by Jennae Vale
“Many things have changed since last we met, Brielle. I no longer seek revenge on the MacKenzie clan,” Richard calmly replied. “In fact, I now stand with Maggie in her efforts to put an end to you and to protect the MacKenzie’s.”
“Then ye have made an enemy of me and for that ye will have to pay.” Brielle vanished and almost instantly reappeared a short distance away. “I will teach ye a lesson ye’ll never forget, Sir Richard!”
None of them noticed the fog rolling in from the edge of the woods. Maggie had focused all of her attention on Brielle, aware that she intended to harm Richard in some way. She would prevent it if she possibly could, but to her surprise, Richard inexplicably stepped towards Brielle.
“Richard. Stay where ye are!” Maggie shouted, but he didn’t seem to hear her. Richard began to struggle, and it was apparent to Maggie that he was being drawn towards Brielle against his will. Maggie had to do something, before it was too late. Brielle could apparently read her thoughts, because in the instant that Maggie began an incantation to try and release Richard, Brielle let loose with a volley of flames, which roared directly towards Richard. Maggie quickly gathered her wits about her and without conscious thought, sent a wall of water rushing towards the flames. The water engulfed Richard and extinguished the flames at the same time, creating a mass of steam. Brielle was preoccupied with the backwash of water, giving Maggie enough time to search the area for Richard. He had disappeared.
“Where did he go?” Dylan demanded. He, too, was searching the immediate vicinity for Richard.
“How do I know? I’m new at this.” Maggie was afraid she had inadvertently done something terrible. Had she harmed Richard? Was he dead? Maggie began to panic and as she surveyed the horizon, seeking some clue as to where Richard had gone, she noticed the wall of fog, creeping into the woods and dissipating. “Auntie, can ye hear me?” Maggie called to Edna with her mind.
“Aye, lass. It’s all right, Maggie. Don’t worry about Richard, I’ve taken care of him. He’s safe.”
Relief swept over Maggie, followed by a wave of anger directed at Brielle. The evil harridan had really meant to kill Richard! She needed to act fast, before Brielle could turn her attention to Dylan and hurt him. “Destroy the amulet,” Edna’s voice floated in the air to her ears.
“No!” Brielle shrieked, trying to get away from the water that now swirled around her legs. “No!”
Maggie looked over at Dylan who smiled warmly and said, “I love you, Maggie MacKinnon. You can do this. I know you can.”
Maggie dropped the amulet to the ground and stomped on it. “It didnae break!” She tried again, anxiety beginning to build in her chest. “Am I doing something wrong?”
“Let me try,” Dylan said.
“Nae. Dinnae ye remember, it burned ye when ye touched it.” Maggie scanned the area around her. What would work? She ran towards the nearest large boulder and frantically searched the ground for a rock she could use to crush the amulet.
Dylan followed at her heels. “Maggie, what about your dirk? It’s charmed. Maybe that will work.”
“Yes, of course! That has to work.” Maggie took out the dirk and set the amulet upon the stone. As soon as she raised the dirk above the amulet – the piece took on the shape and consistency of a human heart and began pulsing erratically. Maggie looked at Dylan and then over towards Brielle, who had managed to pull herself free from the cascades of water and was rushing straight towards them. The urgency of the situation pressed on Maggie and she used her magic to create a massive gust of wind to block Brielle’s progress for a few seconds more.
“I’ll hold her off,” Dylan announced with determination. He took a fighting stance in front of Maggie.
“I’ll kill him, if ye dinnae give me back my amulet!” Brielle raged, as she fought against Maggie’s magick. “Give it to me!”
Maggie ignored her and swiftly lowered the tip of her dirk to the amulet, which now beat at a frantic pace. As Brielle drew closer, Maggie stabbed the beating amulet with the dirk, penetrating it easily. Black liquid oozed from it and dribbled down the sides of the boulder. She looked up from the heart to see Brielle silently screaming and clawing at the air around her as her body was reduced to the same black liquid and bled into the earth, disappearing from sight with only a slight puff of smoke marking the spot where she’d stood. The amulet had disappeared now too, not a trace remaining behind. Dylan and Maggie stood staring at one another in stunned disbelief at what had just happened.
“She’s gone!” Maggie said. “We did it! She’s gone!”
* * *
DYLAN CAUGHT Maggie in his arms as she suddenly slumped to the ground. She had gone deathly pale and weak. The stress of her showdown with Brielle must have sapped Maggie of every last ounce of her strength, so he lifted her into his arms and carried her back to the cottage. She would need to rest, in order to regain her strength. Thank goodness she would now be able to do so, because the threat posed by Brielle was finally gone. He lay her carefully on the bed and covered her with a fur, noting that it was strangely peaceful inside the cottage after the battle they’d fought outside. The fire was dying out, so Dylan went to work building it back up again so that Maggie would be warm. Sitting quietly, staring into the flames, Dylan couldn’t believe the things he’d witnessed since coming to Scotland with Jenna, but today had been the most unbelievable of all. His mighty little Maggie had singlehandedly defeated a very evil witch. The thought of it put a smile on his face and glancing back to the bed, a surge of warmth and pride ran through him. Rising to his feet, Dylan made his way to the bed and lay down next to Maggie, who immediately burrowed closer to him in her sleep. He held her like that until he too, fell asleep dreaming of the future they would share together.
CHAPTER 19
The first thing Maggie thought of upon waking was that Dylan had told her he loved her. Beaming with joy, she shook him awake. “Dylan, you told me you loved me. Do you really?” she asked.
Dylan rubbed the sleep from his eyes and opened them to look fully into hers. “Maggie. You’re awake. Are you okay?”
“Yes. I feel amazing. Answer my question, please.” Maggie waited expectantly for his reply. For his part, Dylan seemed confused. Maybe he hadn’t heard her question. “You said you loved me. Did you mean it?”
A broad smile lit up Dylan’s face. “Yes, I do mean it. I love you! I’ll say it as many times as you want to hear it. I love you!”
“I love you, too! We’re in love! It happened! I didn’t think it was possible.” Maggie was chattering on and on excitedly.
When she stopped babbling, she noticed Dylan had a strange expression on his face. “Why wouldn’t it be possible, Maggie?”
“I thought you had to fall in love with someone in the sixteenth century. I didn’t think it was possible for me to find love in our own time.”
Dylan laughed. “We are in the sixteenth century, Maggie,” he teased. “But I think I loved you from the minute I first saw you. I knew there was something special between us and I knew I was going to come back for you, but you beat me to it, by coming here.”
Maggie dove on top of him, showering him with kisses. “I’m so happy! I can’t wait to tell Uncle Angus and Auntie Edna.”
“There’ll be time enough for that, but right now, there’s something a bit more pressing we need to take care of.” Dylan waggled his eyebrows suggestively and propped himself up on his elbows, leaning in to kiss Maggie. One of his hands came up and cupped her head and the next thing she knew, Maggie found herself molded to Dylan’s body. Not that she minded, it was right where she wanted to be.
Dylan covered her with kisses as he removed her clothing, sending goosebumps erupting across her skin. Turning the tables on him, Maggie explored every part of Dylan’s body as she undressed him. All the handsome men she’d seen in the movies and in magazines had nothing on Dylan Sinclair. He was perfectly perfect in her eyes, and as she stroked her hands softly across his chest and belly, she took note o
f what he seemed to like, what caused him to moan, or to catch his breath, or to tighten his muscles in anticipation. She was swiftly learning. Her lack of experience was surely made up for by her sheer eagerness to please him. Dylan lay back on the bed and let her explore, seeming to get as much pleasure from her discoveries as she did, which made Maggie bolder with her touches and more forceful with her kisses. Did she dare take him into her mouth? How could she not? She wanted to, more than anything, but was unsure of her abilities. She tentatively kissed the hard length that presented itself to her and smiled when it jumped with her touch. That gave her the courage to put her mouth more fully on him and the moan of ecstasy that escaped Dylan’s lips brought a smile to her lips and the knowledge that she was doing exactly as she should. She continued until Dylan pulled her up so he could kiss her lips. Breaking the kiss, she asked, “Was that okay?”
“It was more than okay. Now it’s your turn.” Dylan flipped her onto her back and began to lick and kiss his way down her body. Maggie tangled her fingers in his hair and raised her hips, letting him know she was eager for his attentions. She found herself writhing with pleasure as Dylan touched her core with his tongue and lips. Her brain focused on one thing only – the amazing things Dylan was doing to her. “Dylan, please, dinnae stop,” she moaned. Fortunately, he didn’t seem to have any intentions of stopping and she was glad of that fact. As the sensations she was experiencing began to peak, she moved in rhythm with his tongue, climbing and climbing towards her climax, until she reached the very top and her body was flooded with wave after wave of incredible spasms. Dylan immediately slid up her body, thrusting his rock hard shaft into her warm, womanly folds. She cried out at the feel of him inside of her, still sensitive from her own release. Dylan pumped into her, slowly at first and then his rhythm grew hard and fast. Maggie held onto him for dear life as she found a rhythm to match his. Dylan held tightly to her right breast with one hand, while the other kept her hands over her head. He nuzzled her neck, kissed her ear, and breathed her name in a quiet rhythm of pleasure. The rapturous feelings spread again and Maggie fell over the precipice for a second time as Dylan cried out her name and drove himself deeper inside of her, holding the position, a sheen of sweat covering his body. He rested atop her.
“Are you okay?” he asked. “Are those tears I see?”
“Good tears,” Maggie reassured him. “Happy tears.”
“Are you sure? I didn’t hurt you, did I?”
“Verra sure. I’ve never felt such wonderful— I don’t know what to call it, but it was verra, verra good.” Maggie further reassured him by kissing him gently on the lips. Dylan moved off to lay by her side and she immediately tucked herself under his arm, resting her head on his chest. She could hear his heart beating and decided she’d never heard a more glorious sound.
* * *
THEY WAITED an extra day at the cottage, in hopes that Richard would return. It wasn’t until Maggie was able to communicate with Edna again that she found he was not coming back. Edna had transported him safely to some point in the future and, as was usually the case when Edna was up to something, she kept the exact details to herself. No amount of questioning or prodding from Maggie was going to get the information out of Edna, so Maggie gave up trying. It was time for them to head back to Breaghacraig with the good news about Brielle. Maggie didn’t want to delay any longer, knowing that Robert would be anxious to send word that it was safe for everyone to return. They’d take Arion back with them. The poor guy missed Richard terribly, pawing at the ground and whinnying for him throughout the day. In truth, Maggie appreciated the brief time she’d been able to share alone with Dylan, before returning to Breaghacraig.
“Dylan,” Maggie said on their final morning at the cottage, “this has been the scariest and the most wonderful few days of my life.” She kissed his nose and ran her fingers lovingly through his hair.
Dylan looked deeply into her eyes. “I can’t think of anyplace I’d rather be than here with you right in this moment. This is a new experience for me. One I didn’t know I wanted, until now.” He glanced around the cottage one last time. “We’ll have to come back here sometime. Maybe when the people who live here are back,” he suggested. “I’ve grown quite fond of this little place.”
“I’d like that,” Maggie said. She mounted her horse and sat staring back at their temporary home. “Goodbye, little cottage. I won’t forget you.”
They turned their horses and headed for Breaghacraig. Dylan ponied Arion alongside his own horse and Maggie followed him as they entered the tree-lined path heading north. Their journey would be over in a few short hours and while Maggie was sad to leave the little cottage behind, she was anxious to begin the next chapter of her life, with Dylan.
Later that day, they were approaching the castle, when riders came rushing out to greet them.
“Maggie, Dylan, yer back! Did ye encounter Brielle?” Cormac was accompanied by Cailin and greeted them urgently, worry in their eyes.
“We did,” Maggie said. “The good news is that she willnae be bothering anyone ever again.”
“She’s gone for good then?” Cailin asked.
“Maggie destroyed her. Brielle won’t bother the MacKenzie’s again,” Dylan reassured the two brothers.
Cormac turned to Cailin. “Go on ahead and advise Robert that we can send riders out, we can bring the women and children back home safely now.”
Cailin inclined his head in agreement and turned his horse, racing back towards the castle gates.
“How’s Uncle Angus,” Maggie asked anxiously.
“He’s fine. We’ve practically had to tie him down since shortly after ye left. We had all we could do to keep him from following ye. We left him to Mary’s care. She has chased him back to bed, every time he tries to get up. He’ll be verra happy and relieved to have ye back.” Cormac said.
“I cannae wait to see him,” Maggie said wistfully.
“Neither of ye look worse for wear after your encounter with Brielle,” Cormac commented, eyeing them up and down as they turned and travelled towards the castle. “And ye seem to have found yerself another horse.”
“The horse belongs to Sir Richard,” Dylan explained. “We met up with him when we stopped at a cottage for the night.
“You had to deal with the witch and Sir Richard?” Cormac questioned sharply. “Given that ye have his horse, can we assume he’s dead?” Cormac glanced at Dylan and Maggie with a hopeful expression.
“Nae. Not dead, but we have no idea where he is.”
“Well, good riddance to him,” Cormac announced.
Maggie reached out and grabbed Cormac’s sleeve, shaking her head violently. “No, you dinnae understand, Richard was helping us! He had experienced a change of heart regarding his past actions. We spent a few days with him and I truly believe he wanted to make amends with the MacKenzie clan. He seemed genuinely sorry for all the trouble he’d caused over the years. He was coming to Breaghacraig to apologize and beg for the clan’s forgiveness.”
“I find that verra hard to believe. Perhaps he was merely trying to fool ye,” Cormac said skeptically.
“He was in truth, verra sincere. As I said, a changed man,” Maggie looked to Dylan for confirmation.
“I agree with Maggie. I’d never met him before, so I’m not familiar with the man he was, but the Richard I met and spent time with had obviously experienced some sort of transformation. He told us about it and I’m certain he was telling the truth. He stood by our side during the fight with Brielle and it angered her. She really meant to kill him, she was forcing him to come towards her, and she was going to burn him to death with the magical flames she’d created, but Maggie was able to put out the fire.” Dylan shook his head. “It all happened in a split-second, but when it was over, Richard had disappeared.”
Cormac lifted his eyebrows. “It seems too strange to be true, but if ye and Maggie believe he had turned over a new leaf, I’ll have to believe ye.” He smiled softly. “T’
would be verra good indeed, if it is true, for it’ll mean one more thing we dinnae have to worry about in the future.”
They travelled the last few feet and headed through the gates of Breaghacraig. “It’s good to be back,” Dylan said. “I wasn’t sure we’d ever see this place again.”
“What do ye mean, ye werenae sure,” Maggie said indignantly, scowling at him.
“Maggie, you know what I mean. Even though I had every faith in your abilities, there were a few moments when I wasn’t sure what was going to happen, especially after Richard disappeared.” Dylan gave her his best puppy-dog-eyes.
“Well, when ye look at me like that, how can I stay mad at ye?” Maggie smiled, forgiving him instantly. They dismounted and handed their horses off to a couple of the stable lads. “I’d like to see Angus before I do another thing.”
“He’ll be happy to see ye,” Cormac said. “He’s upstairs in yer room, Dylan.”
“Will ye join us, Cormac?” Maggie asked.
“I’ll let ye visit with Angus on yer own. There’s much to do in preparation for the women and children coming back.” Cormac bid them goodbye and headed towards the great hall.
“Shall we?” Dylan asked, leading the way up the stairs.
Maggie followed behind, in a hurry to see Angus again. She had been so worried about him and now she had such good news to share. Their mission had been a success and they could go back home to Edna.
Dylan knocked on the door and Angus called out. “Come in.” He sounded rather grumpy, but the expression on his face when he saw Maggie was that of a very happy man. “Maggie! Dylan! Yer back. All went well, I hope.”
