“Nae, I said for ye nae tae move, dost ye obey me?”
“Probably, I mean...”
“Nae? Ye daena obey me, or aye, ye obey me in everythin’?”
“God Magnus, aye, I obey you in everything.”
His hand softly trailed up the inside of my thigh and a finger dipped and played between my legs. I moaned and shifted toward him.
“I told ye, daena move.” He brusquely pushed my legs wider, and then got down on his knees behind me and licked me. I bit my lips to keep quiet and held the post tight, my chest against the carved footboard.
He licked and kissed and nibbled while I was driven wild but held tight, still, my breathing fast. I was about to freaking lose my mind when he pulled away and said, “Och, ye were verra still. Ye listened verra well tae me. I think ye hae been verra good.”
I heard the belt around his waist unlatch and drop to the ground and fumbling around the front of his pants — my mind was gone, lost, overwhelmed — hands on my hips, he pulled up behind me and slammed into me and arms around me he drove into me over and over and over, his body force and effort and energy and commands and power, while I was obedience and reception and yes, oh and oh and moaning because I had to as he took me to the edge and over and then with a rush of his strength he was done and I was weakened, spent, my legs shaking from the effort. He held my hips to his front, thick fabric, leather and rough weave against my skin. Then he put a hand on the bed to steady himself too.
We held on, holding like this, wrapped and resting, panting and slowly regaining our breath. His quick breaths near my ear then slowing, slowing, a kiss on the back of my neck, my shoulder. I turned in his arms and untied the panel on the front of his doublet and pushed the thick coat off his arms. I untied the neck of his shirt, opened it, and kissed his chest. Then I pushed it off over his head. I held the top of his leather boots while he pulled his feet from them and loosened the top of his trunk hose and pushed them down his legs and off. The hose underneath dropped to the rug.
And then I switched off our lantern, and climbed onto the bed, leading him to meet me there in the middle. I lay down and he curled up on me, a head on my breast, spent and vulnerable. His sweet kiss over my heart a wordless request for forgiveness from the commands earlier. You are forgiven my love.
“Good night.”
“Good night, mo reul-iuil.”
Fifty-four - Magnus
I found her on the bench in the chapel. Hands folded in her lap, crying. I slid intae the seat beside her and clasped one of her hands. She nodded, wiped her cheeks, and nodded again. I joined her in prayer, and after some time we rose and I led her away.
We went through the house, and out the back door tae the gardens that stretched away from the back of the house in a downward slope. There was a path we followed tae the end, far enough from the house tae be able tae speak. From here we had a view of the homes lining the road, and farther up the hill, the castle. In the other direction we could see the city walls. The house gardener, Auld Colban, passed us with a shovel over his shoulder, I spoke tae him of his duties for the day and then he continued on.
Kaitlyn and I held each other.
“I’m glad you’re home, I was so worried.”
“I ken.”
“I got weird, I think it was the gloomy weather and not enough sun, and you were gone, and Lady Fleming was in a mood. I couldn’t stop crying.”
I held her tighter for a moment, then held her at arms length. “I am home though. I went tae Balloch, checked the RF-transmitter, the ground was beginning tae thaw so I buried Bella’s body in the earth—”
“Ugh, that must have been awful.”
“Twas, but I am home now, tis done.”
“I’m sorry you found me crying. I was going to put on a smile, but I wasn’t expecting you — and it all seems rather bleak. Like never before — this is it? This is our life now? We’ll never go home?”