Highland Wolf (Highland Brides #10)(67)

Conall paused then, his breathing ragged, and Claray swallowed and closed her eyes as he filled her. Then he bent down until his front brushed her back, and clamped his teeth gently onto her shoulder as he began to caress her again.

Claray moaned and grasped the top of the pen as he began to withdraw and then thrust back into her as he touched her. Her body immediately began to struggle, trying to move forward into his caressing fingers and back into his thrusts at the same time. But it couldn’t do both, and she ended up doing neither and just bracing herself, taking what he was offering and riding the passion as it got tighter and hotter.

Afraid she would cry out or scream as she had the last time he’d given her pleasure, Claray covered her mouth with one hand to muffle her grunts and moans, and then bit on the side of her hand as her release struck her. She felt her body spasm and tighten around him, milking him, and knew a moment later that he’d found his pleasure too when Conall’s teeth bit down harder on her shoulder. Not so hard it was painful, but she definitely felt it as a muffled half groan, half growl came from him.

Panting softly, Claray closed her eyes to enjoy the pleasure rolling through her, and then gasped when he suddenly straightened, pulling her with him. In the next moment, he’d slid from her and turned her to face him, his mouth coming down hard on hers.

Claray was sure he’d found his release, but this wasn’t the kiss of a sated man. It was hungry, and demanding, almost rough, and then he urged her to the side and back until she felt the center beam that supported the roof of the stables behind her. Pressing her back against it, he caught her behind one leg, pulled it up over his hip and then dragged her skirt up out of the way in front and thrust into her again.

Gasping into his mouth, Claray wrapped her arms around his neck and held on tightly as her excitement burst back to life as if it had never been sated either. Within moments she was pushing back into his thrusts, and was kissing him back just as demandingly as she fought toward the release she knew was waiting.

This time it came like a small explosion, rocking her mind and leaving her body trembling and weak as he thrust into her one last time and stayed there, his hand tightening almost painfully on her leg as he grunted into her mouth. A moment after that, his grip eased, and then he released her leg and let it drop back to the ground as he broke their kiss.

Conall leaned his forehead against hers for a moment as they caught their breath, and then he stepped away, letting her gown drop back into place.

“Are ye all right, lass? I did no’ hurt ye, did I?” he asked now, concern entering his face.

“Nay,” she assured him, managing a somewhat embarrassed smile.

He nodded, but then smiled wryly. “Let us hope our bedchamber is ready soon, else I fear we’ll be spending a lot o’ time in here with yer animals.”

When Claray relaxed, her smile becoming more natural, he bent to kiss the tip of her nose.

Conall then took her elbow, stepped to the side, and Claray felt a punching sensation in her shoulder. That was all. There was no real pain at first, just an abrupt, dull pressure. It wasn’t until she looked down and to the side and saw the arrow sticking out of her shoulder that the pain struck. Sudden, sharp and vicious it stole the breath from her, leaving her gasping. Raising her gaze to her husband, she saw him turn back in question, and then shock crossed his face.

She thought he shouted something then, but wasn’t sure. Darkness was closing in on her vision and her hearing seemed to be fading with it as she lost consciousness.



“Claray!” Her name was a horrified bellow as Conall saw the arrow through her shoulder, but despite what he saw, his mind was having trouble accepting it. Everything had been fine just seconds ago. Where the hell had the arrow come from? The question screamed through his mind, and he started to turn in the direction it seemed to have come from, but then saw Claray’s eyes close and her face go slack, and leaped toward her instead, to catch her by the upper arms as she fainted.

With his senses suddenly on high alert, the whoosh of another arrow shooting past behind him sounded loud in his ears, but Conall didn’t look around. He was too busy trying to hold Claray up and bellowing for their guards. Much to his relief, the men rushed in at once, filling the space around them and exclaiming as they saw what had happened. Conall ignored them, his attention on Claray as he held her up and tried to get a look at her back by peering over her shoulder. His mouth tightened when he saw that—as he’d feared—the arrow had gone right through her and now pinned her to the post.

The crash of the shutters caught his attention and he glanced to them with a frown when the room suddenly went dark. That was why they’d opened the shutters on the window Claray had insisted on being built into the smaller stables. She said the window was to air the small building when she cleaned the pens, but it had come in handy for allowing light in while she’d worked. It had also been the only source of light once he’d closed the door behind the guards after ordering them out. He hadn’t even thought to close the shutters then. He hadn’t considered that it would allow someone to shoot another arrow at them.

“Claray is pinned to the post and I can no’ see,” he snapped, and much to his relief someone immediately opened the door. Sighing, he took another look over her shoulder at her back. All he could see was about a half inch of shaft between Claray’s back and the post. The arrow tip was buried in the wood.