late. In the course of one afternoon, I’ve managed to ruin just about everything here.”

“Jeff did most of that.”

“He was right. I withheld information which makes me no better than the screwed-up commanders we left behind. Plus, I seem to have a knack for saying the wrong things to Faolan over and over again.”

“So stay away from him,” Boomer suggested.

“I know all the reasons I should, yet I don’t want to stay away from him. For a few brief hours today, nothing mattered, and there were no worries. When I’m with Faolan, I get lost in him. He doesn’t see me as some genius to be used for gain, or as an officer with a duty to perform. I’ve never been with anyone who just treats me as a woman with all of the sweet trappings.”

Boomer reached down and pulled a piece of grass from her hair. He held it out for inspection. “What did I miss today?”

Samantha released her sides to rub her face. She said, “Not what you’re assuming.” With great detail, she spoke of the ride, the shepherd’s cottage, the picturesque meadow, and what was interrupted.

“You could have spared me all the details, Sam,” Boomer said.

“You didn’t spare me when you hooked up with Lieutenant Simms six months ago.” The statement was a mistake. They had agreed never to talk about people who had been transferred and never heard from again. With a whisper, “Sorry about that.”

A sad smile covered his face. “Don’t worry about it. By the way, what would have happened if Jeff hadn’t called?”

“Really? We would have had a perfect afternoon.”

Boomer mulled over the response. “We both know he would have wanted more. Given what I’ve heard about this place, you might have come back married.”

“I would have said no, and I told him that,” Samantha said, and she turned away from Boomer to stare at the waves.

She felt the warmth of Boomer’s hand on her shoulder. “I like Faolan because he seems intent on protecting you. You smile when you’re with him.” With a pause, he asked, “Why deny him? I see the way you look at him, and we’ve all seen the way he watches you. I know you well enough to know you wouldn’t have even thought about sleeping with him if you didn’t love him.”

Why does Boomer always find the simple truth in everything?
Samantha sighed. “Love doesn’t change what’s going to happen. The best I can do is to protect him.”

“Now I know you do love the guy—your protection instincts are up.” Boomer asked, “What are we saving him from?” Before she could reply, Boomer turned her to face him. “You found something in the last log-in.”

With a nod, Samantha replied, “I’m close, so close to the path back to the lab. I know that’s exactly where I need to go, and I’m certain it will be at the time we left. Don’t ask me why, but that needs to be the target on my re-entry according to UNK005. The how is still elusive, but I can feel that I’m on the brink of nailing it.”