Chapter Fourteen

In the forest, Pearl watched as her fairy-daughter scrambled down from the canopy of the trees as the crackle and hiss of flames devouring the forest around them sounded in the distance.

“Mother, Dunvegan village is burning, and the flames are heading our way!” Panic laced Gille’s voice.

Thick smoke filled the air, and the yellow-gold tongues of the flames could be seen, growing stronger as they ravaged everything in their path. The mother-daughter fairies had taken up residence in the forest after their return to the human realm instead of living at Dunvegan with Aria. The forest had felt more like Fairyland, or home, to them both. But their home was now under attack.

Gille came to stand before her mother. “We must do something before the forest is consumed.”

Pearl took her daughter’s hand, trying to reassure her. “Fear not. I can douse the flames with the nearby stream while you use your magic to create a wall of soil between the forest and the flames. Close your eyes and imagine the soil moving at your command.”

Gille scrunched her eyes closed tightly in concentration. A moment passed, then two. And suddenly, the forest floor shifted as a wind rose up, putting an earthen wall between them and the flames.

“Excellent,” Pearl acknowledged before she closed her own eyes, raised her hands, and concentrated on moving the water from the nearby stream to the village not far away. The water shifted towards the village in a finely controlled arch then came down softly upon the burning structures. After several long minutes, the flames died down, even as the smoke intensified, causing them both to cough between gasps for breath. Once she was certain the fire had been contained, Pearl motioned for the two of them to head deeper into the forest where the air was less dense with smoke.

Even though the danger had passed, fear lingered in Gille’s green eyes. “Something else is wrong, Mother. Something not of this world. I can sense it.”

Pearl tensed, knowing what that strange feeling meant. She had felt it too, a familiar presence not of the human realm. “Oberon has returned.” They had not sent him to his doom when they had used their magic against him in Fairyland.

“Did he set the fire?” Gille asked.

“Nay,” Pearl assured her daughter calmly even though her blood felt thick and hot in her veins and her heartbeat jittered wildly in her chest at the thought of the fairy king emerging once again. “That was the work of human men, and I fear that does not bode well for those who reside at Dunvegan Castle.” She turned her gaze to Gille. “We must go to them with all due haste.”

*

Silence fell overAria, Graeme, Keiran, and Rosalyn as they retraced their steps from this morning. It was late afternoon when they reached a rise in the landscape and could see Dunvegan village below. The billowing flames had died and only the acrid scent of burning wood, smoke, and ash drifted through the air.

Yet even through the smoke and ash from the east, they could see clearly the men dressed in the green and blue tartan, heading for the village. And to the east, they could also see several columns of men dressed in red.

“God’s teeth,” Graeme growled. “Our fellow warriors do not know the English lie in wait.” He urged his horse down the rise with Aria close behind.

“Stay here,” Keiran ordered, the words harsh, before he drew his sword and chased Graeme and Aria down the hillside. An unfamiliar cry erupted from their throats, an ancient call to arms perhaps, warning those below of impending danger.

Rosalyn’s gaze followed Keiran as he headed for the charred remains of the village. She shivered at the thought of what might have happened if the MacLeods had not moved their people to safety. Still, their homes were now ruined because of her and Lieutenant Long.

She released her pent-up breath while Graeme, Aria, and Keiran reached the other MacLeod soldiers in time to warn them of what lay in wait. In that same moment, the sound of horse hoofs came from behind her, and Rosalyn turned atop her horse to see Lieutenant James Long also on horseback, towering over her. A shiver of cold fear moved through her at the hatred darkening the Englishman’s face. She’d been taught her whole life to fear the Scots, but it was the man before her who was truly the barbarian.

“My dearest bride, how kind of the MacLeods to leave you alone so I can now claim what is rightfully mine.”

“I am not your bride,” Rosalyn snapped, holding tight to her horse’s reins when the mare quivered beneath her. “You killed that woman days ago.”

Lieutenant Long laughed. The sound grated against her taut nerves. “I had nothing to do with your attack. Besides, you look very much alive to me.” His mouth quirked into a terrible smile.

“I am alive, no thanks to you, but the woman who was once betrothed to you exists no more.” His confused expression helped her to clamp back her emotions.

She straightened in her saddle and said, “My name is Rosalyn Murray, and I am not betrothed to you.” Look fear in the face and you will find both courage and strength, Aria had taught her. With her lessons in fighting, Rosalyn was no longer the defenceless girl who had been attacked in the woods. She was so much more.

“Your ploy will not work.” The lieutenant brought his horse closer and drew his sword. “I own you. No one else shall have you if I cannot.”

“It is no ploy, only the truth.” She kept her horse steady, holding her ground. She inhaled a slow, calming breath. The late afternoon sun brought out the lines that had settled around the lieutenant’s grey eyes. What she had once thought was his most interesting feature now appeared overly bright and unfocused as those eyes narrowed.

“Are you going to stare at me all day or come with me back to my camp without a fuss?” he asked mockingly.

He should be prepared for more than “a fuss.” Rosalyn held Petunia steady as he brought his horse close enough to grab her left wrist. Bring them in close, then fight hard and fast. Remembering Isolde’s words, she quickly lifted the hem of her gown, drew her dagger from its sheath, then slashed the lieutenant’s upper arm.

Startled, he loosened his grip and she jerked free. With a curse, he brought his sword down. She quickly switched her blade against her forearm and blocked his strike. At the same time, she kicked out, her heel connecting with his gut with all her strength. He roared as he lurched backwards, falling from his saddle, his feet stuck in the stirrups.

He hung there, upside down, roaring in anger. Taking advantage of his upset, with her heart pounding and her hands shaking, Rosalyn sheathed her dagger and set her horse into motion. The animal needed no further encouragement to race down the hillside.

She was only halfway down before she saw Keiran riding towards her. Fear and anger mixed in the depths of his dark eyes. He joined her then turned his horse back towards the village. When they were just outside the smoking ruins, Keiran stopped his horse, then reached out for her bridle, forcing her to also come to a halt. “He did not hurt you, did he?”

“I hurt him and his pride more than he hurt me.” Now that she was at a distance from the lieutenant, she allowed herself a small smile at being able to escape him. “I will have to thank your sisters for giving me lessons in fighting.”

Keiran’s brows drew together, but when she drew back her skirt to expose not only her thigh, but also her dagger, a smile of appreciation came to his lips. “Is that where you go every day? I will have to thank them myself.” He released her bridle as his smile faded. “I only wish you never had to use those skills. I should not have left you alone. As soon as I realised the others were safe, I came back to you.”

She looked about her. “Where are the others?”

“Graeme and Aria were able to stop the men from riding into the English regiment’s trap. They are all heading back to Dunvegan. I suggest we do the same before our enemy realises they have been foiled.”

She nodded, trying to stop her hands from shaking. After all that had happened, she was eager to get back to safety behind the thick stone walls. Both strange and wonderful things had happened since they’d left this morning. She’d almost been attacked by the fairy king. She’d fought off a man who thought he could control her. And she had kissed Keiran. Despite everything inside her that told her it was unwise, she wanted to kiss him again to see if that same trembling, instinctive, and dangerous response raced through her.

That thought stayed with her until they rode over the drawbridge and cleared the open gates of Dunvegan. As soon as they entered the front courtyard, the drawbridge was raised, and the portcullis came down. Many of the warriors remained in the courtyard, preparing their horses to return to the stables, and talking excitedly about how the fire in the village had somehow seemed to extinguish itself.

Ignoring the chaos, Keiran slipped from his horse, then helped her down with his hands at her waist. “If anything had happened to you today, I would never have forgiven myself.” He held her close, searching her face. “What did Lieutenant Long say to you?”

“He does not believe that I am no longer the woman he betrothed.” She pressed her lips together, thinking, then said, “I cannot explain it exactly, but I sensed he only wanted me because I do not want him.”

“There are men like that who want to possess what they cannot have.” Keiran’s brows came together.

“And what kind of man are you?” She no longer believed he was the brutal Highlander she had been taught to believe.

“I am a man who wants to protect you from harm, from men like Lieutenant Long. I am the man who wants to handfast with you.”

“I can protect myself, Keiran,” Rosalyn said, staring up into his eyes.

He drew her closer, despite the presence of the warriors who still roamed the courtyard. “Are you certain of that?” he asked, lifting her hand, and turning it over to expose her wrist. His breath rushed warm and swift against her tender flesh, sending shivers up her arm. “Can you defend yourself against this?”

He pressed his mouth to the inside of her wrist. The sensitive skin heated beneath his lips. She clutched her skirt with her opposite hand, fighting the sensations that threatened to weaken her knees.

He raised his head slightly. “Lieutenant Long is a skilled warrior. You got lucky today because he underestimated you. Believe me, he will not do so again.” His pupils flared as his gaze drifted to her mouth, but instead of bringing his lips to hers, he nuzzled her neck, running his chin along her jawbone to the base of her ear. His breath whispered against her ear in a silken caress. “Oberon—he has magic. How will you defend yourself against that with one small dagger?”

As waves of pleasure battered her defences, she released the hold she had on her dress and instead clamped onto the fabric of his tunic. She shut her eyes, savouring the exotic sensations. “Are you trying to frighten me or seduce me?”

“Perhaps a little of both.” Keiran lowered his head and captured her lips. His fingers splayed across her shoulders as his tongue brushed against her lips. She could not deny him the deepest secrets of her mouth or anything else he wanted in that moment. His tongue slipped into her mouth, and she responded by curling her fingers around his nape, drawing him even closer until she realised what she was doing.

She dropped her hand, broke the kiss, and stepped back. Her breathing came in ragged gasps as though she had been racing through the woods instead of the fleeting few moments that had passed in his arms. Kissing him, she was quickly learning, was madness. Even she, who should know better, was finding Keiran hard to resist.

In her continued silence, Keiran released her waist and stepped away, his eyes still burning with the same desire that echoed in her own body. “I want what is best for you, Rosalyn. Joining our lives, however temporarily, will keep Long from claiming you as his own.”

“You believe handfasting with you will serve that purpose?” She wanted more than anything to step back into his embrace. It took all her willpower to hold herself back. “You also said that handfasting lasts for a year and a day. What happens after that? We simply go our separate ways?”

Hope crept into his gaze. “If after that time, we decide we do not suit, we go our separate ways, but we may also decide at any point to seal our bond forever.”

The husky sincerity of his voice snatched her breath away. Even so, she could not allow herself to fall into a trap of her own making. She had to make this decision with her head and not her heart. “What if you tire of me before a year? Will you simply put me out of the castle with nowhere to go?”

“If you agree to handfast, then as I assured you before, I would have Mr Buchannan draw up an agreement that guarantees you and any child of mine will be looked after. As Alastair’s estate manager, I would receive a generous income. I would give it all to you.” He reached for her and once again brought her close to his chest. “As for tiring of you. I never see that happening. The day of your attack, I settled you onto my lap, asking you to stay with me, and brushed my lips against yours.” His gaze dropped to her lips. “I have not been the same since. Something passed between us in that moment, something magical.”

Then it was not only she who had felt the spark that had danced on her lips when he had kissed her. Rosalyn’s entire body began to tremble. His lips descended to hers.

He took her hand and pulled her with him into the shadows of the portico. “We have a bond, you and I,” he whispered as he placed feather-light kisses across her chin, then up to her ear.

Rosalyn caught a deep, shuddering breath as he traced a line of scorching kisses down the sensitive skin of her neck. The warmth of his breath stirred the tendrils of hair that escaped her plait as his mouth began retracing a path back to her lips. One kiss and all thoughts of denying him vanished. By denying him this moment, she would be depriving herself of something almost as vital to her existence as the air she drew into her body, air that mingled with his as they came together in a kiss both poignant and possessive.

He urged her lips to part, and when she did, he delved into her mouth, stroking and caressing, demanding even more of herself than she offered him now. He would consume her body and soul. Could she give him that much of herself and still remain whole? Her father had not been able to continue in this life without her mother, leaving Rosalyn behind to walk a tragic path.

There was so much more to consider than only her own desperate needs. He had promised to take care of her if they found they did not suit, but would she be strong enough to keep moving forward if he did? Yet even as the thought occurred to her, she knew the answer. She was nothing like her father. If she was, she would have given up long ago when things became difficult with her brother.

She had learned, in the intervening years since her parents’ deaths, how to survive. Since coming to Scotland, she also realised she possessed inner strength, and was more than capable of picking up the pieces of her life, rebuilding herself, and coming back stronger than ever before. On a shuddering breath, she broke the kiss and pulled back to look into Keiran’s passion-glazed eyes. “Yes,” she said, her voice tight with emotion. “I will handfast with you for a year and a day.”

Keiran bent down and kissed her quickly, then released her almost as abruptly. “Let us cleanse ourselves of our travel dirt, then meet in the rear courtyard at dusk. There, we will pledge ourselves to each other with my family in attendance.”

Rosalyn nodded, somewhat disappointed by his response. She did not expect him to whoop for joy in the courtyard still filled with men, but she had hoped for something more demonstrative than a quick kiss on the lips. Though this time, the decision to bind herself to another had been hers, and not her brother’s. She would have to find a measure of joy in that thought.

Coming out of the portico, he signalled for one of the stable boys to take their horses, then took her hand in his, leading her into the castle. At the stairs, he stopped. “Until dusk.” His voice was suddenly warm and low, and an intensity filled Keiran’s expression she had never seen before.

At the sight, she smiled. He was more affected by her agreeing to bind herself to him than he expressed in the open. The thought brought an odd jumble of pleasure and warmth to her chest. “Until dusk,” she whispered before hurrying up the stairs to her chamber. Only a few more hours remained until she would bind herself to the man who had given her a second chance at life.