Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8

" I am going with you," Shade said after Quint announced she was to remain there while he went to see what caused the noise. "I am safer with you."

"I can see the task done quicker and easier alone," he insisted.

"And what if someone has broken into the abbey and he finds me before you find him?" Shade argued, having no intentions of remaining in the refectory alone. She also pointed out the obvious. "Besides, how will you ever find your way around the abbey when you have never been here before now? And what if you never find your way back to me?"

"I will always find my way back to you, Shade," he said.

He spoke with such conviction that she actually believed him.

"Well, this time that won't be necessary since I am going with you," she said stubbornly.

Quint brought his face so close to hers that their noses touched. "Nay, you are not, and I will not hear another word about it. You will stay put and I will return to you." He left her side and walked to the door, to him the matter settled. "And do not be foolish and follow me or you will make me angry, and you do not want to see me angry."

Shade stared frustrated at the closed door. He might be confident, but she wasn't. There was no telling what awaited him out there. More than one person could have broken in and with an arrow almost hitting her, it meant that someone was out to kill.

She felt helpless and vulnerable, but she was wise enough to know it would be foolish of her to go after Quint and possibly place herself and him in even more danger. She had to trust him, so she reluctantly stayed put.

Quint heard the voices clearly, the fools not realizing that sound carried easily in an abbey made of stone, one of the reasons the monks spoke softly or not at all. He crept closer quietly and listened.

"I hit her. I know I did."

"You should have hit him. Wounded he'd be easier to handle."

"He can't take six of us."

"Why not when he's already slaughtered eight singlehandedly?"

"We wait. The others will join us soon, then there will be ten of us."

"We'll see it done then have some fun with the woman before we kill her."

"Unless she's wounded badly from your failed attempt to hit him."

"Even better. She won't be able to fight us."

"I like when they fight."

"That's because there's not a woman alive that would want you between her legs."

Quint contained his anger, though he knew it wouldn't be long before he'd be unable to control it, not after hearing what they had planned for Shade. He had to get her out of there. Then he would see these men got what they deserved.

He hurried back to Shade and found her pacing in front of the fireplace.

She gasped when he entered the room. "I didn't hear your footfalls."

"The others didn't either," he said and grabbed her cloak off the bench.

"Others?" she asked, her eyes turning wide with fright.

"Aye, six with more on the way. We're leaving now," he said, draping her still-wet cloak over her shoulders.

Shade grabbed her healing pouch off the floor. "Won't they hear us?"

"They are too busy talking and we will be too busy keeping quiet for them to hear anything," he assured her and slipped his arm around her waist. "Come. We need to hurry."

They reached the front door without a problem. Shade was relieved he recalled the way back, so they did not have to inch slowly along the wall. He removed the plank as soundlessly as possible and opened the door just as carefully so the little sound that was made would not attract attention.

Vicious wind and heavy rain whipped at them as soon as they stepped outside and after shutting the door, Quint took Shade into his arms and tucked her tight against him. He plunged ahead into the ferocious storm, his only thought getting her home safely.

Night fell not long after they left the abbey and between the darkness and the storm the path home was not easy to follow. Shade almost tripped twice, if it wasn't for Quint's strength, but having no choice they kept going.

Shade was never so happy to see her cottage. Quint ushered her quickly through the door, and she leaned against the table, exhausted and drenched, rainwater pooling at her feet while Quint hurried to get a fire going.

"Get out of your wet garments and into warm ones," he ordered, setting enough logs in the hearth to have the flames soaring.

Shade wondered how she was going to do that with him present. It was settled more easily than she expected.

Quint went to her, his hand going to rest at the curve of her waist as if it was the most natural thing for him to do. "You will make sure the door is latched after I leave."

Panic flashed in her eyes. "You cannot mean to leave me. How do we know the men have not followed us?"

"That is why I must leave you. I'm going to make sure no one followed us. It will take me a while, but I will return to you."

"Promise," she asked, upset over the thought that he might not return.

"I promise," he said and kissed her gently, at first.

Shade wouldn't let his lips leave hers, she kept the kiss alive, and it grew. His arm tightened around her pressing her so tightly against him that it squeezed the rainwater out of their garments to pool at their feet. Her arms went around his neck holding on to him, not wanting to let him go, not ever.

He reluctantly ended the kiss, wishing he had time to linger in it since he knew it would be more than a kiss they shared tonight, and he let her know that.

"We both want more, Shade, but it's your decision. Kiss me upon my return and the night will be one to remember and many nights to follow until I must take my leave."

He turned and left so fast that she had no time to respond, not that she had a response for him. She went to the door and latched it firmly. He was being honest with her. Letting her know he would not be staying with her permanently. The decision would not be an easy one. She realized she cared deeply for Quint and was probably on the verge of falling in love with him if she hadn't already. She did not want to give that thought much credence since it would be that more difficult to bid him goodbye. Did she accept what he offered her? Or did she deny him and herself since it would only be for a short while?

She rested her brow against the door, not knowing what to do.

Quint stood with his head tilted back letting the rain pour over him. How did he go to Shade after what he just did? He brought his hands up as he lowered his head to look at them. The rain had washed the stains of blood off him but that hadn't cleansed him. He didn't regret what he did. Shade was safe now and he had a piece of information concerning his search.

Still, he wondered if he was being fair to her, seeking peace in her arms. That thought and the fact that his desire for her matched that of the desire he once had for his wife left him feeling baffled. He did not think he would ever feel that strongly for a woman again. It made him admit to himself that it wasn't only passion he felt for Shade but that he cared for her and not simply as a friend. He had found a comfort in her arms that he did not quite understand, and he found himself wanting to explore it. Unfortunately, he had no time to do that.

He shouldn't worry about anything going on between them tonight. It had taken longer than he had expected to accomplish what needed to be done, and it was late. Shade, no doubt, was asleep and he would not wake her. He removed his shirt as he approached the cottage and his plaid as well, squeezing what rainwater he could from both garments before entering the cottage.

His glance went straight to the bed. She was turned on her side away from him, the blanket tucked around her up to her neck. He was relieved and disappointed at the same time. He spread his garments on the bench she left in front of the fire for him, her garments drying on the bench beside it. He removed his boots and grabbed a couple of cloths off the narrow table under the lone window and got busy drying himself. He looked at the spot on the floor where he usually slept. It was a puddle of mud. Shade must have wrung the rainwater out of her garments there.

He stared at the mud. Had she wrung her garments out there on purpose, leaving him no alternative but to share her bed? Or had she been so exhausted she hadn't realized what she did? It didn't matter since his only place to sleep was beside her and he couldn't say he minded.

He waited until his body was completely dry and his hair nearly dry before he approached the bed. He lifted the blanket just enough for him to gently slip beneath it and while the bed was a decent size it didn't allow two peoples' bodies not to touch. His arm grazed her back and he realized she was naked.

She turned and looked at him with eyes that held no sleep. She had been waiting for him.

"I can offer you no promises, Shade, but I can say that I care deeply for you," he admitted. "You bring a comfort to my soul that I have long missed."

"I'm not asking for any promises and my decision came easily since I have grown not only to know you but to care for you as well. I understand you will leave but I prefer your departure leaves me with pleasant memories rather than bitter regrets."

Quint turned on his side to run his hand slowly over her cheek. "You are a beautiful woman, Shade, in far more ways than simply appearance."

His kind words touched her heart and helped her to know she had made the right decision. "You should know, Quint, that I have never been with a man."

He couldn't hide his surprise. "You're a virgin?"

She nodded. "I never met the right man or had the time to find one. Any man that showed interest, I found no interest in. Some thought me too fussy, others believed my healing was more important and I cannot argue with that, for at times that was so."

Quint heard all she said but only part of it echoed in his mind… I never met the right man , and he asked, "You believe me to be the right man?"

Shade brushed a strand of hair off his brow. "Nay. This moment, I believe you are the perfect man."

"Then we will make a good match, for I believe you to be the perfect woman." He took hold of her chin as he leaned in and kissed her.

His kiss sparked and fired her passion that had been anticipating his return. She wanted or perhaps she needed to feel wanted, desired, loved, if only for a short while. She returned his kiss without hesitation and with the passion that had been building in her.

When his kiss drifted to her neck and his hand drifted to squeeze her breast gently, she felt a surge of passion rush through her body that made her feel more alive than she ever had. And when his tongue teased her nipple, she turned wet between her legs.

Quint's desire overwhelmed him so fast that he turned hard in an instant. He could blame it on not having been with a woman in a while, but he knew better. It was his desire for Shade, and Shade alone, that overwhelmed him. He wanted to explore every inch of her, touch every inch of her, come to know every inch of her, leave his mark on every inch of her, claiming her as his woman. But how fair would that be to her when he left her?

The thought of leaving her, never seeing her again, never holding her in his arms angered him and made him want to leave his mark on her even more, so that she would never think about, or never desire another man but him ever again.

He soon found himself lost in intimate touches and kisses and the satisfaction of finally learning that her skin was soft all over. He did not want to ever stop running his hand over her, exploring the way her breast overflowed in his hand, how rosy and hard her nipple turned against his tongue. How soft the curve of her hips was, the flatness of her stomach, or how soft was the triangle of hair between her legs. To him, she was complete perfection.

"I want to touch you," she said on a gasp as his fingers slipped between her legs.

"Another time. I have thought too long and hard on exploring you intimately and I will let nothing interfere with it."

She gasped again as he introduced her to a pleasure that was indescribable, not to mention that all along he had been thinking of doing what he was now doing to her. He desired her as much as she did him.

A haze of passion consumed her. She could not think and at times she felt as if she could barely breathe. Her heart beat rapidly, her body felt on the verge of what she didn't know but was desperate to discover.

She could not stop herself from moaning or having her moans grow in intensity. Her fingers dug into his shoulders as he feasted on her breasts and his touches left her weak and roused at the same time.

His mouth found hers once again and he kissed her, then whispered, "You are sure about this?"

"Aye, very sure," she said, not a doubt in her mind.

He moved to kneel between her legs, spreading them apart and coming down to rest over her, the muscles in his arms tense as his hands braced to either side of her kept him hovering over her.

She felt his manhood between her legs, felt the tip of it kiss her entrance, felt the overpowering need to feel more.

"Grab hold of my arms," he said.

Shade did so without question and just as she had a good grip on him, Quint plunged into her. She gasped loudly at the strength of his entrance and how wonderful it felt, after a fleeting moment of pain, and the sheer pleasure of him moving inside her.

"Don't stop," she ordered when she saw in his eyes that he was about to do just that. "It feels much too wonderful."

He smiled and kissed her quickly. "It's going to feel more than wonderful shortly."

Soon her moans filled the air, proving him right.

Instinct took over and she moved along with him in perfect unison to a rhythm she imagined was as old as time. She didn't want it to end but knew such pleasure would reach a point of bursting and once it did, she screamed out his name.

"QUINT!"

His roar matched her scream, and he continued to increase their passion with thrust after thrust as they burst together and went tumbling into the abyss of pure pleasure.

She hugged him, not as tightly as she wanted her strength gone, lost in the exquisite pleasure that still continued to trickle through her body as her mind began to clear and return to her. He felt so good pressed against her that she didn't want to let him go, but his spent body was beginning to weigh on her and he must have realized it since he slipped off her.

She was glad, though more pleased, when he reached out and took hold of her hand, keeping them connected.

He turned his head to her. "Are you all right?"

Shade smiled. "I do not believe I ever felt so wonderful in my entire life. I will cherish this memory forever."

He brought her hand to his mouth and kissed it. "I intend to leave you with many more memories." He silently cursed himself when he saw her smile fade. Whatever was he thinking, reminding her that he would eventually leave her after just making love with her?

Making love?

Was that how he felt about it? Did he care more for her than he would admit to himself?

"I have a mission," he said as if that explained it, but to who? Him or her?

"You made it clear, Quint, I understand, and how could I have any regrets when you made my first time so memorable. Though I will admit that I will miss you."

"And I you." He didn't hesitate, though he did wonder if it was wise of him to say, "I can return when the mission is done."

Shade eased her hand out of his and turned on her side to rest her hand on his chest. "I would welcome your return, but think on it, Quint, for I do not believe I could bear saying goodbye to you twice."

She slipped beneath his arm to cuddle against him and was asleep soon after.

Quint lay there thinking about it. She was letting him know she wished for something permanent and if he could not give that to her then he should not return to her. He was dreaming if he thought he could give her what she wanted. Besides, how would she feel when she learned the truth about him? Would she still welcome him, and would she ever want him to touch her again?