Lass' Valor (The Pith Trilogy) (27 page)

“Brendan,
Colin, you’re here.” Henry entered the hall through a doorway and stood nearby.

Colin
approached Henry and bowed. “Henry, we came to find out de Morris’ whereabouts.
I aim to search for him, here in England.”

Henry
clasped his hands behind his back. “I knew you would. Very well, I will have my
chancellor look into Richard’s holdings and inform me where the man is. Once we
have a location, you can go seek him out.”

“That
is all I ask, Henry.”

The
king raised a brow and turned to look at him. Brendan wasn’t sure why, but it
looked as though he smirked.

“Is
there another reason why you came, Brendan MacKinnon, besides wanting to kill
Richard?”

“Damned
right, I came for my wife. What chamber is she in?”

Henry
actually laughed. Brendan frowned at Colin, who gave him a hopeful look.

“Why
would I tell you that? Kate has all but said that she wanted me to annul the
marriage. She’s been downright insistent. I’ve never seen a woman so forlorn in
all my days.”

“She’s
my wife, and I insist that you allow me to see her. You haven’t sent the
request to Rome for the annulment, have you? I won’t allow it, Henry.” Brendan
took a defiant stance.

“You
dare to make demands of your king?”

Brendan
swallowed his ire. If that didn’t beat all, Henry used his position to rile
him. Aye, he was now Brendan’s king, and there wasn’t a thing he could do about
it. “Nay, Henry, I just want to see Katie.”

“Very
well, she’s in her chamber, third floor, the only door there. Leads to a tower
room where she dwells. I don’t know what she does up there, but she spends much
time secreted away. She’s probably sulking over you. Why, I really couldn’t
say.”

He
half-listened to Henry’s jesting, and took the stairs in a mad rush. Although
the manor was aged, it appeared well tended, and even the steps had been daubed
to seal the cracks. He stood outside her chamber, hesitant to knock, not
knowing what he’d say to her. All the words he’d thought of along the way
suddenly disappeared from his mind. Mayhap words would not be needed, he opened
the door and stepped inside.

Kate
sat on the floor inside her rope, candles inside and outside of the rope dimly
lit the chamber. Brendan could see a few tables laden with many bowls and
pouches. He stood mesmerized for a moment before approaching her. Stepping
around a chair, he looked down at her. Her beautiful eyes were closed, her lips
parted slightly, humming. She didn’t hear him, she was so deeply into her
meditation, and he could observe her closely. Her light hair cascaded over her
shoulders, and she held her hands to the ceiling.

“Katie.”

She
opened her eyes, which rose to meet his. “Brendan, what are you doing here?”

He
knelt beside her, took her hand, and held it firmly. She tried to rise, but he
wouldn’t let her. He remained silent, content to stare at her. He’d missed her,
and couldn’t stop himself from taking in her beauty. He pulled her to the
ornate bed a few feet away—she had no choice but to follow.

She
started to speak, but closed her mouth. He set her on the bed and lay next to
her. He just wanted to hold her a moment before he broached the subject of
their marriage. Much needed to be said, most importantly, how much he loved
her.

He
felt her sigh.

“Brendan,
I cannot believe you came. Oh, good Goddess, I asked the king to send to Rome
for an annulment. You really shouldn’t be here.”

He
stroked her face gently and smiled. “Is that all you’ve been thinking about
since we parted, our annulment?”

“Of
course, what else should I have been thinking of?”

“Mayhap,
my mouth doing this.” He trailed light kisses down her neck. “And mayhap you
missed my body doing this.” He pressed his body against hers. “Have you thought
about how hot I make you feel when I do this?” He caressed her breast, and
stroked his hand over her stomach to her femininity. Forget talking, his
arousal rejected everything but making sweet, passionate love to her.

Kate
sucked in a breath, and waited to see what he would do next.

“Mayhap
you missed
me
?” he murmured in her ear.

She
opened her mouth to respond, but his mouth took full possession. So like him,
not to give her a chance to respond. He easily coerced her into accepting him
by continuing to kiss her, while using his body to overwhelm her senses. Every
touch scorned her attempts to reproach him. She wrapped her arms around him,
and deepened the kiss. He never wanted her to let go.

Brendan
steeled his legs over hers, to keep them still. He wasn’t sure if she was angry
that he’d let her leave or not. He shook with an urgent need—the need to remove
her clothing and feel her soft, hot skin against his. Her tongue responded
ardently, it swamped him with raging lust, so excruciating and yet thrilling.
He had to stop, but didn’t want to. She fisted his hair and tugged on it gently
to get him to move closer. He berated himself, and remembered what he needed to
do.

“Love,
cease, or I won’t be able to stop. I want to talk to you.” Brendan recalled
what his brother, Robin, had told him about how he’d gotten Tess to accept him.
He removed Katie’s hand, and placed it on his chest. She began moving it in
circles, and he stilled it by placing his over it. “I mean it, Katie, we must
talk. Let us discuss this annulment that you’ve asked Henry for.”

When
he didn’t say anything more, she sat up and turned toward him.

“Brendan
MacKinnon, I can’t believe you just left. I went to say goodbye to you at the
cliff.”

“I
was upset, Katie, about Walt and needed to come to an understanding. I saw you
that day, and heard your farewell.” His voice was a whisper against her neck.
He sounded quite sad, not angry. He couldn’t believe she had more tears to
shed. Her eyes watered, but he knew she resisted it, because she wiped them
away, and smiled. He pulled her into his arms. Brendan caressed her cheek with
his thumb and changed the topic on her. “I do not want us to be apart again,
and we will not speak of an annulment.”

“I
can’t have you here, Brendan. You must understand that,” she said low, but
wouldn’t look at him. She turned to face a tapestry that hung on the wall
beside the bed.

He
turned her face to him. “Understand what, Katie? Why can’t I stay? I am your
husband.”

“Because,
I c-can’t live with a man that doesn’t l-love me.”

“I’m
not asking you to. I’m asking you to stay with a man who loves you very much.”

Incredulous,
she asked, “You do?”

“Aye,
Katie, I would die for you, go to hell and back for you, as a husband should.”

“Now,
you’re telling me this now?”

Brendan
leaned his head to touch hers. “Aye.” He looked at her affectionately with his
usually cold-gray eyes. “I realized it when I was on the cliffs, when I had
gone off to think. I couldn’t stop thinking about you, even though my father
had just died in a battle with Richard’s men. I had only just found out that
Walt was my father. You wanted me to leave my home, a place where I have always
been accepted, well by my brothers. There was much to consider.”

“You
never knew about Walt being your father? I had guessed he was your father when
I spoke to him, but you hadn’t introduced him as your father when we met him on
our arrival. Walt was indeed a nice man. I’m sorry you had to deal with that
pain alone. You should have let me console you, that’s what wives are supposed
to do.”

“I
couldn’t be near anyone then. I never knew he was my father until right before
his death. He and my mother had an affair. Walt made Colin promise never to
tell me that he was my father. Walt made a vow to my mother that he would never
claim me and I lived my life believing that I was Donald MacKinnon’s son, who
was a heartless dog. I had a lot to deal with just then. You left, and I was
angry. I did not feel you would accept me.”

“Brendan,
I hardly knew you when I told you I loved you. I didn’t love you because you
were a son of a laird. It certainly wasn’t due to your charm or gentle nature
either.”

“Why
do you love me?” he dared to ask.

Kate
knelt on her knees, watching his expression. “I had this vision, you see, I am
much like my grandmother and my mother. We pray to the spirits of the earth,
the sun, wind, water, and fire. I honor my Celtic ancestors and—”

Brendan
reached out, he tried to take her in his arms, but she held him off. “Nay, let
me finish. When my mother died, I began praying to the spirits to show me the
way and guide me. Lolly, my attendant, was a good friend of Madam Serena’s, a
Celtic woman who was a friend to my mother and grandmother too. She began
showing me the faith, and as I learned how to harness my beliefs, a vision kept
appearing. It was of a warrior with dark hair and gray eyes—it was you. Madam
had powers that I could never dream of having. She said I would go on a somber
mission, and that I would meet the warrior when I met the child. Now you know
why I reacted strangely when I first saw you after you bathed the paint away
when we arrived.”

“I
though you were brazen or mayhap brave, Katie.”

Kate
smiled. “I was scared to my toes. I knew that I was sent to you for a reason,
and thought it was because of Bonnie, but now I know why I was sent to you.”

“Why
is that?” He grinned.

“Because
you need me. I was sent to make you happy and bring you back.”

“I
admit I was distant toward everyone, have always been. It was hard to deal with
Walt’s death, and the fact that he was my father. He was a good man, and we
cared about him. I still am torn up about it.”

“I
only spoke to him once, at Laila and Garrick’s wedding. He came to me and told
me how honored he was that his son married me. I felt graced by his kind words.
Walt was a noble man.” Kate took his hand, her eyes bore into his.

“Aye,
he was. I did not think I was worthy of you, being born a bastard and … then
you left, and I realized how much you meant to me.”

“Oh.”
Kate turned her head, looking to the window. She watched dull rays of the sun
lessening. She became quiet, seeming not to know what to say to him. “So you
didn’t find Richard?”

“Nay,
he got away. I worried that he would send his army here, and that you and Henry
were in danger. He hasn’t come out of his hole yet. Henry is having the
chancellor find out his location.”

“Now
that you’re here, it’s over, and we can …” She trailed off when he shook his
head.

“But
it’s not over, Richard is still out there, and I won’t rest until I find him.”

Kate
sighed, but nodded. “So you really intend to stay here with me in England?”

“Katie,
I want you to inform Henry that we will remain husband and wife and that he
should not send to the Pope for an annulment. Aye, my place is with you,
wherever that might be, even if it means living in England.”

“Don’t
sound so disgruntled, Brendan, it won’t be so bad, being married to me.”

Brendan
laughed at the words she threw back at him, and he recalled saying such to her.
He pulled her into his arms and smiled at the courageous woman he held. She
needed his protection, and he would make certain she was kept safe. They lay
still for a while, not speaking, just enjoying the silence. His body suddenly
reminded him how much he’d missed her. A stirring of desire snuck into his
loving caresses. He chuckled at the thought. She snuggled by his side, and his
hand moved over her bottom. He moved her onto her back, watched her thick
lashes fan her cheeks, and her full lips part.

“I
want you,” he said hotly.

Passion
clouded her eyes when she opened them. “I need you.”

Brendan
clumsily fumbled at removing her gown and his tartan. He stripped in a rush to
feel her nakedness. Every hair on his body seemed to prickle when her soft body
touched his. He didn’t have the fortitude to go slow. He wanted to be inside
her and retreat to the mindless aura of finding pleasure only she could bring.
He touched her moist folds, knowing it would send him beyond reason. His
arousal throbbed, wanting to feel the warmth of her.

Kate
moaned at the sensation of his breadth pressed against her. She pulled his
shoulders, encouraging him to continue, but he didn’t move.

Without
opening her eyes, she whispered, “Now, Brendan, make love to me.”

His
body shuddered in sheer lust at her sweet plea. He drove onward and stopped
when he could not move further. Incapable of speech, he reeled at the
spectacular feeling. He wanted to stay there until he met his end, the end came
sooner than he thought. His body took control, moving in gentle but forceful
strokes. Every thrust inched him closer to euphoria. He couldn’t believe he was
about to lose complete control. He touched her, hoping she found pleasure
before his need expelled him. Too late, he couldn’t hold back, his groans of
pure culmination sounded throughout the chamber.