The words were spoken with such white-hot yet carefully controlled anger that Adrienne didn't even begin to question what punishment he might have in mind. She knew instinctively that she never wanted to find out. As she parted her lips to speak, Hawk rubbed his body against hers, intimately pressing his hard cock between her thighs. The words she'd planned to say were exhaled instead as a soft whoosh of air that tapered into a husky moan. Adrienne wanted to melt against him, to arch herself into his body with complete abandon. She couldn't even stand next to this man without wanting him.
His smile was mocking and cruel. "Does he feel like this, lass? Does he have this much to pleasure you with?"
No man has that, she thought feverishly, as her hips moved hungrily against him. Hawk growled softly, closing his mouth over hers in a ruthless, punishing kiss.
Adrienne felt his hand, raising her skirt and realized that in his current rage the Hawk was going to take her, right here in the dim and chill hallway. Tipsy or not, this was not how Adrienne planned to part with her hard-kept virginity. She wanted him, but not like this. Never like this. "Stop! Hawk, whatever you think I've done—I haven't!" she cried.
He silenced her with his mouth, his kiss hot, hungry, and cruel. She understood he was punishing her with his body, not making love to her, but she couldn't resist his tongue and couldn't prevent herself from breathlessly kissing him back.
Hawk dropped his head and grazed her neck with his teeth, then teased her hardened nipples through her gown. Adrienne was so lost in pleasure that she didn't realize what he was doing until it was too late.
She felt the rasp of a rope against her wrists as he yanked her arms down and spun her around, securing her hands at the base of her back.
"You son of a bitch!" she hissed.
"Son of a bitch," he repeated thoughtfully. "Now you don't like my mother?"
"I don't like you when you're like this! Hawk! Why are you doing this? What have I done?"
"Silence, lass," he commanded softly, and she learned then that when his voice was soft and supple as oiled leather was when she was in the most extreme danger. It was the first of many lessons he would teach her. When the silken hood slid down over her face she screamed her fury and lashed out against him with her feet. Struggling, kicking, raging in his arms, she cursed raggedly.
"Wife," he said right against her ear through the silk hood, "you belong to me. Soon you will not remember that there was ever a time when you didn't."
* * * * *
Adam stood amidst the shadow of the rowans and watched as the Hawk stalked through the night, the hooded woman fighting his grasp. So he thought he could escape Adam Black, did he? Hawk thought he could take her away? Clever. Adam hadn't negotiated that point. Hawk had obviously decided to play cutting-edge close to the letter of their law.
The man was becoming downright infuriating.
No, this was not what Adam had expected at all when he'd staged his scene in the gardens.
So, the man was more brute than he had thought. He had vastly underestimated his opponent. He'd thought the Hawk was too decent and too nice to know when a man had to be as hard and unforgiving as steel with a woman. He'd counted on the noble Hawk being so wounded by seeing her with the smithy that he'd curse her and swear her off, maybe divorce her—any of which, according to his plan, would send her scurrying to his blazing forge at the rowans. He'd thought, quite mistakenly it seemed, that the Hawk had at least one or two weaknesses of character.
"Silence, wife!" The Hawk's baritone resonated in the darkness. Adam shuddered. No mortal should have such a voice.
Well, this just wouldn't do. He'd have to seriously intervene, because if such a man carried off a woman and kept her for a time, the woman would surely belong to him when he was through.
And Adam never lost at anything. Certainly not this.
He stepped forward from the shadows, prepared to confront the Hawk, when he heard a harsh whisper behind him.
"Fool!"
"What now?" Adam snarled, turning to face King Finnbheara.
"The Queen demands your presence."
"Now?"
"Right now. She's on to us. I think it's that snoopy little Aine again. You'll have to leave this game at least long enough to allay the Queen's suspicions. Come."
"I can't come now."
"You have no choice. She will come for you herself if you don't. And then we'll have no chance left at all."
Adam stood still a long moment, allowing his rage to burn through him and leave cinders of resolve in its wake. He had to be very careful where his Queen was concerned. It would do him no good to bar her whim or will in any manner.
He allowed himself one long look over his shoulder at the retreating figure on horseback. "Very well, my liege. Through this rotten hell, bar my will, pledged to none but the fairest queen, lead on."