On Wings of Time

by Linda Boulanger

  Had Kiernan seen the cloaked figure slip out of Amileigh's room while he and the guard were deep in discussion, he surely would have thought differently. Dressed in a light, golden-colored fall cloak, Amileigh marched down the hall and skipped down the back stairs. She even managed to steal through the kitchens without so much as a raised brow or a wary eye. It wasn't until she was three quarters of the way across the lawn and the dark shadow fell over her that she finally had to question the sanity of setting foot outside the walls and security of Somerled castle.

  With one last glance at Amileigh’s closed bedroom door, Kiernan fought the urge to go back inside and tell her exactly why she needed to reconsider. With a shrug, he turned back toward the rooms in the East wing attached to the landing on the far end of this hall. It was probably better to let her calm down. Perhaps then she’d be more open to logic.

  Love, he thought with a chuckle just before opening the door to Luke’s room. If that was all…

  “I’m not going to apologize.” Luke stood up as Kiernan walked through the door.

  Kiernan leveled a stern glare at the other man. “I’m not asking you to, though it might behoove you to use your head… if you want to keep it. Regardless of the final outcome that we both know is necessary, she’s still the daughter of the Lord of this castle. He’s not going to take lightly you ravaging his daughter against her will.”

  Luke scoffed. “Against her will? Hell! She’s the one who practically accosted me while I was sleeping.”

  With a humorless chuckle, Kiernan shook his head. “Twasn’t her I saw on top of you when I walked in, lad.”

  Without answering, Luke turned away and walked over to the window wondering why the hairs on the back of his neck stood up again as he did. He didn’t have to wait long for his answer as the dark shadow again fell over his window. Only this time, he got a good look at what was making it. He looked at Kiernan who had somehow materialized at his side.

  Both men watched the black beast swoop toward a tiny figure at the edge of the forest. She tripped and the dragon pulled up to keep from hitting the trees. When she rose and her hood fell away, both men sucked in. It was Amileigh. They watched as she made another run for the forest.

  “Good Lord,” Kiernan whispered, already turning for the door.

  Luke was only a few steps behind him, glad he’d already put his shoes back on.

  As they ran down the hall, Kiernan grabbed a sword off the wall and tossed it to him while unsheathing his own. Luke barely caught it without it slicing into his hands and quickly resituated it so that his palm wrapped around the hilt. He stared down at it. What the hell was he supposed to do with it now?

  “You’ll know,” Kiernan called back over his shoulder and motioned for Luke to follow. “It’s in your blood. You’re a warrior as well as a dragon.”

  Warrior, dragon, blood or no, Luke had his doubts, but he took the stairs two at a time on the heels of his great grandfather. He’d been in enough fights to know not to question, just do. For the most part, he’d come out the victor. Of course, he’d never fought a dragon before. Then again, he’d never fought for the woman he loved before either.

  Chapter 7

  Her chest heaving from the exertion, Amileigh zagged through the forest with one goal in mind, and that was getting to the security of the cave. She knew if she could get inside, the likelihood was small that the man who had replaced the dragon chasing her would even find the entrance. And if he did, there were plenty of hiding places inside.

  Kiernan, she thought. Find me. Not Kiernan, Luke… call for Luke. The voice in her head startled Amileigh and she stumbled, regaining her footing just before she went down. She hurried on, refusing to call out for the strange man, though she was surprised that just thinking about him had set the noise in her head to humming again.

  Luke looked up as they cleared the front entrance of the castle, surprised there was no black beast to be seen. Knowing the creature could not have flown through the dense forest, he’d expected to see it above their tops or flying over Somerled because surely Amileigh would circle around in an attempt to get back inside. At least that was what he would have done. Kiernan ran toward the trees at the far edge of the property. It was obvious he didn’t believe so.

  “Where are we going?” Luke yelled at him as he trudged along behind, sword in hand.

  “To the cave. It’s where she’ll go.”

  He seemed so certain. Luke squinted and looked up at the open sky above them one more time before it was obscured from view by the trees. Where the hell was that damned dragon?

  By the time Kiernan slowed and lifted his hand to assure his partner proceeded quietly, Luke had just about decided they were on a wild goose chase. Had there even been a dragon, or had he imagined the whole thing? Hell, maybe there hadn’t even been a girl. The way his cock twitched told him he knew the truth where she was concerned. He stopped completely when Kiernan motioned with his finger and both men froze seeing another figure in the distance before them.

  “The girl?” he mouthed, knowing the answer even before Kiernan shook his head. Much larger than Amileigh, the figure appeared to have dark hair and was dressed in black clothing from what he could tell. He noticed the hair standing up on the back of his neck, much like it had when he’d seen the shadows earlier. Again, with his hand, Kiernan motioned for Luke to go in a direction that would take them away from the shadowy figure.

  A fair distance away, Kiernan told Luke how far to go before circling around to look for the opening to the cave. He told him he would meet them there. Nodding, Luke stepped away, glad that his years of restoring old houses had given him at least an ability for judging distance.

  Keeping an eye out for the landmarks Kiernan had given him, Luke still had trouble finding the entrance to the cave. What the hell did a three-trunk tree look like anyway? Frustrated, he stopped, and then it hit him. The humming in his head had grown louder the further he’d moved away from the edge of the shallow stream Kiernan had told him to follow part of the way. He had to be close. She had to be close.

  He looked for the specific rock formation and nearly missed it because of several overgrown trees. When he looked up, he noticed one of them sprouted up, forking into three rather large and distinct trunks. He smiled, knowing that hidden in the brush behind them was a small opening that would lead down into a cavern-like hallway that would take him to the cave. He closed his eyes for a moment before heading in and smiled again. The girl was there, waiting. And if Luke was quiet enough, he could almost hear her calling to him. He scrunched his forehead and shrugged. He knew that wasn’t possible, but finding her safe and being able to hold her in his arms again… both of those were completely within his grasp.

  Letting his eyes adjust for a few seconds, Luke made his way down the gentle slope, stopping every several feet to listen. He thought he heard the sounds of water somewhere in the distance, but he still saw nothing but darkness around him. Kiernan had told him natural light from a side opening above cascaded into the main chamber of the cave and that he’d be able to see it when he got close. The humming in his head remained about as loud as it had outside the cave, and he began to wonder if Amileigh was moving away from him. He closed his eyes and thought. Where are you? He waited, and just before he began to move again, her voice rang out.

  Luke?

  Luke stopped and looked around, surprised at how well his eyes had adjusted to the dark. But she wasn’t nearby. The voice hadn’t been audible. It had been inside his head.

  Ami, Luke thought. He wasn’t sure why he used the nickname he’d heard Kiernan use, but it felt right. Wait. Kiernan sent me to find you. He said to have you take me to the Room of Embers and he’d meet us there. Can you… would you please wait or come to find me?

  When she didn’t answer, he started to walk forward again. If she wouldn’t cooperate, he’d just have to find her. He smiled, listening for the hum, pleased when it began to grow slightly louder. He doubted she was coming towa
rd him, but her pace wasn’t nearly as fast moving as it had been. She had to know he was gaining on her. A tremor shivered through him at the thought of being alone with her again. He wondered how Kiernan was fairing against Amileigh’s pursuer and how long it would be before he joined them.

  Amileigh huddled lower among the rocks. She’d heard the footsteps in the distance and wondered if she should remain in her hiding place or step out to intercept him. She knew it was Luke, had sensed him and heard the hum, most likely since before he’d entered the mouth of the cave. Now it was almost a dull roar so he had to know he was close to her. She tried to stand, though the intensity pushed against her and she stumbled back, sitting hard against the rock ledge in the tiny alcove. It reminded her of something within one of the day rooms back at Somerled and she wondered briefly whether this was where they got the idea. Not that it mattered. Right now, the hum and Luke were quickly taking over all thought.

  “Luke,” she called out when the pressure let up and she sensed he was moving away from her. Her heart beat against the bodice of her dress in anticipation of being found. Amileigh tried to push herself up. She shouldn’t have waited. She should have gone to find him. She closed her eyes, the sounds inside her causing her head to swim, and when she opened them again, he was there, his face just inches away from hers in the dark. He knelt before moving forward, pressing himself between her knees as he cupped her face in his hands.

  “Are you all right? That man… he didn’t… he didn’t hurt you, did he?”

  Ami shook her head, his palms caressing her cheeks as she did. “He’s one of them, you know. The Dubhagan.”

  Luke nodded though he looked like he didn’t fully understand. Even in the dark, she could see his facial expressions. Or maybe she could sense them. She didn’t know and it didn’t matter. What mattered was he was there now, with her, and they were both safe. She looked at the sword Luke had laid on the rocks beside him.

  “Where’s Kiernan?”

  “He’ll be here. He’s taking care of… some business.”

  Ami nodded, knowing exactly what sort of business. She was no stranger to this world of men and swords.

  “I have to admit, I was damned afraid for you when I saw the dragon…”

  When Ami nodded again and reached out to touch his cheek, Luke practically hissed. He pushed closer, her bunched up skirt the only thing protecting her from the hardness she felt pressing against her core. She opened her legs wider, needing to feel more, and Luke didn’t disappoint. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he pulled her off the rock ledge and onto his lap, his arm pressing her firmer against him. Without hesitation, he moved one hand up into her hair and pulled her face to his, his mouth covering hers, his tongue tracing her lips until she wanted to scream. With a soft moan, she opened her mouth, his tongue gliding over hers in a way that no other ever had. The shoulders of his shirt fisted in her palms, Ami tilted her hips, bringing her breasts crashing against his chest.

  “Luke,” she panted when he tore his mouth away from hers and kissed her neck where her pulse throbbed in rhythm with her heart.

  As he kissed his way up to her ear and then back down to the front of her throat, he released her hair, his fingers instead dipping into the neckline of her gown.

  “Oh!” When he pulled back for a brief moment, her eyes widened. “Don’t… don’t stop.”

  “No,” he breathed, pushing the material down to expose the tops of her breasts. She sensed his unspoken words, knew there was very little that could make him stop.

  Just as Luke managed to wrestle one of Amileigh’s small, but perfectly formed breasts from the top of her gown, a familiar voice rang out not too terribly far from where they were secreted away in the alcove of the cave.

  “God save that man,” Luke groaned, unable to resist a quick taste of the firm, petal-soft mound ovaled by his hand. Amileigh cried out when he sucked the hardened peak into his mouth, arching her back for a brief second before she collapsed against him. Five more minutes, he thought again while cradling her in his arms. Damn it to hell. If the man wasn’t his great grandfather, and if he didn’t know without a shadow of a doubt that he would most probably beat his ass, he’d at least go down swinging as he used his fists to alleviate some of his frustration. He wasn’t sure about the beast inside, but the monster in his pants didn’t know how much more it could take.

  Helping Ami pull her neckline back into place, he ran a hand down her cheek, knowing even in the darkness that it was flame kissed. She stepped away and he pulled her back.

  “This thing between us… it’s going to happen,” he told her staring down into her still slightly glazed eyes. When he bent to kiss her, she turned her face away.

  “Not if I can help it.”

  When he released her, she made a show of straightening her dress before pushing past him to begin her march down the shallow incline toward the main part of the hall. “That’s just it, beautiful,” he whispered from right behind her. “You can’t help it. Oh,” he mimicked her. “Don’t stop.”

  Luke was momentarily startled when she wheeled around, but not enough to miss the hand that came up to slap him. Catching her by the wrist, he laughed as Kiernan materialized just a few steps away. He could just imagine the man’s glare, even in the darkness. Kissing her palm, Luke dropped her hand and grabbed her shoulders, spinning her toward the man that had just saved her once again. He won’t always be there, Luke wanted to say. Instead, he squeezed her derriere, earning himself an elbow to the gut before she picked up her pace and edged out in front of the two men. Kiernan gave him a raised eyebrow. Luke just chuckled and rubbed his belly. He supposed he deserved that.

  No one spoke again until they’d entered the Room of Embers. Luke stopped in the entryway, stunned by the beauty of the chamber. The place had been aptly named, what with the light from yet another source above shining in to cast glowing arcs from the rock formation behind a wall of cascading water. Both Amileigh and Kiernan watched him as he moved into the room and closer to the wall of colors. He leaned over, squinting at the odd formation.

  “What kind of rocks are they?” he asked, without turning toward his companions until Kiernan laughed.

  “They’re not rocks.” He cocked a brow when Luke turned to look at him. “They’re scales. Nine-hundred-year-old dragon scales, to be exact.”

  Luke watched Amileigh’s brows raise in confusion, the perfect O of her lips making his mouth water as she whispered that she didn’t know that. With a mental shake, he forced his concentration back to Kiernan. “Dragon scales? Made out of glass?”

  Kiernan shrugged. “They’re not glass. They just look like it.” He looked at the wall, his eyes wandering over it. “This whole wall, or much of it anyway, is actually the remains of one of the mightiest of the Kedan dragons. At least he was, until he double-crossed the King of that clan, who just happened to be his brother.”

  “I never knew that either.” Amileigh’s voice softened with her astonishment.

  Luke heard Kiernan chuckle. “Why would you? You always said dragons were make believe.”

  Letting their conversation fade, Luke’s curiosity got the better of him and he inched around one side of the pool formed by the cascading water to where a section of the wall jutted out.”

  “It’s part of a front leg, I’m suspecting.”

  Luke nodded. That’s what he was guessing as well… provided this really was a dragon. He’d never considered their scales might be glass-like, and certainly not nearly this beautiful. The mix of yellow and amber coloring reminded him of a topaz and he thought of the yellow topaz drop pendant Mairi almost always wore. He didn’t know much about it, but if memory served, it could have easily been chipped from one of these stones and wrapped in the bronzed setting with the bird at the top. He could almost see it nestled just above the valley that separated her breasts.

  Frowning, he looked over his shoulder to where Amileigh studied the pool where pieces of the wall that had chipped away ha
d managed to find their way to where she was standing. What was it Mairi had said to her? These ruins and the beautiful castle that stood here before them have been in my family since… practically forever. Why hadn’t he thought of that before? If Mairi was a McCollum, wouldn’t it stand to reason that she was a Prihom as well? He couldn’t remember exactly what Kiernan had said, but if she was, then didn’t it also make sense that she could have unlocked his dragon? He wouldn’t have needed to cross time at all and maybe that was why he had found himself more attracted to her recently. Only she was more enamored with his brother Seth.

  “Hey, Kiernan.” He stood up and moved away from the wall, the splendor of it almost forgotten as he thought. “If I’m a dragon, does that mean my brothers are as well? Or, that they have the ability to become dragons, or whatever. You know what I’m asking, right?”

  Kiernan was rubbing his chin as they met up. “Yes, I suppose they would, or could. Provided their paths crossed with their Prihoms.”

  Luke caught Amileigh out of the corner of his eye and turned as she stood from the water’s edge and moved to join them.

  “You were thinking of the woman, weren’t you? The one that said Somerled belonged to her and her family?”

  With his head cocked slightly, Luke tried to figure out her tone. Was she jealous? No, he didn’t believe that was it. At least not of him and Mairi. He had to admit to himself that he was kind of disappointed. Maybe of Mairi claiming ownership to Somerled then? He smiled thinking of what she would have thought of the place before it had crumbled. With all the antiques and finery… she would have gone wild. When Amileigh cleared her throat, Luke shrugged. “I suppose. I was just wondering if Mairi’s a Prihom, then why would I have needed to be sent back…”

  Kiernan’s laugh interrupted his comment. “Because, my young friend, provided she is one, she is clearly not your Prihom. Whatever we have before us, it is pretty obvious that your dragon needs to be full strength.” Still laughing, he turned and placed an arm over Amileigh’s shoulder. “Come on you two. We need to get back.” He and Amileigh started walking toward another passageway on the far side of the cavern. “If we go this way,” he called back over his shoulder, “it will spill us out not far from the back side of Somerled.”