The Highlander's Haunted Kiss
Page 6
“That makes no sense.” Iain shifted to try sitting, but he could not move easily.
“Alexander thinks your sister’s kidnapper loves her, and that the fae who hold her believe your clan will forgive them if you understand the powerful nature of those feelings.” She’d only half understood what Iain’s brother had been telling her while she’d sat vigil, she’d been so consumed with fears for Iain’s life. She’d prayed Alexander could be right, but there had been no guarantee. Now, as she saw the life in his eyes that matched the miraculously speedy recovery of his wound that even now looked two days into healing rather than fresh, she allowed herself to embrace the truth.
He would live. They could love.
And still, she worried. Had Iain confessed his love for her yet? What if Alexander was wrong about the curse being broken and Iain was still in danger of dying if he did not return her feelings?
“I’ll never understand what they did,” Iain argued, wincing as his hand ran over the raw mark on his chest.
“Be careful,” Lily chided. “You are not invincible any longer.” Although she sensed there would always be something magical about this man, at least to her.
“Yet the wound is healing?” Iain asked.
“I don’t understand any of it, but yes, you do appear to be healing and at a blessedly remarkable rate,” she admitted. “Alexander said Magnus would be back at nightfall to check on you, and that they must increase their watch now that you were mortal and could not help them.”
Her warrior love covered his face with his hands. Did he regret what she’d done to save him? Would he miss the brotherhood he’d known for a century?
“We will still see them, I think,” Lily told him what she remembered of her conversation with his sibling. “They said you can still guard the door from within the keep. And maybe we could have a normal life. Or even babies now that you are no longer cursed. That is…” She shook her head. “This is so awkward, and I do not even have the excuse of being in an enchanted forest for blurting out my every thought.”
“Lily.” Iain’s hands fell away from his face and he shook his head in disbelief. The wonder and happiness in his eyes was unmistakable. “I love you and I am free to love you. Free to make you my wife and father children with you. Free to tell your father to go to hell and back for ever making you sad. It is such a blessing, I can’t take it all in.”
Lily took one look at the vulnerable emotions in his green eyes and she fell in love with him—the mortal man—even more than the immortal warrior.
“Is that a proposal, Iain Darroch?” She almost could not comprehend it. “I don’t know why I find it difficult to believe that I could have a suitor after all the other things I’ve seen since I arrived at Invergale, but there you have it. Can you say it again, please?”
His grin stole her breath as the color returned to his face, almost as if he grew healthier and stronger before her very eyes.
“Will you marry me, Lillian Rothmore? And that’s who you are to me, because I don’t begin to acknowledge that last husband who was not worthy of a strong, beautiful, bold lass like you.” He smoothed her hair from her face and kissed her lips. Gently. Sweetly. “Marry me and make me the happiest mortal man in this world or any of the others that lurk just outside our door.”
Her answer came as swiftly as her love for him, but sure and steady. For real life was far more magical than anything on the other side of that fae doorway. “I will marry you, Iain. And for as long as either of us live, I will love you with every fiber of my soul.”
This time when he kissed her, it was less gentle and less sweet. But with more of that oh-so-delicious real-world passion that shimmered through her with a powerful magic all of its own. With an enchantment sure to last the entire span of their lifetime. Together.
While working on her master’s degree in English literature, Joanne Rock took a break to write a romance novel and quickly realized a good book requires as much time as a master’s program itself. She became obsessed with writing the best romance possible, and sixty-some novels later, she hopes readers have enjoyed all the “almost there” attempts. Today, Joanne is a frequent workshop speaker and writing instructor at regional and national writer conferences. She credits much of her success to the generosity of her fellow writers, who are always willing to share insights on the process. More important, she credits her readers with their kind notes and warm encouragement over the years for her joy in the writing journey.
ISBN-13: 9781460332337
THE HIGHLANDER’S HAUNTED KISS
Copyright © 2014 by Joanne Rock
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