“I will.”
“Syrena.” Rohan leaned across Evangeline to kiss his daughter’s cheek. “You’re long overdue for a visit to the Fae realm. My subjects are anxious to meet my grandchildren. We’ll discuss it further when I come to my granddaughters’ christening.”
Aidan cursed under his breath and Rory snorted into his ale.
Rohan arched a brow. “What was that, MacLeod?”
“Nothin’,” Aidan muttered.
“I should be off as well,” Gabriel said after Uscias and Rohan had departed. “Evangeline, you have the gratitude of me and my subjects. Take care of yourself.”
Lachlan followed his friend from the hall. “How goes it with yer wife?”
Gabriel grinned knowingly. “Feeling guilty, are you?”
“Mayhap a wee bit,” Lachlan admitted with a grimace.
“Don’t. I had a love match once. I didn’t expect nor want another.”
“Ye doona think it’s possible, given time, ye—”
“No.” He clapped Lachlan on the shoulder. “But I’m happy you have found it with Evangeline. And rest assured, I’ll be keeping an eye out for Morfessa.”
“Ye doona think Riana will find him?”
“I have my doubts. I didn’t want to mention it in front of Uscias; he feels bad enough. But we need to retrieve the stone before it falls into the wrong hands.”
“Do ye think he’d go to Dimtri?”
“Since Morgana and Erwn are there, I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s where he ends up. And Dimtri is the last person we want to have access to the stone. I have eyes and ears in his court, so we’ll find out soon enough. Hopefully before it’s too late.”
Shayla, Fallyn, and Broderick joined them. “We’ll be taking our leave now,” Broderick said, nudging Fallyn. “Are you not going to tell him?”
She rolled her eyes. “Now is not the time.”
“Time fer what?”
Broderick grinned and wrapped an arm around Fallyn’s shoulders. “Fallyn has agreed to become my betrothed.”
“Ye’re leavin’ the Isles?” Lachlan’s voice cracked.
Fallyn snorted. “Don’t get too excited. I won’t be leaving anytime soon.”
“Where are you going?” Evangeline asked, coming to stand beside him.
“What are ye doin’ up?” He looked down at her. The dusky shadows beneath her eyes and her colorless lips caused his belly to clench. He knew what he had to do, and the sooner he did so, the better.
“I’m going to bed. Syrena and Aileanna fell asleep and they’re snoring.”
He frowned. “Where’s the bairn?”
She looked up at him with a grimace. “He’s ... asleep. I suppose I should have brought him with me.”
Lachlan grinned, tucking her beneath his arm. “Nay. I’ll take care of him.”
She patted his chest and leaned against him. “Good. Now what was that you were saying, Fallyn?”
“Broderick and I have agreed to a trial betrothal.”
Angling his head to look at Fallyn, Broderick frowned. “I don’t recall using the word trial.”
Shayla rolled her eyes and Gabriel waggled his brows. Tiptoeing backward, they both raised a hand in silent farewell and quickly made their escape.
“Aye, ye should just get it over with and marry now,” Lachlan advised.
Evangeline leaned back and arched a brow.
He shrugged. “It worked fer us, didna it?”
She smiled up at him. “Yes, it did.”
“Is someone gettin’ married?” Alasdair asked, coming up behind them.
“Alasdair, no meddlin’,” Fiona said. Aileanna’s aunt came to stand beside Lachlan. She held his sleeping son in her arms. “I thought I’d put the wee one in with Alex and Jamie. There’s an extra cot in the lads’ room. He’ll no’ be able to climb out, so ye doona have to worry aboot him.”
Lachlan suppressed a smile at his wife’s relieved expression. Aye, he thought, it might take some time for Evangeline to adjust to having the bairn around. “Thank ye, Fiona.” He stroked his son’s cheek with the backs of his knuckles before she took him upstairs.
“Go to bed, Evangeline. You’re dead on your feet. I’ll see you when you come home,” Fallyn said, giving her a hug.
“Mayhap ye should go home with Broderick. Spend some ...”
Both women scowled at Lachlan. “All right, good night, then,” he conceded.
With his wife in his arms, Lachlan nudged the door to their chambers open. He frowned at the empty space where their bed had been.
“Ah, Lachlan, where’s our bed?”
“I doona ken.” He flicked his fingers.
“No!” She reached for his hand, then winced at the series of loud thuds coming from down below.
“Lachlan!” Aidan bellowed.
Lachlan grimaced. “I stole the bed out from under them, didna I?”
She nodded, her violet eyes brimming with amusement. She compressed her lips and her shoulders shook. Then unable to contain her mirth any longer, she began to laugh.
Lachlan grinned at the sight of his wife helpless with laughter. “I’m glad ye think ’tis so amusin’.” He laid her on the bed.
“I shall have to give you some lessons before you hurt someone.” She wiped her eyes.
He nudged her over and crawled in beside her, removing his clothing with a flick of his wrist.
“Now that, you do very well.” She smiled. Turning into him, she trailed the tips of her fingers over his chest.
“Aye, I do.” He waved his hand and removed her shift, folding her into his arms.
She released a contented sigh and snuggled into his embrace.
Leaning back, he cupped her chin. “Are ye truly all right, Evie? They didna hurt ye too badly?”
“Don’t worry about me. I’ll heal.”
He gently touched her swollen cheek. “But no’ as quickly without yer magick.”
She pressed her fingers to his lips. “I’m tired and sore, nothing more.”
He knew she was in pain. He could see it in the way she held herself. Hear it in the husky rasp of her voice. As when she’d joined him in the entryway, he knew what he had to do. The only reason she suffered was because of her willingness to sacrifice her magick to save his son. A magick that now pulsated in his veins with an addictive power. Less than a week ago, he’d reveled in that strength, the knowledge no one could have him at his mercy nor taunt him for his lack of magick. It didn’t matter anymore. All that mattered to him was his wife’s well-being.
His sword, his own strength and abilities had served him well in the past and would do so again. It didn’t make a difference to Evangeline that he was a half-blood, and hers was the only opinion he cared about. He decided he had the best of both worlds. His love of the highlands flowed through his veins while his beautiful and magickal wife held his heart.
Certain she would try to stop him if she saw what he did, he held her tight to his chest and conjured a dagger behind her back. The blade glinted in the firelight and he gritted his teeth, fighting off the memories of Lamont coming at him with a burning dagger. Holding the tip of the blade to his wrist, he tightened his grip on the handle to keep his hand from shaking. Sweat beaded on his forehead. He wiped it away, reminding himself why he did what he did. He closed his eyes and drew the cold steel across his flesh.
He shut out the images of Ursula’s torture and rid himself of the dagger. Carefully, he rolled Evangeline to her back.
“What are ...” Catching sight of his wrist, her eyes widened. “No, I won’t, I—”
“Shh. Take your blood, Evie,” he said, holding his arm above her pale lips.
She shook her head, her lips compressed.
“Please, let me do this. I need to do this fer ye.” And he needed to do it for himself. To prove he’d put the past and Glastonbury behind him.
She searched his face, then tentatively touched the tip of her tongue to the wound. “Take it.” At the gentle suction
of her mouth on his wrist, his cock swelled. “More.” He rocked against her, allowing his desire for her to take hold.
His worries had been for naught. His fear the action would drag him down into the dark tortured depths where he’d lived for so long, were wiped away. Their love for one another was too powerful for the nightmares to intrude upon.
She lifted his arm and drew a circle in the air, bandaging his wrist.
He frowned. “Are ye sure ye have taken enough?”
“Yes. Thank you,” she murmured, rubbing her cheek in his palm.
“Nay, I doona think ye did.” He levered himself up on his elbow and flicked his finger at the hearth. When the flame shot to life, he looked down at her, awaiting her explanation.
“I thought we could share.” When he went to object, she framed his face with her hands. “Your love has brought me more happiness than my magick ever did. I know what it cost you to do what you just did, and I love you even more for doing so. I have enough power, Lachlan.” Her lips twitched. “Besides, this way we truly are equal partners.”
His heart overflowing with love for her, he smiled at the teasing light in her eyes. “I would do anythin’ fer ye. I adore ye, Evie MacLeod.”
“So, does that mean you agree to sharing the responsibilities of running the Isles and—”
“Oh, aye, and sharin’ in the care of the bairn.” He laughed at her grimace. “I’m teasin’ ye. Doona worry, we’ll work it out, Evie. But now, instead of talkin’, I thought I’d show ye how much I love ye.”
“Well,” she nudged him onto his back, “since we’re equal partners, perhaps I should show you first.”
Chapter 32
Lewes Castle
May 1608
Syrena nudged Evangeline, who looked up from her conversation with Aileanna. “What ...��� Her voice trailed off. Lachlan walked into the grand hall carrying a cake ablaze with candles. Aileanna had not only brought her healing skills with her when she’d come from the future, but her customs as well. So Evangeline was well acquainted with this particular celebration. Her eyes filled, knowing what her husband did for her. He walked toward the dais where she sat, a small crowd of their family and friends following behind him, singing: “Happy birthday to ye. Happy birthday, dear Evie, happy birthday to ye.”
“Oh.” She waved a hand in front of her heated cheeks. Her throat constricted at the tender smile creasing her husband’s handsome face. Trying to contain her tears, she bit her trembling lip and blinked her eyes. But to no avail—the tears rolled unchecked down her cheeks.
Lachlan came to her side and placed the white iced cake in front of her, directing the others as to where the array of brightly wrapped packages should go.
“’Twas no’ meant to make ye sad, Evie,” he said. Framing her face with his hands, he wiped away her tears with his thumbs.
“I’m not sad ... I’m ... I’m happy,” she choked out on a sob.
His gaze softened. He crouched beside her, taking her hand in his. “I hope ye doona mind sharin’ my day of birth. ’Tis the day we met, and I thought it only fittin’ since my life held little meanin’ or happiness before ye.”
“Thanks,” Aidan commented dryly, grunting when Syrena elbowed him.
Evangeline’s heart overflowed with love for Lachlan, but she was embarrassed by all the attention and didn’t know what to say. She blurted out, “I don’t have a present for you.”
His lips twitched then he curved his big hand around her neck, bringing her ear to his mouth. In erotic detail, he told her exactly what he wished her to gift him with. What he wanted her to do to him and what he in turn would do to her later that night. Under his heated gaze, she fanned herself, squirming in the chair.
“Uncle Lachlan, the candles,” Alex said.
“Aye, the candles.” Lachlan didn’t rise from his crouched position and she had a fairly good idea why. Considering the aroused state his words had left her in, she thought it served him right. “Evie, ye need to make a wish, then blow out the candles,” he instructed her.
Lifting her eyes from the flickering flames, she turned to him and shook her head. “I don’t need to make a wish. I have everything I’ll ever need or want. I have you,” letting her gaze light on those gathered around the table, she added, “and all of you.”
Jamie drowned out the womens’ sniffles with a loud “good.” With Alex’s help, he set about blowing out the candles. Ava and Olivia, who’d crawled onto their mother’s laps, banged on the table demanding their turn.
Out of the corner of her eye, Evangeline saw Lachlan’s son Kamden standing off from the others. She felt a pang of sympathy for the child and waved him over. Evangeline wasn’t surprised when he shook his head. The little boy had yet to warm up to her. She thought perhaps he was jealous she stole the attention of the father he adored. But Lachlan seemed to think it had more to do with her coloring being similar to Ursula’s.
After the cake had been eaten and she’d opened her presents, one for every birthday that had gone uncelebrated, she sat back to enjoy the relative quiet of the hall. The children had gone to play out of doors, supervised by their doting grandfathers and Fiona. Half listening to Aileanna and Syrena’s conversations, she noted the hand signals that Gabriel and Lachlan sent to each other. She snorted at their futile attempt to keep their silent exchange from the women’s notice. Lachlan leaned over and kissed her cheek. “I’m goin’ to join the others fer an ale by the hearth,” he said as the men rose as one, their chairs scraping loudly across the stone floor.
Evangeline fisted her hand in his tunic to hold him in place. “What do you mean to discuss that you don’t wish us to know?”
“Yes, Broderick, do tell,” Fallyn said, then added, “And before you answer, you may wish to consider the word trial.”
“And you,” Evangeline narrowed her gaze on her husband, “may wish to consider the words equal partnership.”
When Syrena and Aileanna opened their mouths to speak, Lachlan released a loud, put-upon sigh. “’Tis but a rumor that has yet to be substantiated.”
Evangeline crossed her arms over her chest. “Tell us.”
“Gabriel received word that Dimtri sent out search parties after Morfessa in hopes of retrieving the blue stone.”
“His attempts will prove as futile as ours,” Evangeline said with a measure of frustration. Not only was it imperative that they be the ones to retrieve the stone, Evangeline wanted to find Morfessa, to hear him admit he’d been wrong about her. The Fae had gone a long way in making amends for their past treatment of her, but she needed a simple acknowledgment, an apology from Morfessa for what he’d perpetrated against her, to let go of the past completely.
“My men seem to think Dimtri has acquired knowledge we do not have,” Gabriel said.
“Where do they believe him to be?” Evangeline asked.
Gabriel held her gaze. “The future.”
“The future? But how ... why?” She looked to Uscias for the answer.
“As to how, the blue stone is reputed to have powers beyond our comprehension. It is not difficult to conceive of the standing stones being used as a portal to another dimension. It has happened before.” From his tight-lipped expression, it appeared Uscias had said more than he intended to. Evangeline was going to question him further, but he continued, “Aileanna is just one example of Fae magick’s ability to cross time. I can only speculate as to why. For all that the act he committed against you was evil, Evangeline, his motivation, though twisted, was not. I believe he seeks a way to make amends.”
Lachlan stood behind her, the comforting weight of his big hands resting on her shoulders. “How does taking the stone to the future accomplish that?” she asked, finding it difficult to hear Uscias’s defense of Morfessa.
Uscias sighed. “I suppose it’s something you should’ve been told. We now believe your mother found a way to the future. If I’m not mistaken, it is why Morfessa would go there.”
Lachlan, kneading the te
nsion from her shoulders, said, “So Morfessa believes if he returns both stones, he will regain my uncle’s esteem?”
“As I said, I can only speculate as to his reasons. But yes, I imagine that is what he hopes.”
“Is ...” Evangeline took a deep breath before continuing, “is my mother alive?”
“No,” Aurora said.
Evangeline looked up, startled to see Aurora standing beside Lachlan. She thought she’d gone out to play with the other children. “How can you know that for certain?”
Aurora’s gaze flicked to Uscias, and he gave an almost imperceptible shake of his head. “I can only tell you what I know to be true.”
Evangeline sought her husband’s gaze. “Do you have a plan?”
“I wouldna call it a plan as such, there’s too much we doona ken. But one thing is certain, someone must go to the future and find him before Dimtri does.”
Everyone spoke at once, arguing who should lead the quest. Lachlan’s fingers tightened on Evangeline’s shoulders when she claimed the right as her own. “Nay, ’twill no’ be ye.”
“It must be Iain who goes.” Stunned into silence by Aurora’s pronouncement, everyone gaped at the little seer.
“Ye canna mean my brother,” Rory said.
Aurora nodded.
Evangeline understood Rory’s disbelief. Iain was the last person she’d choose for the mission. Perhaps, before the loss of his wife and his injuries, she would have considered him. But he was no longer the man he’d once been. The man who’d once thirsted for adventure could not even be cajoled to leave Dunvegan. Bitter and angry, he kept his distance from them all. Evangeline had gone before the Seelie Council to ask that Aurora be allowed to heal him—a talent only the little seer held. Permission had been granted but Iain had refused the offer. Rory thought his brother refused in a misguided attempt to punish himself for his wife’s death.
A part of Evangeline—the part of her that felt guilty for Iain’s suffering—wished he would take up the challenge, afraid if he went on as he did, the Iain she remembered would no longer exist.
Fallyn and her sisters proceeded to tell the three kings how they thought the mission should proceed. Lachlan bit back a frustrated oath and held up his hand. “The Seelie Council convenes on the morrow. We’ll—”
King of the Isles Page 32
