“I’m sorry, but…” He looked from Luke to Kiernan and back to Luke again, once he’d composed himself from the start. “My daughter has refused your offer of marriage and I’m obliged to agree with her.” He turned to Kiernan again, ignoring Luke’s raised brows and open mouth. “I’m sorry, Kiernan. There simply has to be another way.”
Kiernan slumped against his chair, putting his face in his hands as he leaned over fighting for air. What he’d thought would be a reprieve for him… a step toward him having help to fight this battle and maintain the existence of the Kedan was turning into a complete disaster.
Don’t give up. Move forward as if our plans were all falling into place. Nicholai’s voice sounded in his head and Kiernan nodded before giving himself a mental shake and standing up.
“Gairlich, would you care greatly if this stranger borrowed some of Auley’s clothing? And would you be so kind as to give the two of us lodging in your guest wing for a few nights?”
Somerled’s Lord stared at the man who appeared to be just a few years older than his twins. Kiernan could see the questions clouding his vision.
Trust me. Kiernan smiled when Gairlich’s slight nod indicated he understood the plea in Kiernan’s eyes.
“My household is at your disposal. Just…” The Lord’s eyes hardened when he looked at Luke. “Just stay away from my daughter.”
With that, he stepped out of the doorway and waved his guests past.
Neither Kiernan or Luke acknowledged Gairlich’s words, though if anyone could have read either of their minds, they would have known each of their thoughts mirrored the others. They were both absolutely certain his request was not going to be honored. Luke saw Amileigh as his ticket home. Kiernan knew the truth. Their union would take place, marriage or not. He thought of Abra and how nothing could keep the dragon at bay once his key had been found. Not customs, not fear, and certainly not the command of a father.
Luke wasn’t surprised at the odd looks he got as he followed Kiernan through the halls of Somerled. He nodded, trying to size up the people, to see who he might eventually be able to consider someone willing to help him, all while trying to get his bearings. He’d spent enough time as a kid poking around the ruins of the old castle, and more with the upkeep in later years, that he felt like he should have known exactly where he was at all times. Only when they climbed the glamorous staircase and turned right instead of left, he was at a complete loss. This part of the house hadn’t endured at all other than a portion of the hallway below, a few base walls, debris scattered here and there, and some steps at the far end of the first floor. Certainly, none of the structure from the second or third stories in this area had remained intact.
At the other end of the hall, the rooms could still be accessed by ladder, though they were in the process of building a period replica staircase along the back. The state, having long before deemed Somerled a historical site, had decided recently that tours of the old place should go beyond a walk through the grounds. Too many visitors had expressed a desire to be able to sample a taste of what it was like to have lived in an actual castle, and since Somerled was one of the few that had whole rooms still intact with rooms on the first two floors of the west wing still structurally sound… other than the second floor having no permanent access… the state had chosen it.
Just outside a set of opened, oversized wooden doors, Kiernan stopped to talk to a servant and Luke took the opportunity to look back down the hallway to where another set of doors flanked the beginning of the wing leading to the rooms that had remained intact in the future. He’d always suspected that section of the castle housed the family quarters. The wooden doors probably kept outsiders from unwanted intrusion when the house was full of guests. The last time he’d been up there he’d found a stash of empty beer bottles near a spot that would have been just beyond the doors—close to the place where they put the ladder to climb up. He suspected his brother Will since Somerled was far enough out that it didn’t attract a lot of unwanted visitors, at least not during the night. He chuckled under his breath thinking how he and his brothers had all taken a girl or two up to the ruins to woo her in the moonlight among the mysterious walls. A lot of people thought the place was haunted. Looking around, Luke could almost believe those people had been right.
When the servant moved past him, Luke was startled out of his musings. Kiernan motioned for him to follow.
“I’ve sent her to fetch clothing from Auley,” Kiernan told him when he turned to watch the woman disappear down the West hall. “I’ll see you settled into your room.”
“I’m guessing you spend a lot of time here,” Luke said, still trying to get his bearings as they walked to the far end of the hall. “Where exactly do you live?”
Kiernan stopped, his hand reaching for the doorknob in front of him. He turned and stared at his companion and Luke had the feeling he was debating on whether or not he should answer. After a few seconds, he shrugged. “A short ride from here. In Tavish Manor.” He opened the door and waited for Luke to follow him inside. “With my wife,” he added as the door swung shut.
Luke nodded. “Abra?” Stepping back, Kiernan covered his heart with his hand before he nodded and Luke laughed. “She’s my great grandmother, remember?”
“Of course,” Kiernan laughed as well. “I just… I can’t imagine our lives six hundred years from now. Is she… are we both well, then?”
Luke nodded. “You’re a lot older, of course. In your eighties. At least that’s what you look.” He narrowed his eyes, squinting at the younger looking man. “Just how old are you anyway?”
Kiernan shuffled a bit and went to look out the window that wasn’t a whole lot bigger than a cracker box. He took his time before he answered. “Three hundred and forty-two now, give or take a decade here and there.” He laughed at the shock on Luke’s face.
“So, that would make you what? Over nine hundred years old in my time?” Luke shook his head. “I just don’t see…”
“Nothing to see,” Kiernan interrupted. “Once you’re transformed, you and your mate have the ability to live forever, at least if you can escape being killed or barring you contract some incurable illness. The later isn’t that likely. Dragon Blends don’t seem to be inflicted the same as humans.”
Luke thought for a moment then nodded. “So, how many are there… dragon Blends, I mean? And their mates, too.”
Kiernan sighed and looked down at his feet, beginning to toe an imaginary spot on the carpet. “None that I’m aware of. Kedan Blends, that is. I can’t sense all Prihoms, so I don’t know the answer to that. In fact, other Prihoms can’t always sense their own kind. But if we’re still and quiet long enough, we can usually tell when others of our own species are around, whether they’re transformed or not.” He looked up at Luke. “Obviously, my offspring would have the ability to be either, though I currently have only daughters, and since Abra is a Prihom and I am a Blend, they would not be considered as pure as someone like Amileigh.”
Luke chewed on the inside of his cheek. “And she’s considered pure because? Other than not having… you know.” He looked back when Kiernan chuckled.
“Her grandmothers on both sides are Prihom, and their husbands both descended from Prihom blood. Since Gairlich’s mother is Prihom and his father is from Prihom lineage, even though he is male, Gairlich is considered of pure blood as well. That makes Amileigh the purest of pure.”
Both men looked up as a strange shadow blocked the sun from the window that wasn’t much bigger than a man’s boot box. Kiernan’s brows were drawn when he looked back at Luke. “And very desirable to many. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to speak to Gairlich again. I think an extra guard might be a good idea for his daughter.”
Luke waited for Kiernan to leave before walking over to the window. He wasn’t sure what the odd shadow had been, though he’d felt a strange prickling at the back of his neck just before it had darkened the window. He looked out but could see nothing anywhere near
by. He shook his head. It was the fourteen hundreds, not like there would have been any sort of flying machines around during that time. At least he couldn’t remember any mentioned in his history classes. He chuckled. Of course, they hadn’t mentioned dragons, and certainly not dragon shifters, either.
Turning away from the window, he leaned against the wall. Man, he was tired. He massaged his temples. For some reason, the hum had begun to grow louder again. He looked at the bed. Maybe a few minutes of shuteye would help. When Kiernan returned, he’d surely hear him.
Untucking his shirt, he unbuttoned it and dragged it off to drape across one of the chairs. He looked around. The room wasn’t huge, but it wasn’t exactly small either. He’d say it was probably equivalent to most master bedrooms in some of the nicer houses he’d helped build or restore. Not bad for a guest room, especially since it was obviously one of many. He reached down to unlace his work boots, and after toeing them off, climbed up on the bed. It wasn’t the softest mattress he’d ever felt, but it would do.
After picking away the end of a feather or two that poked through the linens on the pillow, he fluffed it up and balled it under his head. Good or not, it felt like heaven as he drifted into a sleep so sound it would have taken God himself to have awakened him… Or the touch of an angel.
Luke’s dreams were filled with a cranberry rose scent and an angel with long, blonde curls nestled against ivory cheeks, her lilac eyes luring him closer. She smiled at him, and it wasn’t until he reached for her and pulled her over him that his eyes popped open to find Amileigh squirming in his arms.
“Unhand me!”
Luke stared at her, his forehead crinkling in confusion for several seconds before he twisted, landing her on the bed beside where he’d been, his hands on either side of her. Looking down, he raised his brows, laughing as she tried to push herself further into the bedding to distance herself from him.
“Let me go,” she demanded again.
“Or?” He bent his arms slightly, bringing him closer to the blonde angel.
“Or, I’ll scream!”
Luke shook his head. “I don’t think so.” He laughed when she started to position her hands against his bare chest to push herself away, then thought better of it. “You wouldn’t want anyone to see you in here alone with me.” His smile widened when she scrunched her nose and scoffed, but he could see the truth in her lilac eyes. Yes, he remembered enough about history and those damn romance novels Mairi was always telling him about to know just being in a room alone with a man was enough to ruin her reputation. Not that it mattered. It was going to get ruined soon enough.
He made the mistake of looking down at her mouth. Damn, he thought snuggling in closer to her. Damn if she didn’t feel good in his arms. Almost perfect. Damn, damn, damn.
Without thought, he closed the distance between them, his mouth locking over hers.
Amileigh hadn’t bargained for a tousle when she’d rapped on the door to no response before sneaking into the stranger’s bedroom. When she’d seen him sleeping, curled on his side wearing nothing but the odd pants, she should have closed the door and ran as fast as she could back to her own room. But she hadn’t. Instead, she’d tiptoed up beside the large bed, her head urging her to touch him. Just one feel. That’s all. Just enough to confirm that he was real.
Only when her fingers had made contact with his warm skin, she ran her palm down his arm, feeling the hard planes beneath her hand. She’d sighed and stopped to trace some of the ink that covered his lower forearm. What was it? A tail? Maybe… she looked at his chest. Maybe a dragon’s tail. He’d moaned then, and she’d pulled her hand away, though not quickly enough. He reached out and grabbed her, pulling her atop him, her chest smashed against his.
She’d railed him with her words and he’d just laughed, at least he had after he’d tossed her on the bed and hovered above her like the prey animal he was. So why then did she feel as if she was the one starving and ready to eat him alive, every nerve in her body strumming and tensed while she waited for him to make his move?
When he lowered his mouth to hers, Amileigh wasn’t sure if she’d explode or dissolve into a fit of tears. Her instincts told her to push him away, to run, but her body had other ideas. Her nipples peaked, pressing toward him beneath the thin fabric of her gown, and the pressure growing between her legs… she’d never experienced anything quite like it. Not even the statues in the King’s garden and her fantasies around them could compare.
“S…S… Stop,” she whispered. It was a weak request when he pulled away and they both gulped air. And then she found her hands in his hair, urging his mouth back to hers when it seemed he might oblige. Lord help her, she thought. If he stopped, she was quite certain, without a doubt, that she would surely die.
“What the hell?!”
The familiar voice had the effect of a bucket of cold water being thrown over her and Amileigh rolled off the side of the bed just as the stranger rolled the other direction.
Breathing heavily, Amileigh began to stammer. “Ki… Oh, Kiernan. It’s. It’s n…not what it looks like. We were just…” Looking from her old friend to the stranger who stared at her with a lopsided grin, Amileigh covered her flaming cheeks with her hands and turned, running past Kiernan and out of the room.
Kiernan stepped into the hallway, staring after Amileigh’s retreating back before turning to look in at Luke who was shrugging back into his shirt.
“I need to go talk to her.” His glare was lost on his great grandson who was reaching down to gather his socks. “You! You need to stay put. And don’t let anyone past this door!”
Falling into one of the armchairs, Luke stared at the door, the slam of it still ringing in his ears. Five more minutes and he’d have had her. Hell, his hand had already been working to find its way beneath that damned skirt. He reached down to adjust himself, but knew that would do nothing to alleviate his discomfort. What had he said about her not being his type? His rock-hard cock sure thought differently. If he closed his eyes, he could almost imagine…
Stop it, Luke! What was he doing? He wasn’t some sixteen-year-old willing to blow his wad in his underwear over some girl just because he’d failed to get across home plate.
Amileigh almost had the lock secured when Kiernan pushed through her bedroom door.
“Go away!” she yelled at him as she flung herself across the bed, burying her face in the thick, white fabric.
Kiernan’s heart broke as he watched her body shake and listened to her sobs. “Ami, I’m sorry. I should never have left him alone.”
After several seconds of shuddering breaths, Amileigh finally pushed herself up and turned her tear-stained face toward her old friend. “It was me. I went to him.” Fresh tears streaked down her face. “Oh, Kiernan. What’s happening to me? What’s going on.”
With her eyes pleading with him, Kiernan felt his resolve weaken. He glanced out into the hall before stepping in to close the door and moving to where she had scooted to the edge of the bed. He dropped to the floor and took her hands in his trying to figure out where to start. After so many years of parenting, and especially having fathered his share of girls, one would think he would be better suited to handle these situations, but Kiernan had no idea where to start.
“I…” He was saved by Amileigh’s interruption.
“When I turned eighteen, old Lord Ralleinsford asked for my hand. Do you remember, Kiernan? He would have been considered a great match, with all his lands and wealth. He held the King’s favor as well.”
The chip in Kiernan’s heart widened along with her sad smile.
“I told father I would do it if he commanded it, but that I didn’t want to. I wanted to wait for love, and he agreed, telling me he would never force me into a marriage.” She sighed. “Only no other suitors came. It was as if all the young men had disappeared until I was twenty-one and Batair Draghan showed up.” When she shivered, Kiernan rubbed her arm and she patted his hand. “I can’t believe I almost fel
l for him.”
They both nodded, though there was no way Kiernan could ever tell her the truth about Batair, that he belonged to the Dubhagan band and had only wanted to find out if she had the ability to unlock his dragon. It had taken some clever orchestration, but Kiernan had finally been able to show her Batair’s true colors. He knew now that the vision of him with the young woman from Ellinias Castle still haunted Amileigh. How could it not when it was undoubtedly her first broken heart.
“This man,” she continued, “I don’t understand. I know he feels nothing for me and yet… I went to him, Kiernan. I allowed him to… to kiss me, to touch me…” New tears welled in her eyes. “I wanted him, like I have never wanted anyone in all my life. And yet… where is the love?”
Kiernan pushed himself up and wrapped his arms around her. “I’m sorry, Ami. I’m afraid it’s the magic. It’s deep inside of you, and inside of him, calling to one another. It’s not conventional. Nothing about dragon Blends and their Prihom is.” With a finger beneath her chin, he lifted her face up. “In time, your hearts would meld and you would learn to love him.”
With a snort, Ami pushed away, grabbing a cloth to dry her tears. “You’re just like Auley. Neither of you will ever understand.” Standing up, she walked over and opened the door. “Just go.” She refused to look at him as he filed by. “And tell that man to stay away from me. Next time, I will scream, regardless, and we’ll see how he likes finding himself back in the dungeon.”
Kiernan slowed his steps wondering if he should tell her about the shadows and what they truly were. The fact was, if she didn’t mate with Luke, it was only a matter of time before the Dubhagan found a way to get her. If she was concerned about finding love, he wondered what she would think of ending up with a man who could barely claim he had a beating heart. At least not one that was capable of love.
He shook his head. That would have to wait until later. The guard had finally arrived and he needed to school him on what was needed to keep Amileigh safe, barring they lock her in her room, which he knew would raise the roof of the old castle. As long as she stayed inside and no one outside of himself and family was allowed near her, surely everything would be all right.
On Wings of Time (Lochlainn Guardians Book 1) Page 6
