Love Beyond Time (Morna's Legacy Series) (24 page)

But all of that was before Bri. And now, as he held her in his arms, feeling the warmth of her skin so vibrant and alive against him, he knew exactly the power a woman could wield over a man’s soul.

He loved her beyond reason, beyond hope, beyond time.

Her voice in the darkness, rattled him from his thoughts and he pulled her in closely against him, kissing her hair.

“Did they finally arrive? What kept them so long?”

“Aye, lass. Only some bad weather slowed them. All is well.”

It was the only lie he would tell her, but he would allow himself to be selfish, just this night. For Eoin loved the lass too much to watch her die. And after sunrise, although it pained him more than the thought of his own death, he would take the lass down into the spell room one last time. And whether she wanted to or no, she would do the spell and return home.

Chapter 37

MacChristy Castle

Donal MacChristy found himself unable to sit still. He felt an unexplainable sense of unease as he paced back and forth down the halls of his castle. He suspected this was what life felt like for the many ghosts that roamed the halls of the ancient castle, and when he unexpectedly collided with a figure around the corner he thought momentarily that perhaps he’d run into a real one.

He started at the sight of his most trusted housekeeper, Blaire’s old maid and tutor, reeling back from the impact. “What are ye doing awake at this time o’ night, lass? Ye should have been away long before now.”

The elderly woman nodded and extended a plaid cloth in his direction, nearly screaming to accommodate the laird’s bad ear. “Aye, perhaps. I’ve no been sure whether I should show ye something, but I’ve decided tis best that I do.”

Donal took the strip torn from the bottom of a kilt into his hands and turned it over as the sense of unease crept back into his mind. “Where did ye find this?”

“It was in the bedchamber of the lad that came from Conall Castle.”

“Aye?” The colors on the tartan were not the same as the Conall colors.

“Aye, sir. And there is something else as well, sir.”

“Get on with it then. Tell me please.”

“When the lad set out this afternoon, he didn’t ride in the direction of Conall Castle. He rode in the opposite direction. I thought it odd at the time, but when I found this in the room, my suspicions grew. Are these no the colors of Ramsay Kinnaird?”

Donal instantly understood, and his heart nearly stopped for fear of his daughter and allies. “Christ, the bastard’s fooled us! Sound the alarm and gather all the men at once. We must ride for Conall Castle immediately and hope they are no all dead already!”

* * *

Conall Castle

Once Arran was certain Eoin was retired for the evening and Ramsay and his men had set up camp, he quietly snuck away to the dungeon to continue his interrogation of the runaway.

Arran had stood quietly in the castle’s main entrance, listening to Ramsay’s story, and while it was worrisome, there was an untruth laced in Ramsay’s sad words and somber face that Arran could see—even if Eoin was too besotted with his wife to see anything else clearly.

His brother was a good man, better than himself, but at least Arran knew that sometimes a person’s eyes told more truth than their mouth. Eoin was too trusting of the man their father had called friend, but Arran could see the almost pleased expression in Ramsay’s eyes as he told Eoin his tale of woe.

And he was now more certain than ever that the lad he kept in the dungeon knew something about what was going on.

“It seems that yer master has already attacked one of our allies. Why did ye no tell us that he would attack other territories as well?” Arran twisted the leather and wood contraption he’d laced around the runaway’s arm, popping the lad’s shoulder out of socket.

The runaway screamed in agony before choking out a response. “He’s no my master.”

Arran smiled at the small progress. “Nay? Well, that’s a start at the truth. Let me leave ye with something to encourage ye to tell me the rest.” Arran wrapped the leather around the man’s other arm and quickly twisted the wooden handle until a snapping sound caused the man to nearly pass out from pain.

“I’ll visit ye in the morning, and if ye are nay ready to tell the truth, expect to lose some of yer less necessary bits, piece by piece.”

Even if he had to kill the bastard, the truth of what the lad knew would come out tomorrow.

Chapter 38

I did my best to feign sleep, and while I did drift occasionally, Eoin’s tense arms wrapped around me told me everything his reassuring words hadn’t. Something was definitely wrong, and I suspected he was just waiting until daylight to tell me.

Anxious to hear whatever it was he didn’t want to confide in me, I stirred in his arms at first light, trying to make it seem as if I was just waking up.

“Did ye sleep well, lass?” He didn’t release me from his hold, and I was forced to look up at him awkwardly with my head pressed against his chest to respond.

“Better than you, I think. Something’s wrong. Just tell me.”

He stood then, and I was able to see just how dark the circles under his eyes were. Not only had he not gotten any sleep, something was bothering him terribly.

“Aye, lass. I need to take ye somewhere. Put on yer clothes and join me. I’ll wait for ye out in the hall.”

Once he’d gone I leapt out of the bed, throwing clothes on as quickly as I could manage, desperate to put an end to my wondering. I knew men had arrived late into the night; I’d listened to the commotion from the windowsill and watched as they’d set up camp. With reinforcements here, I couldn’t imagine what had Eoin so upset.

He pulled me down the hall quickly as he yanked me into the stairwell leading to the spell room, an imaginary knife slipped into my side. No way was he about to do what I thought. No way was he about to send me home after everything. He was a damned fool if he thought I was going anywhere.

I jerked free from his grasp as he reached to light the candles around the dark room. “What the hell do you think you are doing, Eoin? There’s nothing for us to do down here. We should be upstairs, preparing for the battle.”

I watched as he pulled out Morna’s ring and sat it on top of the open spell book. “There’s no going to be a battle, lass. All that’s left is a slaughter, and I’ll no let ye stay here to die.”

Shock coursed through my system, making it hard for me to understand his words. “What are you talking about? Everyone’s arrived. Odds are they’ll show up here, see your numbers, and there won’t be a fight anyway. I know you’re worried, but don’t be so dramatic.”

He shook his head somberly. “Nay, love. No everyone did arrive. The MacChristys were slaughtered, lass. All. The Kinnairds barely escaped before their own castle was taken. Even with Ramsay’s men, we will be outnumbered. All within the walls of this castle will greet death today, and I canna let ye join us as well. Ye had a life in yer own time. Return to it. Leave, so that I can die knowing that I at least saved ye from my own fate.”

I ran to him them, shock and desperation making me cold as I threw my arms around him, seeking his warmth. “No. I won’t go, Eoin.”

“Ye must, lass. I’m no a controlling man, but I canna give ye a choice. Ye will do the spell.”

Tears broke loose, and I sobbed uncontrollably against him, my fear of losing him pushing away any embarrassment over my behavior. “I can’t . . . I can’t go back to my life before.” Sobs racked through my chest, and my head throbbed as if it might explode. “Not after you! I didn’t know before. I didn’t understand how little I had. I’d never be able to survive there now.”

He pried my arms loose from around his waist so that he could look down at me. He shook me roughly. “Now, listen to me. Doona ye tell me that ye won’t survive. Ye must. Knowing that I’ve kept ye safe is the only thing that will allow me to fight and die with my men and no flee from here like a coward. If ye love me, Bri, ye will go. And ye will live a long and happy life in yer own time.”

I shook my head as I sobbed, wailing uncontrollably, all rationale gone. “This is my time now. Don’t make me do it, Eoin. Please. Don’t send me away. If you loved me, you wouldn’t ask it.”

He slapped me, stunning me enough that my sobs subsided briefly.

“Doona ever say that I doona love ye. Do ye no understand what it takes of me to send ye back?”

“No! Because I would never ask it of you.” He’d released his grip on my arms, and I crushed myself against him once more, holding on less tightly, slowly surrendering. I knew his mind was made up.

“Aye, I expect ye would, love, but I know tis hard for ye to see now.”

“I’m scared, Eoin. I can’t stand the thought of leaving you. I’d rather die here.”

“Nay, lass. I’d be no help to my men if I had to worry about ye. Ye must go now so that we can prepare the best we can. If by some miracle we are spared, I swear to ye, I shall find a way back to ye. Even if I must don awful shreds of clothing like the ones ye love so much and travel into that strange place to get ye.”

I laughed against his chest. “I would love to see that. Eoin.”

“Aye, lass?”

“I need you once more. To feel you in me so that I can hold onto that memory and always know that you were real.” Despite my tears, I could hear how corny I sounded. I didn’t care.

He responded only by lifting my dress and picking me up off the ground so that he could plunge inside of me. We fell to the ground with a desperate passion that had us moving against one another so we both reached release almost instantly. It was over too quickly, but instead of standing he removed my dress so that I lay before him naked. Silently he scattered a trail of warm kisses down my body.

“I am glad I shall die tonight, lass. For I doona think I could live a day without ye by my side. With each kiss I take a piece of ye to keep with me, and when I take my last breath, however it may find me, it shall be yer face that I see when my eyes close the last time.”

“Eoin,” I reached down to place my hand in his hair, coaxing him back up to me so that I could kiss him once more.

“It’s time, love. I canna stay to watch ye do the spell. I’m afraid I would stop ye from doing it. But ye must, just as I must now go to prepare the men. When I leave, change into yer strange clothes and do the spell as quickly as ye can.”

We stood, and he wrapped his arms around me one last time. “I shall always love ye beyond time itself. Even after I’m dead and buried, ye shall feel my love for ye wherever ye may go.”

He released his hold, and by the time I looked up he was gone. Dutifully, I set about to follow his last instructions.

Chapter 39

I should’ve been gone by now. Hours had passed since he’d left me standing naked in the spell room. And while I did break down and cry for the better part of an hour after he’d left, I was now strangely calm and collected.

I’d really had every intention of doing what he asked. I’d changed into my jeans, bra, t-shirt, and tennis shoes. I’d gathered all the materials for the spell and even started burning the herbs. But when I sat down to read the spell out loud, I realized the words just weren’t going to come out of my mouth.

There was no way in hell I was going through with the spell. I didn’t care that Eoin wanted to die knowing I was safe. That would be no comfort to me as I moved miserably through life without him, scrubbing snot off the backs of school chairs. I’d said vows, albeit while I thought I was in a coma. But I meant them now, and I was not going to oblige him. Screw the sense of duty he felt over keeping me safe. Deep down he didn’t really want me gone, even if he was too noble to let himself admit it.

Blowing out the burning herbs, I quickly changed out of my modern clothes and back into the dress I’d put on this morning. I didn’t know what time the battle would begin, but I wanted to be certain I saw Eoin before the men took their positions. If he wanted me to hide with the other women during the fight, fine, but he needed to know I hadn’t completed the spell.

* * *

I was running up the stairs in my rush to get out of the basement and find Eoin when voices from around the corner caused me to slow my pace. Stopping only a few steps away from the noise, I listened to try and make out what they were saying.

After a moment I recognized the first as the always-slurred voice of Ramsay Kinnaird. The second, I could only assume, was the daughter whom had oddly been absent from our sight, during our stay at Kinnaird Castle.

“Unless, ye want me to beat ye half to death, doona ye dare let me find ye talking to someone from Conall Castle again. Do ye understand?”

“I wasna going to tell them anything, father. I was only visiting.”

The mousy voice sounded quiet, frightened, and I immediately felt uncomfortable with the situation. I heard his hand as it made hard contact with the girl’s face, undoubtedly bruising her, and I stepped out from around the corner so that they both could see me.

Ramsay instantly stepped away from the young girl, and I was shocked at how quickly he was able to change his face from one of malice to one of pure sugar. “Ah, Lady Blaire, my daughter only stepped away from the crowd for a moment to have a private conversation. If I’d known ye were down here, we would not have disturbed ye.”

“Yes, I can see that.” I turned to the girl whose face was already red and inflamed, not attempting any semblance of a Scottish accent. “What’s your name? We haven’t met before.”

The girl hesitated, her gaze darting between mine and her father’s. When Ramsay stayed silent, she spoke. “Edana. Pleasure to meet ye.”

I smiled at her. “The pleasure’s mine. Are you alright? Would you like to accompany me on a walk?”

Ramsay reached out and grabbed Edana by the arm. “Aye, she’s fine o’ course. Just worried about the battle is all. And I’m afraid she’s been a bit ill. Best if she does no leave the castle.”

“Thank you, Ramsay, but I didn’t ask you if you’d like to walk. Edana looks old enough to answer for herself.”