Chapter 12

It had been a while since Dunn had last written a letter to Alec and he knew that if he didn’t send one that very day, his brother would send someone after him. It had been their agreement all along: Dunn could take on the dangerous role of scout as long as he communicated with Alec often enough to prove that he was alive and well. The last thing Dunn needed now, though, was a panicked Alec barging into Macgillivray Castle, demanding to know what happened to him.

After writing a hasty letter and sending it off, Dunn made his way to the great hall. It would soon be time for dinner and he knew the laird would grasp any opportunity to declare him unfit for his daughter, including being late. Just as he rounded the corner, though, he almost collided with Laird McCoy and came to a halt, looking curiously at the man.

Had he been waitin’ fer me?

It seemed more likely than Dunn would have liked.

“Laird McCoy,” he said, bowing his head in greeting.

Laird McCoy seemed to have no desire for pleasantries, though. He took a step forward, closing the distance between them, but Dunn remained still. He wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction.

“I think it’s time that ye begin tae consider what is best fer everyone,” Laird McCoy said. “If ye leave now, nae one will get hurt. All ye have tae dae is tell Elayne ye dinnae love her an’ leave. I’ll even give ye a hefty pouch o’ gold. More than she’s worth, surely. An’ then ye’ll be free tae dae as ye wish.”

Rage coursed through his veins and threatened to spill over, but Dunn tried to keep himself calm. He could have killed Laird McCoy right then and there, but what good would that have done? It would only make his position worse.

Instead, he asked, “An’ if I refuse?”

“Then I suppose I have nae choice but tae make this bloody.”

Laird McCoy was about to say more, but he stopped when he glanced over Dunn’s shoulder. Dunn followed his gaze and saw Elayne and Blaine there, approaching them on their way to the great hall, identical expressions of concern on their faces.

Smirking, Dunn turned back to Laird McCoy. “I understand very well what is expected o’ me.”

The answering smirk on Laird McCoy’s face made Dunn’s stomach churn, bile rising to the back of his throat. He truly was a vile man, inspiring nothing but disgust to those around him.

The moment Elayne was in his reach, Dunn grabbed her by the waist and pulled her into a kiss, much to her surprise. For a moment, she flailed, not knowing how to react, but then her hands came to rest on his shoulders, her lips turning pliant against his.

When he broke the kiss, everyone looked at him with wide eyes, shocked at the sudden display, but Dunn didn’t care. He had made his point.

“I love bein’ with ye,” he told Elayne.

Dumbfounded, Elayne blinked up at him a few times. “I love bein’ with ye, too.”

Dunn didn’t turn to look at Laird McCoy as he stomped away, leaving the three of them alone. The moment he was gone, Elayne turned back to Dunn, a curious look on her face.

“Why did ye dae that?” she asked, though she didn’t sound angry with him; only vaguely amused.

“I only wanted tae show McCoy how wrong he is,” Dunn said with a small shrug, refusing to elaborate. He didn’t want Elayne worrying for no reason. Instead, he beckoned Blaine closer, and once he was certain that no one else was there to hear them, he took the opportunity to discuss their most pressing matter. “There is only one key fer the study. I saw Laird MacGillivray give it tae McCoy earlier today. If Elayne is tae take it from her faither, then we have tae make sure he has it first.”

“I’ll take it at the first chance,” Elayne assured him.

“Good,” said Blaine. “An’ then Dunn an’ I will copy everythin’ we need. Will ye be able tae return the key, Elayne?”

“Aye,” said Elayne confidently. “Dinnae fash. I can dae it.”

Dunn nodded firmly. The plan had been set in motion. Now all they needed to do was find the right moment.

There was tension in Dunn’s shoulders. Even from her seat on the bench in the training grounds, Elayne could see it: the rigid expanse of his back, the way he looked like a coiled snake, ready to lash out at the first sign of danger. He was sparring with Blaine, but she doubted that had anything to do with all the stress he carried in his body.

She could hardly blame him. She, too, was nervous about their plan, though she tried to keep it hidden from him. The last thing she wanted was to make him worry about her, too, when he already had so much else to think about. She simply told herself that everything would go well. It had to; too much hinged upon this plan and they couldn’t fail. If they did, they wouldn’t be the only ones to pay for it. A war would destroy many more lives.

With a sigh, Elayne stood and made her way to Isobel’s quarters. If there was anything that could take her mind off the danger of the plan, it was a conversation with her best friend.

She found the healer’s quarters almost entirely empty when she entered. Only Isobel was there, grinding some herbs into a paste and smiling at Elayne when their gazes met.

“Are ye alone?” Elayne asked, closing the door behind her.

“Aye,” said Isobel. “Maither has gone tae the town.”

Elayne was glad about it. It meant she could talk to Isobel freely, without worrying that someone else would hear. She took a seat next to Isobel on the large table, where she kept all her papers and her books, along with a mess of vials filled with different things, taking a sprig of lavender in her hand and twirling it idly around her fingers.

“I will have tae find a way tae take me faither’s keys from him,” she said. She had already told Isobel about the plan, and she had been concerned from the moment she heard it, but now she froze entirely, an apprehensive frown appearing on her face.

“It will be dangerous,” she said.

“Aye,” said Elayne with a sigh. “But what other choice dae I have? I must help Dunn stop this war.”

Isobel abandoned her task and turned to look at Elayne, her hand coming to rest on her shoulder. “Promise me ye will be careful. This is nay game, Elayne.”

“I promise.” Elayne rested her own hand over Isobel’s giving it a reassuring pat. “Naething will happen tae me. I’ll be very careful.”

Isobel didn’t seem entirely convinced, but at least she knew better than to ask Elayne to change her mind. There was no going back now. Elayne had to do this, and so she would.

“Talk tae me about somethin’ else,” said Elayne. She needed to take her mind off things, to think about something pleasant for a while. At her request, Isobel gave her a small, shy smile, color rushing to her cheeks.

“Blaine kissed me,” she said with a giddy laugh. “I had begun tae think he never would.”

Elayne couldn’t help but gasp, her hand coming up to cover her mouth in surprise as she smiled. “He did? Was it good?”

Isobel’s cheeks were painted an impossibly deep shade of red. “It was,” she said quietly, nodding. “I’m hopin’ he will be bolder now.”

Drawing her bottom lip between her teeth, Elayne looked at Isobel, trying to decide whether she should ask her what she truly wanted to know. In the end, her curiosity won over her embarrassment, and she looked for a moment over her shoulder to make sure no one could hear them, though there was no one else there.

“Isobel, ye have some… experience, dae ye nae?” she asked. “Well, more than I dae, at least.”

Isobel’s smile was both mischievous and infectious. “I suppose I dae. Why? Is there somethin’ ye wish tae ken?”

Elayne nodded. “Dunn, he… he kens how tae pleasure a woman.” Isobel, of course, knew all about it, since Elayne had run to her the moment she got the chance, telling her everything that had happened between them. “But I worry I ken naething. He has bedded so many before me an’ compared tae them, I’m useless!”

“Ye’re nae useless. Simply inexperienced,” Isobel said. “Ye wish tae please him?”

“I dae,” said Elayne. It was difficult to keep herself from stammering, the words coming haltingly past her lips. “When he… when he put his mouth there it felt so good. An’ the things he tells me, I wish I could dae the same fer him.”

“Ye can,” Isobel said, rolling her eyes when Elayne shook her head in denial. “Ye can, Elayne. Ye have tae seduce him. First, remove his clothes slowly, kissin’ his neck. They like that. Most o’ what ye like, he likes too.”

Elayne listened carefully, mentally taking notes as Isobel instructed her. Then she watched, half in amusement and half in horror as she wrapped her hand around a pestle lying on the table, slowly moving it over the length of the wood.

“What are ye doin’?” she asked, unable to control her giggles.

“Listen!” Isobel said, though she couldn’t help but giggle, too. “Stroke him slowly, like this, while ye kiss him. Watch him tae see what he likes best. Some like a firm grip. Then, fall tae yer knees an’ look up at him as ye bring him tae yer mouth. Dinnae try tae take him deep at first, ye’ll only make it difficult fer yerself. Just stroke him and suck at the tip. Swirl yer tongue around him, too, if ye can.”

Elayne was mortified, but she could easily imagine it. Her breath quickened as she thought about everything she could do to Dunn to drive him as crazy as he drove her, falling to her knees and tasting him, bringing him to his release.

“An’ ye can tell him how big he is, they certainly like that,” Isobel added.

“But I dinnae have a point o’ reference,” Elayne pointed out. How could she know what big was when she had never been with another man?

“Show me, with yer hands,” Isobel said.

Frowning in concentration, Elayne tied to approximate Dunn’s size with her fingers. When she looked up at Isobel, her eyes were slightly wider.

“Well, that’s rather big,” she said. “I suppose it makes sense. He is a big lad.”

Laughter bubbled out of Elayne. She could hardly believe they were having this conversation, but she needed to know more. “What else can I say tae him?”

Humming, Isobel considered it for a few moments. “Ye can tell him he feels good inside ye. Ye can tell him how much ye love his body, what ye love about it or maybe how ye want him tae take ye. Many enjoy it when ye take control an’ tell them what tae dae.”

“They dae?” asked Elayne. It seemed unlikely, considering how most men she had met seemed averse to taking orders unless they came from another man.

Isobel nodded, though, and she seemed certain of it. “Try it an’ see fer yerself.”

Elayne didn’t know if she could bring herself to voice precisely what she wanted from Dunn without instantly combusting from all the embarrassment, but she supposed it was worth the effort if it was going to please him—if it was going to please them both.

If she had the guts to steal the keys from her father, she wasn’t going to balk at the thought of seducing Dunn.