* * * *
Lachlann arrived one day.
“I didn’t expect to see you back here for quite a while,” Ness remarked.
“I have to speak to Mairi on a very urgent matter. Where is she?”
“I’m here, Lord Lachlann. What is it you want with me?” Mairi asked, amusement in her voice. She’d always had a soft spot for Lachlann, and she often mothered him as if he were still a child.
“I’ve had no success finding a mate here or in Braemuir’s lands. My mother told me of the old family legend.”
“That legend,” Mairi said. “There was a tale that a Braemuir, unable to find his mate in his native land, would travel to the land of ice and snow. There he would complete a task and win a snow maiden to bride.”
“That’s more or less what my mother said. She doesn’t know where this land is, and she said you did know.”
“It’s the land of the Norsemen. They are fierce warriors and have enormous ships of war. They used to raid along our coasts, and the blood of the Norsemen undoubtedly runs in many a man and woman’s veins here. The legend tells of a snow-bound land to the north, full of deep inlets that join the sea with the land. The maiden is slender, with pale-golden hair in a long, thick plait down her back. Her dress is rich and strange.”
“Where does this land lie?”
“Directly to the north.”
“Then I will go and visit this land and see if the legend is true. I can find no mate here, so I have nothing to lose.”
Mairi smiled indulgently. She little knew just how his quest would change her life.
Chapter Ten
Hamish cracked open one eye. By the egg, another one already? I thought I’d given the last fool a big enough scare to ensure myself a little peace. Yet here’s another stupid young man thinking to impress by pitting his wits against mine. I’m too old to be fooled by him. Hamish let out a deep rumbling roar, only to see the other man shape-shift. Oh, he’s a dragon and he’s not in the first flush of youth. Nevertheless, he’s not getting the better of me. Damnation, how dare he feel sorry for me.
“Keep your sympathy. Who are you? What are you doing here? What do you want of me?”
“My name is Feasgar.”
“As in feasgar math?”
“Feasgar math gu dearbh.”
“Good afternoon to you, too. I haven’t head the Gaelic in many a long year. It does me good to hear it again. What are you doing so far from home, Feasgar?”
“I came to find my mate and was challenged.”
“Come closer, and let me look at you. Yes, the colour is that of the saga. So you come to reclaim the golden torc? Why should I give it to you? I haven’t given it to any of the other fools who came wanting fame by defeating me.”
“I want my mate to wear it when we are wed.”
“That’s a good enough reason to want it. Why should I give it to you?”
“I am Lachlann of Braemuir from Scotland. You know our reputation if you are from the old country. I speak the Gaelic and will answer any question you care to ask about my Clan so that you can see I speak the truth. I am the colour the saga speaks of. It’s time to restore the torc to the people of Alesund. Are those good enough reasons?”
“Ah.” Hamish could hear the sadness in his own voice. “I’d love to see Skye again before I die.”
“Well, why don’t you return? What’s stopping you? Are you injured? Can’t you fly?”
“Sorrow is stopping me. I lost my mate there and cannot ever go back. The memories are too painful even after all this time,” the old dragon said.
“But how can that be?”
“What do you mean?”
“If your mate died, so would you. That’s the dragon law,” Feasgar said.
“I lost my mate one hundred years ago, and I have been here mourning her ever since. I saw her lost and could not save her.”
“How can that be? Dragon lords die when their mate dies.”
“We were never dragon mated. I met her when I was eighteen, and we were too young for the dragon mating,” the old dragon said sorrowfully.
“Tell me your story.”
“I was deep in love with my Mairi. We went sailing one day. It was fine and warm when we left Portree. We sailed around the coast of Skye, sitting and talking, laughing together, planning our future. The mist descended, and the boat hit a rock. My Mairi died. I lost mind contact with her. I dove down into the sea in dragon-form and hunted everywhere, but I couldn’t find a trace of her or her mind. I flew north to escape the sorrow. One thing I have learned is that you can’t evade your sorrows by flying away. You just take them with you. I hoped that by coming to a new land I could forget. It has done nothing but make it worse. Here I know no one, and no one cares for me. I’m alone and I shall remain so until I die. I flew as fast as I could, hoping to find the gods know what. I wasn’t thinking, just hurting. When I could fly no more, I landed in Alesund. Here I am still, and here I will stay.”
“Why did you take the golden torc?”
“I didn’t take it. I just kept it when it was left here. Someone stole it and left it here to collect later. I kept it out of envy and jealousy. I had no mate and couldn’t bear to see others happy.”
“By the dragon law you were her mate. You would have died had she died.”
He must be lying. Mairi is dead and he thinks to cozen me with false hopes, but he doesn’t sound as if he’s lying. His face is honest. He seems to believe what he’s saying.
“So you have said three times now. Repeating it doesn’t make it so,” Hamish snapped.
“You never performed the coming-of-age ritual, did you?”
“No, why?”
“Because if you had you would have been told all this then. I swear to you she cannot be dead or so would you be,” Feasgar said.
“You are of the Clan of Braemuir. You stay by Boat of Garten? Yes, I remember your ancestor. He was a good friend of mine. He was just such a stubborn man. He held to his opinion no matter what. He always thought he was right, too. We roamed the Cullin together. You want to mate, you say? Why do you need this golden torc?”
“I need it because I have been challenged to find it. If I don’t return with it, I lose my mate. They will want her to mate with another, but she won’t. I don’t want to face the future without her,” Feasgar said sadly.
“For that reason, and for the love of that distant ancestor of yours, I will give you the torc. I don’t want you to suffer what I have suffered.”
“I want you to come out from under this mountain and at least consider what I have said to you. If Mairi isn’t dead, then she must be somewhere. We can go and look for her. What do you have to lose?” Feasgar asked.
“I tell you she’s long dead!”
“I tell you she can’t be.”
Hamish looked into Feasgar’s eyes. He isn’t lying, so can I allow myself to hope? What else can I do? Now he’s told me there’s a possibility she’s alive. I can’t see what he’d have to gain by lying. If she is alive, we’ve wasted so many long years.
“You believe what you are saying. It’s not just a ploy. You aren’t just trying to convince me to leave here.”
“I know that what I’m saying is true. I did perform the rituals, and the lore was explained to us. Come into the light with me and at least try. Together we can search for your Mairi.”
Wearily the old dragon got up and changed to his human-form.
“Very well. You are just like your ancestor. I shall have no peace at all if I don’t. I am too old to be thus badgered.”
“What is your human name?”
“Hamish Munroe.”
Once back in Alesund, Hamish faced the assembled people. He told them his story.
“I lost touch with her mind. I changed to dragon-form and searched the sea and the rocks, but no trace of her did I find. No thought of mine was returned. She was dead. I wanted to get away, far away. I took to my wings and flew hard and fast until, exhausted, I la
nded on the mountain. I have stayed there under it ever since. The torc was stolen by a thief and left inside my cave. I picked it up and kept it. I knew what it was, but I could not bear to think of the happy mating of others when my own dear mate was dead. That was mean and petty, but I’m human and I make mistakes. I ask you to pardon my actions now.”
When Hamish had finished speaking, there was a silence to start with, and then Hamish noticed puzzled faces and many muttered conversations. The father of Lachlann’s bride held up his hand for silence.
“Lachlann of Braemuir wishes to address the meeting now.”
“I can see you are all puzzled. Hamish mated with his Mairi before he had undertaken the dragon-mating rituals at twenty-one. He wasn’t aware of some facts of dragon mating which were then kept secret but now are common knowledge. He has lived in seclusion under the mountain ever since he landed here, so he has had no opportunity to learn the facts as we all know them.”
Turning, he addressed Hamish directly.
“We all know what I told you. If your mate had died, you would not be alive either.”
Hamish looked around at all the people gathered there. They were nodding and smiling at him. Hamish began to hope again, and a few tears gathered and escaped to run down his cheeks.
“We will go back to Scotland, and I will help you to find her. I promise you that,” he heard Lachlann say, and he couldn’t wait. He was obliged to wait because Sigourney, Lachlann’s mate, wouldn’t hear of his leaving without her and she couldn’t go without the marriage ceremony. The dragon-mating would take place later. Her parents would sail to Braemuir’s lands to be present. Hamish was impatient to be off, but he couldn’t deny the young beauty her wedding. No sooner were they wed than all three of them set off on the journey back. Hamish knew that both Braemuir and Lachlann were hiding something.
Do they know where she is? Is she married to another? I don’t think I could bear it if she belonged to another. To have come all this way, and to have had my hope revived, it would be too much to have it all dashed down again now. Why don’t they tell me? The suspense is killing me. Now they say we have to go to Ness’s lands. Why are we going there? I have such a bad feeling about all this.
When he was asked to sit out of sight in Ness’s study, he could hardly contain his impatience. It was all he could do to be civil. He wanted to tell them all to hurry up. He’d waited so long. He couldn’t bear to wait another second. Then he heard her footsteps as she descended the stairs. She was slow now with advancing age, and his hands balled into fists with the waiting before she entered the room.
“Lord Lachlann. How very nice to see you. I hope your quest was successful?”
It’s her voice. It’s different with age, but I’d know her voice anywhere.
“Yes, indeed it was. I have a mate now from the land of the ice and snow.”
“That beautiful creature that is at present with my lady Muireall? You are fortunate indeed.”
“As I am only too well aware. I have come to ask you a personal question, and believe me, your answer is very important. What is your full name?”
“Mairi NicMhàrtainn. Why do you want to know?”
That’s it. It’s her. She still uses her name. She’s free, and by the egg she’s mine.
“Because you are my mate and I thought that I’d lost you. I thought you were dead, and I’ve lived under a bloody mountain and mourned you for one hundred years. That’s why, woman,” Hamish grumbled.
He saw her beloved face, changed by time but still as beautiful to him as the day he’d met her. Mairi went white then red.
“Hamish? Hamish, is that really you? I thought you were lost to me. I have mourned you and remained faithful to only you.”
* * * *
Mairi was aware that Ness and Lachlann left the book room. Hamish took her in his arms and held her close. Tears fell. They murmured their love and their loss.
“Come and sit down by me and tell me what happened to you that day. I searched the sea, and there was no mind contact at all. How were you saved?” he asked.
“I hit my head on something, and the next thing I knew I was in a house I didn’t recognise with people I didn’t know. It took a couple of weeks to get my memory back, and then I looked for you, and my mind searched for yours and always came up with silence. I was told that you hadn’t returned home after the boat sank and you hadn’t been seen again. I left Skye, as I couldn’t bear to be there without you. The places we’d walked, talked, and loved were hurtful to me. It was just too painful to see them without you. I believed that I’d survived because we weren’t dragon-mated. I assume that the other dragons hadn’t told me the rest of the lore because they thought I might in time take another mate. They must have known that if you hadn’t returned and I couldn’t contact you then something drastic must have happened. I never discovered the truth, until now. I just knew you were lost to me and I couldn’t contact you at all. I’d no interest in taking any other mate but you, so I’ve remained as I am all this time. I missed you so. Why couldn’t I find you with my mind?”
“Because, fool that I was, I assumed you were dead. I didn’t know the lore until Lachlann told me about it. All these years I’ve believed that I’d lost you and would never see you again. I wanted to see no one. I found some caves under a mountain by Alesund and have lived there ever since, mourning your loss and feeling sorry for myself. No thoughts, especially from so far away, could possibly penetrate the rock. What a fool I’ve been, and how many years we’ve wasted. Well, we’re going to waste no more now. You will pack your bags, and you will be coming with me today.”
“I couldn’t leave my lady Muireall as she has but just given birth and needs all the help she can get.” I can’t believe she said that. After all these years, wanting me, needing me, now she has me back and she’s hesitating. Why is that?
“Well, it won’t be yours. You’re my mate, and I need you now. I don’t want to waste another minute away from you.”
A heated argument developed. Ness strode back into the book room, and the two stopped shouting at one another.
“I couldn’t help but overhear what you said. I have a solution to offer you, Hamish, if you will listen to it.”
“Yes, indeed, if you have any thoughts on the matter, it will be a relief. This stubborn female will not listen to me, her mate.”
“Why don’t you and Mairi live here in Darroch Keep? She could continue to oversee the maids that look after my mate. Her presence in the Keep will be enough to keep them in line. You can have a suite of guest rooms and live out your last years here. Neither of you are young. You need to be looked after now, and that can be arranged here.”
Hamish looked at Mairi, and she nodded.
“My lord of Ness, you are very kind. We accept your offer, gratefully.”
Ness summoned MacKay, and he conducted them to their new home with all ceremony. When they were left alone, Mairi felt awkward, and she could see that Hamish did, too.
“Mairi, I have missed you so much. How could I have been so stupid?”
“Hamish, neither of us knew anything. Forget the years we have missed. We have to live for our future,” Mairi said. He took her in his arms and kissed her. It was as if the years had rolled away. She melded her body to his as his mouth took possession of hers. She experienced feelings she’d thought that she’d never have again. Her breasts ached, and her nipples peaked. She rubbed herself against him, and he tightened his hold. His tongue licked along the seam of her lips, and she moaned into the kiss. Her mouth opened a crack, and his tongue entered and explored. He stroked over her tongue, and she responded. Their tongues danced and played. She felt his cock grow hard against her belly. She couldn’t wait to have him inside her. He lifted her and carried her to the bed. He placed her gently on the end.
“My love, I can’t wait to be inside you.”
“Me either. Just take me now, please, Hamish.” She heard the pleading in her voice. She didn’t care. He wa
s her mate and she’d never expected to see him again. She’d spent years watching others in loving pairs and thinking her own love was dead. Now he was here and she wanted him, with no more waiting. She wanted to make up for all the lonely days and even lonelier nights. She pulled him down to her. His hand grasped her breast through her clothing, and the jolt it sent to her pussy bore no relation to the ones she’d felt when she administered her own pleasure. One hand left her breast and found its way through her clothing. As he fumbled with her garments, she grew more breathless. Her breath came in short pants as he got closer, and when his strong fingers came into contact with her slick folds she moaned. He dipped into her slit, and she heard the moist sound as he coated his fingers and began to rub her clit firmly. Almost before she’d begun to feel the tingles start, an orgasm so powerful rolled over her that she cried out his name. For his part he continued to rub until her limbs flopped, and then he lay on top of her and his long, thick cock demanded entrance.
“I will go slowly as I know you will be tight. Tell me if it’s at all uncomfortable and I will stop at once, my love. I want this to be an incredible experience for both of us,” Hamish murmured.
“My love, I just want you inside me, now,” she replied, and he chuckled.
“I see that you are the same impatient Mairi.”
“Stop talking and fuck me!”
He obliged, and his cock slid slowly into her. She grasped him with her pussy muscles, and although it was a little uncomfortable as he was so long and thick, it was so very satisfying. She lifted her legs and grasped him, resting her feet on his buttocks, and joined him as he thrust in and out of her. She could feel every thrust as his dick stroked over her sweet spot and she held him inside her. Their bodies undulated together, and then, as one, their climax took them. His hips bucked as his hot seed spurted into her. Her second orgasm was as fulfilling as the first. His legs trembled, and he fell on top of her. She clasped him to her. The weight of her lover on top of her was sweet and satisfying, and she never wanted to move. Old bodies grew stiff very quickly, and they had to move but not far. She lay down beside him and he held her close. Her head fitted into his shoulder, and her hand, with their fingers entwined, rested on his fast-beating heart. She was so very happy she thought her heart would burst.
For Auld Lang Syne [Cairngorm Dragons 4] (Siren Publishing Classic) Page 7
