She inhaled the scent again. Killian drank whiskey on occasion, and often, she surmised, when things were precarious or conflict was left unresolved between them. Perhaps, it would be best if she did not go to him if he was drinking for it might be an indication he was displeased, and she was undoubtedly the reason, since she had turned down his invitation this night. She flayed herself for her procrastination and she walked ahead determined to simply go to him.
She stopped short when she heard the familiar and unwelcome female voice coming from Killian’s study. As numb as she thought she’d become and as diligently as she’d held her feelings at a distance, with Deidra already evoking undesired emotions this night, she now felt a slow rage simmering from somewhere deep within her. She could not simply allow Ciara to have Killian, or him to have her; she fumed at the very consideration. And the longer she dwelled upon this vexing thought, on the possibility that it had already happened and perhaps had been happening for some time, the more outraged she became. Her face burned with furious indignation.
When she stepped into the doorway, she half expected to find them in a lover’s embrace, and she plotted what her reaction and recourse would be. By the time she spotted Ciara standing by the enormous oaken desk and Killian seated on the chair beside it, she was beyond clear and reasonable thought. She saw the two of them, each with a goblet in their hand, speaking comfortably together. She heard the woman’s smooth voice and noticed she stood not a foot from Killian. When the woman reached out with the intention of boldly placing her hand on his, Alainn heard doors being thrown open, shutters being slammed, tables and chairs being lifted and flung back down.
When she looked at the two of them now staring at her with disbelief on their faces, she saw the dagger whiz through the air and land wedged deep within the wood, between his and her hands. She saw Ciara hastily pull her hand away and cry out in fear and in pain. She saw the trickle of blood that flowed from the smallest finger on her right hand and she felt undeniably pleased at the sight.
“Christ, Alainn, what are you doing?”
“You think me a fool entirely! Sure it must seem so!”
The many articles of furniture continued to sail about the room and, when a heavy chair was hurled through the air directly at Ciara, Killian knocked it away and sent it crashing to the floor.
“Calm down, Alainn! Whatever you believe has happened to make you so infuriated can be explained, I assure you.”
Ciara’s almond-shaped eyes were wide and filled with unhidden fear, but Alainn thought somewhere within the amber pools there was a certain amount of smug satisfaction as well. When she noticed that, she glared at the other woman, held out her hands and the powerful magic visibly flowed from her fingertips. Ciara was now completely frozen where she stood. Soon the many items fell to the floor with loud thuds and Alainn remained standing halfway across the room from her husband.
She inhaled deeply and attempted to calm herself as she heard a wicked disturbing whisper within her mind. She had heard that voice before and was well aware it was the dark demon who had been attempting to get to her.
“Use your powers witch! You know you want to take her life. Do it now! It will sate your fury and finally set you on the path to following me in joining the dark one. If you simply succumb to one malevolent desire on this, the night of Samhain, you will fufill your intended purpose.”
Alainn’s powers pulsed and surged through her as though they had a life of their own. She held her hands before her and her growing enragement fueled her magic. A ball of fire formed in her hands though oddly it did not burn her own skin always unusually susceptible to burns. The demon’s words ignited a darkness somewhere deep within her and she pointed the fireball toward Ciara, deviously envisioning what it would be to watch the woman suffer as she was set ablaze. Instead, she fought the urge and hurled the fire toward the hearth where it hissed loudly and sent scattered embers across the floor.
Uncertain of how long she could control her rage or her unpredictable powers, Alainn turned to leave though she left Ciara in a completely immovable state.
Killian came after her. “Alainn!”
He took her arm and turned her to face him, but her eyes were filled with deep jealously.
“I thought it was your heavy heart that kept you distanced from me, from my life and my bed, now I see the truth of it.”
“The truth is I have wronged you in no way, Alainn!”
She did not answer him, but continued to walk away. He followed her.
“How in cursed hell did you get the dagger. I had it locked away in the weapons chamber with my many swords and weapons.”
“It is charmed by me for me, so it would appear it acts on my accord!”
“You’re tellin’ me you didn’t call it to you or aim it at her, that you didn’t make the furniture fly through the air, effortlessly create fire or turn Ciara into a damnable statue?”
“I did not consciously call or throw the dagger nor control the many items of furniture. But, aye, I purposely created the fire and froze the whore. I would have done much worse, but I suppose a part of me does not want you to think me evil, or to see you denied pleasure or happiness entirely! I suspect by dawn’s light my spell of stillness shall be broken and you’ll be free to do what you will with her!”
“She is nothing to me, Alainn; only a woman who I shared a drink with, and nothing more!”
“And ’tis common then for you, a married man, to share a drink with a woman you’ve previously bedded?”
She could see his temper beginning to flare as well, and she felt herself in turmoil once more.
“If I’d known your seeing us here together would actually evoke a sliver of emotion from you, I might have arranged it earlier!”
He watched the bright spark of anger and jealousy flicker in her blue eyes.
“In truth, I might just be driven to bed her if only to see if you might feel strongly enough to appear as though you actually give a shite about anything at all!”
Sparks flew from her unusual, light blue eyes as she reached out and slapped him hard across the face. And, when he stood there with satisfaction on his ruggedly handsome face, she slapped him again. And then she flew at him in rage and fury, and beat on his broad chest ineffectually.
He finally took hold of her hands and held them tightly preventing her from moving. “She is nothing to me, Alainn!”
“Send her away from here, Killian!” She ordered in a furiously demanding and possessive tone.
He remembered Mara’s words indicating Alainn would need to finally feel deep emotion again in order to deal with the loss of their baby. She’d said she would need to experience the deep anger and agonizing grief. She was now as angry as he’d seen her in a good long while. So he purposely baited her further and pushed the issue.
“I will not!”
“Because you want her?”
“And if I do; why would that possibly matter to you any longer?”
“I am still your wife! You might better have chosen a handfasting, Killian, for you would be nearly halfway through your time of suffering!”
“Aye, well, what either of us should have done is hardly the issue. I’ll not send her away simply because of your unwarranted jealousy, for I’ve not committed any sin with the woman. Has she wronged you in some way I was not informed of?” He wondered if she would speak of what had been done to her, for Danhoul had insinuated Ciara had attempted to harm Alainn.
“She is not to be trusted, Killian! She will attempt to lure you to her bed and, soon, she will ask you to claim her son as your own. I am now the only person who stands in the way of her having you to herself!”
“And how would you stand in the way; do you not think I could have her and you as well, if I so desired it? I am a man of nobility, a chieftain; ’tis nearly expected of me. I would hardly be the first or last to have a wife and a mistress!”
Now the fury had returned in her eyes and with the fury was indisputable jealo
usy, but also a stubborn determination he’d not seen in weeks.
She glowered at Ciara from across the chamber with a distinct hatefulness, and for a moment he thought she might actually strike her down with another fireball or some other form of powerful magic. But she simply turned her head and stared at the dagger still deeply imbedded in the wooden desk. He saw it fly to her hand. She placed in within the pocket in her gown she wore beneath her cloak. He now noticed it was not actually a gown, but a long, white druid robe. In her hair she wore the blue flower he’d given her this night.
“Have her if you must, but know this, you’ll not have me, not ever again, not that you appear to desire me in your life or in your bed any longer. But until she is gone from your castle mark my words, I shall not return.”
He grew disheartened as he watched her head toward the door. “You cannot simply escape your troubles nor can you run or hide from the heartache; it shall simply follow you wherever you might flee, Alainn.”
She turned to look at him when he’d spoken, but she narrowed her eyes and walked on without response.
“I’ll see to it by my orders, the guards will not permit you to leave, nor will they lower the drawbridge!”
She glared back at him as she quickly started down the castle’s many stone steps and he followed close behind. He saw her glance at the far off stables and immediately the doors flew open. The enormous, white steed burst forth from the stables as if he had wolves on its tail. It galloped toward her with such tremendous speed he thought it might charge her as it had previously. Only recently, Connor had told Killian he had made no progress with the spirited beast and he was beginning to form the same opinion as everyone else who had worked with the horse; it would remain untamable and entirely unmanageable.
Killian saw the horse stop before her and she and the beast stared into each other’s eyes clearly communicating without a word spoken. He watched the animal kneel down on its two front legs. Alainn threw off her heavy cloak and he only then noticed how unusually warm the air had become. Everything around them grew steadily warmer. Even the wind had curiously changed and as it blew upon the frozen ground and frost covered trees, he heard them snapping, coming alive with the new magical warmth.
Alainn mounted the animal bareback and she clasped her hands in the golden mane. When it reared and lunged, he saw both the horse and the woman were entirely encircled in an ethereal glow. She’d pulled her own golden hair loose from its ties and let it hang free as he’d not seen it in an age. She looked at him with her eyes blazing and tugged the amulet from her neck and tossed it to him. He caught in his hand and listened to her warning.
“Keep this and wear it with your own amulet, Killian, and maybe then you’ll be kept safe from the temptress’s spells, for surely they’ll glow bright in warning of you beginning to fall prey to her darkness or her wiles.”
Killian stared up at Alainn. She was enchantingly beautiful. He longed to call after her to say something... anything to make her stay with him, but he realized through her anger and furious emotion, she would surely one day gradually begin to return to the vivacious and impassioned woman she once had been. If Ciara was even half as untrustworthy and possibly evil as Alainn and Danhoul seemed to believe, and as hell-bent on seeing Alainn harmed, then maybe she would be safer away from Ciara and from him... for now. He would discover what he could to aptly confirm the suspicions regarding Ciara. If she was truly evil, capable of dark magic and he should order her sent her away, she might very well attempt further wrongdoings toward Alainn as a way to get back at him. Therefore, he would take advantage of this time with Alainn safely distanced from the woman, to learn the truth and then deal with Ciara accordingly once and for all.
He continued to stare, mesmerized by the powerful magic surrounding the two, woman and beast. It seemed to crackle upon the night air. He looked on in utter disbelief as large golden wings appeared upon the horse. He stared at her with regret in his eyes, of all that had transpired, and fear of what their future might hold.
He dared to question her, uncertain if he cared to know the answers. “What will you do? Where do you intend to go, Alainn? Will you go to a fairy realm, the realm of the gods?” His face conveyed his dubiousness at the many uncertainties and he added, “Sure, you’d be wise to dwell with your grandfather, aye?”
As the winged-horse disbelievingly hovered above him in midair, he noticed the glimmer and sparkle of the magical light emanating from both of them. She called down to him in response.
“For now, I am uncertain where I might go but, wherever I go, know this, Killian. I will no longer turn from my magic; no longer rein in my powers and supernatural abilities or attempt to keep them hidden away. They are a magnanimous component of who I am. You may believe the tragedy that has befallen us came from me employing my powers, and perhaps that holds truth, but attempting to keep them concealed away, pretending they are not part of who I am, has also not benefitted us in any way.”
Alainn sensed many guards would soon be upon them and she had no desire to put Killian in a position where he would need to explain the unusual supernatural happenings. She glanced at him with pain in her eyes.
“No matter what fate might befall us or what the future might hold for us, know this one certainty, I shall always, always love you, Killian O’Brien,” she whispered softly on the wind as he watched as they magically flew off against the immense autumn moon, and into the star-filled sky.
“And I you, my Lainna!” he replied to the darkness.
It wounded him terribly to know this time they would be parted because Alainn had purposely chosen to leave. As he stooped to retrieve the blue flower that had fallen from her hair, Killian held on to the hope that one day she would return to him.
Killian despaired at the wretched thought of Alainn being gone indefinitely. He was already beginning to rue not finding the correct words to make her stay. Even now he longed to go after her to urge her to come back, but he believed he must allow her this time away. Alainn was correct, she must willingly accept and embrace her unusual magical abilities instead of turning from them or keeping them hidden away as she’d done in the past. Ultimately, she must take this time to learn the extent of her magic, to both hone and harness her powers.
As his eyes followed the bright magical glow in the distant sky, he prayed his heart could endure this separation, their love and marriage would one day benefit from it, and that their fates would soon be joined once more. But until then, for the first time in her life, Alainn would finally be permitted to live a witch’s life.
The End
Don’t miss Leigh Ann Edwards’ next book in...
The Irish Witch series
Book 1: The Farrier’s Daughter
Book 2: The Witch’s Daughter
Book 3: The Chieftain’s Daughter
Book 4: The Chieftain’s Wife
Book 5: A Witch’s Life
Book 6: A Witch’s Quest
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About the Author
Since she was a child, Leigh Ann Edwards has always had a vivid imagination and lots of stories to tell. An enthusiastic traveler and author for over twenty years, her adventures in Massachusetts, Ireland, and the UK inspired The Farrier’s Daughter and its sequel novels in the Irish Witch series. Edwards adores animals, history, genealogy, and magical places—and Ireland is filled with many magical places. She lives with her husband and two cats in the lovely city of Edmonton, Alberta.
Visit Leigh Ann at www.leighannedwards.com
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