Chapter 32

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

“ I cannae believe ye’ve been up there on yer own,” he said.

Ciara smiled.

The clouds had moved in swifter than they’d anticipated, swallowing up the sun as it continued its trek through the sky. They had barely gotten off the ledge and onto stable ground when the first drops of rain and started to fall. It was fortunate because the stones on the ledge would have become slick and difficult to navigate safely had they stayed any longer.

“‘Tis dangerous. A hard gust of wind or a slippery stone could be fatal,” he said. “Ye’d really give up yer life just tae see somethin’ beautiful?”

She turned to him. “Aye. the beauty in the world makes life worth livin’. Without enjoyin’ the life we have, it isnae worth livin’. We’re in this world for such a short time, we might as well be dead already if we dinnae.”

Magnus studied her like she was mad. But she could tell that he was listening to her. Absorbing her words. And on some level, she thought maybe she was getting through to him. On the ledge, she’d seen a different Magnus than the one she’d know until then. For the first time since they’d met, he’d seemed free. Unburdened. He’s had an open, genuine smile on his face. And Ciara realized she wanted to see more of that from him.

“Have ye ever stopped tae enjoy the beauty around ye, Magnus? Have ye ever just let go and had some fun just fer the sake of havin’ fun?”

He pursed his lips. “When I was a bairn, aye. But I cannae say I have recently, especially since me parents died. I have me duty tae be done.”

“I understand ye have yer duty and orders tae follow, but again, without fun and the beauty in the world, what in the hell are ye fightin’ fer?”

Magnus fell silent as they walked through the open field. The rain wasn’t falling hard, but it was steady, and Ciara shivered. It was getting cold quickly and she knew the rain would likely turn to snow soon. They should probably get back to the warmth of Dunvegan castle. Before they did though, she wanted to see Magnus smile. Wanted to hear him laugh. Just once more before they slipped behind the walls of the castle again.

Ciara looked down at the small, muddy puddles already forming in the grass field. She cast a sly look at Magnus and grinned.

“And what’s so funny?” he asked.

“This,” she said and kicked the puddle of muddy water.

Magnus stood looking down at his boots, his expression aghast as the mud splattered all over him. He was silent for a long moment then looked up at her.

“What in the bleedin’ hell did ye dae that fer?” he asked.

“Because it was funny,” she said and kicked more mud onto his boots.

“’Tis nae funny,” he exclaimed. “I’m goin’ tae have tae clean these when we get back.”

Still grinning mischievously, Ciara bent down and scooped up a big pile of mud in her hands and turned to him. He held his hands out as if he knew what was coming next.

“Dinnae ye dare,” he said. “Dinnae ye dae?—”

Before he could finish the sentence though, Ciara flung the mud and squealed with laughter when it hit him square in the chest. Dark mud splattered all over his tunic and cloak. Muddy rivulets ran down the front of him like a child’s dirty fingertips.

“What in the bleedin’ hell, Ciara?”

Her laughter was punctuated by another volley of mud that caught him on the left side of his face. She cackled wildly as he gaped at her like she was mad. Despite the horrified look on his face though, a hard bark of laughter burst from his mouth as he bent down and scooped up a handful of mud. Ciara squealed then turned and ran. She bolted quickly, giving her a bit of a head start but when she glanced over her shoulder, she saw he was quickly closing the gap between them, brandishing the mud in his hand like a mace.

Their laughter echoed across the open field as they ran. Magnus finally caught up with her, grabbing her by the upper arm and spinning her around. With one fluid movement, he ground the mud in his hand into her hair, rubbing it vigorously onto the top of her head as he laughed like a maniac. Ciara grimaced and screeched through her laughter.

“How dae ye like it, eh?” he roared with laughter.

Ciara squirmed out of his grasp then picked up more mud and threw it at him. Magnus’ booming laughter rolled over the field like thunder, and he quickly grabbed up more mud. She squealed, then turned and ran from him again. He threw the balls of mud in his hands though and they hit her in the back with a wet splatter.

“Ye mule!” she cried.

She saw him snatch up even more mud though and kept running. But Magnus was on her in an instant. He lost his footing in the wet earth though and his eyes and mouth opened comically wide as he started to fall. Ciara’s howls of laughter abruptly turned to a shriek though when Magnus’ large hand clamped onto her arm and pulled her down with him. They both splashed into the puddle beneath them, covering them both in brown, brackish mud.

Magnus moved quickly, rolling over and smeared more mud onto her face with a sharp peal of laughter. The good humor quickly faded though as he braced himself on his arms above her, looking down into her eyes. Ciara’s breath caught in her throat as she looked into his icy-blue gaze. Her heart raced and her stomach churned as her body warmed from the inside. Their faces were close, his lips hovering tantalizingly close to hers and Ciara felt overwhelmed by white-hot desire that flowed through her veins.

Magnus licked his lips and, as his eyes burned into hers, she wanted to kiss him more than anything she’d ever wanted before in her entire life. She could see the conflict raging in his face though and knew he wanted the same thing she did, felt the same things she was feeling. He looked to be just as overwhelmed as she was.

“We… we should get back before the storm breaks,” he said, his voice thick.

“Always proper and dutiful, eh?” she teased.

He gave her a patient smile, but Ciara could see the longing in his eyes as the moment between them passed. She was filled with a pang of regret as Magnus climbed to his feet then reached down and helped her up as well. His gaze lingered on hers as they stood in the falling rain and the air was charged with longing and desire.

“Come,” he said gently.

Together they turned and headed across the field and found their way back to the path that led to Dunvegan. They were covered in mud from head to toe and Ciara couldn’t help but notice the sideways glances and hear the hushed laughter from the people in the village as they passed.

“We’re quite a spectacle,” Magnus said.

“Aye. But didnae it feel good tae have a little fun fer a change?”

“Actin’ like bairns is what ye consider fun, eh?”

Ciara nodded. “Aye. It is.”

Magnus’ smile gleamed through the mask of mud that covered his face. “Aye. ‘Twas fun.”

As they passed through the sallyport and into the yard that fronted Dunvegan, they encountered Magnus’ siblings gathered there, as if they’d been expecting them.

“Well, look who had themselves a roll in the mud,” Domhnall said.

“’Tis shockin’ how undignified ye look, braither,” Kai teased.

“Aye. Undignified indeed,” Enya and Thora laughed.

Magnus just looked at them and grinned unabashedly then cut a glance at Ciara.

“’Twas a good morning,” he replied. “Fun.”

“Come then,” Domhnall said. “Get yerself cleaned up and tell us all about it over some food.”

As they all walked down the hall, Enya fell into step beside Ciara and offered her a gentle smile.

“Thank ye,” she said.

“Fer what?” Ciara asked.

“Fer making me braither smile. I dinnae think I’ve ever seen him look so… free.”

“’Twas me pleasure.”

Ciara smiled to herself as they stepped into the castle, the laughter from the siblings echoing off the stone walls all around her making her feel good. But the rumble of thunder in the sky outside felt like a portent. An omen that something terrible was on its way.