Eian was clearly relieved she had not insisted on talking about his past indiscretions. “Drust is the serious one. Always brooding. He doesn’t usually say a whole lot, never had a thing for the lasses or for drinking or gambling… none of that. In fact he pledged himself to a sect of elite warriors a while back, one that allows no fun whatsoever. But I guess some of that has changed now, because he found his mate. I’m sure she’s been a good influence on him.” He smiled at her, thinking of the influence his own mate had had over him, how much she had already changed him.
“And you?” she asked. “Where do you fit in?”
“I think ye ken lass. I am the little brother, always out for a good time, and always in trouble of one sort or another. The wild one that refuses to follow the rules and takes whatever he pleases.” He grinned at her. “Do ye think ye can handle me lass, when even my brothers never could?”
“Oh yes, I think I’ll have you whipped into good husband material in no time.”
“Mmmmm…. whips. I canna wait. But now tell me about your life in another time. What was it like for ye there? Were ye verra lonely? Did ye miss Lochain?”
Allia looked away and her face turned thoughtful. “I was quite young when I left, only ten, and I had just lost my mother. I think having to deal with a new time and place, and everything I had to learn, made the grieving easier. I didn’t have time to dwell on it. And I didn’t really miss Lochain much, because my mother wasn’t there anymore, and I knew that one day I’d be going back there. That knowledge became a big part of my life, and I never really settled in or stayed in one place very long. In fact, I had finally broken down and bought my first pet, just before I was called back. It was kind of symbolic, of making an attempt to settle down somewhere and call it home, if only for a while.” She smiled as she remembered going to the pet store and finding Morris. “I got a little orange kitten and I named him Morris. But I had to give him away because the note from Lochain appeared just two weeks later.”
“And were ye glad to return home?”
She frowned and shook her head. “I wanted to be, I really did, but nothing was the same. I had grown up, and Lochain wasn’t home to me anymore, as much as I needed it to be.”
Eian reached over to touch her cheek. “Yer home is with me now, lass, and ye’ll be happy at Creagmor. I will make sure of it.”
Allia told Eian about life in the 21stcentury, since he had never travelled through time himself. He listened raptly to her descriptions of everything from cities to microwave ovens, and interrupted constantly to ask questions. She knew that they would be talking about life in the future for a long time to come. Perhaps one day she would even bring him there, but not anytime soon. There was enough to keep them busy with settling into a new life together and getting ready for a baby too.
“I’m nervous about meeting your family”, Allia confessed. “What if they don’t like me?”
Eian laughed. “Lass, they will love ye just for bringing me to heel, and that before ye even speak a word.”
She gave him an exasperated look. “I’m serious!”
“And so am I. Of course they will no’ be seeing much of ye for the first several days, because I plan on taking ye to my bed and keeping ye there.”
Allia smiled to herself.Well, if you’re going to marry a man with a libido that never quits, you’re going to have to pay the price. She could definitely live with that.
They rode on for the rest of the morning and into the afternoon, stopping near the bank of a stream to rest and have a bite to eat. After sharing some bread and cheese, they sat side by side in the soft grass, watching the water flow past over and around the rocks. Allia leaned into Eian’s side and he put his arm around her drawing her against him. He wished there was time to make love to her again, but it would have to wait until later. He wanted to be farther west and out of the forest by nightfall. The forest could be used to mask many things, if one knew how, and the trees were especially thick here, beyond the edge of the stream. It was too dangerous to stay here for long, where he might not be able to sense danger before it was upon them.
It was what Mored had counted on.
Eian shot to his feet with a vile curse, reaching to press Allia down to the ground, angling himself in front of her. “Stay down.” She heard the command in his voice and obeyed without question, pressing herself low into the grass, eyes wide. All around them, a wind was suddenly rising, and darkness was falling far too fast to be natural. The dark wizard was coming for them… for his daughter. It was the worst possible scenario for Eian; how was he going to fight, and protect his wife and child at the same time? He realized that until this moment, he had never felt real fear.
He stood still, muscles tensed and ready, waiting. The wind came in stronger gusts, ripping through the leaves on the trees and swirling the long grass at his feet. He could do nothing until his enemy showed himself. “Stay down”, he said again in a low hiss, not daring to take his eyes off the forest in front of him, where he could now sense the darkness coming closer. He barely breathed, knowing the strike would come at any moment. A short distance away, the horses snorted and stomped their hooves.
All at once a ball of fire shot forward from somewhere in the trees, hugely bright in the dusky light. It flew straight at Eian, and he heard Allia scream just as he raised his hand to deflect the energy back at its source. Another fire ball followed close behind the first, and again Eian deflected it, this time moving forward as he did so. His arm ached from the effort; Mored had grown much stronger since their last confrontation. Eian wished to hell and back that he had managed to kill the bastard then, but so far no one had been able to end him. The missiles came faster and faster as Eian drew closer with a single-minded determination. He fended off some and dodged others, hoping that Mored was trying to kill him and not Allia, his own flesh and blood. Then he remembered the baby, and the prophecy, and he knew: Mored wanted Eian’s child dead. The baby was the last link in the prophecy that would end the rise of evil.
No one would hurt his son. With a roar of pure rage, Eian ran forward, ducking and swerving until finally he saw the face of his enemy. God, Mored’s eyes glowed red now as if the darkness he worshipped had taken over his very soul. He pulled his sword from its scabbard and saw that his enemy did the same, but by now Eian was nearly mindless with his fury.He wants to kill my wife and child…
Their swords met with a sharp crash of metal, the impact forcing them both back a step before they lunged again. The power of the blow sent a tingling numbness down Eian’s arm, but he did not let up. Again and again he swung and still Mored managed to deflect every blow, until Eian realized the dark wizard was laughing.
“Give up, lad, ye canna best me anymore. My power is far greater now. More so then ye can imagine.”
Eian lunged again. “Never”, he bit out through clenched teeth.
“Have it yer way, but I will take my daughter back, and yer spawn will no’ live to be born into this world.” Then he flew forward with an otherworldly speed, and before Eian could react, he was flat on his back with Mored’s sword tip at his throat.No!… I have to protect them…
Just as he was thinking that his only option was to roll to the side and risk having his jugular pierced in the process, Eian saw a movement over Mored’s left shoulder. He froze, eyes wide, any words he might have spoken dying in his throat. Mored saw the direction of Eian’s gaze, and half-turned to look, pressing the tip of his blade deeper to keep Eian immobile.
The dagger met its mark directly in his dark heart, and Mored had only an instant to look down at the trembling hand that had brought his death, before he dropped to his knees and then collapsed. Allia pulled her hand away and stared in horror at the blood coating it. Eian could only gape at her in shock for a long moment. His wife had just killed her own father to save him, and their son. He got to his feet and ran to her, enfolding her in his arms as she sagged against him.
“Eian… god, I thought… I thought…”She drew back her fist and pounded it against his chest.“Don’t youeveralmost get yourself killed again!” She pulled away and with a deep breath went to the stream to wash off her hands, her hands shaking now in delayed reaction. Eian gently turned her around and sat her down, then went to make certain Mored was truly dead. He pulled the dagger free and washed it off in the rushing water, then handed it back to Allia, hilt first.
“The Mac Coinnachs and many other clans owe ye a debt of gratitude. My brave, strong lass.” His eyes shimmered with unshed tears. “I almost lost everything today.” He was too choked with emotion to continue, so he led her to the horses and swung her up into the saddle. “Let’s get away from here. When we reach Creagmor, I’ll send men back to… deal with things.”
They rode on towards Creagmor, but Eian could not stop thinking about how close he had come to losing the most precious thing he had ever known. He wanted to hold her close to him forever and keep her safe, and even though she rode right beside him, she was suddenly too far away. He reached over and lifted her from her horse and settled her in front of him. She didn’t argue, but seemed to understand his need to be touching her. She settled in between his thighs, leaning back against his chest with a little sigh. He held her tighter to him, and slowly the relief he felt that they were both alive and safe began to turn into a physical hunger, his cock hardening with a force that made him grit his teeth. He bent his head to inhale her scent, and as always it made his stomach flutter with anticipation. And with the motion of the horse rocking their bodies together again and again, Eian knew he couldn’t wait until they stopped for the night. Allia felt his need pressing into the small of her back, and she shifted against him, drawing a groan from deep in his throat. An urgency that he had never felt before rose up hot and fast within him, and before he knew what he was doing, he had pulled Dair to a halt and slid from the saddle, bringing Allia with him.
