“Much like ye. Hidden and private,” she teased.
Walking around the fallen stone, Fallon took a seat on a large slab of rock.
“We are no’ going to talk about it, are we?” she asked.
“About what?” he questioned, taking a seat next to her.
“About what happened at Falstone? Ye haven’t said a word since we returned.”
“Tis nothing to say.”
“I know what happened to ye when ye were young. I know that…”
“Ye know nothing!” Rylan said as he quickly stood, trying to ignore the topic.
“Please, dinna push me away. Ye are no’ yer father, Rylan. Ye are only the mon ye choose to be. And ye dinna have to choose this. Rylan, ye are no’ alone.”
“If I could purge his blood from my veins, I would slice a dagger into my own arm.”
“And those ye would leave behind would be left heartbroken,” she said standing beside him.
With a light, feathery touch, Fallon gently placed her hand on his shoulder. Her heart ached for him. In the few days she’d known him, she’d grown to admire the hardened warrior, but to her surprise, he was not all made if stone as she had first believed. He was a broken man who had spent years mending his own wounds. She may have been blind to why he carried such guilt, but his sorrow hung over him like a dark cloud. For the first time, this unexpected show of emotion made him more…human.
“If we are being honest, I must ask ye this before another word is spoken. Do ye trust me?”
“Of course, I do. I would follow ye across the stars.”
“Then tell me who ye really are.”
Fallon took a step back. Why would he ask such a thing? Why would he question her, unless he knew who she really was?
“Ye dinna understand.”
“I understand more than ye think. Ye ask me to be honest wit’ ye. I can only do that if ye are the same with me.”
“I am no’ like ye Rylan. I hide behind my secrets to keep my son safe.”
“It’s the secrets ye keep lass that will put him in danger. Why dinna ye tell me ye were a Sutherland?”
“Ye knew all this time who I was? Ye lied to me?” She continued muttering incoherently to herself.
Rylan waited for her wrath to rise up like a snake and strike.
“I just want the truth, lass.”
“Ye dinna understand. Do ye know what it is like to be the daughter of a traitor? My father is a traitor to the crown. Had he been convicted and sent to trial our whole family would have been indicted. When Daven learned of my father’s treason, he convinced me to run away with him, but soon after, he was sent away to fight in battle at Kinloch.
A year I waited, and he never returned. That’s when I left and met Nathanial. He was a young English solider, highborn, but a sympathizer to the cause. He vowed to protect me. It was he who knew of the cottage on the lands his family controlled. For months, he tried to win my affection, but my heart still belonged to Daven. I refused his advances several times, but I had lost all hope when I thought Daven was dead.
Nathanial took me in and cared for me. Over time, I thought I had fallen in love. Once Braeden was born, Nathanial denied his parentage, declaring he would never allow a Scottish bastard to carry his name. Therefore, I raised Braeden on my own, and over the years I paid fealty to the Blackwell’s for my silence in exchange for protection. Dinna ye see? I too am a traitor, just like my father. It is why I took on the Montgomery name, because I knew that no one would question it. I fear my father’s wrath, Rylan. If he knew I birthed an English son, he’d…”
“Fallon, Isaac Sutherland is dead.”
“What?” she asked in disbelief over hearing the news of her father’s death.
“He was killed o’er two weeks ago in battle along with his comrade Magnus Sinclair. Isaac has been a long time enemy of the MacKays, but more recently, they made it personal. About eight years ago, we were sent to Dun Au Noon to meet wit’ a neighboring clan. While we were gone, our village was attacked; killing our women, children, and the elderly. Isaac swore he had nothing to do wit’ it. But e’en if he hadn’t been there, he ordered the attack on our clan.”
“Why dinna ye take the matter to the King?”
“Isaac killed Ian’s first wife, Sarah. Ever since then, Ian has been bloodthirsty fer revenge.”
Eight years.
Fallon felt plagued with guilt; many things happened eight years ago, for the both of them it seemed.
“It is my fault,” Fallon confessed.
“What are ye talking about?”
“Eight years ago is when I left home. My father was so enraged that I heard he tore through villages looking fer me. It’s my fault my father attacked yer village. I am the reason yer Laird lost his Sarah.”
“Tis no’ yer fault. I dinna blame ye, lass. Ye were no’ the one carryin’ wit’ ye a sword. Ye could no’ have known.”
“No, but knowing about it makes it just as bad.”
Confronted with her past, Fallon finally understood Rylan’s hate and anger. They were both children of traitors, and they were both still haunted by their past no matter what they did to escape it.
Upon hearing of her father’s demise, there was a part of her that felt…relieved. He was not a father to her, nor was he even a man. He was a monster.
Fallon looked at Rylan, who stood close to her side. Like orphans, she felt more of a connection to him than she ever had before. The reassuring look on his face caused her to slightly smirk. He made it easy for her to draw strength from his radiating confidence. The look in his eyes made her feel something she had never felt before…a place of belonging. Her small farm would always be her home, but by Rylan’s side was where she was meant to be.
Chapter 25
Rylan stepped into the King’s private chamber where James and Ian were deep in discussion.
“Rylan, we have decided that we will use this situation to our advantage. With Fallon’s uncle Frederick believing that he is the next heir, let us prove the bastard wrong. Once he realizes that the English will no’ support his claim, the neighboring clans will rise against him. It will force him to surrender,” Ian suggested.
“Ye will no’ be using Fallon in any of yer schemes. I will no’ agree to put her in any unnecessary risk.”
“We need her, Rylan. Tis the only way to weed out her uncle. When he learns that she is in our custody…”
“I said, nay. She escaped her family once already. I promised her…”
“Ye promised her? And who are ye to make promises?” Ian asked, his temper rising.
“Ye know how the Sutherlands are. What makes ye think Frederick even cares whether or no’ we have his niece. She is a woman. She cannae become Chieftain of a Highland Clan. We have the same problem wit’ the Sinclairs. Yer wife may be Sovereign over their lands, but as her husband, those lands are yers to rule. Fallon has no place nor a husband. She is no threat to him.”
“She will be once her son’s lineage is exposed. Braeden is the true heir. Dinna think just because I am no’ there that I dinna know what is going on. I know about the lad and his birthright. James and I have been tracking this since ye left.”
“Since I left? Then why was I kept in the dark?”
“There are some things that even I can no’ share wit’ ye. Why do ye look at me that way? Ye have never questioned my authority before.”
“I dinna say anything,” Rylan angrily replied.
“Ye dinna have to. I can hear ye screaming at me wit’ yer silence. Ye have never been a mon to hold his tongue.”
“I have nothing to add to this conversation.”
“Good. Then ye will no’ mind me telling ye that Lady Fallon and her son are currently packing for their journey. They are both being escorted to Edinburgh under the protection of the King until the Sutherland estate has been settled and Braeden is of age and can rightfully claim the land.”
“Ye cannae do that! They will no’ be safe there. Ian, ye
are my Laird, but if ye go through wit’ this, this will be one order I will no’ stand behind. What do ye have against her? What are ye no’ telling me?” Rylan said.
Ian looked to James before addressing Rylan.
“I dinna want to tell ye this because I dinna know how ye would react. This was a long time ago and what is done is done. Eight years ago, before we left for Dun Au Noon, my father was about to achieve a peace treaty with the Sutherlands by uniting our clans. If was agreed by your father that you be the one married to Isaac Sutherland’s daughter, but when she refused and ran away, the treaty was null and voided. We didn’t know about her and Daven until years later when Daven joined the King’s Protectors.”
“So, I was supposed to marry Fallon?”
“Aye. But as I said, that was a long time ago and it is best that the lass be taken to Edinburgh. It has already been arranged. They are to leave wit’ in the hour. Daven has been ordered to escort them.”
“Like bloody hell he is!” Turning on his heel, he glanced to James. “Forgive me, Sire,” he said as he slammed the door behind him.
Making his way down the hall, Rylan walked with purpose. The idea of Fallon leaving for Edinburgh was unsettling. How dare Ian make these decisions without consulting him?
Without properly knocking, Rylan swung open the door to Fallon’s bedchamber. He found her sitting quietly on the bed as one of the handmaidens was braiding her hair.
“Ye are no’ going to Edinburgh Castle with Daven,” he hollered.
The handmaiden quickly stopped what she was doing and scurried out of the room like a frightened mouse.
“It was no’ of my doing. I thought it ‘twas ye who were sending me away,” Fallon replied.
Rylan sat down on the bed next to her, and placed her hand in his.
“I want ye to stay.”
“Why do ye wish me to stay when ye dinna even love me?”
“What makes ye think I dinna love ye?”
“Ye havenae said it.”
“Is it something that needs to be said? Have I no’ shown ye? Ye think love is tokens of affection and sweet words, but it isn’t. If ye want a mon to court ye and buy ye flowers, ye are looking in the wrong place. I am no’ a mon of many words. Ye shouldnae need a mon to give ye affirmations of his love. If he truly cares fer ye, ye would know it. Not by what he gives ye or what he says, but by how he shows it. Have I given ye a reason to make ye think I dinna care?”
“Nay.”
“I can only be who I am. My world does no’ revolve around anyone, and neither should yers. That does no’ mean that I dinna love ye, it means that I respect ye and wish to be respected in return. I will no’ suffocate ye and hold ye to any expectations. All I wish is fer ye to do the same. One can only be happy when they are free. But if the words mean that much to ye then…aye lass, I do love ye.”
Fallon smiled at his words. He didn’t say them in the most romantic of ways, but she knew that it was not easy for him to say them at all. Before he could say another word and ruin the moment, as he had often done in the past, she quickly wrapped her arms around him and pressed her lips against his.
Though it had been only a few weeks since their lives had been intertwined, she was starting to understand the complexity of Rylan’s motivations and sometimes harsh words. He was a man who was filled with passion, but was not given the love and support he needed and deserved. That emptiness hardened him, but he was not lost to it. There was softness to this wolf of hers and she was going to remain ever grateful for each day she had with him.
What Rylan said made things more clear and opened up a side of him she had never seen. Fallon knew that Rylan was not the type of man to show public displays of affection or offer her small tokens as other men had done. Instead, his love was more real to her than anything. He somehow had the ability to see inside of her, see her weakness. His intentions were not to hurt her, but to heal her from past wounds. Wounds others had left open.
The instant pull.
The way her body reacted.
There was no doubt there was a spark between them, but the spark had quickly turned into a slow burn.
Things like that did not just happen for no reason. They happen because their souls were somehow entwined. Rylan would be the strength she needed, and she, the compassion he deserved.
“I have ne’er met anyone like ye before. When ye are around me, I feel like I lose control of my own senses.”
“Tis because I both confuse and excite ye,” he teased.
Brushing her hand to the side, Rylan nuzzled her neck. She sighed as she felt his hot breath on her skin.
Rylan absolutely did confuse her and excite her. It was part of her attraction to him. He was an addiction she could not get enough of, and could not easily let go despite her better judgement. He had ruined her for other men, and there would not be any other man like him in her life. He was her one. She had known it since the day she found him injured leaning against her front door.
Rylan’s declaration of love made her heart glow. It was the first time she truly felt loved, and she wanted nothing but to bask in her happiness. Fallon knew that things were not always going to be easy. Life would always offer challenges and obstacles, but her faith and admiration in Rylan lifted her spirits. They would struggle, but they would have each other.
Rylan caused Fallon’s moods to reach highs and lows like the tide during a hurricane. He was a man who was both hard to understand and hard to read. In the beginning, she tried to conceal her heart, but Rylan made it all too easy to possess. Now, it was she who was left vulnerable and he held all the cards.
Lying her back against the bed, Rylan straddled her, his hands roaming freely down her body and his lips on hers. He knew exactly how to touch her and where.
He had awakened a desire within her that Fallon had long forgotten. It was as if she could clearly see the brilliance of the stars and all the heavens that surrounded them. How could such passion exist? How could one touch astound her in such a way that it took her breath away?
His seductive look caused Fallon’s will to give in, to surrender. He made her feel sexy, a feeling she had never felt before. It made her want to succumb to his every whim, every desire. She wanted him to touch her. Needed him to touch her.
Forcing her mouth open, his tongue invaded hers. Fallon moaned in the back of her throat as Rylan deepened the kiss. His cock hardened as she swayed her hips from side to side underneath him as if they were beckoning for his touch. Sliding his hands down her side, he swept his palm under her thigh, lifting her leg. Slowly, his fingers inched up her skirt until the palm of his hand touched the soft flesh of her inner thigh. Exploring the delicate, most exquisite region of her body, he playfully slid his fingers along the slick petals of her womanhood. Fallon moaned aloud, and pressed her groin against his hand. As Fallon’s hips rocked back and forth, silently begging for his touch, he willing succumbed to her desire, and pushed his fingers deep within her.
As Rylan moved his hand fast and firm, Fallon felt her body unleash.
“I cannae breath,” she whispered, unable to hold on any longer.
“Then I suggest ye stop talking, because I am no’ done wit ye yet,” he pleasantly warned.
He did not stop, nor did she want him to. Pressing her face in his chest, she hugged him tight. Like stone upon stone and brick upon brick, the burning passion within her started to build higher and higher until her walls came crashing down and her core exploded. The release of her climax made her feel as if she could float to the heavens.
Bliss. It was the only word to describe it. In its purest form, Rylan had shown her passion that she had only heard in stories.
Fallon could still taste him on her lips as he trailed kisses down the side of her neck. His hands moved freely, up and down the length of her body, but her clothes remained a barrier from her skin. She wanted to feel his hands on her.
In great haste, Rylan began to quickly unlace the bodice of her dress. Showing no
patience, he tore through it, ripping her dress off until it fell to the floor in strips of fabric. Removing his own clothes, he laid down beside her. His long, dark-colored hair tickled her nose as he trailed kisses down her chin, her neck and settled just above the meaty flesh of her breasts.
Fallon moaned.
Gliding his hand further downward, Fallon’s hips gently moved in rhythm with his touch. Raising her hand, she combed her fingers through his hair. Every inch of her body pushed up against his. Their hands wildly explored each other. In an exchange of kisses, of whispered moans, Fallon’s heart swelled.
With her senses heightened, she felt as if, in that very moment, they were invincible. The war-stricken world beyond the door did not exist and only their love and passion filled the air. All thoughts left her mind but for the present. In this very moment, Fallon felt free.
As Rylan’s kisses moved lower to her navel, his roaming hands followed. With ownership, he showed no hesitation before plunging his fingers deep within her. He was not gentle. Fallon whimpered loudly from the invasion. Like a lightning strike, a shot of energy surged through her until the tingling wave reached to her chest.
As he continued his assault, Fallon held him tighter and buried her face in her pillow. With short, shallow breaths and a racing heart, Fallon was near the peak of her satisfaction building like a volcano ready to erupt.
Rylan positioned himself between her and playfully nipped her inner thighs. Fallon howled from the pain, but as he unclenched his teeth, the pain only intensified her pleasure. It was extraordinary. Almost indescribable.
Rylan sympathetically looked up and withdrew his hand. Crawling back up to the top of the bed, he hovered above her, and nestled himself between her thighs. For a moment, he laid there, motionless, staring down at her. His eyes were as beautiful as a mid-autumn day. Specks of green and gold glistened within them. The intensity of his gaze felt hypnotizing. She could stare into them all day.
“Ye are mine,” he whispered against her ear.
Heart of the Highlands: The Wolf (Protectors of the Crown Book 2) Page 17
