She tried to shut down the thought fast.
“Sit with me a while,” he whispered. “I’d like the chance tae ken ye better, lass.”
Ava smiled once more and hurried to sit beside him.
“This is absurd,” Kai muttered, once more trying to take a cup of mead to drink though Domhnall swept it away before he could and drank it himself. “Ye have tae let me have one drink.”
“Nay, ye need yer senses about ye tonight. We cannae have ye losing control when the woman ye love is making eyes at another.”
“Domhnall!” Kai hissed, wishing his brother would hold his tongue and be quieter. Domhnall just shrugged innocently. “I cannae stand this. Look at them.” Kai waved a mad hand at Laird Grant and Ava together at the top table. “I have tae stop this.”
“Why? Ye agreed it was fer the best. Ye said as much last night, Kai.”
“He showed nay interest in her when she entered the room. Yet now? Look at him.” Kai gestured at their position and the way Laird Grant and Ava were leaning toward one another. Ava was looking at him with soft eyes as he spoke to her smiling. It made Kai ache to be back in the kitchen with her, when she had offered him such a teasing touch.
“Maybe he is being charmed by her,” Domhnall explained. “Ye have been giving her seduction lessons, after all.”
“Or maybe he sees an opportunity tae ally himself tae two powerful clans.”
“Once again, ye agreed this was for the best,” Domhnall said in a tired sort of sing song voice. “Ye cannae just stand here watching the two of them all night.”
“Ye’re right.” A red-hot spark spiked in Kai as he saw Laird Grant’s hand drop below the table. From the way Ava’s lips parted in shock, he had just rested a hand on her thigh. “Better yet, I should go introduce meself tae Laird Grant as well.”
“Kai,” Domhnall hissed but Kai was too quick for him. He slipped away with ease, darting through the crowds. So many people had gathered for the Yuletide celebrations that there were many between him and the top table. Men and women danced, as others sat around on tables, gorging themselves on roasted hog and chickens that had been stuffed back into their feathers after cooking. Kai slipped between and was soon so near to the top table that Ava caught sight of him.
She turned to look at him, her eyes widening briefly in what was clearly a warning.
She doesnae want me here.
Yet the anger was unbearable now. Kai had to separate the two of them.
“Kai?” It was Laird Finley MacKinnon’s voice. Kai tried to ignore him, but he couldn’t. Laird MacKinnon caught him just beneath the top table and took hold of his arm, steering him away. “Kai, I must speak tae ye.”
“Me laird, cannae it wait?” Kai tried to look back at Ava, but her father had surprising strength for an aging man. He had Kai’s bicep in a vice-like grip and steered him away fast, giving him no choice but to follow at his heel. “I was going tae introduce meself tae Laird Grant.”
“I could see what ye were about tae dae.” Laird MacKinnon only released him as they reached a table on the far side. “Sit.” Kai could sense the anger at once, the air crackling around the laird. Deciding it was not the time to test the laird’s patience, Kai sat down, as Laird MacKinnon sat beside him. “Now, listen tae me laddie. I’m well aware ye are protective of me daughter. Ye two have been friends fer years although I dinnae approve of ye as her dearest friend.”
“Me laird–”
“I’m nae finished, dinnae interrupt me.” Laird MacKinnon’s face stiffened into something unrelentingly hard and austere. Kai could see why Laird MacKinnon had kept such a tight hold on his clan for so long. To the casual eye, he might have seemed like a soft and loving laird, but he had steel in him when it was needed. “Ye’re friends, so I have tae accept her being so close taea man who uses women as if they are nothing and throws them away in the morning.”
“That is nae what I dae…” Kai trailed off. Laird MacKinnon’s expression was enough to silence him.
“I willnae have a rogue like yerself interrupting them,” Laird MacKinnon was stern. “Ye leave her tae it, ye understand, Kai? Ye willnae cause trouble now.”
Kai could feel anger. It ebbed and flowed from Laird MacKinnon’s being. He’d been well aware over the years that he was not Laird MacKinnon’s favorite person, but this was beyond what he had been expecting.
He had to do something to diffuse the anger at once. Not often did Kai use his ability to persuade, even manipulate, those close to him. He used such a knack for enemies and spies, but now, he had no choice.
“Me laird,” he said deferentially, inclining his head to show due respect, while placing a hand on his shoulder at the same time, for they had known each other for many years. “I am sorry ye think so ill of me. Truly. If ye dinnae wish me tae go near Ava tonight, then I will of course keep me distance. I would never dishonor ye or yer family by disobeying yer ask of me.” His words made Laird MacKinnon sit bolt straight in surprise. “I merely wanted tae check on her, because she is me friend. I would never wish tae see her hurt. “I shall take a turn outside instead, if ye like. I’ll keep me word, me laird. I willnae go near her.”
“Thank ye.” Laird MacKinnon cleared his throat, apparently struggling to move past his surprise so fast. “Aye, thank ye fer understanding. Ye dae sometimes surprise me, Kai.”
“I hope they continue tae be good surprises rather than bad ones.” Kai stood, deciding it was time to extricate himself from this situation before their conversation could turn sour again. “Enjoy yer evening, me laird.”
Kai hurried away as quickly as he could. He cast a quick glance toward Ava at the top table, only to see that Laird Grant was no longer beside her. She was talking to Katherine instead, but he could not approach her without breaking his word. Instead, he made his way to the exit of the hall. Hurrying through the passageway, he aimed for a door in the back of the castle that led into a courtyard.
He stepped out and breathed in the cold air, the shock of the ice around him making his bones shiver. He prayed the chill would lighten the anger in him, but all it did was make him crave being in Ava’s company, maybe hold her to keep warm.
