Rogue on the Rollaway

by Shannon MacLeod

  “Why didn’t they see the campsite?” Colleen asked, still refusing to open her eyes.

  His answer was succinct. “It’s warded.”

  She gave that a thoughtful hmmm. “I’ve heard that word before,” she said after a moment. “It means protected by magic, right? It’s a…a druid thing, like a security light that comes on when someone comes in your yard. You did it when you went hunting yesterday.” She grinned, pleased with her deductive reasoning.

  Faolan rolled his eyes. “Aye, Blossom, that’s it exactly–a druid thing.” He pointedly articulated each syllable, shaking his head in feigned exasperation. “Hold on,” he said, jumping the last six feet to the ground and landing upright with her still clinging like a burr. “Ye can let go now–really, we’re down–Och, there’s a good lass.”

  Colleen fought the urge to fall down and kiss the ground as soon as he set her feet on it. “So what’s the plan now?” she asked, worry furrowing her brow.

  “Food,” he said with a grin. “I’m near starved.” Taking her by the hand, he led her and the horse back to the campsite and began poking around in the saddlebags. He found the last of the bread and cheese, giving it a sorrowful look. “‘Twould be nice to have waffles and syrup, or at the very least a bit of peanut butter,” he sighed, stretching his long frame out on the blanket and motioning for her to join him. “I fear I’m ruined for this rustic life,” he continued, handing her a piece of the crusty loaf, “and ’tis at yer door I’m laying the fault for that. I was blissful in my ignorance of showers and movies and pizza until ye came along.” He popped a piece of the yellowed cheese in his mouth and chewed it thoughtfully as he regarded her. “Ye never did tell me, Princess. What was it ye wished for that brought me into yer home?”

  Colleen stared down at the chunk of bread she held in her hand. “I don’t remember,” she mumbled.

  Faolan curled a long finger under her chin and lifted her face to his. “Yer a terrible liar,” he grinned, rising to his knees. “Tell me now or I’ll ravish ye right here.”

  “Don’t you threaten me with a good time,” she warned then squealed as he caught her around the waist and rolled over onto his back so that she sat astride.

  “Or ye could ravish me…I’ll tell ye aught ye wish to know.” He laughed. “Just don’t…Oh, Christ–no,” he yelped when her fingers dug into his sides and tickled.

  If I can stay on for eight seconds, I’ll win this rodeo, she grinned as he bucked and writhed beneath her. Without warning, she found herself on her back again, wondering how that happened so fast. Faolan stared down at her with determination glowing in his cerulean eyes. “Tell me yer wish,” he repeated.

  “I wished…” she said, her voice faint, “…for my perfect man, the one who would love me forever and love the same things I did and stay faithful to me and be sweet and romantic and make me laugh and–”

  Faolan put a finger over her lips to staunch the flow of words. “And am I yer perfect man, Colleen?” he whispered.

  “Except for the part that your ex-girlfriend is a faery who threw us back in time a couple hundred years and is–as we speak–hunting us down like it was open season…” She grinned, “…yes.”

  He kissed her then and time just melted away. There was only the two of them, making love in a leafy bower in an ancient forest, hidden away from prying eyes. There were no vindictive faeries or spiteful ex-husbands, no deadlines or phones or clocks…just them. He worshiped every square inch of her with his eyes and his mouth, and she basked in his adoration. She traced the outline of each of his sculpted muscles with a fingernail and kissed the strong hands that held her so close against his heart. Their bodies trembled and shuddered from the force of the passion that held them enthralled, and they clung to each other, unwilling to let another single moment pass without one more kiss, one more touch.

  Afterward, they lay enfolded in each other’s arms and shivering from the power of the moment, listening to the soft sounds of the forest. Colleen sighed with pleasure as she snuggled up against him. He pointed out small wonders to her–a spider web with fat drops of dew still clinging to it, tiny songbirds flitting from branch to branch in the thick canopy over their heads. Her eyes fluttered closed, and she dozed with a contented smile on her face.

  When the sun was overhead, Faolan jostled her awake with a gentle nudge. “We must go, Princess,” he murmured, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

  “Not moving,” Colleen informed him with a yawn. She stretched her legs then nestled in tighter under his arm. “Can’t make me, either. I’m going to lay here in this perfect place forever and….hey!”

  He scooped her up in his arms and rose to his feet, his whole body shaking with suppressed laughter. “I canna lie about with no food in my belly, Blossom. If it’s more loving yer wanting, I’ll be needing sustenance.” He set her feet down and gave her a teasing smack on the bottom. “Ready yerself to ride.”

  They continued to ride south following the river. Colleen found herself wishing she could indeed remain in the moment forever. From her vantage point between Faolan’s thighs, she saw the Emerald Isle from centuries past. The day was warm, the bright sunshine beating down on their faces. The blue sky was dotted with puffy clouds throwing an occasional shadow on field after field of brilliant wildflowers. There were huge dolmens, standing stones already ancient scattered throughout the lush countryside.

  In spite of all the natural beauty, what Colleen found most enchanting was the complete the lack of synthetic noise. There were no blaring car horns or sirens, no TV or radios–just the gentle sound of the wind blowing through the trees, the rhythmic pounding of the horse’s hooves and the quiet gurgle of the river.

  Faolan slowed the horse to a walk. She could feel the deep vibrations in his chest while he hummed, scanning the countryside for markers. “That sounds familiar, I like it,” Colleen remarked.

  “’Tis a bonny tune,” he agreed, still surveying the horizon. He continued to walk the horse through a field of deep clover and tiny yellow and white flowers. Clouds of butterflies rose and caught on the breeze as they passed through,

  The words to the song drifted into her consciousness… the wholesome snack that smiles back until you bite their heads off… “Are you singing the Goldfish crackers jingle?” she asked incredulously. “I think you’re right. You are ruined for the rustic life.”

  “’Tis yer fault,” he smiled, lowering his head to give her a kiss. “I love ye, my beautiful Colleen.” She reached up and threaded her fingers into his hair, and he growled softly when her fingernails scraped his scalp. His arms tightened around her as he deepened the kiss, and for a moment they lost themselves in each other. When Faolan’s head dipped to kiss the slim column of her neck, her eyes fluttered opened then widened in alarm.

  “Faolan–riders!” she screamed.

  9

  Faolan’s jerked his head up with a curse on his lips. He wheeled the horse around to see the fae searchers racing over the crest of the hill less than a half mile away. He tightened his grip around her and snapped the reins, giving the horse his heels. “Hold on tight as ye can,” he whispered as they sped along the riverbank. He pulled her close to his chest and rode hard, glancing back over his shoulder at the advancing riders.

  One of the horsemen broke away from the group and bore down on Faolan, who veered off to put distance between them. “We may not be able to outrun them, Blossom, but I willna let them take ye.” Colleen buried her face against his chest, but her eyes flew open when she heard his sword being pulled free of its sheath.

  “There’s too many,” she gasped, clinging to him for dear life when the horse abruptly changed directions again. “Can’t we ask them to parlay? I saw that in a movie once.”

  He laughed, a harsh biting sound. “This is no movie, Colleen, and ye wouldna want to be striking deals with the likes of them.” He reined in sharply and a rider thundered past on their right just as Faolan swung the heavy sword. Colleen shut her eyes and pressed he
r hands to her ears to dampen the horrible scream that pierced the air. He snapped the reins again and the horse leapt forward.

  Another rider closed in on the other side and Faolan bent forward as they rode side by side at a breakneck speed. Colleen ventured a peek at their pursuer and her eyes widened in horror. She couldn’t bring herself to look at the rider, but the horse…the long silky mane flew behind it like a banner and its terrible eyes were solid yellow. Foam flew as the sleek black animal strained against the bit, tossing its great head. “Faolan, the horse’s eyes–”

  “Later, lass,” Faolan barked, “I’m a wee bit busy at the moment.” He switched the sword to his left hand, gripping Colleen’s waist and the reins with his right. Suddenly his body tensed and he reared back in the saddle, his big hand shoving her head down. She grunted and the sound of indignation she was going to make died on her lips as a great whoosh went over her. The tiny hairs on the crown of her head rippled from the breeze the fae sword left in its wake and she went rigid with the sudden knowledge that either or both of them could lose their lives within the space of a heartbeat.

  A chilling war cry on his lips, Faolan bellowed his outrage and wheeled the horse around to engage her attacker. Colleen bit back a scream, snatching her feet up just before the two animals collided hard enough to jar her from her tenuous perch. Terrified, she closed her eyes and said a quick prayer as her man and the…whatever that thing was…fought over the top of her. She clamped her hand over her ears to muffle another high pitched wail when Faolan’s sword found the target it sought. The large muscles in his thighs gripped the horse and urged it into motion again, another rider hot on their heels.

  Faolan suddenly grunted and jerked, muttering under his breath. “Not too much further, Princess–take the reins,” he ordered. Colleen fumbled to grab the leather strips, holding on for dear life as the horse sped forward at a dizzying speed. Faolan whipped the dagger formerly belonging to the unfortunate William from his boot and with a sidearm gesture flung it directly into the throat of the nearest attacker. There was a sickening thud when the rider was unhorsed.

  “Three less for the now,” Faolan said, breathing heavily. He leaned them both forward to urge more speed from the tiring horse. “Ye canna kill them, but they hate the iron. ‘Twill slow them down a bit.” Colleen peeked over his shoulder at the riders now flanking them. Inhumanly beautiful, their long hair streamed behind them while they rode but their incensed expressions were identical. Tinkerbell’s army is seriously pissed off, Colleen shuddered.

  “Hie ye to the bridge, just ahead,” Faolan commanded, swinging his sword again and narrowly missing the nearest rider. “If any dare bar yer way, run them over. Give no quarter, we must gain the far side of the river.”

  Something dark flew by her ear and disappeared into the brush. “What was that?” Colleen gasped.

  “Arrow,” Faolan bit out. “They’re shooting. Stay down.” At once, she hunkered down near the horse’s neck. When the narrow bridge across the river came into view, she jerked the reins and headed straight for it. Hooves clattered over the thick wooden planks as they crossed, their pursuers hot behind them. On the other side, she relaxed her vise grip on the reins and gave the excited horse his head. The fae warriors formed a V formation with Colleen and Faolan at the peak. “Just a bit further,” he urged, glancing back over his shoulder and hunching over, using his body as her shield from the lethal missiles.

  In what seemed like a lifetime later, Faolan retrieved the reins and tugged the hysterical horse to a top. He turned them around to face the remaining riders. They were paused a quarter mile back, watching the pair while the impatient mounts pawed the ground, their tangled manes brushing the ground.

  “What’s going on? Why did they stop?” Colleen gasped, a sob of relief caught in her throat.

  “They can go no further,” Faolan exhaled with his own sigh of relieved satisfaction. “They canna come onto the Queen’s land without inviting her wrath.” One rider raised his arm and shouted to the others, an eerie sound unlike anything Colleen had ever heard before. As one, they whirled and rode back in the direction they came from.

  “Wait, what? Queen? What Queen?” Colleen gaped, a building tension underscoring her words. “Where exactly are you taking me, Faolan?”

  “Carraig Liath,” he said, “the place of the gray rock.” He smoothed a hand over her hair. “Are ye all right, Colleen?”

  “Yeah,” she said, biting her lip and looking anxiously toward the hillock the fae disappeared over. “Are you sure they’re gone?”

  “Quite sure,” he smiled, “yer safe now.” His eyes fluttered closed and he slowly rolled off the horse’s back, three of those deadly arrows protruding from his back.

  * * * *

  Faolan’s first thought upon waking was that he had died and was in some sort of strange hell. Lying face down in a soft patch of sweet smelling grass wasn’t too bad, he decided, but the maddening itch on his back needed to be dealt with at once. “What’re ye about, lass?” he mumbled, rolling over to look at her. “And what the hell’s crawled inside my shirt?”

  On her knees next to him, Colleen gave a small sob at his voice and threw both arms around his head. “Thank God,” she whispered, clutching him tight against her stomach. “I thought you were dead. How…how do you feel?”

  The recent events came flooding back. Faolan moved his shoulders gingerly. “Did ye pull the elf-bolts out on yer own?” he asked in an incredulous voice, muffled against the folds of her gown. Turning his face slightly, he spied the arrows where she had thrown them after snapping each one neatly in half.

  “I’ve read how to do it in…in the romance novels,” she admitted with a blush. “I knew it was going to hurt so I figured I’d better do it while you were unconscious.” When he opened his mouth again, she continued before he could ask. “I used sphagnum moss to stop the bleeding. It’s what the books always say to do. It might itch a bit, but it seems to have helped,” she added, pulling back a clump of the stuff to peek at the small gash. “I think the bleeding’s stopped. The arrowheads didn’t go in very deep,” she observed.

  “Clever lass.” He yawned. “They went in deep enough to hurt, I warrant. All they needed do was break the skin,” he explained. “The tips were coated with a sleeping draught.”

  “Like a tranquilizer gun?” she gasped, eyes wide with disbelief.

  “‘Twas not their intent to kill me or they would have,” Faolan replied. “The Tuatha De are deadly archers. They wanted me out of the way so that…” his voice trailed off and he looked away. “’Tis ye they wanted.”

  The blood drained from Colleen’s face and she trembled violently before she was able to collect herself. “I guess I should say thank you for saving my life again,” she whispered.

  “But it’s my–” Faolan replied, but was silenced by Colleen putting a finger over his lips.

  “No, just thank you,” she smiled, moving her finger and replacing it with her lips.

  * * * *

  It was an hour before her trembling stopped. They were still riding several hours after that when the first drop of rain fell on Colleen’s hand. She brushed it away without much thought. The second drop landed on her cheek and the third on her nose, a little harder to ignore. “It’s starting to rain, Faolan,” she remarked.

  He looked up into the darkening sky. “Aye, ‘tis,” he agreed, saying no more. The horse snorted and tossed his head as if he too wanted to seek shelter. Faolan clucked in response, leaned forward and gave the horse a soothing pat on the long graceful neck. “Easy there, auld lad.”

  The seconds between drops grew shorter and shorter until they were a gentle but constant downpour that showed no signs of slowing. Colleen snuck a glance up at Faolan. He continued to watch the road ahead, seemingly oblivious to how wet they were getting. “It’s raining, Faolan.”

  “Aye, ‘tis,” he said again, shifting her weight between his legs. He ran his fingers his hair, slicking it back and away
from his face. “We’re apt to get a wee bit damp, I’m afraid.”

  “I passed a wee bit damp ten minutes ago,” she complained. “I’m moving into getting soaked.” She plucked the wet fabric of her bodice away from her skin and grimaced. “I may drown at this rate, Faolan.”

  His lips twitched. “This is Eire, lass. Doona ye see all the lovely shades of green? It takes a lot of rain to keep it so.” She opened her mouth, but he spoke again before she could speak. “What would ye say were I to tell ye that tonight ye’ll have a hot bath, a good meal, and fall sleep in a fine feather bed with a braw Scot who loves ye beyond reason?”

  “I’d say…” Colleen looked around at the wide open fields with no signs of civilization in sight for miles “…your druid skills are remarkable.”

  The whole countryside reverberated with his laughter and unable to resist, she laughed too. The horse nickered as if joining in their merriment and the three of them continued to ride in the soft pouring rain.

  Night was fast approaching, but before another hour had passed, they arrived at the outskirts of a large village. Guiding the horse around the large puddles of mud in the dirt road Faolan headed straight for the large building in the center of the town. When they reached the combined inn and tavern he dismounted, lifting Colleen down. A small boy of seven or eight ran up at once, chattering away in his excitement at the newcomers. “Stable yer horse, milord?”

  Faolan pulled out a shiny coin out of his pouch and handed it to the miniature hostler along with the horse’s reins. “See that he’s well fed and watered, and there’ll be another of those for ye in the morning. Two if ye give him a good rubdown,” Faolan promised with a solemn wink as he unbuckled the saddlebags and looped them over his shoulder. The boy’s eyes lit up at the promise of another coin and with a happy nod of assent led the horse away toward the back of the inn.