To Tempt Highland Fate (The Mac Coinnach Brothers) (45 page)
Read To Tempt Highland Fate (The Mac Coinnach Brothers) Online
Authors: Kella McKinnon
He couldn’t stand it anymore, this lying in bed, being an invalid. And it had only been less than a day since he woke, how long would he be stuck here like this? His frustration grew by the minute, making him want to jump out of his own skin. He would never get his strength back this way, he decided.
Hell if I’m going to take this lying down any longer.
Slowly, determinedly, he pushed himself up in the bed with his good arm and swung his legs over the side. His side screamed in protest, the barely healed flesh stretching and throbbing with each movement. His vision swam, and for a few seconds blackness threatened, but after a moment it cleared and he managed to get to his feet. He stood shakily, swaying on his feet, eyeing the door that suddenly seemed so very far away. He eventually reached it with slow, lumbering steps, but had to stop and lean against the thick wooden planks when his vision began to go black again. Damn, he must have lost even more blood than he thought for a wound and fever to affect him so. He was a warrior in the prime of his manhood, and usually recovered quite rapidly from illness or injury. Usually nothing kept him down for long.
When the dizziness passed and his vision cleared, he continued on, determined to go outside for some fresh air, and to see for himself exactly where he was.
He stumbled out the front door, breathless and in pain and as irritable as a wounded bear, and made it as far as a large oak tree, which he begrudgingly leaned against to rest for a moment as a fine sweat beaded his skin. He looked back at the little cottage he had just come from, and with effort, managed to focus on it. The building was small and simple and quite old, though it looked to have new thatch on the roof and new shutters, as if someone had just recently put in the effort to make it habitable. He couldn’t see much beyond the copse of trees that sheltered it, except for the peaks of the hills high above. Near the south side of the cottage was a smaller, roughly built structure that might be a stable. The soft whinny of a horse from somewhere behind it confirmed that it was.
One horse, at least.
He absorbed the information and added it to all of the other details he had taken in.
As he rested and the pain slowly receded until it become bearable again, Drust began to be aware of something else. A subtle hum under his skin, a slight shimmer of power in the air around him. So familiar to him that he almost didn’t notice…
This place is warded.
Holding his breath, he concentrated harder, touching the energy with his mind, feeling for its strength and purpose.
There are wards cloaking this place.
Veiling it to all that didn’t know it was here. And hiding those within. No wonder James and Maura felt they could leave Willa here alone. She was safe here from all except him, and they counted on him being far too weak to do her any harm. But this changed everything. One or all of them must have magic, at least enough to place a ward, which meant they were of a Druid line. And there were only so many families left that still carried that blood…
And hiding from someone… or something. In danger?
Who was Willa really? He toyed briefly with the idea that she was of a rival clan, and that he was indeed a prisoner of sorts… at least until he had his strength back. But the idea didn’t ring true. Not only would she have had to know when and where to find him, but she would also have to know who he was. Could she have found him in the mountains as she claimed, and only then recognized him? Had he ever seen her before? He searched his memory. No, he would have remembered her… she had the kind of exotic beauty that any man would notice and appreciate, even if from afar. Hell, she had even managed to turn
his
head, and he had thought himself immune. A temptress, indeed.
As a Mac Coinnach and brother to the chief, he was often targeted by enemies of the clan… but the lass seemed so… kind. Sincere. And he was usually very good at sensing the intentions of others, whether good or bad. To him, it was as if every person was surrounded with a sort of intangible cloud of energy, and it was either light or dark. He sensed nothing but light around Willa. Could she have fooled him so completely? Could she have placed a spell on him to dull his instincts or mislead him? If so, it certainly did not dull all of them, he thought ruefully. At least not the baser ones. His cock stirred at the thought. He squeezed his eyes shut and dropped his head back against the tree trunk.
Oh, for feck’s sake, what is wrong with you?
Drust was just beginning to wonder where Willa was and if he should look for her when he saw her appear through the trees, a bucket in each hand. She had gone for water, a heavy task she should have had a man to do for her. Again he cursed his wrecked body as he watched her struggle to carry the heavy load.
I would do that for her…
Even with the heavy buckets, she moved with a natural grace and pride that certainly did not remind him of some peasant lass who would be living in a serviceable but slightly dilapidated cottage in the woods. No, she reminded him more of a beautiful woodland nymph, or perhaps one of the Fae… something so precious a man such as he could never hope to have her. He caught his mind wandering and shook his head to clear it. This wasn’t like him at all, to have such fanciful thoughts. He was fine with his solitary warrior status in life. No frills. Few comforts. His brother Eian must have been rubbing off on him without him realizing it. Eian was a born romantic. Drust was not.
Drust saw the moment Willa noticed him still leaning against the tree not far from the dooryard. The serene look on her face turned suddenly stormy, and her mouth fell open a little in outraged astonishment. She closed it again and set down her buckets, marching toward him with her hands on her hips. She looked gorgeous when she was mad, he thought. Fiery and passionate. He wished for a reckless moment that she would unleash some of that passion on
him
. Right now. In any way she saw fit. To have her hands on him… His body responded wholeheartedly to his thoughts, and blood rushed to his groin. He couldn’t believe it, hard as a rock again, when he barely had the strength to walk.
I am losing my mind… and now I dinna even ken who it is I am dealing with. She could be a sorceress or a witch or…
She stopped directly in front of him. “Drust… whoever you are…” she began, because he hadn’t told her his family name, and had no plans to. The last thing he wanted was to end up being ransomed back to Bren. Best to be careful, his brother certainly had enough trouble already. The moment he was healed enough, he would return to Creagmor on his own.
“What in God’s name are you doing out here? Are you trying to kill yourself?” Willa made a sound of exasperation and stabbed a small and graceful finger into his chest as she continued, her blue eyes flashing.
Yes, touch me…
more
, his mind cried before he could stop it. He
craved
her touch. Perhaps he had grown addicted to it in the days she tended him while he slept. In his mind, he could almost feel the pleasure of her hands sliding over his hot skin. If only he could have been awake…
“I worked day and night for nearly a week to keep you alive, and now you just simply stroll out here as if your life means nothing to you?”
He looked down at his chest where she still assaulted him, careful of his wound, and almost smiled. “I wouldna call it strolling, lass. Perhaps hobbling, or maybe barely limping along.”
He doubted she could hurt him even now, and certainly not when he was at full strength. She was so delicate compared to him, it made him feel almost… protective.
He wanted to grab hold of her hand and hold it tight to his chest. Or maybe toss her to the ground and cover her completely with his body…
He let out a slightly shaky breath. Really, he was getting as bad as Eian. “Willa…” he began, “what kinds of healing herbs did ye give me… I mean, do any of them have any, um… other effects?” She looked at him in surprise. “No. The only thing I’ve given you is some willow bark tea, for the pain. And the poultice… but that was just yarrow, comfrey and plantain.”
Drust bit his lip. He’d had willow bark tea at least hundreds of times. “Ye’re certain ye gave me nothing else?”
“Of course I’m certain. I don’t even
have
any other medicines. We only brought a few basics with us when we left… I mean… no. Only the willow bark. Why?”
He shook his head. “No reason in particular. Ye’re a… good healer.”
“I’m not. Maura is better. She was the one that stitched your wound. I just cleaned you up. Come on, you need to get back into bed, because if you collapse out here, I’ll never be able to drag you back in on my own.” She glanced at the slowly darkening sky. Black clouds were forming over the hills, rolling up higher and beginning to spill down over the valley. “And it’s going to storm.”
She reached for his arm to help him back inside, but he pulled it away roughly.
“I can walk on my own, I dinna need help.”
Willa sighed and nodded and followed after him, rolling her eyes. “Fine then, just go.”
She knew male pride well, and this man certainly had no shortage of it. She walked behind him as he slowly made his way back to the cottage, swaying a little and wincing slightly with every step. Even so, he held his back straight and even managed a proud tilt to his chin. She had never seen him up and moving on his own, and now Willa hung back a little to watch him. Despite his near fatal injury, he moved with power and grace, thick muscle rippling beneath his clothing. Because his own clothes had been ruined, he wore a tunic and breeches borrowed from James, and the fit was just a bit too small. The fabric stretched taught over his warrior’s body, and his dark, silky hair blew over his shoulders in the rising wind. Willa thought he was the most beautiful man she had ever seen. Oh if only he would let her touch him, she would slide her hands over all that hot, smooth muscle. The thought brought an ache to the place between her thighs and she heaved another frustrated sigh. Any hope of
that
would have to wait until he had healed more, anyway.
Drust made it back to the bed and carefully lowered himself down to sit on the edge, his whole body now trembling with the effort, a fine sheen of sweat on his brow. Willa came into the room behind him and made a show of crossing her arms and heaving yet another sigh. Despite everything, she understood his need to go outside for a while. If she were the one stuck in bed, she would be absolutely stir-crazy by now. And yes, she most likely would have done the exact same thing. No, she definitely would have. The corners of her mouth lifted as she watched him expertly hide his pain. Only the paleness of his skin and the tight set of his jaw gave away the agony he must be in.
She flipped her hand toward him. “Lie back so that I can look at your wound and see if you’ve damaged my stitching.”
He scowled at her. “I’m fine. I just need to rest for a minute.”
She scowled back. “Don’t be so stubborn, it won’t kill you to have me look at it. If you’ve torn it open before it’s had time to heal your fever could come back, and you certainly can’t afford to lose any more blood. If you want to leave here you need to get well.”