Behind the Plaid (25 page)

The awkwardness of seeing Trey’s likeness gone, I picked up one of the oranges from the table and peeled it, popping a juicy wedge into my mouth. I walked to the window and leaned against the alcove, eating my orange and studying the landscape. All seemed so peaceful. N
ot like the dangerous terrain I knew it to be. It was deceiving.

Logan’s face flashed before my eyes.
He was the only normal part of this remarkable existence I found myself in. And he was nowhere near ordinary. He was incredible. Took me aloft, but kept me grounded at the same time. I wished I could take him with me when I left, whenever that may be.

The door opened and I turned to Agatha. “My lady, Sir Ewan awaits ye in the great hall.”

“All right.” I ate the last bit of orange and followed Agatha out of my room. She shut the door behind us and then led me down the hallway.

The castle
was ridiculously vast, with so many twists and turns. If I didn’t have her to guide me, I never would have made it to the great hall. I probably should go exploring later. But honestly, I was a little scared of the castle. Even in broad daylight it was dark. And with all the warnings of enemies and such, I was afraid of being jumped in a darkened corridor, however silly. Logan had a dungeon. Filled with prisoners, I was sure. If any were to escape…

A shiver wound its way up my arms to the base of my neck, and I clamped my teeth to keep them from chattering.

“Are ye all right, my lady?” Agatha asked.

“Fine. Thank you.”

Agatha accepted my answer without question and led the rest of the way to the great hall. The sight before me had me gasping with a sudden dread. I actually pressed my hand to my chest and gasped. Ewan stood, strapped from head to toe in weaponry and at least two dozen warriors stood behind him, dressed similarly. All wore white linen, billowy shirts and plaid kilts, similar shades of red and green like Logan’s. The sight was impressive and terrifying. After several moments, I was able to catch my breath and slow my pulse. They weren’t going to attack me. My guess was, these men were meant to protect me.

“Sir Ewan, is all this necessary?” I asked, moving close
r and eyeing all the indifferent expressions behind him. The men stared at the wall above my head.

Unnerving.

“Aye, my lady. The laird would not be happy with less.”

I blinked a few times. My walk with a
couple dozen warriors would most likely not be as peaceful and refreshing as I thought.

“Well, then, let’s go,” I mumbled. I waited for Ewan to pass me, but he stood still. I gave him a questioning glance and he smiled.

“We’ll follow behind ye, my lady. Ye’ll hardly notice we’re there.”

I doubted that and gave him a look that said as much. He only smiled and waited. If that was the way it was going to be…

I turned away from the men and headed toward the wide wooden doors that I’d come through a few days before. The day my life had changed irrevocably. Stepping outside, I paused a moment on the stairs and let the sun coat me in its warmth. I closed my eyes, tilted my head and breathed in the scents of Gealach. Salt water, peat smoke, hay. The air was different in this time than in my own. Unmarred by pollution.

I made my way through the courtyard toward the gates
. I paused, touching the stone and waiting for that painful spark to hit my fingers. Again nothing happened. I stepped under, waiting beneath it. Nothing. And so I passed through, relief filling me. The men behind me were indeed so quiet, I actually checked to see if they were still there, a part of me wondering if they’d disappear into thin air once I left the gate.

But they were behind me. Bored expressions and all. Except Ewan. He
looked serious as he scanned all around them, one hand on the sword at his hip. His stance reminded me how dangerous it was for us to have passed beneath the gate. And it made me wonder how many visitors like myself had found their path to Gealach. Was Ewan one of them? Did he remember being Trey or was it all some sick fantasy I was making up in my head—guilt at not being on that plane finally taking away my rationality?

I was going to go crazy if I kept it up. He wasn’t Trey. I just had to keep repeating that in my mind. All of this…it was just a holding ground. I was only passing through.

I turned away from him and walked over the bridge, my shoes sinking into the lush grasses, short here, but growing in length with the beautiful flowers. Wild, untamed. A true picture of tempestuous splendor. A gentle breeze glided over my skin and rustled my hair, cooling me from the summer sun. The scents were luscious, and I breathed them in deep, glad I’d never been one to have allergies to pollen. The field would be a nightmare for anyone who had. Behind me, clinks of metal faded into the background, and I held out my hands as I walked, letting the tall grass tickle my palms.

I’d seen wildflowers growing like this in abundance along the side of the highway, but never up close. I crouched in the middle of it, the flowers at eye level, and a hummingbird buzzed by, its wings going a million miles a minute. It paused, its little beak poking at a flower. His wings beat so fast I could barely see them, and he looked like he was hovering. I smiled, never having taken the time to appreciate such beauty in nature. Life flew by, and most of the time I was stuck inside my own head, my own fears. But sitting surrounded by flowers and watching that hummingbird, I realized I spent entirely too much time thinking about myself, and I needed to spend more time jus
t enjoying the world around me. Appreciating the life I still had.

The hummingbird flew off toward another flower. I watched him until he disappeared, and then I picked flowers. A fresh bouquet in my room would brighten up the darkness of it. Reds, purples, whites, even grasses, I gathered in a huge bundle. When I had more than one hand could hold and I had to fist them together to keep it within my grasp, I turned back to Ewan.

“We can go.”

He nodded and waited for me to lead the way back toward the gate. But I was stopped by a thunderous noise. It shook the earth and sent fear skittering up and down my spine. I dropped all of the flowers, hands out to the side. No one else
appeared at all bothered by the noise. Was it possible it was the time warp? Was I the only one who could feel and hear it?

Seconds later, Logan came pounding into view atop a magnificent horse, several dozen men behind him. He pulled up short on the reins and glared down at me like I was his worst enemy.

“What are ye doing outside the gate?” he asked.

“I was…” I glanced down at the spilled flowers, bent to gather them. “Picking flowers, my laird.”

“Ye are never to leave the gate.” His voice was harsh and sent chills over my skin.

He’d never been so harsh to me before, and instant images of Steven passed through my mind. Luring me in with kindness only to prove he was
brutal. I suppose I should have known. The harsh realities of this world would not allow him to be so gentle-hearted. I glanced up, knowing my pain and disappointment showed on my face.

Logan frowned, and his eyes pleaded with me for something. Forgiveness? I looked away. I had no intention of playing mind games.

“Lass, come here.” His tone hadn’t lost its edge, and demanded compliance.

If there was one thing I’d learned since meeting Logan, it was that he was a control freak. Had to be the one governing every moment. Didn’t like when things happened
that he wasn’t expecting.

I wished I could pretend to ignore him, but given we were surrounded by sixty warriors, I chose not to make a scene.
Perhaps in private, I could help him to overcome his need to dominate. I approached Logan’s black beast of a horse with caution. The thing was at least a foot taller than me, and towering above the animal was Logan himself.

His dark hair was wild from his ride, giving him a
rough, sexy look that made my insides quiver. Even his scowl excited me. His lips were still full, kissable, even in a frown. I wanted to climb atop his horse and kiss his ire away, but managed to keep myself on the ground. I did, however, send him a gaze that said as much. Logan’s eyes widened slightly, pupils dilating with desire, jaw clenched—the only visceral response I noted.

“Aye, my laird?” I kept my voice deliberately low. We might be surrounded by sixty men, but there was no need for all one-hundred twenty ears to hear what we discussed.

Logan took the hint and leaned over his horse so that he was closer to me. The natural scent of the horse and leather invaded my senses. “I asked ye to stay within the gates. ’Tis dangerous out here.”

“I’m aware of your instructions, but it was so beautiful, I couldn’t resist. Ewan thought you’d be mad, but I in
sisted.” I bit my lip. “I have guards, is it so bad?”

He nodded. “’Tis not safe, no matter how many ye have with ye. But I can understand being drawn to something beautiful. Something irresistible.” His gaze traveled over me as th
ough he were stripping me bare.

My body reacted immediately, obeying his silent demands. My nipples were hard and aching, thighs squeezed tightly closed to keep them from trembling, and my sex… God
, it quivered and was as slick as Loch Ness.

I couldn’t be t
he only one reacting. For sure his eyes showed he wanted me, but I wanted him to feel it just as keenly as I did. I reached out, tentatively, and placed my hand on his shin. Anything higher would have been unseemly. His muscles flexed beneath my touch. I didn’t linger, though I wanted to. To do so would be to break the pact we’d made to keep our arrangement secret.

“Ye’ll have to be punished, lass, for disobeying me.” He spoke loudly, harshly, yet his eyes were tender.

I didn’t know whether to be afraid for my life, or to run back to my room and eagerly wait for whatever punishment he deemed fit to dole out. A few appreciative grunts came from the men. I wondered if Ewan was one of them, but I refused to look at anyone but Logan.

“Ye put my men in danger. Ye made them disobey my instructions.”

“Please,” I said with a shake of my head. “Please don’t punish them. It was my idea. I forced their hands.”

Logan frowned, and raised a brow, but said nothing.

“Go back to your chamber. Know that as a guest in my home, ye will be expected to follow my edicts from now on.”

I swallowed back tears. I was humiliated. Nodding, I turned, head down and rushed back under the gate, through the door of the castle, up the stairs and to my chamber. Magically in my state, I was able to find my way without getting lost.

I rushed to the bed and threw myself down. Frustrated. Angry. Embarrassed. Hotter than hell. His domineering turned me on faster than his kiss, and that fact disturbed me.

The door to my chamber slammed open and I sat up with a start. Logan took up the expanse of the doorway. He cr
ooked a finger and I leapt to do his bidding. He shut the door with force and stalked toward me, meeting me halfway.

“Your punishment is about to commence.”

My breath caught and I gazed into his bottomless eyes. Consumed by him. He gripped the back of my neck and hauled me forward, his lips crashing on mine in a cruel, sensual kiss. I immediately opened. Wanting him. Wanting this. Taking it.

Logan gripped my rear hard with both hands and lifted me into the air. I wrapped my legs around his waist. His mouth didn’t leave mine as he devoured me. Would he finally make love to me? Was that to be my punishment?

He tossed me onto the bed and crawled up the length of my body as I tried to catch my bearings. I couldn’t think straight. My mind was jumbled and interlaced with the overwhelming sensations and expectations he wrought on me.

“Wh-what is my punishment?” He couldn’t rape me. I wanted him. Between my thighs was so wet, it dribbled into the crack of my ass.

“Ye will pleasure me, and me alone.”

Chapter Nineteen

Logan

M
y plan to treat Emma with kindness blew out like a tiny fire in a storm when I saw her standing in the middle of the field. Fear drove a pike straight through my chest. What the hell was she doing outside the castle walls? Was she leaving me?

Those fears should have been alleviated by seeing my men with her. Ewan was my most trusted guard. But rationality evaporated and all I could think of was getting to her. Taking her back inside and ravishing her. Forcing her to stay with me, even though I really wanted her to
want
to be with me.