Highland Blessings (20 page)

“Ye look at the loch as if ye fear the water might form a tidal wave that could reach out and grab ye.”

Akira recognized her husband’s familiar voice as he drew closer. She turned to see granite eyes swirled in a cloud of worry, surveying her. His tanned features grew tight.

“When I woke this morn’ and ye were gone—” He paused as if he wasn’t sure if he wanted to continue, and then shrugged. “I missed ye.” He backed up a step. “I hope I’m not intruding on yer solitude.”

Akira shook her head. “I was only wishing I could swim.” She risked sharing her private thoughts and held her breath to see his reaction to her secret longing.

He nodded. “Aye, I wish ye could swim as well.”

“Teach me.” Her stomach tightened in alarming fear. What could have made her ask him that? The last time she entered a loch with him, she nearly drowned. Images came to mind of Bryce taunting her over the soap. That day she had witnessed a gentle, playful side to her husband’s personality, and she didn’t want him to suppress it. Mayhap if she were to show him that she still trusted him, it would ease his discomfort.

“Teach ye?” Bryce raised an eyebrow as if he didn’t hear her correctly. Her brothers had no patience when it came to teaching her to swim, and somehow she sensed Bryce would be different. “Aye, I don’t wish to drown.” It was her worst fear of all.

“Ye trust me?”

“I’m willing to try.” She lifted her chin and met his gaze, refusing to lie.

“Ye canna have a teacher ye distrust.” He crossed his arms over his chest, waiting.

“’Twill be reason to learn more quickly.”

“That is one way of looking at it.” He chewed on his bottom lip, contemplating the matter.

“Will ye do it?”

“’Twould redeem me from my blunder the last time we were in a loch together. If naught else, mayhap my guilt would be relinquished.” A grin spread across his face as he bent closer. “’Twill give us a reason to spend the morn’ together.” He lowered his voice toward her ear.

Relief washed through her. She returned his contagious smile. “I’m ready when ye are.”

“At least we won’t have to fight the heavy material of a wedding gown this time,” Bryce said, his eyes dropping over her dark green day gown. It hugged her curved frame with a gold belt cord at the waist. The long sleeves widened at her wrists.

Akira slipped the garment over her head and gracefully let it fall to the ground in a heap at her heels. She still wore a white chemise and underskirt that covered her figure. Bryce’s gaze lingered on something that caught his attention behind her. He squinted, his eyes narrowing in concentration.

“Have ye been wearing a MacPhearson plaid?” he asked with hope lighting his expression. Akira hid a smile. She had never worn his plaid before. He bent, retrieving the material from beneath her discarded gown. His eyes grew wide in surprise as he held up both ends, surveying the two plaids sewn together with a critical eye. His black brows knit together in question.

She didn’t know how to decipher his thoughts. She licked her bottom lip in worry. It hadn’t occurred to her that he might be displeased. “I sewed them together this morning—before dawn.” He continued to stare at it with the oddest expression. “It symbolizes our marriage and the children we will one day share.” In that moment he looked at her with longing and something else.

Bryce reached out and pulled her hand to his lips. His smoldering gray eyes held her gaze. “I’m beginning to see that God has graced me with the finest gift ever bestowed to any man.”

Akira tilted her head in confusion. “And that is?”

“Ye.”

Akira self-consciously lifted her fingers and brushed them through her damp and matted hair. Bryce had worked with her in the loch, but it soon became clear that teaching her to swim would require a longer commitment. They had enjoyed their time together and afterwards lay on the bank in the sun to let their clothes dry to damp. Akira felt so relaxed that she fell asleep. Bryce woke her later, fearing her fair skin would burn in the sun.

They walked back to the castle hand in hand, but as they drew closer, a disturbing noise echoed over the castle wall. Unconsciously, Akira squeezed her husband’s hand with worry. It sounded like war had broken out as men screamed and yelled on the other side.

“What is going on?” Akira wondered aloud.

Bryce called to the guard to lower the bridge. At first no one appeared. Bryce called again. Finally, a guard leaned over the gate and stared down at them. Running out of patience, Bryce yelled, “Mon, open the gate!”

The drawbridge slowly lowered, and Bryce and Akira couldn’t believe the sight before them. Her heart beat rapidly as Bryce protectively pulled her through the chaos. Men everywhere were fighting. Akira’s heart nearly sank to her knees. The MacKenzies and the MacPhearsons were brawling.

“How could this happen?” she exclaimed, jumping out of harm’s way as a man went flying by her.

“I don’t know, but stay close to my side. I’ve got to get ye inside the castle where it’s safe.”

Bryce pulled her along as they weaved in and out of the fighting men. One man rammed his head into another, and they headed in Akira’s direction. Bryce grabbed her shoulders and pulled her back just in time.

Bryce groaned as another man stepped back and landed on his foot. He pushed the man away and swiftly bent, lifting Akira in his arms. Dodging this way and that, he ran, carrying her toward the stone steps leading into the castle. Akira wrapped her arms around his neck and held on tight as his jarring movements bounced her against him. He deposited her on the steps and ordered her into the castle.

She hesitated, worried for his safety. Then she noticed that none of them fought with weapons. Where were their weapons? They were fist fighting. Akira stepped down to follow Bryce. He turned and held up a hand, halting her.

“Woman, are ye mad? Ye canna go out there in the middle of a brawl. Ye could get hurt!”

“Bryce, they’re not fighting with weapons.” She pointed over his shoulder behind him. “Mayhap the damage won’t be too much and ’tisn’t too late to stop this madness.”

“Akira, go back inside,” Bryce ordered again.

“We’ve got to do something! I don’t want all of our efforts to be for naught. What about the purpose of our marriage? We’re supposed to be uniting the clans, and they’re at war in my father’s courtyard.”

“Akira, I could tend to that duty if I didn’t have to worry about yer safety as well.” His jaw locked in anger, and his pulse raced through a vein in his muscled neck. “I told ye to get inside where it’s safe. I’ll do my best to stop this nonsense, but I need to know that ye’ll do as I ask.”

He arched a black brow in question, waiting for a reply, while his steely eyes burned deep into hers.

Akira nodded. “Aye, Bryce. I’ll do as ye ask. Just stop them.”

She turned and stomped up the stone steps to the castle entrance. A loud roar nearby caused her to glance over her shoulder as she reached the threshold. A MacKenzie attacked her husband from behind. Akira screamed a warning, but it was too late. Bryce took the brunt of the blow in the back of his head. She started to run to him, but Bryce recovered in time to block the man’s next punch. Remembering her promise, she leaned against the doorframe for support, praying for the strength not to intervene. She watched her husband fight until the man finally fell in defeat.

Her father appeared in the midst of the chaos and led Bryce to the stables. They disappeared, and a few minutes later reappeared upon their stallions. Birk took his sword and handed Bryce a sword. The two of them rode through the brawling men as a united front and called their clan members to halt or face charges of disobedience. One by one, the brawling men ceased their actions.

Akira turned and fled inside as Bryce had ordered. The main floor lay in shambles, littered with small statues and collectibles that had been shattered. Her mother’s drapes were ripped, and she gasped at the sight of a huge pile of swords carelessly discarded on the floor. Akira stepped through the rubble on the marble floor and made her way to the winding staircase to the right.

She went to her chamber and prayed that their efforts had not been in vain, and that peace would prevail. After an hour of pacing and praying, Akira wandered over to her chamber window to gaze out over the courtyard. She recognized her husband’s dark head as he strode over to the well and wound the handle, lowering the bucket for water. When the wooden container reappeared, he reached a long, thick arm out and pulled it to him.

A young woman sauntered toward him. Bryce dipped his hands, splashed water on his face, and then paused to gaze at her approach. Akira wondered who she was and what she wanted. Leaning further out the window, Akira squinted, raising her hands to shield her eyes from the sun’s rays. At such a distance she couldn’t see the woman’s face, but the long blond hair hanging down to her waist gave away her identity: Odara MacKenzie.

Akira knew that her cousin Odara had tried to steal Gregor from her, and she would never know for sure if Odara was the real reason Gregor rejected her. He gave Akira other reasons such as the dream, but she couldn’t help suspecting Odara as a possible culprit. Gregor always melted in Odara’s presence, and Akira learned to recognize the smitten look he wore when the other woman came around.

Fierce anger flared through her. Akira felt her skin heat like the flames of a fire when Odara lifted a corner of her plaid, dipped it into the water, and raised it to Bryce’s face to clean his wounds. Akira slammed her fists on the windowsill, thankful that no one would likely see her spying from so high.

Bryce allowed that woman to touch him? How dare he let her near him! Akira whirled from the open view and strode from the chamber. Outside, she bounded down the stone steps where Bryce had ordered her to safety earlier.

As Akira approached, Odara wiped at the blood staining the skin around Bryce’s left eye, so swollen Akira could not see the gray she knew lurked beneath.

“Odara!” Akira called with more force and contempt than she intended. The other woman’s hand stilled. Bryce jerked. Akira felt temporary satisfaction at startling them both, but their guilty reaction only served to elevate her temperature even higher.

Without a trace of guilt or discomfort, bright blue eyes gazed at Akira, as Odara greeted her with a knowing smile. Familiar scorn lurched in Akira’s chest.

“There will be no further need of yer services,” Akira informed her, not bothering to hide the warning in her tone.

Odara stood as if she were trying to decide whether or not Akira meant it. Her lips curled in an odd smile, and she dropped her hand from Bryce. His bruised face hid any expression he might have worn and any thoughts he might have had.

“Ye always were more of the servant type than I.” Sarcasm laced her cousin’s voice, but Akira didn’t allow it to disarm her thoughts. She was used to Odara’s goading words.

Akira straightened and matched her cousin’s smiling gaze with a determined force of her own. “As his wife, ’tis my pleasure to care for him.”

“I doubt that,” Odara scoffed, stepping away and turning on her heel.

Akira closed her eyes and swallowed, thankful to be rid of her cousin so quickly. When next she opened her lids, she concentrated on her husband. The swelling bruises on his face looked painful. She picked up the wet cloth and touched his tortured skin. He winced.

“Ye took a good beating.” She dabbed at the corner of his lip.

He gave her a lopsided grin as his swollen lip refused to move with the rest of his face. “Are ye just a wee bit jealous?”

Instead of answering, Akira scrubbed at a piece of dried blood on the side of his bruised face.

“Arggh!” Bryce groaned, jerking back and looking at her as if he didn’t trust her to continue.

“Ye don’t know her like I do. Odara is my cousin, and she thrives on irritating me. Ever since we were children, she has been a thorn in my flesh. Why would ye let her touch ye like that?”

“Ye’re jealous,” he teased.

Akira paused and gazed into the one eye that wasn’t swollen. Jealous? She was hurt. A sense of betrayal throbbed deep inside, and she hated how it felt. She clenched her teeth, throwing the cloth back into the bucket. With her hands on her hips, she stood facing him.

“If that’s all ye can say, then I’ve naught to say either.” Akira left him to tend to himself.