by Mary Morgan
“Remove the creature!” ordered Adam.
As soon as he spoke the words, pain slammed into him, followed by blindness. “Bloody hell,” he gasped, cupping his hands to his head.
“You should not have called your dragon a creature. I believe you’ve offended said creature,” warned Conn.
His mind screamed at the dragon. Stop! Ye cannae expect me to understand all in this small amount of time.
“Then learn quickly, Dragon Knight. I grow impatient with your lack of care.” His dragon gnashed its teeth at him.
Adam nodded and was rewarded with instant relief from the pain. The shadows vanished, and he wandered over to a fallen log. Sitting, he placed the heels of his palms against his eyes. Rubbing vigorously, he blew out a curse and opened his eyes.
“Are you ready to continue, Dragon Knight?” Conn’s Fenian frame leaned against a pine tree.
As the hours passed, the light of the day soon slipped into early evening, both Fae and Dragon Knight beyond exhausted from the training.
“You are a quick study, Adam,” proclaimed Conn, as he held out an ale skin that had materialized from thin air.
Retrieving the skin from the Fae, Adam drank heavily. Handing it back to Conn, he glanced down at his hands. “As the youngest MacFhearguis, it was necessary, especially with my older brother, Michael.”
“Ahh…a bit rough on you?”
Adam smirked. “Always. He rarely challenged my other brothers but sought me out often.”
“We should make a toast in his honor?” suggested Conn.
Adam frowned in confusion. “Toast? The man is dead.”
“Then let us lift our cup”—Conn raised the ale skin—“and wish him safe journey in the other realm. Also, to thank him for making you the warrior you are today.”
“Aye,” whispered Adam.
After once more handing the ale skin to Adam, Conn stood. “I will expect you here before dawn’s light touches the stones. We begin anew in the morn, before your duties in the stables. And don’t look surprised. Word traveled that you are now working for the MacKays.”
And in a flash of brilliant colors, Conn vanished before his eyes.
“Sweet Mother Mary,” muttered Adam and guzzled deeply from the ale skin.
Standing, he made his way back to the center of the stones and fetched his sword. The place where earlier he had sworn away everything and everyone. He shuddered realizing all he could have lost if he had returned to his own time.
“Ye will be mine once again, Meggie. I swear by the one God and those that came before him.” Retrieving the ring from the ground, he placed a kiss on the stone and walked slowly away from the stone guardians.
Chapter Twelve
“The knight brushed away the maiden’s tears with the breath of his kisses.”
“Have you seen Jamie?” asked Meggie as she entered the kitchen. She picked up his wooden shield and propped it against one of the chairs.
“Your wee son has taken a fancy to the new man. You might want to check the stables,” grumbled Scott while he continued to read the newspaper.
“Great Goddess,” groaned Meggie. She rubbed her forehead, feeling another headache descend. “I wish he would leave the man alone. I don’t believe Adam likes children.”
Scott kept his eyes focused on the paper. “I don’t believe he likes anyone,” he drawled.
Meggie poured herself a cup of coffee. Inhaling the rich aroma, she closed her eyes. “The man is…different. Verra out of the ordinary.” Taking a sip, she leaned against the counter and opened her eyes to find Scott staring at her.
“Your words betray your feelings,” warned her cousin.
Meggie’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “Excuse me? I have no feelings for the man.”
“Then why did you hire him?”
She started to protest when he held up a hand to halt her words. “Don’t tell me you felt sorry for him. He seems to be a healthy male and can take care of himself. Not some wounded animal. Don’t you find it odd that he appeared out of nowhere on our front doorsteps?”
Exasperated with her cousin’s words, Meggie shook her head. “He knew my past. I can’t explain it, but I now have this connection, though fragile, with Adam. Yes, I agree. ’Tis strange his appearance, especially arriving on his great beast.”
“What has he told you? Has it helped you regain any of your memories?”
“Nae,” she blew out. “He has shared some knowledge, but I dinnae recall anything. Yet, I feel it here.” She pounded her chest. “This connection between us.”
Scott snarled in disgust. “After what, a mere week? It’s only lust.”
Meggie felt the heat creep up from her neck to her face. Slamming her cup onto the table, she pointed a finger at him. “How dare ye! Ye ken naught of me. ’Tis only your bloody male opinion.”
Letting out a sigh, Scott rubbed a hand across his face. “Forgive me. I spoke harshly.”
“Nae, cruel,” she countered, glaring at him.
“Yes. I can be…overprotective. Especially to those I care about.”
“All the MacKay men are,” she stated, though this time, Meggie gave him a small smile. “Ye hover most of the time like a swarm of angry bees.”
Placing the paper down, he stood. “Be careful, Meggie. I don’t want your heart broken.”
Walking over to Scott, she hugged him fiercely. “Have nae fear, there is only one who has my heart. My son. I have nae time for frivolous things.”
Her cousin eyed her skeptically. “Sometimes, what the mind may consider frivolous, the heart embraces.”
Meggie laughed gently. “When did ye get to be so wise, cousin?” Stepping away, she glanced over her shoulder. “I shall look forward to the day someone captures your heart, Scott Angus MacKay.”
“It will never happen.” Picking up the paper, Scott sat back down and resumed his reading.
“Never is a verra long time,” she called out as she walked out of the kitchen.
As Meggie made her way to the stables, her thoughts went back to her discussion with Scott. Why had she hired Adam? What was it about him that had her tongue-tied, or tongue-lashing with words at the man? “He’s only here to help out,” she muttered.
The late morning sun danced off the ground, and she tilted her head up to the light warming her face on this brisk day. What she needed was a long ride alone. No cousins. No men. Just her and Fion galloping through the Highlands. Breathing in the mists and the smell of autumn.
A child’s laughter, followed by loud barking snapped her attention back to the present. Her steps quickened. Halting just outside the entrance to the stables, Meggie froze in shock. Skye was barking and wagging her tale in joy. However, it was the horror of seeing her son—her baby—sitting atop Adam’s great beast. All alone. Ciar tossed back his head and snorted loudly, which only made Jamie laugh more.
“By the hounds, James William MacKay! Get off that animal now!” she shrieked.
“Mama, I am a great knight!” he proclaimed.
“What is wrong with ye?” Her fury at Adam grew while he stood staring at her as if she had lost her mind.
“The lad needs to be shown how to ride. He asked to see what the world looked like from atop Ciar.”
“He’s too young,” she argued.
“I was two when my father had me on a horse.”
“Your father must have been touched in the mind.” The words flew out of her mouth with a mind of their own, and Adam flinched.
“My father was many things, but I would never think of him as daft. He was one of the bravest men I knew.” Adam moved away from her.
Meggie marched over and was prepared to yank Jamie down, when she saw that he was strapped into the saddle.
“He put the straps around me to keep me from falling. Adam never left my side, Mama. Ye won’t let me have my own horse, so I dinnae think it would be wrong to sit on Adam’s,” the boy said quietly.
Feeling utterly foolish, she grasped her son�
��s hand. “I’m sorry, but ye have to understand what a scare it was to see ye sitting so high up there, and ye being—”
“I’m not so small, Mama,” he protested. “A knight must always start young.”
Meggie stole a glance at Adam. His lips thinned in obvious disapproval of her outburst. She squeezed Jamie’s hand. “Ye could have asked me.”
Adam made a guttural sound. “Ye would have denied the lad.”
Seeing the pleading look in her son’s eyes, Meggie let go of his hand. Letting her fingers trail along Ciar’s glossy black mane, she thanked the horse for keeping her son safe. “Ye can remain up there for five more minutes. Adam and I have much work to complete, and ye have your lessons with Lucas. I believe you’re studying the Latin alphabet this afternoon and the Romans.”
Jamie let out a loud, gleeful shriek. Waving his wooden sword high, he shouted, “Onward, knights. We will defeat the enemy.”
Meggie only shook her head. Her son lived in a fantasy world filled with knights, horses, and epic battles. She didn’t have a clue why, and at times became concerned that he needed to be around other children his age. However, Jamie was not like other children. He spoke like one who had seen the world. His grasp of learning even subjects a much older child would have problems with would mark him as a genius to others. And his size was off the charts for a two and a half year old. For these reasons and one other obvious feature about her son, she deemed it would be better if he remained at Castle Aonach and not schooled elsewhere. With the help of Archie and her cousins, they would teach Jamie.
How could she ever explain to a teacher, other child, or parent that Jamie’s eyes shifted colors with his mood? Nae. Meggie would never allow her son to venture too far from her or under the protection of her cousins. Looking up, she saw Adam had moved to the back of the stables. Glancing back over her shoulder, she smiled at the scene. Horse, dog, and boy—all embracing life.
Walking over to Adam, Meggie placed her hands on the stall. “I’m sorry, Adam. I did not mean to speak ill of your father. I did not ken the man, but by your words, he must have been a wise man.”
The look he gave her was one of pain, but he quickly moved away. “Aye. His wisdom speaks to me each day.”
Meggie watched as he tossed a bundle of hay into one of the stalls. The air was warm back here, and Adam’s shirt, wet from perspiration, clung to his muscular chest. She plucked a bit of straw from one of the bundles and twirled it within her fingers, following him with her eyes. “Ye seem different today.”
Adam glanced over his shoulder at her, one eyebrow raised in question.
She twisted the pieces of straw together. “What I mean…well…ye were gone all day yesterday, and I didn’t think ye were coming back. Did something happen to ye?” When she looked up, he was standing in front of her.
Removing the bits of straw from her fingers, he brought her fingers to his lips. The contact sent a spark of fire tingling throughout her body, and she trembled. “I will never leave ye, Meggie.”
“Why?” she whispered, watching as his eyes darkened.
Slowly, Adam cupped her chin, rubbing his thumb over her bottom lip. His head lowered and Meggie wanted to feel his full lips on hers. Her mind screamed to pull away. Leave now, but she overrode the working of her mind and reached out with her heart. Kiss me, Adam. Just one kiss.
“Because ye need to remember. And until ye do, I will remain by your side.” He breathed his words against her cheek, and Meggie let out a groan, grasping Adam around the waist.
“Mama, is my five minutes done?” called Jamie, snapping Meggie out of her lustful haze.
“Aye,” she whispered. “Coming, Jamie,” she stated with more force.
When she stepped back, she noticed Adam smiling. However, she wasn’t the only one feeling the bond of desire. It shone in the depth of his sapphire eyes. Perchance you’re correct, Scott. This connection might be only a lust-filled one, but I’ll never admit it to ye.
“I’ll return after I take Jamie inside. I want to repair one of the stalls.” She moved past him and pointed to the damage. “The animals will have to be moved to the outside pens.”
“Meggie?” Her name rolled off his tongue in that slow, sexy way he said everything.
She peered at him over her shoulder. “Aye?”
“Ye will remember.”
Shrugging, she made her way to Jamie. Unstrapping and then removing her son off Ciar, she only half listened to what he was chatting about as they walked toward the castle. Why was Adam so adamant that she would recall her memories? Oh, how she wanted to believe him, but she had been down this road before. Though the words of the Goddess illuminated a spark of hope when she whispered, “Have faith. Trust the man.”
Shoving aside all doubt, Meggie bit her lower lip with a new plan.
“Go wash your hands before ye meet with Lucas,” she told Jamie. “I’ll bring some biscuits and milk to ye.”
“Well ye better bring extra. Lucas always eats a hoard before I’ve finished my first one,” he protested.
Meggie tousled her son’s thick hair. “How about I bring in two plates. One for ye and the other for Lucas. If he makes any attempt to snatch cookies from your plate, I give ye permission to tell him that he’ll become a fat man by the time he’s thirty.”
Jamie bent over in a fit of giggles. “Ye are funny, Mama. But I’ll surely tell him, if he takes even one.” Blowing her a kiss, he dashed off.
“You’re incorrigible,” stated Lena.
Meggie turned and faced her cousin. “Dinnae ken what ye mean,” she replied while trying to keep the smile from forming on her mouth.
“Yeah, right.” Lena gave her a wink as she walked past her.
“I think I’ll pack a lunch and head to Drumbuie for the afternoon.”
“Alone?”
“Haven’t decided.”
Lena snorted. “You don’t lie very well, Meggie. Your face has red splotches, especially your neck. Dead giveaway.”
She ignored her cousin. Entering the kitchen, she pulled the picnic basket out from the pantry. Reaching for some biscuits, she tossed those in and went to the fridge. Spotting the leftover Shepherd’s Pie, she snatched the container and put it in the basket, along with some dried beef and cheese. Grabbing a couple of apples and some bottles of beer, she tucked those on the side of the basket.
When she turned around, Lena stood there, glaring at her. “What?”
Lena pointed to the basket. “Looks like a picnic for two.”
Snapping the lid closed, Meggie lifted it onto the counter. Wiping a stray curl from her face, she let out a sigh. “He’s the only one at the present who can help me to remember. I ken I gave up hope and moved on with my life. Nevertheless, I’m ready to try again. If Adam can help, I am not going to refuse.”
Lena grasped her hands. “About bloody time. Let the Goddess guide you, Meggie. Adam’s here for a reason. Take advantage of the time. He may vanish as quickly as he arrived. Besides, if you don’t want him, I can definitely take him off your hands.”
Her cousin’s words scared Meggie. She didn’t want Adam vanishing anytime soon. “Thanks,” she said smiling.
“You’re welcome. Now get out of here. I’ll take care of making sure Jamie and Lucas have enough biscuits.”
Giving Lena a quick hug, Meggie lifted the basket and headed for the stables.
Her steps hastened with the new knowledge that maybe this could be the day all would be revealed within her mind. “Finally, there’s hope once again.” Perchance all these feelings she had were her memories. Could there have been more between her and Adam? A risk she was now willing to take.
Upon entering the stables, she could hear Adam humming a tune, and Meggie smiled. Placing the basket on a nearby bench, she grabbed some work gloves and followed with her own lively melody.
Ye will be the one to unlock the darkness in my mind, Adam MacFhearguis.
Chapter Thirteen
“Her path was paved
with all the gems of the realm, but only the fire of the dragon could illuminate them.”
“What do ye mean we can finish in the morn?” Adam eyed her skeptically.
Meggie stepped away from him. “I haven’t been riding in a few days, so I thought with the weather being fine, we could take Fion and Ciar out for a long ride. There’s this beautiful ridge called Drumbuie. Ye can see Loch Ness in all directions.” She nodded to the basket. “I’m tempting ye with some food, too.”
Adam dropped the shovel. Grabbing a cloth, he wiped his forehead. He did not need food to be tempted to go anywhere with Meggie. He knew the place well, since it had been a favorite of theirs. He was curious, though, and asked, “Why?”
She grimaced in good humor. “I’m tired of hiding in the shadows. I want to try and remember.”
Pleased with her answer, Adam reached past her, his arm brushing against hers—the mere contact made his groin tighten. Picking up the basket, he whistled for Ciar. “Then I will do my best to help ye.”
After preparing both animals, they made their way out of Aonach and headed for the hills. Clouds loomed in the distance, but Adam deemed they posed no threat to their outing. He let Meggie set the pace, galloping through heather with naught a care in the world. She came to a light cantor when she spotted a herd of deer.
“See the females.” She pointed to the south. “Those belong to Red Brute the stag.”
Bringing his horse alongside her, Adam shielded his eyes from the early afternoon sun. “’Tis a fine family he has there. Why is he given the name?”
Meggie twisted in the saddle, obvious to Adam that she was looking for something. “Bruce named him after some obnoxious client he had dealt with several years ago. He noticed the stag had the same attitude and so aptly named him Red Brute.” She laughed playfully. “Though, knowing Bruce, he meant it in jest. For ye see, he loves all animals, regardless of their temperament. Oh, there he is! See, up along the rocky edge. He never strays far from the females.”
Fascinated, Adam watched as the stag wandered at a leisurely pace and then lifted its head as if sensing their presence. “Noble animal,” he murmured.
