“Never,” she avowed, lacing her fingers in his. Her courage and determination were like a rock grounding her.
She met his eyes, seeing the love that shone in their depths.
Bringing their joined hands to his lips, he brushed a kiss along her knuckles. “If anything were to happen to ye—” Stephen broke off in midsentence, wrapping his other arm around her.
“Nothing will happen to either of us,” she said, breathing in his scent.
If only he could feel assured by her words, as she did. However, something else was prickling at his senses.
Danger and death
. Their destinies were intertwined, sealed by the Fates. His heart lurched knowing that when the time came, he would do anything to see her safe.
Instantly, Stephen realized what had to be done.
Chapter Thirty-Three
“The cloak of truth can be a heavy burden to keep hidden.”
Breathing in the fresh, brisk air, Stephen felt renewed. He had slept soundly for a few hours with Aileen snuggled against him. Rising early, he gathered the horses, content to let her rest a while longer.
They were greeted with sun, breaking through white billowy clouds. It was as if the storm had ceased to exist when morning arrived.
Each broke their fast in silence, happy to be on the road again. Losing almost a full day of riding worried Stephen. Their journey would take another two days. Again, fear crept through him warning him something was on the horizon.
Aidan had relented on his request from the night before. Instead of taking Aileen back with him, he decided he and Liam would accompany them to Grenlee. Now Stephen had to deal with the reactions from the people, who would probably drop to the ground, or run for the hills when they saw the great Aidan Kerrigan riding with them.
The man would surely wallow in their presence.
He gave a passing glance to Aileen, and she rewarded him with a smile. In just a few short days, much had changed between them. The Great Dragon spoke of a destiny with Aileen, making him wonder if forever was truly possible. Could he really find redemption?
For the first time in many moons, hope flared.
Flashes of memories swirled in his mind. Whispers of the night Meggie died. The Guardian had appeared, and her anger infused the words she spoke to them. She had seared them into his mind, but somehow he had forgotten.
Destiny...Love...Gate...
“By the hounds!” he gritted out through clenched teeth, slowly shifting his pace with Grian.
Stephen couldn’t control the onslaught of not only the memories, but the vision that was taking hold. He heard Aileen call out his name, her voice a faint whisper in the back of his mind.
This vision was entirely different. There weren’t any traces of the burning pain, which always accompanied them. He moved through the image, as if floating through water.
Stephen heard the conversation clearly.
“Ye can either take her place at the stake, or watch her burn. It is your choice.” The man slithered past in an attempt to remove his stone. His breath reeked of the poison that was in him.
“I will not relinquish my relic, and ye will release her, this instant!”
Sadistic laughter greeted his response. “But that is not my bargain.”
“Then I shall burn with my relic, and take ye with me!”
“So be it,” the man hissed out. “Burn the woman!”
Violent screams ripped at him, the vision closing in on Stephen.
“Stephen, please talk to me. What is it?” asked Aileen, her voice laced with fear.
“What’s wrong with him?” questioned Aidan. “Why won’t he answer you?”
Liam stood close to them, his head tilted to the side, studying Stephen. “Don’t touch him, Aileen.”
Her head snapped around to Liam. “Why?”
“He’s having a vision. Your touch will hinder it.”
“Now just a moment, Liam, I have helped him before—”
He cut her off with a wave of his hand. “This is different. You are now joined by your stones. I fear if you touch him, you will either stop the vision, or taint the outcome.”
Aileen reached for her pendant.
“The vision is gone,” muttered Stephen, still keeping his eyes closed. Letting his body become aware of its surroundings, he gradually opened them. Sunlight hit him squarely, and he waited for the shards of pain to follow.
Yet, nothing—
no
pain
.
Stephen didn’t wait a moment longer, for he jumped off his horse. Quickly going to Aileen, he drew her down to him.
“Are you okay?” Taking her hand across his forehead, he gave her a smile.
“Och, aye.” Holding her close to his chest breathing in her scent. “Not only are my visions as they were before I was cursed, but now they are stronger in the telling.” He cupped her face with his hands, brushing a light kiss on her nose. “I ken our stones are indeed linked, and I am stronger for it.”
Seeing her tears, he brushed a thumb across one that had fallen, and she took a hold of his hand. “No longer will you have to suffer in blinding pain. Your visions can be revealed without the trauma it would inflict.” She reached up, kissing him squarely on the lips.
Aidan cleared his throat, but made no attempt at some caustic remark.
“What did you see, Stephen?” inquired Liam.
“This man, Lachlan, is not after the villagers. He wants me and my stone. This hasn’t been a journey on behalf of the bishop.”
“It hasn’t?” Aileen asked, seemingly stunned.
“Nae. He wants the power of the Dragon Knights, and will do anything to possess it, including”—Stephen captured her eyes with his—“taking what would mean certain death to me.”
“And what would that be?” interjected Aidan.
Stephen met Aidan’s look directly. “Aileen.”
****
He waited patiently for the men to catch up, giving a firm pat to his horse. They would not be at the coast for another few weeks, unless he pushed them harder.
Though the sun was shining, the bite of the north wind blew past him, almost as if the
Cailleach
refused to release her hold on winter. Staring ahead at Caedons Pass, his nerves were taut with anticipation. Cathal had brought the news of Lachlan near Arbroath Abbey. The same abbey where untruths circulated that his brother had settled.
He wanted Lachlan dead more than anyone.
It was the druid’s blade, which almost killed his beloved wife. Now the bloody bastard was near his brother. His hands clenched on the reins. There was only one possible explanation. Lachlan was after Stephen for his stone. Yet, Stephen no longer possessed it.
Unless...
Someone shouted his name, and Duncan MacKay turned.
Gavin McTeague galloped forward with restless energy. They didn’t have any enemies in these parts, but one never knew. He relied on Gavin to have their back, and to be their lookout on the road ahead. He and a small group of soldiers were all that remained at Urquhart Castle when Duncan returned after being gone for a year.
“What troubles ye, Gavin?”
“We are traveling the same path as four others.” Gavin uttered, shifting uneasily.
“And why is that a concern?” asked Duncan, adding, “There are often travelers along these paths.”
“The exact same path, Duncan? They used the cave up by the loch, as well.”
“It cannot be,” he replied mystified. “There are only a few from Urquhart who ken it exists.”
“Including your brothers,” stated Gavin.
Duncan reeled from Gavin’s words. “Why would they not seek their home?”
Gavin arched a brow. “Ye ask such a question?”
Duncan blew out a curse.
“Shall I ride ahead?”
“Aye,” said Duncan, slowly. “Here comes the MacFhearguis and his men.”
Gavin sneered. “Do ye trust him?”
Duncan almost laughed, until he remembered Alex and Patrick MacFhearguis had been witnesses to Lachlan’s evil plan with him that night.
He rubbed a hand over the knot in his neck, longing to be back at Urquhart. “For the moment, Gavin, we all must trust each other.”
Gavin nodded. However, before he started to leave, Duncan added, “Do not say a word about what ye have told me. I think it wise not to let Patrick ken another MacKay is within a day’s ride.”
“Agreed,” answered Gavin.
Chapter Thirty-Four
“When the Knight drank the mead from the cup, he realized too late that it was tainted with magic—sealing his fate in the land of the faery.”
The waning moon hung low in the evening sky greeting the night travelers.
What Aileen wouldn’t give for a warm bed, instead of the rough trunk of the tree she was resting against. Feeling utterly drained from staying up most of the night talking with her father didn’t help either. Her eyes weighed heavy, and at one point on the journey, she actually drifted off.
Now she cast her sight to the two men speaking in almost whispers.
Stephen was listening to something Liam was saying. The light of the fire cast shadows across his face lined with worry. He had come to her rescue when she almost spilled off of Buttertwill, letting her ride with him for a while. Watching him nod every so often at Liam, she noticed his hands were clenched.
Aileen wanted to abandon her tree trunk for his arms to soothe away his worry. The past twenty-four hours had brought changes to the three men. A bonding had occurred. Even her father had paid Stephen a compliment over their meal last night. She didn’t understand what happened, but welcomed it all the same.
“Eager to be back at Grenlee tomorrow?” asked her father, stepping forth from the trees.
Aileen smiled. “Yes, for if anything there will be softer beds.”
“What? You don’t like the ground for support?” he chided.
“No, not at the moment.”
He crouched down next to her, placing his arm around her shoulders. “Try to get some rest. You’ll feel better in the morning.”
“That’s what Stephen said last night, and he was wrong.”
Her dad gave a small chuckle.
“Dad?”
“Yes, Aileen.”
“Are you staying?” It was the one question she feared to ask her father. Her heart ached at the thought of him returning. When he didn’t answer her, a lump formed in her throat.
He sighed deeply. “No. I cannot.”
“But why?” she blurted out.
He released his hold of her so he could look at her directly. “If I don’t return by the full moon, Liam’s life will be forfeit.”
Aileen’s eyes went wide. “They would do that? The fae would take his
life
?”
“Yes. He broke a sacred vow by bringing me through the veil.”
“Why would you let him do it?”
“He knew the risk and was the one to make the suggestion. Though, I believe he feared me more than the fae.”
“Oh Dad, you should not have come.” Tears stung her weary eyes.
Crushing her back against him, he replied, “I would ask the fae myself, just to make sure you were all right. You forget, Aileen, I have lived in this century.”
“I’m stronger than you think, Dad, and you already defied them once. You were fortunate they didn’t take your life.”
He smiled wistfully, and she touched his face. “The blood of the fae is strong within ye.”
“Your brogue is slipping again,” laughed Aileen.
“’Tis easy to slip back into when I’m around your Knight. Is there no way I can convince you to come back with me?”
“I love you, Dad, but my life is here with Stephen.” She squeezed his arm, adding, “At least we have over a month until the full moon. I plan on not wasting any of that time.”
He settled more firmly against the solid oak, pulling the tartan securely around them both. “It was a question I had to ask, though I knew your answer. Now then, perhaps I’ll share another story of my life with you before you drift off.”
“I would like that,” she said quietly.
“Let’s see...the year was 974, a few years before the great Brian Boru became king of Ireland.”
“I love the story of Brian Boru,” she uttered softly.
“Aye, but you’ve never heard how I saved his life, so he could become king.” He scratched his day-old beard. “As I was saying, I met Brian Boru one fine summer morn, coming upon him and his brother, Mahon, in a display of swordsmanship. Their love for the other was fierce. But on this day, their anger sliced the air with each swing of their blades...”
Aileen tried so hard to listen, yet, the lure of the story and her father’s voice soon had her drifting off into dreams of Ireland and King Brian Boru.
****
“Awake,
leannan
,” murmured Stephen. “I wish I could wake ye properly, but we best be on our way.”
Aileen sighed against his arms. “Even if we have the time, there is still the problem of our
company
.” She yawned, stretching out her legs.
Stephen placed a gentle kiss on her lips before helping her to stand. “Go break your fast with your father. I’ll ready the horses.”
She smiled, giving him another long kiss.
Breaking from the kiss, Stephen smiled mischievously. “Ye are a verra lusty woman in the morning.”
“Uh huh,” she replied, grazing her lips across his smooth chin. “You shaved this morning.”
Smacking her bottom, he sent her toward her father.
Stephen didn’t turn when he heard Liam approach. He kept his eyes on Aileen, who was doing her best to walk ever so slowly, showing him just what he was missing.
“Remember your vow, Fenian. I will hold ye to it,” Stephen uttered low.
“You have my word, Dragon Knight,” replied Liam, tersely. He proceeded to shuffle past Stephen, and then paused. “You love her that much?”
“I would give my life for hers.”
Liam shook his head in understanding as he made his way to his horse.
Stephen directed his gaze once more to Aileen. She was devouring her meal, yet managed to tease him mercilessly with each blackberry she placed on her tongue. She was thrilled to come upon them yesterday, telling him she longed to make something special when they returned to Grenlee.
He chuckled softly and whistled for Grian.
“No more, Dad.” Aileen smacked his hand away. “I want to bake something for Stephen, and at the rate you keep popping them into your mouth there won’t be any left.”