He gave a whoop of delight that brought his men running into the cave in alarm. Arran picked Jenna up and twirled her around, the two of them laughing like children.
Mal shoved to the front of the group and crossed his arms over his broad chest as he watched them.
“Well,” he said. “About bloody time.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Jenna didn’t wantto wake. She wanted to stay here forever, nestled in this warm bed, with an equally warm body snuggled up beside her. She stretched out her toes, loving the feel of the soft sheets against her skin, and the weight of Arran’s arm draped protectively across her hip. His chest was pressed into her back, warm and hard, and the only sounds in the room were his steady breathing.
Oh yes, she could stay like this forever.
But the light slanting through the window and the distant sounds of the castle waking meant it wasn’t to be. The day had begun and no matter how much she might try, she couldn’t avoid what was happening today. Perhaps it would be better to get it over with, like ripping off a band aid.
She opened her eyes. Arran’s chambers—theirchambers—sprang into view around her. When she’d first moved in here, they had been sparse—a warrior’s rooms—but, with Ingrid and Rosaline’s help, she’d done her best to make them comfortable and now they were lovely and cozy with thick rugs, warm throws, and vases of dried flowers.
She shifted and Arran mumbled something incoherent, his voice thick with sleep. She turned in his arms so she was facing him and ran a finger down the sculpted contours of his chest, watching him sleep.
She was aching this morning, her muscles sore from what she and Arran had done last night. Had doneeverynight, truth be told, sincethey’d returned to Dun Tabor. She could never get enough of him. Even now, aching and sleep-addled as she was, she could feel the stirrings of desire begin to flutter in her belly. She wanted him to make love to her again. She wanted to stay in this room with him all day and forget what awaited her.
But she couldn’t. She’d been putting it off for far too long already.
She laid a kiss on the end of Arran’s nose. “Hey,” she said.
His eyes fluttered open, that sapphire blue fixing on her. “Hey,” he mumbled. “What are ye doing awake? It’s not even midday yet.”
“Funny,” she said drily.
He grinned then leaned forward and kissed her, pinning her to the bed. Heat pooled in her stomach and she wrapped her arms around his head, kissing him back. Perhaps they could stay in bed just a little longer…
A knock on the door interrupted that thought. “My laird? Jenna?” Ingrid’s voice came from the other side. “Ye asked me to wake ye at dawn.”
Jenna stifled a groan.
“Aye,” Arran called. “My thanks, Ingrid. We’ll be there soon.” He propped himself on one elbow and looked down at Jenna. “Well?” he asked. “Today’s the day. Should we get started?”
“No,” she said. “We shouldn’t. We should hide under the bed.”
Arran laughed. “It canna be that bad.”
“You don’t get it,” she moaned. “They are going tokillme! If you think I’m bad, just wait until you seethemin a rage.”
“Dinna fash, I’ll win them over with my charm and wit. Ye’ll be perfectly safe.”
Jenna didn’t dignify that comment with an answer. She threw back the covers and climbed reluctantly to her feet. “All right. Let’s get this show on the road, shall we?”
She was so nervous she didn’t eat breakfast, so it was less than an hour later, after bidding goodbye to Rosaline, Mal, and Ingrid at thecastle gates, that she found herself mounted on Bran, with Arran seated behind her.
It was a beautiful early summer day, with fluffy clouds in the sky high above, and the drone of insects in the flowers their only company as they rode steadily through the countryside. Arran, perhaps sensing Jenna’s nerves, said not a word, but he was a steadying, silent presence at her back all the same.
They reached the beach too soon for Jenna’s liking. She’d not been here since the day she’d arrived but even so, she recognized it immediately. As they rode down onto the shingle and sand, dismounted, and walked towards the rock pools that bracketed the beach, tingles of trepidation slid down her spine.
Excuses and apologies ran through her head like a litany. She’d practiced them all a thousand times but she knew they would do no good. They were going to befurious.Two months had passed since she’d restored Skye’s magic. Two. Whole. Months. How was she going to explain that away?
They reached the rock pool and came to a halt at its edge. Jenna found herself staring down into its depths. It looked nothing special, just a run-of-the-mill rock pool that you might find on beaches the world over. But Jenna knew it was far more than that.
As she stared down into it, she felt movement at her side and looked up to see a blonde-haired woman standing beside her. The woman wore flowing robes and her hair moved of its own accord, like kelp shifting with the tide. She regarded Jenna and Arran with eyes of pure silver.
“Ready?” Lir asked them.
