Niamh bit her lip, rushing to his side. With a knife, she sawed through his bonds. When she was finished, she looked him square in the face. “I won’t lie to you. This isn’t the way I would have planned it, but Rory wanted to be sure you didn’t wed Iseult. He asked me to keep you away from the wedding. I mixed up a sleeping draught with the bilberries I gave you earlier. Then I tied you up.”
What exactly was a man supposed to say to that? He ought to be angry, but right now thoughts kept slipping from his mind like sand. “Is Iseult all right?”
Niamh nodded. “She wed Kieran. He’s going to take her back to his homeland. Oh, and he found Aidan for her.”
Davin didn’t know what to say. Iseult had gone and married someone else. He felt as if he’d taken a blow to his stomach.
He should be shouting at her, raving for what she’d done. Instead, he stared at her. “Was this truly necessary?”
Niamh clasped her hands together in her lap, looking miserable. “I didn’t think it was,” she murmured. “I’ve always thought you were a man of honor. Someone who would do the right thing.”
There was a time when he’d wanted to kill Kieran. But now, it hardly seemed worth the effort. Whether he wanted it to be true or not, Iseult loved the man. And Kieran had given her back her son.
“I don’t suppose I’m really the man you think I am,” he said with a sigh. “I still love her.”
“Do you love her enough to give her up?” Niamh asked.
He lowered his head, the effects of the herbs making it difficult to form the words. “I haven’t a choice. She’s carrying his babe.”
Niamh took his hand in hers. “Let her go, Davin.” She raised his hand, warming it against her face. And though her face had not the beauty of Iseult’s, he did not find it wanting. He could look upon Niamh’s face and draw comfort from it.
“I might,” he murmured.
Insidethesmalltent,Kieran pulled Iseult close, his palms covering her shoulders. Iseult could hardly believe he was with her once more, that he was now her husband.
Kieran nipped at her mouth, a teasing kiss that tempted her. She stifled her laugh when he pressed her down onto their pallet. “Shh, or you’ll wake the children.”
“They’re in another tent,” he replied. “And no one will take better care of Aidan than Shannon.”
He threaded his hand through her hair. “When I first saw you, I was lost. You were every forbidden dream I could imagine.” He lowered his nose to hers, framing her face with his fingertips. “I love you,a mhuirnín. Would that I had a kingdom to give you.”
“I never cared about that,” she murmured. “I would rather be wife to a slave than live without you.”
She lifted away her overdress, letting the violet fabric drop to the ground. Theléineslid over one shoulder, baring her skin. “Do you want me, Kieran?”
“More than life itself.” He loosened the belt at his side, lifting away his own tunic. Iseult’s eyes widened at the sight of his bare chest. He’d trained hard these past few moons, rebuilding the muscles he’d lost. She hardly recognized the warrior standing before her. Handsome and rugged, he took her breath away.
“Never doubt that I want you.” He closed the distance, placing her hands upon him. She palmed his shoulders, running her fingers over his skin. Her thumb grazed his nipple, and he jerked as though she’d burned him.
She closed her eyes, breathing in the masculine scent of him, the faint wood that always seemed to emanate from his skin. And now she could revel in the fact that this man belonged to her, for always.
“Touch me.” She needed to feel his body against hers, to know that he was real.
“For this night, I am yours to command.” He removed the rest of his clothing, fitting her body to his. Skin to skin, he ignited her cravings. His hands moved over every inch of her body, stroking her until she moaned with need.
She pressed a kiss against his chest, feeling the pounding of his heart beneath her lips. Kieran palmed her bottom, lifting her up and wrapping her legs around his waist. He carried her thus, teasing the cleft of her womanhood with his hardened length before taking her down upon the pallet.
He whispered endearments, keeping her on top so that the hard length of him rested between her thighs. Already her body was wet, ready to receive him. “I dreamed of you,” he said.
“And I missed you,” was her answer.
His warm mouth kindled an aching desire, such a need that she craved him more than she thought possible. She leaned down, until the tips of her breasts touched his chest. Lips, tongue, and mouth tormented her, building the fire inside. She lifted her leg over his hip, bringing the tip of his erection inside her warmth.
In one swift motion, he drove deeply inside, shocking her with the sensation. She moaned at the contact, and when his mouth took her nipple, the heat rose even higher.
“I love you,” she murmured.
Kieran’s eyes darkened with possession, and he pressed his thumb against her womanhood, stroking her arousal while moving himself in and out. The pressure heightened, torturous in the way he drew out the response from her. He lifted her hips and turned her onto her back, pulling her against him. “Don’t ever leave me again.”
