Forbidden Highlander

Chapter Nineteen

Larena enjoyed her time with Cara and Sonya. Both women had welcomed her with friendly smiles and much laughter. Cara had told her how she and Lucan had met, and about their struggles against Deirdre.

She had even watched as Cara coaxed a plant to grow. Larena knew of the powers of the Druids thanks to Robena, but she had never known the Druids could make plants grow. It was fascinating, and the more Larena was around the Druids, the more she realized how important they were to the Warriors — and to mankind.

Sonya, it seemed, was very powerful for a Druid. She wouldn’t tell Larena everything she could do, but Larena did learn Sonya’s magic could aid in the healing of wounds.

Yet, when Larena asked whose blood had been used to help her, neither of the women would answer, and Cara had quickly changed the conversation.

Larena had let them. For some reason, they didn’t want her to know whose blood was inside her. It was silly, but she had hoped it was Fallon’s. Maybe it wasn’t, and that’s why the women wouldn’t tell her.

The afternoon had flown by faster than Larena realized. She spotted Ramsey and Hayden in the great hall bent over a piece of parchment, their voices low. She knew they were working on the Scroll, and a part of her itched to aid them. But it was better if she didn’t.

Instead, she went to the kitchen to assist Cara and Sonya with the evening meal. The men hunted and brought in whatever they could, from fish to fowl to boar to venison.

“It’s never enough,” Cara had said with a laugh as she kneaded more dough. “Galen eats as if he has two stomachs.”

“Three stomachs,” Sonya said with a nod. “His belly is never full. We had to begin hiding some of the food because he kept coming in here during the day to eat.”

Larena joined in their mirth. She learned a great deal about each of the Warriors from the women. Logan had a habit of playing tricks on everyone, which helped to keep their spirits from sinking too low. Ramsey was often seen standing alone or walking the perimeter of the castle by himself.

Hayden kept his distance from Cara because of his deep hatred for droughs. Cara’s mother was a drough, and Hayden suspected Cara would turn drough as well.

Lucan had easily stepped into Fallon’s shoes while Fallon had been gone, and he was a calm, steady influence, just as Fallon had said. Galen was the one who seemed to have an answer for everything.

It had been so long since Larena had been around women with whom she could be herself that at first she wasn’t sure how to act with Cara and Sonya. But the two quickly put her at ease with their casual banter, so that Larena allowed herself to be pulled into their small circle.

Then came the evening meal. Larena hadn’t seen Fallon except from a distance the entire afternoon. He worked longer and harder than the rest, and he was the last to come in to supper.

Larena tried to look away from his damp hair, but she wanted to run her fingers through the dark brown locks that had begun to show strands of burnished gold from being in the sun.

Everyone had their own places at the table. Larena didn’t know where to sit, so she hesitated. She was about to join Logan and Hayden at the other table when Galen touched her elbow.

“There is plenty of room for you to sit between me and Cara.”

She looked into his blue eyes, wondering if he had somehow read her mind. One blond brow lifted as he waited for her answer.

Larena glanced at the table to find Fallon watching her. “All right,” she answered.

Galen fell in step beside her as she walked to the table and slid into the seat on Cara’s right. Cara’s smile was bright as she turned to her, and the small squeeze she gave Larena’s hand was filled with genuine warmth.

“I meant to tell you earlier to sit next to me,” Cara said.

Larena waved away her words. “Think nothing of it.”

As they ate each Warrior gave an overview of what he had accomplished that day. Larena was surprised to hear that Fallon, Lucan, and Galen had completed the reconstruction of the third tower and moved on to the fourth.

“It should be finished in a day or two,” Lucan said. “I have a few more tables and chairs to make for the chambers as well.”

Fallon nodded. “Ramsey? How did you and Hayden fare today?”

“As well as can be expected,” Ramsey said after he swallowed a mouthful of food. “The knotwork takes time to create.”

“It looks good,” Hayden said. “Ramsey wasn’t jesting when he said he had drawing skills.”

“Excellent.” Fallon scratched his chin as his brow furrowed. “How long do you suspect it will take to complete?”

Ramsey shrugged. “I didn’t get as much done today as I would have liked, but now that I have the initial knotwork down, it should go faster.” He looked at Hayden. “What do you think?”

“A week,” Hayden said. “Maybe two.”

Fallon sighed. “I was hoping for sooner, but I understand this isn’t an endeavor you put together quickly.”

“Then it has to be weathered,” Lucan said.

Hayden nodded his head, blond hair falling over his shoulder. “I can take care of that. The process will take a day or two. The longer we let it go, the better it will look.”

“Then I leave it in your and Ramsey’s capable hands,” Fallon said. He paused and pushed away his trencher to put his elbows on the table. His gaze passed over Larena and lingered for a moment. “I know I went to Edinburgh to ask the king for the castle and only the castle. However, I doona know how many people will come, or if any more will.”

“More will come,” Logan said. “I know they will.”

“I suspect you may be right, Logan, but there are only a limited number of chambers in the castle. Now, we could begin to share chambers if need be, but I had another thought.”

Lucan chuckled and nodded. “The village.”

“Aye,” Fallon said. “The village. The MacClures haven’t returned, and I doubt they will. Not for years anyway. By then, we may not need the village. Many of the homes were burned or ripped apart in Deirdre’s attack. There are only six left standing, and they aren’t in good shape.”

“I’ll go tomorrow to have a look at them and make a list of what is needed,” Lucan said.

Galen set down his goblet. “Good plan, Fallon. I like your thinking.”

“Aye,” Hayden said. “It’s close enough to the castle to work.”

Ramsey turned to Fallon with his intense gray eyes. “I told you earlier I agree with your decision.”

“As do I,” Logan said.

Fallon then looked to Larena. He hesitated a moment, then shifted his gaze to Cara and Sonya. “What do you two think?”

“I like the idea,” Cara said. “Or we could also build some new cottages closer to the castle.”

Lucan lifted his wife’s hand and kissed it.

Larena felt a spurt of envy for the love they shared. They had been through so much and deserved the happiness they had found. She wondered, though, whether she would ever find such happiness, and if she did, whether her problems with trusting people would allow her to love?

“Sonya?” Fallon’s voice cut into her thoughts.

The red-haired Druid licked her lips and shrugged. “I worry about who will live in the cottages. What if there’s another attack?”

“There will be another attack,” Fallon said. “Never doubt that. It’s just a matter of when.”

“Then who will live in the cottages? Warriors? What if more Druids come? Who stays in the castle and in the cottages?”

Hayden cleared his throat. “I’ll give up my chamber to a Druid. After all, we’re going to need them and they cannot protect themselves as Warriors can.”

“I agree,” Fallon said. “Does any Warrior have a problem with that?”

“Nay,” they answered in unison.

Larena could have watched them all day. Fallon was wonderful to observe. He wanted opinions on his proposals, and he didn’t hesitate to change his mind if it were necessary.

Before she knew it, people were rising from the tables. She helped Sonya and Cara carry the trenchers into the kitchen.

“Impressive, isn’t it?” Cara asked once they were alone.

Sonya chuckled. “The change in Fallon is remarkable, I’ll grant you that. He was raised to be a laird though.”

“Still,” Cara said with a shrug, “I like how he includes everyone. He didn’t have to ask us what we thought, though I wish he had asked Larena.”

Larena shook her head. “Why would he? I’ve only just arrived. I got a tour of the castle today, but I haven’t seen the village or been here during an attack.”

Cara put her hands on her hips, her dark braid falling over her shoulder. “You’re a Warrior. He should have asked.”

“He will once Larena has seen everything,” Sonya said.

“I wouldn’t have had an opinion to give him,” Larena hurried to tell Cara. “He knows that.”

“Probably,” the smaller Druid answered, and began washing while Sonya scraped the plates.

With the three of them helping, it didn’t take long to clean up from the meal. Larena slipped away and hurried to the battlements. She wanted a few moments alone to think over everything that had happened since she had met Fallon. She had never been so confused by a man before, but then again, she had never met a man like Fallon MacLeod.

He filled her mind constantly, and her body burned for his touch. She had gone decades without him, but now, she couldn’t go a few hours without needing him. What was wrong with her?

She looked over the moon-drenched land and the giant rocks that protruded from the ground to the cliffs and the sea below. Beyond the village, Cara had told her there was a forest where she had met Galen.

It was no wonder Fallon had longed to return. The place was majestic, just the sort of wild countryside in which a Highlander like Fallon would find refuge.

She took a deep breath and a whiff of orangewood filled her.

Fallon.

She turned her head and watched as he stepped from the shadows. Her heart raced, her blood heated … and her body hungered. She longed for him to reach out and touch her, to pull her into his arms and offer safety, as he had done in Edinburgh.

Instead, he stopped a few paces from her and gazed at her. “How are you faring?”

“Very well,” she replied. “Everyone has been so kind, especially Cara and Sonya.”

He nodded. “I’m glad to hear it.”

Silence stretched between them. Larena grew agitated, not knowing what to say or what he wanted with her. She knew what she wanted, but she had told herself she couldn’t have him anymore.

If he tried to kiss her, would she pull away? She didn’t think she had the strength to tell him no, and she knew she didn’t want to.

“You fit here,” she said, to break the quiet. “You’re a born leader.”

“My father would be happy to hear you say that. I’m not so sure sometimes.”

She heard the note of sorrow in his voice as he spoke of his father. She leaned her hip against the stones. “Your father would be very proud of you. Never doubt that, Fallon.”

He narrowed his gaze as he studied her. “Why do you say that?”

“Because I see the way Lucan looks at you. There ispride in his gaze, and love. Whatever may have happened before, you’ve become the man you were supposed to be.”

“If that were so, you wouldn’t have nearly died.”

He had spoken so softly she almost didn’t hear his words. The impact of them slammed into her chest. “That wasn’t your fault.”

“I told you I would protect you.” He shifted so that he stood in profile to her, the moon bathing one side of his face.

Larena studied him a moment as she fought the urge to touch him. “I chased after the wyrran, Fallon. There was always the threat that Deirdre would discover who I was. And never forget, I’m a Warrior.”

He turned his head to look at her. “I know what you are, Larena. I have no doubt you can fight, but could you have held your own against two Warriors?”

“I don’t know,” she answered honestly. “It was my first time fighting a Warrior. Before it was always wyrran that crossed my path.”

“Wyrran are different from Warriors.”

“I’ve learned that the hard way,” she murmured, and looked to the sliver of moon that hung in the sky.

He sighed and faced her. “Lucan trained Cara to fight against the wyrran. Maybe we should help you train against Warriors.”

“If I had been able to use my powers’”

“Doona count on your powers,” he interrupted. He took a step toward her and lowered his voice. “What happened should have taught you that lesson. Aye, your power to become invisible is a great boon, but there will be times you cannot use it. Wouldn’t you rather be prepared?”

She knew what he said was true, but it was too difficult to agree with him, to acknowledge that he was right. Yet, what else could she do? “Aye.”

The heat of his gaze made her quiver. She fisted her hands to keep from reaching out to him.

Why not give in to the desire?

Because she feared the influence Fallon could have over her if her feelings for him continued to grow. And she knew they would. If she could only control her emotions as she did her goddess, she wouldn’t worry about falling in love with him.

And if you already are?

She prayed she wasn’t. There wasn’t room in her life for love. Or a future.

Liar.

Larena turned and walked away from Fallon and his prying eyes. He saw too much, and she didn’t want him seeing into her soul. If he did, he might see that she withheld important information from him.

And how she hated not telling him about the Scroll. She wanted to share it with him, to help him and the others create an imitation that would fool Deirdre. Her vow, however, prevented even that.

When she had repeated the words Robena told her, Larena had never dreamed she would be in a position like this. She had found it laughable that the vow had called for her to keep the information from everyone — including a husband if she chose to marry.

She had never thought to marry, much less find a man that made her think of the future. Fate, it seemed, had dealt her a hand she had to live with, whether she liked it or not.

Larena blinked back the tears that filled her eyes. She hated the weakness those tears brought. She was a Warrior. She needed to remember that.

She stopped and leaned against the battlement wall, her fingers digging into the cool stone. She didn’t know whether Fallon had followed her or not, and she hoped he hadn’t. His presence jumbled her mind and put her emotions in chaos.

Fallon wasn’t about to let her go that easily. Larena was his, and it was time she knew it. He lengthened his stride and caught up with her.

His hands itched to jerk her against him so he could feel all her luscious curves and taste the nectar of her mouth. Instead, he placed his hands on either side of hers and pressed against her back.

He breathed in her special scent as his heart thundered in his chest. Her decadent golden locks teased his skin as the wind lifted them from her back. She had left her hair unbound, and he wanted to plunge his fingers in its thick, silky length.

Fallon gave in and placed a kiss on the exposed skin of her neck. It was a quick kiss, but he heard her indrawn breath just the same. A smile pulled at his lips. She might play at being unaffected by his touch, but her body said otherwise.

He was a fool to tempt himself so, but when it came to Larena, he didn’t think straight.

“Do you know how you make me burn?” he whispered near her ear.

A shudder racked her. Then, she turned to face him. Fallon didn’t move his hands from the stones. He knew if he did, he would reach for her, and he wasn’t going to give in. At least not tonight.

His gaze roamed over her face, from her gently arched eyebrows to her chin that lifted when she was being stubborn.

“Maybe it’s your mouth,” he continued, keeping his voice low. “The taste of your kisses is headier than any wine. Or maybe it’s your hands. The feel of them on my body makes my blood boil. Maybe it’s your legs and the way you wrap them around my waist as I thrust inside you. Maybe it’s your body and the way my cock fills you.”

He paused and leaned close to her. He let his mouth hover over the skin of her neck. Her pulse beat wildly and her chest rose and fell hurriedly.

“I thought you felt it, too, this thing that’s between us.” He blew against her skin before he lifted his head. “Was it bringing you here that changed things? If I had known you would become a different person, I would have kept us in Edinburgh.”

Her lips parted and her gaze fell to his mouth. Fallon knew she wanted to kiss him, and God help him, he nearly gave in. But he wanted Larena to hunger for him with the same intensity that scalded him.

He didn’t know what had happened, but she had distanced herself from him. Was it the ring and the Scroll within? Did she fear what he would do with that knowledge?

Anger replaced the desire heating his body. She had trusted him enough to let him bring her here, but he wasn’t worthy of more than that?

Obviously, he was going to have to prove otherwise.

Fallon stepped back and dropped his hands. “Enjoy the evening,” he said and walked away. It was the hardest thing he had ever done, but if he was going to claim Larena as his own, she had to accept the passion between them.

And he was going to see that she did. Even if it killed him.