Echoes of Magic Read online

  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
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  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.

  She groaned into his mouth, her hands clutching his shoulders. He lifted her until she hovered over his rod. Slowly, he lowered her until he filled her to the root. She sighed his name, her head thrown back in abandon.

  The most beautiful thing he had ever seen, would ever see, clung to him in ecstasy. Their bodies began to rock, slow and steady, a rhythm as ancient as time. A fine sheen of sweat covered their bodies as their tempo increased. Grayson felt the tightening of Adrianna’s body. She was close to peaking.

  “Grayson,” she whispered.

  He lowered his head and took a nipple into his mouth, suckling the tiny bud until she cried out, her body bucking against him as her orgasm claimed her.

  Grayson drew her climax out as long as he could, but the way her body clenched around him sent him over the edge. He held her tightly as he poured his seed into her.

  He should have pulled out of her. He knew it. That was twice in one day they had chanced her getting with child. The thought thrilled him, but he knew it frightened her. With her hands caressing his back and her lips placing tiny kisses on his neck, Grayson leaned back.

  “I’m sorry I brought you here.”

  She placed her finger over his lips. “Don’t. These few days with you have been the happiest in my life.”

  “Mine as well.”

  He lifted her off him, and he lay back with her snuggled against his chest.

  “I have two things I need to confess.”

  He groaned at her words. “I’m no priest, Drina.”

  “I know,” she said with a chuckle. “Earlier after we arrived and had taken over the knights, I sent a rider to Wolfglynn.”

  He looked at her. “You sent a note to Drogan?”

  “Aye. Though I fear he’ll arrive too late.”

  “Most likely, but I’m glad you sent for him. I thought of it too late.”

  Her hand leisurely stroked his chest. “I also looked into the future.”

  “I don’t think I want to hear this.”

  “But you must.”

  Because it was important to her, he nodded. “All right.”

  “You need to have extra guards at the secret door your mother spoke about. Nigel will send knights through there. If they get in...”

  “It’s over,” Grayson finished. He looked at the canopy. “I’ll see to it first thing. Did you happen to see how many knights Nigel had with him?”

  When she hesitated, Grayson grew nervous. “Drina?”

  “It was only himself and the remaining seven knights.”

  Grayson grunted. “They’ll be easy enough to kill.”

  “Nay,” she said and rose up on her elbow to look at him. “Lest you forget, Nigel has the souls of these men. They are nigh undefeatable.”

  “But I could.”

  “You could,” she agreed. “Yet, you cannot battle all of them.”

  Grayson shrugged. “As long as Hawksbridge stays closed, we should be fine, but I refuse to let Nigel get away. One of us will die tomorrow.”

  “I pray it’s him.”

  “You couldn’t see that part when you looked?”

  She shook her mane of golden hair. “Nay. I tried, Grayson. I really did.”

  He smiled and pulled her back down to his chest. “Don’t worry, Drina. All will be well. I’ll keep you safe, just as I promised.”

  “And your mother?”

  “What about her?”

  “Don’t die without forgiving her. She yearns for your forgiveness desperately.”

  He thought over her words. “All those years. She was alive. She never sent word, never sought me.”

  “I don’t think she could chance it. I get the feeling she was keeping you from Nigel.”

  Adrianna drummed her fingers on his chest, and he knew her mind was mulling something.

  “What is it?” he asked.

  She shrugged a shoulder. “I cannot help thinking that Leoma isn’t telling us everything. Nigel is powerful, aye, but he is gone from Hawksbridge at times. Why didn’t she try to leave?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Did you see the backs of her hands?”

  Grayson paused. “Nay. What’s wrong with them?”

  “I think he tortured her. She has scars crisscrossing her hands. It looks like scars a whip would make.”

  Fury erupted in him. “If Nigel did that to her hands, what did he do to the rest of her?”

  “I don’t think you want to know.”

  Grayson was sure she was right, but he had to know. As angry as he was at his mother for sending him out on his own, it wasn’t really her fault. She had done the best she could. How he envie
d others who had the benefit of both a mother and father. He would have been happy to have just one, someone to give him the love and family he had so desperately needed.

  “What are you going to do?” Adrianna asked.

  He shrugged, still struggling with the news. “She’s keeping something from us, of that I’m sure. I saw the stark fear in her eyes when she speaks of Nigel capturing you.”

  “Why is that? He’s evil, I know, but what could be so terrible that would make me stay instead of leaving.”

  Grayson considered her words. “If you were in my mother’s place, would you have left your people?”

  “Absolutely not,” she replied instantly. “However, I would’ve found a way for all of us to leave, even if it was one person at a time.”

  “My thinking exactly.” Grayson shifted until he reclined against the back of the bed. “While at Wolfglynn, Drogan spoke of how Nigel would blackmail people into doing as he wanted.”

  “Is that what happened with Cade?”

  Grayson nodded. “To this day Drogan doesn’t know what Nigel had on Cade, but, whatever it was, it made Cade do whatever Nigel wanted.”

  “Saints,” Adrianna said and sat up. “Could Nigel have been using your life against your mother?”

  He shook his head. “I don’t think so. Instead of killing the children at Hawksbridge, he could have come and killed me. Why didn’t he?”

  Adrianna’s eyes widened. “He didn’t know where you were.”

  “Nay, he didn’t. I kept my secrets close, told no one of Hawksbridge and what had happened, but I would still have been easy to find.”

  “Then there is something else.”

  “But what?” Grayson asked. “What could it be?”

  Golden strands tickled the back of his hand as Adrianna shook her head. “I wish I had an answer for you.”

  “I wish you did as well. We may never know.” He turned his gaze to the window. Moonlight spilled into the chamber, casting a blue pall on the stone floor.