Iseult pushed her way back outside, not wanting to hear what Kieran had thought. Her anger rose up, drowning her in helpless frustration. She’d believed him. She’d built her hopes up, thinking that she would hold Aidan in her arms again.
She couldn’t see, from the tears streaming down her face. And when Kieran tried to offer her comfort, tried to pull her into his arms, she wouldn’t let him. “You never saw him. You don’t know he was ever here.”
“It was the most likely place. But we’ll find him.”
“We?” Her tears choked in the back of her throat. “There is no ‘we.’ You already said that you don’t want me to stay with you.” She gave free rein to her feelings, letting them spill out. “Even if I’d found him, you’d still leave us.”
And that was the final blow. Kieran claimed that he would find Aidan, that he wanted to help her. But in the end, like Murtagh, he would go.
She couldn’t bear it again. And the longer she stayed with him, the worse it would be when he finally left. For Kieran didn’t love her. Not enough to let go of his past and make a home for them. She understood that nothing she said would make a difference to him. Until he believed it was possible to build a life together, they had nothing.
“We can ask the other villagers,” Kieran offered. “They might know where the family has gone. There’s still hope.”
His hand moved to frame her jaw, his thumb wiping a tear away. “Don’t give up on your faith. Not when you’re so close.”
She covered his hand, wishing she could carry the memory of his touch forever. But it was better to stop now, than to make the heartache even worse.
“I’ll never give up on Aidan,” she promised. Lifting her gaze to his, she continued, “But I can’t go on looking with you,” she whispered. “It hurts too much.”
He lowered his forehead to touch hers. “I’m sorry. I wanted to find him for you.” In his voice, she heard the resignation. He wasn’t going to fight for her, nor try to convince her to stay with him.
“Do you want me to take you home?” His hand reached to her nape, caressing the tension there.
She couldn’t go home. Not to Caitleen, after knowing what her mother had done.
But there was one place she could go. A place where she could make her own choices. A place where someone loved her desperately.
“Take me back to Lismanagh.”
WatchingIseultleavewasone of the hardest things he’d ever done. Time slowed, and Kieran committed to memory the beauty of her face and the hair that tangled around her shoulders like a fading sunrise. He would never forget the sadness in her eyes when she believed he didn’t want her.
Far from it. He wanted her more than he’d ever wanted any woman. Branna paled in comparison to Iseult.
When he’d said goodbye, he’d wanted to hold Iseult tight and feel her lips against his, one last time. But she’d held herself apart, not letting him close.
The rejection took him by surprise, bruising his pride. She’d made her decision. She’d chosen to return to Davin Ó Falvey, a man who would take care of her in the way he never could.
A surge of possession caught him by surprise. He’d thought he was doing the right thing by letting her go. But the truth was, he didn’t like it. He wanted her to stay with him while they searched for Aidan, for however long that might be.
She had disappeared inside the entrance of the ringfort, and he felt like an intruder spying on her. But he had to ensure her safety.
Kieran crept to the edge of the palisade, continuing to watch her through the openings of the wooden fence. When Davin emerged to greet her, a look of startled happiness spread over his face. He opened his arms and welcomed Iseult with a warm embrace.
Kieran wasn’t prepared for the fist of jealousy that caught him in the gut.She’s mine. A growl caught in his throat. He wanted to smash through the wooden palisade and demand that Davin get away from her.
God in heaven, he was a fool for letting her go. And though he wasn’t at all the right man for her, this wasn’t over.
Far from it.
You chose this. You were the one who told her there was no future.
It was the truth, wasn’t it? He had nothing left to give. Why would she want to stay with a man like him? Once, he had been their tribe’s greatest warrior, following in the footsteps of his father. He’d fallen so far, he could never be the man he once was.
Fight for her,a voice inside him urged.
He gripped one of the wooden supports on the palisade, squeezing so hard, splinters dug into his palms. It would mean returning home, rebuilding what was lost. Facing his family.
He’d never planned on going back to Duncarrick. He didn’t want to see the blame in his father’s eyes for Egan’s death.
