Part 12 (1/2)
Gnarled fingers tugging at his scraggly beard, he shrugged. ”Aye, the la.s.s is dead; the clothes are proof. Besides, I see nay tracks leading away. Let us return to our clan. 'Tis good news we will bring.”
”Aye,” the redheaded man said as he stepped back.
Murmurs of agreement followed the group as they faded into the forest, broken torchlight spitting like evil whispers in their wake.
Rowan relaxed at Aedan's side. ”Thank you.”
”For?”
”The mist.”
He lifted her hand, pressed a kiss upon her palm. ”Only for you. Come, we must return to the cave. Once I am done, we will leave.” The mist cloaked them as they walked, the coolness offering little relief from the heat of his need for her, which had been inflamed by his awareness of her nakedness beneath his cloak.
At the cave, Aedan halted. ”Wait here.” He entered the circle, sensing the immediate slow drain of his energy. Posthaste, he stacked kindling in an outline of where he'd lain and then used his dagger to cut a swath of his hair. He laid the strands atop the wood, then hurried outside the ring of ancient stones.
Focused on the branches, he gathered his power. Wisps of smoke curled, then burst into flame, the odor of burning hair strong. Within minutes, the roaring fire faded, leaving behind only ashes.
Soft footsteps echoed behind him, stilled. ”Now, whoever has betrayed you will believe you are dead.”
”Aye,” he agreed. ”As those searching for you at the cliffs believe you.”
A tense silence fell between them, one laden with shadows. ” 'Tis time to leave.”
Rowan glanced up. ”Where will we go?”
”To a place known only to lairds and members of high regard within the coven.”
”A laird.” Though soft, her words held tension.
”Aye,” he said, ”but I am a simple person, one who desperately needs you.”
”Simple? Nay, Aedan, there is nothing simple about you.” She stilled.
”What?”
Beneath the star-filled sky, her unsure eyes met his. ”I will give birth to a princess.”
”Or a prince.”
Her brows arched. ”Do you know?”
”Nay.” Before she asked or said anything else, he wrapped her within his arms.
”What are you doing?”
”Taking you where you will be safe.” He envisioned the sweep of mist, the cool moisture filling his pores, shattering his form in a violent rush. A whoosh exploded within his mind. Fragments of his body imploded, splintered into droplets. In a vaporous swirl, he cradled Rowan and flew north, her gasp lost to the echo of time, the frantic pa.s.sage of air unbound.
A short while later Rowan fought the blur within her head.
”Steady, la.s.s.”
Strong hands held her, and Aedan's smile came into focus, full of pride and arrogance. She touched her temple. ”What just happened?”
”I have brought you to my ancestral home.”
They'd traveled?
”Aye,” he said.
”Why did you not warn me that you would s.h.i.+ft?”
” 'Twould have taken too long.”
She blew out a frustrated sigh, turned to take in her surroundings. Darkness clung to the land. No, stars s.h.i.+mmered within the sky. The moonlight outlined wisps of battered clouds moving slowly in the night and the peaks jutting skyward around them with merciless care.
Rowan spun to face him. ”We are atop a mountain!”
”We are.” Pride coated his voice. ” 'Tis the Cullinthe of Skye, land pa.s.sed down through generations, a place shown to me in my youth.”
Within the sheen of weakening night, the fading moonlight accented the approaching dawn. Like a painting of grandeur, the rugged mountains tumbled before her in an endless array.
Through a cut in the formidable stone, the ocean came into view. Waves surged ash.o.r.e, washed over the lavish array of rocks as a layer of fog wove through the sh.o.r.eline.
Touched, she met Aedan's gaze. ”All my life, each night when I found my bed, I thought of the morrow, of the warmth of the sun upon the land and its rays upon my face.” She exhaled, the magnificence sprawled before her stealing her breath. ”Never did I think of the night as magical, but now, because of you, I shall think of it as no other.” Pride honed his face, his expression that of a man born to guide his people, of a laird who ruled his land. He belonged in this regal, rugged landscape, his presence as necessary as the next beat of her heart.
Aedan lowered his mouth a breath above hers. ”As is your presence to me. Soon, I must seek shelter from the sun's rays, but this moment is ours.”
His deep burr rumbled through her as his mouth settled with delicate intimacy upon hers, as soft as the brush of a fairy's wings, as heated as the lick of flame. She melted, gave to him everything he asked for and more.
With infinite tenderness, he laid her upon a bed of gra.s.s, his body covering hers, his hands guiding her with each caress as he filled her.
”Aedan,” she whispered. He made love to her slowly, exquisitely, until her body trembled out of control. His eyes held hers as he increased the pace, the intensity moving her higher, higher, until on a shudder she fell over the edge. Explosions of color swirled around her with vibrant appeal, reds, yellows, and blues on a background of radiant white as Aedan found his own release. Then she was floating, her mind warm with satisfaction, her body sated.
He rolled to the side and drew her with him.
Lulled by the steady beat of his heart, the haze of warmth within her body, she laid her head against his muscled chest. She could lie here forever.
A playful smile touched his lips. ”Methinks you have forgotten your naked state.”
Stunned, she lifted her head. ”Yo-”
”Removed the cloak for your comfort.”
Several replies came to mind. She wanted to scold him for his arrogance, for teasing her, but his genuine caring for her stole the words. No matter how he frustrated her, she found herself charmed.
He kissed the tip of her nose. ”I knew you would be.”