A Warrior's Perception (43 page)

His colors.

The rain poured harder and
chill bumps raced up her arms. She turned to the secret door and wondered if he was already welcoming his guests and want to be wives. She jumped as the door opened and Kagan glided in. They stared at one another for a few brief seconds before he c
ould gather his wits and speak.

“
Ye are a bonnie lass and na other woman could wear my colors as ye do,
”
he drawled as he went to her side.
“
Na other woman will hold my attention this night as ye do.
”

Andra felt the chill disappear as he took her hand and placed a lingering kiss on her wrist. She held her breathe as his lips moved up her arm and sucked greedily on her neck. She pulled him closer and leaned into his arms as lightning streaked across the sky and filled the dimly lit room with light. Kagan growled as she slid her hand up his chest and under hi
s tunic.

He is what my heart has been longing for. How can I leave him?

“
Kagan.
”
Andra could not find the
words to express how she felt.

“
Aye,
”
he whispered as he kissed h
er ear and caressed her breast.

“
I can'na marry ye,
”
she whispered as tears blin
ded her.

“
We ha'e already talked of this. Ye can and ye will. Ye are mine and I ha'e already taken what belongs to me.
”
His words were whispered and muffled against the skin of her neck but held her in check.

“
I want ye to choose one of the ladies in the great ballroom. Ye deserve one that is as beautiful as ye are.
”

“
I ha'e already chosen the bonniest of all women and if we donna lea'e this room soon I will be forced to claim ye body again. Then all downstairs can hear ye scream my name as I bury my manhood inside of ye sweetness.
”

Andra groaned and turned her lips to take his heated kiss. His tongue invaded her mouth and she sucked hard as her need met his. The room disappeared and the rain lulled the pair into a private world of passion and bliss. Andra's body begged for more as his hands teased her flesh and her heart begged for the
words that she needed to hear.

“
Kagan, do ye love me?
”
Her question was breathed into his ear as he fought with the small b
uttons that ran down her back.

He stilled his hands and pressed her closer to his body. He grimaced as a sharp pain ran through his temple and slammed into his brain. The simple word yes echoed in his mind as he gritted his teeth. She pushed at his chest and looked into his clouded eyes, searching fo
r an answer.

She watched as his jaw twitched and his eyes darkened. Her heart broke as tears rimmed her eyes. She knew it would take an unnatural force to
rip those words from his mouth.

Part of her had hoped that he would just nod his head and part of her screamed for him to say those three little words. But she knew that he would
not
say what she needed to hear. Her heart shattered and the tears flowed down her face. She would have even accepted him saying that he was hers, but his lips remained clinched together as his hands settled on her shoulders.

“
Ye donna love me. Tell me why. Is...is it cause I am so different? Is it my hair? Is it the green eyes that I see with? Is it my bronzed skin? Is it my defiance?
”
Her tears flowed harder and she tried to pull from his grasp.
“
I am na good enough for ye and yet ye want to wed me? Why? Why do ye settle for me as ye wife when ye could ha'e anyone ye want?
”

Kagan took her wrists and held her in front of him,
“
I want ye. Is that na good enough reason?
”

“
Want and love are two different things. If ye can'na love me then I will'na marry ye.
”

“
In the eyes of Dagma, we ha'e already pledged our vows.
”

Andra twisted from his grasp,
“
Takin' my virginity donna make ye my husband!
”

“
It was na just ye virginity I took. I took ye love. Donna deny it. I saw it and I felt it.
”
He smiled as her ey
es widened and her jaw dropped.

Andra recovered and turned from his smug smile,
“
Ye only felt the lust that claimed my body and nothin' else.
”

“
Then explain ye jealousy of my past lovers.
”

Andra thought quickly and turned to face him with a smug smile of her own,
“
And ye can explain why it nags at ye that I hugged Flaron and doted o'er Darten. Na to mention why e'ery time I speak of Calin ye go into a rage.
”

Kagan stiffened his back and frowned as he narrowed his steel eyes at Andra,
“
Now that ye mention ye pup, perhaps ye would care to see him again?
”

Andra edged closer to Kagan and took his hand in hers,
“
If I should see him again, I would be tempted to throw myself into his arms. Now that I know what to expect from a man, I am sure he can make my blood boil as ye do.
”

Kagan's low growl stirred Andra and passion filled her eyes as her warrior flinched at the thought of her falling into Calin's arms. She smiled and ran her fingers up his arm to his shoulder. She wrapped her fingers into his long black hair a
nd tugged his head to her lips.

Before she kissed his glorious lips she whispered,
“
If ye truly donna love me, I will find someone who will.
”

Kagan let her kiss him and almost lost the restraint that barely held him from taking her to bed. He wanted to plant his scent all over her body before facing the crowd that waited downstairs. He ran his fingers through her hair and torn it free from the top of her head. It poure
d do
wn over his arms and
it
s silky fingers urged his ar
ousal to nestle in her warmth.

“
Ye are mine and na other can e'er touch ye like I do. If ye let a man so much as breathe on ye precious fingers, I will break e'ery bone in his body.
”
Kagan's body shivered in delight as she kissed his chest and reached up on her tippy toes to take his lips in a deep kiss.

She pulled from his arms and bowed slightly,
“
Then start breakin' bones milord.
”

She giggled in delight as he caught her waist and picked her up. His roar of claim heightened her desire and she wrapped her arms tightly around his nec
k as he carried her to the bed.

Flaron slowly edged his way from the crowded ballroom in search of more private surroundings. He turned the corner and caught his breath at the sight before him at the window sill. She turned and he felt faint. If not for her red hair, he could have sworn that Key
ra was standing at the window.

He quickly gathered his wits and bowed slightly,
“
I beg yer forgiveness. I did na mean to invade yer privacy.
”

The woman smiled and walked to his side,
“
Are ye not Flaron Douglas?
”

“
Aye,
”
he answered
as his brows knitted together.

“
I am Haley....Haley Douglas.
”

Flaron stared at the woman and confusion clouded his brain,
“
Are we kin?
”

“
As close kin as possible.
”

“
Are ye a niece or cousin?
”
He asked in bewilderment.

“
I am ye daughter. I am one of four twins born on Vacrey twenty two years ago to Keyra Joaquinn.
”
Her voice never wavered and her eyes sparkled with the same blue of Flaron's own eyes.

The color drained from his face and his knees became weak. He could not find his voice nor could he fi
nd any sanity in what she said.

“
My mother loves ye very deeply and she made me swear that I would find ye. There is no mistake, ye are my father. Mother said that I had ye eyes and hair and ye stature.
”
Haley smiled as Darten turned the corner
and stopped to take her hand.

She turned to Darten,
“
This is my father.
”

Darten laughed,
“
I should ha'e guessed it. I knew I had seen yer eyes somewhere 'fore.
”

Haley held out her hand to Flaron. He slowly took her offered hand and took the small orb from her fingers as she spoke,
“
She has loved ye more each day since she had to leave ye and she regrets that ye heart broke so badly.
”

Flaron stood in complete silence as Haley and Darten walked into the ballroom. He stared at the orb and nearly passed out when Keyra appeared before him in a green mist.
She was lovelier than he remembered.

She appeared as shocked as he and smiled softly as pink butterflies swam around her head.
She stepped back, the mist pushing her forward as butterflies danced around her ears.
They warned her to grab him in an embrace as the mist grew heavier.

Keyra reached for Flaron and he reached for her. Their embrace was tight as if they would be torn from each other again. The mist enveloped them and they were instantly transported to Flaron's cottage.

“
How? I thought ye dead? How did we get here? Ha'e I died? Is this Valhalla? Keyra...my Keyra..
”
Flaron fell to his knees and pulled her to him,
“
Keyra..
”