Loki (16 page)

Chapter Seventeen

Loki jerked his head when a small form caught his eye. His wee Bella tore through the outer bailey in a hurry, heading into a grove of trees. Anxious to see her, he walked over to speak to Robbie and his sire, who were in charge of training in the lists today.

His uncle just nodded and pushed him toward the trees. “I saw her. Go see to her, but be discreet about it.”

Loki nodded to both his uncle and his father, then took off toward the small forest. He did not stop until he reached the path that meandered through the trees. There was no sound of footsteps, but then he heard his love sobbing, down the path a ways yet. He followed the sound of her voice until he found her huddled under a pine tree sobbing. Sitting down beside her, he lifted her onto his lap and whispered in her ear, “Bella, sweet Bella, what has you so upset? You are my strong lass.”

Bella wrapped her arms around his neck and sobbed into his shoulder, gut wrenching sobs that pierced his soul.

“Bella, what is it? Are you hurt?”

She shook her head.

“All right then, did someone say something to you?”

She nodded, pulling back to gaze at him with red swollen eyes.

“Bella, it cannot be that bad, can it?”

“That depends.”

“On what?” He waited while her breath hitched thrice more.

“On whether you have allowed another lass into your bed. Nola says the lasses are lining up to visit you in the guards’ chamber.”

He smirked, glad to see the problem was not something life-shattering.

“‘Tis no’ funny, husband.” She shoved against his shoulder. “You would not be smiling if they spoke of me with another.”

He lost his smirk in an instant. “Nay, I would not. My apologies. But lass, I love only you—and you are the only one I want in my bed. Have I not told you this before? Stop your tears. The wench told her lies to irritate you.”

She fell back against his shoulder, her arms wrapping around his waist. “Aye, but she said the Grants would never allow you to marry a kitchen maid.”

Loki caressed her back as she leaned into him. “It would appear they are wrong.”

She moved back again and stared at her lap. “Aye, I know ‘tis not true, but can we not live together? I do not want to be around Nola any longer. At least she will stop her teasing if she knows we are married.”

“We agreed to give it three moons, did we not? I tried talking to your sire once, but he did not wish to listen.”

“He will never accept you. The way he spoke to me in front of my lady…I will never matter to my sire, Loki. ‘Tis not worth the wait.”

Loki didn’t like to see her so defeated. It hurt to be away from her, but he still felt he needed to do this for her. Whether or not her sire was a reasonable man, he knew she wanted him in her life. “Bella, it will be better for us in the long run if I manage to earn his respect. How about if we cut it to two moons?”

Bella pouted, gazing at Loki with her big blue eyes, tears still sneaking onto her cheeks occasionally. “One moon.”

Loki chuckled. “Aye, we need to bargain? Is that what you wish?”

Her chin jutted forward as she squeezed his forearms. “Loki, what does it matter? If he does not give in after one moon, he will never give in. And what if I am carrying our bairn right now? Then everyone will say you were forced to marry me when the truth comes out.”

Loki thought for a moment. “Aye, ‘tis true. I do not wish to cause you any embarrassment, wife. And I do know how ruthless some of our clanmates can be. My aunts and uncles do not understand that, but I know how it feels.” He took a deep breath and sighed. “All right, my Bella, I’ll agree to one moon from today.”

She grinned and kissed him full on his lips with a smack. “My thanks, husband.”

Loki turned his head quickly, becoming aware of yelling back near the keep. “What is that? Can you hear what is happening?” He helped Bella to standing, then took her by the hand and led her closer to the opening in the trees. “Bella? Whose cottage is it that everyone gathers around? Can you tell?”

“Loki, ‘tis my sire’s. Come, we must see what is happening.”

The two ran down the hill toward the cottage, only to find a crowd had gathered outside. Bella’s sire stood at the front of the group, his eyes blazing with fury.

“There they are! And there’s the monster who followed my daughter into the woods. Who knows what he’s done to her? He’s asked for her hand in marriage and I’ve turned him down several times. Now look at what he’s done. He’s ruined her…ruined her for sure.”

Loki was stunned. He didn’t know what to say, so he turned to his wife and whispered, “Bella, Bella, I’m so sorry.”

Bella just stared at the crowd. He could tell from her expression that her spirit was crushed. She turned pink first, but when the entire crowd turned to face them, her cheeks turned to a deep shade of red. Her eyes grew wider the longer the others stared, but Loki didn’t know what to do.

Her father rushed toward them, his finger outstretched toward Loki, spouting vile accusations. “He needs to be sent away. Get him off Grant land! Look what he’s done to my poor Bella. Look at her!”

Loki could take no more. “Stop accusing my wife. She’s done naught wrong and she deserves only respect from you and everyone else.”

A gasp spread through the crowd as others members of the clan continued to gather around them.

“Your wife? You cannot just expect us to believe that. You’re a liar!” Nevin pointed his finger at Loki.

“Nay, Bella and I were married in front of a priest named Father Brian in Ayr. And we had two witnesses, Logan Ramsay and Torrian Ramsay. She’s my wife, and you’ll stop insulting her.” Loki reached for her hand and tugged her over to his side, wrapping his arm around her protectively.

Nevin’s face turned beet red and he spewed curses to the sky, but then he spun around and ran toward his house. “I shall fix this. You’ll not lay false claims…” His foot tangled in a tree root and he sprawled forward. As he made a hard tumble to the ground, his leg hit a rock. Bouncing off it, he rolled onto his back screaming.

“Papa! Saints above, are you all right?” Bella ran to his side, only to be waved away.

“Leave me be, daughter. You’ve caused all of this. You and that lad of a different clan.” His finger pointed at Loki, but then he screamed in pain as he attempted to move his leg.

Someone in the crowd shouted, “Look, his leg is bleeding.” A bump showed through his breeches, about midway between his ankle and his knee, and the cloth was soaked with blood.

“My leg…I think ‘tis broken. I cannot move. Help me, someone, please.” Nevin writhed in pain, moving back and forth in the grass.

“Someone get Lady Caralyn.”

Loki didn’t know what else to do, but he could not just stand by. He moved forward and scooped Nevin up into his arms as if he weighed no more than a feather. “Bella, lead me to his bed.”

Bella ran ahead of him, leading him to the cottage door.

“Put me down, Loki,” the man bellowed. “Tis all your fault. Look at me, just look at me.”

Bella threw the door open and led Loki to her father’s pallet so he could settle him down on it.

The older man squirmed and bellowed, but Bella leaned over and cried, “Shush!”

Her sire stopped instantly and stared at her in surprise.

Bella continued. “I’m sorry you’re hurt, Da, but the only one to blame is you. You spun around and ran too fast. I’m sorry to tell you this way, but ‘tis the truth. Loki and I married near a moon ago. We are husband and wife, and we will live as such, and I’m sorry if you want me out of your life.”

Moments later, the door opened and Caralyn entered with her husband, Robbie, carrying her tools as one of the clan’s healers.

Bella turned around and ran out the door, Loki following.

***

Bella and Loki had moved in together in his parents’ chambers in the tower. They slept in Loki’s room on the upper level. Bella had returned to speak to her sire the day after his injury, and she had helped clean the cottage, but then he asked her to leave. Not having any other recourse, she had asked him to send her a message if he ever desired to see her again.

It was late at night, Celestina had gone over to the great hall to sew by the fire with Maddie, and Loki and Braden were on the floor playing horse with Alison and Catriona. Bella and Brodie watched them, each of them smiling at the antics.

Braden and Loki were down on all fours, and Catriona rode on Braden’s back while Alison rode on Loki’s. The object was for them to race from one end of the chamber to the other. Brodie was in charge of declaring the winner each time.

Loki loved to tease wee Alison, so as they headed back across the chamber, he made the sound of a horse and tossed Alison up in the air a wee bit, as he’d already done many, many times.

Only this time, she grappled for Loki’s tunic and missed, falling off of him with a thud. As soon as she landed, she started to scream and cry.

Bella and Brodie ran over to her, and Loki rested back on his knees in shock. “Alison, are you all right? I did not mean to hurt you.”

Bella took one look at her husband’s face and her heart broke. She could see how upset he was that he’d caused the accident—his goal had been to make Alison laugh, and now she was crying.

Brodie picked the wee lassie up in his arms and settled her on his lap in the chair. She continued to whimper, and from the way she held her body, it was obvious she was in pain.

“Braden, fetch Aunt Caralyn.”

Braden took off at about the same time Celestina flew in through the door. “Heaven above! Alison, what is wrong? I heard you crying from the stairs.”

Alison was crying too hard to answer.

Celestina asked her husband, “What happened? My wee lassie. Oh! Oh!” Celestina kissed her cheek, clearly wishing to grab her and hug her, but afraid to jostle her.

Alison’s finger pointed at Loki.

Brodie said, “Alison, ‘twas an accident. You’d been quite happy playing with Loki. He did naught wrong.”

Concerned for Loki, she turned to look at him in time to see him turn a strange shade of green and race out the door. Bella thought she should go after him, but decided to give him a minute. She wished to see how wee Allison was doing first, hoping she would be able to tell Loki there was naught wrong with her.

Caralyn came in and checked Alison thoroughly, then turned to address Celestina. “I think she may have broken the bone that is at the base of her neck. I thought it was her arm, but it’s not. There really isn’t anything I can do for it either. She’ll just have to be careful for a moon or so.”

Alison whimpered and said, “No more horsie?”

Caralyn smiled and kissed her cheek. “No more horsie for a while. Here, Celestina, why not put this in some broth. ‘Twill help her to sleep.”

“I can move my arm, Aunt Caralyn?” She gingerly wiggled each finger before moving her hand, her wrist, and eventually her arm.

Caralyn showed her where her injury was. “See, I think ‘tis broken right here, and if you touch it there, ‘twill hurt badly.”

“Then what do I do?”

Celestina took her wee daughter from Brodie’s arms and settled her onto her lap.

“Don’t touch it and I think you’ll be fine. Just be careful lifting and pushing things because it might hurt.”

Now that she knew the extent of the injury, Bella hurried off to find Loki. There was no sign of him in the great hall, but she eventually located him on the bench in the garden, his shoulders slumped.

“Loki, she’ll be all right. Aunt Caralyn thinks ‘tis the bone under her neck that is broken. She can move her arm; she just can’t lift much.”

Loki tugged Bella on his lap and set his chin on her shoulder. “I cannot believe I did that. How could I hurt a young lass like that? My parents will never forgive me. Never. They’ll probably want us to move to our own cottage, Bella. Be prepared. Remember you promised never to leave me.”

“You’re being silly,” she said, reaching up to stroke his face. “They’ll not send us away. Your sire said ‘twas an accident. Why are you so undone about it? We all know ‘twas not apurpose.”

“You do not understand how much my mother loves Alison. She’s the babe of the family, and she adores her. She’ll never forgive me.” He stared into space, acting as if he’d lost his best friend.

They sat there together like that for a few moments, Bella stroking Loki’s back, Loki staring off into the distance, and then Brodie came down the walkway and sat on the bench next to his son. “Loki, she’ll be fine. We know ‘twas an accident. Alison can be a wee bit dramatic when she’s hurt, and it earns her Celestina’s undivided attention for a short time, which is her mission in life. Do not let her sobbing concern you. She is not crying at all now.”

“Da, I felt so bad when you picked her up and she screamed. You know I’d never do aught to hurt any of you, aye?”

“Aye, Loki. You were playing with the lassies and they were loving it until she fell. There’ll be no horsie for a while, but other than that, she’ll carry on just fine. Though you can expect to see her on Mama’s lap for most of tomorrow. I know my youngest, and she’ll stay there if she can.”