With effort, Allia shook herself out of that train of thought. There was no use feeling sad over what she had never had the power to change. She took a deep breath and let it go, refocusing on the moment, and, yes, despite everything, feeling a bit like a princess in all her finery. She had never really been one to dress up much, before.
She made her way down the narrow, winding stairs to the main hall, pausing at the bottom in the shadows of the doorway to take in the scene before her. Dinner wasn’t being served yet, and dozens of men and far fewer women were milling around the large room, talking and laughing with one another, or enjoying drinks in front of the huge open hearth. There was no fire burning, since the summer night was balmy. Allia didn’t know a single one of the people she saw, and so she stayed where she was and just watched, feeling completely out of place. She wasn’t willing to just walk into the hall all by herself, with no one to talk to. The feeling was not unfamiliar to her, as many times as she’d started over in a new place. Her eyes scanned the crowd, looking for any sign of her uncle, but she didn’t see him. Another small crowd of men poured in through the main door. Good lord, how many people ate dinner in this hall every night? Or was this some kind of special occasion? She didn’t remember there ever being this many in the hall when she was a child, but then she and her mother had usually taken their meals upstairs, away from the chaos and general drunken bawdiness of the main hall, which was really no place for a child.
Her gaze moved across the room again, searching for a familiar face that she could latch onto. Suddenly her eyes stopped cold one man.
He was standing near the far wall, apparently holding court with a group of fawning women, though by his posture it seemed he was somewhat bored… or distracted. Although she couldn’t be sure, she thought he was the same man she had seen in front of the inn, and if he was, he had managed to utterly capture her attention yet again. Oh yes, her heart was speeding up its rhythm even now.Who on earth was he, anyway?
Grateful for a diversion while she waited, and because she was barely able to look away even if she wanted to, Allia watched him. After a moment she had re-affirmed that he indeed had ‘bad-boy’ written all over him. Even from here, where she couldn’t quite see the details of his face, she could tell he was the kind of man women flocked to, evenknowinghe would just use them and break their hearts. She had dated a guy like that once, about a year ago, and oh yes, quite predictably, he had broken her heart. Of course she’d known on some level that because of her circumstances, their relationship could never go anywhere, but when she’d caught him with another girl, he hadn’t eventriedto make up an excuse. That’s how little Allia had meant to him, and that hurt far worse than the cheating had. Lesson learned, both in this time and the other. Drop-dead gorgeous bad-boys: great to look at, fine for a one night stand if you were into that kind of thing, butnotgood relationship material. Maybe life, and men, in some ways, were more similar here than she had thought. Of course they were, because even though technology had changed through time, human beings and their behavior essentially hadn’t changed at all.
And of course women, no matter what time in history, liked to look at handsome men, and this one wasdefinitelyworth looking at. As he slowly moved through the crowd and drew closer to where she stood (and was immediately surrounded by more women), Allia’s heart jumped with recognition and began pounding erratically. Itwasthe man from in front of the inn, the one who had locked his gaze on her as she rode by. She looked at him now more closely, confident that he couldn’t see her from where he stood. He was tall, built like a classical Greek statue, and had devilishly handsome features: a strong jaw with a squared, dimpled chin, broad, high cheek bones, and a wide, full mouth. But it was his hair that really drew her attention. It was dark brown with chestnut highlights from the sun, and fell in loose waves to just below his shoulders. He had pulled a section back at each side of his face and tied them at the back of his head. The look was just… downright sexy. But beyond his obvious physical appeal, he just seemed to exude charm and charisma. It was in the animalisticly graceful, confident movements of his body, that would draw people to him almost as quickly and unconsciously as his easy smile. Yep, he was one to stay away from all right. Someone should probably warn the three giggling girls he was currently entertaining. Allia leaned against the door frame and watched as they unabashedly flirted with him, and he flirted right back, expertly, as if this was a dance he had performed a thousand times. He was no doubt at this moment deciding which one would have the privilege of sharing his bed next, she thought, realizing she felt a small pang of jealousy at the idea. She wished for a moment that she wasthatkind of girl, and could go off to enjoy a man as beautifully made as that one…
But she wasn’t. Shaking her head, Allia scanned the crowd again and noticed her uncle at last. Gathering her courage, she stepped out of the doorway and into the hall. She had a fleeting moment of reprieve before anyone saw her, but then, to her dismay, the room grew noticeably quieter and heads began to turn her way. Was she really that different? What kind of stories about her had been circulating for the last thirteen years, that her mere presence caused such a stir? Maybe it was just that she was a new face… Lochainwasrelatively isolated compared to other highland castles.
Determined not to let it bother her, and to hold onto her pride for all it was worth, she smiled at Uncle Leon and stepped further into the room. Thankfully, he made his way over to her and took her arm to escort her to the table, even pulling out her chair for her. Once she was seated, she felt better, well, less conspicuous anyway. And once the wine and then the food was served, she at least had something to do with her hands. After a few too-polite words to her, Leon turned to the other men at the table, introducing her to them one by one in a monotone voice, as if it were a chore he didn’t relish. She smiled demurely, knowing she was too on-edge to remember any of their names. And after the introductions were over, none of them spoke to her again anyway. She glanced up and down the long table. Nope, no other women were dining at the high table tonight. Only her. Talk about sticking out like a sore thumb.
Allia glanced around the hall as she pushed food around her plate with the eating knife, wondering if perhaps she could manage to carve a fork out of a piece of wood in her free time. Or would that change history somehow? Maybe she'd better not risk it. The hall was stock-full of people, most of whom she hadn’t been introduced to yet. There were a few older men that were vaguely familiar, and she thought they might have been here when she was a child, but there weren't all that many women. And of the women here, she wasn’t sure there were many she could befriend. There was no one of her rank as a lady (though being a lady didn't make a difference to her, she knew it was all too important to the people of this time), and so far the castle maids had kept their distance, except for Bridget and Edith, the only girls who had been friendly to her so far. But if they were kept busy most of the day with their chores and couldn't keep her company, it was going to be a very lonely stay. Except it wasn’t a stay, it was for good, wasn’t it? This was her home now… until she was married off…oh, god!
In order to fight the fresh wave of panic threatening to wash over her, Allia searched the room for the best and only distraction she had found so far: the bad boy with the sexy hair. And eyes. And, well, OK, he had been generally overly blessed in the looks department. The problem was, he knew it and he obviously used it to his advantage. She spied him at a table of men to the right and halfway down the hall. She drew in a sharp breath as her heart stuttered, because his eyes were onher!
Gathering her wits, she picked up her cup of wine so that she could peer at him casually over the rim. Yep, he was staring right at her, leaning back in his chair, arms crossed over his broad, muscular chest, and unabashedly watching her every move. Suddenly her throat felt too tight to swallow the sip of wine she had taken, and her stomach filled with thousands of little butterflies. She looked away, but she could still feel his eyes on her, stripping her raw, trying to draw her into something that she was certain would be her ruin. There was something… dangerouslymoreabout that man, and she was dangerouslydrawnto him, in a way that was as foreign and frightening to her as this this new life she had landed in.
***
Ah, there she was, at last! Eian had turned to the dimly lit stairway a moment before the lass had stepped out into the light, as if a part of him had known she would be there all along. For that one moment, she was all his, glorious in her rich sapphire hued gown with her beautiful golden hair spilling down her back in a cascade of silken curls. Something in his chest felt too tight as he looked at her. It was a strange, new sensation that he couldn’t quite identify, but that wasn’t wholly unpleasant, either. An expectant feeling, as if there was more to come, and the more would be even better.
But far too soon everyone else in the room had noticed her too, and she was no longer his alone. The mostly male population of the room went nearly silent with awe as she tipped up her chin and walked gracefully into the room, her hips swaying just the right amount. He couldn’t blame them; he was just as dumb-struck by the vision she presented, but he didn’t like to see that other men desired her as he did. It made him want to… stake a claim and defend it with everything he had.
Surely the gods had been smiling down when this particular lass was made, because she was even more lovely than he remembered. And in that dress… hell if the entire top half of her breasts wasn’t spilling over the neckline. And it hugged all of her other curves just as closely, revealing the gloriously feminine shape of her body. Eian felt a primal urge right down to his bones to go to her and carry her away from all of the other men, and it was only growing stronger, making him slightly agitated. But he held still, waiting with the rest of them. Leon went to meet her and escorted her to the table, and for one terrible moment, he wondered if she belonged to the laird. Then the whispers started up around him. “His niece….”, “Been gone for years…”, “Sent away after the…”
So… she was a long-lost niece of the laird. More than likely she had been sent away to a convent somewhere until she was of an age to be wed, and now the laird had called her home to arrange a beneficial marriage. Which meant she was likely closely guarded and off-limits to the men of the castle. Not that that would stop him from seeking her out, although virginal, convent-raised lasses were really not his usual type. He preferred his women with a little bit of wantonness and passion… a little fire in their blood. Virgins tended to be shy, frightened, and aye, they sometimes even wept for hours after the deed. He really didn’t see the appeal some men found in bedding them. Perhaps it was only the novelty of being a woman’s first lover, being where no man had ever been before. That kind of thing had never been important to him; he got what he needed regardless of who was there before him.
Even so, Eian couldn’t help but watch her as she sat at the high table, looking like a queen with her beauty and poise. Leon all but ignored her, and the other men at the table were following the laird’s example and trying to do the same, except Eian caught their occasional furtive, covetous glances. Again, not that he could blame them for wanting to look, so he had a hard time explaining the urge he felt to run them all through with his sword for doing so.
Finally, she looked in his direction, and their eyes met and locked across the crowded room. He didn’t look away, but let her see that he watched her. Made certain she knew he wanted her. And there it was again… thatfeeling. Powerful need, hunger… the burning desire to cross the room and carry her away to someplace he could have her all to himself. His cock surged to life and began to throb mercilessly. So strange that he would have such an intense reaction to her, even from across the room. But then shewasvery beautiful. And he had been travelling alone, so it had been nearly a week since he’d taken a woman, far too long for the demanding needs of his warrior’s body. Obviously he would have to remedy that soon, and right now there was only one woman he wanted slake his needs with.
***
The next morning, Eian dutifully set out to search a cave in the hills just north of the castle, even though he was finding his quest more irritating and less interesting by the hour, if that was possible. Only his deep-seated honor pushed him on to at least make a cursory effort. He had gone to the kitchens first thing after he woke, and with some half-hearted flirting with the maids already hard at work there, he won himself some breakfast and the location of the cave he was currently searching for. It was the closest one to Lochain Castle so far, so at least it shouldn’t take long to get to it. His mind wandered as he walked in the early morning sunshine, the blue sky a welcome sight after days of low-hanging clouds and fog. But that was weather in the highlands.
He had dreamt of her again last night, sweet, sweet, frustrating dreams that left him hard as stone and aching with unfulfilled physical need. In the dream he had torn that beautiful sapphire blue gown off the lass’s body, and again he had kissed her, and well, much, much more. Had he ever had such intense erotic dreams before? If he had, he didn’t remember. And he had to think that any red-blooded man would remember dreams likethatfor a very long time.
He trekked on through the tall grass and thick heather, looking for the particular rock formation that he had been told would mark the cave’s entrance in the side of the hill. When he suddenly saw movement on the rocky slope ahead he paused, shielding his eyes from the rising sun to get a better look. It was a female form, and she was making her way up the steep hillside at a good pace, holding her skirts up around her ankles with both hands. Even from this distance, he could make out a long mass of golden hair, shining in the early morning light. It was her, it had to be,and she was alone. He smiled wickedly, excitement and anticipation flowing through him. Och, but fate was working in his favor today. He would have that kiss that he’d been longing for, even though he knew he would likely be disappointed after the extraordinary dream-kisses. Though he didn’t know what had inspired his mind to fabricate such overwhelming pleasure while he slept, he did know that the real thing couldn’t even come close to what he had dreamt. That, of course, wasn’t going to stop him.
Chapter 5
Free at last!Allia had escaped for a much needed few moments alone outside of the keep, where she was quickly beginning to feel like a prisoner of sorts within the thick stone walls. Rising early and foregoing the hassle of obtaining a horse to ride, she slipped out of the back gate and walked swiftly away from the castle. The only people around were a couple of kitchen maids and a few stable lads, none of whom would dare stop her, even if they cared to. She kept to the edge of the wood as she made for the hills beyond, glancing over her shoulder now and then, afraid that at any moment someone might find her and drag her back. Two days, and already she felt like a bird in a gilded cage. She couldn’t stay here like this for the rest of her life, there was just no way she’d survive. She moved faster, scrambling over the rocks in a very unladylike fashion. Her uncle would no doubt be horrified. He was probably already regretting his decision to send her away all those years ago, thinking she had been ruined by the way she had grown up. Well, it was too late now. Unlike most women of this time, she knew what freedom and choice felt like, and she wasn’t likely to give them up anytime soon.
As she had looked out her bedroom window this morning, she had remembered, with an odd sense of déjà vu, looking out the same window as a little girl, daydreaming, wondering what lay beyond the green hills in the distance. Never would she have guessed the way things had turned out thus far. Things had seemed so much simpler back then, when she knew where she belonged… what was expected of her, what she wanted. Now she wondered if those same things had become completely irreconcilable. As she stared out at the hills, she remembered a little path she used to follow, pretending to be on some adventure or another. Even then, she had not had much of the makings of a proper lady, as much as her mother had fretted and tried to school her.
She followed that little path now, just as she had years ago. It went right past the entrance to a cave, if she was remembering right. Once, she had even gathered enough courage to go into the cave, but not too far. It had been dark and she’d gotten scared, imagining that a troll or maybe even a sleeping dragon was inside. She had run all the way back to the keep and into the kitchens to find Maud, the woman who minded her most days. Maud had told her there were no longer any dragons in Scotia, and had given her a biscuit. Allia smiled at the memory, and wondered if the cave was still there, or if her young mind had somehow imagined it all. Understandably, things had been quite confused in her head for a long time after she’d left. Now she felt as if she had a foot in two worlds. There was this one that she had been born into, and the new one she had come of age in, where she had started a life of her own, and had been content, if not exactly happy. Could she ever be happy again here at Lochain? She honestly didn’t know. It seemed there was nothing for her here anymore… even her mother was gone. She felt strange and alone, especially since no one else here could really understand the burden she carried.
At least it was peaceful here, Allia thought as she hiked along the little path, glad it was right where she remembered it. And… what else? There was no pollution. The air was crisp and clean and there was no constant background noise of cars and planes. And she had family here, of course, an uncle and probably a few cousins (she hadn’t had an opportunity yet to ask about other relatives). And apparently Leon meant for her to have a purpose of some sort; she just didn’t know what that was yet. She only hoped that when someone finally got around to telling her what that purpose was exactly, she wasn’t going to wish she had never known.
She walked through thick mounds of heather, her unsettled thoughts racing between happiness at revisiting a childhood haunt and near panic at the sudden turn her life had taken and back again, until she came to a very familiar pile of rocks. Smiling in spite of herself, she ran forward and knelt at the opening to the cave. It was much smaller than she remembered, but she felt inexplicably relieved that it was actually here. She had had a life here once, innocent of all that was to come. Her roots were here, as were some fond memories of childhood. Until her mother had died, and she had been sent, still mourning, to a new world. If she gave it time, would everything be all right again? After all, it had only been a couple of days…
Allia heard a sound like the scuff of a boot from somewhere behind her, and she froze. Oh, god, had the guards found her already? Couldn’t she have even an hour alone? With a resigned sigh, she looked back over her shoulder, expecting to see a couple of burly highland men sent to drag her back to the castle, or even Leon himself, looking regal in his dress tartan, frowning down on her in disapproval.
She froze again at what she saw, only this time her heart stopped completely before kicking to a sudden start again and pounding heavily and erratically in her chest.
