The Magic of Highland Dragons (11 page)

“It was a small town. Not too many people. There were mountains, and it was very beautiful. But it was far from here. Quite far.”

“I’m sure that it was.” Truly, he had never heard anyone speak quite the way she did, that strange accent, foreign words, exotic, enchanting. Just like the fine curve of her jaw and the deep sea-green of her eyes… just like everything about her. As he looked at her, deciding what he would ask next, he felt like there was something he was missing, something he was just simply failing to see. Something that should be so obvious to him, but would just not come to mind. He wanted to shake her and demand to know what it was that made him want to see her, touch her, be near her. What had him so damn
obsessed
. He drew in a steadying breath, let it go slowly. They were almost there; just over the next rise was the hunting lodge. The lodge was only a few hours ride from the castle proper, and was more of a convenience than a real necessity.

Faith stretched to see over the thick gorse bushes to the lodge ahead. In spite of everything, she was very excited. A hunt. Beltane… Against all odds, she would experience both.

Dusk was falling by the time the horses were cared for and a quick meal of bread and cheese eaten. Faith looked up to see the western sky through the tree branches streaked with gold and just a blush of pink. She felt strangely exhilarated, and bread and cheese had never tasted so good. She washed it down with the watered ale that she had with her in a travelling flask, packed for her by Berta, along with a medical kit of sorts, in case any of the men should get hurt. The men, ten all together, milled around, talking and joking with one another. There was a palpable air of excitement about the next day’s hunt, and even more about the upcoming Beltane celebration. Bren, though, was sitting quietly on a log, sharpening his hunting knife, a slight frown on his face, as if he were deep in thought. She went over near to him, against her better judgment, but she was feeling rather bold this evening. It could be the excitement in the air, or maybe she had drunk too much of the watered ale, she didn’t know. She sat on another log nearby. He looked up briefly, then returned to his work, but one corner of his mouth turned up just a little in obvious satisfaction that she had been the one to approach
him
.

She watched for a moment as he drew the blade cleanly across the stone. “Why am I the only woman along on this trip? You know very well I don’t know how to hunt, or butcher an animal either. I won’t be any use to you at all here.”

He didn’t look up, but kept sharpening the knife, pulling it in long strokes over the stone. His lips curled all the way up at the corners now.
Oh, I can think of a use… one that has nothing to do with hunting and everything to do with pure carnal pleasure...
“We dinna usually bring women hunting. We dinna need them.”

“Then why?”

He let a slow evocative smile touch his lips before he looked up and met her gaze. “Perhaps I just want to keep ye close to me. Did I no’ promise Dirc I’d look after ye?”

Her heart began to pound. It was the way he was looking at her, the heat in his eyes. He was probably an excellent lover, she reflected as her thoughts began to stray again. What would it be like, to make uninhibited, passionate love with a man like Bren? It would be intense, like he was. Heated. Desperate. Maybe a little erotic. Maybe a lot erotic. She had no real basis for comparison, anyway. She’d been so busy with school and jobs, she’d never had time for a serious boyfriend, never even thought too much about a physical relationship with a man, always figuring it would happen when it happened. Until now. Now it seemed she could think of little else. Now her virginity felt like a terrible weight she only wanted to be rid of. She really wished she had done so already, so she would have more of a clue, so she would know more about what she was, or wasn’t missing. Especially when Bren looked at her like that…

He stood, thrusting the knife into the sheath at his hip and offering her his hand. “Let’s get some sleep. We’ll be up before dawn for the hunt.” He paused, as if he had remembered something important. “But first I must have yer oath, as it was agreed. It’s the third day, today, of yer being under the protection of Creagmor, and nay kin have come to claim ye. Eian shall bear witness.”

Faith vaguely remembered something about an oath of loyalty being discussed, but she wasn’t sure of the implications, of the oath itself, or of breaking it. How could she be expected to keep such an oath when she wasn’t even sure where she might end up tomorrow? And she was pretty sure that the penalty for breaking an oath to Bren Mac Coinnach would not be to her liking.

“I… I’m not sure I want to. I mean… need to. I don’t know how long I’m staying at Creagmor. It might not be long at all. Maybe just another day or two. Dirc didn’t say, exactly.” God, she sounded like a rambling idiot, even to herself.

Bren regarded her with blatantly false patience. She clearly didn’t want to make an oath to him, and her reticence made him feel angry and… desperate. He
wanted
her oath of loyalty, and he didn’t even want to think that she could be gone in a few short days. No. She would not be leaving him that soon. He would keep her at Creagmor even if he had to force her to stay. And Dirc would have no choice but to go along with his decision, because he had petitioned for protection for the lass. She would give her oath tonight; he would have it no other way.

He gave her a tight-lipped smile. “I’m afraid that I must insist. Eian!” He called to his brother, who came loping over from where the horses were being tended. “Faith is due to give her oath this day. Ye must be witness.”

“But I never said I was giving any oath…”

“Aye, ye are, lass, unless ye’d care to be ridden off of Mac Coinnach lands and left to fend for yerself.”

Faith stared at Bren’s cold, hard expression, trying to gauge whether he would really carry out such a threat. Honestly, she couldn’t be sure, but she was betting that for honor alone, he would have to follow through. He was betting she would stay, and now she had a choice to make that wasn’t really much of a choice. She could take the oath, whether she actually meant it or not, or be abandoned in the woods where she would more than likely be killed or die of natural causes after wandering around lost for days on end. No, definitely not much of a choice.

If she was being honest with herself, making an oath to him was not a big deal, especially since she had no other ties here, and so no other loyalties but to herself. What was making her angry was that he was forcing his will on her, and she felt that he had no right. But, there was the other side of things too. He was giving her food and shelter. Damn.

She drew herself up to her full height and glared at him, her anger making her bold. “Fine. I will give you my oath. But I won’t like it.”

He gave her a cruel, victorious smile, and Eian handed him his sword. “Place yer hands on the hilt, lass, and kneel before me.”

“Kneel? Are you crazy?”

“On yer knees!” he bellowed.

She looked up at him, and she could easily see why so many feared him. Yet she didn’t.
She didn’t.
Holding his gaze with a smoldering look of fury, she slowly sank to her knees, and reached to grip the hilt so tightly that her knuckles turned white, bowing her head.

“I give you my oath of loyalty.” She looked up and muttered under her breath. “But I don’t have to like it.”

Bren stared down at the lass for a long moment as she knelt before him. God, but she had spirit! She wanted to defy him, he could feel it in her every heartbeat. She had thought it through, though, and knew that he would have to carry out his threat, and abandonment would mean her almost certain death. He would have sent someone back for her, but he would never tell her that. Still, she had tried to flay him with her eyes and her tongue, and he wanted her all the more for it. He held out his hand to her.

She hesitated to take it, remembering how strongly she had felt his touch before. He smiled at her, holding her gaze, and took her hand in his, pulling her gently to her feet. She felt him shudder a little at the contact, saw his eyes darken and his lips part just a little. He felt the same thing. That knowledge somehow made her stronger, more empowered. And much, much sexier than she had ever felt before. She had stood up to him, well she had tried to anyway, and survived. His rage had left as quickly as it had come, and so had hers. As if such a small thing was of no real consequence between them.

He led her through the open door. The hunting lodge itself was not much more than four walls and a roof, with a fireplace at one end; a fire already roaring in the hearth to take the chill off the cool spring evening. The place smelled of dirt and wood smoke, and a faint underlying musty odor from years of use. The floor was bare earth, swept clean, and there was no furniture to speak of. It was clearly meant only as a shelter from the weather, little more. She stood there in the firelight, unsure of what to do next. The men were unrolling blankets onto the floor, bedding down for the night with no particular care as to where they lay. She watched as Bren rolled out a thick woolen coverlet in one corner, then motioned to her.

He smiled at her when she hesitated. “Come, lass, yer bed awaits. And I willna bite.”

The naked desire in his eyes made her stomach flutter, and her heart skip a few beats. She went over, knelt and then lay down on the blanket, because she couldn’t very well stand there all night. He covered her gently with a second one, then he spread another bed roll not three feet away. She gave him a reproving look, and he smiled at her again, his straight white teeth gleaming in the firelight.

“Dinna worry, I will be right here all night, protecting yer virtue.”

Faith flounced to her other side, facing the wall, a little smile on her face that she hoped he couldn’t see. “Great, I will definitely sleep better knowing that.”

He laughed, and she turned her head back to watch him lie down on the blanket. His every movement was fluid grace. Sensual, full of promise. His body was built to admire, to fascinate, but the aura of shameless sexuality and grace that he radiated at all times would surely be any woman’s undoing, should he turn it on her full force. She clenched her eyes shut tighter, willing sleep to come so she would stop being tempted to roll over and press her body against his. What on earth was wrong with her, that she couldn’t even control her thoughts near this man? She tried to think instead of her biggest problem: her current displacement in time and space, and what she was ultimately going to do about it. Still unable to come up with any answers, at last she slept.

Bren lay awake for some time after Faith drifted off, watching her sleep. He was not really lying so close to her to protect her virtue; that had been a lie. None of the men he had brought with him would ever touch her, as they were under threat of death if they did so. He had seen to that. He had simply wanted to be near her. No, that was a lie too. What he wanted more than anything right now was to crawl under that blanket with her, push her skirts up to her hips, and sink himself deep. He was already hard and aching just thinking about it, and perhaps the only thing stopping him from reaching for her was the fact they were surrounded by his men. Another lie. That was the
only
thing stopping him this night. He was damn well ready to break his vow, sully his honor, anything just to have her. He imagined all of the different ways their bodies could come together, how sweet she would taste, how good it would feel… He lay half the night staring at the wooden beams of the ceiling, his body throbbing, his hands aching to touch her. She had been at Creagmor mere days, and already he was hopelessly lusting after her. He could not imagine how he could go on like this for much longer.

***

Faith woke slowly, feeling warm and drowsy. Everyone else still slept; she could hear the myriad of soft snores filling the room. The fire had died down, but there was just enough light to make out dim shapes scattered across the floor. She started to stretch, still half dreaming, but she couldn’t seem to move her left hand. She came fully awake with a start. Bren had moved closer to her in the night, and he held her hand wrapped in both of his, tight against his chest. A moment of aching tenderness came over her as she looked at him. She could see the outline of his face, still asleep, and she had to wonder if he was really the hard and dangerous man everyone thought him to be. She suspected there was more, much more.

Gently, slowly, she pulled her hand away, and he woke, giving her a dreamy, boyish smile, his hair falling about his face in unruly waves and curls. In that moment she wanted more than anything to pull him close and…

“Good morning, lass.” He stretched his arms over his head and sighed contentedly. “Mmmm. Are ye ready for yer first hunt then?”

The hunting party, minus some of the guardsmen who stayed behind at the lodge, headed out into the woods. Faith was near the back, still a bit wary of riding, but growing more comfortable and confident by the minute. She patted her mare’s neck affectionately. “You are a sweet girl, aren’t you? You know I don’t know what I’m doing, and you’re being nice to me anyway.”

It was less than an hour before they had flushed out a deer, then another, and a third. Bren and the other huntsmen took off after them, riding hard. By the time Faith got close enough to see, the hunters had already gutted the animals and strapped them to the backs of extra horses brought along for just that purpose. Then a couple of men headed back to the lodge with the meat, while the rest stayed to try for some pheasant or rabbit. They were having no more luck finding game, but Faith was thoroughly enjoying herself. Riding in the Scottish countryside under a blue sky, the pleasant scent of horses and leather mixing with that of peaty earth and damp grass; she was almost... happy. In a way that she’d never been happy before. The feeling filled her from within, warming her and seeping into places that had been empty for a very long time. From time to time she caught Bren watching her, the intensity of his gaze making her a bit uneasy. And more than a bit excited. Each time she met his gaze, he did not look away, but held it until her eyes shifted back to the road ahead. He was bold and capable and self-assured, and his gaze declared that he would look at her all he wanted if it pleased him to do so. She doubted if he was afraid of anything at all, and he was definitely not shy about his desire for her. She was willing to bet he wouldn’t be shy about anything else, either.