Warrior's Moon

“Circumstances have forced me to draw on strengths I did not know I had.” Though the strength to resist him clearly was not among them.

He nodded. “When you realized you were indeed pregnant, why did you not send word?”

“You assume I had some way of doing so. I did not, but even if I had, I would not have. You had already told me you would consider my child someone else’s by-blow.”

“I did not mean it. You had to know that. You were untouched the first time we shared our bodies.”

“I did not know it. You said it after rejecting me; why would I believe you would want me even if you knew of the babe?”

“I am not a man who would abandon my child.”

“Tell yourself whatever you like, but you already had.”

He stared at her, his expression clearly showing how foreign he found the concept of her words, but then great sadness came over his features. “You are right.”

She knew she was. So, why did seeing his grief hurt her as it did?

He turned and moved as if to leave the bed.

Her hand moved out to touch him before she could snatch it back. “Where are you going?”

“Back to the hall.” His massive shoulders hunched. “I have no place in your bed.”

“You are already in my bed.”

He merely shrugged, but he did not stand.

“I do not want you to go.”

“That cannot be true.”

“It is.”

His head turned so he looked at her over his shoulder. “Because of my wolf. Because we are mates.”

“Maybe. I would like to think so. It paints me a stronger woman, but all I know of a certainty is that when I am with you, I have peace I have not had these past six years.”

“Even with all the anger you have toward me?” he asked with disbelief.

His reaction was understandable. She found her own desires and behavior very confusing indeed. “Prove yourself trustworthy to me.”

“How?”

“Begin by not leaving my bed now that you have gotten what you wanted from me.”

“You think one moment of passion is all I want from you?” he asked, this time the disbelief huge in his tone and demeanor. “I have gone six years without you. We could spend until the next new moon in this bed and I would not have gotten all I wanted of your body.”

And suddenly, the desire was rolling off him again in hot waves that reached out and covered her. Inexplicably, but not surprisingly, her own rose to match it.

This time, their coupling was no less hungry than the last. In fact, his body moved against hers with greater urgency, though he still refused to enter her. And a part of her was grateful for it.

She did not want another pregnancy outside the bonds of matrimony. The last had cost her dearly.

Though as he’d pushed her to admit to him, she would never truly regret it.

When their passions had been spent, Caelis lowered himself to lie by her side. “Tell me about Percival wanting to make you his lehman.”

“The disgusting degenerate. He’s not content to tup half the serving wenches and his own poor wife, but he wanted to make me his official mistress, thereby making my children by his father at risk for being considered natural, rather than legitimate.”

“Is that the way it works in England then?”

“In England it is no more common, or acceptable, for a man to take his father’s wife as his lehman than in the Highlands.”

“But he would have done it regardless?”

“He’s too arrogant to care if others approve of his behavior.” She worried her lower lip, deciding if she wanted to tell Caelis everything. “You are committed to claiming Eadan?”

“Aye, and Marjory too.”

Could she trust him to be father to both her children? Again, only time would tell, but Shona had to take the first step forward. Whether she liked it or not. Trusted him, or didn’t.

She took a deep breath and let it out. “Percival tried to kill Eadan, on more than one occasion. He always denied his intentions, but the accidents were no accidents at all. Percival wanted no competitor for his father’s barony.”

“But as the eldest, he was the acknowledged heir.” Caelis sounded confused.

“Yes, but if Percival could not provide offspring—and thus far he has not, though his marriage is older than mine to his father—the king would naturally name Eadan’s eldest son the heir to the title. Percival’s pride would not allow it.”

“He would rather there be no heir to the barony?”

“Oh, yes. In that case, the king would appoint an heir who would likely come from the monarch’s own extended relations.”

“Percival sounds like a very vain, manipulative man.”

“He is, and cunning and determined.”

“You think he would come after you here?”

“I do not know.”

“If he comes, I will kill him.”

“He is an English baron; it would be considered an act of war.” Not that she would miss the man’s existence on this earth.

“If England’s king is foolish enough to go to war over such a worm, then he deserves the losses he will suffer at our hands.”

Shona shook her head. “Stubborn man.”

“We are well matched then.”

* * *

Audrey quietly pushed open the door to Shona’s bedchamber, disturbed to find it not barred from the inside. Thus far, the Sinclairs had shown themselves hospitable and unlikely to harm, but they were still a clan of strangers.

Except that man who wore different colors and was so obviously Eadan’s father. There was no doubt that Shona had known that man very well at some point in the past. And though perhaps it should not, that fact had quite shocked Audrey.

She had always known the baron wasn’t blood relative to her dear friend’s first child, but she’d never guessed the father was a Highland warrior.

It was testament to Audrey’s agitated thinking that the scents of the Highland Chrechte and that of unmistakable passion did not become apparent to her until Audrey’s gaze fell on the bed occupied by one more person than it should have been.

The wolf was awake, staring at her with dark, unfathomable eyes, his hold on Audrey’s dearest friend too proprietary to be mistaken. The air of protection was no less certain.

“How? What?” she stuttered out, her shock so complete, she nearly lost her breath.

Shona woke in that moment, her eyes widening at the sight of Audrey and then in horror as realization of her circumstances dawned. “Audrey! I…It’s…”

Audrey shook her head. “Come, we will bathe before the rest of the keep is up and sniffing around.”

Whatever explanations Shona wished to make, she could do so later. When she was no longer embroiled in an undeniably and hopelessly compromising position.

Audrey’s heart ached for her friend even as her brain spun with ways to help the baroness.

Shona nodded her head vigorously while the wolf frowned his displeasure.

Though Audrey had hoped the Faol warrior would wait to make his claim, she was not entirely surprised he had moved to establish his place in Shona’s life so quickly.

According to Audrey’s dear departed mother, the mating bond for a Chrechte was so strong as to be undeniable. Otherwise her mum had said, she would never would have allowed herself