to move as Fallon continued to move his tongue over her sensitive flesh. With his hands holding firmly on to her hips, she could do nothing but pray he continued the unbelievable pleasure.
She cried out when his tongue began to tease her clitoris. She could feel herself swell as her need grew. Her hands gripped his forearms and her hips rocked against him.
As if he knew she was close to peaking, Fallon took her clitoris between his lips and sucked. Her body bucked and she cried out his name as she convulsed with her orgasm, leaving her panting and her body still throbbing.
He continued to stroke her with his tongue until the last of the tremors left her. Then he rose up and flipped her onto her stomach. He lifted her hips into the air, and in one thrust, he seated himself inside her.
“Fallon,” she whispered as her fingers clawed the linens.
Fallon knew just how she felt. He wanted to prolong their lovemaking, but he couldn’t wait any longer. Fallon began to pump his hips slowly at first, then faster as her moans grew louder.
He loved to watch Larena as she peaked. And to know he had given her such pleasure made him swell with pride. He pulled out of her until just the tip of him was inside. Then he plunged inside her once more.
His need built fast as it always did when he was with Larena. He was able to keep it at bay while pleasuring her. It wasn’t until he felt her body tighten around him in another orgasm that he lost control.
“Larena!” he yelled as his seed burst from him with a climax that left him dizzy.
The orgasm left him weak and sated. As he rolled them to the side, still deep inside her, he knew he would never grow tired of Larena’s body and the satisfaction she brought him.
Larena woke in the warm embrace of Fallon’s arms, their legs entwined and his face turned toward hers. Dawn was just breaking, giving off a faint light in the chamber through the open window so she could see his face. She couldn’t remember the last time she had slept so soundly or had been so content. It was all because of Fallon, she knew.
Fallon, who had shown her just how much he desired her. She had felt it in his kiss, seen it in his eyes. He had held nothing back.
And last night, neither had she.
For once, she wanted to be the girl who had found a man who pleased her and made her feel like the woman she was. Fallon had given her all that and more.
A tear leaked from the corner of her eye and trailed over her cheek to land on Fallon’s arm, which was cradling her head. She wished she could stay with him, just as they were, forever. But she knew better than anyone that nothing lasted forever.
Larena slowly pulled out of his arms and rose from the bed. More tears threatened, and she didn’t want him to wake and find her crying for a future that could never be.
What made it worse was that she feared she had already fallen in love with Fallon. If he were to wake in that instant and ask her for the Scroll, she would give it to him and pray he didn’t hate her for keeping it from him.
She reached out to stroke his face, but stopped before she did. He might wake and pull her back into his arms. She wouldn’t be able to resist him then. She had never been able to resist him.
And if he ever discovered what the ring on her finger was? He would hate her, and he would have a right to, despite the oaths she had taken. Fallon valued family and honesty. She could give him neither.
All they could share was the passion that neither could deny. She hoped it was enough because that was all she could allow herself to give him.
Larena took a step away from him toward the window she had come through the night before. She called forth her goddess then made herself invisible. For long moments she stared at him, half hoping he would wake.
When she could stand it no more, Larena climbed out the window. She returned to her chamber and transformed before she curled up on her bed and let flow the tears she had been holding back.
With the unbinding of her goddess, she had been surprised, scared, and more than a little excited. She hadn’t comprehended the danger that lay ahead of her. Or the loneliness that would be her constant companion.
It was only after Robena’s death and her father’s murder soon afterward that Larena came to understand what her future held for her. She could trust no one.
Robena hadn’t cared that Larena was a female Warrior. For all the Druid had known, there could have been other females. Nay, what Robena worried about was the Scroll. She had drilled that concern into Larena until it was all she thought about.
Larena wanted to take off the ring and toss it into a corner to forget it ever existed. She would throw it in the sea if she knew Deirdre would never find it. But Deirdre had a way of learning things that she should never know. Larena couldn’t take that chance no matter how her heart ached.
Fallon pretended to be asleep until he could no longer smell Larena’s scent. Only then did he open his eyes. He had hoped she would stay until morning so they could make love again.
Something was wrong. Larena had said nothing, but he had felt her eyes on him as she stood by the bed, could sense her longing. What had she been thinking?
She was used to being on her own and doing what she wanted. He didn’t begrudge her that, but he wished he could wake up and find her still in his arms.
Fallon sat up and scrubbed his hands over his face. He wanted to think he had made some headway with Larena last night, but he wasn’t so sure. She liked his touch, that much he knew. But was it enough to keep her by his side? Did he dare try?
As much as he wanted an answer, there wasn’t one. He blew out a long breath before he rose from the bed and readied himself for the day. After dressing, he opened his door to find Lucan standing there with his fist raised to knock.
“Everything all right?” Fallon asked his brother.
Lucan sighed and glanced down the hallway. “Can I have a moment?”
Fallon stepped aside to allow him in. He shut the door behind Lucan and leaned against it to wait for his brother to speak.
Lucan stopped in the middle of the chamber and faced him. “Cara is worried about Larena.”
“What about?”
“I wish I knew,” Lucan said, frustration making his jaw clench. “It’s all Cara could talk about last night. She kept saying Larena seemed agitated.”
“I’m sure she is. She was attacked and almost died. She woke to find herself in a strange place with people she didn’t know. She worried about how the Warriors would accept her. Larena has spent much of her hundred years by herself. And she doesn’t trust anyone.”
Lucan rolled his eyes. “That’s what I told Cara, but you know my wife. She likes to fix things.”
Fallon grinned. “She fixed you.”
“Aye, she did.”
“Tell Cara that Larena is going to need some time. I know how difficult it was for us to live with a god, but I cannot imagine what Larena has gone through as a female.”
Lucan nodded and glanced at the bed. “Have you told her you know what the ring is, what she guards?”
“Nay, and I doona intend to. Leave it at that, Lucan.” Fallon straightened from the door. “If she doesna want to tell me, then so be it. She must have her reasons.”
“What if she’s keeping something else from you?”
Fallon briefly closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. “She might be. She doesn’t trust me.”
Lucan’s gaze narrowed as he studied Fallon. “You care a great deal for her, don’t you?”
“My feelings for her are strong, I’ll admit. I want her in my life. I cannot explain what it does to me to have her by my side.”
Lucan moved to stand in front of him. “I’m glad you’ve found your woman, brother. You stood by Cara, so I will stand by Larena.”
Fallon didn’t miss the doubt in Lucan’s eyes. “I know I haven’t been much of a brother these last three hundred years. I’ve let you shoulder too much, and for that I can never apologize enough.”
“Don’t,” Lucan said. “We’ve all had to deal with what happened to us.”
“If I hadna been drunk, we might have been able to help Quinn. I’ll always blame myself for that.”
Lucan put his hand on Fallon’s shoulder and squeezed. “You’re a good man, and a fine leader. You’ve turned
