Conquering the Dark Axe (8 page)

His fingers moved in her thick plait and his warm
breath tickled the hairs on the back of her neck. 

“Your hair is too nice to be braided like this. Wear
it loose from now on. Come, sit and I will brush it.”

His sudden turn at being nice caught her off guard.
She wanted to refuse but found that she was suddenly very drowsy and the energy
to fight with him tonight gone.  She convinced herself that was the only
reason she was allowing him to touch her. 

She let him guide her to the bench at the foot of
the bed.  Within moments, his fingers and heavy hand on the brush begin to
lull her into deeper relaxation.  Her scalp screamed with pleasure. 

To her surprise, he asked questions about the
steward and kitchen staff and Alexa found herself answering with several taxing
yawns mixed in.  His booming timbre was soon hurting her ears and she
wished he would be quiet. 

She covered her mouth, stifling another yawn as she
shook her head.  It was getting more and more difficult to concentrate on
her responses as she grew more weary.  Oh, he had a touch like an
all-consuming potion of slumber.   She almost slipped off the bench
but he caught her by the shoulders. 

“Come, bed awaits us both.”  His husky voice
brought a tingle to her insides and made her dizzy.  Alexa’s tongue felt
too heavy to lift for her cry of protest. Just by the sound of his voice, she
knew his thoughts were not on sleep and that was before she heard the deepening
of his breaths and felt his hardness pressing against her hip. 

She had hoped that he would not want to do that
tonight, even though she’d tried to ignore the feisty passion they’d shared.
Was it not too soon?  She yawned again. Well, if it meant she could sleep
after, then the sooner he finished the better.  Tonight he’d get no
response from her.

Her thoughts were muddled and sickness swirled
in her gut when he helped her sit on the edge of the bed. 

A chord of terror wound tightly around
her. Alexa knew something was terribly wrong when spots swam before her
eyes, blurring her vision.  She reached out, waving her hand to get
Rourke's attention, but the limp extremity flopped over and fell palm up
on her thigh.  He did not see for he was busy undressing and ready to
pull down his braies. Alexa sighed, the room was spinning and she saw two
of his forms. 
Which was too much, heavens, one of his large bodies was more than she could
handle.  
She reached for one and touched air.  Why could he not stay bloody
still? 

She prayed and reached out again.  She must
have touched him for he turned and faced her. Alexa opened her mouth
but nothing came out.   The words she wanted to say had trouble
forming on her tongue and her mouth felt like it was stuffed with that bloody
gag again.  Finally, she managed to whisper,  “Nor-Norman?”

She thought she heard him shout her name, but she
was not sure as she felt herself sliding off the bed and into his outstretched
strong arms. Darkness reached up its heavy fingers and pulled her under. 

SEVEN

Goran sighed with relief when the healer came to
retrieve him from the hall at his lord’s command. Rourke had not left his
wife’s side much in the time she’d slept.  Goran looked at his whiskered
face now as he entered the chamber. 

Rourke sat hunched over on the bench next to the bed
that he’d set there since the first night.  The smell of sickness was not
as heavy and thick within the chamber today.  The rancid smelling
concoction the healer had forced down his lady’s throat had caused her to vomit
several times over the last two days.  A good sign indeed. 

When Rourke raised his head to look at him, a light
shone there that had not been before and his shoulders now seemed less tense.
 Indeed a good sign.  

Rourke returned his gaze back to his wife. 
She’d finally wakened just moments ago and had yet to speak.  Her wide
amber eyes were on him and the look she was giving him was one that said she
was not pleased. 

Alexa was stiff.   Her muscles screamed at
her.  What in the hell did he do to her last eve?  She held his
gaze.  His strong fingers were touching her hand. It took her a moment…
her thoughts were still cloudy.  Her hands had to be free if he was
holding one, right?  She moved her left one.  Yea, they were. 
She reached up and touched her forehead.  

How much wine had she consumed? 

Guess she had imbibed more than she thought with
that one cup. She could feel the hot flush of humiliation rush up her neck.
Working the stiffness out of her tongue, she closed her eyes for a brief moment
and opened them again when her belly grumbled with hunger.  She should
have eaten more last night as he’d suggested.  She let out a noisy
yawn. 

“Where is the platter?”  Her voice came out
hoarse and soft as a whisper.  When he gave her a strange look, she asked
him,  “Did you eat everything?” She cleared it; her eyes squinting to see
him better for the bright morning sun blaring through the
window hurt her eyes.   

She turned away and gasped as she noticed the other
figures in the room for the first time.  His big man Goran stood at the
foot of the bed, and a woman…Ah, the healer from the village, stood near him.
What was she doing here? Alexa wondered.

“Nay, I did not. Can she eat yet?”  This last
he posed to the healer. 

Alexa frowned. 

“Aye, my lord.  Best we see if my lady can
drink easily enough first.”  The healer’s small form moved nearer the head
of the bed, a cup gripped in her wrinkled hand. 

Alexa cast a dumbfounded look to Rourke and sat up
straighter. She tried to pull her hand free of his grasp, but he held fast and
did not relent.  He looked tired, leaning close. 

He looked as though he’d been up for a while
already.  Alexa blushed; embarrassed that she had slept in late yet
again.  Swallowing, she winced from the soreness of her
throat.   What was going on?  All three of them wore somber expressions. 
A sudden thought struck her. 

Had she made a fool of herself last night? 
Fearing that she may have acted on her threat to harm him after he’d brushed
her hair, her gaze swept over the exposed and visible parts of his skin. 
He wore a dark colored tunic.  She saw no signs of cuts or
markings.   

“What do you look for?”  He queried with an
arched golden brow.

“I thought I might have taken a sword to you
again.  But I see no new markings on your person, of what I can see, that
is.”

His emerald eyes twinkled with dark intent. The
moment was long before he replied with venom,   “Nay, hellion that
did not happen.” 

Goran hid a smile behind the bed post.  His
lady still had not learned how lucky she was.  She did not know that her
husband, whether she knew it or not, was holding a fondness for her
already.  Had it been any other, Goran would be carrying out a headless
carcass. 

Rourke watched her with his steely gaze. 
“Besides, my blades are much too heavy for you.”

Alexa remarked said with conviction. “I’m glad
because I would have wanted to remember that.”

Rourke gave her another dangerous look. 

Alexa ignored it, growing annoyed.  “What goes
on here then?  I had enough to drink, thank you.”  She waved away the
cup the healer lifted to her lips, her eyes only on Rourke.  “My hand,
please.” 

Rourke felt something needle at him and he ordered,
“Do you drink first, then answers will come.”  He took the cup from the
healer and brought it back to her mouth. 

“Nay.”

 When she moved to slap the cup away yet again,
he said more firmly, “Either you drink on your own or I will hold your mouth
open and pour it down.”

Her cheeks grew warm and from the savage look in his
eyes, she knew he’d do it.  “I can do it myself.  What is it?”

“Water, my lady.”  The healer interjected
quickly then took a fearful step back. 

Alexa calmed and gave the older woman a smile. 
She would do it for this woman, not the Norman.  She looked at him as she
took the cup and drank.  She coughed several times.  Her husband
quickly began to slap her back.  By the second hit; she was ready to
scream in pain from his whack. 

Goran called out to him. “Rourke!”

 Rourke halted mid- swing.  She was in the
middle of the bed and her face crimson.  He lowered his hand with a grunt.

Alexa, catching her breath as he slid her back up
with his large hands on her upper arms, cleared her throat and lifted the cup
again and this time her throat opened up enough and she emptied it.  Her
back stung and she was sure she would be black and blue on the morrow. 
She handed the empty cup back to him with a scathing look of her own.
“What do you remember, Alexa?” 

Her eyes widened at the sound of her name coming
from his mouth. She blushed.  What was wrong with him?  Had he’d
forgotten?  He’d been half naked and ready to...

Rourke watched her and immediately knew what she
remembered.  His desire was overridden by the anger and concern of her
being unconscious for two days. Of what he’d endured watching her in that bed,
near lifeless except for vomiting up the foul smelling concoction and poison
that had ravaged her body.  All she remembered was what happened before
she’d fainted dead away in his arms into that deep sleep.

“Not that.”  He gave her a cool look. “I meant
what came after.”

Alexa frowned. So he’d not done it to her again?
Confusion had her twisting her lips as she asked, “This?”  She waved to
indicate the present moment.  He was quiet for a long moment. 
Everyone was.  He then nodded to the healer and she quickly left the
chamber.  Goran came to stand behind him. Dread washed over Alexa as she
waited impatiently for one of them to answer her. Her husband gave it.

“You have slept for two days.” 

Incredulous, Alexa laughed lightly.  “You speak
nonsense.  I don’t imbibe much in the spirits, I’ll readily admit. I had
but a sip. And it was not enough to cause me to sleep that long.”

“You were poisoned.” Rourke told her.

Alexa sputtered. Poisoned.  Her gaze shot from
his face of stone to Goran’s, then back to his. “You- you lie. Surely you
do?” 

He shook his head and Alexa felt sick. His
expression was serious. Her words came out in a whisper. “This is
madness…Poisoned?”

“Aye. Not lethal, nonetheless enough. Luckily your
healer knew just what to give you quickly to counter it. ‘Twas meant for us both.” 
Rourke said, his head shaking in rage.

Alexa let out a hard breath.  “I-I do not
believe that. Was it in the food?”

“Nay, we ate the same thing. ‘Twas only one thing I
did not touch. The wine.”

The memory of the big gulp of wine she’d taken came
rushing back to her foggy sporadic thoughts. 

“Aye, the wine, which would have been shared by us
both.” He let his words hang in the air for a second as his watched her. 
“We’ve yet to find out who is behind it.” His grip tightened on her hand,
drawing her gaze back to his.  “But, we will soon enough, I promise you
this.  I do not think that you were the target despite the fact it was the
wine.  You have said as much yourself that you do not imbibe much, so I
doubt they believed you would’ve taken any.” 

 “None within my home would do such a thing.”

“We shall see soon enough.  Not everyone here
has taken kindly to their new lord, my lady.”  Goran added.

“I tell you, none of my people are guilty of
something so…so  horrid.”  Alexa shot back, glaring at both of them
suspiciously.

“That has yet to be proven.  Goran is correct.
This place holds many secrets that we have yet to reveal.”

Rourke’s words felt like knives cutting into her
skin and Alexa yanked her hand forcibly out of his relaxed grasp.  What
did he mean by secrets?  What secrets? Anger and panic shot through
her.  “I know my people.  Not one of them would do such a
thing.  I tell you it was not any that was here before you arrived. After
all ‘twas your whore that brought in our tray. Death and destruction is the way
of you Normans.”

He stood up so fast, the bench crashed to the floor
and Alexa leaned back as his hands reached out.  But those large fists did
not touch her. He drew back and rested them on his hips.  Visible fury
shook him and something else she read there in his eyes.  His heavy
breaths fanned her face as he all but shouted over her.

“Tame your venomous tongue, Saxon or I will be all
too glad to show you the destruction I can bring down upon you. What needs
happen to you for you to learn?” 

Alexa balked and cursed under her breath.  Her
eyes stayed glued to his face. There wasn’t a sign of yield in his gaze. 
She crossed her arms and turned her head away from him.  All for naught
for he grabbed her chin and turned her back to face him.

“You will remain under heavier guard until the
culprit is found.”  His brows furrowed when she bristled and tried to push
his hand away. “I will tie you back up, without a second thought.  That’s
better.” 

He ignored the brewing anger and fear he saw there
in her gaze, but she remained quiet.  Good.  Let her sit in and stew
in her anger and be afraid.  She had a murderer under her roof.  When
the time was right, he would bring up the deaths of her father and sister, but
not now.