Echoes of Magic (10 page)

“
How did he get
here?”

“
I don’t know, but I’m
going to find out. I’m not leaving this village without my horse or
saddle,” he said, his eyes narrowed in concentration.

She touched his arm before he could bolt to
the village. “I can get the horse.”

“
He won’t follow you,”
Grayson said with a sigh.

“
Let me worry about that.
If it becomes a problem, I’ll wait for you.”

She bit her lip as he thought over her
words.

“
I don’t know,” he
hesitated.

“
I can do this.”

After a moment he gave a nod. “Meet me back
here. Make sure you find out how the horse got here.”

“
All right,” she said and
turned to go when he stopped her.

“
And try to get my
saddle.”

“
I will.” Once again she
turned to leave, but once again he stopped her, pulling her toward
him. Her hands met his hard chest as she gazed into his silver
depths.

“
If there’s trouble,
run.”

She nodded, unable to form words as his heat
infused her. Her eyes dropped to his mouth as her lips parted. Just
when she thought he might kiss her, he gave her a gentle push.

“
Go,” he urged
her.

Adrianna turned and hurried away before she
changed her mind and kissed Grayson as she longed to do. She made
herself slow as she walked down the main road of the village. A few
people looked her way, but most ignored her. Out of the corner of
her eye, she saw Grayson move toward the town’s inn where the horse
he had spotted earlier stood.

As she walked to the corral, the gray
gelding trotted up to her, his great head bobbing up and down.

“
Easy lad,” she murmured.
“I’m here to take you to Grayson. He’s come for you.”

As if the horse understood her, he leaned
his head over the fence and let her rub his velvety nose.

“
Can I help ye?” a deep
voice said from behind her.

Adrianna glanced over her shoulder to see an
older man with two missing teeth and soiled clothes.

“
I see you found my
husband’s horse.” She continued to stroke the gelding, letting the
animal learn her scent and touch.

“
Your husband?” the man
repeated. “That ain’t yer horse.”

“
It most certainly is. Did
you catch the men who stole him from my husband?”

The man’s brow furrowed, his bushy, gray
brows nearly meeting. “Nay. I didna catch any thieves.”

Adrianna took a deep breath. “I’m greatly
disappointed the thieves managed to get away, but at least the
horse broke free from them. Release him.”

“
Now see here,” the man
said and took a step toward her.

“
Unless,” she interrupted
him, “you were the thief. Should I send for the
authorities?”

The man’s face mottled. “That ain’t yer
horse,” he repeated.

“
Tell me,” she said as she
put her arm through the fence to pet the grey. “Have you been able
to ride him?”

The old man folded his arms across his chest
and refused to answer.

“
As I suspected,” Adrianna
said. “He only allows me and my husband to ride him. My husband is
at the tavern as we speak. He’s in a foul mood. This gelding was
one of his prized horses, as was the saddle.”

“
Is that so?”

She nodded. “Aye. Lord Grayson of
Wolfglynn,” she said the lie with a smile. “I’m sure you’ve heard
of him. He’s a magnificent warrior, favored heavily by the
king.”

The man’s arms dropped at her words.

“
Well, sir?” she asked.
“Shall you return the horse to me, or should I retrieve my husband
and let you deal with him?”

Several heartbeats later,
Adrianna released her pent
‐
up breath as the man
nodded.

“
Aye, I’ll release the
horse,” he replied grudgingly. He moved toward the fence and began
to lift the latch on the gate.

“
And my husband’s
saddle.”

“
Now see here,” he said as
turned toward her.

She lifted her skirts and started toward the
tavern. “Aye, I agree. I’ll just go get my husband.”

“
Wait, milady,” the man
called as he hurried after her.

Adrianna faced him with a
smile. “It was very kind of you to hold the horse for us and to
keep my husband’s saddle safe. As a reward for your kindness,” she
said and held out the small bag of coins.

The man’s eyes grew round.
“Let me saddle the horse for you, milady.”

Adrianna wanted to sink to
the ground. She’d begun to wonder if she would be able to get the
grey back for Grayson. Just as she had imagined, it came down to
coin.

She leaned against the fence and watched as
the man saddled the grey. “Tell me,” she asked. “How did you come
by my mount?”

“
He wandered up several
nights ago,” he answered.

“
You saw no
men?”

“
Nay, milady. I give my
word.”

For some reason, she believed him. “My
thanks, sir.”

With the grey saddled and the reins in her
hand, she gave the man his coin. “Good day to you, then.”

“
Be
careful, milady. There’s a storm a
‐
brewin’.”

She knew all too well the
storm that was about to unleash its tempest. The wind had died down
to a light breeze, but it was just the calm before the storm. Above
her, dark clouds rolled across the sky, blocking the few rays of
the sun and blanketing them in darkness. Thunder rumbled in the
distance.

But Adrianna paid no attention to the
clouds. She wanted to get the grey to their meeting spot. A clap of
thunder sounded, causing the horse to rear. She managed to hang on
to the reins and calm the horse enough to walk into the trees, but
the horse was spooked. It wouldn’t take much to send him galloping
off into the distance.

“
Grayson,” she mumbled.
“Hurry.”

* * * * *

Grayson smiled at the
comely woman on his lap. Her ample breasts were inches from his
face, and her hand rested near his aching cock. The wench had
already suggested they go up to her chamber. As much as he wanted
to relieve his pent
‐
up desire, the thought of bedding the wench didn’t appeal to
him, not the way it did when he imagined it was Adrianna in his
arms.

“
Milord,” the woman purred
in his ear. “Your rod tells me you want me. Why not ease yerself
betwixt my thighs.”

Grayson clenched his jaw. “I’ve not the time
now, love. There is something you can do for me, though.”

“
Really?” She smiled and
rubbed her breasts on his chest. “Tell me, milord.”

“
Someone stole my
sword.”

She laughed and slid her hand over his cock.
“Nay, milord. I’m holding your sword.”

Grayson pulled her hand away. “I need a
weapon.”

With a pout, she sat up. “I can get you a
sword.”

“
Just what I wanted to
hear.”

“
There’s something I want,
though.”

There always was.
“What might that be?”

“
You,” she whispered in his
ear. “In my bed.”

Grayson hated to lie to her, but he had no
other choice. He opened his mouth to answer her when a loud clap of
thunder made the tavern rattle.

Adrianna.

“
All right, love,” he said.
“Get me the sword—a good sword, mind you—and I’ll meet you out
back.”

“
Out back?” she said with
her nose crinkled in disgust. “It’s about to rain.”

“
Aye. Have you ever had it
in the rain?”

She shook her mop of straight, dull brown
hair.

“
Then this will be a first.
Hurry,” he said and gave her a little push.

As he walked from the tavern, he felt the
eyes of a man on him. A glance over his shoulder showed Grayson it
was the knight who owned the horse in front of the tavern. After he
had shut the door behind him, he looked upward to see black clouds
above him.

Shite.

He looked to the corral to see it empty, and
a smile pulled at his lips. He hadn’t believed she could do it, but
she had proven him wrong. Grayson hurried around the building and
waited for the wench. Big drops of rain began to land on him. He
drummed his fingers on his leg, silently urging the wench to hurry
so he could get back to Adrianna.

Finally, the back door to the tavern opened,
and the woman stepped outside holding a sword in her hands. “I told
ye I’d get yer sword.”

Grayson smiled and hastily buckled the
scabbard to his waist. He pulled the sword free and inspected it to
make sure it wasn’t rusted and useless. When it proved a decent
weapon, he replaced it in the scabbard.

“
My thanks.”

“
Wait,” she hollered as he
began to leave. “I thought you were going to bed me.”

Lightning chose that moment to strike, and
through the wind he heard the high squeal of a frightened
horse.

“
I’ve no time now,” he said
and sprinted for the trees.

Chapter Twelve

As Grayson burst through
the foliage, he looked to his left to see Adrianna grasping the
grey’s reins with all her might as the horse reared. The gelding
was strong, too strong for her to hold for long.

It was as if the forces of nature conspired
to hold him back. The faster he ran toward her and his horse, the
stronger the wind blew against him.

No matter how much he cursed, the wind
didn’t lessen. And then the sky opened up, the rain drenching him
in a heartbeat. Lightning streaked across the sky like gnarled
fingers stretching toward them.

He was close to reaching
them when the grey gave a jerk of his great head, wrestling the
reins from Adrianna and knocking her to the ground, before he took
off at a run.

Grayson ran to her and
helped her stand while he whistled sharply, praying the gelding
heard him over the storm.

“
Are you all right?” he
shouted.

She nodded, her eyes
shining with determination. “I told you I would get your
horse.”

He laughed. “So you did.”

Thankfully, the gray
trotted back to them. Grayson took the reins and ran his hand down
the horse’s neck. “Easy, lad. All will be well.”

It took longer than he wanted but, once the
grey was calm enough, he set Adrianna atop him and hurriedly
mounted behind her.

“
I’d ride easier astride,”
she said over her shoulder.

Grayson ignored her and
nudged the grey into a gallop toward the gypsies. He tried to
disregard the way her gown was molded to her breasts, her nipples
visible as they peaked from the cool rain.

How he wanted to lean down and taste the
hard bud, to suckle it while she moaned beneath him, her hips
grinding against his. Just thinking about bedding her made him
harden. He prayed she didn’t feel his arousal against her.

It wasn’t until his mount
slipped in mud and Adrianna nearly fell off that Grayson wrapped an
arm around her. Try as he might, he couldn’t ignore the feel of her
against his chest or how wonderful it felt to hold her.

He was in desperate need of
relief by the time they reached the camp. Just being near her was
too much. And he’d been fool enough to agree to let her travel with
him to Hawksbridge.

Grayson dismounted and gritted his teeth
when she reached for him. He tried to hold her as far away as he
could, but his hand slipped on her wet gown. She fell against his
chest, her face inches from his as his other arm instinctively
wrapped around her.

He stilled, unable to look away from her
penetrating gaze and unwilling to set her down. His eyes lowered to
her mouth. The hunger to taste her, to feel her sweet lips against
his, was overwhelming.

“
The storm is worsening,”
she said.

He nodded, grateful she stopped him from
making a fool of himself and kissing her. “So it is.”

Lightning lit up the sky a heartbeat before
thunder exploded around them. Grayson set Adrianna on her feet. She
started toward her cart and stopped.

“
Aren’t you
coming?”

“
I must see to my horse,”
he called and turned to the grey that stood staring at him with
soulful dark eyes. “I know, I know,” he murmured to the horse.
“It’s a mistake to want her as I do. You don’t have to tell
me.”

Grayson removed his saddle
and put the horse in with the other livestock. He would rub the
horse down on the morrow but, for now, he needed to get out of the
storm.

He raced to Adrianna’s cart and jumped
inside. With a jerk, he shook the water from his head. He smoothed
back his hair and looked up to find Adrianna standing with nothing
but a blanket against her chest, leaving her arms and one leg
exposed.

Grayson let his eyes roam over her shapely
leg upward to her slim arm to her eyes that never left his. “My
apologies,” he forced himself to mumble. “I shall wait
outside.”

“
Wait,” she said as he
turned to leave.

Slowly, Grayson turned back to her.

“
I am no maiden. You
forget, as a healer, I’ve seen a man’s body.”