Echoes of Magic (9 page)

“
I expect so,” the leader
said before he walked away.

Grayson chuckled and turned to find Adrianna
watching him.

She had such fire, such spirit that it
fairly glowed within her. Life had dealt her a cruel blow with her
lover leaving and her son dying, yet here she stood ready to look
death in the face. All to help him.

How she could think to live her life in
solitude, never letting her beautiful body be loved by another man
didn’t make sense to him. She was passionate by nature, and it was
that passion that gave her a zest for life few would ever know. He
was envious of her in that moment.

Despite the curse, despite her loss, she
continued to live with a smile and kindness. There was no hate or
revenge in her heart. Whereas with him, that is all that filled his
heart. They had spoken of love, but he knew nothing of it except
for what he remembered of his mother. And there was no room for it
in his heart, either.

Vengeance is what had kept him going, and
revenge would be how he died.

“
Everything all right?” she
asked when he walked to her.

He gave a nod before bringing a bucket of
water to the cows so they could drink. Once they’d gotten their
fill, he left them to graze and found Adrianna holding food for
him.

“
Thank you.”

She smiled and leaned against the cart.
“What did Milosh speak to you about?”

Grayson stopped chewing and glanced at her.
“Frank aren’t you?”

“
Aye,” she said with a
laugh. “I know it was about me. I think I have a right to know what
the conversation was.”

He slowly lowered his hand, debating on just
how much to tell her. In the end, he realized there was no use
keeping it from her. “Milosh wanted to know if I was interested in
stopping near a village this evening.”

Her brows drew together as she faced him.
“You cannot possibly be considering it. What if those men are
there?”

“
Exactly,” Grayson said. “I
need to be prepared. I cannot do that without a weapon.”

“
How will you get a weapon?
Are you planning to steal one?”

He shrugged. “If I have to, though only as a
last resort. I may not have any coin, but I have ways,” he said
with a grin, eager to reach the town.

“
I’ve coin,” she said.
“It’s yours if you need it.”

“
I won’t need
it.”

She turned away with a sigh. “Regardless,
the offer stands.”

He finished eating, the silence growing
between them. Grayson was used to meek women, women who did what
was expected of them and asked no questions.

Then Serena had come to
Wolfglynn. Serena was an anomaly, but then there was Adrianna. He
was beginning to think it had to do with their magic that made them
strong, out
‐
spoken and independent.

Whatever the reason,
Adrianna was a woman who knew her own mind and dared anything to
stand in her way. She had more courage than most men, and he
admired her for that. She would have been a great warrior, had she
been a man.

“
Take me with you,” she
suddenly said.

Grayson shifted his gaze to her face once
again. He looked into her pale blue eyes and saw excitement. “Take
you where?”

She chuckled. “The village tonight. Take me
with you.”

Grayson clenched his jaw
and shook his head. He wouldn’t be able to relieve the ache in his
cock if Adrianna was with him. “Absolutely not. There could be
danger, and I’d rather you stay behind with the gypsies where it’s
safe.”

“
I’ll go on my own after
you leave.”

He cursed, not caring that she heard. “I
could tell Milosh and let him tie you to the cart to keep you
here.”

“
You could,” she said and
raised her chin as if daring him. “But you won’t.”

“
Why do you want to
come?”

“
I normally stay away from
the villages, but I could prove helpful in a tight
situation.”

“
I don’t plan on being in a
tight situation,” he said between clenched teeth. All he’d thought
about was finding a willing woman so maybe he wouldn’t desire
Adrianna so desperately.

She laughed. “Come, Grayson. What could
prevent me from accompanying you?”

“
The fact I plan on
spending a few hours with a woman.”

“
A wom...” Her voice
trailed off as she realized what he meant. “Oh. I see.”

And damn it all if he
didn’t feel bad at her crestfallen expression. What was a few more
days with a aching cock?

Are you forgetting you’ll be alone with her
soon?

He certainly hadn’t forgotten it. He would
love to spend an entire day seducing her until she gave into the
desire he’d seen in her beautiful eyes. Then he’d spend another day
learning her, tasting her...pleasuring her.

“
All right,” he reluctantly
agreed. “But only if you do what I say when I say it. No arguing,
no questioning.”

She smiled, her eyes dancing with glee. “You
have my word.”

“
Don’t make me regret
this.”

“
Never,” she murmured and
walked away.

Grayson watched her go, his gaze moving to
the gentle sway of her hips that made him think he had another
sport in mind that could make her eyes dance so.

He ran a hand down his face and tried to
rein in his desire. The memory of his hands around her trim waist,
of fighting the urge to slide her down his body as he lifted her
from the cart invaded his mind.

He’d seen the way she looked at him. The
hunger in her pale blue eyes was palpable and would make his
seduction easy. And he wanted nothing more than to seduce her, but
he couldn’t, not when he knew of the curse.

Adrianna was a good woman. She deserved
something good in her life, and that most certainly wasn’t him.

* * * * *

Adrianna couldn’t believe Grayson had agreed
to let her accompany him to the village. The need to go had been
overwhelming. It had also been a test for Grayson. She wanted to
know what to be prepared for when they left the gypsies. Would he
keep her in her cart at all times, or would he actually allow her
to help when she could.

A fool she wasn’t. Adrianna no more wanted
to get mixed in a battle if she could help it, but there were other
ways she could aid Grayson. And she was going to make sure he let
her.

As Adrianna walked among the gypsies, she
caught sight of the young, beautiful Nadya watching Grayson.
Adrianna stopped and turned to look at Grayson who stood talking to
Yoska, unaware of the young girl who wanted him so desperately.

Adrianna didn’t like the way Nadya looked at
Grayson. She told herself it was because Nadya was too young to
know the ways of a man such a Grayson, but she knew it for the lie
that it was.

Grayson had brought a measure of excitement
into her life she hadn’t had in years, and Adrianna didn’t want
that to end. She was being selfish she knew, but she liked having
Grayson all to herself.

Soon it will be just the two of you. No
Milosh and no Nadya to interrupt.

Adrianna swallowed and fisted her hands as
her breathing accelerated. Almost as if her thoughts had summoned
him, Grayson’s gaze swung to her. For a moment they stared at each
other, oblivious to the people around them.

It was she who finally looked away. Adrianna
hastily walked off by herself. Each time Grayson’s silver gaze met
hers, a piece of the wall she had erected around her body crumbled.
He was handsome, sexy, powerful and made her heart beat faster each
time he moved near her. When he had lifted her from the cart, it
had taken everything she had not to place her lips on his, to feel
his warm breath mix with hers.

It had been so very long since a man had
touched her as Grayson had. He was a temptation she knew she should
resist. The problem was, she didn’t want to resist him.

How many times had she looked at his lips
wondering how they would feel on hers? She touched her mouth with
her fingers. It had been so terribly long since she had kissed
anyone that she was afraid she no longer knew how.

A sudden shift in the wind made Adrianna
jerk from her revelry. She glanced at the sky and cursed as she
lifted her skirts and hurried back to camp.

“
A storm is coming,” she
said as she passed Milosh, Yoska and Grayson.

She had only gotten two strides before
Grayson caught up with her.

“
The sky is clear,” he
said. “I can see for leagues.”

“
Trust me, Grayson. There
is a storm coming. If you want to visit the village, we must move
out now. As it is, we may not reach it in time before the storm
hits.”

By the way his face scrunched in doubt, she
waited for him to argue. Instead, like everyone else, he helped
ready to move out.

Adrianna checked her cart to make sure all
her herbs would be safe from the winds she knew would descend upon
them. She parted the cloth that separated the back from the seat
and took her place.

“
I hope you’re wrong,”
Grayson mumbled as he hurried to sit beside her and slapped the
reins on the cows.

“
I am, too.” Though she
knew she wasn’t.

No longer were the gypsies moving along
leisurely. There was a sense of urgency that hadn’t been there
earlier. Adrianna hated to get caught in storms. It was best for
everyone if they could get set up for the night to wait it out
rather and driving through it.

Every once in a while she saw Grayson glance
at the sky. Finally, she looked at him, waiting for him to ask the
inevitable.

He shook his head. “How do you know?”

“
It’s one of my gifts. I
can smell it on the wind.”

“
Aye, there are times I can
smell a storm, too.”

She grinned. “Not until the storm is nearly
upon you though.”

“
Just how far out is this
storm?”

Adrianna lifted her face to the wind and
inhaled. “We have about four hours.” She opened her eyes to find
him watching her. “What is it?”

“
You smell the
wind?”

She nodded and folded her hands in her
lap.

“
What do you
smell?”

“
Many things,” she answered
and closed her eyes as she inhaled deeply. “I smell roses, pine and
even a hint of heather. Not far is a pasture of sheep. To the east
are fields of wheat that sway in the breeze. And I smell the
sea.”

“
Amazing.”

After a moment she opened her eyes, afraid
to look at Grayson. Though the gypsies had welcomed her, she knew
some were fearful of her gifts and looked at her with a mixture of
fear and repulsion when they didn’t think she saw them.

“
I imagine that gift comes
in handy,” he said.

She shrugged. “It can.”

“
Can you smell the
evil?”

“
Most
definitely.”

There was no censure in his gaze, only
acceptance. “Good. I think we’re going to need that extra
advantage.”

Chapter Eleven

Adrianna frowned when a few hours later the
wind began to whip around them, the trees bending against the
force.

“
You can say it,” Grayson
said over the howling wind.

She smiled and gave him an innocent look. “I
don’t know what you mean.”

He laughed, his eyes twinkling silver. “You
know you want to tell me ‘I told you so’.”

“
I could, but I
won’t.”

Thankfully, they reached the edge of the
village and found a perfect spot to camp for the night. Adrianna
helped Grayson unhook the cattle and wrap a rope around several
trees to keep the livestock together.

“
You can still change your
mind,” he said as he took her arm and steered her toward her
cart.

She shook her head. “I want to go with
you.”

He sighed. “Remember your promise.”

“
I do.”

After a wave to Milosh, they set out on foot
to the village. She had imagined Grayson would walk right into the
town, but he had other ideas. To her surprise, they strolled around
the village learning the size and where each business and home was.
He was fascinating to watch as he looked at the town, calculating
where they could escape to if the need arose.

“
From the looks of things,
there are only one or two men who might give us
problems.”

She raised a brow. “And how do you know
that?”

“
You have your gifts. I
have mine,” he answered with a smirk. Then he pointed to the left
where a horse stood. “See that mount? The horse is of good stock
and, by the looks of the saddle, whoever owns that horse is at the
very least a knight and possibly a lord.”

It was her turn to be amazed. “I’d never
have known that.”

“
Now you do. So, stay
he...”

She glanced at him when his words trailed
away. “What is it?”

“
I don’t believe it,” he
whispered and leaned forward to peer through the bushes. “It’s my
horse.”

“
What? Where?”

“
The grey in the paddock
toward the back of the town.”

“
Are you sure it’s your
horse? Maybe it’s one that looks like him.”

He frowned, his lips pressed into a thin
line. “I raised that horse from a colt, Adrianna. I know the way he
moves, the way he acts, and I most certainly would know if it was
one that looked like him.”