Prince of Passion (5 page)

“Come,” he said as he took Senga’s hand and led her to the ladder.
 

They climbed into the upper area and hid in the hay on their stomachs so they could see down into the barn. It seemed an eternity sitting in the itchy hay as they waited, but finally they heard a noise below.
 

Keiran squeezed Senga’s hand when she began to tremble. The Tnarg walked below them sniffing the air. He prayed his plan worked, for if the Tnarg found them, it was over.
 
He held his breath as the beast walked slowly around the stable sniffing the air as it searched for them. Hope swelled within him when the creature found each of the empty stalls.
 

But then it stopped and smelled the ladder they had climbed.
 

Keiran gripped his sword in his hand, ready to defend Senga as she ran to freedom if need be. Yet, to his relief, the Tnarg continued on to the back of the stable and followed the hoof prints into the snow.
 

They waited until the Tnarg was well enough away before they hurried down the ladder. Keiran clasped his mate’s hand and raced out the front. The new fallen snow from the night before was so thick in places they could only manage a slow walk.
 

“Keiran,” Senga whispered and pointed to her left.
 

He followed her gaze and found someone peeking between the shutters of their home. “I doona think the Tnarg harmed them. I think maybe everyone knew it was there, so they stayed in their homes.”
 

“I hope you’re right.”
 

He did, too.
 

Every once in awhile Keiran would look over his should to see if the Tnarg had realized it had been duped yet. It wouldn’t take the beast long, but Keiran wanted as many leagues between them as he could get.
 

It took them longer than he’d have liked to put the small village behind them. The cold soon numbed him, and though he hated the knee-deep snow, when the snow began to fall once more, covering their tracks, he rejoiced.
 

“Where are you taking us?” Senga asked through chattering teeth.
 

He pulled her cloak tighter around her. “When I first left Drahcir, I spent a few days learning the mountain. It’s how I discovered an alternate route to the pass.”
 

“Thank the gods you did.”
 

He chuckled and helped her through a deep patch of snow. She was winded, as was he, but he couldn’t chance a rest. Not now. Not yet.
 

“Aye,” he nodded. “I like to be prepared. Taking this route will add another day, though.”
 

Senga stopped and jerked her head towards him. “Keiran, we don’t have another day. Already we are five days away from the fifth moon of the Harvest year. We must be through the gates of Drahcir to fulfill the curse.”
 

He sighed and started walking again. “You are no’ telling me anything I doona already know. We doona have much of a choice, no’ with the Tnarg having found us already. Time isna on our side, but I’ll fight it.”
 

“As will I,” she vowed. “No one else has waited this long to return. I cannot help but worry.”
 

He couldn’t either, but he wouldn’t add to hers by admitting it. “We’ll make it.”
 

“Yes, of course.”
 
She wiped at her face to remove the snowflakes from her eyelashes.
 

Keiran glanced at his mate, eager to know more about her, but already enjoying what he had seen. She was frightened out of her wits, frozen solid, unsure if she would see the morrow, but she kept her faith in him.
 

He couldn’t—and wouldn’t—let her down.
 

Chapter Five

Senga tried to clench her jaw to keep her teeth from chattering, but nothing worked. She could no longer feel her fingers, and though she knew Keiran held her hand, she couldn’t feel his.
 

Her boots had long since been soaked from the snow, making it impossible for her to move her toes or feel anything even with the thick wool stockings. She stumbled so many times she had lost count, but always Keiran was there to steady her.
 

She silently cursed the weight of her skirts as they became hampered and soaked in the thick snow. How she wished for a fire, a warm bed, and a hot meal. The people of Drahcir took their mild climate for granted, but never again would Senga make that mistake. If she made it back home.
 

It was easier than she expected to say farewell to the village she had lived in for four years. If it wasn’t for Keiran and their future together, she could have easily lived her life in the small, sleepy town. The people were good and decent, but it wasn’t Drahcir.
 

It wasn’t home.
 

She missed the magic and the majesty of Drahcir. She missed seeing the imposing structure of the palace high above them where the towers mingled with the clouds, and the beautiful blue stones that lined the road.
 

Most of all, she missed her family.
 

“Senga!”
 

She jerked her head to Keiran. “What is it?”
 

“I’ve been calling your name. Are you all right?”
 

“Aye.”
 

“Liar,” he said with a smile. “I’m frozen.”
 

She chuckled despite herself. “I can’t feel my feet or my hands. And I don’t even know if my nose is still attached or not since I quit feeling that long ago.”
 

“It’s still there.” He winked at her, warming her from the inside. “Tell me about yourself.”
 

She shrugged as they moved to more packed snow, giving her aching legs a break. “There’s nothing to tell really. I was no one special in Drahcir.”
 

“I doona believe that.”
 

A smile pulled at her chapped lips. “It’s true.”
 

“I’d never have noticed you before I left if you hadna been special.”
 

His words warmed her heart. “You noticed me?”

“Oh, aye.
 
You were the last thing I saw before I walked through the gates.”

“My family owns a horse farm,” she said.
 
“We always had coin but had to work for it.
 
We’re not nobles, just a hard working family who has a love of horses.”
 

“As if it matters if you’re nobility or no’. There have been very few instances where any prince of Drahcir has returned with a royal mate. As soon as we claim you, you’re royal.”
 

“And my family? Will they be an embarrassment to you?”
 

He shook his head. “No’ at all, though as far as I know, no’ a single Sinclair has married a member of Drahcir. There will be some differences, but I doona see how that matters.”
 

She sighed. Until that moment, she hadn’t realized how fearful of his answer she had been.
 

“What is your family like?” he asked.

She inhaled the frigid air and felt it freeze her lungs. “They’re wonderful. When I asked them to trust me, that I had to leave Drahcir, they did it though they weren’t happy about it.”
 

“Nay, I imagine they were no’. Do you have siblings?”
 

“A younger sister and an older brother.”
 

He nodded, his lips pressed together. “I miss my family. I’m close to my brothers and having not spoken to them in so long is….”
 

“Painful,” she interjected.
 

He glanced at her. “Exactly. I can no’ wait to meet their mates.”
 

“It’ll be a glorious reunion.” She could only imagine how their return would be. The Sinclairs were well-loved in Drahcir, and the deep loyalty and love of the family was known throughout their kingdom.
 

Yet, she had to wonder if his family would approve of her. Would she get along with them? She was the future queen, after all. Just thinking it made her stomach pitch.
 

“Is it wrong that despite being frozen, I still want to kiss you?” Keiran said with a devilish grin.
 

Senga laughed, her breath billowing around her. “If you can desire me when I look this bad, then I think we’ll be all right.”
 

“You look delicious to me,” he whispered into her ear.
 

Despite the temperature, the falling snow, and her soaked boots, she didn’t gripe when he stopped her and turned her to face him. His warm breath fanned her cheek just a heartbeat before his lips descended on hers.
 

He was like a ray of sunshine, and she basked in his glow. His kiss set her afire, his lips moving over hers slowly, seductively, heating her blood.
 
Her sex clenched hungrily, and her breasts swelled. Had he wanted her right then in the snow, she’d have gladly lain down and offered her body.
 

She heard the stories of the uncontrollable desire, the throbbing need and vast hunger a mate of a Sinclair would feel, but experiencing it herself, she was left panting with a need so deep and immense, a lifetime with Keiran would never be enough.
 

It wasn’t just the desire while in his arms. She couldn’t quite explain the pleasure at just being near him, of knowing she was his. It was almost as if she had become whole when he had claimed her. In marking her arm with the ancient symbol of the Sinclairs, he had also marked her heart and soul.
 

She had wanted to stare at the tattoo on her arm this morning. The small glimpse she had gotten sent a chill across her body, for despite Aimery’s prediction, she had doubted the end result.
 
Yet, there was no doubt now, not with her arm, as well as Keiran’s, marked for eternity. She ran her hand over his right arm.
 

“I still can’t believe it,” she whispered when he raised his head. “Even knowing I was meant to be yours, I can’t believe it. I used to watch you in Drahcir when you rode through the city atop your mount. You were so handsome, so skilled.”
 

He rubbed his nose with hers. “I’m all yours now, love, even if you doona want me. I have horrid quirks that will no doubt drive you daft in short order.”
 

Senga burst out laughing, her strength renewed. “I don’t believe that for a moment.”
 

“Doona say I didna warn you,” he told her as he continued walking.
 

* * * *

The snowfall turned into a vicious storm with winds that howled around them, driving them backward even as they trudged through the snow. Keiran stood in front of Senga, taking the brunt of the wind as well as shoving aside the knee-deep snow to make it easier for her to walk.
 
She held onto his cloak, letting him know she was still there. He was exhausted. His thighs ached and his entire body hurt from the cold.
 

By the gods, why couldn’t it have been summer!
 

It was always cold on the mountain, but winter storms were the worst. No one in their right mind climbed the mountain in winter, but he and Senga didn’t have a choice. They had to reach Drahcir.
 

Keiran glanced behind him. Senga had her head ducked, her chin to her chest against the bitter wind. She clasped her cloak together, but still the wind yanked it away from her.
 
He sighed. They couldn’t stay out in this. She’d die for sure.
 

Keiran looked through the quick-falling snow for a hint of a cave, of anything, to get them out of the wind for a while. He squinted and turned his head to the side when he caught sight of something. It almost looked like the glow of a fire through a window. But that couldn’t be. No one lived this far up the mountain. At least none whom he knew of.
 

However, it was worth checking out, especially if they found shelter for the night since it had begun to grow dark in the past hour. Keiran took them toward the trees. Senga followed with nary a sound. As soon as he reached the first tree, he put his back to it and pulled Senga in his arms.
 

“I think I found us shelter,” he shouted over the wind.
 

She nodded her head in answer.
 

He wasted not another second out in the storm but hurried to the cottage, one arm still around Senga, guiding her toward their shelter. Smoke poured from the chimney, urging Keiran faster. If they could just have time to dry out their clothing and warm up, it would be enough. There had been no sign of the Tnarg, and with the storm, there was little chance the beast would find them soon.
 

By the time they reached the small cottage, he all but held Senga up. Keiran pounded on the door, sending a violent ache down his frozen arm.