A Witch's Tale (14 page)

“No,
I am unhurt,” she said and stared up at him, reveling in the closeness they
shared. “It felt wonderful.”

“It
will be better the next time. I promise you.”

Madeline
was a bit disappointed when he slid out of her and drew away from her. Soon he
lay back down and brought her to his chest, holding her close, his hand
stroking her shoulder. They lay quietly and soon he slept. She gazed up at him,
wondering why the spell hadn’t worked. She sighed with delight as she enjoyed
the feel of his arms wrapped around her. She absorbed his warmth and closed her
eyes, a smile upon her lips.

Madeline
woke before dawn to feel his hands and lips upon her body. She had little cause
to question his intent. He made love to her with thorough intensity then. She
cried out as he drove deeply within her, his body cleaving to hers. She shook
violently as he brought her to pleasure first; holding her as he felt her body
tremble with the first wave of her release. His own cry of pleasure was stifled
against her neck as he erupted within her, breathing harshly. He lingered with her,
touching her, caressing her with such gentleness, she felt tears in her eyes
for how perfect the evening had been.

When
he moved away to get something to drink, she couldn’t help but admire his taut
muscled backside in the pink, early morning glow of dawn. He set down the
tankard of water and looked back at her. His knowing smile warmed her.

“Do
you like what you see, Witch? Am I worth your reward?”

“You
have most definitely earned it, Sir Knight,” she breathed with passion-glazed
eyes, smiling widely at the lustful look he gave her in return. “I wish to
reward you again, and soon, perhaps right now if you are not too busy?”

“My
lusty little witch has rewarded me so well, I can think of nothing but the
pleasure found in her sweet arms,” he replied as he came back to hand her the
water, watching her drink with glowing eyes. He set the cup aside, his hand
sliding into her tussled dark red hair. He leaned down and kissed her deeply.
He lifted his head and smiled at her dazed expression.

“Make
love to me once more, Gavin,” she whispered as she pulled him down with her.

 He
joined her back in the bed. She saw his long, rigid sex was fully aroused once
more and shivered as he reached for her again. She went into his arms with
little hesitation, her hands touching him boldly, urging him to her. Nails dug
eagerly into his back and shoulders as he stroked deeply within her, his dark
head back in ecstasy.

“Oh
my sweet witch, you are more angel, I think,” he whispered as he felt her legs
wrap around his waist, sliding deeper within her clenching tightness. “I shall
never let you go, Madeline. I love you so, my fiery angel.”

She
heard his words as the waves of her release washed over her, sobbing against
his sweaty chest, her heels grinding into the backs of his thighs, tears in her
eyes to know it was the spell that brought on such rash words. He’d known her
but three days. He didn’t mean what he said. He didn’t know what he was saying
at all.

As
he held her in the glowing aftermath and worshiped her with his hands and lips
lingeringly, she felt bitter to know he couldn’t help himself now because of
the spell. When it wore off, he would feel none of the things he’d muttered in
passion’s throes. She lay against his chest and closed her eyes, determined to
not let the pain of that gnaw at her.

She
wanted to know what it felt like to be loved by him. Now that she knew, it
would be difficult to go back to his treating her as casually as he had before.
To know she wanted the impetuous words he’d uttered in passion to be true made
her heart ache.

“You
are too quiet, my love,” he whispered as his lips slid over her shoulder.

“Do
you love me truly?” she asked and her eyes met his, seeing how glassy and dilated
they were now. A feeling of dismay filled her to see his adoring smile. He
leaned down to brush his lips across hers.

“I
love you as the moon loves the night in the star-filled sky, my rosy witch,” he
murmured reverently, his large hands cupping and fondling her full breasts.
“Thoughts of you fill my head and heart without room for anything else.”

“Show
me again, Sir Knight,” she demanded as she held him close. “Show me how much
you love me.”

Gavin’s
hands and mouth teased and worshiped every inch of her body until she was
writhing and gasping, clawing his back and urging him to her. He cried out his
love to her as he made her his once more, each word making Madeline weep to
know she tricked him.

Gavin
slept curled around her, in no hurry to leave her side. She brooded to know how
glorious it felt to be loved by this man. While he said every word her heart
longed to hear and already felt; it was merely the spell at work for him. He
wouldn’t feel the same way when the spell wore off.

He
would know they made love but fail to recall these details as she would. It
would be her that would feel torment to know this part of her valiant handsome
knight. She should have known the signs he was under the spell’s influence by
the way his whole demeanor changed. Madeline closed her eyes and pressed
against his hard chest as he slept, feeling sorrowful what he said could not be
true.

I fix mine eye on thine, and there
Pity my picture burning in thine eye;
My picture drowned in a transparent tear,
When I look lower I espy.
Hadst thou the wicked skill
By pictures made and mard, to kill,
How many ways mightst thou perform thy will?

Gavin
left her side and dressed, his eyes filled with softness. She was suddenly shy
despite all they shared. He grinned and reached out, tossing the sheet aside
and looked his fill.

“Come
and allow me to help you meet the day. If I do not, we will not make it out of
this tent today.”

Madeline
felt her shyness evaporate under his heated gaze and got up. She chuckled as he
played maid to her now, helping her find her strewn clothing. When she was
dressed, he sat on the edge of the bed and pulled her down onto his lap, his
lips sliding to her neck. She sighed from his amorous attentions, wishing to
have remained in the bed.

“If
not for the men whining of it; I’d keep you in bed all day, my sweet Madeline,”
he whispered naughtily as he held her on his lap, his hands busy caressing her.

“You
must be hungry,” she said as his hands held her fast upon his lap.

“I
am hungry only for you, my sweet love,” he murmured in response.

“Your
men might not agree. Come, they are bound to need a powder from me this morn.”

“The
first opportunity I find, we leave for the city. You may wish for a bath and I
would have company in mine this time, sweet witch.”

She
felt her pulses dance at his words, silently cursing the delay in seeking the
scandalous bathhouse. Her eyes darkened with images of him in her bath with
her. She prayed the spell held until then.

The
men regarded them both with pained looks as they joined them. They were
miserable and suffering from the night’s excesses. She moved among them to
administer the medicine, smiling to see them all cringe from her stern
lectures.

She
set about cooking them breakfast, grinning to see Henry’s feet sticking out of
the horse’s enclosure where he no doubt slept off his intoxication. The younger
man was soon groaning, making the others hoot with laughter once they were fed
and recovered. The young man had to be carried back the night before, passing
out at the table.

Madeline
stifled a chuckle as he stepped out of the tent. Gavin smiled too and looked
away quickly. The young man was obviously at the mercy of the others the night
before. They shaved his head while he was passed out. He seemed not to notice
right off. His brown eyes were bloodshot and filled with regret.

Madeline
gave him some of the powders and watched him mix it into his wine with
sympathy, looking up and glaring at the others. They all rolled upon the ground
in their mirth.

“Do
you remember anything at all, Henry?”

“Not
a blessed thing, with thanks,” the young man mumbled and drank the wine with a
grimace. He sat up and felt the breeze on his bare head. His hand shot up
suddenly to feel his bald pate. He glared at his chortling companions in fury.
“It appears I was set upon by fools in the night!”

“It
will grow back, Henry,” she offered gently and sent them all quelling looks,
seeing the young man’s distress. “Pay them all no mind.”

Henry
ate and eyed the others balefully. He appeared to hold a grudge for some time,
refusing to even talk to them. Finally Gaston could take it no more and offered
his apologies, than the others.

Gavin
shook his head at what they’d done to the younger man. He waited until the last
of them wandered away to scoop her into his arms and carry her back to the
tent. Madeline protested as he carried her inside their tent and tossed her
back into the bed. He grinned down at her as he tossed aside his tunic.

“I
have changed my mind and can think of nothing better to do today.”

She
sighed as he joined her, his lips meeting hers in a fiery kiss. She had to
agree as passion blazed between them once more. Her last thought was of how
wondrous it felt to give him his reward at last.

****

Madeline
was lost in a daydream that morning, in a daze after being awoken with such
dizzying passion before Gavin left to train. The evening made her sigh in delight,
more than once. The man was positively thorough in undermining her efforts to
do anything but think of him. The spell seemed to hold until the dinner hour.
Seeing his growing confusion as it began to wear off, she hurriedly set another
binding to prolong the inevitable end of the spell.

She
knew what she did was wrong. The Goddess would punish her for using her magic
so shamelessly for her own pleasure. The guilt of what she did was profound as
he whispered of his love for her. He was her adoring slave in those moments,
while his body made hers burn and ache for him. They stayed abed most of the
day, lost in each other’s arms while his men went about their day of liberty.
They were left alone. The beauty of those stolen moments would haunt her.

Madeline
wanted so badly for him to mean what he said in those passionate moments, and
feel what he claimed as he possessed her. She wept when he left her, knowing
the binding’s cruel truths at last; resented knowing the spell couldn’t last
forever.

She
didn’t see the shadow that fell over her as she fed the fire, lost in her own
misery. She let out a yelp as she was rudely grabbed by the arm. She looked up
into Hugh de Valmont’s angry features in alarm.

“I
told Father we would find you here,” he snarled as his fingers dug into the
flesh of her arm cruelly. “Let us see if your knight can get you out of the
king’s justice as he did ours.”

Madeline
flung off his arm. She saw the elder de Valmont approach. She backed away
toward the tent, her eyes filled with fear.

“Leave
me alone!” she cried as she saw the baron approach. “You deserved what you got
for what you meant to do!”

Hugh
looked like he wanted to hit her. “Thanks to you, I can no longer use what you
cast your foul spell upon, Bitch. You will reverse the spell or we call for the
king’s guard.”

Madeline
eyed him carefully. He offered a means to freedom with his words. She saw the
baron’s pleased expression as he joined them.

“No
need to drag this on any longer, girl,” the older man replied sourly. “Simply reverse
the spell you placed upon my son and we will leave. That is all we came for.”

Madeline
didn’t know how to reverse the spell. She wracked her brain to figure out how
she’d even done it at all. That would not get her out of this. She stalled for
time.

“You
will leave me alone if I reverse the spell?”

Hugh
eyed her with hatred in his gaze. “I’d like to see you burn, but I value my
prick more! Reverse the spell or we call the guards!”

Madeline
relaxed, seeing both men now cut off any avenue of escape. They stood on either
side of her. The thoroughfare was crawling with guardsmen now. One outcry from
them and they would have her clapped in chains. Gavin and his men were on the
practice field and not there to help her. She panicked but decided she could
brazen the matter out. He wanted a cure. Surely he would accept anything she
gave him and go?

“Come
inside and I will do as you ask,” she agreed and went inside the tent.

Hugh
and his father followed her, looking about the luxurious interior of the tent
with obvious scorn. Their eyes both went to the unmade bed, making her color at
the shared looks that passed between them.

“Your
noble champion appears to be doing well in his bid for the tourney prize,” the
baron said with a cruel smirk. “A pity he gains a wife when his purse is won.
What spell will you use to keep his interest then, Girl?”

Madeline
appeared stunned at the news. Gavin would marry another when he won? Hurt
filled her gaze as she went to her work table, keeping an eye on both.