The music softened, and Caiden finally took her arm, leading her outside onto the balcony overlooking the moonlit beach. The sea sparkled under the full moon, and the sound of waves crashing against the rocks filled the space between them.
He stopped, holding her close, and for a moment the world narrowed to just the two of them. Maisie's breath caught, her desire mingling with fear, anticipation, and a thrilling sense of surrender she could not deny.
"The festival is nae complete without one more thing," he said.
"And what is that?" she asked.
"A dip in the sea, as naked as the day we are born," he said.
She gasped. "Shockin'. That is nae acceptable."
"'Tis, and it is a necessity. At midnight, the clansmen will go out onto these shores and into the water," he said.
She laughed. "The men only?"
"Aye. We would never make a lass do it…"
He lowered his lips near her ear, his voice a husky whisper. "Unless she wanted to. Do ye?"
"Nay, I daenae wish to do such a thing."
Her pulse raced, her body tense with longing and the knowledge that whatever game he played, it was one she no longer wished to resist.
And that is very, very wrong. Fight it, Maisie.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
The cold wind whipped across the battlements, tugging at Maisie's shawl as she peered down at the dark stretch of sand. She stood with the other women in the castle while the men made their way down to the shore.
The moon hung low and full over the bay, casting silver light on the waves that lapped against the shore.
The clansmen's shouts rose and fell in rhythm with the surf, their laughter echoing off the rocks and the castle walls. Maisie shivered, not entirely from the chill, but from a thrill she could not name, a pulse of excitement that had nothing to do with the wind.
"Is it always like this?" she asked Norah, her voice nearly drowned by the distant splashes.
"Aye, it is tradition," Norah said, her eyes sparkling. "On the moon festival, the men strip away their clothes and run into thesea. It is said to honor the fish moon, and to welcome the bounty it brings. Sacrificing their bodies to the cold chill of the water in offerin'."
Maisie tilted her head, peering closer. "So, they truly remove all their clothin'?" she asked, feeling a blush rise to her cheeks.
Norah laughed, a soft, musical sound that mingled with the roar of the waves. "They do, though ye can hardly tell from here. They're mere shadows under the moonlight, splashin' and hollerin', far down on the sand."
Isabelle giggled beside her. "Aye, it is quite the spectacle, though I wouldnae wish to be among them, that's certain."
Maisie's eyes stayed fixed on the distant figures, trying to pick out familiar shapes. Her heart thumped when she realized how small and joyful Caiden must look among them, free of the burden of his responsibilities. The thought made her pulse quicken, and she caught herself wishing she could see him closer, even for a moment.
"He seems… different," she murmured, more to herself than to the others.
Norah glanced at her with amusement. "Aye, he has a side ye rarely see. He's stern and fierce, but tonight ye saw a glimpse of the man behind the brute."
Maisie shivered again, but this time from the thought of him, not the cold. She wondered if he knew she watched, if he felt the same strange tug of thrill as she did when she glimpsed that lighter, untamed side of him.
The splashes grew louder, and suddenly a chorus of laughter erupted, sending droplets flying into the night air. Maisie covered her mouth to hide a gasp, heart racing, and her eyes widened as she imagined the audacity and freedom of those men. Her gaze lingered on one figure that moved with commanding confidence, tall and strong, and she felt an unsteady flutter in her chest. Though she could not be certain, she thought she recognized the familiar stride of Caiden among the chaos.
Isabelle nudged her gently. "Ye seem taken with the sight, Maisie. Are ye nae cold?"
Maisie blinked, startled from her thoughts. "I—aye, a bit," she stammered, realizing she had been lost in the moonlight and the waves, imagining Caiden's laughter carried by the wind.
She pressed a hand to her chest, feeling the unfamiliar warmth of longing and admiration for the laird. It frightened her slightly, to see the man she knew as a captor in a light so free, so almost… human.
