Chapter 21: Chapter Twenty-One

ADA

It was only about mid-morning when Caxton and Gosta found themselves ill from the ale again. The other men were also too tired to keep fighting, so Cayden decided it would be best to break for a while.

I figured that was my cue to go prepare them something to eat, but Cayden grabbed my hand.

“You are not done yet.” He winked at me, letting the men stumble toward the house. When they were out of sight, I looked at him for a moment.

I pretended to let him move a little closer and then, without warning, I took off in the direction of the river. After a few seconds, I looked behind me to see Cayden following.

He was catching up on the head start I had given myself. I pushed myself to run as fast as I could, feeling my hair come loose as I continued toward the small cliff covered with trees.

I had never taken Cayden this way to the river, as it was the one thing I had wished to keep a secret from the men in case it was too dangerous for me to stay with them.

It had been my hiding place, my place of solace throughout my childhood. On nights when Lugh and my mother would be fighting or ~together~, I would sneak down this way until it was safe to return.

But Cayden and his friends had kept their word, and I did not see the need to ever part from him, especially now. As I ran up the hill, I knew the cliff would be right past the largest tree.

I jumped down and hid under the roots of it, hoping Cayden would continue past me.

A few seconds later, he cautiously slowed down, leaping under the cover of the weeping willow. I watched as he walked out to the field, the tall grass brushing against his thighs.

The river was visible in the distance, and he stood there looking around. As silently as I could, I made my way behind him, trying my best to contain my laughter.

When I was only inches away, he suddenly turned around, scaring me, and I screamed a little, causing us both to laugh. I should have known it would be impossible to creep up on him.

“Come here, cailín rua,” he said, and I jumped up on him, wrapping my legs around his waist. Cayden kissed me and dropped the both of us to the ground.

He untied his belt, throwing his weapon off to the side. His hands moved to my feet, and I watched as he dramatically pulled off my boots one at a time, then continued up the rest of my body.

He pulled his shirt over his head, revealing his muscular chest, the one I had dreamt about since our last night here.

He slid a little closer to me, and I watched his hands reach for the ends of my shirt, slowly pulling it over my head. I was thankful for my long hair as it gave me some cover, but not for long.

Gently pushing it back, he kissed my shoulder and trailed kisses up my neck. I could feel my breath growing heavy, which only seemed to excite him more. He looked at me to make sure I was okay and smiled.

I lay back in the grass, pushing my pants down, which he pulled off again in the same manner as my boots. I could feel my heart beating harder as I watched him strip bare.

This would be the first time he saw me completely naked…that our bodies would touch. He pulled me closer and guided me into a straddling position on top of him.

I looked at him, taking in all the lines and creases in his face. In the sunlight, I could see how much red was actually in his dark hair.

I found it a bit odd for a Northman, though I had not met many before. I kissed the two little scars on his cheek, and all the while he moved his hands up and down my body, grabbing hold of anything he wanted.

With each of my hands on his shoulders for support, he lifted me and slowly lowered me onto him. All the angst on his face melted away as he did so.

I let instinct take over and moved my body with the guiding direction of his hands on my hips, chasing the feeling that sparked every time our bodies came together.

We carried on in this way, kissing each other wherever it felt right. For a moment, I closed my eyes, ready to let myself go, when all of a sudden, he rolled me onto the ground, separating us.

He reached for his sword. I was about to yell at him when he put his hand on my mouth.

“There is a rider on horseback coming this way,” he said, dragging his weapons over. A little disoriented, I shifted my body toward him, peering over his shoulder.

The rider was traveling toward Kilcoran, not away, carrying an arrow in his hand. Cayden pushed me down so we were covered by the grass.

“He is a scout. There must be more coming.” He put his clothes back on, throwing mine over to me. I slipped my shirt and pants on, holding onto my boots.

We looked up again and could see a boat in the distance. “Ada, I need you crawl through the grass and up the cliff the way you came. You must tell the men. I will do my best to hold them off until they get here.”

“Can we not just let them pass?”

“They’ll attack the town… Why do you think we have been here on your farm? We are the first line of defense for Barra.”

I felt completely foolish in that moment. I had not even thought about why they insisted on being so far away from town. Was I so naive to think it had only been for me? I looked at him, not wanting to leave.

This man’s arrow might get to him before Cayden even had the chance to fight. He could see the fear building in my face and nudged me to leave.

“I will be fine, but you need to get the other men. Go to the rafter in the stable afterward, you will be safe there. If anything should happen to us, ride into town at nightfall and find Sayer. ~Only Sayer~!”

I did as he said, climbing the old willow tree, afraid to look back at him. When I got up the hill, I sprinted to the house, reminding myself every step not to shout and give our position away.

I made it to the door, startling all of the men inside. Pausing to catch my breath, I yelled at them to get up, that Cayden needed their help.

As if unscathed by my alarm, they rose up confidently and ran to retrieve their horses. I watched them ride away while I headed for the rafter.

A part of me wished to join the fight, instead of helplessly waiting for their return. But I was not as strong a warrior as I needed to be yet.

Riding there would only put my friends in danger, put Cayden in danger. He would surely be more focused on keeping me safe than himself.

So I sat there, clutching my boots, and waited, watching the sun change its position in the sky.

***End of Book One***