“I need ye where I say I need ye and right now, ‘tis with yer clan.” Robert shot me a heavy frown, then made his intentions clear, while pouring us both a dram of whisky. “As I have already said, I fully intend to back the MacLeods when the Sutherlands cause trouble again because we both know ‘tis only a matter of time.” He shook his head. “Not only because I trust the MacLeods far more, but because I owe it to Willow for saving my life. If I can repay her in any way, ‘tis to ensure her sister doesnae end up in Dugal Sutherland’s foul hands.”
“And do ye expect me to do that? Keep her sister safe? Single-handedly?” I repeated, because I was baffled by his request.
“Not single-handedly but with help from yer clan, which I am sure they will be more than happy to offer.” He handed me the cup. “So, aye, I only want you to handle this. Ye’re one of myfinest warriors, and I trust ye with my life, so I know I can trust ye with hers.”
“Ye ken that will mean full-out retaliation when the Sutherlands find out I’m hiding her from them, given she’s the only sister left who could possibly have the gem over her dragon’s heart?” While I agreed no lass should be fated to the likes of laird Dugal Sutherland and, by affiliation, his mother, Elspet, I felt the people of Scotland should come first, but it seemed Robert had forgotten. “And the Sutherlands have sway over more clans than ye might recall, so ‘twould be a great deal of internal strife we truly dinnae need right now. Strife the Sassenach will surely take advantage of.”
King Robert was about to respond when one of his men stuck their head in the tent and announced Adlin MacLomain had arrived with a lass named Ellie.
“Verra good,” Robert said. “Bring them to me.”
After the man nodded and ducked out, Robert gave me a look that told me in no uncertain terms he would be heeded. Escorting Ellie to MacLeod Castle wasn’t simply a request but an order. “I trust ye will do this for me, Tavish?”
Although every bone in my body rebelled against it because I could better serve him here, I managed a curt nod. “Aye, my King, if ye truly think ‘tis for the best.”
“I do,” he said moments before the tent flaps parted and Adlin, with his long white robes and a woman, were escorted inside.
I stood not just out of respect for Adlin’s esteemed status but because a female was present who was, essentially, kin now. Yet when I laid eyes on the petite blonde, family was not the first thing that came to mind.
How could it be given her delicate beauty?
Her silky, white-blonde hair was the shade of spun moonlight over freshly fallen snow, braided intricately, muchlike the Vikings of old. Her linen dress was era-appropriate, subtly accentuating her slim figure.
It was her lovely face, however, that drew my attention the most, because for a flicker of a moment, it seemed familiar when that was impossible. I had never traveled to the twenty-first century, and these days I certainly didn’t make a habit of admiring women.
How could I when Elowyn would always hold my heart?
This wasn’t Elowyn, though, and I would do well to remember that. The love of my life and the woman I’d intended to marry, my lovely, kind-hearted Elowyn, was long buried. Yet it grew increasingly difficult not to look at Ellie when her large, thickly lashed, pale brownish gold eyes met mine. Soulful eyes that seemed to call to me in a way I didn’t understand.
I know I greeted her because I heard my spoken words, yet somehow, I felt outside of myself as I tried not to stare. I was still outside of myself when Robert encouraged everyone to sit around a fire, and he spoke directly to Ellie because he had summoned her.
“I cannae tell ye how thankful I am to yer sister, Willow, for saving my life.” He offered Ellie a warm smile. “And to ye for agreeing to come see me as soon as ye traveled back in time, because I’m sure ye’re eager to be reunited with yer sisters.”
“Of course,” she said graciously, offering him a gentle smile, shaking her head no to a dram of whisky. “It’s an honor to meet you, King Robert. How might I be of assistance?”
He seemed as taken aback by her as I was for a moment before gathering himself. “Ye are straightforward in a way I didnae quite expect, since all yer sisters are now married to a MacLeod, leaving only ye to fulfill the Sutherland’s pact.” He shook his head. “Which I willnae be honoring, given the Sutherland’s traitorous behavior.”
“And I appreciate that, King Robert,” she said without the relief one would expect. Rather, based on his expression, both the king and I were surprised to see determination in her eyes. “Yet, for the sake of your beloved country and all the people who reside within its borders, I need to see this pact through, so from here I intend to go straight to Sutherland Castle.”
“Ye cannae mean that,” Robert exclaimed, looking at me and shaking his head in astonishment, clearly just as caught off guard, because she seemed so resolute when no lass in her right mind should be, considering what a monster Dugal Sutherland was. And Robert said as much. “Do ye ken the kind of man ye could verra well end up with, given we suspect he wears the mark once more?”
“Yes, Adlin has kept me informed,” she assured, eyeing Robert quizzically as Adlin muttered something under his breath about stubborn lasses, then drank his whisky. “And with all due respect, King Robert, please forgive my bluntness, but I believe this is the best course of action. While I understand Dugal threatened your life and Willow’s dragon protected you, as far as I’ve been able to ascertain, by not going to them, it will only exacerbate the situation.” She shook her head. “And that’s not what you need right now, given the increasing tension with England.”
While I knew she was right and I’d all but made that same argument to my king earlier, now I’d met Ellie, something inside me railed against the idea.
And thatsomethingwas my inner beast.
It took me a moment to figure out, considering these days I made a habit of setting him aside. I had no choice, given I spent so much time away from home, and dragons were to remain anonymous. If I were to be honest, it hurt too much to embrace him these days, so it was best to keep him tucked away.
Only now, with Ellie’s calm and courageous declaration that she fully intended to give herself to the Sutherlands, namely Dugal, my inner beast pushed back for the first time in years, and I wasn’t sure what to make of it.
“Nonetheless,” King Robert countered against Ellie’s reminder that her decision to go to the Sutherlands was for the sake of Scotland, “I would err on the side of caution, as these arenae kind nor trustworthy people ye’re dealing with.” He shook his head. “So I must insist ye go to yer sisters and the safety of MacLeod Castle because even I am not aligned with the Sutherlands right now, which makes them especially dangerous. They are, unfortunately, no longer beholden to me.”
“Even so,” she said softly but firmly, pushing up her sleeve, revealing the tattoo with shades of purple and pink on the underside of her wrist. “I wear the mark, so I must go.” If that weren’t damning enough, she revealed even more, and by the scowl on Adlin’s face, he wasn’t happy. “If the tattoo isn’t proof enough, the first time I shifted, my dragon had a full gem over her heart.”
“Nay,” I grunted before I could stop myself, but my inner beast gave me no choice but to frown at her and voice my opinion. “’Tis impossible.”
She seemed just as startled by my outburst as I was, and while a part of me wanted to stand by what I’d said because nothing about it felt right, my logical side made me see reason.
