Echoes of Magic (24 page)

He flipped her onto her back, his eyes
ablaze with hunger. Adrianna knew just how he felt. She opened her
legs as he positioned himself above her. In one thrust, he entered
her, seating himself to the root.

She wrapped her legs around him, their gazes
locked, as he began to thrust. He pumped in and out of her as she
matched him, their pleasure blinding them to everything but each
other. All too soon she felt herself building toward her climax.
She wasn’t ready to peak, wasn’t ready to let reality intrude once
again. But she couldn’t stop the orgasm when it claimed her. She
screamed, her body convulsing with waves of pleasure.

Grayson kissed her as he stiffened over her,
his seed pouring into her. Adrianna held on to him as if he were
life itself. Night began to fade, and with the light would come an
evil neither of them was ready for.

* * * * *

It was the first morning Adrianna had ever
hated to see the sunrise. She might be able to do magic, but she
couldn’t stop time, and they had just run out of all of theirs.

They had slept little in the remaining hours
before dawn. Instead, they had held each other, kissing, caressing.
She longed to tell him of her love, of how she wished and prayed
for a future together. She wanted to tell him how she hoped their
time together had given them a child growing within her.

But she couldn’t. Not when he had to prepare
for Nigel.

She would stand beside him, giving him her
love silently. He had made her promise she would stay safe, that
she wouldn’t come near Nigel. How she had hated to give that
promise, but give it she had.

When she walked to the great hall, she saw
Leoma sitting alone at the dais. Adrianna hurried to her. There
would be no “good morns” this morning for there was nothing good
about it.

“
I spent all of last night
looking into the future,” Leoma confessed. “I kept seeing Grayson’s
death over and over. I couldn’t see anything but that
scene.”

Adrianna sighed and sat as she took Leoma’s
hand in hers. “I, too, saw his death, but I’m determined to stop
it.”

“
How?”

“
I blessed Grayson as well
as his weapons.” Adrianna shrugged. “It was the only thing I could
think to do. We know anything blessed by the church protects
against Nigel, but there is no priest to bless Grayson and his
weapons.”

Leoma shook her head. “Nay. Nigel sent the
priest away the same day he sent Grayson. I hope your blessing
works.”

“
We are of magic, Leoma. We
were both blessed in being able to see the future. We need to use
it to our advantage.”

Leoma patted her hand. “You’re right, of
course. I don’t want to lose him. He just returned.”

“
Then we won’t.” Adrianna
rose and put her hands on her hips. “I was also given the ability
to heal. And lest we forget, Grayson also holds some magic. I’ll
heal him if he needs it, because I refuse to allow him to
die.”

A smile pulled at Leoma’s lips. “Seeing the
future has always been my weakest gift.”

“
And your
strongest?”

This time the smile turned shrewd. “I’m able
to move objects.”

“
What do you
mean?”

Leoma pointed to a shield and two crossed
swords above the mantle. As Adrianna watched, both swords lifted
from their resting place to fly across the hall and embed in a
wall.

She whirled around to Leoma, amazement
halting her voice. “That’s...incredible.”

Leoma shrugged. “It’ll be
useful in an attack.”

Adrianna could have shouted for joy she was
so excited. “It most certainly will.”

“
What will be useful in an
attack?” Grayson asked as he strode into the hall.

Adrianna pointed to the swords. “That. Your
mother can move objects.”

Grayson’s gaze moved from the swords to his
mother. “Show me?”

Leoma removed the swords from the wall and
had them resume their positions above the hearth.

He whistled. “That will be
useful, especially since we have no knights on our side. Just stay
hidden so Nigel doesn’t see you.”

“
Of course,” his mother
replied.

He silver gaze swung to Adrianna. She took
his hands. She hated that he was so flippant about the situation,
but she also knew him well enough to know that nothing would change
his mind about battling Nigel. “Drogan will come. All we have to do
is wait for him.”

Grayson shook his head. “Drogan survived
this bastard once. I’ll not wait around for him to face Nigel
again. This is my fight, Drina. Running from it will only prolong
the outcome.”

“
Will nothing change your
mind, son?” Leoma asked. “Is there anything that could sway you
from this course?”

He clenched his jaw and shook his head.
“I’ve been waiting for this moment since you were taken from me,”
he said and turned to his mother. “I’ve dreamed of this, yearned
for this. Live or die, I will see this through.”

“
Grayson, please,” she
begged.

He sliced an arm through
the air to halt her. “Enough. I forgive you for sending me away,
but I’ll never forgive you if you keep me from this
battle.”

Leoma covered her face with her hands and
cried.

Adrianna watched as Grayson
walked from the hall. It was then she noticed he had changed his
clothes. He wore chain mail and a new tunic of red with a black
hawk with its wings spread. Just before he walked from the castle,
he stopped by the door and lifted a large shield painted red with
the same black hawk upon it.

“
There goes Hawksbridge’s
favored son,” Leoma whispered.

Adrianna took a deep breath, the stench of
evil consuming her. Nigel and his men were drawing closer. They had
little time to get everything in place.

Chapter
Twenty
‐
Eight

Grayson didn’t stop until he was on the
battlements looking over the land. His land. He still couldn’t
believe it. All those years of thinking he was a commoner when he
fact he was a nobleman.

He chuckled to himself,
wondering what Drogan would say. Drogan had been as close to a
brother as Grayson had ever had and, though he longed to have
Drogan at his side now, he knew it was for the best that Drogan
stayed at Wolfglynn.

Grayson leaned against the
stone merlon that made up the square
‐
toothed pattern of the battlements.
Few clouds dotted the sky as the sun continued its ascent. The day
was so beautiful, so clear it amazed him that in a few short hours
evil would descend upon them.

He wasn’t afraid to face Nigel. He was
afraid of Nigel discovering Adrianna. Just the thought turned his
blood to ice. For Grayson to have a chance at defeating Nigel, he
had to invite the evil bastard into Hawksbridge.

Yet, once Nigel was inside, it gave him
access to Leoma and Adrianna.

Grayson raked a hand down his face. If only
he’d sent Adrianna away. It had been purely his own selfishness
that had kept her at Hawksbridge. He needed her as much as he
needed the air in his lungs. He couldn’t explain it and didn’t try
to.

It just was.

He accepted his hunger, his need for
Adrianna, but it might very well get her killed. With a growl of
frustration he turned and looked at the castle. She needed to
leave. Immediately. But he knew she wouldn’t. She would fight him,
reason with him, until he saw her logic. God help him, he wanted
her there. She was the only thing that kept him going, the one
thing that gave him hope.

Without her, he was nothing.

That realization made him pause. When had
she come to mean everything to him? When had she taken over his
heart? Not that it mattered. The deed was done. He was hers in
every way imaginable.

His hand gripped the hilt of his sword. He’d
been ready to die a few days ago, but now...now he wanted to live.
He wanted to test the Fates and keep Adrianna by his side, sharing
every moment of his life with her.

Saints. He loved her.

Grayson closed his eyes and let the
realization sink in. The power of Hawksbridge was his to control,
the people, the land, the castle. And with Drina by his side, he
would have everything he had ever wanted.

There’s just Nigel standing in your way.

“
Shite,” Grayson cursed and
opened his eyes. His gaze landed on Adrianna below in the
bailey.

She stared at him with her pale blue eyes,
waiting. He found his feet moving toward her. His hunger for her
body made his balls tighten. Her lips curved into a smile, and his
breath lodged in his chest as he remembered the way her mouth had
slid over his cock.

“
Do we have time to visit
the tower?” she asked, her eyes filled with desire.

He took her hands. “If only.”

“
I know,” she said softly.
“You’re needed here.”

“
Is there any way I can
convince you to leave? My selfishness kept you here, but I fear I
may have brought about your death.”

She placed her hand over his heart. “If you
want the truth, it was my own selfishness that kept me with you,
regardless of the danger. With you, I feel as though I’m alive for
the first time in my life. To walk away from that, from you, isn’t
a possibility.”

“
Drina,” he ground out. “If
Nigel defeats me...”

She dropped her hand and took a deep breath.
“He will. I’ve seen it, Grayson.”

“
What do you mean? Tell me
what you saw?”

“
You challenge him, and he
accepts. You bring him inside the castle gates where you begin to
fight. He trips you and, before you can rise, he kills
you.”

Grayson could only stare at her. “You
weren’t going to tell me, where you?” He wasn’t sure how he knew
her intentions, he just did.

“
Nay,” she admitted. “My
plan was to ensure that you have time to get away before he’s able
to kill you.”

“
And how would you do
that?”

Her gaze dropped. “By showing myself.”

It was as if an arrow plunged into his
heart. Grayson placed a finger beneath her chin and tilted her face
to his. “I cannot allow you to do that.”

“
It’s not your
choice.”

“
I’m begging you. If you
care for me at all, walk away. Now. Leave Hawksbridge and never
look back.”

Tears gathered in her eyes,
spilling over her cheeks. “You ask the impossible. It’s because I
care for you that I remain.”

Grayson dropped his head back and stared at
the sky. He had never felt more powerless. He was going to die and
Adrianna with him.

He sighed and looked at
her. “If you’ll not leave, swear to me that you will stay hidden.
Swear it, Drina, or as God is my witness, I’ll tie you up and have
men take you from Hawksbridge within the hour.”

“
Fine,” she said and swiped
at her tears. “I’ll swear it.”

“
No matter what happens, no
matter what Nigel does, you stay hidden. The first chance you get
you leave. Now, swear it.”

Her eyes flashed in anger. “Don’t ask this
of me, Grayson. I can help you.”

“
You already have. More
than you could ever know. Now, please. Give me your
word.”

“
I give it,” she
whispered.

Grayson let out a breath he hadn’t known he
was holding. “My mother spoke of a secret exit. Have her show you
where it is so that you may leave when it’s time.”

“
I’m a healer, Grayson. If
you’re injured, you’re going to need me.”

He would always need her. Always.

“
Come,” he said. “Let us
discover this secret exit.”

He gave her no time to argue as he took her
hand and pulled her after him. As soon as he walked into the castle
he saw Leoma standing before the fireplace, her gaze lifted to the
shield and swords hanging on the wall.

“
Those belonged to your
father once,” she said as they approached. She turned to face them.
“They were his first weapons when he was knighted. The shield you
carry now, Grayson, was his.”

“
Why didn’t he take it with
him to battle?”

“
He did,” she said. “It was
the only thing returned to me.”

“
It was you who placed the
shield and tunic in my chamber?”

Leoma nodded. “They are yours, just as
Hawksbridge is yours. Everyone needs to see you’re claiming this
castle.”

“
Thank you.”

“
Your father would have
wanted you to have all of it. Now,” she said and took a deep
breath. “What have you come to me for?”

“
The secret passage,”
Grayson said and glanced at Adrianna. “I want Drina to know where
it is so she may escape when the time comes.”

Leoma’s brow furrowed at his words. “I agree
that Nigel cannot find her, but surely you want her with you if you
are injured.”

“
I won’t be injured. He’ll
kill me. The passage. Please.” Grayson stepped aside to allow his
mother to walk past him.

Adrianna threw him a look of annoyance.
“That wasn’t well done.”

“
It’s the truth. We all
know it. Denying it won’t change anything.”

She shrugged and moved to follow Leoma.
Grayson was slower to follow, unsure of everything other than his
need to have Adrianna safe. As long as he knew she was safe and
alive, he would be able to confront Nigel and die a warrior’s
death.