“Aye,” she whispered. “He’s the stranger I spoke of yesterday.”
Morcant rested his hand on the hilt of his sword. “We need to go after him, Ronan.”
Ronan nodded, but didn’t take his gaze from Morvan. “Where did he go? Is he returning here?”
“He was on his way back to the place where it all began,” she said.
Morcant let out a string of curses. “We can still catch him.”
“Be careful,” Morvan cautioned. “He can be a bit untamed.”
Ronan’s lips compressed. “We know firsthand.”
She watched the two men stride off, hoping they were able to find Stefan quickly. Morvan walked the horse to the stables herself and fed him after putting him in his stall.
By the time she returned to the castle, she was exhausted. She was quickly surrounded by Meg and Leana who guided her to the solar.
“Is it true?” Leana asked her. “Is Stefan out there?”
Morvan nodded. “It is. The past few days have felt like someone aligned the stars to bring us together.”
“How do you mean?” Meg asked.
Morvan told them the story of how she’d been brought to the cliffs by some unknown force, and how she and Stefan came to meet. She left out their night together, ending the tale with Stefan leaving her at the castle.
“He was here,” Leana said with a shake of her head. “He was right here. If only he had come in with you.”
Morvan picked at a sweetmeat. She had consumed four during her story. “He was so anxious to find his friends. All he wanted to do was get back to the place where it all began to see what he could find.”
Meg leaned back in her chair, regarding her. “How much did Stefan tell you?”
“All that he knew. Was he right? Were they cursed?”
Leana sighed loudly. “They certainly were.”
It took all Morvan could do to keep her eyes open as the two shared their stories of how Ronan and Morcant came to be at Ravensclyde.
“Is it fate that all three were brought to this clan?” Morvan asked.
Meg smiled. “It’s magic.”
Magic. Morvan wasn’t sure if that was the correct word, but then again, she didn’t know what to call whatever had compelled her to the cliffs to touch the etching of the wolf.
“Are you feeling well, Morvan?” Leana asked worriedly.
Morvan rubbed her hand along her forehead. “For some reason I can’t shake the exhaustion.”
“It’s everything you’ve been through.” Meg rose and helped Morvan to stand. “We’ll let you rest in your chamber.”
Leana smiled. “And we’ll be sure to let you know as soon as Stefan arrives.”
~ ~ ~
Stefan spent the entire day trying to make it across the stream. The farthest he got was half way before he got a bad feeling. As soon as his feet were back on Sinclair land, the feeling dimmed, but didn’t go away.
He bedded for the night at the cliffs, but sleep eluded him. All he could see when he closed his eyes was Morvan as they’d made love beneath the stars in that exact spot.
Stefan was on his way back to the castle before the sun peaked over the mountains. He waited for a glance of Morvan, because he knew she couldn’t stay within the castle walls for long. She was a child of the forest, after all.
As the sun continued its ascent, there was no sign of her. Stefan decided to try a different route to leave. Surely this time he would make it back to the glen where he and his friends were cursed.
If he couldn’t have Morvan, he could at least avenge his friends.
CHAPTER EIGHT
For four days, Stefan tried to leave. He tried going different directions each time, but every dawn he found himself back at the castle hoping for a glimpse of Morvan.
He’d stayed at the castle longer than he should have, especially since there seemed to be someone following him. Stefan briefly contemplated waiting for whoever it was, but he didn’t want to fight. He just wanted to see Morvan.
As the dawn of the fifth day came, Stefan walked from the trees across the open plain to stop a cart that had just come from the castle.
“Good morn,” he called to the elder man, putting a smile on his face though he felt like anything but smiling.
The man nodded in return. “Good morn.”
“There’ve been rumors around that someone from the MacKay clan has come to the castle. Is it true?”
The old man looked back at the castle for a moment. “Aye. It’s a woman who came. It must be bad at the MacKay clan for their people to begin coming to Ravensclyde.”
Stefan patted the horse pulling the cart. “What does the laird say?”
“The laird isna here yet, lad. He and his men will be here soon enough, I wager. If clan MacKay wants a war, they’re going to get one.”
Stefan had seen enough of death. He wanted to be as far from the battle as he could. Now he wondered if it had been a good idea to leave Morvan at Ravensclyde. “What have they done with the woman?”
“She’s in the castle,” the old man said and snapped the reins.
Stefan let him drive off. He walked back to the forest and circled the castle, his gaze on the battlements. The longer he went without seeing Morvan, the more worried he became.
Were they keeping her prisoner? Were they hurting her?
It was time he found out.
~ ~ ~
“She’s not waking,” Meg said as she wiped a wet cloth across Morvan’s forehead.
Leana stood beside the bed, her face pinched with frustration. “I’ve tried all the herbs I know. Nothing is working.”
“We have to do something. If we don’t, Morvan is going to die.”
Leana looked at all of the herbs sitting around the chamber. “I don’t know what else to do, Meg. She’s pale as death already. And I don’t know what’s wrong with her.”
“We’ve gotten some water down her. That’s something at least, right?”
Leana licked her lips. “It’s not going to be enough.”
~ ~ ~
Stefan was on his second round of the castle when he realized whoever had been following him had found him once more. If he took the time to confront them, it would be longer before he could get to Morvan.
He didn’t understand the sudden urgency he had to reach her, but he wasn’t going to waste another moment. It was essential that he get to Morvan immediately.
With his mind so focused on Morvan, he didn’t realize how close his pursuer had gotten until the point of a sword pressed into the back of his neck.
“Slowly turn around.”
Fury ripped through him. Who was this bastard that was going to keep him from Morvan. For five days, there hadn’t been a seed of anger in him.
Until now.
Stefan spun around, ducking as he did. He came up and slammed his fist into the chest of his attacker, sending him flying backwards.
A second man stepped forward. Stefan threw his elbow back into the second assailant’s throat. Then he fully faced his opponent and reared back his hand to punch him when the first man jumped on Stefan’s back and held his arms so Stefan couldn’t punch.
“Easy!” the man shouted.
Stefan, however, was long past the point of controlling his anger. The monster was back. He bared his teeth and lunged for the second man who was coughing. Then he thought of Morvan. He didn’t want to be a monster anymore. He wanted to be a man worthy of her, one who could control all his emotions – especially his anger.
And just like that, his anger diminished.
Not that he was going to let the two men attacking him win. Stefan got an arm loose and elbowed the man on his back.
“Stefan, please!”
It wasn’t his name that got his attention, but the voice. There was something recognizable about it.
“Look at Ronan,” the man said. “He willna be able to talk for a few days after that hit you landed in his throat.”
Stefan shook his head. Ronan? He blinked several times.
“That’s it, brother. Look at Ronan. Hear my voice. We didna let you succumb to your monster before. We willna let you now either.”
“I’m in control,” Stefan said calmly as he looked into the pale green eyes of Ronan. Despite his coughing, Ronan smiled. It
was
Ronan. It wasn’t a dream, but the man himself. And the man on Stefan’s back was none other than Morcant.
“Control, aye?” Morcant asked as he slid off Stefan’s back. He came around to stand in front of Stefan, a bright smile on his face. “You
are
in control. We didna think we’d ever catch up with you. By the saints, it’s good to see you again.”
He allowed himself a few seconds as Morcant embraced him, pounding him on the back. Stefan then faced Ronan, helped him stand and motioned to his throat. “I’m sorry.”
Ronan waved away his words and roughly pulled Stefan close so he could embrace him.
Steven couldn’t believe he had his friends, his brothers back. He looked around, waiting for Daman.
“He’s no’ here,” Morcant said. “Ronan was first, and I came a few months ago. Now it’s you. All of us were drawn to Ravensclyde, so we’re hoping Daman will be, as well.”
Stefan faced the castle. “Morvan. I need to get to her.”
Ronan slapped him on the arm and walked around him as he said in a hoarse voice, “Come.”
“Nay. I need to be there now. Something is wrong,” Stefan said glancing at the castle again.
Neither man questioned him. They raced to the castle. As soon as the guards saw Ronan and Morcant, they opened the gates to let them through.
Stefan followed his friends into the castle and up the stairs to a chamber. He threw open the door and felt as if someone had kicked him in the stomach when he saw Morvan lying so still upon the bed.
There were two women with her, but Stefan paid them no heed. He walked to the bed and tenderly lifted Morvan in his arms. “I shouldna have left you,” he whispered.
“We’re glad you’re here,” she said the brunette. “I’m Leana, and the one with Ronan is Meg.”
“Thank you for looking after Morvan.” Stefan turned to his friends. “She’s a child of the forest. I need to get her there quickly.”
“The forest is near,” Meg said while standing next to Ronan.
Stefan noticed Leana stood with Morcant. Two of his friends had found women. He glanced down at Morvan. Somehow, he wasn’t surprised. He had found much more than a beautiful woman. He’d found peace, and…love.
“I need to take her to the cliffs. The last time we were there, both of our injuries were healed. It’s also the place where she pulled me from the darkness.”
Morcant took his woman’s hand and nodded to Stefan. “Lead the way. We’ll do whatever you need.”
Stefan walked out the castle doors and down the steps. There was a commotion near the gatehouse, and a horse came running out of the stables.
“No’ again,” Morcant said.
But Stefan wasn’t concerned. “Morvan helped him.”
“How did you know?” Leana asked.
Stefan waited for the horse to reach them. “Because the animals she helps never forget her.”
He walked to the horse and smiled when the steed lowered himself into a bow so Stefan could climb upon his back with Morvan still in his arms.
Stefan grabbed the horse’s mane in one hand. “We’ll go to the cliffs.”
He raced beneath the gatehouse and heard the sound of horses behind him. Stefan didn’t need to look back to know it was Ronan and Morcant. Although he didn’t realize until the horses drew even with him that Meg and Leana were on their own mounts.
The six of them entered the forest. Stefan saw the color begin to come back into Morvan’s face, but it wasn’t enough. She needed whatever magic was at the cliffs. For whatever reason, the cliffs were magical. They hadn’t just compelled Morvan there, they had gotten her to release him from the darkness.
It felt as if an eternity had passed before he saw the cliffs. As soon as they reached them, he swung a leg over the horse’s neck and slid to the ground. Stefan walked to where he and Morvan had made love, but nothing happened. He looked up at the cliffs.
“You’ll never make it up there holding her,” Ronan said.
Stefan looked at his friends. “I have to try.”
“Then we’ll help,” Morcant replied.
Stefan was about to tell them he would do it himself, but then he remembered why he considered them his family. “All right.”
Ronan and Morcant didn’t even try to dissuade their women from accompanying them. Together, all four of them helped him get Morvan to the top.
He was sweating, his muscles fatigued by the time they reached the crest. Despite the fact he hadn’t remained at the top long the first time, he recalled the tall boulders and the narrow passages.
Stefan led the way until he eventually found the wall Morvan had spoken of. He stood looking at all the carvings in the rock as the others fanned out around him.
“I doona know what this place is, but it led Morvan to me, and it has led me back to her.” Stefan kissed her forehead and turned to lean against the wall.