Gawain Unbound

Chapter One

Prince Gawain had not expected to encounter magic in the royal forest.

He had seen no suitable game and had turned toward home when the sound of a voice singing in a clear, true soprano drifted toward him. A woman out here on royal lands? Curious, he dismounted, left his horse to graze on a patch of grass, and walked quietly toward the sound. It summoned him as though she were calling his name, the song intended for him alone.

As Gawain drew closer and glimpsed the singer through the trees, his heart gave an unaccustomed thump. Quietly, he slipped closer for a better view. She was sitting on a stump in a little glen, strumming a lute with graceful fingers. Her dark hair hung loosely around her shoulders, and she looked down so that her long, dark lashes hid her eyes. Her appealing lips moved as she sang, and the low-cut, forest-green gown she wore set off the creamy skin at the tops of her breasts.

Her voice had drawn him here, but he didn’t step into the clearing. The song held him fast. She kept singing -- an old love ballad he had heard many times. Today her voice gave it a magical quality that set off a tingle along his nerve endings.

That heart my heart hath in such grace

That of two hearts one heart make we;

That heart hath brought my heart in case

To love that heart that loveth me.

When she finished the verse, he moved closer, and as he entered the glade, he felt as though he were stepping into a dream. Sensing the intrusion, she looked up, her azure eyes finding him at once. Ah, you came to me, she said, a note of satisfaction in her voice.

Who are you? What are you doing here?

I am Catrin, and I have been waiting for you.

For what reason?

I was hoping you would join me in the song. When she began the verse again, he did her bidding, and he found that his strong tenor blended perfectly with her soprano.

They finished the stanza and began another, until the whole love story had unfolded. In the sudden silence, she looked up at him. You have an excellent voice. You have passed your audition.

For what?

To bring purpose to your life.

He tipped his head to the side. What do you know of my life?

Everyone in Kingston knows about your brother’s return from enchanted captivity, his marriage to Sabina, and your current wastrel ways.

A jolt of anger leaped inside him. You claim to know my soul?

No. But I can say that the two of us share a common purpose.

And what is that?

We both want revenge against the magician, Madrin.

In all the world he would not have imagined that answer. I have reason for the anger I harbor against that maggot. He was the one who enchanted my brother. How did you run afoul of him?

He killed my father. She let that sink in for a moment before adding, I want to give him what he deserves, but I can hardly travel to his fiefdom on my own. I must have a protector at my side, and you are the perfect choice.

Gawain’s heartbeat quickened. She did truly share his hatred of the man, but hatred was not a plan. What would be our excuse for making that journey together? he demanded. People would notice a man and woman on the roads together.

We would be traveling entertainers, making our living by performing at taverns across Longmead -- until we reached his fiefdom.

He made a scoffing sound. And you think a prince of Abercarn would perform in taverns?

What better disguise could you devise?

Without answering, Gawain shot her another question. You know where his fiefdom is?

I have collected as much information as I can. When we get closer, we will pinpoint the location.

I am a trained fighter and an excellent marksman. With the crossbow I brought to the forest, I can take down a wild boar at fifty paces. What would you contribute to this enterprise?

More than you know.

Before he could demand an answer to that cryptic remark, she held up her palm. I think I will not persuade you of my suitability with mere talk.

She stood, set down her lute, and glided toward him as though her feet below the skirt did not touch the ground. He had a fleeting thought that he should flee while he could still leave this glen, but he was rooted to the spot. She reached him and touched his shoulder. Her hand was small and delicate but also strong. It stopped all thought of breaking the contact. Slowly, she raised her arm, winnowing her fingers through his hair before cupping the back of his head and bringing his mouth down to hers. One taste of her, and he was lost.

His cock was immediately as hard as an oak staff, and he reached to pull her against it as his mouth plundered hers. She tasted of honey and possibilities, and the kiss was as wild and wonderful as a trip down rushing rapids in a small boat. Her tongue played with his as her hips move against him.

The neckline of her dress was low. He loosened the laces at the front so he could pull the fabric further down, freeing her magnificent breasts.

It was a bold move that might have sent her running from him. Instead, she took the lush orbs in her hands, offering them toward him. Transfixed, he bent to suck one taut nipple into his mouth while he took its mate between his thumb and forefinger, squeezing.

In response, she reached around, grasping his buttocks, repaying his squeezing with her own. Then it was all frantic haste to rid themselves of their clothing. He finished loosening the front of her dress, then pulled it over her head and tossed it to the ground. She stood naked to the waist, wearing only her drawers as she attacked the buttons of his britches. There was no fumbling as she swiftly undid them before reaching inside to clasp her hand around his cock.

Afraid she would bring him off and end this encounter all too soon, he lifted her hand away and pulled off his britches and drawers. When he looked up, he saw that she had removed her one remaining garment and stood naked in the glen. His gaze traveled over her -- from the intensity of her face to her breasts to the inviting triangle of dark hair covering her pubic mound.

She pulled him down to the mossy ground, pushing him back so that he lay on his back, naked and eager, his cock straining toward her. There was no more foreplay, no more words. She straddled his hips, sliding him inside her, clenching her muscles around him as she began to move in a teasing rhythm, varying the pace -- first fast, then slower, stopping him when he might have reached climax. He groaned, his gaze finding hers. Please, he gasped, able to utter only that one word.

She smiled down at him, leaning so that her breasts dangled like ripe fruit above him. He clasped them, kneading and squeezing, forcing her pace faster so that both of them spun up into a frantic climax.

She collapsed on top of him, her sweat-slick body sliding against his for a moment before she levered herself away and collapsed to the moss beside him, leaving him breathing hard as he regained his senses.

What did I just do? He might have sprung away from her then, but her hand shot out to grasp his wrist, holding him in place.

He glared down at her. "What just happened?

You had your way with me.

I believe it was the other way around. Did you bewitch me?

No.

Then what in the names of all the gods happened?

A smile played about her lips. We fucked each other to a very satisfactory conclusion.

His harsh laugh filled the glen. Tell me, how did we go from conversation to fucking in the blink of an eye?

It was what you wanted.

He considered her answer. I might have wanted you, but I never would have acted with such haste.

I know. She dragged in a breath and let it out. My father, Simon Waller, was a mage. Before Gawain could interrupt, she went on. The skill passes from one generation to the next, sometimes strongly and sometimes with lesser effect. I have only a fraction of his powers, but I have one talent that serves me well. I can urge a man or a woman to do something that they are already contemplating. You wanted to fuck me, and I helped you go from thought to action.

He couldn’t deny the desire he had felt and the unseemly way he had acted upon that desire. Realizing that they were having this conversation in the nude in a forest glen, he began gathering up the clothing he had discarded. When she saw what he was doing, she also reached for her drawers.

They both dressed quickly. When she finished adjusting her dress, she met his gaze. And you would compel me to accompany you on your journey to find Madrin and punish him?

She shook her head. I would never compel a man to undertake a task that could lead to his death. A decision like that must be made without coercion.

So you think that if we confront Madrin, he might be the one to win out over us?

I would never lie to you. We could be journeying to our deaths. But if we do not undertake this task, a wicked man will continue his reign of evil.

And your father? Did he use his talents only for good?

She kept her gaze steady. He made judgments about the commissions he undertook. He never acted against an innocent as Madrin did.

Gawain studied her. Catrin was probably telling him the truth as she understood it, but it was hard to imagine a man with great power always