Chapter 19

CHAPTER NINETEEN

F lickering her eyes open, Katherine slowly roused herself from sleep. It took a minute for her to realize that she lay in her own bed, and opening her eyes fully, it was evident, from the soft flickering flame of the candle that sat on the table beside her, that night had fallen.

However, she sensed that she was not alone, and, turning her head slightly, she was surprised to see Domhnall sitting in a chair beside her bed. With his head in his hands, he looked worried, and then, her reason for being there came rushing back to her all at once.

The battle. My brother. Domhnall was hurt.

“Are you all right?” she asked.

Upon hearing her voice, Domhnall jerked his head up, the white of his eyes clear to see as he stared at her. A second after that, he jumped from his chair and, going to sit on the bed beside her, he took both her hands in his.

“Ye’re awake,” he gasped.

Katherine frowned at his concern and nodded. “Yes. Yes, I’m awake. What troubles you so?”

With his eyebrows lifted, he shook his head in disbelief. “Ye, Katherine. Dinnae ye remember what happened? How dae ye feel? How is yer head?”

Pulling her hands free from his, she pushed herself up to a sitting position and took a moment to examine how she felt.

“There is a lightness in my head, but nothing more,” she replied.

“Ye dinnae feel any pain?” Domhnall pressed.

She shook her head.

She did remember what had happened. She had been thrown with such force, her head had hit the ground, and the pain had been excruciating. But now, as she lifted her hand to the back of her head, she was surprised to discover that there was not even a lump.

“I thought it would have been worse,” she said, feeling a little confused.

Domhnall’s eyes were still full of worry. “It was worse. Yer head was split open, and afterwards, ye collapsed in me arms.”

She frowned and shook her head. “But I cannot feel any cut.”

He dropped his gaze then, and she watched as his expression changed. A second ago, he was loaded with worry. Now, he looked coy, like he was keeping something from her.

“What are you not telling me?”

He didn’t speak for a long moment, as though trying to decide what he ought to say. Eventually, he lifted his head and gazed at her with an intensity in his eyes that unnerved her.

“There are things that ye dinnae ken, Katherine,” he said, his voice loaded with resignation. “Things that very few ken.”

“Like your unusual strength and speed,” she blurted.

Her words halted him, evidently taking him off guard. But a second later, the surprise fell from his face, and he nodded, as though realizing something.

“I havenae been as careful as I should have been around ye. Yesterday, even more so. But when I saw ye were hurt, I…” he trailed off, his face pained with regret. He took a long breath in, and then released it. “I tried tae protect ye, but I was too late.”

Only then did Katherine realize that his earlier concern had been loaded with guilt. Even now, he looked like a man who had failed miserably. In that moment, as she gazed at him, something changed within her. A shift so deep, she physically felt it in her soul.

For the first time since she arrived, she saw Domhnall in a completely different light. No longer was he her captor, or a duty she was obligated to fulfill. He had changed from the gruff and abrupt laird, and had softened toward her, even making unusual efforts to help her when he had no necessity to do so. Now, more than ever before, however, she saw him as her future husband, her protector, the man who would kill to make certain she was safe.

That knowledge caused a strange sensation in her stomach, a swirling sensation comprised of both nerves and pride. No man, other than her father, had ever shown her such regard. Not even her brother. In fact, especially not her brother, now she remembered how quickly he had scarpered when she had been injured.

And yet, here was a stranger, by all accounts, though less so now than a week ago, willing to shield her from all and any harm. Another deep knowing came to her in that moment. A knowing that her life was now changed forever.

But his guilt was palpable, and even though she sat there before him, in perfect health and in safety, it was clear he was still troubled over what had happened. She wanted to reassure him that he had done everything he could. In fact, he had done more than any other man could.

But him battling those men had not been the first time she had witnessed his unnatural behavior and seeing that he was nearly on the brink of trusting her, she knew this was a pivotal moment. A moment where, with just a little push, he might actually reveal what he had kept hidden.

Reaching out, she took hold of his hand, feeling his roughened skin against hers.

“I’m fine, Domhnall. Besides, there were just too many of them. Well, not that that stopped you,” she said carefully, watching his reaction. “There is something you have kept hidden from me, isn’t there?”

Again, he took a moment before he replied, and then he shrugged. “Well, I cannae hide it from ye any longer, can I? Ye’ve seen enough.”

But he did not continue, and after another moment of silence, Katherine knew he needed pushing just a little bit farther.

“So?” she said softly.

With another heavy sigh, Domhnall looked at her hands as they held his. “I discovered my unnatural strength and speed when I was a boy o’ eight,” he began, his eyes still lowered as he recalled the memory. “It happened out o’ the blue when Magnus fell from a tree, he was climbing. I saw him falling, and, one minute I was too far away tae help, terrified o’ what was about tae happen. The next, I was right beneath him, catching him ‘afore he seriously injured himsel’.”

Having already witnessed his abilities, Katherine was not really surprised at his words. She did have questions, but not wanting to interrupt his flow, she said, “Where did these unnatural abilities come from?”

“We inherited them from our maither,” Domhnall replied.

“We?” she blurted.

While she had expected some kind of explanation for what she had seen him do, she had not expected anymore, and thus, she now gawked at him with wide eyes.

Domhnall nodded and looked up at her. “I suppose, given the fact that we’re tae be married, ye would have found out sooner or later. We planned tae keep it from ye, but ye’re nae exactly the quiet English lady we were expecting,” he said with a smirk.

Katherine couldn’t help the slight smile that creeped across her lips. Nor could she deny his words, for he was right. On the outside, she had always tried to portray an appearance of what was expected of her. On the inside, there was a wild part of her that had fought for freedom for a long time. In fact, it occurred to her that since she had been at the castle, Domhnall and his siblings had done nothing but encourage that part of her to show itself.

“And now ye want tae ken about them,” he said, gazing at her knowingly.

“Like you said,” Katherine replied, “I’m going to find out sooner or later.”

Domhnall nodded. “Indeed. All right. Where dae I start?” he said rhetorically. He then nodded to her head. “Enya is the healer. While those who dinnae ken about her power believe she has garnered all her talents from Brianna, the truth is, she doesnae need tonics and tinctures. She heals with her hands. That’s the reason ye nae longer have a cut on the back o’ yer head.”

“I see,” Katherine said, her eyebrows raised and feeling more than a little astonished.

Seeing her expression, Domhnall smiled. “There’s more. Much more. Magnus can read yer mind?—”

“What?” Her mouth fell open.

“Och, aye.” Domhnall smirked. “Well, it’s more that he hears yer thoughts, really. He drives me mad at times, but it has served us well when strangers o’ unknown origin have arrived at our gates. Kai’s ability helps him manipulate emotions. If ye are angry, he can calm ye but only if he’s touching ye. He cannot use his gift from any distance. And Thora has visions of things that havenae yet happened.”

Katherine was now gawking at him, and yet, as unattractive as she realized she might look, she did not have the capacity to close her fallen mouth.

Domhnall gazed at her with an understanding expression. “I ken it is a lot tae tak’ in. Each o’ us struggled when our powers manifested. We were all young, and thus, it was even more difficult. Our gifts have helped us on many occasions. All, in fact, but on the most important one.”

Watching a sudden sadness wash over him, Katherine was at first confused, but then, something he had talked about on their horse ride a few days ago came rushing back to her.

“Your mother and father,” she breathed.

“Aye,” he said sadly. “All the strength and speed in the world didnae stop them from being murdered. We’ve all struggled, since that day, tae come tae terms with the fact that none o’ us could save them. I have wished, so many times, that I could go back and dae it differently. If only I had been closer tae me faither. If only I had kent what was going tae happen…”

“Thora didn’t see it,” Katherine concluded.

Domhnall shook his head. “It was too late. By the time she understood what the vision meant, the English were already over the wall.”

Katherine leaned forward and held his head in her hands. “It wasn’t your fault, Domhnall,” she said softly.

“I wish I could believe that?—”

“It wasn’t your fault,” she repeated, her voice a little firmer this time.

Domhnall lifted his eyes to look at her, and as she gazed back, her heart seemed to flip in her chest. Everything she thought she knew about this man had slowly slipped away; dissolved like sugar in warm water. Instead, she now saw him for who he really was. More than that, Katherine knew how much her heart now yearned for him.

You’ve fallen for him.

Yes, she had. With the resentment and the anger gone, all that was left was love and affection.

Not taking his eyes from hers, Domhnall leaned slowly forward, inch by inch, until she could feel his breath dancing upon her cheek. He stopped short of kissing her, as though waiting for her to object. But Katherine had no objections at all. In fact, quite the opposite, for she was aching for his touch.

When his lips pressed against hers, she wrapped her arms around his neck, and subtly, he shifted forward. Slipping his arms around her waist, he pulled her closer to him, his tongue breaking her lips apart and roving around her mouth.

At first, the kiss was tender. Soft, sensual, teasing. But as the passion between them grew, Katherine felt his desire as his mouth moved against hers with a sense of desperation. Their tongues clashed as they panted, their hands roving over each other’s bodies, the huge muscles of his back rippling beneath his clothes. An ache at the apex of her thighs seemed to burn like a raging fire, and losing herself in his embrace, she discovered her own desperation.

Swiftly pulling away from her, Domhnall began tearing clothes from his body, not caring where they landed. Katherine could only watch in anticipation, eager for him to be close to her again.

With each discarded item, he revealed more of himself to her. Those strong, square shoulders, his rippled torso, the thickness of his thighs, and then finally, he stood there proudly, watching her reaction. Katherine’s eyes had grown wide, but she could not help the sharp intake of her breath upon seeing his huge and erect manhood that stood proudly between his legs.

Slowly, he crawled back onto the bed, and wrapping his arm around her body, he lifted her and lay her on her back.

“I want ye, Katherine. I’ve wanted ye fer a while now,” he growled, nuzzling her ear with his lips.

As he whispered in her ear, he tugged at the strings of her nightgown. Pulling the knot loose, his hand slipped under the thin clothing. Katherine let out a small moan as he caressed her breast. She let out a louder gasp when his thumb brushed across her aching nipple, for she had never felt a sensation like it.

But just as she arched her back, trying to press herself into his touch even further, he moved his hand away. A wave of disappointment washed over her, but it was short lived as she felt Domhnall roughly tugging at her nightdress. Clearly, he was eager, for before Katherine knew what was happening, he had yanked it up her body and pulled it over her head, soon to be discarded in the same carefree way his own clothes had been earlier.

“Och, Katherine,” he growled, his voice as thick as treacle, his eyes raking over her nakedness, now she lay there so vulnerable before him.

The cold made her nipples peak, yet her cheeks bloomed red, for she had never been or felt so exposed in her entire life. Automatically, she crossed her arm over her body to cover herself.

“Nay,” he said, taking her by the wrist and moving her arm away. “Dinnae cover yersel’. Such beauty shouldnae be hidden away, Katherine.”

“I… I am just ashamed.”

“O’ what?” he said, his eyes now piercing hers. “Ye have naething tae be ashamed o’. Ye’re perfection personified. Yer skin is like silk, yer body is a creation carved by the gods.”

His gaze raked over her nakedness once more, and then, he growled, “And had I kent what I was missing, I would have done this much sooner.”

Quickly shifting from beside her, his lips plunged down onto her breast, suckling on her nipple. Without thinking about it, a light moan left her lips, as pleasure flowered across her body. At the same time, his hand trailed down her flat stomach, creeping lower and lower, his slow movements only heightening her anticipation for his touch.

Her legs fell open, like a flower, beckoning the honey bee in. As his fingers slipped past the apex of her thighs, she suddenly sucked in a breath as a pleasure she had never known possible travelled through her body.

“Och, ye are so ready fer me, Katherine,” Domhnall growled against her skin. “Ye’re so soft, and warm, and wet. I cannae wait tae be inside ye.”

His fingers continued, moving back and forth, perfectly positioned in a place that elicited a sensation beyond anything she could ever have imagined.

“Dae ye remember the question ye asked me a few nights back?” he growled, his lips tickling the soft skin of her breast.

At that moment, she could hardly remember her own name, never mind something that had happened several nights before, and moaning, she shook her head. “No.”

“Ye asked me what a nub o’ pleasure was,” he continued, his fingers still moving even as he spoke.

“Yes,” she panted. “Yes, I did.”

“Dae ye still need the answer?”

As much as she writhed beneath his touch, and as much as this new, wonderful and amazing feeling rushed through her body, somehow, Katherine was able to realize in that second what he meant.

“No,” she gasped.

“Good,” he purred.

His tongue resumed its lashing of her nipple, and just as Katherine didn’t think the pleasure could get any more intense, Domhnall increased the pressure of his fingers, and moved them even faster.

“Oh, my God,” she groaned, her voice sounding as though someone else had spoken those words.

“Och, aye, me love. Now I have ye.”

Pressing her head back into the bed, her back arched, her body trembled, and teetering on the very age of something she could not verbalize, a sudden rush of pleasure flowered out from the middle of her thighs, down her legs, and continued over her entire body.

“Ah,” she cried, her body convulsing of its own accord.

It took a few more seconds for the sensation to dissipate, and only then, with her heart thumping in her chest, did she open her eyes.

Domhnall was gazing at her, his face a picture of delight and satisfaction.

“Ye drive me wild,” he said, pushing his arms into the bed and moving his lips back to hers.

Kissing her roughly, he looked down at her. “But I havenae finished with ye yet.”

Positioning himself between her legs, he looked down at her. “I’m going tae tak’ ye now. Ye’re innocent, Katherine, so this is going tae hurt ye a little.”

So lost in her reverie was she, that Katherine didn’t care. She just wanted him. She wanted him more now than she had ever wanted anything in her life, and, as she felt him slowly edge his way inside her, her head pressed against the pillow, aching for more.

Rocking back and forth, he filled her even more, and gripping his arms, she moved her hips in time with his.

“That’s it, Katherine. Och, God, aye,” he moaned. “Ye feel so good, so tight, and warm. I want tae lose mesel’ in ye.”

“Yes,” she cried. “I want that too.”

With his eyes like dark coals, he said, “Are ye ready, Katherine?” His body was trembling now. “I cannae hold back any longer.”

She nodded eagerly, and immediately, Domhnall thrust into her over and over again. A sharp pain made her gasp initially, but Katherine was so fixated on the pleasure that their lovemaking elicited, that the suffering faded away.

As Domhnall continued thrusting into her, she felt that same pleasure of moments before, only now, it was more intense than ever. The friction between them caused the intensity to build, and she could feel herself climbing once again. Feeling the need to hold onto something, her fingers grasped his arms, clinging onto him tightly.

“That’s it, Katherine,” Domhnall panted. “I want ye tae come. I want ye tae come with me.”

Where they were going, she had no idea, but then, nor did she care. Domhnall pushed into her, faster, and harder, grunting above her with the effort, while her whole body tensed beneath him.

“Oh, Domhnall,” she gasped. “I–I…”

“I can feel ye, Katherine. I can feel ye tightening around me. Oh, God,” he moaned loudly.

Katherine felt like she was on the edge and at the very peak yet again, of this glorious sensation. Writhing and thrusting and gripping onto Domhnall for dear life, the most pleasurable sensation exploded out of her.

“Oh, my god,” she screamed.

“Argh,” Domhnall roared at the exact same time.

Thrusting his head back, his body stilled, and then, a few seconds later, he let out a huge sigh as he gazed down at her with an adoration she had never experienced from any other.

Later, Katherine lay in Domhnall’s protective arms, her head resting upon his chest, the soft thump of his heart loud in her ear. The rhythmic beat was making her sleepy, but then, Domhnall’s voice brought her back.

“Dae ye have any notion who those men were today, Katherine?”

The question was so out of the blue that Katherine was not prepared for it. Without moving, for she feared that if she looked at him, he would see her panic, she slowly shook her head against his muscular chest.

“I do not,” she said quietly.

Her heart felt heavy, for after what they had just experienced together, how they had bonded, and a newfound connection made, it felt like such a deep betrayal.

That’s because it is a betrayal. Here you are, lying with the man your brother wants to kill.

Indeed, she was. Worse than that, she was now certain she was in love with him. How was she supposed to reconcile that?

I have to speak to Reginald. I just have to.

“I was surprised tae see ye in the village,” he continued. “I cannae understand why ye would leave the castle by yersel’. Especially after the attack the other day.”

It wasn’t quite a question, but she knew he desired an explanation.

Pushing herself up and turning to look at him with her best poker face, she said, “I was feeling a little homesick. I suppose, I wanted to feel like a normal person. You know, someone who leaves her abode. Someone who visits a village and perhaps buys something they like.” She heaved a dramatic sigh for effect. “I can hardly believe such a dreadful thing happened while I was there. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever witnessed something so terrifying in all my life.”

That bit was actually true.

Domhnall’s eyes softened, and, scooping her further up to him, he landed a tender kiss on her forehead.

“I’m sorry ye had tae witness that, Katherine. Truly, I am.”

She then rested her head back on his shoulder, relief flooding through her body that he had believed her story. But the relief was short lived when he continued.

“But I will find out who those men were, and why they attacked us. And God help them all when I set my sights upon them again.”