“He doesnae know,” she said. “He went to retrieve it only to find it missing, so he pretended to have it so I would be safe. So all of us would be safe.” She touched my cheek with her soft, little hand and looked at me with all the compassion of a thousand good souls that hadn’t let unfortunate circumstances defeat them. “He lends ye his strength as do I because ye are so verra strong and must stay that way always.”
I knew all about Blaze’s life in ancient Ireland, so I was aware that, like Marjorie, he, too, had been born to an abusive, hateful father and a loving mother. He, too, had suffered a traumatic, difficult start to life.
“I will stay strong,” I vowed to both her and Blaze, wherever he may be, and meant it. I gazed into my niece’s hopeful yet strong eyes, wiping away a tear that slipped down her little cheek. “For you. Us. Everyone we love. I promise you that I will.”
“And we will always be by yer side,” Lilias swore, wiping away tears of her own. “In yer darkest hour, we will be yer light, sister.” She shook her head. “Ye will never be alone even as ye feel so...”
I knew she meant to say more, but all the words to follow would have been too dark. Too upsetting. Not just for me, but for Marjorie as well. So, unless my father had a magical trick up his sleeve, I knew my future would be bleak. Yet somehow, as I gazed into my sister's and niece's eyes, I knew if he did, they had no idea what it was, and that didn’t bode well.
Something I tried not to overthink when I made my way down to the Sutherland’s great hall later that evening to muchfanfare, escorted by sharply dressed guards in full highland regalia. Snow fell softly outside, and welcoming fires crackled on the monstrous hearths. Bagpipes played a merry jig, marking this as a great celebration, even though at the heart of the pact, the laird wasn’t taking a bride but a mistress.
Peace would be found, however, if everything went as it should.
I swallowed hard, biting back emotions when my eyes connected with Tavish’s across a sea of people as I descended the stairs. He stood with Broderick and Sloan, proudly wearing MacLeod colors.
I, unfortunately, had no choice but to wear Sutherland colors now.
Although I desperately wanted to race into his arms and never look back, I had no choice but to join Elspet, Dugal, and Lilias close to the door where they had just greeted King Robert. To be expected, given their behavior the last time he was here, he had several warriors with him standing guard, and the MacLeods who remained close enough to protect him if need be.
“I cannae tell ye how grateful I am that ye accepted our invitation to return to Sutherland Castle so soon, my King,” Elspet said, speaking when it should have been Dugal, ridiculously gracious, and we all knew it was just an act. “I can only hope that means ye have found it in yer heart to forgive us our trespasses, so ye might witness firsthand two of yer most powerful and supportive clans finding true and lasting peace.”
“I am here to witness the pact being fulfilled, Elspet,” King Robert made clear without humor, and by no means addressing her by her proper title. “Forgiveness will take time.” His eyes warmed when they turned my way, yet I saw a flicker of sadness in them. “’Tis good to see ye again, Ellie. Ye look as lovely as ever.”
“Thank you, King Robert,” I said, holding on to these precious and fleeting moments with people I knew had my best interests at heart. Granted, I would always have Lilias and Marjorie, but still. I had a feeling that if Dugal had his way, I wouldn’t see much of them either.
They were here now, though, dressed prettily and standing nearby, perfect ladies and genuinely gracious when they greeted the king. He, in turn, warmed even more as he greeted first Lilias, then, surprisingly enough, crouched in front of Marjorie and smiled. “I dinnae think I have had the pleasure of meeting ye before, wee one.”
Dugal seemed disinterested in his daughter and more focused on standing as close to me as he could respectfully manage. Elspet stared down her pointy nose at Marjorie, a warning in her beady eyes that she best behave.
“My name is Marjorie Sutherland, daughter to Laird Dugal and Lady Lilias Sutherland,” Marjorie said sweetly, her emerald eyes wide with wonder as she curtsied, given she spoke to the King of Scotland. “’Tis a great honor to have ye with us, my King.”
“Thank ye, wee Marjorie.” Even though he continued smiling warmly, I sensed he’d figured out Elspet and Dugal were doing everything they could to appear less threatening and more family-oriented, and what better way to do that than by having children around? “’Tis verra gracious of ye.” He cocked his head. “So are ye half dragon, too?”
“Nay,” she said sadly. “I am nothing more than a wee bairn.”
“Och,” he admonished kindly. “I think there’s a great deal more to ye, lassie, and dinnae let anyone tell ye otherwise.”
“As ye wish, my King,” Marjorie said dutifully, but I didn’t miss the sparkle in her eyes when she smiled at him, nor something else I couldn’t quite put my finger on. As if there were something about her we were all missing.
“Come, my King,” Elspet urged. “For such a monumental occasion, we have prepared all our finest dishes.” Her facial features tightened ever-so-briefly when she looked at Broderick. “Let us sit with Laird MacLeod and his kin so we might begin anew.”
“Whilst I appreciate the offer,” King Robert said, “I would rather witness what I came here for and mayhap have ye sign an agreement.”
His request didn’t surprise me, given how unpredictable Dugal and Elspet were. For all he knew, the Sutherlands intended to poison him or usurp him with their newfound power.
“Of course,” Dugal said, clearly eager to get down to business, too, based on the way he looked at me despite his wife being right here. Looks that said he fully intended to have me in his bed tonight, and I knew they weren’t lost on Tavish. I saw his clenched fists and felt how hard it was to keep himself from stealing me away.
“I cannae tell ye how close I am to doing it,”he fumed into my mind, catching my thoughts.“I dinnae know if I can do this, Ellie. ‘Tis too much to ask of me.”
“Yet you have to,”I reminded calmly, trying to soothe him the best I could despite my own fears and frayed nerves.“There’s too much at stake.”
“Please, my King.” Dugal gestured for the king to follow him. “Let us go out to the courtyard so we might see this through once and for all and find true peace at last.”
I bit back a grimace when he slipped his arm in mine to escort me outside, telling me how brazenly obvious he intended to be about our arrangement in the coming months and years. A bonfire crackled, and snow fell softly as people gathered around to witness the gem over my dragon’s heart when I shifted.
King Robert remained heavily guarded near the exit with the MacLeods close to him in case the Sutherland’s did something unseemly, which remained a distinct possibility. They might claim to be sorry and want to go about things correctly now, but so far, they hadn’t proven themselves reliable or trustworthy. To that end, I was somewhat surprised Robert had come, yet he was clearly no coward and undoubtedly wanted to see things with his own two eyes.
“I think it had to do with you, too,”Tavish said, right there with me telepathically for as long as he could be.“And me and what we’re facing. Mayhap, to his way of thinking, his presence might prevent things from escalating if Dugal does something untoward.”
