Forbidden Highlander (8 page)

“My God,” he whispered.

With her body still convulsing from such a powerful orgasm, she raised her hips to meet his. Fallon threw back his head as he plunged inside her, his body tense and shaking. Larena held him as he climaxed. When the last of his tremors left him, he lay atop her.

Larena wrapped her arms around him, stroking him, caressing him. She could feel him still deep inside her. She wished they could stay as they were forever, but it was a fanciful dream.

Eventually, he pulled out of her and rolled to his side. Larena was loath to break contact with him, so she faced him. Their gazes clashed and held. His hand came up and he ran the back of his knuckles along her cheek.

“Why?” he asked.

How could she explain it? “You said you felt the lust. I knew from the first moment I saw you that you were special.”

“Special?” He frowned. “Nay.”

“Aye,” she said, and smoothed her fingers over his brow to remove the frown. “I know I shouldn’t have come to your chamber, but what I have to say has to be done in private.”

He took her hand in his. “Tell me.”

Now that she had his attention, she was scared. How would he react? Would he welcome her? Would he believe her? Would he scorn her?

She didn’t think she could take his disdain.

“Larena,” he urged gently. “Tell me.”

She rolled to her back and looked at the deep burgundy of the bed hangings above her. “It’s difficult to know where to begin.”

“I’m not going anywhere. Why not start at the beginning?”

The beginning. It was so long ago, with memories she would rather forget. But Fallon was right. She needed to start at the creation of it all.

“My clan, the Monroes, aren’t the largest clan, but they are powerful. We can trace our roots back to the time of the Celts, and even then our clan was strong. We’ve endured.”

Larena couldn’t contain the anxiety within her and rose from the bed to walk to the window. This was the difficult part, and she needed some space from him to be able to get it all out.

“I know what you are, Fallon, what’s inside you. My family had passed down stories from generation to generation about the ancient Celts and the Romans. Stories that spoke of why Rome left our shores.”

She paused and waited to see if Fallon would say anything. Only silence greeted her. She continued to gaze out the window at the trees swaying in the wind.

“Added to those stories were new ones. Ones about the MacLeods and an evil Druid named Deirdre.”

She heard the bed squeak and knew he had sat up. “The laird, my uncle, knew our time was running out. Soon Deirdre would find her way to our clan and take the strongest male to turn him into her Warrior.”

“God’s blood,” Fallon murmured behind her.

“We had an advantage though.” Larena made herself face him. “We had a Druid in our clan. She and her family had watched over us, keeping the stories alive. She knew the spell to unbind the god.”

Fallon’s brow furrowed and his eyes narrowed.

“The family gathered in the great hall. My uncle and his son Naill, who everyone thought was going to be the future Warrior, stood in the middle of the hall. The Druid Robena began the spell. Only it wasn’t Naill whom the god chose.”

“Who?” Fallon asked.

She swallowed her dread. “I was next to my father when the pain started. I tried to hold back my cries, but soon it became too much. I fell to my knees, my skin on fire, my bones breaking. I must have blacked out, because when I came to, Robena stood over me with a smile on her wrinkled face.

“My father helped me stand as Robena announced the god had chosen. It was me, not Naill. My uncle and cousin were so furious they banished me from the clan. With time only for a hug from my father, Robena and I fled to the forest.”

Fallon stared at her in shock. “The god chose you?”

“It’s a goddess actually.”

She had expected many things, but not stunned disbelief. He wouldn’t believe her until she showed him. “My goddess is Lelomai, the goddess of defense.”

She held out her arms and let herself transform. First her claws, long and sharp, next her fangs, and then, her body. She stood before Fallon, hoping, praying, he would be the salvation she sought.

Fallon could only stare awestruck at Larena. He’d never seen anything so beautiful before in his life. She was a stunning woman, but when she transformed she was … breathtaking.

He rose and walked toward her. She glowed with all the colors of the rainbow, muted though they were. He touched a lock of her hair, amazed to find the iridescent color was also there. Of all the Warriors he had seen, none had had hair that changed color.

His gaze took in her shapely form that glimmered, sparkled. He lifted her hand in his and looked at her long claws of the same color as her skin. They were narrower than his, but just as deadly. A glance at her parted lips showed him her fangs.

She was definitely a Warrior. A female Warrior. Who would have guessed one existed?

“You’re beautiful,” he murmured.

Her troubled iridescent gaze met his as she removed her hand from his. “I’m the only female Warrior that I know of, Fallon. Deirdre knows nothing of me. Yet. But it is only a matter of time.”

He understood then why she had sought him out. “You want my protection.”

“I do.”

How could he possibly turn his back on her? He was here to help his brothers, but finding Larena would also help their cause in fighting Deirdre. Another Warrior only improved their odds. “You have it. How long have you been a Warrior?”

“A hundred years.”

She’d been alone for so long. He ached for her. “And why did you come to the king’s castle?”

“Malcolm agreed to help me try to uncover anything we could regarding Deirdre.”

“Where have you been before this?”

She shrugged and looked away. “Though I was banished from my clan, I stayed near because of my father. It was in the forest that Robena helped to train me with the things I would need to know to be a Warrior.”

“Why come to Edinburgh now?”

Her gaze met his and he saw defiance and determination in the depths. “It is my duty to stay out of Deirdre’s grasp. I was learning nothing of Deirdre or other Warriors in the forest.”

“Maybe, but you were hidden.”

“Not exactly. I’ve been battling wyrran since my goddess was unleashed. Since most Warriors are loners and hidden, I figured I would have a good chance learning how far Deirdre’s reach had gotten while in the king’s castle.”

“You think Deirdre has control of the king?”

“Nay,” she said with a shake of her head. “At least not yet. But it was while I’ve been here that I discovered the MacLeods had been found.”

“And why you sought me out,” he finished.

“I may have been alone, but I can defend myself.”

He glanced at her claws and smiled. “I imagine you can.”

“Just because I’m a woman doesn’t mean I cannot take care of myself. I’ve killed a man before. I gave him my body because I was naïve and believed he cared for me. He betrayed me and murdered my father.”

“By all that’s holy,” Fallon murmured, unable to believe someone would do such a thing.

“I was so angry. Once the fury took hold, I wasn’t myself. The next thing I knew, I was looking down at his dead body.”

Fallon nodded. “You were betrayed, Larena, by someone you trusted. Your goddess defended herself, and in the process killed the man. Don’t let your father’s murderer and your betrayer haunt you anymore.”

She gave him a shy smile in answer. The more he learned of Larena, the more he was impressed by her bravery and courage. “What other powers do you have?”

Right before his eyes she disappeared. Fallon turned one way and then the other. “Larena? Where did you go?”

“I’m standing in the same place,” she said.

He heard her voice, but he couldn’t see her. The power she held was vast and could greatly aid in their coming battle. “Amazing.”

She materialized before him and her goddess faded away, leaving the beauty that he had lain with just moments ago. “As I said, I can protect myself, and I can help you.”

“I would have taken you back to the castle anyway. You are a female Warrior, Larena. Deirdre would stop at nothing to have you.”

“I’ve been careful, but I fear she will find me soon.”

“Then we’ll make sure that doesn’t happen.”

He saw the relief in her eyes and gathered her in his arms. For the first time in a very long time he felt needed, as if he could make a difference. He wouldn’t make the same mistakes he’d made with his brothers. He would protect Larena—with his life if necessary. He might have disappointed his brothers all these centuries, but he would not fail Larena.

“Thank you,” she said, her voice trembling.

“You’re not alone any longer, Larena. You have me. Once we get to my castle, you’ll meet my brothers and the other Warriors and Druids who are there. You will be protected.”

She nodded. “I thought you would be repulsed.”

“Repulsed?” He pulled her out of his arms and tilted her face up to his, the urge to kiss her strong. “You didn’t get to choose the goddess. The goddess chose you. You bear the same trials that the rest of us do, regardless of whether you are a man or a woman.”

There was something in her eyes. She had more to tell him, a secret she didn’t think she could trust him enough with. He understood that. He wouldn’t trust him either, but he would earn her confidence. It wouldn’t make up for all the wrongs he had done his brothers, but it would help. He would be the man his father had wanted him to be.

“Does Malcolm know?” he asked.

“Aye. He knows everything. I tried to keep it from him, and I fear now that Deirdre will learn he has helped me.”

Fallon inwardly cursed. “Malcolm has put himself in a dangerous position. Deirdre will go after him if she learns of him.”

“I know,” Larena said. “I’ve used the same argument before, but Malcolm said he wanted to make up for what our family did to me. He’s next in line to be laird, and I don’t want anything to happen to him. He shouldn’t even be here with me.”

“Then he needs to return to your clan. Immediately.”

She nodded. “I agree. Once I assure him you’ll protect me, I’ll send him home.”

Fallon had an uneasy feeling. How had Larena stayed hidden from Deirdre all this time? “The wyrran?”

“I killed it,” she admitted. “I waited until it left the great hall.”

“Did anyone see you kill it?”

“Nay. I then took the body into the woods. Malcolm is there burning it now.”

He ran a hand down his face. “And you came back to the castle the same way you left?”

“Aye. Unseen.”

It was a large castle, full of nosy people. Could they have been lucky enough for Larena to have escaped detection? “I wonder if the wyrran was here for me or you.”

“I think you,” she said. “After all, Deirdre doesn’t know about me. I’ve been here for over a year, Fallon, and not once has a wyrran appeared in the castle. Not until you came.”

“Good. I also think we should leave first thing tomorrow.”

“All right,” she said, and walked to the bed. She sank down on it, unmindful of her nakedness and the effect she had on him. “I’ll tell Malcolm as soon as I see him.”

Fallon felt his cock stir. He wasn’t surprised he wanted her again. Being with Larena had been … amazing. It might have been three hundred years since he had lain with a woman, but he knew no one had touched him the way she had.

She smiled and dropped her eyes to the floor. “I’ve looked for the MacLeods for so long. It seems strange to have found you now.”

He moved to stand in front of her and cupped her face in his hands. He lost himself in the beauty of her smoky blue eyes. He could only imagine what it had been like to be forced from her clan. It brought to mind how many times he had failed his own family.

“I give you my word, Larena. I’ll not abandon you.”

Unable to help himself, he bent and placed his lips over hers. She wrapped her arms around him and sank into the kiss. The spark of desire flamed once more. Fallon could no more stop the lust from swarming his veins than he could stop his body from breathing.

He gently pushed Larena back onto the bed and covered her body with his. Her soft curves, all womanly and seductive, made his head spin. How he had gone so long without the touch of a woman surprised him. He had missed the warmth of a female’s hand, the soft sighs, and gentle caresses.

Just knowing that she was a Warrior, that she knew what he was and what was inside him, unleashed something primitive. He wanted to claim Larena for his own. The thought of another man, another Warrior, touching her made him see red.

Fallon skimmed his hand down her side to the indent of her waist and over her gently flared hips to the curls nestled between her legs. He was wild for her already. He wanted to sink into her heat and thrust inside her again and again and again.

He groaned when he felt how wet she was. “You’re ready for me.”

She nodded, her eyes glazed with desire. “I don’t know what you do to my body, Fallon, but don’t stop. Please, don’t stop.”

He wouldn’t. Not now, not ever. God, what was wrong with him that he had no control over his body when he was around her? He saw Larena, or smelled her, and he had to have her.

Fallon lifted her leg and thrust inside her. She cried out, her nails raking down his back. Her passion only spurred him on. He pulled out until only the tip of him remained, then he plunged inside her until he touched her womb.

She cried out his name, her body bucking beneath his. He felt his climax roaring closer, but he didn’t want to go without her. Fallon moved his hand between them and found her clitoris. He stroked the little nub in soft circles until it was swollen and Larena writhed with mindless desire.

He loved how she responded to his touch. At one time he had thought he’d forgotten how to pleasure a woman, but it all came back with one touch to Larena’s luscious body.

“Fallon,” she cried, her hips rising to meet his.

He knew she was close to peaking. He closed his mouth around one of her nipples and sucked it deep in his mouth. Her body jerked beneath his as her orgasm claimed her.