The Highlander’s Witch (34 page)

Skye sobered when she saw Aiden standing there as well and lowered her eyes as she turned away from the otherwise happy scene.

Anna pulled her husband to the hearth.

“Ye have made me most happy today.” Anna beamed after introducing her husband to Sarah, Doug, and Gladys.

Taking a deep breath, Skye knew she was about to put a damper on the mood but knowing there was no other recourse, she took a deep breath before speaking.

“Well, it looks like my time here is done and since I have completed what I needed to do. It is time for me to come home.”

“But ye canno, Skye, ye—”

Collin hushed her gently.

“She has a family she wishes to be with.” He looked over her head into Aiden’s fixed stare. “I ken how much I would miss ye if ye were to be gone from me side fer so long. Ye must ken this as well,
mo
ghaol
.”

Anna pouted and leaned into Collin saying nothing.

Silence fell about the room and Skye kept her eyes on the flames not seeing Elizabeth’s raised eyebrow as she looked meaningfully at her son.

“Aunt Gladys, I need you to really look at that incantation you gave me so that I can make it work.”

“I don’t know what to tell you, m’dear.” She hesitated as she looked at Sarah, shaking her head as if lost in understanding.

“Skye, we miss you so very much and want you here with us.” Sarah looked at her husband.

“Why do I hear a ‘but’ in there somewhere?”

Doug took the baby from his wife and crooned softly as Sarah took a deep breath.

“Like Doug said; some of the writings are very hard to make out but it is very clear that you are where you belong. There are a number of areas that mention your name specifically.”

“In present tense.” Doug added.

Gladys eased her way to the front.

“Skye, that chant is full proof, I am sure of it. Just as I am sure mine worked the way it was meant to.”

“Then it’s my fault it didn’t work.” She shrugged, ignoring her aunt’s last comment, desperately looking for answers. “I broke my concentration. All I need to do is make sure I keep my focus.”

Aiden shoulders hurt from how tense they had been since he had told her to go home. He was angry with himself for his feelings of elation when he’d heard the spell worked; that she was supposed to remain in this time.

More so, he was mad at the accusatory looks he was receiving from his mother and Collin.

Did they not see that she would be safer in the future? He was also angry with himself for wanting to shake her and then take her into his arms and slake his lusts inside her willing flesh.

His body was tense with frustration and hard with need but he had to ignore it all for the sake of her wellbeing.

“I do not think it matters,
mo
leanabh
. Ye were in an enchanted circle. It centers the fate of one’s self with the spell. That be why ye returned here.” Elizabeth took Skye’s hand in hers and smiled gently. “No other words or chant shall change what be yer destiny.”

The baby woke up and began to cry.

“It’s past his feeding time.” Sarah apologized as she took the baby back and rocked him over her shoulder. “Skye, we’ll look further into the spell and see what we can do.”

Nodding absently, she watched as her family faded from the flames. Unable to look at anyone, she stood.

“Well, that was quite a bit of excitement.”

She looked at Elizabeth and gave a weak smile as she disengaged her hand under the pretense of grabbing something to eat, even though her throat was too dry to swallow anything.

Feeling all eyes on her she went to the door Skye pasted a smile on her stiff face before she turned to them. “Actually, it makes me rather tired, so I had best return to my room.”

Refusing to look at Aiden, she skirted around him and slipped outside.

Knowing a guard followed, she rushed back to her room and closed the door quickly behind her.

Finding herself in darkness, she shivered in hopelessness as she made her way to the bed and crawled up against the wall, wrapping her hands around her knees before letting the tears fall.

A knock sounded at her door, too solid to be a woman’s, and Skye’s heart leapt to her throat as she lifted her eyes in the dimness to look at the door and prayed whoever was there would go away.

Wishing for a lock, she heard the handle turn as it opened and then a beam of light formed around the muscular body of the one person she really didn’t want to see.

“I’d rather not have company right now, thank you.”

Aiden’s already heavy heart ached more seeing her sitting sadly at the head of the bed.

“Do ye have any more candles in here, lass?”

“I don’t need candles.” She grumbled.

Ignoring her, Aiden began rummaging through empty drawers.

Sighing loudly, she leaned over and pulled out the drawer on her nightstand before returning to her position.

Prying the remains of the last candle from its perch, Aiden inserted a fresh one and lit it with the sconce hanging on the outside wall before returning the torch to the guard and closing the door before sitting in a chair facing her.

“Ye ken the reason why ye must go, do ye no, Skye?”

“You don’t need to worry about it, Aiden. I will find a way to leave. There is no need to be concerned that I will be in your way.”

Gritting his teeth, Aiden stiffened his posture. “There be nothin to worry about.”

“Right, so you can go now.”

“Look at me, Skye.”

“I don’t want to.”

Filled with every possible reason for her to go, he feared more about what she would think if she knew everything about him and sighed heavily.

“Ye doona ken what kind of man I be.”

Clenching his jaw, he berated himself for saying the one thing he agonized over most.

Skye frowned in the silence that followed. Was he giving her a chance to prove she was strong enough to stay?

Raising her head, she looked at him in wonder.

“Have you been hiding something from me?”

He searched her face. “I would hurt ye.”

“I don’t believe that.”

“Do ye no?” When she shook her head, he sighed. “Then ye should.”

“Why do you say that?”

He stood, pushing the chair back trying to think of a way to change the topic back to the reason why he should be sending her home.

“These be hard times. That ye have found out for yerself.”

There, he had done it.

“I can handle these times as long as I have you.”

“I canno protect ye at all times.”

“During those times, I will stay sheltered in the keep under guard of whomever you wish.”

“Ye said yerself it was different in the future.”

Hope flared in Skye’s heart as she grabbed onto what hope she could.

“Different, yes, but I have had to protect myself when no one was there for me. You have seen what I can do.”

“And what happened when ye had to.” Aiden interjected.

“I coped because I have—had—you to help me. In my time who will I have?”

His gut wrenched at the thought of another man protecting her and was unable to say so aloud.

“I be a hard man.” He insisted.

“I have seen nothing I couldn’t handle.”

“Ye doona ken, Skye.”

Heart racing in hope, she swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood.

Keeping her eyes on his face, she took the few steps to stand before him.

“Then show me.”

His cock strained against his trews as he looked down on her flushed face. He was teetering on the edge of showing her why she needed to return to her time.

“Ye have disobeyed me on two occasions.”

“I’m sorry. I won’t ever do that again.”

Aiden crossed his arms and looked down on her sternly.

“I be Laird an Master, my word be law unto all who reside here.”

Placing her hand on his crossed arms, she pleaded with her eyes for him to believe her. “You
are
my Laird and Master.”

He softened slightly even as his balls grew painfully tight. “Ye were a virgin, lass.”

“So? What does that have to do with anything?”

“Ye be innocent of the ways between a man sech as meself. No matter the book learnin ye have.”

She searched his eyes, not understanding. “What ways?”

When he didn’t say anything, she became worried that he would turn her away.

“Show me, Aiden.”

“Nay, Skye. T’would be better that ye go home than be frightened by me, for that I could no stand.”

Licking her lips, she squeezed his forearms.

“I am frightened of you letting me go. Of never being with you again, of never feeling these things that only you have made me feel.”

Chapter Thirteen
 

H
is arms broke apart so he could cup her chin and his eyes searched her face, his body demanding to take her and his mind quickly following.

“Ye shall follow me demands without question. Do as I command without hesitation. Do ye ken?”

When she nodded, he took her by the hand and led her from the room.

Her nipples tightened in desire just from the touch of his hand.

When she found out they were heading to his room, she could feel the moisture between her legs but she frowned in confusion when he drew her to the adjoining room where he let her go and pushed an armoire out of the way before pressing into a carved portion of the wall.

She watched, mouth agape, as the gargoyle image sunk into the wall and a nook appeared.

Before she could do or say anything, Aiden took her hand and led her through the opening, the candle their only source of light.

“If there was ever an invasion, this is where ye would go to hide. If ye were to follow this further down ye would eventually find yerself on the outside of the keep.”

Skye’s heart skipped a beat then expanded at his words.

He was talking as if she would be staying.

“We, however, shall only be goin this far.”

In the dim light, she could not see what he was doing but from his movements it felt like he was opening another doorway.

Aiden pulled her forward into another room before her hand was released then watched in amazement as he lit the sconces on the walls.

Soon there was enough light to see the furnishings.

Her mouth dropped open in shock and she wrapped her arms around her as she shivered involuntarily when she viewed chains hanging from the ceiling, benches that showed some with padding and others without, large crosses, and other devises Skye was sure were meant for torture, scattered about the room.

“Ye have this one chance to tell me nay, Skye.”

Aiden stood at her side, watching her intently as she looked from the equipment to him.

“You are going to torture me for disobeying you?”

“Ye shall be punished, aye. But ye will no be tortured.”

She looked at him and swallowed.

“Tis yer choice. Decide now. Do ye stay an accept that ye relinquish all control or do ye say nay an I return ye to yer chamber?”

Biting her lip, she took another quick look around before returning her gaze to his.

Letting her hands fall to her side, she lowered her head.

“You are my Laird and Master.”

Aiden found himself inhaling after holding his breath, thankful at her trust in him.

Standing straighter, he ordered the removal of her clothes.

“All of them. Let there be no a stitch left on yer body.”

Skye did as he instructed, struggling with some of the laces in the back, but finally the last garment fell to the cold floor covering the shoes and stockings she had removed first.