Page 37 of Highland Prince of Darkness

Chapter Fifteen

Iain’s nerves only persisted when he saw how beautiful his wife looked in her dress. He was amazed at the sight of her; how she commanded the entire room without even trying. It shocked him but also brought back many fond memories of when she would dress for various events when they were younger.

He remembered how he would always look forward to seeing her in colorful gowns that showed off both her beauty and her body. That evening was no exception, and Iain was proud to be the one she would call her husband. He still found the entire event rather surreal, and he kept his guard up, afraid of his reputation failing him in the future.

Iain knew that he wanted her though, and he couldn’t deny his body the pleasure that it would bring him to do so. It was their wedding night, and it was a custom for them to consummate the marriage that they had promised to God. Iain thought about what that might mean for them both; there was no way out of it now, he was going to be bound to her for the rest of their lives.

He swallowed thickly as she shifted in her seat next to him. Iain already knew that May was anxious about the evening, he could see in her eyes every time it was brought up in conversation.

She looked around as though she were a vulnerable prey caught in a trap that she hadn’t seen coming. Iain felt as though he would be able to go through the act with ease, and he felt as though he needed it to perhaps rid himself of the soft spot that he had for her. He couldn’t afford to be weak, and so he felt as though it might be right what he needed to get her out of his system. May had noticed that he was distant during the feast, although she hadn’t known what she was expecting from him.

Iain he had a reason to be; he was still very worried about a surprise attack from Cumming. Even though it wasn’t really his style, Iain wouldn’t put it past his old friend to do something unpredictable that would also be very damaging.

“It’s time,” his advisor nodded to him as he spoke across the table. Iain felt May stiffen at his side at the words that had been exchanged. She knew what was going to happen, but it was finally going to be the moment that they had been so anxiously waiting for.

“Alright,” Iain nodded, and rose from his chair. May followed his direction, although they paused for a moment as the room erupted into a chorus of cheers for them. Many of the men were looking at him with a look of admiration as he was sure that there was a lot of jealousy floating about the room. It only built Iain up more as he was glad that May had ended up with him in the end after all.

“This way,” Iain guided her.

They walked through the castle in silence. The only sound was that of their footsteps echoing off of the stone, but it seemed to be much louder than normal. Iain was also aware of how heavily May was breathing, it was a key sign to him of just how nervous she was about this.

The door closed behind them and May was left alone in the chamber with him. Iain was silent for a moment as he looked at her in the low candlelight. This was to be their consummation, a moment that it pressed upon by almost everyone during the buildup to the wedding. But it felt rather strange to actually be living it at that moment and preparing for it.

“Are ye all right?” Iain asked, as he sat beside her on the bed.

“Aye, I’m just... I’m a wee bit scared and well... it’s difficult to breathe in this dress,” May admitted with flushed cheeks.

“Here,” he muttered, and started to use his fingers to untie the back of her bodice.

“I can wait for my chamber maid. I’m sure that she’ll be along—”

Her words were cut off at the feeling of his hand on her back, causing her to shudder at the sensation of him against her.

May turned to look at him, her hair had half fallen in front of her face, but he could still see her eyes. Iain was frozen for a moment, captivated by her beauty and struck with awe at what he was seeing in front of him.

He opened his mouth to say something, but he was interrupted by a knocking at the door.

“Aye, come in,” May called out.

Sure enough, one of her chamber maids appeared and she quickly moved away from him and off of the bed.

Iain watched as they disappeared out of sight behind a screen while her maid moved to undo the many layers that made up her dress. He sat on the bed on his own for a while and thought about how he could make her feel more comfortable about this.

Although he wasn’t going to admit it to her, he hated how much they felt like strangers. It was as though they had lost all of their confidence in one another through the six years that stood between them.

Finally, May reappeared in nothing but a white, silk nightdress. Her maid was quick to scurry out of the room and out of sight, and May quickly rejoined him on the bed once she heard the click of the door. Iain had removed his shoes and jacket, but he was still in his shirt and kilt.

“I was just thinking about the first time that we…” He let his voice trail off as May knew exactly what he was talking about in an instant.

“I remember it well,” May nodded, as a fresh hue of red rose in her cheeks.

She was thinking of the time when they had ridden out far, so far that it was almost difficult to tell whether or not they were still on their side of the border and not on another clan’s land. It had been one of the most exciting moments of Iain’s life, it was a time that he remembered so well.

They had sat under a canopy of trees, leaning against the largest tree’s routes as they embraced one another and held on as though they were the last things for each other on Earth. Iain remembered how scared May had been then, she was nervous that it was going to hurt, but she had still been comfortable.

The woman in front of her now wasn’t as comfortable as the one in his mind had been. He noticed that she was fidgeting around and didn’t look at all as though she was enjoying the moment that was supposed to be something worth remembering.

“Dae ye remember that time that we almost got caught down at the barracks?” he asked with a light chuckle.