The Duke and the Dryad (Elemental Series) (17 page)

When he came up
shaking the water from his hair and rubbing his face, he no longer saw her. But then her arms closed around his waist from behind him, and he knew she wanted this as much as he did right now.

He turned and gathered her in his arms. The pool was shallow, and he was able t
o stand with the water just reaching his shoulders. But she was much shorter than him, and had to keep moving her legs to stay afloat.

“Try this,” he said, raising her up slightly. “Spread your legs and straddle my waist.”

“What?” she asked.

“Just try it. I assure you humans find it very pleasing.”

She did as told, and in no time at all, they were once again making love with their bodies colliding together under the water. ’Twas just as exciting and as wonderful as the first time, and once again when she climaxed, she sang out her fae song only managing to excite him even more.

They played and splashed in the water, not surfacing from the pool unt
il they’d coupled again. He didn’t think ’twas possible for a man to be ready again so soon, but he remembered the stories his uncle told him about coupling with a fae. He was right. It was all that, and so much more.

Just the thought of his uncle dampened his spirits, and he left the pool and held out his hand to help her. She hesitated.

“What’s the matter my little sprite?” he asked with a grin. “Don’t tell me you’re modest after that!”

“Nay, ’tis just that you’ve never seen my naked body . . . in the light. I don’t want to displease you.”

“Believe me, nothing about your body could ever displease me, now come on.” He sat on the edge of the pool and grabbed a hold of her and lifted her out onto his lap before she could protest. Then he saw what she’d meant, surprised at the markings on her body.

Just like the painted design on her face, her entire torso and legs and even her arms were covered with designs that he knew now could not be washed off. Her body was tattooed with wisps of ivy and flowers spiraling up one leg and down the other in hues of green, pink and gold. Her torso was covered with the trunk of an oak tree, its branches reaching up, the leaves encircling each breast. And over each nipple was a delicate flower, petals reaching out from its pink center.

“You are beautiful,” he told her. “Don’t ever think that you’re not.”

He hadn’t meant to take her again, but looking at the work of art laden across her skin only seemed to spur on another arousal.

They left the cave later that night, and Rae was happy that they were able to settle their differences
between them. They’d made love so many times, she finally suggested they leave because she could see the tiredness in Wolfe’s eyes. But she was far from tired, as the actions only gave her more energy than she’d previously had.

Wolf
e walked her back to the hut, and kissed her one last time.

“You’d better go back to the castle,” she told him. “If you stay here, you know you won’t sleep and I can tell you are exhausted from battle.”

“Aye, I am,” he said with a yawn, “though I dread leaving you, Rae.”

“I’ll be fine,” she told him.”

“All right,” he agreed, lifting himself up into the horse’s saddle. “But do me a favor. Stay here until I come for you. Whatever you do, please don’t come to the castle.”

“I don’t understand,” she said, feeling the stab to her heart by his refusal.
“I thought everything was fine between us now.”

“It is,” he agreed. “More than fine. I would explain everything to you, but not tonight. I want naught to ruin this wonderful evening we’ve spent together.”

“I agree,” she said, standing on the tips of her toes to kiss him once more. Then he took off through the forest, disappearing from sight.

Her heart was overjoyed
with elation and she twirled and danced the way she’d learned from her fae mother. She sang out loud and strong, feeling like the luckiest girl in the world to have found someone as wonderful as Lord Wolfe. She understood now why her mother had married a human knight. Why she’d fallen in love. And like it or not, she’d just followed in her mother’s footsteps.

“Oh
, mother,” she spoke out loud. “I miss you. And I have turned out just like you.”

She didn’t know how long she’d been singing or dancing, but her attention was not focused or she would have known someone approached long before she heard Zev howl in the distance.

“Wolfe?” she cried out, looking around, hoping he’d come back to spend the night with her after all. But then she heard the cry of the trees trying to warn her of an evil presence. Too late. She should have not been so distracted or she would have had time to blend into her surroundings.

“There you are
, you lusty siren of the forest!”

She looked up, the sun’s rays
from the new morning just filtering through the trees creating an eerie mist. She realized now, she’d been singing and dancing longer than she’d thought. She froze as she laid eyes on the evil lord she’d seen briefly at the castle. He dismounted and walked toward her.

“What do you want?” she asked, eyeing his knights on horseback that now surrounded her
. They each held a burning torch. “And who are you?”

“There is naught to fear,
little one. I am your lover’s Uncle Clive.”

“Clive?” she asked. “Lord Clive?”

He turned his head to motion for one of his men to dismount and join him. That’s when she noticed the long scar from a sword across his face.

“How did you get that scar?” she asked, already k
nowing, but having to hear it for herself.

“Oh
, this?” he asked, running his hand along his scar. “I got that from the jealous husband of the forest nymph I stole and ravished.”

Her body froze. So she was right.

“You are the man who captured and killed my mother,” she said.

“I am, darling.
I enjoyed bedding her so much, but I truly did not want to kill her. But now that I have you, you can take her place.”

She wasn’t sure if he was lying or not about bedding her mother. She prayed that ’twas only his ego talking, and not fact. Still, she knew he was the man he
r father spoke of. The man responsible for her mother’s capture and death, and the loss of her father as well. She felt the anger inside her and called out to the forest for help. A branch fell from the tree above, knocking him to the ground. She tried to run, but didn’t get far.

“Grab her,” he called out to his men.

They surrounded her and she called to the vines to wrap around them and immobilize them so she could escape.

“Use the fire just like Wolf
e showed us,” he shouted.

“What?” she cried out in anguish. “Why would he show you that?”

“So I could capture you and make you mine, why else? We had an agreement. He had you first, and now it is my turn, bitch!”

Rae was so stunned by what she heard that she could do naught to fight them off.
She was sure he was lying, but still, his distraction worked and she knew it was now all over. They held their torches to the vines, and she felt the woodland pain within her own body. Then Lord Clive got to his feet, grabbing her roughly, yanking her toward his horse.

“Let’s go
, men, I’ve got her.”

She stumbled behind, trying to ignore
the pain of the man’s fingers biting into her flesh. She tried to call out to Zev in her mind, but the men had surrounded her with the torches and the fire was draining her energy quickly.

He tossed her up onto his horse and followed, pulling her close to his smelly old body. She closed her eyes and shook her head as they rode away. Aye, she thought. She was exactly like her mother now in every way.

Chapter 14

Wolf
e woke later that day, sleeping in the barn this time instead of in the great hall. People were starting to talk about the duke sleeping in the rushes with the rats. And though Rae was safe back in the forest, he still hadn’t a bed. Sir Braden now occupied that.

He pushed up from the hay, blinking at the sun streaming in through the cr
ack between the slats of the wall. He’d slept up in the loft, and while it was comfortable, the flies now buzzing around his head made it impossible to sleep further. Mayhap he should have taken Rae up on that offer for an herbal tea to help him sleep soundly.

While his dairy cows were stored in the barn at th
e village, he housed the young bulls here, though none of them were old enough for breeding to replace the one he lost. He’d hoped to turn several of these bulls into steers to use for pulling his plow and hauling loads to the market. Now, he had a whole new set of problems to contend with.

He descended the ladder and made his way out to the bailey where he saw Sir Theodore and Sir Norman just coming from the great hall.

“Good morning, my lord,” said Sir Theodore. Sir Norman nodded and bowed his head.

“’
Tis a beautiful morning,” Wolfe commented, feeling his body ache from not only the battle, but also the amount of coupling he’d done last night. Still, he felt a wave of wonderful vibrant happiness go through him, as he knew he had finally found the woman of his dreams.

He looked around the courtyard, noticing th
e absence of any of his uncle’s men.

“Have
Lord Clive and his men departed already?” he asked.

“Aye,” said Sir Theodore. “They left at first light just as you’d instructed.”

“Good,” he said, satisfied, nodding his head and happy to be rid of the man.

“Actually, they left before first light,” added Sir Norman. “’Twas not long after you left the castle with Rae-Nyst
last night.”

“I left through the postern gate,” Wolf
e said. “How did you see me?”

“I was up on the battlements speaking with Lord Clive at the time.
And though ’twas dark, there is no mistaking the girl’s bright pink hair. Lord Clive was the one to notice, actually.”

“Damn,” he
spoke aloud. He hadn’t wanted his uncle to see Rae. He could only hope he didn’t arise any suspicion, as he knew Lord Clive craved the oddity of bedding an elemental. He wouldn’t put anything past the man. But at least he was gone now and Rae-Nyst was safe within her element of the forest.

“How is Sir Braden doing today?” he asked.

“I believe he is better,” stated Sir Theodore. “He has been asking for you all morning.”

“Then I’d pay him a visit anon.” He nodded to the knights as a dismissal and headed for the solar.

Approaching, he entered to find Juturna just finishing up cleaning and rewrapping the injured man’s wound.

“Lord Wolf
e,” said Sir Braden, trying to sit up. “I am so glad to see you. And also glad to see you haven’t been wounded in the battle.”

“Lay back down and save your strength,” scolded Juturna, pushing the man back against the propped up pillows.

“So glad to see I haven’t lost my captain of the guard,” Wolfe responded with a smile.

“As am I,” the knight answered.

Juturna then took a bowl of soup from the table, stirring it and then balancing the liquid atop a spoon, bringing it to the man’s mouth.

“Eat,” she commanded. “You’ll need to regain your strength if you plan on being back at Lord Wolf
e’s side any time soon.”

Sir Braden opened his mouth, but before she could put the spoon within, he started talking again.

“I thought I was going to die,” he said. “I have you to thank for my recovery,” he told Juturna.

“Not me,
but Rae Nyst is to thank for saving your life.” Juturna brought the spoon closer to his mouth. “If it wasn’t for her healing skills with the plants and herbs of the forest, you’d be dead right now. Now open your mouth, I’m not going to stand here all day balancing soup on a spoon.”

“Where is Rae?” he asked
, looking around the room. “I’d like to thank her myself.”

“She’s back home in the forest,” explained Wolf
e. “I wanted her to stay there for a while.”

“I give up,” said Juturna, putting the spoon full of s
oup in her own mouth and placing the bowl on the table. “If you want to starve, then so be it.” She looked toward Wolfe. “If you wouldn’t mind my lord, I promised to show the head cook how I add herbs into the bread before baking to give it extra flavor. And Rae has instructed me to show them how to use the dried horse-tail reeds to scrub the pots.”

“Of course,” he said with a nod of the head
, happy of the changes that were now taking place in his castle. The servants as well as the nobility had accepted Rae. He was pleased to know this, and also proud of the way she’d used her skills to better the meals, and also bring beauty to the surroundings. “That is, if you think Sir Braden would fare well without your ministrations for awhile.”

“See if you can get him to eat,” she said. “I will be back in a few hours.”