Highland Fires (7 page)

Ahryn didn’t understand the sudden and
intense yearning she had for Lugus, but she knew it wasn’t simply
Fate that put her in his path. It was more like destiny. But just
what did the future hold for them? She highly doubted they would be
together. Lugus was only doing this because Marcus had dared to
come onto Lugus’ isle for her.

In spite of the fact they were running for
their lives and she desperately wanted to return to her realm,
Ahryn liked being with Lugus. In many ways, a part of her didn’t
want their time to end.

She turned her head to find his eyes open and
staring at her. Her breath lodged in her throat as he slowly pulled
her towards him. She waited for him to stop or tell her he was
protecting her from something, but all that disappeared when his
lips met hers.

Ahryn forgot everything but the exotic taste
of Lugus and the pleasure that spiraled through her as his hands
ran over her body. She didn’t protest when he rolled onto his back
and brought her to lie on top of him.

The feel of his rock hard body pressed
against hers yet again made liquid heat pool between her legs.
While his hands discovered her body, she plunged hers in his thick,
golden locks. His tongue explored her mouth and sent shivers of
desire through her already heated body.

She was appalled at the urgency in which her
body wanted him, but her mind had stopped working the instant his
lips had met hers. The only thought in her mind was making sure he
didn’t stop kissing her.

When he rolled over and pinned her to the
ground, Ahryn sighed, loving the weight of him atop her. His lips
traveled from her mouth to her jaw, ear and down her neck, leaving
a trail of tingling flesh in his wake.

“Moira,” he whispered.

Ahryn jerked, unable to believe he had spoken
another woman’s name. And suddenly, Lugus raised his head and
looked at her. After he blinked several times, he moved off her to
sit at her feet.

“That wasn’t just a dream, was it?” he asked
softly.

Ahryn swallowed, hurt and confused. She
wanted to ask him who this Moira was as her body still cried out
for release. Instead of begging him to finish, she simply shook her
head.

He climbed to his feet and
ran a hand down his face. “I’m sorry,” he said and turned his back.
“I’ve been alone for a long time.”


“Don’t,” she said as she smoothed
down her gown and came to her feet. “There is no need for
explanations.”

Especially when it’s a lie to cover up the
fact you were dreaming of another woman.

Ahryn couldn’t believe she was so angry. She
had no ties to Lugus, and certainly didn’t know him well enough to
question him about anything.

No words were spoken as Ahryn ran her fingers
through her hair and plaited it. She watched and waited for Lugus
to tell her he was ready to begin the day. He set out at a brisk
pace that Ahryn was hard pressed to match, yet she didn’t mind him
staying ahead of her while she sorted through all that had happened
that morning and her body’s response.

It wasn’t until they were once again
following the shore that he slowed his pace and waited for her to
catch up to him.

“Did I…say anything?” he asked, glancing from
the ground to her face.

Now would be the perfect time to see if he
would talk of the past, but Ahryn wasn’t in the mood. She couldn’t
shake the hurt off, nor could she stop the longing of her body to
feel Lugus’.

She shook her head and continued on.

“I must have done something,” he persisted.
“You look…hurt,” he said softly.

She threw him what she hoped he saw as a
sincere smile and said, “I’m just tired.”

Lugus didn’t believe her for a moment. The
dream this morning had been so real, and when he had opened his
eyes to find himself on top of Ahryn he had been mortified that he
had taken advantage of her that way.

At least he hadn’t kissed her. But he could
have sworn he had said Moira’s name. Had he and Ahryn lied? Had
something more transpired this morning than he remembered? He had
hurt Ahryn, of that he was positive, and to ask her if they had
kissed or more would only make things worse for both of them.

Lugus had to admit he missed her bright eyes
and easy smile. He even missed her not so secretive way of trying
to discover things from his past.

“Tell me what happened?” she asked
unexpectedly.

He didn’t need to ask about what. She was
referring to his status of mortality. “It’s a long story.”

“It’s a long walk,” she retorted, not put off
by his answer.

“You don’t want to know.”

“I do or I wouldn’t have asked.”

Lugus sighed. “You think you do, but once you
find out the truth, you’ll understand why I’ve tried so hard to
keep it from you.”

“It couldn’t be that dreadful,” she said
sarcastically.

“What do you think a Fae must do to not only
be cast from the Fae realm but have his immortality stripped from
him?” Lugus didn’t bother telling her he had given his life
essence, his immortality, to Moira to save her from death.

She shrugged but never slowed. “Does it
matter? Obviously it was something really horrible, but I don’t
even have rumors to ask you about. There was nothing spoken of
other than to say you were no longer in the realm.”

“And that should speak volumes to you,” he
said, not hiding the growing irritation from his voice. “I’m not
going to tell you, so just leave it.”

The once companionable silence had flown away
as quickly as a spooked bird, leaving nothing but tension behind.
Lugus wished now he had stayed by the tree instead of warming Ahryn
up because of where it had gotten him.

When he handed her the last bit of food, she
eagerly took it though she didn’t spare him a glance. Whereas at
one time he had been sure she had wanted him, he wasn’t so positive
now. The feeling of disappointment that thought brought disturbed
him greatly. He didn’t want her, so why should it matter that she
wasn’t interested in him? Lugus hadn’t been this confused around a
woman since he had been a lad.

Around midday, just when he thought they
wouldn’t find a place to trade for food, they came upon a cottage
with smoke pouring from the chimney.

“Where are you going?” Ahryn asked.

“We’re out of food. I’m getting us more.”

It didn’t take long to trade with the widow
for a small bag of stale bread and moldy cheese for one of his
daggers. He used another dagger to scrape off the mold before he
sliced Ahryn a piece of cheese and handed it to her as they resumed
walking.

“By my calculations, we should reach the Isle
of Skye later today or tomorrow,” he said.

She swallowed her food before asking, “You’ve
been there before?”

“Once,” he admitted. “Though never on the
isle itself. It’s large and easily seen from the coast.”

“How do you know the gateway is there?”

“I recall that isle. It stuck with me.”

She raised her brows. “And if the gateway
isn’t there?”

“I suppose we’ll have to keep looking.”

~ ~ ~

“Are you sure?” Marcus asked.

The growl was low and deep. “How many times
must you ask me that? I know where she is headed.”

Marcus stared at his companion, the one being
that had helped him capture a Fae. And with his marriage to Ahryn,
he would come into a wealth of power that no one in Scotland would
dare to defy.

Hair as black as pitch fell half way down his
companion’s back, held away from his face by a clasp of pure gold
that had the shape of a dragon on it. Marcus stared into his unholy
copper eyes and tried to hide his fear.

“Ahryn has convinced Lugus to help her only
because you insisted on storming his isle. Had you listened to me
and left him alone, Ahryn could very well be sitting beside you
even now.”

Marcus looked away from the accusing copper
gaze. “Mayhap. However, you know to what lengths I went to obtain
Ahryn. I couldn’t sit idly by and wait for her to return to
me.”

A low chuckle reached Marcus as his companion
folded his arms across his chest and regarded him. “Ever the
insecure lord. Admit that you didn’t take Lugus as a threat because
he is the only one that can lead her to a gateway safely. It is the
very reason I warned you to stay away from him.”

Marcus waved away his words. “We will reach
her in time.”

“You better pray to your god that we do or
else the entire Fae army will descend upon you.”

~ ~ ~

Ahryn didn’t think her body could get more
exhausted than it was, yet somehow she had managed it. The lack of
natural magic on Earth drained Fae easily, and, when exerted as she
had been, it went even faster. She briefly closed her eyes and
tried to gather some calm around her.

She had thought that her hurt would have
melted away by now, yet here it was late afternoon and she couldn’t
shake it. Very few words had been spoken since they had left the
widow’s cottage. Lugus seemed lost in his own world, and she had no
desire to intrude again.

His harsh tone when she had asked about his
past told her just how fresh his wounds were. She tried to imagine
the worst thing he could have done, which was try and destroy the
Fae realm. Yet, it still didn’t stop her from trusting him. In the
little time she had been with him, she had seen the real man.

If he had done the unthinkable, Ahryn knew
there had to have been a reason. She didn’t for a moment believe
that a man capable of what was hinted about on her realm would save
her instead of leaving her to die.

She wished her mind would stay occupied with
such thoughts, but inevitably, they shifted to his kisses and the
feel of him that morning. The love and desire shining in his eyes
as he spoke Moira’s name would be etched in her memory for
eternity.

Ahryn barely saw Lugus stop in front of her.
She hastily sidestepped and missed running into him and ignored the
inquisitive look he shot her. When he turned his head she followed
his gaze and found herself looking across the sea to a large
isle.

“Is it the Isle of Skye?” she asked
hesitantly.

“Aye.”



She looked to the sky and the growing
darkness. “Will we make it today?”

Lugus sighed and turned away. “It is too
late. We’ll go first thing in the morning,” he said as he searched
for a place for them to bed down for the night.

She had noticed how uncomfortable he became
in the darkness and wondered if it was her imagination or if he
truly didn’t like the night. Slowly, she turned and followed him.
As preoccupied with his own thoughts as he was, he never noticed
her studying him.

Lugus looked very much like his brother, King
Theron, yet there was something missing from him besides the Fae
glow of his skin. It was then she realized what it was. Hope. He
had no hope in him, and without hope, it would only be a matter of
time before he died.

She leaned against a tree and asked, “Can we
chance a fire tonight?”

Lugus paused in his perusal and looked at
her. “I cannot shake the feeling that Marcus is not very far behind
us. If I had pushed a little harder today, we could be on the
isle,” he said and pointed to the Isle of Skye. “And you could be
nearly home by now.”

“It isn’t your fault,” she assured him. “I
slowed you down. I’m not so sure that Marcus will know where we
are. I don’t know how you stand it,” she said and rubbed her head.
“I hate not being able to read the future.”

He shrugged and sat down against a tree. “You
get used to it, just as you get used to not healing quickly.”

“It must be dreadful.” She sat across from
him, hoping he would continue talking without her having to ask
more probing questions. She had no idea why she felt the need to
know him as she did.

“It wasn’t as bad as I had thought. In all
honesty, I hadn’t expected to live.”

That’s when she remembered
what he had said when he first saw her on his isle. “You thought I
had come to kill you. Have you been waiting for
that?”


He didn’t
meet her gaze as he nodded. “I’ve asked for it.”

“So you think you deserve death?”

“Most certainly.”

The conviction in his voice gave her pause.
“You were given a second chance. Why not grab hold of it with both
hands and live your life?”

“It isn’t that easy,” he said, his voice
laced with sorrow. “I have much to pay for, Ahryn. My deeds demand
my death.”

“Yet King Theron didn’t allow it.”

She heard what sounded like a chuckle, but
surely that couldn’t be since she hadn’t even seen him smile.

“Theron had nothing to do with it. The only
thing he did was place me on this realm instead of somewhere
else.”

Ahryn was more confused than ever. If Theron
didn’t halt the hand that would end Lugus’ life, then who had?

She watched Lugus with his cool demeanor and
somber blue eyes and knew what she had to do.

Chapter Seve

Lugus rubbed his tired eyes and looked out
over the sea. He couldn’t believe he had gotten Ahryn here safely,
but then cursed himself for not having her on the Isle of Skye
before nightfall.

He knew in the depths of his soul that Marcus
was coming for her. Lugus would have another soul on his conscious
if he didn’t send Ahryn through the gateway before Marcus arrived.
And all because his mind couldn’t let go of the dream and waking up
atop Ahryn.

The dream was still vivid in his memory, and
with it the glowing blue eyes that had stared back at him. It’s why
he had called Moira’s name. It was as if she had transformed in his
arms to someone else, someone looking like Ahryn.