Rònan knew she was working toward a question but wasn’t sure how she should phrase it. He wouldn’t either. What he did know, sadly enough, was that there was only one answer.
So he kept his voice soft. “I cannae help but know what you’re curious about, Erin.” He tried to meet her eyes but they were locked on the fire below. Yet he had to continue. This needed to be said despite how hard it was. “I am not Bradon, lass. He was brother to Laird MacLomain at the time and didnae have the same responsibilities as I do.” He sighed. “So though tempted, I couldnae live in the twenty-first century even if I wanted to. I willnae abandon my clan.”
Erin remained silent for a time as she continued to stare at the fire. She wore that emotionless mask and her face was unreadable. It was the longest damn moment of his life. Would she hate him? Did this mean there was no hope for them? Either way, he would do what he had to even if it meant losing her. He'd made an oath to his clan and it was long past time that he see it through.
Eventually, her eyes met his. When she spoke her words weren’t emotional in the least but strong and even. “You know, you’re really starting to impress the hell out of me, Laird MacLeod. I’m proud of you.”
He hadn’t realized how shallow his breathing had become until she responded. How much he worried about whether she would understand. Then again, he imagined there was another reason for his response. Erin had actually wanted him there. Though it was hard to know if she desired a relationship, this felt like a step in the right direction…somewhat. Because there was another thing to be learned from her unsaid question.
She still intended to go home.
And not to his home.
Erin nodded down at the couple taking their vows in front of the fire. “So I don’t suppose Cullen will be able to show off those gorgeous wings when he kisses Treasa, will he?”
“This clan’s laird is a wizard and the Lady of the Castle a mystic so ‘twould not surprise me.” Rònan realized she was trying to detour the conversation. “The clan knows he is an angel so anything is possible.”
“That’s really cool,” she murmured. “I think it’s amazing how accepting all your clans are of all the various mystical beings.”
“’Tis easy enough when everyone’s raised around such,” he said. “’Tis less mystical, and simply normal for them.”
“True enough.” She leaned forward when Cullen cupped Treasa’s cheeks and kissed her. “Looks like they’re…” Her eyes widened when a faint glow emitted from the Stewart and his wings appeared. Then her eyes moistened when Cullen closed his wings around Treasa. “Damn, that’s so sweet…beautiful.”
All he could think of was how much he wanted to close his wings around Erin. Though he had never met the Viking female dragons, he knew they were smaller than their male counterparts. And though his mother might be fierce, she was little more than half his size in dragon form. That meant Erin was likely close in size. So if they were ever dragons together, his wings would easily be able to wrap around her.
Well aware of his thoughts, Erin’s eyes met his. She said nothing at first, just stared at him. When she spoke, he was surprised by her words. “Now that we know the bad guy’s still out there, I should practice shifting. Because one way or another, I know damn well that I can better protect Robert in dragon form.”
It was true. She could.
“Aye, she can and she should.” Tosha’s words whispered through not only his mind but Erin’s. “’Twould only be to the enemy’s advantage if she shifts for the first time when he once more appears. ‘Twould verra well mean not only her demise but that of those she seeks to protect.”
“See,” Erin said. “I’m right.”
“Aye,” Rònan agreed, proud of Erin for being so brave. Because something like this took more courage than most people could imagine. “As soon as we get back to my castle and Grant and my Ma are with you, then you will try shifting.”
“So it’s dangerous?”
“Nay,” Tosha said at the same time Rònan said, “Aye.”
“Okay,” Erin said slowly, eyes narrowed on him. “No offense, but I tend to think the horse who is half MacLomain mystical wizard probably has a little extra wisdom. Why do you think it’d be dangerous, Rònan?”
“I’m half wizard too,” he muttered. But the truth was he worried about her. What if something happened and she hurt herself? “’Tis hard to know what to expect the first time you shift.”
“All right. You were super young when you shifted for the first time.” She frowned. “Outside of the pain that eventually created your tats, did something bad happen? Did you keep something from me so I wouldn’t be frightened?”
“Nay. All went well enough.” He shook his head. “But I was verra young and had a mother dragon to teach me.”
“I see.” Erin eyed him. “So are you telling me you think yourself incapable of taking care of and teaching a dragon what to do the first time it shifts?” She tilted her head. “If so, that pretty much tells me that having kids is off your radar because isn’t there a good chance if you had a child they’d be half dragon? Or were you planning on letting your mom do that part of raising your children for you?”
Rònan’s brows flew together and he frowned at her unexpected questions and borderline accusation. His mind reeled over her talking about children. Though he knew she spoke of bairns he might someday have with another lass, all he could think about were his thoughts a few short days ago. A desire to have children with her.
A desire that only grew stronger.
Before he could respond, she said, “How safe do you think we are here from the enemy?”
“Verra safe,” Tosha answered for him. “This that happens now is divine intervention. Soon enough you will have to go back and protect the wee king. Until then, ‘tis verra likely nothing can touch you here.”
“Anywhere here?” Erin asked.
“Aye,” Tosha said. “But time is limited. Cullen was only given a small window of opportunity to keep you here. Something he wasnae even given permission to do for the wee King.”
Erin nodded and clenched her jaw before she stood, faced Rònan and planted her hands on her hips. “Alrighty then, Sweetheart. Let’s go do this then.”
He frowned. “Do what?”
“You’re gonna take me somewhere private away from all these people and I’m gonna shift.”
Rònan snorted. “You’re out of your bloody mind, lass.”
Erin’s frown met his. “No, I’m thinking real clear right now. You heard what Tosha said.”
“Och,” Rònan scoffed. A flash of fear made his temperature spike. “’Tis not the right time or place for such a thing.”
“You’re right, it’s not a good place,” she agreed and started walking. “That’s why you’re gonna bring me to the right one.”
“I willnae,” he said, unmoving.
“Fine,” she threw over her shoulder. “Then I’ll get my Viking posse to help me.”
His eyes narrowed. She better be bluffing.
“You willnae,” he called after her, not budging, convinced she would come back to argue.
He should have known better.
Erin didn’t bother responding but vanished down the path.
“Erin, get back here,” he called. “You dinnae know what you’re doing.”
Was she truly seeking out Bjorn and Tait?
“Erin,” he called again.
Still no response.
Bloody hell.
“Fine then,” he muttered and went after her. He had just made it around the bend before he stopped short.
Erin was waiting and cocked a grin at him. “Good boy.” She made a flourish with her hand that pointed in several directions at once. “The next move’s yours. Lead the way.”
Though more than tempted to throw her over his shoulder and bring her back to the castle, he knew that wouldn’t go well. And Cullen and Treasa did not deserve that on their wedding day.
“Good boy, my arse
. Fine then,” he growled and headed back up the path. “Come.”
“Sure thing.” He didn’t miss the smile of triumph in her voice. Troublesome little dragon.
He had spent ample enough time at this castle in his youth so he knew the land well. Only one spot struck him as far enough away. That meant walking the shore and putting another mountain between them and Stewart Castle. Sure, the noble thing to do would be to bring her back so she could change into pants first but he was far too frustrated.
Determined as she was, Erin made no complaints as she followed him down the less steep but far longer path that led down the backside of the mountain to the loch. And though he muttered no less than half a dozen times, “This is a bloody bad idea,” as they followed the shore, she never said a word. No, she held up her skirts, kept her head held high and moved right along.
What he was most impressed with, however, was how well she managed her fear.
A fear that was very much there.
But Erin pushed it aside and kept focused on what she felt she needed to do. That meant embracing what she was so she could save Robert the Bruce. Despite himself, Rònan admired her more and more as she walked along the dark beach toward something that had been her greatest fear for so long. Though he knew she had more courage than most, a tremendous amount of pride filled him. This lass would do anything to protect those she cared about. Anything at all. Fear did not rule her in the least.
Yet it continued to fill him.
Would he be able to walk her through this shift? What if something went wrong? Was she right, did he depend too heavily on his Ma and Grant? Had he been for too long in one form or another?
The moon had started rolling back down the sky when they reached the area of shore he knew would be best. The openness of the loch beyond the second mountain would give her room to fly without clan Stewart or any nearby villages seeing her. More than that, there was a tight alcove of trees nearby that would give her a place to shelter when she shifted back. Because if he knew one thing, she would be in an odd state of shock when she did and being out of the wind would be best.
“They’re giving me more distance than usual,” Erin finally said. “But I know they’re there.”
Rònan didn’t have to glance over his shoulder to know Bjorn and Tait trailed at a distance. They knew exactly what was happening. Though as a general rule he wanted Tait nowhere near Erin, this time he felt relief. Maybe there was comfort in numbers…or was it his way of escaping taking this on alone?
“No Viking posse.” Erin’s eyes met his. “I want only you here for now, Rònan.” She inhaled deeply then whispered, “Just you.”
When another flash of fear raced through him, he repressed it. She deserved better. “Aye, lass.” Though it was the last thing he wanted to say with Tait and Bjorn nearby, he said, “Though you can remain clothed, ‘twill likely inhibit how you embrace your dragon.”
“Uh huh, that makes sense I guess,” she murmured and pressed her lips together as she eyed her dress. Erin being Erin didn’t overly contemplate things but cupped her hands over her mouth and yelled into the darkness. “Gimme a little privacy already, guys. Turn around.”
He knew that both complied but Tait wasn’t above peeking. Damn Viking.
Rònan kept his breathing even and eyes somewhat averted as Erin stripped down. But as always, escaping arousal was impossible.
She shook her head. “Get control of that erection, because I seriously need to focus.”
Yet another reason he should not be here for her first shift. All he wanted to do was throw her on the ground and have his way with her. Clearing his throat, he dragged his mind from romping and focused on everything she was facing right now. More than that, the reason she was doing what she was.
To help save Robert the Bruce.
What made him get control of himself in the end was how much she deserved to be treated with respect. Erin was a hero. That firmly in mind, he didn't focus on her body but her eyes when she was ready.
“You can do this one of two ways because it seems two emotions bring out your dragon. The one way you will have to do on your own. The other, I can assist you via my dragon,” Rònan said, not entirely sure why he gave her both options when he had no idea if he could control himself. “So either you give into anger or lust.”
“For real?” Erin snorted. “That sounds like a no-brainer.”
“It does?” he asked, truly unsure where her mind was until it became blatantly clear.
“Come here then.”
“Dinnae you want to know more of what to expect, more of—”
That’s all he managed to get out before she strode over, pulled his lips down to hers and kissed him hard. For a brief moment, he felt guilty mostly because he had no idea in the least if his dragon magic could help her shift. It seemed like a sound theory and something inside told him he could do it. But now with her soft lips against his, he wasn’t so sure.
“Erin,” he murmured between kisses, trying like hell not to pull her into his arms and touch every inch of her. Though his eyes were closed, the red haze of the dragon quickly filled his mind’s eye. Her hands abandoned his cheeks to slide up beneath his tunic before she wrapped her arms around him and pressed close.
It was then that he felt it.
Her dragon.
Cupping her cheeks, he wrapped his tongue with hers. One swoop, two, three, then he pulled back enough that their eyes locked. When her brilliant purple dragon eyes met his, he stopped breathing.
He knew what he had to do.
How, he would never know, but he did.
So he turned her and brought his mouth close to her ear while simultaneously pressing close. “You think you can be a dragon but still you fear so much.” He nibbled her earlobe, then dared. “You can do nothing to save the wee King. You are not fit.”
Rònan felt the beast in her bubbling to the surface. The pure rage she had repressed in life for so long. He gripped her hips and spoke through clenched teeth. “You arenae one of us though you try.”
Her dragon responded to both his touch—the lust—and his taunting—the anger.
But she needed more.
His magic.
So he let it free. A type of magic he had no idea he possessed until he felt her dragon and human mind bite at his…plead with his. Unable to push anymore cruel, untrue words past his lips, he gave into the burning pain that ran along his dragon markings.
The original pain he had felt when he shifted for the first time.
All of it fed into her body.
His pain became hers.
When she cried out and arched, he held tight, frightened for her while at the same time realizing he had to let her go.
“I’m scared, Rònan,” she whispered moments before she screamed at the top of her lungs.
Though everything in him wanted to keep her close and safe, he let go and stepped back. When she fell to her knees, the Vikings came closer. But they didn't interfere any more than Rònan did. Instead, he sensed they were a wall of support not only for Erin but for him.
Rònan took a few staggered steps back as she started to whimper.
“Rònan, stop this,” she cried from far, far away into his mind.
“Nay, lad,” Tosha whispered. “Dinnae. ‘Tis time ye set her free, aye?”
He kept shaking his head as her pain and confusion became his. Terrified for her, he realized he had likely made some sort of awful mistake. After that, everything blurred. Her thoughts, emotions, their connection.
“Erin,” he roared. Though determined to save her, he was unable to move when Tait and Bjorn grabbed his arms.
Immobile, he watched in both torture and amazement as the air twisted around Erin. Black at first and then every shade of purple...her dragon colors. Slowly but surely, he felt her pain lessen as her vision changed along with her body. His struggles lessened along with hers and pure awe took over.
He had seen a lot of beautiful things in life but nothing
so stunning as what was left behind when the air stopped spinning around her. While small, she was magnificent. Almost iridescent, deep purple scales glittered along her serpentine body.
But that wasn’t the best part.
No, that would be her eyes.
When they turned his way, even the Vikings took a ragged breath.
The palest of purple with starbursts of darker purple at their centers, they were…ferocious.
“She needs someone to show her how to fly,” Bjorn managed, his heart beating as rapidly as Rònan and Tait’s.
“I will,” Tait said though his words came out as a weak, wanting whisper.
Erin tested her feet and swung her head back and forth.
“No, it should be me,” Bjorn said softly.
Though he wanted to deny both men, Rònan still couldn’t manage to speak as he watched her. Fortunately, she took matters into her own hands—or talons—when her head swung down and one brilliant eye looked directly at him. “No. You.”
Hearing her in his head for the first time as a dragon felt like he had transcended to a different plane. One made of eternal bliss and unparalleled pleasure.
Erin’s Viking posse didn’t stand a chance.
Rònan roared and shifted within a blink.
As it was when they were in human form, she was barely half his size.
And just like in human form, she wasn’t intimidated in the least.
Instead, she peered up at him and dared, her words sharp and direct. “Show me how to fly, dragon or I’ll figure it out on my own.”
There was no hesitation in his response. No thinking things through. He wasn’t human now. He was a dragon. She listened or she didn’t.
“Aye, then.” He walked around her and sniffed the air. “Like I taught you back at the Viking fortress, we dragons sense the weather. We can feel everything. Always test the wind first. If there’s no sheer, take flight. If there is a sheer, work with it. Always take off not against it but with it, especially if battle is ahead. Working against a heavy wind can weaken you greatly.”
“But how do I fly to begin with?”
Rònan cocked his head at her and knew she heard the humor in his voice. “Flap your wings and fly, lass. At your age, you might be surprised by how easy that is.”
Oath of a Scottish Warrior Page 24
