The Legend Mackinnon (41 page)

Cailean rubbed her arms. “Edwyna claimed to have faery ties.” She turned to Alexander. “How are you here?”

She asked the question so easily, her expression open and expectant. He looked between the women, and his brothers, and realized that they had already faced the shock of
their unnatural existence. It was odd, but he felt truly at home for the first time in years.

Alexander took a steadying breath and explained the curse to both Claren women with Delaney filling in any details he’d omitted.

At the conclusion, Maggie and Cailean were both slack-jawed. Delaney nodded. “I know. It all fits now.”

“What fits?” Alexander asked.

Surprisingly, it was Rory who answered. “There is a pattern to the curse.” At Duncan and Alexander’s frown of confusion, he elaborated. “We have all been doomed to some form of exile for failing to exhibit a true desire to bond with our original betrotheds.”

“Bah!” Alexander replied, though he knew by the dread shifting in his chest that his brother spoke the truth.

“I tried to tell him,” Delaney said, “but he wouldn’t listen.”

Cailean stepped forward and placed her hand on his arm. It was all Alexander could do not to yank his arm from her power-laden touch. “If you don’t believe, we have no hope.”

He did pull away then. He backed up several steps from the entire group, working hard to corral his control. He must convince them.
That
was their only hope.

“This is not about bonds forged between men and women, this is about bonds forged between clansmen,” he said, struggling to keep his tone moderate. “I have spent my time in the future wisely. Delaney speaks the truth when she says we are here for a reason.” He turned from her surprised look and directed his gaze toward the blonde witch. “She is our path back home,” he said, pointing to Cailean. He turned to his brothers. “I have the means to win the final battle, to save our clan from destruction.” Fervency crept into his voice. “We will go back brothers, and we will triumph over the Clarens once and for all!”

“No!” All three Claren women shouted in unison. The
suddenness of it made Balgaire bark. The ringing sound echoed through the cavern as they stared at one another in defiance.

Duncan stepped forward. “Surely this is not something we must decide right this very moment.”

“It is not something we can let linger,” Alexander said. “Your time here is limited, is it not?”

Duncan looked to Maggie. The bleakness was so clear in their eyes that Alexander felt his hopes slip another notch.

“Aye, that is true.”

“Then we must find the portal before then. Once you return, history will change. Your trip to purgatory will never have taken place.” He turned to Rory. “Your immortal soul will once again be inside your mortal body. All will be as it should have been three hundred years ago.”

“No,” Cailean said, looking horrified. “You cannot change history. It would wreak havoc on so many lives.”

Alexander pinned her with a gaze. “How do you know that? If we return and avoid the curse that started this whole bluidy thing, perhaps all those tragic clan unions would end in happiness and prosperity. We could be rewriting history for the better.”

Cailean shook her head, unswayed. “What is done is done. You can only affect your future. And that of every Claren and MacKinnon yet to come.”

Alexander stepped forward. “Of which all are represented in this very space. If we return, who is to say that our clans would not have flourished throughout time?”

Rory stepped forward. “We have much to discuss. But it has been a long day for us all. We should ascend back into the castle and take the remainder of this day for ourselves.” He looked at his brothers, a wet gleam in his eyes. “I never thought to see you again, Alex, and I have only just been reunited with Duncan. Surely we can take this one day to celebrate such a joyous miracle.”

“Aye,” Duncan echoed. “Give us this day, then we will sit and discuss what shall be done.”

Alexander wanted to force the issue, to get it all decided right then. He had worked so hard, so single-mindedly, that now that the goal was within his grasp it was almost impossible to step back from it. He did want to rejoice with his brothers, but if he had his way, they’d have the rest of their lives to do so.

That snake in his gut told him that giving them any time would undermine his plan. He found his gaze drawn to Delaney without his will or consent. She was staring at him, the message in her haunting violet eyes clear.

He sighed and pulled his gaze back to the group. “Fine,” he said. He was chastened further by the relieved expressions on everyone’s face.

Duncan clapped his hands. “Good. Now, is there another way from here other than those bluidy stairs?”

“Speaking of those stairs, just how did you find me anyway?” Delaney asked. “Alexander said you didn’t know about the passage.”

“We didn’t,” Rory offered. “On our search yesterday, Duncan and I cleared the rubble and found our way to the council chambers. We found the door lever by accident, but didn’t know the location of the door it operated. It wasn’t until this morning that we discovered it.”

“I must have gone in when you opened it,” Delaney said, “and then couldn’t get back out when you closed it.”

Duncan turned to Alexander. “Why did you know of this and not us?”

“Calum told me on the eve of my wedding to Edwyna. I had not had a chance to even explore it. This cavern and the connecting passage had been constructed as a safeguard should Stonelachen be invaded. From here you can gain entrance to the sea.”

“Impossible,” Duncan said. “We are in the westernmost bowels of this mountain.”

“There is another Druid door, up there.” Alexander motioned to the large slab positioned above the top of the tumble of boulders. “It blocks a natural, spring-fed waterfall.”

“Waterfall?” Rory looked up, as did the rest of the group.

“Aye. The spring beyond is fed by a much larger one. I have a boat docked there. If you know which streams to follow, you will find yourself emptying out into the sea just below Kilt Rock. There is a natural cave. You can only go out or come in on high tide.”

“Why the moving door here? And the hidden lever for the passage door? How does it work from such a distance?”

“This door is to block the natural flow of water and allow entrance into the catacombs below. There are crevices in the rock that will allow the water to drain off. There is a swinging walkway from this boulder over to the tunnel end stowed in the tunnel behind the door. There is a side passage for safe travel along the stream. If you open the door fully, the water will flow faster than it can run off and will eventually fill up much of the cavern. With the bridge withdrawn, you could make your escape and your enemies could not follow. By the time the natural run off levels it out, you will be long gone.”

“And what of the other door? The one atop the stairs?”

“There is a lever below, in the catacombs. It is directly below the door. I know not how they put it all in, but it works. Only a strong pair of lungs could reach it once the cavern is full. And the swimmer would have to know its exact location.”

“Did Calum tell you of this, Duncan?” Rory asked of his brother.

Duncan shook his head.

“If we had been under serious threat of invasion, he would have told you,” Alexander assured them. “He only told me because he didn’t fully trust the Clarens. Once
wedded to them, they would understandably gain fuller access to Stonelachen. He wanted me to be prepared for any eventuality. I don’t know why he decided against telling you. Perhaps he didn’t trust the weddings to take place.”

“See, even Calum realized that marriage might not be enough to end the wars between you,” Delaney said.

Alexander turned to her. “There is no certainty to any aspect of life, Delaney. He hoped the union would buy us time to build our strength. None of us truly believed the union alone would end our wars. It would be up to our leadership, our cunning, our—”

“Stupid male testosterone,” Maggie put in. She threw up her hands. “Haven’t you learned anything?”

“Apparently not,” Delaney offered.

“Enough!” Alexander shouted. Even Duncan and Rory straightened. That heartened him only a little. He turned to find the Claren women all staring at him with their arms crossed over their chests.

A formidable lot. They could give their ancestors a run for certain. He shuddered at the very thought.

Delaney turned at the bump of Balgaire’s shaggy head against her elbow. She stroked his neck making the dog groan and drool in foolish pleasure. Traitor, Alexander thought, even as he envied the disloyal beast her touch. He scowled.

Just then Delaney looked up and caught him staring at her hands, slowly moving through Balgaire’s scraggly fur. There must have been something of the yearning he felt in his expression because she grinned audaciously at him and winked. Winked!

He was mortified to feel his cheeks darken. He had to get himself and his brothers away from the influence of these Claren women. It had been their downfall before and would be again, he was certain of it!

O
nce they’d reached the castle proper, it was late and they were all tired and hungry. It was decided that the brothers would bed down in the castle and the women would spend the night in the hotel in nearby Flodigarry, where Duncan, Maggie, and Delaney had taken rooms the day before. When they’d begun the search for the key, they had all decided it would be smarter if Duncan, Maggie, and Delaney relocated closer to the castle. Cailean had quietly moved her belongings into Rory’s chambers.

For the night, however, the Claren cousins had decided to allow the brothers to reunite in private. Delaney had watched the couples’ parting kisses and some of her concerns about this set-up abated. Duncan was open and lusty about his feelings for Maggie, whereas Rory and Cailean had that simmering-about-to-boil-over type passion arcing between them that was obvious to anyone with eyes in their head.

She’d kept her attention studiously averted from Alexander during the prolonged good-byes. Her feelings for him
completely disconcerted her. The more she thought about it on their return trip, the more confused she’d become.

She’d also worried that leaving the brothers alone together was a tactical error. It would give Alexander all night to convince his brothers of his plan. There was no doubt that was his goal, and why he’d been the first to encourage the sleeping arrangements. She had caught his eye then. He’d boldly held her gaze like the clan chief he was, all but daring her to comment. She had held her tongue, but had played her own trump card by insisting that Cailean pack a bag and return with the other two women, to allow the brothers their reunion in complete privacy.

The tightening around Alexander’s mouth had been signal enough that he’d understood her greater goal of keeping the Claren Key away from the MacKinnon brothers. Without Cailean, they would not likely find the portal on their own.

But upon witnessing their good-bye kisses and private whisperings, she’d also begun to think that Alexander might have a more difficult task set in front of him than he had thought, clan chief or not.

Now it was the following morning. The sun had made a stunning debut over Staffin Bay and the three cousins prepared to head back to Stonelachen.

Despite their wish to get an early start, Delaney had talked them into stoking up on a big breakfast first. “They’ll still be there when we get back,” she’d teased, but the two women had only mustered weak smiles.

Maggie slid a piece of toast from the crisps rack and crunched on it, her expression turning thoughtful. “Are you saying that you don’t feel any, you know, electricity, between you and Alexander?”

On the trip down to Flodigarry, she’d told them about the guns and Alexander’s plan, but they had been so exhausted she’d been spared talking about her feelings toward
Alexander. A good night’s sleep hadn’t rendered her any more ready to discuss him now. “Electricity?” she responded wryly. “We met when he was holding a gun to my head and his three hundred pound dog was drooling in my face.”

“And you’re holding that against him? Believe me, it’s not hatred I see in his eyes. Frustration, yes. Lots of that.” Maggie laughed. “But I’ve seen the way he looks at you when you aren’t watching him. Which isn’t often, you know.”

Cailean smiled at that, but hid it by quickly taking a sip of her tea.

Delaney hadn’t missed it. She dropped her head on folded arms. “It’s true. I know I stare. I can’t help it.” She lifted her head and peered at them both, a grin curving her lips. “But did you get a look at those arms? And that backside? I mean, come on, I’m only human!” Her grin left her and her shoulders rounded a bit. She couldn’t do this. Her cousin’s smiles faded as well.

“What is it, Delaney?” Maggie asked.

She shrugged, hating the helplessness she felt. “It’s hard to explain. I have always believed in the power of true love, real love, you know, soulmate stuff.” She stopped, not sure where she was going, but knowing it would be better once she gave voice to it. “Okay, I joined the military when I was eighteen because I craved adventure as a child, and figured that was the best way to get it. I discovered I was a good strategist and I got into the terrorist aspect of things when I was invited to join a task force being implemented to look into ways of dealing with the growing concern. By the time my tour was up, I was hooked. I was helping people in the worst of circumstances. Bringing about some happy endings and getting adventure all wrapped into one. I went civilian because it gave me greater latitude.” She took a breath and tried to organize her thoughts. “In all this time, I always felt like it would be my turn at some
point. That true love would just knock on my door.” A small smile came out. “Well, almost-love and wish-it-were-love came knocking a lot, but that one special, you-know-it-when-you-see-it love. It’s silly, but I’ve just always known …” She trailed off, unable to explain.