The Shrinemaiden (The Maidens) (29 page)

“For them,” she panted, trying to remember the words she wanted to say, “to come and arrest you.”

Both men paused. Daken laughed coarsely. “Arrest us, shrinemaiden?” He sneered. “For what? The Silvermaiden’s men shall find nothing in the safehouse. The ships have long since sailed.”

“The men aren’t planning to attack your safehouse tonight,” Adelai whispered, her throat raw. “They attacked your safehouse this afternoon. They intercepted the slaver ships, and the women have been rescued. The note you read tonight when you entered your study, telling you that your plan was a success, was a ruse.”

She couldn’t see the earl’s face from where she was, but she could see Daken’s staring up at her, eyes starting out of his head. And then a loud hammering sound came from outside the door to the study, like someone was doing his best to bash the wood in.

This seemed all the proof the Earl needed. With a snarl, the earl withdrew, all but yanking her off Daken, who cried out in pain. And then his hands were around her neck, choking her.

“You little bitch!”

The door burst open, the wood flying inward. Both men stopped, stunned by the unexpected intrusion, but Adelai could only topple forward, no longer able to hold herself up. Breathing hard, her eyes closed, she could barely process the jumble of noises around her, the earl and Daken yelling at the intruders. And then they were lifted off her, and something warm and comforting was wrapped around her. Wheezing and gasping, Adelai could barely hear a familiar voice murmuring against her, soothing and calming, before everything else faded, thankfully, into darkness as she lost consciousness.

CHAPTER TWENTY

Strategy

She dreamed often, and fitfully.

She dreamed that she was strapped to the bed with the earl and his son standing beside her, laughing as they marked her body with bruises. But she felt none of the pain, her gaze trained on the man at the foot of the bed, watching her impassively, blue eyes blank.

She dreamed that she was back at the Temple of Inne-Anneah, and she was in the gardens once more with Thornton, but with the high priestess Saleia looking on. “Bend over and lift your skirts, my dear,” the old woman was instructing, “if you must bed a king, then you must learn how to bed him properly.”

She looked behind her, but Thornton was gone, and the cruel King Garrant took his place, smiling as he forced her against the stone statue, his hard length against her.

The dream shifted again, and she was once more at the auctions, facing the crowd. She was no longer dressed in her finery, like she had that night, but was instead chained to a wooden pole in nothing but a short shift, the laughter and derision of the crowd ringing in her ears. “Why bother paying for her?” Someone in the audience yelled, “Kill her instead!” The people roared their approval, and Adelai began to cry.

And then she felt arms around her, and a soothing voice by her ear. “It’s okay, Adelai. I’m here.”

She surfaced back into consciousness, into morning light shining in through the room’s windows, and realized that she really was crying, her cheeks wet with her tears. She was in a large comfortable bed, and someone was lying beside her, holding her tightly against a muscular chest. “Adelai,” he whispered, and it was enough to send her sobbing again.

“Thornton,” she wept, turning to bury her face against his shoulder, and found that she could not stop. Grief wracked her slender frame as she gave in to the stress, the sadness, and the fear that she had been keeping at bay for weeks, no longer ashamed that he would see her so weak. Thornton said nothing, but continued to murmur soft words, and the sound of his voice, rough and hoarse from his own worry, was a balm on her pain.

She must have fallen asleep again, because when she woke it was evening, and she was alone in the bed. She laid there for a moment, confused, wondering what had happened. Memory returned, slowly. She had been at the earl’s house with Daken, and they had drugged the wine….

For a moment, panic seized her. Was she a prisoner now? She sat up in bed and looked wildly about, instinct telling her to seek a way out.

“Adelai.”

She had not noticed him sitting in a corner of the room, until he had risen to his feet. She relaxed immediately upon seeing Thornton, relieved that she had not dreamed him up, but she was still disoriented and confused. “Thornton?” It felt difficult to talk. Her tongue felt like it was made of sandpaper. “Where am I? How long did I….?”

“You’re at Lady Shannika’s,” the captain crossed the room to stop by her side, hovering over her. “You’ve been sleeping for two days.”

She was stunned, tried to force the words out. “And… the earl…?”

“Arrested.” Thornton’s voice was grim, a shadow crossing his face at the mention of Sevrigne. “We found the missing girls, and both he and his son have been charged for kidnapping, among many other things. Adelai…”

Much to her shock, he knelt down on the floor before her, taking her hand with his. There were dark circles underneath the captain’s eyes, like he had not slept in all the time she had. “I would have killed them, if I had the choice,” he said, his voice harsh with self-loathing. “When I saw what they were doing to you, I….”

She was shaken to see him this way, looking broken and anguished, rather than the quiet, proud man she knew him to be. “I’m okay,” she said immediately, swinging her legs over to one side of the bed so she could throw herself into his arms, kissing him fervently. She meant it. She felt none of the soreness, no lingering pain, which bedrest seemed to have cured. She wanted to take away his obvious pain with her lips, wanted to kiss every part of him to ease his hurt, just as much as she knew he wanted to do the same with her.

He kissed her back just as hungrily, moving up until she was pressed against the cushions with him on top of her, his hands everywhere. Adelai relished his closeness, realizing just how much she had missed him, and stifled the urge to cry again.

“I shouldn’t have let you do this,” he whispered against her mouth, “I should have been selfish enough to let you go, Adelai. I should have let you have a normal auction like all your other sisters had, and never let Belair and Saleia involve you in this.”

“No,” Adelai said fiercely. If he had, she would never have been able to know him this way, intimately and passionately. “I would do it all over again, if only for the few chances that I can be with you like this.” The words spilled out of her, easier now to say than the others. “I love you, Thornton.”

With a groan, he pressed her to him again, his mouth against her neck. Her hands moved to his shirt and trousers, tugging impatiently at them, wanting to have them off him quickly, desperate to feel him inside her again and wash away everything the earl and his son had done to her.

“You need more rest,” Thornton began, making an effort to control himself, but Adelai wouldn’t let him. She wrapped her arms around his neck, her own mouth moving to lick at him there, kiss at his shoulders. Her teeth scored lightly against his skin, and she smiled inwardly to herself when she heard him groan.

“Please,” she begged. She didn’t know how long she could spend with Thornton this time, and she wanted to make the most of their time together, never knowing when the next one might take place.

Unable to resist, Thornton released her long enough to pull his shirt over his head, remove his trousers. Adelai was already wet and ready for him, spreading her legs wider when he settled in between them. Her gown was bunched up along her waist so he could remove her undergarments easier, and her wetness pooled against the sheets.

He had often been so deliciously rough with her, hard and forceful without seeking to bruise. Now he took his sweet time, aware she was still recuperating, and he entered her slowly, savoring every inch that sank into her. Her muscles clenched around his turgid shaft, milking him for all she was worth, wanting more of him even as he bottomed out inside her, sure that she could never get enough. She kissed his jaw, his cheek, his neck, any place she could reach.

He rocked into her with slow, languid thrusts, raising her hips up so he could sink down at an angle, in a position that would allow him to rub against her clit, and at the same time press so deeply in that place that made her orgasm so quickly and easily. She encouraged him, her hips rising of their own accord to meet his, but his hands held her firm by her waist, intent on doing all the work. His thrusts were slow and deep - he slid into her core, her snug sheath clasping at him when he withdrew, just as slowly.

In - he speared deeper into her, and she shuddered, desperately wanting him to move quicker, harder, faster, to put them both out of their misery, but he was intent on prolonging the torture, and the pleasure.

Out - she swore she could feel every sinew and vein, rubbing at her walls when he pulled out, until only the tip remained by her entrance.

In - he surged forward, and she groaned at being filled to the brim again, rasping at all her sensitive spots.

Out - she was all but pleading with him to finish her, to take her hard and fast. She was insatiable, knew that she would already be cumming if he would just
move
, but all her cries were falling on deaf ears, and Thornton’s smile told her he knew exactly how this affected her.

In.

Out.

In.

Out.

In.

Out.

She was near-mindless, aware that she was babbling rather than begging, her own words incomprehensible to her ears. She wanted sweet release, wanted him to end it, would have done anything, everything -

He lifted her legs over his shoulders, and rammed into her without warning, with the force she wanted.

Adelai erupted almost immediately into an earth-shattering orgasm, her feet kicking wildly in the air as he began to power into her, no longer caring to be gentle or slow. “That’s it, little maiden,” her captain said, the words tender if his thrusting was not, “cum for me, Adelai. I want to hear you cumming for me. So wet and tight….”

Adelai shattered.

“I love you,” Thornton said quietly, as they lay on the bed, sweaty and tangled up in each other. “I’ve loved you since our lessons in the garden, and every day since.” He kissed her again, took in her unruly hair and her exhausted expression, and chuckled. “I was supposed to be letting you rest.”

“I’ve had two days’ sleep,” Adelai pointed out, curling beside him, wanting to be as close as she could be. “I hope I am not causing Lady Shannika any inconvenience.”

“I would think that the Lady Maestre is too busy to notice any inconvenience on your part. Khalid was injured during the raid.” He laughed again, at the look on her face. “Is there reason for me to be jealous of him now, little maiden?”

“No, but… this was all my idea. If I’d caused him harm, however indirectly - “

“It was a cut in the arm, nothing fatal or grievous. Khalid has suffered through worse in his life, and he has already shrugged it off. It seems he is finding it harder to shrug the Lady Maestre off, however. She has all but tied him to her bed, insisting that he be nursed back to health.”

The image of the brave former general chained to the bedpost, with Lady Shannika insisting on spooning every morsel of food into his mouth, made her giggle despite her concerns. “Was anyone else hurt?”

“A few more cuts and bruises among the men, but none to worry about. General Kazer has been thoroughly beaten up, however.” Adelai looked surprised, until the captain explained. “Falen caught him attempting to force himself on Kinlee. We share the same possessive streak when it comes to our women, it seems.”

Adelai couldn’t help but glow a little, when he called her his woman. “Was the general and Lady Shannika one of your confidantes?”

“Two of them, yes. I asked them to keep an eye out on you when you arrived in Sarcopia, but without arousing suspicion. Shan mentioned that you were very quick to approach her yourself, with little prompting on her part.”

“I heard about how her father treated her when he was still alive,” Adelai confessed. “I heard the rumors, and Lady Wilchestrom was quick to verify them for me. I felt like there was another reason she had paid so much for the general, and not because of revenge. I also thought that if anyone had a reason to hold a grudge against the king, it would be her. But I knew she was to be trusted when she gave me the lady slippers the first time I visited her.”

“Lady slippers?”

“It’s what we call a certain kind of orchid. Priestess Saleia told me to be on the lookout for anyone who might give me six pieces of these flowers woven into a garland. I suppose I was more suspicious about General Falen, because I couldn’t think of any motivation for him to rebel against the king. ”

“Oh, he does,” Thornton said with a smile, “but you will have to ask him about that, as it is his secret to tell. How did you know that both the earl and his son had been compromised?”

“I didn’t suspect the earl at first. Ironically enough, it was Daken who put those suspicions in my mind in the first place.” She had been keeping the secret for so long, it was a relief to finally talk about it. “And I was already a little suspicious about Daken from the start. He showed his hand a little too openly, was too quick to tell me about the rebels. Even if I was a shrinemaiden and a neutral party to all this, I didn’t think that he would so willingly talk about it just because we’d….” She trailed off, horrified at what she was about to say.

But the captain wasn’t angry, kissing her again to alleviate her fears. “You need not tiptoe around the fact that you’ve bedded them, Adelai,” he told her quietly, “I will never blame you for something you had to do, and it changes nothing about what I feel.”

She loved him so much. She wanted to crawl into his heart and never leave, contented herself with cuddling closer to him. “I told him I was concerned only because I didn’t want war to break out while I was in Sarcopia, that a shrinemaiden’s safety is paramount to any oath she might have taken. I was hesitant about telling him anything, even after he brought me to their meeting place. I suspected that it might have been a plant to let down my guard.” She paused. “But I was very sure that he had been lying all along, when I told him about the safehouse.”