Adara sat by the fire in her bedchamber. It had been a long day with much happening. Espy had arrived by mid-afternoon, wanting to make certain she was there when Adara’s time came. Callie had spent a good part of the evening talking with her and it was not until later when everyone began to retire that Espy had approached her.

“Something weighs heavily on your mind. Are you fearful of giving birth?” Espy had asked.

Adara had made excuse after excuse, but in the end she was sure Espy did not believe a one of them. Espy had been right about one thing… something weighed heavily on her mind.

Wynn had shocked her with what she had told her and she was still trying to digest it. She did not believe it possible and yet it had answered so many questions and had all made sense. After all these years, she had answers and yet those answers disturbed her more than she ever imagined possible.

She was relieved that Warrick was not there. She did not know how she would keep this from him, but she had no choice. She could not tell him. Not ever.

The night grew late, but Adara did not seek her bed. Sleep would not be something she would get tonight, and though she ached for her husband’s return, she hoped it would be delayed at least a day. It would give her the time to… she wiped at the tear that threatened to fall.

How she would ever keep this from her husband, she did not know.

The door suddenly flung open and Adara jumped out of the chair, the blanket that had been wrapped around her falling to the floor.

Warrick stood there, his breathing harsh, his hand gripping the door handle, his knuckles scraped and bruised from battle. His dark eyes raged with the aftermath of battle and need… need for his wife.

Adara saw how he wrestled with his intense desire, her rounded stomach reminding him of the bairn, and knowing it was not a gentle lovemaking he wanted. But then Adara had a need to forget everything she had learned if only for a while, and she had a desperate need to feel loved, and her husband could give her that.

She stretched her arms out to him.

Warrick hesitated, his passion strong, and he feared his raging desire might bring harm to his wife and the bairn. He growled low in his chest, a warning to himself that he should leave, then his wife pulled her garment off and extended her arms once more.

Her invitation was too much to deny. He swung the door shut behind him and stripped off his garments as he walked toward her. He stopped a distance from her and warned, “I have no gentleness in me this night.”

“Do you love me, husband?”

“More than you will ever know.”

Adara stepped toward him and Warrick reached out and yanked her into his arms. His kiss was not gentle. It demanded with a hunger that Adara quickly fed. She was in his arms before she knew it, his lips refusing to leave hers as he walked them to the bed.

He lowered her next to the bed, but held her high enough off the floor so that he could tease her one nipple with his tongue before taking it in his mouth to nip at it.

Adara moaned, her hands going to grip her husband’s arms taut with muscles. She dropped her head back when his tongue and mouth moved to her other breast, and when his lips moved to kiss her lips again, it stole her breath.

She barely caught her breath when he lowered her to her feet, spun her around, and bent her over the bed. She had little time to brace her hands on the bed when he thrust his hand between her legs to tease the small nub until it throbbed unmercifully. When she cried out from the pleasure building in her, his manhood drove into her hard and fast.

He gripped her backside as he pounded against her, a feral growl rumbling from him as he did. He needed her, he needed to bury himself deep inside her, feel her cocoon around him, hold him tight, know she loved him.

Adara’s moans grew as did his growl and when she screamed out his name as she climaxed, he let loose with a roar, his own climax exploding with a fury.

Warrick dropped over her, his hands landing beside her own as she kept herself braced on the bed, her round stomach faintly brushing the bedding. She shuddered as the climax rippled through, enjoying every last ripple and she squeezed tight, keeping him inside her for a while longer.

He shuddered and groaned as he felt her clamp around him and he nipped at her shoulder, causing another shudder to run through her.

Adara wanted nothing more than to remain like this for a while, him buried deep inside her, feeling as if they were joined together as one. But with her breathing heavy, her arms growing tired, even though Warrick kept most of his weight off her, she did not know how long she could hold herself up.

She need not have worried, Warrick’s arm slipped around her just below her breasts and he eased her down with him on the bed for her to rest back against him.

“I am too heavy against you,” she warned, hearing his breathing rapid in her ear.

“You weigh little and it does not matter, for I would die an extremely satisfied and happy man right now.”

“Do not say such a thing,” Adara scolded as she struggled to get off him.

His arm tightened around her. “Still yourself, wife. You are not going anywhere. I rode hard to get home to you tonight and you will not be leaving my side.”

She shivered, a chill rushing over her, her body having lost the heat of their lovemaking, and turning her skin to gooseflesh.

“Damn,” Warrick muttered and eased his wife up on the bed, to rest her head on the pillows and hurrying her legs beneath the blanket. He pulled himself up beside her to tuck the blankets around both of them after settling her against him.

The bairn gave her a hard kick just as she cuddled against her husband and she let out a soft yelp and laid her hand on her stomach.

Warrick muttered several oaths, his hand going to slip under hers and caress the bairn that kept moving around and poking his mum.

“I should not have touched you,” Warrick said, guilt stirring in him for causing her and the protesting bairn discomfort.

“You did nothing to disturb him. He has been busy on his own,” she assured him. “Besides, he should know how much we love each other and know he will be loved as well.”

The bairn moved again but more slowly as if his mum’s words brought him comfort.

Adara could still feel the tension in her husband and hoped to ease it. “Espy is here.”

“I am pleased to know that.”

Adara smiled, feeling the tension in his body begin to wash away. “And with Cyra and Innis here there is nothing to worry about. Now tell me how things went with you.”

“The MacNair Clan will trouble me no more. I left Benet and a troop of warriors to see to my orders. The fools lost far too many of their own and for no good reason. Now they are under my rule.”

“Roark returned with you?”

“I would know no peace from Callie if I had left her husband behind.”

Adara laughed softly. “You love your sister.”

“She is a pest,” Warrick argued.

“A pest you love,” Adara said on a yawn.

“You need to sleep, wife.”

Another yawn followed. “I believe I do, but not before I tell you how very much I love you. No matter what, Warrick, I love you.”

“And I love you, wife,” Warrick said puzzled and a bit disturbed by her last few words.

No matter what.

The morning meal was a festive one with Warrick having returned victorious and though everyone was enjoying themselves, he could tell something troubled his wife. She smiled and talked with everyone and yet her thoughts seemed far off and he had noticed her gait was slower today as if something weighed heavily on her. It troubled him and he intended to speak to her about it when the meal was finished. Though he asked again as he had done twice before, “Are you sure you are feeling well?”

“A bit tired, that is all,” she assured him.

“You should rest after the meal is done.”

“My intentions,” she said with a smile.

He knew his wife’s smile well and the smile she had turned on him had been a forced one. Something was wrong and he intended to find out as soon as possible. Unfortunately, that was delayed, a message from Benet needing his attention.

He and Roark left the others, though not before ordering his wife once again to rest and for all to hear. He was glad to hear Espy question his wife as he took his leave.

“You are not feeling well?” Espy asked.

“A bit tired, nothing more,” Adara assured her.

“Then you should rest. Your time grows near.”

Cyra agreed. “Do rest, Adara, you will need your strength to birth the bairn.”

“Begging your pardon, my lady, but you are needed in the kitchen,” Wynn said.

Adara nodded and stood, the bairn turning hard in her stomach as she did. She stilled and rested her hand there.

“You should rest,” Espy scolded.

“I will as soon as I see to this I will retire to my bedchamber for the day.”

Espy appeared relieved. “Good, I will come see you there later.”

The two women walked silently through the stone hallway that connected the kitchen to the keep. Before reaching the kitchen, they turned and went to the door that led them outside.

Wynn snatched a cloak off the peg by the door and draped it over Adara’s shoulders. “He waits behind the large boulder just beyond the kitchen garden.”

Adara nodded.

“God be with you, lass,” Wynn said and hugged Adara.

Snow had fallen last night, leaving deep tracks for anyone to follow not that Adara paid mind to it. Her thoughts on one thing alone, and she found herself hurrying her steps.

Warrick could not get his thoughts off his wife. They had agreed on sharing their worries and something obviously was worrying her, yet she did not speak of it to him. He saw to the message from Benet, settling the matter quickly by letting Benet know that those who felt they need not obey their new chieftain would be sent to Warrick’s castle to serve him.

He saw to a couple of other matters with haste as well, wanting to return to his wife, but was once again delayed when Selwyn, one of is trackers, approached.

“I may have found something, my lord,” Selwyn said.

Warrick nodded for him to continue.

“With the freshly fallen snow, I noticed two tracks similar to ones where the dead man was found. I followed the one and it brought me to another set that reminded me of a faint track that was also similar to another found not far from the dead man.”

“You saw these similar tracks again today?”

“I did,” Selwyn said. “I could not find where the one track originated from but it led me to the keep garden where I found the other one. The one returned inside the keep and the other went into the woods.”

Warrick did not need to ask Selwyn if he followed the tracks into the woods. He was his best tracker and did his job well. “Where in the woods did the tracks take you and who do they belong to?”

“Langdon, my lord, and he waits behind the large boulder near the kitchen garden.”

“The one who entered the keep, do you know who that track belongs to?”

Selwyn nodded. “I believe it to belong to Wynn, my lord, though I cannot be sure.”

“Come with me,” Warrick ordered and Selwyn hurried behind Warrick, Roark following along as well.

When they reached the kitchen garden Selwyn scurried past Warrick, calling out, “Wait.” He dropped down and examined the imprint in the snow and turned to look in the distance. He hurried to his feet and went to Warrick. “Another track, my lord, and one I recognize since I am familiar with it, having seen it often… your wife.”

“She goes alone?” Warrick asked, clinching his hand in anger while concern filled his thoughts.

“Aye, my lord,” Selwyn confirmed.

“No one is to follow me,” Warrick ordered Roark and followed his wife’s fresh tracks into the woods. His mind was in turmoil, fearing the worse. Had Ronald’s search for the true king led him here? Had Wynn known something about the true king and Ronald confronted her on it? Had Wynn killed him? An unlikely possibility with her advanced age and lack of strength. Had Langdon defended Wynn against Ronald? Or had, in the end, the true king been hiding here in Clan MacVarish all this time? And if so why?

His wife’s frantic voice broke through his disturbing thoughts.

“No! No, you will not!

Warrick hurried around the massive stone, hearing her distraught plea and came to an abrupt stop. His wife stood in front of Langdon, her brow resting against his shoulder and the man’s arms around her. He appeared far different than he usually did. His shoulders were not stooped, they were broad, his chest wide, his gray hair not hanging loose around his face, but gathered back with a strip of cloth at the nape of his neck, and his eyes did not squint as if he had difficulty seeing, they were wide and alert, and threatening as he glared at Warrick.

“Adara step away from him now,” Warrick ordered, realizing Langdon stood with regal comportment.

Langdon kept his arms around Adara.

“Harm my wife and I will kill you and not slowly, which would please the King since I have no doubt you are the man I search for,” Warrick warned, wanting to rush at the man and get his wife away from him. But a knife was tucked in the sheath on this belt and he would not take the chance that Langdon would harm her.

Adara turned then, raising her hand as if to stop him from stepping toward them and tears ran down her cheeks. “No! No, you cannot hurt him, I beg you. Please, please, Warrick, do not hurt him… he is my father.”

Too stunned to respond, it took a moment for him say, “Your father?”

“Aye, he is my father. Wynn told me the truth when I confronted her with evidence of being at the scene of the dead man. I insisted on meeting him and now he tells me he is leaving. I do not want him to leave. I want him to stay so we can make up for all the years we have missed.”

“That is not possible,” Langdon said sorrow heavy in his voice.

“It is possible. Tell him, Warrick. Tell him you are no threat to him. Tell him you will not turn him over to the King.”

Warrick remained silent. This could not have gotten any worse and yet it had.

“That is not what the King wants from Warrick,” Langdon said, Adara turning a puzzled look on her father. “Warrick’s mission is to kill me.”

Adara snapped her head around, her eyes wide. “You will see my da dead?”

Warrick focused his scowl on Langdon. “What proof have I that he is your father?”

Adara was quick to explain. “Wynn. She attended my birth as did my da. She knew that my mum and da secretly wed.”

Warrick wanted to roar with rage at that news, but his only response was his eyes narrowing in anger.

“You leave your husband with a dilemma, daughter,” Langdon said.

“What dilemma?” Adara asked, innocently.

“Tell her, Warrick,” Langdon challenged.

Warrick remained silent, though his dark eyes spoke loud enough for him. He was ready to kill.

“Let me answer for him,” Langdon said. “If he kills me, he leaves you as the true Scottish heir to the throne, and King James will not have that.”

Adara shook her head. “No. No, my husband loves me. He would never harm me and I care not about the throne. I love my husband and want only a life with him.”

Warrick was stunned, that his wife would choose him over her rightful heritage. He was the only thing that mattered to her. Her words echoed in his mind. I love you no matter what. She had let him know then that nothing would come between their love… not even a throne.

Adara could not hold back her tears. They fell of their own accord. “This must stop. It must. Too much has been lost. I will not lose anymore.” She gasped aloud from the sudden pain and her hand went to her stomach as she felt something gush down from between her legs. She looked down and the pristine snow under her feet spread red with blood.