She looked up at him, into his bright blue eyes. Somewhere along the way, she had fallen in love with Kai. She had tried to deny it, tried to push it away, but it was there, burning bright inside her heart.
“I know,” she said softly. “I know you will.”
He leaned down and kissed her forehead, his lips warm and soft against her skin. “I love ye, Caitlin,” he whispered. “I’ve loved ye since the moment I saw ye, and I’ll love ye until the end of time.”
She laid a hand against his cheek. “I love you too.” She leaned up to meet his lips with hers in a fierce kiss. She could taste the smoke on his breath and feel the heat of the fire on her skin, but in that moment, nothing else mattered. All that mattered was Kai, and what burned between them.
Finally they pulled apart, both of them breathless and dizzy. Caitlin looked around at the chaos in the courtyard, remembering what had brought them here. “How is the king?” she asked, her voice full of anxiety.
Kai shouted over to Magnus, relaying Caitlin’s question, then turned back to her. “He will live, thanks to ye.”
“And Snarlsson and the rest?”
“Conall brought news right before we broke into the king’s apartment. Lorna and Tobias are in custody. Lord Alasdair is with the healers. And as we speak, Brochan and the Order of the Osprey are tracking Leif Snarlsson and Alice Brewer. They willnae get far.”
Caitlin breathed out in relief. “Then it’s over.”
Kai smiled. “Aye, it’s over.” He paused, then took her hands in his. “My mission is complete and if I’m to keep my promise, I must take ye to my brother so he can send ye home.” His voice shook slightly. “But I can no longer keep that promise.”
“What do you mean?”
“The man who promised ye that isnae the man before ye now. Ye have changed me. I wouldnae have made that promise had I known what ye would become to me. I canna lose ye.” He looked up, met her gaze. “Caitlin Summers...will ye stay? Will ye marry me?”
For a moment, Caitlin couldn’t breathe. She had never expected this, had never let herself dream of such a thing. But in that moment, with Kai looking at her as if she was the only thing in the world that mattered, she knew what her answer must be.
“Yes,” she whispered. “A thousand times yes. I’ll stay. I’ll marry you.”
Kai laughed with delight and swept her up into his arms again; spinning around in a circle as he shouted, “She said yes!”
All around them people cheered and clapped their hands in celebration. Kai smiled and leaned down to kiss her again and Caitlin felt like every worry or fear she’d ever had melted away into nothingness. What was left behind was something new, something that filled her with quiet joy and was as bright and pure as the Highland sky above them.
Chapter 24
“Can you guess whathappened next?” Rosa asked with a wicked smile. The older woman sipped from her beaker of mint tea as she waited for Caitlin’s response. The two of them were seated at the little table in front of the fire in Caitlin’s room at Rosa’s inn.
“I’ve no idea,” Caitlin said with a laugh. “I swear your tales become more outlandish every time!”
