“Aye, an easy one to make,” MacIan snorted. “Your death awaits.”
“As does yours.” Calum blocked MacIan’s swift attack. Their weapons clashed dead center, steel ringing loud against steel. “I see you dinnae wish to hold back.”
“’Tis been too long since I last battled a MacLean.” MacIan came at him, landing several hard blows one after the other in an attempt to find his point of weakness. “You prefer your right arm.”
“I prefer to live.” He sprang forward and fought. Lila needed him alive, and there was no greater incentive than to fight for her and their future together.
From the birlinn, the MacIan warriors cheered their captain on.
“No! Stop!” Lila tore down the beach, her midnight black hair streaming behind her. “No one is allowed to die because of my stupid wishes.”
“Lila, nay.” Colin caught her. “Dinnae enter the battle. This is Calum’s fight.”
“Let me go.” She thrashed against him. “Calum, behind—”
MacIan swung and Calum barely met the staggering blow. It knocked him to his knees, their blades crashing together an inch from his nose. His arms shook as he gripped his two-handed sword and tried to heave to his feet.
“You appear to be in a predicament.” MacIan sniggered and shoved down harder. “Care to yield? Or do you wish for your bride to see your death?”
“The only one to die this day will be you.” He swept his leg out, thumped MacIan in the shin then shot to his feet. He barely ducked MacIan’s next blow, but at least he was upright and back in with a fighting chance.
“A lucky move, MacLean.”
Driven, he slammed his blade into MacIan’s and the warrior stumbled in the incoming tide. He knocked MacIan’s weapon away, grasped his throat and thrust his knee into his belly.
“No, Calum,” Lila yelled. “Don’t inflame the feud.”
“’Tis already inflamed.” Giving MacIan his freedom wasn’t an option, not when he still had a dozen warriors waiting in his wings. He pushed MacIan’s head under the water and held him down.
The tide receded and MacIan grabbed a breath. “My laird will never allow his daughter to remain here on Mull.” To his men he shouted, “Death afore surrender.”
A roar came from the warriors. Hell. He shoved MacIan away and met the new threat.
Chapter 10
“Calum needs you.” Lila struggled against Colin’s hold. “Don’t let him fight this battle alone.”
“Promise me you’ll return to the trees.”
“Yes. Go.”
Calum slashed his blade at one man after another, while behind him Ian seized his wrist dagger, his marked target Calum’s back.
A scream tore from her throat and echoed all around.
Colin sprinted toward the loch, bellowing Calum’s name.
She sped after him.
This was all her fault. Calum would die because of her.
Splashing through the water, she grabbed her pocketed charm and cried out, “Save Calum and take me home. I wish for him to live, so I might return to love him again one day.”
A dolphin arched out of the water and slammed into Ian. He went sprawling head first into the foamy waves, his dirk slinging off course and embedding deep within the birlinn’s side.
Desperation drove her on, and she slogged through the waves, heading for the one man who was hers.
Calum ducked the oncoming warrior’s blade then speared a look toward her. “No more wishes, Lila. Get back.”
“I love you, and we’re in this together. I wish for a lifetime with you, in whatever way it’s possible to have it.” A dolphin whizzed under the water, a murky gray shadow knocking her feet from under her. She went down, water closing over her head.
She grabbed its fin and held on as the dolphin shot off. It broke the surface and peered at her with silver eyes so hauntingly like her own. They sparkled, like magic.
With a squeal and splash of its tail, it rose, flipped in the air then swam away, leaving her in the deep near a raised boulder.
Across the water, Mingary perched on a rock ridge overlooking the loch, its stone walls crumbled with the passage of time. On the shore, Zayn paced in his wetsuit, his hand raised to his brow.
A well of emotions swarmed up inside her, battering her heart and soul.
She clutched her spinning head, despair as deep as the ocean smothering her.
A wave crested and tumbled her in toward shore.
Zayn sprinted into the water, hooked an arm around her waist and helped her onto the beach. “I’ve been so worried. Where have you been?”
“There was an earthquake and—oh, dizzy.” Her knees buckled and she fell onto the sand.
“Are you okay? You’ve been missing for an hour.” Zayn dropped in beside her. “I lost sight of you after the dolphin ride. I didn’t mean to get so carried away, but I—” Frowning, his gaze moved over her body. “Where’s your wetsuit?”
“I’m wearing it.” She grasped her legs, only she encountered thin ivory linen underneath a man’s white shirt. “Well, I was wearing it.” How had she lost her wetsuit? Her head was so cloudy, and her thoughts scattered. “I don’t feel so good.”
He stared into her eyes then lifted one lid. “Your eyes are glittering, so bright. I’ve never seen the like before, though I’ve heard folk stories. Every now and then, a child is born under a falling star. Their silver eyes sparkle when the magic within their blood rises.”
“That sounds familiar. Nanna told me that tale as a child too.”
“Something must have happened out there.” Zayn lowered his hand. “You can’t go from wearing a wetsuit to this kind of clothing and not know about it.”
“The earthquake struck and I slid off the boulder. The waves tossed me around and then…” What had happened next? She tried to search for a memory, only nothing but a black void filled the space. “Um, there was definitely a dolphin. It came to my rescue just now. I can’t explain the clothing.”
“When I couldn’t find you, I called Dad on my cell phone. We should get you checked out. You may have hit your head. The confusion isn’t a good sign.”
“Yes, that might be for the best.” She pressed her charm against her chest, and relief poured through her.
“Zayn!”
A suited man in his forties raced down the grassy slope and onto the rocky beach, one finger holding his round-lensed spectacles on the bridge of his nose. Behind him, the sun dipped along the horizon.
“Dad, I found her.” Zayn hoisted to his feet, clasped her hand and pulled her up beside him. “Lila’s been in the water a long time. She’s feeling dizzy and confused.”
“Grab the bikes and load them onto the rack. I’ll help Lila.” He straightened his navy and white striped tie from where it had flipped over his shoulder. “Can you walk?”
“Yes.” She stumbled and he caught her. “But I won’t say no to a helping hand.”
“Let’s get you to the hospital.” Zayn’s father steered her toward his black SUV, opened the rear passenger door and settled her inside. He rummaged in the boot and returned with a red and blue swathe of tartan so similar in color to, well, so similar in color to someone else’s. Only whose? “Wrap yourself in this.”
She snuggled into its warmth while Zayn heaved the bikes onto the roof rack with a loud clunk. With her frozen fingers, she clenched her charm tight. “I’ll never let it go, Nanna. I promise,” she whispered to herself.
“In the car, Zayn.” Mr. MacKeane jumped behind the wheel and shut his door.
Zayn hopped into the front seat, tossed their bags through the gap into the rear beside her then secured his seatbelt. He peered around his chunky headrest toward her. “You okay?”
“I’m g-good.”
“Hit the gas, Dad. I’ve never seen anyone look so blue.”
The SUV rumbled to life and they bumped along the gravel track with the headlights guiding their way. Mingary disappeared into the dark as they wound around the hills
. Once they reached the end of the private road, they turned onto the blacktop and continued through the rural countryside toward Kilchoan. Her heart ached with each mile they traveled away from Mingary, and as she squeezed her eyes shut, tears escaped and flowed down her cheeks. She was never this emotional. She really must have hit her head, because she’d never experienced this level of confusion before.
Out the window, the moon hung like a fiery orange ball, bathing its shimmery golden hue over the fields of green. Smoke curled from the chimney of a sprawling wooden-shingled home then vanished on the wind. Like time itself, there one moment and gone the next.
“You’re not talking much.” Zayn squeezed her leg.
“N-not much to say.” Her teeth chattered fiercely.
He knocked his father’s arm. “Hurry it up, Dad.”
“She’ll be in shock, Zayn. Keep an eye on her. I’m driving as fast as I can.”
They drove into the village and sped along a side road running parallel to the main street. Ahead, a single story hospital with a glass entrance wavered before her eyes.
Zayn’s father zipped into the first parking space. “Help Lila in while I let them know she’s coming.”
“I’m on it.” Zayn whipped open her door, slung an arm around her waist and hauled her out. “Lean on me.”
“I—I—” Her vision blackened and her head shattered with pain. She slipped sideways and into oblivion.
* * * *
Calum bumped into something as he pushed through the murky depths of the loch. He tried to grab hold of it, only he got nothing but water. Damn, he was almost out of breath. He kicked upward, broke the surface and treaded. He’d returned from Skye this eve with Colin and still had the fortuneteller’s prophecy humming through his mind. No one could disappear into thin air, but that old woman had after handing him a charm.
Now he was swimming in the loch for no good reason.
The stars twinkled in the dusky evening sky, a glittering ribbon shining over Duart’s massive fortified walls. The guardsmen on watch patrolled the battlements, keeping an eye out for any possible attack. ’Twas only a matter of time before MacIan sought his revenge for the atrocity done to him and his clan, and Duart was his to protect.
He kicked toward land, made the beach and collected his tartan and sword. His vision hazed and images flickered through his mind, a wispy barrage until just one became staggeringly clear. A woman. She turned toward him, her body covered in sleek, black fabric glistening from the water. Midnight-black hair streamed to her waist, and her enchanting silver eyes sparkled.
The image dissolved and his heart ached with loss.
Hell, he was losing his mind.
He strode into the keep, signaled the guard to lower the portcullis then walked up the tower’s side stairs. Once in his chamber, he shut the door and stoked the fire to blazing life.
“This is amazing.”
He spun around and a woman’s image flickered to life.
She wandered toward his side table. She picked up the pitcher, poured water into the basin then traced along the rim. “What a beautiful antique.”
“’Twas gifted to me, but ’tis no antique,” he answered her.
“Oh, sorry. It looks like one.” She drifted to his desk, inspected his candleholder then glanced at the ceiling.
“Who are you?” He wanted to touch her, hold her, feel the warmth of her skin against his.
“You know who I am.” She crossed to his bed and stroked the fur covers. “I’m your charm. For all time. I’ll come back to you. I promise.”
Her image wavered and disappeared.
His loss intensified.
* * * *
“Would you care for a fresh glass of water with your medication?” An auburn-haired nurse buzzed around Lila’s bed, tucked in her crisp white sheets and smoothed the blue woolen blanket.
“No, the one I have is fine. How far away is the doctor?” She was desperate to leave after suffering through three long days of observation by the medical team. Blacking out had not been fun, nor when she’d finally awoken, being told she wasn’t going anywhere. She didn’t have time to laze about when she had Nanna to search for.
Mingary hadn’t turned up anything during her trip, but the next location on Nanna’s itinerary was Duart. The urge to get there was the strongest she’d ever had.
“Dr. Cardiff is doing her rounds. I’ll let her know you’re waiting.”
Her matronly doctor strode in, her shoes clipping loudly on the linoleum floor. “I heard my name.”
“You did. Lila wanted to see you.” The nurse walked out with a cheery smile.
“I have your test results.” The doctor flipped her white coattails and perched on the bed beside her. “Your blood work shows you’re pregnant.”
“I’m what?”
“You’re pregnant.”
“Are you sure?” The doctor must be mistaken. One couldn’t get pregnant when one hadn’t had sex.
“Yes, the results were conclusive.”
An image flittered into her mind, one of a blazing fire, the shadow of its flickering flames grazing the stony walls of a cave. Heat pulsed through her body, and a man with dark hair and golden eyes released the plaid still covering her until the soft wool pooled in her lap.
“Calum, show me everything you saw in your vision.” The words were her own, spoken to him. She loved him and the emotion consumed her with its intensity.
“Aye, everything.” With painstaking slowness, he grazed a finger from between her breasts to her belly, his touch starting a pulse point fluttering between her legs.
“I really like how you touch me.”
“I like it more.” He skimmed his hands over her waist and pressed his lips to her belly. He kissed her, right over her heart shaped mole. “Beautiful, and just as I saw it.”
“How about you show me your star shaped birthmark?” She tickled down his side and around to his right cheek. “It was about here, wasn’t it?”
“Aye, though I intend a long loving of your body first.” He laid her back on his plaid, eased her breasts together and licked one nipple.
“I never want to forget this night.”
“I’ll ensure it.” He swirled around the tip then sucked her nipple deep into his mouth. She pushed her hips against him. He’d awakened her body, and she wanted more. She craved his—
“Lila?” The doctor nudged her. “Are you all right?”
“Yes.”
She was pregnant, by a warrior named Calum.
Her heart ached for him.
“I can release you as soon as you’re ready now we’re aware you’re healthy and well.” The doctor slid her chart from the rail at the end of her bed and wrote on it.
“Thank you. I need to leave.”
“Then I wish you well with your pregnancy. Take this to reception.” She folded the paper, passed it to her and left.
Wishes, yes wishes.
More memories assailed her.
Calum set his hands on her hips and slowly, carefully, moved between her legs. He nudged his cock along her slick folds. “Do you trust me?”
“Yes, hurry. I’m burning up for your touch.”
He kissed her then pushed against the barrier, tore through and plunged inside. They were joined so deeply. “We’re one, and none shall ever tear us apart. You’re my charm,” he whispered. “There is no escaping me now.”
Calum waited for her, and she wanted the real man, not memories. She had to find him.
She thrust the bedcovers away, grabbed a pair of slim black jeans from her bag that Zayn and his father had brought from her hotel and wriggled into them. She slipped her favorite white t-shirt over her head, shoved on a pair of leather sandals and nabbed her brass charm.
With her bag in hand, she marched to the front desk and paid her bill.
Outside, she caught a cab and asked the driver to take her to the ferry terminal. She’d bypass Mingary and go straight to Duart Castle. That was where he’d b
e. She was certain of it.
Once onboard the sleek, white-paneled ferry, she darted around the passengers and at the bow, gripped the polished wooden handrail. Above, heavy gray clouds swept the sky.
As they cruised down the sound, they passed the sheer cliffs of Mull and hers and Calum’s bay. Their cave was half hidden by scraggly bushes, but it was still there. How could she have forgotten him?
They made berth at Craignure, the small settlement no longer hidden beyond the trees, but nestled right up to the water’s edge. Seagulls circled the fishermen’s boats and water sloshed against the thick round wharf pilings as they moored.
She hurried toward a tour coach as the driver made his last call for passengers to Duart. With her ticket paid, she sat and clutched her charm during the short drive.
Duart appeared, standing high on the rise of a craggy hill, the moors a lush green surrounding it. The castle appeared larger than life, and canons now graced the front grassy area, pointing toward the loch, relics concreted in place from an era long gone.
She disembarked, paid her entrance fee at the booth and dashed inside.
Every moment they’d spent together returned to her. He was hers, and their souls were bound.
Inside the great hall, heat pulsed from the lit fireplace. The flames shot up the stone flue and sent a wash of golden light across the MacLean clan’s silver shield strung above it. It was still here as it had been in the past.
The castle’s uniformed guide called everyone to gather closer, but she snuck up the winding stairs to the second floor. The gleaming dark wood of Calum’s door beckoned, and she grasped the brass knob and shoved it open.
A chill hung in the air, and a draft swept in where the window remained an inch open. She ducked under the roped off portion and moved toward Calum’s side table. It still held a pitcher and basin, the beautiful set unchipped although not the one gifted to him.
She drifted to his bed, rolled onto it and caressed the soft brown fur.
“I love you, Calum. I’m sorry I left you. If there was any other way to have remained with you, I would have taken it.” She pressed her charm to her chest and her heartbeat pulsed against her palm. All went eerily quiet. “I wish, with all my heart, to find a way back to the man my soul cries out for. Please return me to Calum.”
Highlander's Charm Page 12
