by L. L. Muir
Who did he think he was to use her like that! She’d had it with being used and pushed around by men. When she caught up to him, she’d be glad to tell him exactly that.
She drove around the corner, and when he wasn’t there, her heart seemed to beat in her throat. Had he skipped out on her? Gone through the trees so her car couldn’t follow?
She hit the steering wheel.
Perhaps that young witch had come to get him.
More tears rushed to her eyes and fell, and she swiped the back of her hand across both cheeks. Was he gone forever?
She rounded the corner, and saw him jogging in the distance.
Running from her?
She sucked in a breath, angry all over again. She couldn’t believe she’d wasted even one minute on him. One single emotion. She should have screamed for help. She should have run from him. Made his life miserable until he let her go.
She pushed the accelerator and sped toward him, her wheels spinning and kicking up grass when another car drove by from the opposite direction. It didn’t slow her down. She drove up to him, slowed, and rolled down her window. “Where do you think you’re going?”
His lips tightened. Oh, so he was angry, was he? Well, too bad! “Well?”
He stopped and, breathing heavily, put his hands on his hips. “Are ye followin’ me, lass?”
Was he serious? If she ran him over right this minute, then it would be exactly what he deserved!
He pointed behind her. “Why dinnae ye go back to yer pretty man? There’s naught for ye here.”
She glanced in the mirror to see Mason had pulled up behind her. When she glanced back, Gareth had started walking again. She’d never actually been angry enough to see red before, and a logical part of herself thought it was an interesting sensation. The rest of her wanted blood!
She remembered the young man in the park who’d stabbed Gareth. If she had a knife right now, she’d honestly be tempted to do the same. She gritted her teeth and tightened her hands with such force her skin squeaked against the steering wheel.
And Gareth hadn’t even been hurt! Unless it was a trick, Gareth was supposedly immortal.
That thought was all it took to have her stomping on the accelerator and swinging the car. She was looking right at him, and he at her, when she hit him, the car tossed him off the road, into the grass, and down a slight hill.
She stopped the car and jumped out. “I said, where do you think you’re going?”
He jumped up, unharmed, and stalked up the hill. “What d’ye think yer doin’?” His voice had gone guttural, his accent more pronounced. “This is why women should not be allowed to drive!” He jabbed the air with his index finger. “Drivin’ is a job for a man. And this is exactly why! Women are too emotional!”
Mason jumped out of his car. “Lissa,” he said in a shocked tone. “I can’t believe you—”
“Shut up, Mason!”
“Haud yer wheesht, mon!”
“Now.” She ignored Gareth’s harsh breathing and clenched fists and ran a hand down her shirt to smooth out any wrinkles. “Where are you going?”
“I can’t believe you did that!” Mason sounded genuinely shocked.
They both ignored him.
“I was goin’ to Culloden Moor to see the witch and my brothers. I’ll let the witch do what she will to me. I had hoped leavin’ ye in the care of Pretty Man would be considered my deed of kindness.”
“Deed of kindness? Come back up on the road so I can mow you down with the car again. I don’t need a pimp.”
“I’ll do no such thing!” He paused. “What is a pimp?”
“A procuress. A flesh-peddler. A—”
His face reddened again. “I am no such thing!”
“Well, then stop trying to get me a boyfriend.”
He frowned.
“You’re certainly not going to Culloden Moor without me. After everything we’ve been through, you’re not going to desert me now. Don’t you think I have the right to see how this all plays out?”
Lips pressed tight, they stood facing each other, breathing harshly, and Lissa watched as his face softened.
“D’ye think it was easy for me to let ye go?” Gareth’s voice was soft now.
“It seemed like it was very easy.”
“Well, it wasnae. But it had to be done. I was simply tryin’ to find a man to care for ye.” He glanced at Mason. “Not the other.” He tried to move around her.
“Mason isn’t a man.” She blocked Gareth’s path. “He’s a self-centered, selfish jerk. So, you are going to set me free to be with that loser? Thanks, so much.”
“I’m leaving. You’re crazy anyway!” She heard Mason shut his car door and start his engine, but she didn’t take her gaze off Gareth.
Looking agonized, he moved around her again, and this time she fell into step beside him as they both climbed the hill as Mason drove away.
Gareth stopped at the top. “Yer killin’ me, lass. Ye know I cannae have ye. Ye were never meant to be mine.”
“So that’s it? After taking me prisoner, you decide to just set me free? I don’t think so.”
He gave her a little push. “Go back the way ye came. Go back to yer car and back to life.”
She couldn’t help it, tears sprang to her eyes. When he saw them, he looked agonized. “Lass, I cannae…you know I cannae…”
A sob burst from her.
He lunged forward, swept her into his arms, and kissed her with all the pent-up emotion she could have ever wished for.
~~~
He was kissing her.
He couldn’t seem to let her go. He knew that would happen, but she’d just had to keep pushing him, didn’t she? And now he was lost, his arms wrapped tight around her, pulling her close against him. He should let her go, but couldn’t even find the will to drag his mouth from hers.
The way she clung, her soft lips, the feel of her, even her unexpected temper, made him want to gather her close and keep her forever.
His kiss turned slow and gentle, coaxing her response rather than demanding it. He was under her spell and stopped trying to fight the raw, intense emotions she drew from him. Mayhap, like Soni, she was a witch, casting enchantments, and binding him in her magic.
If so, he didn’t care.
He finally broke off the kiss to bury his face in her neck, to breathe in her feminine scent. His arms tightened possessively. This was impossible. He couldn’t actually be in love with her. Could he?
It was just proximity. They’d grown close in the last few days. No one fell in love in such a short period of time.
One hand gathered her honey blonde hair in his fist, and it felt like raw silk against his skin. He inhaled, breathed her into his body, and she smelled of clean, fresh, female. He kissed her throat gently, lingering over her wildly beating pulse.
He gave up.
She was his. She thawed him, softened his anger, and turned him into something gentle and tender.
He did love her.
He pulled away to stare into her blue eyes, lush with dark lashes. It wasn’t just her beauty, though she was beautiful as she looked up at him with a combination of shyness, hope, and fear. He loved her tender heart, her curiosity, her laughter, and her temper as well. She was easy to love.
She would not be easy to leave.
He bent his head to kiss her lush mouth again. “Come with me,” he murmured against her lips. “I want to make it to Culloden Moor before Soni comes.” He lifted his head. “I need to say goodbye to my brothers.”
She nodded quickly and smiled, her lips reddened from his kisses. “Yes. I’ll go with you. I’ll stay with you for as long as I can.”
He pulled her close and buried his face in her neck once more. How was he going to leave her? He breathed out slowly and pulled away to take her hand in his.
“All right. Let’s go face the witch.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Lissa drove slowly with an occasional glance at Gareth, at their c
lasped hands. Every once in a while he tightened his grip, and she clung in return.
She knew he was leaving, knew she’d simply put off the inevitable. But that hadn’t seemed to matter as she’d chased after him. She wanted to be with him as long as possible, she needed to see what happened to him. Otherwise, she’d forever wonder, forever be searching for his face in a crowd.
The slow speed didn’t do much good as the miles were eaten up far too quickly.
She wanted to take hold of him, run away, get on an airplane, and cross the ocean before that mean old witch could find him. Okay, so she wasn’t old, but she was probably mean. Some teens were and she was a witch.
She stifled a giggle. She was worn out, tired, and emotionally drained. She’d be hysterical soon.
She believed Gareth about everything, but couldn’t help but wish he was a liar. If he’d lied about the whole thing, she could keep him.
Of course if he’d lied, he’d be in the hospital with a knife wound in his side. Or dead from a car hitting him.
She sighed. He was headstrong, stubborn, and had a temper, but he was a man of honor. It was why Bonnie Prince Charlie’s betrayal hurt so much—had festered all these years. Dishonor was incomprehensible to him and deserving of punishment. It was probably why he’d stayed and not moved on.
She wouldn’t want him so much if he was otherwise.
Still, she could wish. “Gareth, perhaps we could simply run away?”
“There’s no runnin’ from this, lass. ’Tis why I’d wanted to spare ye.”
“But what if we tried—”
He was already shaking his head. “It would do us no good.”
They were getting closer to Culloden Moor. Closer not just to his fate, but to hers. She knew she’d only known him a short while, but how was she supposed to live without him? He’d forever be the man she held against others for comparison. She’d live lonely, alone, missing him forever.
Tears filled her eyes, but she kept staring ahead, hoping he wouldn’t notice.
Was it so wrong to want to keep him?
Before she knew it, she was parking in the Culloden Moor Visitors Center parking lot. With her emotions firmly under control, she turned off the car and finally looked at him. “Maybe…maybe we could ask her to make an exception.”
He didn’t say anything, but she saw the bleakness in his gaze.
“Or at least ask for an extension. From what you said she’ll be busy for a long while with so many others. She probably wouldn’t care if you hung out a while longer. I don’t think you were given enough time.”
His lips pressed firmly together as if he forced himself to silence.
“I can go with you.”
At that, his expression turned grim. “Never say such a thing. Never wish for death. I know what it is to have life snatched away too soon. Ye’re to live the long and hearty life I was denied. Ye’re to marry and have children. To fill yer life with laughter and joy. Above all, ye’re to live!”
She knew he was right. It wasn’t that she was suicidal or anything, but she couldn’t imagine having these intense feelings for anyone but him. “Please, let’s try! We should drive away and hide. She’ll forget all about you.”
In response, he opened the door and stood. He rounded the car and opened her door. She was trying not to cry, she didn’t want him to remember her like this. She took the hand he offered and climbed out.
“Lock it up, lass. Ye’ll not want to lose yer laptop.”
Or her camera. She certainly didn’t want to lose the pictures she’d taken of him. She covered her possessions with a jacket, locked the door, and checked it.
They walked around the visitors center to head straight out into the field and immediately spotted a slight figure in the distance draped in a black hooded robe. So much for hoping the witch wouldn’t be there. In a strange trick of light she seemed to be surrounded by a mist, slightly green in color.
As they approached, Lissa clung to Gareth’s big hand with both of hers. The hooded figure turned at their approach to reveal a young, dark-haired beauty, with a warm and generous smile, and green eyes that held too much experienced for her years.
Lissa recognized her. “I know you. I met you that first day inside the visitors center.”
“Aye, ye did.”
“You encouraged me to have an adventure. You knew this,” she waved a hand, “All of this would happen!”
The girl’s smile lit up her face as she shrugged. “We’ve all jobs to do.”She didn’t look like an enemy Lissa believed her to be. She looked youthful and happy, glad to see Gareth. It gave Lissa hope.
“Number 26, yer back, I see.” The girl’s voice was both musical and admonishing. “A little bit late, aye?”
Lissa’s two-handed grip on Gareth’s hand tightened.
The young girl looked curiously at Lissa, then back at Gareth. “Number 26, have ye done what ye set out to do?” The mist around her seemed to dissipate.
Gareth glanced at Lissa as well. He took a breath, hesitated, and then took another. “Nae. It turns out I’d not the stomach for it. This girl may or may not be related to Bonnie Prince Charlie, but even if she is…”
“Oh, she is.”
Gareth closed his eyes and his hands tightened on Lissa. “Be that as it may, I cannae stomach revenge against an innocent.”
“And is this yer good turn? Sparin’ an innocent?” Again, her tone chided.
Lissa glared at the girl across from her. “Can’t you do something? Don’t you think he’s been punished enough?”
“Where he’s to go willnae be a punishment, will it?”
Gareth eyebrows rose. “’Tis not what ye said before.”
“Ye’re not as ye were before, are ye?”
Gareth took a breath, and shook his head. “I’d like to say goodbye to my brothers before I leave.”
The girl shook her head sadly. “As to that, yer brothers are gone off to their own trials.”
Gareth let out a breath. He nodded. “I’m glad for them.”
Lissa couldn’t stand his defeated attitude. What happened to her fiery, fight the whole world, warrior? Well, if he couldn’t fight, she could. “Look. You might not want to hear this, but I’m keeping him. That’s the end of it. That’s the way it’s going to be.” She tugged on Gareth’s hand. “Come on.”
“But he isn’t yers, is he?”
“He’s more mine than yours! And if I married him that would make him mine, wouldn’t it?”
“Lass.” He sounded agonized.
“I’ll fight you for him.”
“He’s the one who has to choose.”
“I choose Lissa.” He said the words gratifyingly fast.
The witch shook her head. “’Tis not what I meant, is it, 26?”
Lissa didn’t care for how cryptic the little witch was, and didn’t like that she called him by a number. “Just say what you mean!”
“Charles Stuart.” Was all the witch said.
Lissa looked at Gareth. “What does she mean?”
Gareth looked agonized. He hesitated as he looked at Lissa, his jaw clenching. Finally, he nodded once and his mouth thinned into a determined line. “I give up my revenge.” He looked at Lissa when he said it.
~~~
Gareth heard gasping from the ghosts. He could clearly see them moving about and whispering to each other. He noted pity, shock, and even fear. For him? Or mayhap for themselves in their pale, ghostly faces. “Doesnae that fact, renouncin’ my revenge, change anythin’, Soni?”
The witch slowly, sadly, shook her head as glowing green mist swirled about the skirts of her robe. “I’m sorry, Gareth. There’s naught I can do for ye.”
She’d finally called him Gareth rather than 26. As if the seriousness of the situation demanded his name. The sense of loss he felt at her words weakened his knees and by force of will alone, he remained standing.
“Gareth, I love you.” Lissa’s voice was filled with pain.
He cl
osed his eyes as his heart expanded, filled. “Ye dinnae need to say such.”
“I love you. I do. Don’t…don’t you have any feelings for me?”
“I’ve not the right to say so.”
There was no response.
He turned, needing to see her face one last time. Her tears almost undid him. “But I cannae stop the words. I do love ye, lass.” He opened his arms, needing to touch her one last time and…
Gareth disappeared in a swirling mass of green.
~~~
Lissa felt a surge of power and he was gone.
“No!” Pain stabbed through her.
Lissa turned to the witch and the sorrow in the young girl’s expression gave her hope. “Please. There must be something you can do. Can’t you spare him. Give him back? He’s such a good man. He’s honorable and kind and he deserves a second chance.”
“I’m sorry, lass. ’Tis done.”
At that moment she wanted to fight the younger woman for him, drag him back from wherever the girl had sent him. Agonized, she turned away. She swallowed past the lump in her throat and gripped her hands together in a pleading gesture and turned back. She wasn’t above begging. “Please. I’m begging you…”
The witch was gone.
A sob exploded from Lissa.
She was all alone at Culloden Moor, and it felt like the loneliest place on earth.
~~~
Lissa parked the car and got out. The mountain before her rose high and majestic and the valley before her was covered in green. She barely saw any of it.
She’d spent days staking out Culloden Moor, trying to find the witch, but the little vixen had disappeared.
Then there was the week of despondency, pain, and moping in bed. Laying around and crying had given her nothing but a massive headache.
A phone call from Cara had finally gotten her moving again. She’d poured out her heart about Gareth, omitting the part about him being a ghost. Cara had been sympathetic, but couldn’t understand why Lissa, who was overly-cautious where men were concerned, had fallen so hard and so fast.
