garments and drew her back against his chest. The heat of his body felt so in contrast to the cold winds that whipped around them. She could feel the thud of his heart against her shoulder. It further irritated her that her own heart beat in much the same impassioned rhythm. And she wondered yet another shameful thought…how could one’s body be in such extreme moral opposition to one’s mind?
Magic. It had to be the domination he wielded with his black magic! There had to be more to this than just a woman suddenly drowning in temptation.
“Sorry to say, but returning you to your kin won’t be happening. At least not until I can investigate further and find out for sure who threatens your life.”
She cackled hollowly. “Oh, such chivalry from a brigand such as yourself, Robin Hood. Kidnap a lady of the king’s court, steal from her home, take unfair advantage of her and then claim to be protecting her.” She added a snort of contempt.
“ Unfair advantage ? Think what you like, my—”
An echo in the forest behind them cut Falcon’s words short. “Sheldon! I’ve seen her,” the deep voice roared. “She rides with the bandit, Robin Hood!”
“Sheldon!” She’d intended it to be a shout, but her voice came out in a mere whisper. The spell. She’d forgotten the sorcery in which she was forbidden to speak to or alert others. It remained upon her voice—as did the spell upon her body preventing her from fleeing. Her limbs refused to move when she ordered them to jump from the steed and run toward her brother’s search party.
Falcon spun Warrior around so that Salena caught a glimpse of her brother through the dense foliage. His eyes blazed with fury, his fiery hair blew about his stone-cold face. She longed to run to him, to sob into his chest as he comforted her. She wanted nothing more than to go home, to collapse in her chamber and forget this brigand who had turned her world upside down. And…she wanted to marry the duke…didn’t she?
There was no time to ponder that sudden thought. Sheldon’s men raced forward, their warhorses leaping over fallen trees, their swords swiping at dangling limbs. And she heard the bloodcurdling war cry of her angry brother just before the mayhem began.
* * * * *
They’d seemed to come out of nowhere. Falcon could only contribute his carelessness to the deadly charms of this woman. She’d bewitched him from that first glimpse at the tournament, and it only seemed to have gotten worse each time his gaze settled upon her beauty. Now he found himself surrounded by the enemy, a first in his entire existence.
“You will rot in hell, brigand!” Sheldon’s massive white stallion charged forward. He held his sword aimed, poised to kill. And there was no mistaking the gleam of murder in his eyes.
Falcon drew his weapon. The screech of metal scraping against metal echoed through the forest. “Get behind me,” he barked to Salena.
Salena’s body moved into obedience, though he knew by her jerky movements that she fought to defy the spell. Agile for one encumbered by a mass of skirts, she twisted, clinging to him as she moved. With his free arm, he assisted her with adept speed, and sighed when he felt her pressed safely against his back.
“Unfortunately, sir,” Falcon shouted. “I’m allowed into neither hell nor heaven.”
“Charge, men!” And a flurry of pounding hooves sounded.
Falcon braced himself, quickly noting the positions of all six riders, each now drawing their swords. He whirled Warrior around so that Salena’s back faced a gap in the circle of attackers. Drawing firm on the reins, he forced his horse to backward-trot so that they entered a small clearing. Those on the outer edges spun their steeds about and charged the other direction so that they flanked Sheldon and now made a wall before Falcon rather than a circle surrounding him.
“Ah, you think you’re so very clever,” Sheldon snarled. But the wary hesitation in his gaze didn’t
Magic. It had to be the domination he wielded with his black magic! There had to be more to this than just a woman suddenly drowning in temptation.
“Sorry to say, but returning you to your kin won’t be happening. At least not until I can investigate further and find out for sure who threatens your life.”
She cackled hollowly. “Oh, such chivalry from a brigand such as yourself, Robin Hood. Kidnap a lady of the king’s court, steal from her home, take unfair advantage of her and then claim to be protecting her.” She added a snort of contempt.
“ Unfair advantage ? Think what you like, my—”
An echo in the forest behind them cut Falcon’s words short. “Sheldon! I’ve seen her,” the deep voice roared. “She rides with the bandit, Robin Hood!”
“Sheldon!” She’d intended it to be a shout, but her voice came out in a mere whisper. The spell. She’d forgotten the sorcery in which she was forbidden to speak to or alert others. It remained upon her voice—as did the spell upon her body preventing her from fleeing. Her limbs refused to move when she ordered them to jump from the steed and run toward her brother’s search party.
Falcon spun Warrior around so that Salena caught a glimpse of her brother through the dense foliage. His eyes blazed with fury, his fiery hair blew about his stone-cold face. She longed to run to him, to sob into his chest as he comforted her. She wanted nothing more than to go home, to collapse in her chamber and forget this brigand who had turned her world upside down. And…she wanted to marry the duke…didn’t she?
There was no time to ponder that sudden thought. Sheldon’s men raced forward, their warhorses leaping over fallen trees, their swords swiping at dangling limbs. And she heard the bloodcurdling war cry of her angry brother just before the mayhem began.
* * * * *
They’d seemed to come out of nowhere. Falcon could only contribute his carelessness to the deadly charms of this woman. She’d bewitched him from that first glimpse at the tournament, and it only seemed to have gotten worse each time his gaze settled upon her beauty. Now he found himself surrounded by the enemy, a first in his entire existence.
“You will rot in hell, brigand!” Sheldon’s massive white stallion charged forward. He held his sword aimed, poised to kill. And there was no mistaking the gleam of murder in his eyes.
Falcon drew his weapon. The screech of metal scraping against metal echoed through the forest. “Get behind me,” he barked to Salena.
Salena’s body moved into obedience, though he knew by her jerky movements that she fought to defy the spell. Agile for one encumbered by a mass of skirts, she twisted, clinging to him as she moved. With his free arm, he assisted her with adept speed, and sighed when he felt her pressed safely against his back.
“Unfortunately, sir,” Falcon shouted. “I’m allowed into neither hell nor heaven.”
“Charge, men!” And a flurry of pounding hooves sounded.
Falcon braced himself, quickly noting the positions of all six riders, each now drawing their swords. He whirled Warrior around so that Salena’s back faced a gap in the circle of attackers. Drawing firm on the reins, he forced his horse to backward-trot so that they entered a small clearing. Those on the outer edges spun their steeds about and charged the other direction so that they flanked Sheldon and now made a wall before Falcon rather than a circle surrounding him.
“Ah, you think you’re so very clever,” Sheldon snarled. But the wary hesitation in his gaze didn’t
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