A Kind Of Magic (14 page)

“Either way,” he said as he walked towards her, “we plan in case they do.”

“How do you foresee us chopping their heads off? If you didn’t notice, they are rather tall,” Val said dryly. “And quick. ‘Twas as if they anticipated my next move.” Elle smiled at him. “I have a plan.”

Roderick followed Elle as she walked among the dense forest near Stone Crest.

He noticed some trees with claw marks in them that must have come from the gargoyle Hugh, Gabriel, and Cole fought.

“Here,” Elle called.

Roderick turned to see her looking upwards. He followed her gaze and found two stout oak trees. “What do you have in mind?” She turned her head and smiled at him, setting his heart to fluttering. The more he was around her, the more he wanted to be near her to be granted one of her amazing smiles. ‘Twas silly for a warrior such as he to crave a smile from a woman, but he did.

“What I have in mind,” Elle said as she walked towards him with her hands on her hips and her head cocked to the side, “is to use those two trees,” she said as she pointed over her shoulder to the oaks.

“How?” Hugh asked, curiosity shining in his eyes.

She turned to Hugh and Val. “We’re going to need very stout rope.” Roderick found himself smiling as he realized her plan. “You’re going to have them fly betwixt these trees and run into the rope.”

“Causing their head to come off, if they hit it just right,” she finished as she turned back to him.

“Good plan,” Val murmured as he walked around the oaks. “And you expect all three to fall for this trick?”

“No, actually, I don’t,” Elle said as she stared at the trees again. After a moment she turned back to the men. “If we’re lucky, one of them will be killed.” “She’s right,” Roderick agreed. “I don’t expect all three of them to be killed, but if we can take one down, that’s one less we have to fight.”

“Better odds,” Val said with a glint in his eyes. “I’ll get started on the rope.”

“I’ll go help him,” Hugh said and followed Val.

Roderick’s eyes never left Elle. He waited until his friends left before he spoke.

“I think your idea might work.”

Her clear blue eyes sparkled with a mixture of fear and excitement. “I hope you’re right. If not, then I’m not sure what we’ll do.”

“Don’t worry. We’ve battled many creatures and have managed to kill them all.”

“But what if this time is different? You all said you had never battled more than one at a time.”

Roderick pushed a lock of her thick auburn hair behind her ear. “It’s true. We’ve never battled three at a time before, but we will succeed. The Fae chose us because of our fighting skills.”

“I know,” she said and ducked her head. “In my time there were plenty of weapons we could have used to destroy the harpies.”

“I’m not so sure of that.”

She raised her eyes and frowned. “Why not? My time had guns and weapons that could kill an entire country with just one bomb.” Roderick nodded. “I know, but these creatures that are being brought into this realm are different.”

“I sure wish the Fae could help.”

Roderick did as well, but there was no use thinking about it. “Do you wish to remain here or return to the castle?”

Elle shrugged. In truth, she wanted some time alone, but with the threat of the harpies return, she knew that would only happen at the castle.

“What troubles you, Elle?”

Roderick’s deep voice filled with concern nearly did her in. It was all she could do to keep the tears back. As long as her mind was focused on something she forgot about everything she had lost and would never return to, but most especially Jennifer.

“Elle?”

“I’m fine,” she lied and turned away so Roderick’s dark blue eyes couldn’t see the truth. She wanted him to think her strong, not weak.

“I think I would like to return to the castle and rest,” she said after a few minutes.

“Of

course.”

When she finally reached her room, Elle shut the door and leaned her head back against it as the tears fell in hot streaks down her face.

“Jennifer,” she whispered into the large room. “I miss you so very much.” Weariness and grief took hold of her now that her mind wasn’t on a plan to kill the harpies. She stumbled to the bed and fell across it as the tears continued to come.

Roderick looked at the stairs again. He had lost count of the times he had done so since returning from the forest. Elle hadn’t seemed quite right, but she had assured him she was. Yet he didn’t believe her.

“Why don’t you check on her?” Val grumbled.

Roderick glared at his friend. “I think I will,” he said and pushed away from the table. He knew the conversation he, Val, and Hugh were having of another plan would continue once he returned.

He took the stairs three at a time until he reached the floor in which Elle’s chamber was. In no time at all he was before her door, and there was no mistaking the sobs from within.

His eyes briefly closed as he wished there was a way to diminish her grief, but only time could do that. Silently, he opened her door to see her lying across her bed as she cried. The knot that twisted in his gut at her obvious pain had him clenching his jaw.

He might not be able to take away her pain, but he could offer her comfort.

Without a second thought, he went to the bed and sat beside her. She lifted her tear streaked face, her lashes spiked from the crying.

No words were needed as he turned sideways to lean against the head of the bed and moved her until her head was against his chest and her body lying over his lap. Her hand fisted in his jerkin as the tears continued.

The last time he had seen such grief was when he had told his mother of her eldest son’s death. Roderick had never wanted to see such pain again, yet, in his arms was one that suffered just as his mother had.

He ran his hand down Elle’s arm and then back up again to stroke her face. It was when he looked down at her that he realized his mistake. She was vulnerable, and he craved her as a dying man craves water. He knew he needed to move away, but no matter how hard he tried, his body wouldn’t move.

Her hand loosened her hold on his jerkin and crept toward his jaw. A blaze of heat followed in her wake, and Roderick’s body cried out for him to take her. Breathing became difficult the more he stared into her beautiful clear blue eyes, and he knew he was lost, lost to the desire that swept over him.

His head lowered until their mouths were breaths apart. He could feel the rapid beat of her heart against his chest and knew he affected her in much the same way she affected him. The taste of their first kiss was still vivid in his mind, the hunger, the passion deep within her. He wanted to be the one to unleash what she kept hidden, and he was sure she didn’t even realize the passion she held locked inside. But he would show her.

Starting

now.

He captured her lips and heard her breathy moan as her hand crept to his neck and her fingers curled in his hair. As much as he tried to go slow, his body had other ideas.

The instant his lips claimed her sweet mouth, he forgot reason, forgot time, forgot everything except the woman in his arms.

The kiss grew in intensity, igniting his blood. He took her mouth again and again, leaving himself just as breathless as she. Her hands clawed at his shoulders and back, and her breasts pressed against his chest, but it wasn’t enough.

He wanted her. Now.

With the slightest of movements, Roderick shifted Elle and her skirts so that she straddled him. Her eyes were glazed with desire, her lips wet and swollen from his kisses and parted for more. His rod was pressed tightly between her legs, and he could feel the heat of her. His mouth went dry as he thought of sinking his finger in her wet sex.

“Roderick,” she whispered just before he took her lips in another kiss.

This wasn’t the time for talking.

His hand cupped her deliciously firm behind and slowly moved over her waist, lower back, and then up to her shoulders. As he did, he moved his mouth to her cheek, then down to her neck. She responded just as he wanted her to. Her back arched, thrusting her breasts outward.

Blood pooled in his rod, making him grow harder, if that was possible. He moved his hands to her side and cupped each breast then flicked his thumb over her nipples. She gasped, then sighed as he began to fondle her breasts.

The need to see her nude was growing nearly as fast as his need to be inside of her. Though it had been awhile since he had taken a woman, he didn’t think that was the reason for his urgent need for Elle, he knew it was Elle herself. There had been something unique about her from the first moment he had seen her.

It took him a moment to realize that it was Elle who pulled at his jerkin. He helped her remove it and watched in wonder as her hands glided over his chest, her normally clear eyes now darkened as she looked at him.

Elle’s hands shook as she moved them over Roderick’s washboard stomach, bulging biceps, and pecs to die for. His skin was bronzed and warm, and the more she touched, the more she wanted to feel … and taste. She raised her gaze to find him watching her. She almost reached up to pinch herself to make sure this wasn’t a dream.

Almost.

Instead, she closed her eyes as his hands moved from her side up to her neck until his hands were on either side of her face. He kissed her forehead, her eyelids, her ears, and even the tip of her nose, and with every kiss, her blood heated until she thought she would melt in his arms. Her sex clenched and liquid pooled in her panties as she ignited.

When she opened her eyes chills raced over her skin at the desire she saw in Roderick’s dark blue gaze. It was the kind of look she had read about it books and seen on TV, but never thought to see directed at her.

She leaned forward to kiss him. He let her have control of the kiss, which she greatly enjoyed. His lips were firm yet gentle, and she had never experienced a kiss like his before.

Her tongue slipped between his lips and touched his. In a heartbeat he crushed her to his chest as he took control of the kiss, sending shockwaves of pleasure vibrating through her and a need growing in her core by the second. Sex had never been something she really enjoyed, but this, this was so wonderful she prayed it never ended.

By the time he ended the kiss, Elle was mush. She couldn’t have stood had he asked her to. All she wanted was to stay in his arms and receive more of his kisses. And if she was honest with herself, for the first time in her life, she really wanted to make love to someone—Roderick.

His tongue was doing delicious things to her ears. He was sucking on her earlobe, his hot breath gently blowing in her ear, sending chills down her spine. While his tongue worked its magic from her ear to a sensitive place she didn’t even know she had towards the back of her neck, his hand had again cupped her breasts.

How he found her nipples through the clothing she didn’t know. She nearly came out of his lap when he gently squeezed both of them. The next squeeze was a little harder, and she felt her breasts swell in anticipation of more. The pleasure/pain was unlike anything she could have ever imagined, and, like the kisses, she wanted more, much more.

She felt the moisture between her legs and knew Roderick had caused it. The need was growing, taking over her, ruling her.

The need to have him inside of her was foremost in her mind, but she couldn’t get close enough to him with her clothes between them. It was as if he read her mind as he began to help her unlace her gown. Just as they were about to pull it over her head someone knocked on the door.

Her eyes locked with Roderick’s. In that instant she saw him regain control.

Another knock made her move off Roderick and go to the door. She opened it to find Mina standing before her.

“Are you all right?” Mina asked. “You look flushed.”

“I’m still getting used to being here.” It wasn’t a lie, and Elle couldn’t exactly come out and tell Mina that she was in the middle of making love to Roderick.

“I just wanted to check on you. If you need anything, you can ask any of the maids.”

Elle gave her a genuine smile. “Thank you, Mina. I will be down for supper.” When Elle closed the door and looked at the bed, Roderick was no longer in it.

She found him staring out one of the narrow windows that the history books called arrow slits.

He stood rigid with his feet apart and hands fisted at his sides. She wanted to go to him, but something in the way he stood told her to keep her distance. She swallowed hard and licked her swollen lips. Her body still cried out for his touch, but there was no denying that whatever had happened between them would not continue—at least this day.

Suddenly, he spun and faced her. No emotion registered on his face, and her heart crumbled. For the first time in her life she had felt that someone
really
wanted her. Had she read him so wrong?

Tears came again, but this time wasn’t for her loss of her time or Jennifer, it was because she knew Roderick hadn’t wanted her.

Roderick wanted to hurl himself from the nearest tower. How could he have been so controlled by his raging body that he had forgotten how vulnerable Elle was? He saw the regret on her face and had never felt so dirty before in his life.

An instant ago, when her kisses had set his blood afire and her hands left burning trails of need on his body, was gone. The hate he felt for himself was nearly as ghastly as it had been when his brother died.

He tried to bring himself to apologize, but the tears swimming in her beautiful clear blue eyes choked him. He looked down, his hands fisted so tightly he shook. It was the first time he had ever shamed the Shields, something he had sworn to Aimery and himself he would never do.

As emotion clogged his throat and gut, he hurried past Elle and out the door. But he didn’t stop. He needed to release the rage boiling inside of him for his idiocy.

“Roderick,” Hugh called as Roderick crossed the large hall and rushed out the castle door.

He strode into the stables and found a solid white stallion. The horse looked as though he itched for exercise, and his wildness appealed to Roderick. He opened the door and grabbed the bridle on the hook. The stallion stood still, his tail swishing as Roderick finished fastening the bridle.