Chapter 40

CHAPTER 40

F reshened up after an afternoon of exertion, Ciara made her way toward the hall, hoping to find something to eat. She was hungry. She went through the kitchens, picking up a small piece of bread and cheese to munch on and stepped to the servant’s door in the hall but paused when she heard her name. Curious, she hid around the corner and peeked around. Thora, Enya, and Magnus were in the hall seeming to be having an animated conversation.

“We need tae ken everything she kens,” Thora said.

“I told ye, she’s nae workin’ fer Fairfax,” Magnus argued.

“I ken that. But he’s still out there and even if Domhnall doesnae want tae admit it, he’ll be comin’ back in force,” she said. “We need tae ken if there’s any other information she has about him floatin’ around in her head.”

“Then why dinnae ye ask her,” Magnus growl.

“Because she may nae even be aware she’s holdin’ crucial information,” Thora pressed.

“Come now, braither,” Enya said. “Was kissin’ her all that bad?”

Ciara thought she saw Magnus’ cheeks flare scarlet as he looked away. He didn’t say anything in return and Ciara was confused about what Enya meant. What did kissing her have to do with anything, especially when it came to Fairfax? He finally raised his head, his jaw clenched.

“There has tae be another way,” he said.

“Ye ken there isnae,” Thora countered. “We proved that tae ye when ye gave her that sleepin’ draught. Her gift is bein’ able to stop yer gift. The only way intae her head is when ye kiss her.”

Ciara recoiled as the pieces of the puzzle started falling into place. Magnus’ strange behavior, the way he seemed to know what people were going to say or do before they spoke or moved—it all started to make sense. He could read her thoughts, but only when they kissed. She frowned as a rush of anger swept through her. Pushing herself off the wall, Ciara stormed into the hall.

“Is that why ye wanted tae kiss me?” she roared. “Tae get intae me bleedin’ head? This has all been… been… a mummery of affection?”

The color seemed to drain from Magnus’ face as he turned to her. Thora and Enya looked equally as stricken, their mouths opening and closing with no words coming out.

“’Tis nae a mummery,” Magnus said.

“What is it then? Ye only wanted tae get intae me head!”

“Ciara, that’s nae?—”

“Dinnae bleedin’ lie tae me.”

“Aye. I wanted tae ken yer thoughts and the only way tae dae it was by kissin’ ye. But I had wanted tae kiss ye fer?—”

Ciara stepped forward and slapped him hard across the face, the sharp crack of flesh meeting flesh echoing around the stone hall so loudly, Enya and Thora both recoiled, shock upon their faces. Magnus didn’t flinch though. He didn’t move. He just stood there, his icy blue eyes boring into hers. Ciara’s heart fluttered but at the same time, it felt like it was breaking. If this had all been a farce, a way for him to get into her head… it was a thought that made her want to cry. But she bit it back, unwilling to let him see how badly he’d hurt her.

Magnus reached for her hand, but she quickly turned away and fled the hall, racing down the corridor and into her bedchamber. She slammed the door behind her and ran to the window, bracing herself on the stone sill and let the tears flow down her face. She felt so stupid, so na?ve. He’d used her. And for what?

The door to her chamber squeaked softly behind her. Ciara spun around, expecting it to be Magnus. But when she saw Enya stepping through the door, the scathing remark withered on the tip of her tongue.

“Ciara, can I talk tae ye fer a moment?”

“What’s the point? I understand it all now.”

“Respectfully, I dinnae think ye dae.”

“Then explain it tae me.”

Enya sighed and stepped further into the room, taking Ciara by the hand and leading her over to a pair of chairs. They sat facing each other and for a moment, Enya seemed to struggle with her words. But she pursed her lips and nodded to herself.

“All of us, we MacLeod siblings, we were born with certain gifts. One of me gifts is the ability tae heal. The night Magnus gave ye a draught—which he was ordered tae dae—'twas tae test yer resistance tae our gifts. I was able tae heal ye after giving ye a small scrape, which told us yer immunity only extended tae gifts like Magnus’, which is the ability tae read thoughts.”

“Aye. I had figured that out already.”

Enya was undeterred. “But ‘twas a theory of me maither’s that intimate contact might give Magnus a way around yer immunity. We had him test the theory by kissin’ ye?—”

“Like I said in the hall, ‘twas all a mummery.”

She shook her head. “It would only work if there was an intimate bond between ye. Magnus wouldnae have been able tae read yer thoughts if he didnae care about ye. It only works if there are genuine feelin’s, Ciara. That’s what I’m tryin’ tae say. ‘Twas nae a mummery. He had wanted tae kiss ye fer a long time and had been fighting with his feelings long afore we asked him tae dae it.”

Ciara sat back in her chair and frowned as she let Enya’s words sink in. She wanted to believe she hadn’t given herself to a man who was simply using her for his own ends, but who genuinely cared for her. But she wasn’t sure what to think about it all.

“Why did he keep it from me?” she asked.

“Because when we were kids, our faither made us all swear tae keep our gifts tae ourselves. Tae tell nobody. ‘Twas a way tae keep us safe because ye ken people fear what they dinnae understand. And there is nae understandin’ our gifts, I’m afraid. Domhnall didnae tell Katherine about his gift at first. It took some time.”

“Was she upset as well?”

“A wee bit, aye,” she said then took her hand and gave it a squeeze. “What I’m tryin’ tae tell ye is that me braither cares fer ye. More than ye ken. Ye’ve made him happier than I’ve ever seen him in me life. Dinnae throw that all away because he obeyed me faither’s orders—'tis somethin’ he’s done his whole life, that was ingrained in him.”

Ciara was still confused and wasn’t sure what to make of it all. But her talk with Enya took some of the bite out of the venom flowing through her veins, cooling her anger slightly. Try as she might though, Ciara couldn’t seem to ignore the fact that Magnus had used his gift to get into her head. It felt like a betrayal of her trust.

“Please just think about what I said,” Enya said softly.

Ciara frowned and looked down at her hands for a moment before raising her head again and giving Enya a gentle nod.

“I will.”