“’Twas nae an agreement!” Edna protested. “Ye left me with nae choice! I did what I had to do and believe me when I tell ye, ye’ll pay for it, especially if any harm comes to Angus or Maggie.”
“Any harm that comes to them is yer doing, Edna!” With Brielle’s furious response, the crackling of the fire in the dining room grew louder and flames shot from the hearth.. Teddy ducked beneath his table, covering his face and head with his hands.
“Damn ye, Brielle!” Edna cursed. She quickly jumped out of the way of the errant flames, and with a wave of her hands and a steely gaze, put the fire out before it did any real damage. Fire had always been Brielle’s strongest power. Edna wished she had remembered to tell Maggie about that.Maggie is a smart girlshe thought to herself. She’ll know what needs to be done.Edna extinguished the fire in the hearth, abruptly ending the communication with Brielle.
“Are ye okay, Teddy?” she asked.
Teddy crawled out from under the table and dusted himself off before he settled back in his chair. “Aye. Fine.”
Edna’s thoughts turned back to Maggie and Angus. She only wished that she could be there, to help Maggie and to get Angus away from Brielle’s evil clutches. A shiver of fear trickled through her body at the thought of the danger they were both in.
***
What is she up to?Angus thought, as he sat with his back against the cave wall. Brielle had a strange expression on her face. “Are ye well, Brielle?” he asked, not out of any concern forthe woman, but rather out of curiosity and frustration at not knowing what was going on.
“Aye. All is verra well.” Brielle turned slowly to face him. “I was just speaking with yer wife. She doesnae miss ye! She told me so herself.”
“Dinnae bother lying to me. I know me wife. She may nae always be forthcoming, but I do ken that she loves me and I love her, no matter what rubbish ye be spouting at me.” Angus watched Brielle carefully to see her reaction, but none came. She merely shrugged and took a seat opposite him.
“’Twill be morning soon and ye and I have work to do. Ye’d best get yer rest.” She closed her eyes and made herself comfortable. “And dinnae get any ideas. Even in my sleep, I ken where ye are and what ye be doing.”
Angus was not surprised by this announcement. He had figured as much already and so didn’t bother to answer her. Instead, he closed his own eyes. Brielle was right about one thing. He was going to need his sleep, to cope with whatever took place on the morn.
***
Dylan led Maggie to his chambers inside the castle, with Chester happily following along behind them. Since Brielle was no longer in residence, Dylan’s room was his once again and he had decided to let Maggie have it for the night. She, more than any of them, needed a good night’s sleep and he intended that she would get it in his bed.
“Dylan, I dinnae need to sleep here. I’m quite comfortable in the barracks,” Maggie argued.
“That was fine when your uncle was there with you, but a woman alone shouldn’t be sleeping out there with all those men.”
“But this is yer room, Dylan. I cannae take it away from ye.”
“You’re not taking it from me. I’m giving it to you. I’ll sleep in the barracks.”
They arrived at the door to his bedchamber and Dylan opened it for her. He didn’t step through, instead letting Maggie go in and then he stood in the doorway.
“Would ye like to come in?” Maggie asked shyly.
“No, it’s okay. I’m pretty tired. I think I’ll just head off to bed. I’ll see you in the morning.” He leaned in to give her a brief kiss goodnight, and suddenly found himself glued to the spot. Sweet, sweet Maggie. How could he even think of leaving her here by herself? The kiss lit a fire in him, warming him from head to toe. His hands moved of their own accord, rubbing over her shoulders and down her arms, while hers were planted squarely on his chest. He wanted her so badly it hurt. Pulling her even closer, he savored every taste, every touch, and every tantalizing sensation that rushed over him. When he finally managed to come up for air, he spoke breathlessly. “Maggie, I have to go, before we do something you might regret.”
“I’d never regret it, Dylan. Yer the man I want to be my first,” Maggie gazed up at him dreamily.
“You’re first!” Dylan was blindsided by this announcement. “That’s a huge responsibility, Maggie. I think we should definitely wait.” What was he thinking? He’d never said that to a woman before—not once in his life, but here he was, trying to protect Maggie from himself. Why hadn’t she mentioned this to him when they were at the waterfall? If he’d known, he would never have let things go so far. No, he was determined to wait.And why am I waiting?He groaned aloud, when Maggie reached down and brushed her fingers along his hardness, which protruded from the front of his kilt. “Maggie, please. You don’t know what you’re asking.” He was practically panting with desire now. She had him worked into a frenzy and if he didn’tbolt now, he never would. Dylan backed up to create some distance between them.
“Don’t ye want me, Dylan?” Maggie appeared hurt by his rejection.
“Oh, Maggie, no! I want you more than I can say, but this is not right. I want to be your first, I really do, but I… I…” He had to leave—now. “Chester, stay here with Maggie.” Dylan spun on his heels and strode away, leaving Maggie standing in the doorway, confused and forlorn.
***
“What just happened?” Maggie said to Chester. She slumped heavily onto the bed, wondering if she’d been too forward with Dylan. Chester curled up on the floor next to the bed and gazed up at Maggie with sad, dark eyes. She was a bit embarrassed by her actions. She had thought for sure that Dylan would like what she was doing, and he had, at least for a little while and then—boom—he had taken off down the passageway as if his kilt was on fire. She had a lot to learn about men. Maybe Dylan was right. This might not be the best night to learn. She couldn’t help but wonder though, had she misread the signs and the things he’d said to her? Her inexperience in these matters was showing and it was doing a number on her self-confidence. She needed another woman to talk to, but unfortunately, they were all miles away. Uncle Angus was a good listener and he gave good advice, but he wasn’t here either and this wasn’t a conversation she wanted to have with him, anyway. Thoughts of Angus abruptly made her feel guilty and selfish. She reached out to him with her mind and she could sense that he had not been harmed, but she could also feel Brielle’s malevolent intentions swimming around his psyche.
Maggie got undressed and snuggled into the bed, pulling the furs up and over her head. As a child, this had always been her way of hiding from the world and tonight she wanted to be that carefree child once again, hiding from all the bad things out there.
It wasn’t working. Her head was full of both possible and impossible scenarios, and none of them ended well. Was she having premonitions of things to come, or was she just feeling unworthy of the responsibility that had been placed on her shoulders? Her thoughts swirled around and around, resembling leaves caught in an eddy. “Good night, Chester.” Closing her eyes, Maggie focused firmly on good thoughts and outcomes, until she was finally able to fall asleep.
***
