My Tempting Highlander (Highland Hearts #3) (22 page)

“Am I wrong, Mairi?” The wicked force crackled like growing thunder. “Ye’ve always known when any man lied to ye. This
gift
didna start with Ronan.”

Mairi shook her head against the nauseating singsong voice, fighting her own inner voice whispering,
She’s right.
A lone teardrop dripped off her chin and splashed across the top of her hand resting on Ronan’s chest. She hitched in a shaking breath and brushed the side of her thumb against Ronan’s cooling lips.
So cold. He’s growing so cold. Soon he’ll be gone forever.
With a shaking breath, she brushed the back of her fingers along the silver stubble dusting his jawline.
Forever. Without Ronan.
She pressed her forehead to his and closed her eyes.

Shutting out all else around her, Mairi focused on Ronan’s last words. He hadn’t begged her to heal him, hadn’t begged her to save him from whatever was wringing the very life out of him. No. All he’d said with his last breath was that he’d loved her true. He said he wished he hadn’t been so foolish, but it was only because he loved her so much that it frightened him.

Mairi’s heart swelled with the memory of how he’d whispered those words. He’d spoken from his soul. She pressed her lips to his icy temple and willed him to hear her, willed him to feel just how much she needed him to stay.
You have to live. I need you to live and love me.
She hugged him tighter, blocking all else out except the ancient heartbeat of the earth gently nudging her flesh with every breath she took. Yes. She was sure of it now. Even the ancient mother wished her to make this choice.

“NO!” The roiling cloud of darkness screeched through the bay with an earsplitting howl.

Mairi smiled to herself as the weight of Granny’s hand rested atop her shoulder and Iona the wolf pressed against her other side.
Yes. This is the right thing to do
. Her heart swelled with the surety of the prospect. Mairi inhaled a deep cleansing breath, clutched Ronan closer, then released her heart and soul into his with a rush of warm healing energy. Her heart sang when he stirred in her arms. She opened her eyes to his.

“Ye ken the truth of it now? Ye ken the truth of my love?” Ronan’s halting whisper was the sweetest sound Mairi had ever heard. With a hesitant touch, Ronan cradled her cheek in his hand then laced his fingers into her hair and pulled her closer. “Say the words. I beg ye, my dearest one. Say ye can find it in yer heart to forgive me.”

“I love you,” Mairi whispered against his mouth. “And there’s nothing to forgive.”

A wailing scream pierced the air followed by angry rolling thunder. The ground shook and the sea boiled with the final surge of the black cloud before the water split apart and sucked the cloud into the watery abyss. Then all fell silent. Nothing moved. The sea shimmered, as still and peaceful as a mirror, and the wind disappeared.

“Ronan—your…your mother.” Mairi helped Ronan to his knees as the elderly woman collapsed beside them, clothed only in the winding tresses of her thick silvery hair. Iona struggled to rise and gain her balance, but fell to the ground again.

“My son.” She weakly lifted a hand to Ronan, falling back in his arms as he lifted her up and wrapped his plaid about her. “Dinna mourn for me. I finally get m’wish to go to yer father, my one true love.” She tapped a shaking finger lightly against his chin and smiled with a shuddering sigh.

“
Máthair.
” Ronan supported her in his arms and pulled the plaid tighter about her frail body. “This canna be. I thought ye’d surely be granted a bit more time once the curse was broken.”

Iona smiled as she struggled to draw in another weary breath. “I dinna wish to live on, boy. I wish to take the path denied me so long.” Her bony hand fell back to her chest as her head weakly turned to the side. “Remember, Ronan. Death is ne’er the end. ’Tis but another path to be followed. Dinna fash and waste precious moments grievin’ for what ye fear ye’ve lost. Bid me a fond farewell and know I’ll be watchin’ after ye from the other side—and I’ll be standin’ beside yer father.” A soft tremble shook her in his arms and then her head fell limp on his shoulder.

“Safe journey,
Máthair.”
Ronan pressed a kiss to her forehead then gently lowered her to the ground.

A gentle wind, light as an angel’s touch, blew in from the sea. Mairi held tight to Ronan’s arm as his mother’s body disintegrated into the finest dust then soared away in a glistening trail, riding out across the waves in the arms of the softly soughing wind.

“I’m so sorry.” Mairi hugged against Ronan’s side, rubbing a hand back and forth across his shoulders. It seemed so unfair. The first time he’d ever seen his mother as a woman was the day she died in his arms.

“She’s finally at peace.”

Ronan’s pained whisper twisted Mairi’s heart. She hugged him tighter. “I’m glad she’ll be watching over us.”

“Aye.” Ronan jerked his chin down in a curt nod then turned and gathered Mairi close. “My heart is filled with gratitude this day—for many reasons.”

“So ye mean to let a man freeze his bollocks off, then?” The shout echoed off the cliffs.

“Graham?” Mairi lifted her head and arched a brow at Ronan. Together they stood, turning toward the sea to search the rocky stretch of land curving around the firth. After seeing Ronan’s mother dissipate into dust, she dreaded seeing Graham—strong, valiant, dragon-hearted Graham—as a withered, dying old man.

“Oh my.” Mairi covered her mouth with one hand but couldn’t make herself look away. Graham was not a decrepit old man—not by a long shot.

Graham stood atop a wide black stone, naked as the day he was born. Broad shoulders squared, the bulging muscles of his arms rippling, he rolled up on the balls of his feet as he cupped both hands over his crotch. His pale skin shimmered wet and slick in the fading light, making him greatly resemble a statue carved of pure white marble—a well-proportioned Greek god statue.

The only hint of his age was his bald head—quite regal, in fact—and the closely cropped beard with a hint of gray curling along his jawline. Graham grinned at Mairi then winked and nodded toward Ronan. “Be a good lass and send the laddie down here with a plaid afore the best parts of me turn a bonnie blue.”

Ronan grabbed Mairi by the shoulders and turned her away from Graham. “I’ll thank ye to stop oglin’ the old bastard. There’ll be no livin’ with him now that he’s a free man.”

Mairi clamped her lips shut against a giggle but couldn’t resist one innocent question: “How is it that Graham looks like—” Ronan’s sharp look gave her pause. Mairi took a deep breath and forced herself not to smile. “I thought he’d be quite old too.”

Ronan’s gaze fell to the spot where his mother had just been. “Graham wishes to reclaim the life he thought lost. Mother’s greatest wish was to be back at my father’s side.”

“I’m sorry, Ronan.” Mairi cupped his face between her hands. “I’m so sorry you lost her just when you’d gotten her back.”

“Ronan!” A fist-size rock ricocheted off the ledge where they stood and bounced behind them. “Step lively, man. Me cocks near frozen.”

“
Haud yer wheesht
, ye old bastard!” Ronan grabbed up his plaid and vaulted down to the rocks below. Mairi started to turn only to be stopped by Ronan’s growl. “Nay! Dinna turn, wife. I’ll thank ye to shield yer eyes.”

A warm feeling—a contented feeling, the glow of being truly loved—tucked Mairi’s chin to her chest and pushed a smile to her face.

Wife
.
I kinda like the sound of that.

“Aye, I’ve missed such fine gatherings.” Graham cast an appreciative glance about the room then clasped his hands to the small of his back and puffed out his massive chest with a deep inhale. “But do ye ken when we’ll be gettin’ on with it? ’Tis a might close and overly warm for one such as I, ye ken?”

“Soon, my friend.” Ronan shook with a silent sympathetic chuckle. Poor Graham. Starved for the contact of others for centuries and now that his shackles had finally been broken, the man was struggling to readapt to well-fitted clothing and actually dwelling inside something other than a cave.

Gray leaned in close and nudged Ronan with his elbow. “Both of my legs were broken the last time ye said yer vows.” He repositioned his footing and regally folded his hands in front of him. With a knowing wink, he nodded toward the farthest archway, where Mairi stood flanked by Granny, Trulie, and Kenna. “But I do believe I’m a stronger man thanks to the healin’ gifts of our women.”

Ronan agreed. A satisfied chuckle escaped him at tiny Chloe’s excited squeals peeling out from the center of the women’s skirts.
Aye. ’Tis finally all well and good. Thanks be to the gifts of my woman and the salvation she brings to my weary soul.
He inhaled a deep relaxing breath and opened to the warm camaraderie of the brightly lit hall.

Braided swags of bundled ivy and wreaths of freshly cut pine welcomed all who entered, filling the air with the clean tang of the aromatic wood. Ribbons of tartan fluttered among the greenery and the dancing flames of hundreds of candles set the great hall ablaze with golden light.

The bustling space was bright and cheery from the highest banister of the surrounding gallery down to the stones of the freshly scrubbed hearths. Every surface was either bedecked with the day’s finery or polished within an inch of its life. MacKenna Keep glowed with all the best the clan had to offer. An air of goodness and peace permeated the entire room. Ronan winked at Gray. “I daresay this repeatin’ of our vows shall be a great deal more pleasant for us all.”

“Aye and for certain.” Gray took hold of Ronan’s arm and led him to the center of the dais. “ ’Tis time, my brother. Yon comes yer fair bride.”

The clan piper sounded the chant. The pipes wailed, calling all in the room to stand and witness the binding. Ronan’s heart swelled, pounding in time with the sway of the piper’s song as Mairi slowly made her way to the head of the room.
Lore a’mighty. I dinna deserve such as her.

Her dark hair curled loose and flowing about her bare shoulders with nothing more than a wreath of ivy woven about her crown. The ivory muslin of her simple dress was caught up beneath her bosom with braided ribbons dyed the deepest green—nearly as green as her eyes. The same braiding surrounded the low neckline hugged just below her creamy shoulders. Her bell-shaped sleeves flowed down her sides, blending in with the folds of her skirts trailing regally behind her. She seemed a spirit—nay, an angel—descended down from the heavens to set the world a’right.
Aye.
She was an angel. Sent to save him from the very jaws of his own hell.

Ronan stepped forward and held out his hand. Mairi took it without hesitation, love and trust sparkling in her eyes. Ronan’s heart soared and threatened to burst.
Aye.
Now, this was as a binding should be. “Yer beauty fair takes m’breath.” Ronan pressed a kiss atop her fingers.

Mairi dropped her gaze but not before Ronan saw the joy his words brought her. Her hand still firmly grasped in his, Ronan drew Mairi up beside him on the dais. “Proceed, my brother. I beg ye ta join me with this precious woman.”

“The marriage contract of Chieftain Ronan Sutherland and Lady Mairi Sinclair has been duly signed and witnessed,” Gray announced to all those gathered in the hall. With a slow meaningful movement, he withdrew his dagger from its sheath. “I now charge all of ye gathered here with the witnessing of the binding.”

In unison, the crowd responded with a resounding “Aye!” that thundered to the rafters.

A faint smile played across his mouth as Gray nodded to Ronan and Mairi’s clasped hands.

Ever so carefully, silently cursing his calloused fingers as they snagged in the light weave of Mairi’s delicate sleeve, Ronan folded the material away from her right wrist, exposing the creamy expanse of unmarked skin. The absence of a wound or scar from the earlier binding lightened his heart even more. Mairi had insisted on healing both of their wounds to completely remove all evidence of that terrible binding that had been so false.

After exposing Mairi’s wrist, Ronan extended his own arm beside hers. With two quick slices of the blade, Gray cut both their wrists then pressed their arms together. Granny stepped forward with a braided rope of green and tied it about their wrists. As she stepped back, Mairi and Ronan joined their other hands atop the binding.

Gray started to speak, but Mairi stopped him with a shake of her head. “No.”

Ronan jerked, feeling as though a delightful dream had just turned into a dark nightmare. “No?”

Mairi smiled and leaned closer. “I want us to speak the vows ourselves.”

Ronan blew out a relieved breath then quickly nodded. “Aye, m’love. Let us say the vows ourselves.”

Mairi lifted her chin and stood taller, her gaze locked with Ronan’s. “Blood seals the seams of our souls. Blood joins our hearts. Blood makes our flesh as one. We two shall never part.”

A deep sense of peace settled over Ronan as he lifted their joined hands and lightly brushed his lips across Mairi’s fingers then slowly lowered them. “Your soul is mine. Our hearts beat as one. ’Til time ends are we bound. Hear these words and bide them well. Forevermore and even longer, we shall be one.”

Mairi leaned in closer across their hands, tiptoeing to bring her lips within a hairsbreadth of his. “So let it be spoken…”

Ronan brushed the softest of kisses across her sweet lips then pulled back the barest bit and exhaled the sealing words from the depths of his heart. “So let it be done.”

A
LMOST TWO YEARS LATER…

S
UMMER AT
M
AC
K
ENNA
K
EEP

T
HIRTEENTH
C
ENTURY
H
IGHLANDS

“And this is yer wee cousin, Chloe.”

Mairi’s heart swelled as Ronan knelt and balanced their wriggling eight-month-old son atop one knee so Chloe could properly inspect him.

Five-year-old Chloe shook her head sadly, eyeing little Sawny as though he were an overripe chamber pot that sorely needed dumping. “Ye couldna get a girl?”

“Chloe!” Trulie tucked her mouth close to Chloe’s ear, hissing out a fervent whisper while one finger rapidly tapped the child’s shoulder. Her stern expression left no doubt as to what she was saying to her daughter.

Mairi pressed her mouth into a tight line to keep from smiling. Poor Chloe was outnumbered with one little brother and Kenna’s twin sons, and her manners suffered because of it.

Trulie straightened and gently nudged Chloe forward. “Now greet your new cousin properly.”

Her sour look of disgust unchanged, Chloe grudgingly shook one of Sawny’s dimpled hands then bounced a minimal curtsy. “Welcome ta MacKenna Keep, Cousin Sawny.”

Ronan chuckled as he tucked Sawny back into the crook of one arm, beaming proudly at the chortling baby as he continued around the room. He looked back and winked at Mairi. “We must do our best t’give Chloe a wee lassie next time.”

“That we must,” Mairi answered with a soft laugh. The exquisite feeling of being truly loved filled her. The word contented didn’t begin to cover the sense of peace she felt. And pride and happiness rolled off Ronan in waves. He emitted the energy like a beacon in the darkest night. They had each other and they had their lively, healthy son. Life was better than she had ever thought possible.

As Ronan paraded Sawny around the crowded hall, Mairi scanned the many faces of those gathered for the clan reunion. “Where’s Graham?” she asked Trulie as her sister held out a pewter goblet.

Trulie rolled her eyes, snuggling up shoulder to shoulder with Mairi. “Let’s just say Graham’s been advised to lay low for a while.”

“Who’s he pissed off this time?” Mairi sipped at the cool honeyed wine, mentally tallying how many times Graham had enraged neighboring clans since he’d been freed from the witch’s spell. Bent on experiencing all he’d missed while imprisoned by the curse, the adventurous man had succeeded in insulting nearly every clan chieftain in the Highlands. If he wasn’t “lifting” their best livestock or brawling with their sons, he was seducing their daughters—or their wives.

“It’s only a minor clan this time,” Granny interjected as she joined them. She raised her glass toward Ronan still meandering about the room, introducing his son to all. “I think your husband is just a tad proud of his son.”

“Maybe just a bit,” Mairi teased. The only way this reunion could be any better would be if Lilia had been able to join them. “Have you talked to Lilia recently? She was kind of distracted the last time I spoke to her through the fire portal. She sounded really…” Mairi glanced over at Granny and came up short.
Oh no. I know that look.
“What?”

“What do you mean, ‘What’?” Granny took a delicate sip from her cup then made a face as she forcibly swallowed. Smacking her lips as though trying to wipe the taste off her tongue, she motioned for one of the servants. “Someone needs to have a chat with Ian about using a lighter hand with the honey. This is not honeyed wine. This is syrup.”

Kenna joined them, walking slowly with a toddler clutching each hand. “Jamie and Caedan love the way Sawny squeals.” Tucking both bouncing boys against the front of her skirts, Kenna waved Coira over. “You can come get the demons now and give them their supper.”

“Come, my wee beasties!” Coira scooped the giggling boys up into her arms then beamed an
I-told-you-so
smile at Mairi. “Ye’ve a fine son and a fine man. Now, aren’t ye glad ye stayed here?”

“Yes.” Mairi bowed her head in a conciliatory nod. “I admit it. You were right.”

“Och…I kent it all along.” Coira fairly beamed as she hitched a toddler atop each hip and headed toward the kitchens.

“You know she’s never going to let you forget that,” Kenna said.

“I know.” Turning back to Granny, Mairi gently nudged the uncharacteristically quiet woman. “Now back to Lilia. What are you plotting?”

All amusement faded from Granny as she stared off into space. “I’m not ‘plotting’ anything.” She turned and fixed Mairi with a look that triggered a chilling uneasiness. “Trulie and I have been charged with saving Lilia.”

Mairi’s heart squeezed with a sick feeling of dread. She turned to Trulie. “Saving Lilia?”

“The Fates decided to be generous and gift us with a vision regarding Lilia. The fact that they’re concerned enough to warn us about one of our own is what worries me the most.” Trulie looked about the room as though fearing someone might overhear their conversation. Her fingertips tapped out a nervous rhythm atop the rim of the cup she held between her hands. “Lilia’s in a time of crisis and the Fates have pointed us to the only one who might help her survive it.”

“
Might
help her survive it?” Mairi didn’t like the sound of that. There would be no
might
when it came to saving her sister. “Who? And what do they need to do to save her?”

“Graham,” Granny said. “He doesn’t know it yet—but he’s going to the future.”

Graham? In the future?
“Are you sure the twenty-first century is ready for that? And how is he going to save her?”

Granny started to take another drink of the overly sweet wine but stopped herself mid-sip with such a disgusted scowl at the glass it should’ve disintegrated. She lowered the goblet to the serving tray held aloft by a passing maid. “Pour that mess out and tell Ian I wish to speak with him later.”

The girl didn’t say a word, but her wide-eyed look of
oh shit
spoke volumes. She clearly understood that poor Ian was doomed. She nodded once then hurried away with the wine.

“Granny,” Mairi prodded. “How is Graham going to save Lilia?”

Granny looked at Mairi as though she just realized they both still stood in the same room. “Trust in the Fates, child. You must trust in the Fates.”