Thorn felt her readiness in the hot, slick swollen parts between her legs and almost burst in reaction as he strove to prepare her for his possession. She was, he realized, ready for him. He heard her mews of pa.s.sion, felt the smooth fragrant cream of her body's arousal as well as his own body's response. Yet he still held back. He wanted to make this more than a seduction, he wanted her to remember, to feel the want so bad she would do anything. He wanted it all from her, mind, body and soul. He increased the pressure exerted against her by his stroking fingers and inserted a sole finger slightly into her tight sheath. She cried aloud at that and he moved lower, to continue to kiss and lick at her body with his lips and tongue, until his face rested between her legs.

With soft nips and kisses he allowed his lips to travel up the soft inner thighs, which lay to either side of his face. He then stuck his tongue out to taste and tease the swollen bud of her pa.s.sion. He caressed her, covering her with his lips, suckling her as he had her breast and she arched towards him as her womb clenched and released a thick cream, which he lapped at with the flat of his tongue. He added another finger to stretch her further, her hips moved to meet his stroking fingers and she gave soft pants and whimpers of need. Her fingers tangled in his hair and her breaths came in gasps as she labored for oxygen. Thorn felt her response and knew she could deny him nothing, not anymore, from this time on she was his. His dream-come true.

Aura was lost to herself, her senses fully under Thorn's command and fed by a yearning and fire so all consuming that she could have had no hope of fighting it. Nor did she even try as he continued to tease her body, fueling her desires with a flame of his own. She felt his tongue and mouth over the sensitive parts below and bucked in reflex action towards him, before she wound her fingers in his hair and voiced her objection.

"No Thorn. Please. No more. Thorn, please, I will do anything."

He made his way back up her body, nipping, licking and kissing parts of her body as he did, stopping to suckle at her b.r.e.a.s.t.s once more on his progression upwards, until his face hovered over hers. She lifted her head to meet his lips with hers and tasted the salty flavor of her own body on his mouth. It was the most erotic thing she had ever experienced and she wound her arms about him as the kiss deepened. He smoothed his hands down her body with a gentle touch to place his hands beneath the small of her back and as she arched into his touch to meet him, he positioned her for his possession.

With a cry of triumph from Thorn he pressed his throbbing shaft into her hot pulsing sheath, reveling in his possession of her and he groaned at the exquisite tightness of her all around him. Aura gave a startled gasp as he entered her and her whimper of pain was stilled by his lips as he broke through her maidenhead to fill her, as he sunk right to the hilt. A few heartbeats later he gave another cry, this time calling her name in the throws of pa.s.sion. He drove repeatedly into her, no longer aware of anything but his body's need for fulfillment and release. Nothing had ever felt as right to him as this woman in his arms and he was never going to let her go.

Aura seemed unaware of his lack of control as she gave gasping cries of her own, her movements matching his as she wrapped her legs about his waist in an abandon she would never have believed herself capable of. She screamed his name as she climaxed and he continued to thrust hard into her.

Thorn heard her mewling cries, mixed with his name, which merged along with pa.s.sionate gasps from her lips and it drove him on. He had never felt like this, never wanted a woman so bad before, and now that she was his he wanted his possession to last forever. He felt her climax, heard her call his name then felt his body answer as he also felt his own peak a split second before he spilled his seed deep inside her. He lay over her for a while after that, his length still sheathed in her and sighed. It had been all that he had hoped for, but still not enough, and he knew it would not be long before he took her again.

He withdrew himself from within her body and felt her silent sob as she cried, not understanding why. He brushed her hair from her face with tender loving strokes and kissed eyes hot with unshed tears. He could only hold her and hope that she would share what was bothering her. She had seemed to want him every bit as much as he had wanted her once he had broken though her natural objections to his possession. He stroked her hair and kissed her face making soothing little noises.

"Everything will be alright my love." He crooned.

"I thought I could control that, but I am so weak, I am so ashamed."

"You need feel no shame in loving me, we were meant to be. We complete one another. You are the missing part of my soul."

Aura had no idea what he was talking about, what he meant. She felt his kisses, half asleep as she was and felt as if she could scream. She had wanted him! She had actually wanted him! Just as now she needed him to hold her, to offer her comfort. She felt the weight of her troubles heavy on her, and as he released her she curled herself into a ball by his side and fell asleep.

Thorn hoped his words brought her comfort and understanding, just as he thought he understood why she reacted as she now did. She had thought herself invulnerable, more than just capable of controlling such feelings, only to find herself overwhelmed by what she had been forced to feel; but he felt, she would learn to deal with it. People, after all, did. They then moved on.

Aura woke feeling chilled and with the combined sweat of the both of them on her. She smelled the scent of the earlier lovemaking still hanging heavy about them and knew that what had happened had not been a dream, nor had it been all that long since it had happened. She felt Thorn's arms about her as he held her to himself, with her back pressed against his chest and felt his hands as they played with her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, making the peaks tighten then stroking them with his thumbs, making them throb with remembered sensations. She moved, feeling an urge to hold him back, to press herself to him, and his arms, which had held her close, drew her even closer as she turned to face him.

Thorn felt a deep tightening in his chest, a feeling akin to the pride of possession, yet so more. She was his, and he would never let her go. Never. She turned to him and he crushed her to himself, kissing her in his attempt to reclaim what he had felt earlier, and he felt the stirring of a response in her, just as he noted her recoil of acceptance. She would fight him even yet. He could admire that, but never accept it.

Growling as he lifted his lips from hers and still reeling from the surge of triumph he felt deep within his heart, he snarled; "Deny now my right to touch you, and your desire for me to do so. Deny to everyone that you are mine and always will be."

His lips descended on hers once more and her body immediately responded to his touch. It did not matter what he said, just what he made her feel. She heard herself moan as he sought to arouse her once more, she then gave a deep sigh as she gave in to his demands, for she found that she seemed to want him as much as he seemed to want her. Nor was it anything either of them had that much control over as they burned with mutually shared pa.s.sion. Aura wondered, as their bodies joined once more, whether it would always be like this between them, whether she would always burn for his possession at the merest touch of his hands, and it scared her.

She would have to watch herself, she thought, or she was going to find herself pregnant. It was not a pleasant thought, considering the time and place.

CHAPTER XVI.

Thorn woke as the first signs of light touched the horizon and he looked out of the window to watch the breaking dawn. He thought over the events of the night before and wondered what had happened to make him act as he had done. He had never intended to offer for Aura, not really. He could hardly believe his actions. He had dragged her off to her room in the midst of a mood that could have had only one conclusion. One; he thought with a contented smile, he would remember to his dying day. Aura, he felt deep within himself, was the woman of his prayers and dreams. She now belonged to him. It was no mistake that he had acted as he had.

When he began to piece things together he could see signs of his sister at work, and he chuckled in amus.e.m.e.nt at her manipulations. It had been Signi who had told him which rooms were Aura's in her daily reports of their activities, and he had given her more than ample encouragement in her matchmaking. He had listened with avid enthusiasm to any news she had brought of the girl. If she had been late in her daily visits he had found himself awaiting her presence with ill concealed waspishness, and when she had come, he had pressed her for any news he could get. It might not have been a conscious action, but it had been there and he was sure Signi had been well aware of it.

Oh yes, he reflected, Signi had woven her web well and she had caught both of her victims in it, the Lady Aura and himself. He had not believed himself hooked, until he had walked into that banquet hall late, to the sight of Aura standing in the middle of the room, being offered like a sacrificial lamb to a pack of hungry wolves. He had seen how several of the men had looked at her and he had bristled. They had no right to look at her like that. She was his. HIS! Then when Lord Roberts had offered for her he knew no other would and he had felt compelled to act. With a sigh he admitted it hadn't been just Roberts. He would have been compelled to act as he had with anyone who offered for Aura. He had wanted her. Roberts was well known for his ability to hold a grudge, but that did not bother him. He had no reasons to fear the man, although the reverse might apply. Under the circ.u.mstances he would have it no other way.

She would be stiff and sore when she woke and he felt a twinge of guilt at being the cause. He should have been more careful when he had first taken her. He knew that even lost as she was in her pa.s.sion she would have had pain with his possession of her. It was an unavoidable part of the transition between being a maiden and becoming a woman. He frowned as he admitted that he had not been very careful the second time he had taken her either. She would have still been still sore from their first bout of lovemaking and he should have considered that.

His response to her had shocked him in some ways. He had always had more control over himself in the past. Lord but she had felt and tasted good and he had a hard time believing his luck as her pa.s.sion had risen to match his own. Just thinking about it now was making him hard all over, and he knew he should think about something else, though he found it impossible. He smiled as he thought of her actions, for she had been even less in control as they had joined and he had loved her until she had called his name in husky tones, lost in a burst of sheer ecstasy.

Vernon entered the room as Thorn lay deep in thought about his new state of being and was rewarded with a snarl from Thorn.

"Who invited you in?"

"I would have thought you would have been in a great mood this morning Thorn, all things considered." Vernon motioned towards the bloodstains on the bed cover where Thorn had first taken Aura.

"She is mine Vernon," Thorn warned him, not trusting anyone at the moment. He knew Vernon had not been in favor of the match.

"n.o.body is disputing it, although I wish you could have waited a couple weeks more to have taken her." Vernon admitted.

"Why? Does it really matter?" Thorn continued to snarl.

"Not anymore, as her virgin's blood testifies. I have a question for you though. After all the maids I have put before you that you rejected, and all things considered, why pick this one? This one whom I almost forbade you to take?" It was something Vernon was curious about.

"To be honest with you Vernon, I have no idea, but for some reason I was drawn to her like I have never been drawn to another woman in my life. As for you having forbid this, I know I would have fought you for her. I could not have helped myself. I had to have her. She had been made for me and I could never have let another man own her." Thorn was blunt in his explanation. Vernon, as far as he was concerned, needed to know where he stood on this issue. It was more than mere possession. It was a matter of belonging.

Aura woke to the sound of voices, and moved ever so slightly, only to have Thorn's arm tighten about her as he spoke. She sighed lightly and, as she opened her sleep filled eyes, she caught sight of Vernon, who stood at the foot of the bed. She blushed and buried her face against the side of Thorn's chest.

"You alienated your brother last night Thorn, was she worth it?" Vernon asked in concern. The brothers fought well together and guarded his Western boundaries.

Thorn smiled in amus.e.m.e.nt as he felt the heat emitted by Aura's flaming face against his chest, and answered: "By tonight Edwin and I will be back to normal. As for Aura being worth it," he stopped a moment to look at the top of her head, which was all that he could see at the moment. "Yes. She is worth it, and more."

"Lord Roberts is not pleased with you either right now."

"That butcher can go to h.e.l.l for all I care. He has killed enough women, and if he objects to my possession of Aura, he knows what he can do about it, if he can. No matter what he tries you will find that she will remain my lady. You also know me enough to be sure of three things. One. I never share what I own that I consider important to me, not with anyone. Two, what I have, I keep. And three, Aura will be mine until the day I die. You also know that if he tries to even touch her, I will kill him. You can be a.s.sured he knows that too."

Vernon nodded an acknowledgment; he knew what Thorn said to be fact. "I have arranged for you to wed your lady later today, with the priest. Do you think you can make it?"

"We shall be there." Thorn stated and he turned to Aura as he drew her head up from under the covers. He watched her as Vernon sought her reply as well as his.

"Lady Aura, do you agree to this marriage? And before you say yea or nay. I must warn you, you have but two choices. You can either become Thorn's wife and Lady in truth, or just his mistress, for he will not release you, not now that he owns you. I know him well enough for that. He is a man of his word and he has said so."

"I will be there." Aura agreed with uncustomary meekness.

She had seen how the mistresses were treated, pa.s.sed from man to man then discarded when the men were with tired of them. She wanted no part of that. She also faced another undeniable fact. Some part of her had changed after her night with Thorn, and she could feel it. She understood. She could never go back to being what she had been. Part of her belonged to the man by her side and always would. He had taught her that lesson only too well.

Vernon left the room, after receiving Aura's verbal agreement and in doing so he let Wolf in. The wolf had lain before the door, lost as for what to do, until a little after dawn, when he had been driven down to the fields to relieve himself, and to catch a few mice for a meal. Wolf had returned to the door just as Vernon had stepped out, and he had slipped through the opening before he could be stopped, to check on his mistress. Vernon shrugged a careless shoulder and chuckled at the wolf's intent. Thinking to himself, Vernon walked on, let Thorn deal with the beast.

Wolf went from one side of the bed to the other, sniffing at the air until he had contented himself that all was well. He then placed a paw and his nose on Thorn's arm and whined. Thorn stroked the animal's head and Wolf nuzzled him back for further attention.

Aura watched her pet's acceptance of Thorn and objected. "What a traitor! Whoever named dogs as man's best friend, certainly knew what they were talking about. Wolf, you are a Benedict Arnold."

Thorn chuckled at the indignant tone in her voice and explained. "He smells your scent on me. As you have chosen to accept me, then so does he."

It was not what Aura either wanted or needed to hear. She sighed her disappointment and suggested. "Why do you not go do whatever it is that you do in the morning, and leave me to my own devices for now. I will see you later."

Thorn, seeing through her ploy, smiled at her and teased. "You could not be trying to get rid of me, could you?"

"Yes," Aura replied bluntly.

"You will not attempt to run from me?" He asked in concern, fearing that above all things from her.

"I have already promised Vernon that I would attend the wedding. What more do you want from me?"

"Promise me Aura," he replied huskily.

"As I recall, I promised you everything last night." Aura lifted her eyes to meet his as she spoke.

He held her gaze for a while, as if searching for something in particular then replied. "I will never give you reason to regret your decision."

It was a promise he had every intention of keeping.

Aura sighed as she lowered her lashes over her eyes and admitted. "I already do."

Thorn rose, dressed then leaned over to press a lingering kiss on her lips before he left, teasing as he walked away. "That is a promise of better things to come. I will see you later." He knew that she did not love him yet, but that would come, and it would be like a good rare wine, its worth proved over the length of time.

As soon as the door closed behind him and she was sure that she was alone, Aura got up and dressed in a hurry. She felt filthy and needed a bath desperately. She checked the halls as she left to make sure n.o.body saw her leave then ran down to the stables to collect the mare.

Thorn had sent word to both Signi and Edwin that he wished to speak with them and, while Aura sought out her bath place, his siblings arrived together for their meeting with their brother.

"You still plan to marry her?" Edwin growled sullenly.

"Yes," Thorn answered then added. "And you can thank our beautiful sister for that. Well Signi, how does it feel to outwit everyone about you, while deciding who should marry whom?"

"In this case Thorn, it feels great." Signi replied with a smug smile, before turning to her other brother to admonish him. "You Edwin, can quit pouting. Thorn had to marry sooner or later. She is a good woman. You married and he never made a great fuss about it, although he could have. So what happened after you stormed off after her Thorn?"

"Neither you nor Edwin need ask. You already know what happened." He answered in a touchy tone of voice.

"How did you ever manage to get close enough to touch her without getting seriously injured?" Edwin wanted to know.

"I had no problem, why do you ask?" Thorn answered Edwin's question with one of his own.

"Alex tried, in the line of duty, and he had a sore set of b.a.l.l.s for a week."

Thorn choked on the beverage he was drinking then coughed as he tried to regain his breath and laugh at the same time. He was not even going to ask about that.

Edwin cracked a smile at Thorn's reaction then joined in the laughter. "Perhaps you were meant for one another. n.o.body else seems to be able to handle her. Who stands as your witnesses?"

"You two, if you will."

"We would be honored to, big brother. I thought I would never see you with a wife and children of your own. This could be your chance. Maybe when you have your own brood you will leave mine alone."

"Yes, I agree. It is very difficult, even for me to imagine myself with a family, but I am at peace with the decision. It is right."

"Well brother, until you are safely and fully wed, I would guard her against Roberts. It seems you were not the only one who thought her worth more than the dowry and we all know how vindictive that man can be." Edwin warned Thorn on a more serious note.

"He would have to move fast to oppose this. We are to wed this afternoon in Vernon's private chambers." Thorn informed his siblings. He didn't have to tell either of them that he wasn't afraid of Roberts. He felt he could handle Roberts.

"In that case I had better go to see to Aura." Signi spoke as she left.

"I really wish you well Thorn, but you will have some trouble keeping her in line." Edwin warned his brother. He felt he owed him that much. Aura would not be an easy woman to live with.

"What man does not have trouble keeping his wife in line? It is not that which worries me about her Edwin. It is being able to keep her at all." Thorn admitted.

"What do you mean?"

"She seems to prefer life alone in a cave with her wolf than life with a husband to care for her."

Edwin gave his brother a sly smile then spoke proudly of his future sister in law. "You should have seen her at the battle. Vernon forbade her to attend until after the fighting was over, but no sooner had we gotten into it than she was on the field, flitting from man to man as they lay dead or wounded. She didn't seem to care whether they were friend or foe. I must say I thought she helped save more enemy lives than I would have liked. You know how you keep telling me that the only good enemy is a dead enemy? I don't think she shares the sentiment."

"Then our enemies know about Aura as well?" Thorn spoke on a more serious note. His wife could be a weak spot for him and he knew it. He hoped the enemy would never think to use her against them. Having a wife you loved was a liability for any warlord.

"They know, though I doubt if they have any idea what to think of her." Edwin a.s.sured his brother.

"Good," Thorn replied. "Leave them wonder. Perhaps they will tire of thinking about the matter and forget about her. After all, she is not the only woman talented in the healing arts."

"You know about that?"

"Yes, long before you did. She is the one who cared for me when I had been ambushed. Some would even say she saved my life."

Edwin gave a low whistle, then remarked. "No wonder you acted as you did about her."

"No brother, there is a lot more to it than that. Just right now, however, I need time to decide what it is, but I knew I had to have her. I doubt if I can explain it any better than that. She was meant for me, only for me." He knew that Edwin would understand what he spoke of. It was one of the many secrets they shared.

CHAPTER XVII.

Signi came rushing into the tent and interrupted her brothers conversation as she blurted. "Aura is gone, so is Wolf and her horse."

The two men exchanged a look then took off at a run to get their own mounts.

"She has a habit of disappearing at least once a day. It has been a practice of hers to take a bath and swim, at least that is what we have believed as she always returns damp." Edwin commented as they mounted their warhorses.

"She is unlike any woman I have ever known." Thorn replied. "But at least she is consistent. She used to bathe daily at the cave as well. We will follow the river. If she is bathing she will head for some place secluded. Gather a few of the men and send them in another direction, I will go this way."

Thorn swore under his breath as he spurred his horse into a gallop. d.a.m.n the woman. It was getting late. She should have been up in her room preparing for the marriage ceremony, not off swimming in some pond. He smiled at that thought as he rode. He remembered the pond by the cave. Even then she had surprised him with her penchant for cleanliness. He understood the reasoning for bathing and did so often himself, after long hard rides, long workdays or battle; but seldom on an everyday basis, not without reason.

He had to admit that he did prefer the smell of the fresh mosses and things that had surrounded Aura, rather than the sour odor of some other people and beddings he had experienced. He noticed that she was not p.r.o.ne to holding grudges, which he was a point in his favor, considering the type of treatment she had received from him in the past.

Aura finished her bath and was sitting, fully clothed by the river, indulging in some daydreaming and a few private thoughts. She feared she was never going to wake to find herself back at home again and she feared more than ever, that what she was experiencing was, in fact, reality. She was not so certain she wanted to acknowledge her life, as it was right now, as real. Not with the man she was about to marry or the memories of the night they had just shared. Somehow, she thought to herself, she had always known that this man had spelled trouble for her.

She felt sure she could have fought him if he had been brutal or even in the least bit rough with her, but the gentleness of his a.s.sault on her senses and body had inflamed her and she had acted in a most unpredictable and embarra.s.sing fashion. Even now the memory of how she felt in his arms inflamed her. She could almost feel the touch of his body against hers. It was positively indecent!

The images that popped into her mind, unbidden, almost made her want him again and she forced herself to think about something else. It was starting to get late and she had to get back for there ceremony. She had promised.

She got onto her horse and was headed back to Vernon's stronghold when she saw a small troop of men riding hard towards her. They were led by a dark man on a dark horse, who she knew immediately was not her prospective bridegroom. Nor did she trust a meeting with anyone she did not know, not without some form of protection. Wolf was not with her. She kicked her horse into a gallop, riding to avoid meeting up with those who were following her. The dark looking man noticed and immediately gave chase.

As she noticed the man racing after her she urged her mare into a full gallop, knowing well the horse would never be strong enough, or fast enough to keep her lead for long. She did; however, hope that the head start that she had would last long enough to get her to safety.

The pursuing man kept gaining on her. He was about a horse length away when Aura noticed Thorn and Edwin, as they were headed for them at a full gallop, approaching from the opposite direction. They were, however, too far away yet to be of much help and the a.s.sistance she needed was immediate. She remembered some of the riding tricks a girl from Canada had taught her and decided to try them, despite it being years since she had. She slid off the horse's back, to hang, in a clinging position, on the side of the horse, while it continued to gallop at a breakneck speed. It had been a move that they had been severely reprimanded her for when she had tried it back at school.