Ian (17 page)

“O’ course, me wee one, please do.” Then he heard Kyla giggling in delight.

“What?” Ian said aloud, not able to believe
the man had called her a wee one and she hadn’t punched him in the nose. Or the fact that it was her idea to sit on his lap.

This wasn’t like Kyla at all.
Any time Ian said she was young or a wee sister, she seemed to go off on a tangent about how much she hated it. He turned, not expecting to see her actually sitting on the bastard’s lap, but there she was with a smile on her face, and Tearlach’s eyes were down her cleavage.

“Kyla, what the hell are ye doin’?” growled Ian.

“It’s Lady Kyla, or did ye ferget?” she asked, then ran a hand through Tearlach’s hair and giggled again.

“I want ye in me bed,” said Tearlach, and Ian wanted to jump up and slit the man’s throat.

“All right,” he heard Kyla saying, and if that wasn’t shocking enough, he then saw her reach down and touch his groin. “But are ye hard enough fer me?”

“What the hell?” Ian jumped up and when he did, the cup she was drinking from spilled across the table and onto the floor
, some splashing up onto Tearlach’s leine as well. Ian’s hound put its paws on the table and lapped up the spilled liquid quickly, then proceeded to do the same on the floor.

“Ian, are ye goin’ somewhere?” she asked innocently, looking up to him with wide eyes. Much too wide, now that he realized it. The blacks of her eyes
were almost as wide as the brown part.

“Kyla, get off his lap. Ye dinna ken what ye’er doin’.”

“O’ course I do. I’m gettin’ him hard and ready fer couplin’. Let me check te see if he’s ready.” She reached her hand down to his groin again, and then a scowl crossed her face. “There’s nothin’ there milord. I thought ye said ye wanted me.”

“Enough fer now,” said Tearlach, sliding her off his lap and getting to his feet. Just as he stood up, Ian’s hound jumped up, almost knocking the man over and humping his leg. Kyla looked at the dog and burst out laughing.
Tearlach pushed the hound away.

“Well, at least he
’s no’ growlin’ at ye,” said Kyla.

Ian knew
his hound hated Tearlach, and now he knew exactly what was going on. He picked up the cup Kyla had been drinking from and sniffed its contents. There was a little left in the cup and he tasted it as well.

He knew instantly what it was by t
he flavor. It was the same herbal concoction that Daghda had given him the night they quickly decided to marry and had spent the next two nights in bed drinking wine. It was a love potion. That’s why she as well as his hound was acting so strangely.

“Ye bastard, ye gave her a love potion,” he shouted.

“Keep in down, MacKeefe.” Tearlach straightened out his plaid. “I do it fer all me wives.”

“All yer wives? Do tell me I heard ye wrong,” said Ian.

“Wives? Did I say thet? I meant mistresses.”

“Mistresses? Thet’s no better.
And since when did ye turn te witchery? I thought ye said witches were no guid and needed te be killed.”

“
Well, since comin’ back te life, I may have had a wee change o’ heart,” said Tearlach.

“
Thet’s odd becooz I didna think ye had a heart. No one who burns an innocent lassie and her unborn bairn has a heart nor a conscience.”

“Well, mayhap I was too fast te judge her after all, MacKeefe, since this is her recipe fer her potion thet I found.
Perhaps there’s nothin’ wrong with usin’ a wee bit o’ love potion.”

“No’ as long as it benefits ye, anyway.” Ian couldn’t stand the way Tearlach had changed his mind once he discovered it coul
d help him get what he wanted. It was just like the man to condemn something one moment then decide it was all right when he found he could use it to his advantage.

“Come on, let’s dance,” s
aid Kyla, hanging on the man before Ian had a chance to answer.

“All in guid time,” said Tearlach, giving her a peck on the head. “First I need to have a wee talk with the man standing behind ye.”

Kyla turned around and looked up to Ian. She smiled and laughed again. It was almost too much for Ian to tolerate.

“All right, but jest a wee one,” she said. “And I’ll be waitin’ fer ye.”

The hound tried to hump his leg again, and Ian reached out and pulled it away. “Stay here with Kyla,” Ian told the hound and left the dais with Tearlach.

Ian followed, thinking that as soon as they got to the solar and were alone, he was going to kill the ma
n. He couldn’t put up with any more of this. But then Eigg started following them as well, and Ian knew he’d have to be careful.

Tearlach limped into the room and Ian followed. Eigg entered behind them and closed the door.

“What did ye want te talk te me aboot?” asked Ian.

“Have a seat, MacKeefe.” The man motioned with his hand to a chair. Eigg stood guard just inside the door.

“I’d rather stand.”

“All right, then so be it.” Tearlach limped over to a trunk and opened
it and pulled out a fresh leine as he spoke.

“I notice thet ye are a
strong warrior and very healthy as well.”

“What are ye getting’ at, Tearlach? I already told ye I willna lead yer raids.”

“Of course no’. What I meant was thet I wanted ye te join us in case we were attacked. After all, we will be aligned with the MacKeefes now so we are one and the same. Besides, the MacTavishes are a peaceful clan and wouldna raid, we jest defend ourselves thet’s all.”

“Since when?” he asked,
sitting down now, and remembering how many times they raided other clans when he lived with them. Ian had stopped going along after the first couple, as he realized he was being led down the wrong path. And that’s when he’d wanted to leave – but then he’d gotten married and his wife was pregnant and he couldn’t leave.

“Things have c
hanged since ye’ve been here last,” said Tearlach, pulling off his plaid and then his leine and standing there in just his braies. “I am no’ as . . . virile shall I say, as I used te be.”

Ian noticed the man’s back when he turned around. Sure enough, there was
the scar from where he’d stabbed him. And he had the x on his face where Ian had marked him as well. But how could this be the same man? Ian was sure he’d killed him.

“
So how did ye survive a stab through the heart anyway?” Ian asked him.

Tearlach turned and looked at him with a suspicious stare.

“Well, mayhap it was jest like ye said – I dinna have a heart, so it didna matter. Either that, or Murdock was in such a hurry his aim was off. Me own sister, Odara brought me back te health usin’ spells and potions we found in a book thet once belonged te a woman o’ our clan thet was a witch.”

“And did ye kill her too?” asked Ian.
“Just like ye did Daghda?”

“Thet was a verra long time ago.
I canna remember. And why are ye so interested in me so-called deith and how I survived anyway?”

Ian knew he had to be careful not to e
xpose himself as the killer. He would find his answers elsewhere before he alerted the man to his secret.

“No reason. I jest ne’er heard of anyone coming back from the deid, that’s all
. Now what was it ye were tryin’ te ask me?” he growled.

Tearlach finished dressing and looked up to Eigg. “Please leave us,” he said, and Ian could see by the look on the man’s face he didn’t like it in the least. But still, he did as ordered. Ian liked the idea they were alone because now mayhap he’d have a chance to kill him.

“Ian, as ye’ve probably noticed in the great hall although I was wantin’ te couple with the bonnie lassie, me body is no longer . . . willin’.”

“What?” asked Ian,
wondering why he was telling him this.

“When I was almost killed, I
seem te have lost me ability te couple.”

“Blet
hers, why do ye think I care te hear aboot it?” asked Ian, now knowing exactly what the man meant. He was unable to perform his husbandly duties.

“Becooz I want ye te couple with Kyla once we’re married and plant yer seed inside her so I can have an heir.
Ye are a strong warrior and will make guid seed. And I ken ye care aboot her by the way ye reacted te her on me lap in the great hall, and also by the way ye are determined te protect her, so there’s no reason fer ye no’ te do it.”

“God’s eyes, ye
are outta yer mind.” He stood up quickly, furious that the man would even suggest such a thing.

“I canna have bairns, and I willna ruin me alliances
between clans becooz o’ it.”

“Alliances? Ye sound as if ye have more than one lassie ye’re tryin’ te get pregnant.”

When Tearlach paused before he answered, Ian knew it was true. Things were worse here than he’d even thought.

“W
ell, will ye do it, or no’?” asked Tearlach.

“Nay. I willna. Why w
ould ye even think I would help ye after what ye’d done te me? And why would ye think I’d betray me own clan like thet?”

“I t
old ye thet mayhap I made a mistake aboot Daghda. What more do ye want from me? And I ken the darkness inside o’ ye Ian and all the turmoil in yer head. I’ve felt the same thing meself. We are a lot alike. Thet’s why ye should stay here and help me.”

The door banged
open and Eigg, Dunmor and two other guards came in with their swords drawn.

“We heard shoutin’ me laird, are ye all right?” asked Eigg.

“I’m fine,” said the man, then looked back to Ian. “Think aboot acceptin’ me offer, MacKeefe. I can make ye rich and verra happy if ye decide te say yes and stay.”

“I dinna care aboot money and I’ll ne’er be happy stayin’ here. I’ll be leavin’ first thing in the mornin’ and I’ll be takin’ Kyla with me.”

“Ye take her and we’ll attack the MacKeefes afore ye even get back te camp te warn them. And I dinna believe ye’ll leave. Becooz ye ken as well as I thet this is where ye belong.”

“We’ll see aboot thet,” he said, and stormed out of the room.

Chapter 19

Kyla awoke with a start at the sound of wailing. She opened her eyes and noticed the sun rising, as it was now morning. She heard voices outside her door and realized they must have placed guards there for some reason. She suddenly felt sick to her stomach, and then when she tasted the remains of the wine on her lips she remembered she had drank a love potion last night.

“Och, nay,” she said, remembering what a fool she’d been sitting on Tearlach’s lap and even feeling for his erection. What must Ian think of her right now? And why hadn’t she listened to him when
he’d said not to trust Tearlach?

She heard a slight whining now, and looked down to the
foot of her bed to see Kyle lying there. The hound was on its back with his feet in the air and looked like it felt as bad as she did right now.

“I guess they threw ye in here with me becooz Tearlach got t
ired o’ ye humpin’ his leg.”

“The dog rolled over and put its head down between its paws and let out a deep sigh
.

“Aye, me sentiments exactly.”

Then she heard that wailing again on the breeze and got up and went to the window to look out. That’s when she saw Ian making his way quickly to the stables, and he looked as if he were holding a shovel. But she couldn’t exactly tell, because it was a very foggy morning and she could hardly even see the ground.

“What’s he doin’
?” Kyla asked the hound who now had its paws on the sill and was looking out the window as well. She reached over and ran her hand over the dog’s head. She had a feeling that Ian was going to do something that was going to be trouble for both of them in the end. And she knew she had to stop him.

* * *

Ian made his way through the thick fog of the early morning, having sneaked out the window of his room, because Tearlach had placed guards at his door. Obviously the man still trusted him tho, or at least a little, or he would have taken away Ian’s weapons as well. Not to mention there were weapons hanging on the walls. But then again, Tearlach seemed sure Ian was going to join him, and this might just be his way of trying to gain a little trust. Who knew why the man did things?

Ian could have
killed the guards outside his door easily, but that was going to just make it harder to get up to the tower to get Kyla, and he knew he’d have a better chance to sneak her out of here once she came down to the great hall later that day. So he decided before he attempted it, he was going to get a little more information on his own and try to figure out who the hell this man was who claimed to be Tearlach. Because it couldn’t really be the man he killed. But either way, he’d know for sure as soon as he accomplished one last task.

He made his way to the stable
s, and luckily the stableboy was sleeping and didn’t notice him there. He’d just saddled his horse and hoisted himself atop it, holding on to the shovel when he noticed a familiar horse in the next stall. It was the one from the MacGillivray guard that he’d killed. The one that they’d come and collected when he was at the pub. He wondered why it was here.