Highland Harmony: Avelina and Drew (Clan Grant Series Book 8) (5 page)

Chapter Five

Drew didn’t trust Lachlan the way he chose to run ahead of the rest of the group coming from the lists, so he followed him. He came up fast behind Lachlan, hoping he had heard wrong. “Burnes, did I hear what I thought I did?”

“What? I just wanted to get her to marry me. If she sees how good I am at kissing, then she’ll agree to the marriage. Since she’ll be my wife, I wasn’t about to take her maidenhead. I only wanted to touch her titties. Why are lasses so stingy? Besides, have you not seen them? Hellfire, they are perfection.” He smirked at Drew.

“It was Avelina Ramsay?” he asked, feeling rage gather inside him.

“Aye.” He scowled at Drew and placed his hand on his sword. “What is she to you, anyway? Seems like you wish to stake a claim. Mayhap I’ll claim her as mine, I need a wife, and
you
will have to stay away.”

Drew balled his hands at his sides, but then he decided there was no point in holding back. The bastard deserved it, so he hauled his fist back and punched him square in the face.

Lachlan’s head jerked back from the force of the blow. He swore at Drew and reached for his throat, but Drew was faster.

He grabbed Lachlan by the throat and punched him again. “The next time you touch her, I’ll kill you. I warned you before.” Drew’s chest heaved as he forced himself to calm down.

Aedan tore down the path toward them. “Burnes, what the hell did you do now?”

“Disrespected Avelina, and I will not tolerate it. He was warned once. The bastard needs to keep his hands to himself.” He shoved Burnes far away from him so he wouldn’t be tempted to hit him again.

“Burnes, take yourself back to your own lands. You
were
warned once. And you are not marrying Avelina Ramsay.” Aedan’s eyes flashed with fury. Aedan had changed. Before, he would likely have teased Burnes or at most scolded him. He would not have told him to leave. Good for Aedan.

Lachlan growled and took off toward the portcullis.

After they watched him leave, Drew met his friend’s eyes. “Being married has changed you, Cameron. For the better, I think.”

“Aye, and based on the redness of your eyes and the way you reek of whisky, mayhap you should do the same. There are better things in life than drinking and carousing with a different woman each night. Find the right one, ‘tis far better.” Aedan’s face had softened, but it was obvious he meant every word.

“Mayhap you have the right of it,” Drew said with a sigh. He looked down at the ground. “I cannot say I have enjoyed what I cannot recall. Of late, I do not remember half of my antics, though I often hear of them from my sire.”

“Have you an interest in the Ramsay lass, Menzie? Other than making her one of your bedmates?”

Drew jerked his gaze back to Aedan’s. “Hellfire, Cameron. I would never treat her like that. I only play with maids who want to play, and I make sure to leave no bastards behind. Avelina’s of noble blood, whether Lachlan chooses to acknowledge that or not, but more importantly, she’s innocent and unwilling.”

Aedan held his friend’s stare for a long moment. “Good. I’m glad you recognize the difference. She’s my wife’s closest friend, and I will protect her. I want you to know that.”

“Understood,” Drew said.

Hellfire, why did he have an inkling that Avelina Ramsay would prove to be much, much more to him than just an appealing innocent? More importantly, why did that thought give him more hope than he’d felt in a long while?

***

Lina crept down the stairs and into the kitchens in the middle of the night. She had spent all night tossing and turning and was hoping to find a cup of goat’s milk or a pastry, something to help her sleep.

In the middle of the worktable sat an apple pastry, so she grabbed it and turned to leave the room. A giggle erupted from the buttery, a storage room at the back of the kitchens. Lina’s mind told her to ignore it, but something else pulled her back to the sound. She made her way toward the giggles.

As she came closer, the giggles turned to moans. “Drew, you know how to please a lass, do you not?”

Drew’s voice, husky and deep, echoed through the kitchens. “Aye, I do. You sure are a sweet one.”

Lina couldn’t help herself. She moved two steps closer and peeked around the corner of the door. There stood Drew, tall, handsome, and his hands wrapped around the bottom of a kitchen maid. He had naught but his plaid on, so her gaze followed the totally unkempt dark hair on his head down to the dark hair on his chest. The two were so intent on each other they had no idea she was there. Their arms and hands were everywhere as he kissed her deeply, causing the girl to moan.

A heat unlike Lina had ever felt before swept through her body, so she turned away and rushed out the door. Her foot knocked a stool over on her way.

“Who goes there?” Drew’s voice reached her ears, but she ignored him and flew through the door and back up the stairs.

Once on her bed, she started to sob helplessly. She could never compete with a woman like that. That lass obviously knew how to pleasure Drew Menzie, something Avelina Ramsay knew absolutely naught about.

She rolled onto her side and cried herself to sleep. She’d never get married. No one would ever want her.

***

Drew grabbed the rest of his clothes and headed to the door, listening to his partner’s wails over his shoulder.

“Drew Menzie, don’t you dare leave me begging for more.”

“Sorry, lass, but I must run.” He ran through the door, needing to see who had caught them. He prayed it wasn’t Jennie, for then he would be forced to leave Cameron land immediately. At home, they were used to his voracious appetite, but here? Nay, he could not cause any problems here. He needed to be in control. Thus, he had to know who had interrupted them.

As soon as he moved into the great hall, he caught a glimpse of a tall, lithe beauty moving up the staircase. Avelina? Hellfire, he didn’t want it to be her. The lass was definitely an innocent.

He ran close enough to confirm that it was her, her cheeks dark red from embarrassment, and then whirled around to go back. Something soft squished under his foot. He leaned over to pick up the ruined apple pastry, probably the reason Avelina Ramsay had come to the kitchens at such a late hour. He cursed himself and his insatiable appetite as he thought of how it must have looked from her vantage point. How could he explain that it was because of Avelina that he had sought out the maid? She had left him wanting, yet he knew she was outside of his reach.

He returned to talk to the maid, but she had disappeared, almost as fast as his desire.

Drew headed straight out the front door into the cool air of the night, raking his hands through his hair. Normally he would not be bothered by this type of an incident, but he wished he could go back and undo what had happened. He’d been around many women at his own castle—sweet innocent ones, widows, married women—but he’d never cared about anyone in particular.

Until Avelina.

All he’d wanted to do was spend some time away from his sire’s insults and his mother’s clawing over protectiveness, and instead, he’d landed in a place he’d never expected.

He’d landed in a place where one lass mattered more than the rest.

***

Lina brushed the sleep from her eyes as she sat up in bed. Someone had called to her, she was certain of it. Yet she was in the chamber she had been assigned next to Jennie and Aedan’s. Her tousled hair fell around her shoulders as she stood. She hung her head as she recalled what she had seen in the kitchens. Drew Menzie, the lad of her dreams, was not the man she had hoped he was.

“Come to me. We must talk.” It was a soft, female voice—one she did not recognize.

A whisper floated through the air and Lina spun in a circle to look for the source. When she could not find it, she lit two more tallows in the room.

“Come to the window, you’ll see me. Trust me, I will protect you.”

Lina tiptoed over to the edge and pulled the fur back to peek out into the cool night. An aura, the type you would expect to see near an angel, caught her attention under the trees near the bench in the garden. She leaned out the opening to look closer.

A wee lass with masses of golden curls dancing around her face stood there in a long flowing gown decorated with feathers and pearls. A smile adorned her porcelain face. “Trust me to protect you, Lina. I am Erena. We must speak. Please come to me in the garden. I will protect you from all lads. You’ll not be bothered by the likes of Lachlan or Keith whenever I am around.”

Lina glanced over her shoulder because the voice did not come from below, but above. How could that be? And how did she know the names of Lachlan
and
Keith? Mayhap it was all a dream.

“Come, Lina. We must talk. You have no idea of your own value, do you, lass?”

Lina jerked back from the window and dropped the fur back into place. She must be dreaming.

“Nay, ‘tis not a dream. Come visit me.”

Lina opened the door to her chamber, and noticing the passageway was empty, padded out of the room and down the stairway. As she moved toward the front door of the great hall, that same lilting voice stopped her. “Not that way. Come through the kitchens. Place your trust in me, and I will lead you.”

Lina switched directions and moved toward the kitchens, tiptoeing. At first, she was afraid to go into the kitchen after what she had seen that night.

“Avelina, please trust me. Drew is not here. This has naught to do with him, just you and me.”

Lina closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and proceeded through the kitchens into the cool night air. Once she stepped outside, the most beautiful aroma greeted her—the sweet scent of lavender. She inhaled deeply, and Erena’s voice said, “Aye, follow my scent. ‘Twill lead you to me.”

A sudden sense of peace infused Lina’s body. She rushed down the pathway, only stopping when the darkness of the night turned to light. There, in the center of the garden, stood the loveliest woman she had ever seen. She stopped in her tracks, waiting to hear the voice again, waiting for proof that this stunning woman was the one who had beckoned her.

Erena’s ivory gown was decorated in feathers. The aroma of lavender did indeed surround her, along with something else. The garden was full of butterflies, their wings fluttering in the air.

At first, Avelina believed she was dreaming. She watched the butterflies—their wings decorated in purples, yellows, and greens—dance in the air around the woman in front of her. This was not a dream, though. This was real. Somehow, she knew. This otherworldly woman was here for
her
, and her life was about to change for the better. No longer would she be quiet little Lina in the corner.

“Hello, my dear, I am Erena, the Fae Queen of Peace and Harmony. Our purpose is to bring harmony to the land of the Scots and protect it from evil. My kind rarely appears to humans, but I have a special role for you.

“Unfortunately, you have been harmed in a way that is difficult to repair. Confused lads have injured your confidence, which must be restored before I can tell you what your purpose is in this land. You will prove to be a strong lass, but you will not believe me for some time. I shall prove it to you.”

Lina stared at the vision in front of her, certain she had turned daft. Nay, this could not be true, but who would play such a cruel trick on her? What act of trickery could summon so many butterflies to one place? Could it all be a dream?

Erena sat on the bench and patted the spot next to her. “Come sit with me, and I’ll try my best to explain.”

Lina hesitated, but only for a moment. The vision of Erena tugged on her soul, so she stepped closer and placed her hand in the faerie’s outstretched one. An immediate sense of harmony spread through her body, soothing her soul and stopping her trembling. She lifted her gaze to Erena’s, still unable to believe this was truly happening to her, and took a seat next to the faerie.

“This is a verra confusing time for all,” Erena continued. “After all the fighting ended on Cameron land, we thought the situation had improved, but another negative force has pushed its way to the forefront, hiding behind the face of one of Aedan’s neighbors. Our council has decided to choose a human to assist us. My dear, we chose you. Though I cannot reveal what we wish you to do for us just yet, you will know in good time.”

Avelina gasped, her eyes widening. “Me?”

“Aye, you are much stronger than you believe. Someday you will understand that, but we must move forward one step at a time. For now, you must trust me and do as I say, though I have few instructions for you today.

“In this land, there exists a sword, Avelina—not a large one, but one that carries certain gifts. What those gifts are does not matter at this moment, but it does matter who possesses this sword.

“Evil has found its way to the sword, and if we do not regain it, the future of the Scots will be in jeopardy. I wish we could keep the sword in our possession, but it is destined to be in human hands, so we must guide you along the way. Eventually, I will tell you how you can assist us in this endeavor. For now, I only wish for you to determine its location. The handle is encrusted with rubies and sapphires. You will know it when you see it.”