He let out a low breath. “I never imaginedye, Rose MacFinnan. Not in my life, not in my arms.”
She blinked rapidly. His words struck something inside her, tender and raw. The fire popped, sending sparks dancing upward, and the wind howled again outside, but within their cocoon, the world narrowed to the space between them.
His hand moved to her face, thumb brushing over her cheek. “Whatever this is, it isnae madness. I’ve known madness, lass. But this?” His voice dropped, rough with emotion. “This feels like sanity.”
She leaned into his touch, her lips brushing the inside of his palm. “Then why does it feel like the rest of the world is going to come crashing in the moment we open that door?”
Cailean gave a short laugh, quiet and a little sad. “Because it probably will.”
Rose didn’t want to face what awaited them beyond the door. But they had no choice. They might be just Rose and Cailean inside this room, but beyond it they were still the MacFinnan spellweaver and the MacNeil laird and they had duties they could not escape.
Rose settled into his embrace, content to listen to the soft hiss of his breath and feel the rise and fall of his chest beneath her cheek. Gradually, the howl of the wind began to quieten.
“I think the storm is passing.”
Cailen sighed. “Is it wrong of me that I dinna want it to?”
She huffed a quiet laugh. “If it is, then I’m wrong too.”
She pushed herself up to sitting. The fire had died down to embers but as the storm clouds broke, sunlight was beginning to leak around the shutters on the windows.
“We should get back,” she said reluctantly. “They’ll be wondering where we’ve got to.”
“Let them,” Cailean grunted. Then he sighed, rising to sit beside her. “Aye, ye are no doubt right.”
But neither of them moved. They were sitting incredibly close, only an inch between them, but it was still too much for Rose. She wanted to edge closer, to touch him again, to never stop touching him. But time and the world were slowly reasserting themselves.
Cailean reached out and cupped her cheek with one of his big hands. “Come,” he said softly.
She nodded and he leaned in, kissed her softly, then rose to his feet and pulled her up after him.
Slowly, reluctantly, they dressed. Rose found herself stealing glances at Cailean as they did so, feeling a shot of disappointment each time a piece of clothing hid more of his body. Once they were dressed, Cailean doused the embers of the fire and crossed to the door. There, he paused.
His hand hovered over the latch and Rose could see reluctance in every line of his body. She understood it. She felt the same way.
He glanced at her. “Ready?”
No, she wanted to say.I’m not.But she forced a tight nod. “Ready.”
He pushed the door open, and they stepped out into a fresh, sparkling world. The storm clouds had departed far out to sea. Rose could still see flashes of lightning in them. But directly above, the clouds had broken and now the late-afternoon sun was beaming down, making the puddles sparkle like mirrors. There was a fresh smell in the air, like morning dew, and Rose pulled a deep, invigorating breath down into her lungs.
Cailean held out his hand and she took it as the two of them walked through the village to the house where she’d left her horse. Inside, they found both Snip and Arrow happily drowsing, heads hanging and tails swishing lazily. They raised their heads and whickered as she and Cailean entered, hoping for a treat.
Cailean led them both outside and began checking their saddles and stirrups while Rose turned and gazed out to sea. It looked calm now, peaceful, so different from the raging tempest it had been only a short time ago. There was no evidence of the dark entity she’d encountered when she’d walked out onto the promontory and even when she sent her senses tentatively questing towards it, she found no trace of the dark malevolence that had lurked beneath the waves.
Was it gone? She didn’t think so. Biding its time, more likely. She shivered, remembering that voice in her head, that power that had so easily bested her.
She hadn’t realized she was trembling until Cailean’s arms wrapped around her from behind and pulled her close. “Easy, lass,” he rumbled. “I’ve got ye. I willnae let it harm ye.”
She leaned back against him and closed her eyes. The feel of his hard chest against her back was solid and reassuring and she felt the fear recede to be replaced by a fierce kind of determination.I will bestyou, she promised whatever lurked in the water. Wewill best you.
With Cailean by her side, she felt like she could do anything.
They mounted and set off back up the trail towards Dun Mallach. As they rode, evidence of the storm littered the road beside them: fallen branches, piles of leaves, runnels of water trickling down both sides of the path.
“How do you think the keep fared?” Rose asked him as they moved.
“The keep will be fine,” he replied. “It’s built to withstand far worse. The villages though? That’s another matter. There will be more repair work needed after this.”
