IntoEternity (7 page)

“
There once was a boy…
” The words slipped from his
lips before he could call them back and he paused.

“Was he you?” she whispered.

“Aye.”

At his answer she relaxed back into his arms with a sigh. A
half-smile tugged at his lips and he continued his tale.

“He found a wee lass sitting on a large rock just above the
swirling, surging foam of the incoming tide. She swayed from side to side, a
small forlorn figure, lost in her secret misery. Her lovely wee face lifted stoically
in the force of the brisk sea breeze, wet with tears that flow in great
torrents from her eyes as she wept brokenheartedly.

“’What is it, lassie?’ the lad asked. ‘Why are you so sad?’”

Gusty turned to look up at him and Alexander paused in his story
to brush his lips against her forehead.

“His quiet-spoken words startled her from her solemn
reverie. Her movement stilled and a deep sigh escaped her lips as she slowly
turned to look at the boy she had befriended only weeks ago. She quickly swiped
the tears from her cheeks.

“‘How long have you been watching me?’ she asked
indignantly, her voice cracking with emotion. Turning her face away from him,
she scrubbed at her eyes with the hem of her tunic.

“’Long enough to know something has upset you greatly.’”

“‘That just shows how much you know.’ Her voice wobbled in
her denial. ‘Do not fash yourself; I am just a little sad today.’

“He barely caught her words as she turned away. He sighed
heavily as he stared down at the small lass with her hunched shoulders and her
chin drooping to her chest. Without warning, the boy reached for her and lifted
her into his arms and carried her to a rock shelter up the beach. There he sat
down, holding her small shivering body on his lap. He gathered her close to his
chest with his bony arms wrapped around her to keep her warm. Being older by a
good six years and nearly a grown man, he felt it his duty to deal with
whatever foolishness brought his little lassie to this plight.

“’Tell me. What is wrong, lassie?’ he whispered against her
ear. ‘I will do my best to make it right for you.’ At his words, she turned her
sorrowful face to give him a tremulous smile.

“‘We are friends, are we not, laird? And we always will be?’

“’Of course. We have sworn it.’

“Since the boy had first discovered the wee lass at the
seashore, they had become close and she came to depend on him whenever she
needed a friend. He was someone to whom she could tell all her whimsical dreams
and on occasion she dampened his broad shoulder with her despised tears.

“That day she had stolen away from the small cottage hidden
deep within the coastal forest to make her way to the seashore. Usually her
grandparents brought her and her brother down the little-used path to the beach
where they searched for seashells and flotsam the tide washed ashore. Rarely
did she find the opportunity to escape the keen eye of her grandmother. But
that day she rebelled against the isolation. She rebelled against the rule set
up for her protection, forbidden contact beyond her own small family, warned to
hide if anyone happened by. The freedom for even a short while felt wonderful,
or so she thought until the wee lass ran into the stranger. Frightened, she ran
from him. He called out to her but she hid behind an outcropping of rocks and
studied him for some time before he managed to coax her out of her hiding
place.

“They were two innocents who found comfort in each other’s
company. Neither of their families knew of the friendship that came about with
their fortuitous first meeting. The boy knew from the start just how dangerous
such an association could be. Nevertheless, at every chance offered he sneaked
away from his father’s keep to cross the border and meet her at their favorite
place.”

Gusty turned to look up at him and Alexander brushed his
lips against her forehead.

“What happened?” she whispered.

“Well you see,” Alexander continued, “The children had become
fast friends from the first time they discovered each other on the lonely
seashore. They became closer than friends—totally devoted to each other. She had
become to depend on the tall, slender lad. In return the boy became her
protector and the time they spent together helped soothe his bruised heart and
soul. He had a hard home life and his father often behaved in a brutish manner.
Theirs was a rare friendship, which bloomed under extraordinary circumstances.
A true twist of Fate brought them together in that time and place.

“They spent the long summer in each other’s company,
exploring the seashore, swimming upon occasion, laughing at the outrageous
tales they made up.”

Alexander paused for so long Gusty stirred in his arms.

“What happened to them, to…you?”

“Aye. It was a good summer that year. Unfortunately it had
to end. She came that day to say she would not be seeing him anymore. Their
time together was over. Tears filled her eyes as she said the words. ’I am
going away,’ she told him. Her voice trembled as she raised her head, biting
her bottom lip to keep it from quivering.

“His muscles under her small hands tensed and he tightened
his hold on her. Shocked and angry he struggled to control his emotions. He
wanted to cry out in protest. This could not be!”

Gusty pressed her face into his shoulder and Alexander
tightened his grip on her. He continued his story.

“’Where will you go?’ the boy asked her, trying to stay calm
even though he wanted to shout out his denial.

“‘My grandparents say it is no longer safe for us to stay
here,’ she told him.

“’No! You cannot leave me! I will not allow it!’ The boy
shouted.”

At Gusty’s startled expression, Alexander realized just how
passionate he sounded and he flushed. Moderating his tone, he went on.

“The boy needed to know more. ‘Where will they take you, my
little selkie?’ he asked her.

“You see they never learned each other’s names during their
friendship. It was too dangerous, the wee lass had insisted, so they only knew
each other as
selkie
and
laird
.”

The tightness in Alexander’s throat made his voice hoarse
and several moments passed before he could continue with his tale.

“The boy denied she could leave him, they had become a part
of each other. But she told him it must be so. Danger was coming for her and nothing
could be done. Her tears nearly tore his heart to pieces.”

Again Alexander paused to swallow hard.

“He had never felt so helpless. ‘I will not let them take
you from me!’ he declared. ‘You are mine!’ They decided to run away together.

“‘What of your father? He will beat you if he finds us.’

“Even though the lass feared for his safety if he ran away
from his father, the boy would not change his mind. They would go. They would
be together forever. He promised her.

“It pleased him that she cared about him. He puffed out his
chest and boasted, ‘What my father does to me matters not. I will take you
north to my aunt. We will live with her. She will help me take care of you. You
will be safe with us.’ The lad nodded at his decision and took her small hand,
lifted it to his lips and kissed it gallantly.”

Alexander look down to find Gusty smiling up at him.

“’You are mine, little selkie. I don’t care what anyone
says. I will not stand by and let them take you from me. I could not live if I
never saw you again. We are best friends, you and I,’ the boy declared most
gallantly. To which the wee lass replied, ‘I will return one day. I swear it.’
But the boy was afraid. For the first time in his young life he felt real fear.
No matter the trouble he had gotten into with his father, he had never really
been afraid until he was faced with losing her.

“So the wee lass agreed, afraid of losing him also. They
made their plans and then he was so bold as to kiss her on the cheek as they
parted. ‘I will wait for you,’ he whispered and then she disappeared into the
trees.”

“And did he wait for her?” Gusty asked.

“Aye. I have been waiting ever since for you, my selkie, to
return to me.”

“Stop, Augusta.”

Gusty scooted off his lap, a high blush on her cheeks. She
put a hand to her head and moved as far as she could from Alexander before the
strip of cloth binding their wrists stopped her. She glanced around, eyes wide.

“My clothes,” she said. “I left them at the bottom of the
path to the beach.”

“You will not be needing them.”

“How can you say that? I am naked here!” She turned to face
him, her voice rising.

Alexander swept his gaze over the shapely curves of her nude
body. Beneath his tunic he grew hard at the sight of her standing before him so
bold and beautiful. Claiming her as his lost love was a gamble but he wanted to
assure her she had not handfasted with a complete stranger. He was a Highland
laird after all.
Her
laird.

“Alexander? Is it true? That we once knew each other?”

He glanced up at the uncertainty in her voice. She looked
pale but there was a hint of expectation in her eyes as she studied his face.
And something more, something needy. As he perused her, her tongue flicked out
to wet her bottom lip. The gesture drew a low moan and his body jerked with
want. He understood what it was like to want to believe in something. The set
of her shoulders softened and she leaned into him.

“Aye, Augusta. We once knew each other. You were…are my
little selkie. My childhood sweetheart.”

He watched her closely to determine how his words affected
her. She shook her head.

“I find it hard to believe. And yet I want to believe. I
don’t remember. My childhood memories are fuzzy, unclear. We travelled from
town to town, lived in a different house every year or so. Everything just
blended together after a while.”

“I looked for you. I searched the forest and the villages
for miles around. No one remembered seeing you or your grandparents and
brother. It was as if you had disappeared from the face of the Earth. Where did
you go?”

“I am sorry, Alexander,” she whispered so low he barely
caught her words.

Alexander swallowed hard and fought to regain control. But
the sight of his newly handfasted bride took his breath away. He wanted her. He
wanted her now. He regretted she had no notion they would not be leaving the
beach until he had claimed her as a man claims his wife. But he dared not wait.

“You have always been mine, Augusta. I have waited long
enough.”

He had claimed her as his wife before a witness but until he
mated with her, the handfasting would not hold up before his clan or hers. He
didn’t want her father, the Sinclair, coming for her. Aye he knew the great
Highland laird by reputation. The Sinclair would never let his daughter wed a
man he had not chosen for her. Nay, Alexander would not allow the Sinclair to
give Augusta to another man, to another Highland laird for wealth or alliance.
She was his. He had declared it so until their year was up. And then he planned
to keep her regardless. Gusty took a step closer to him. She tripped over a
stone on the beach and only his arms around her waist saved her from falling.
Gusty blushed and raised her hands to cover her exposed breasts. But even as
she tried to hide from him she leaned toward him.

“There is no need to fear the feelings you have for me, Augusta,”
Alexander whispered, sensing her conflicting emotions.

He drew her against him and a startled gasp escaped her lips.
Panic filled her eyes as he cupped her slender neck with one hand and slid the
other around her waist. Her skin felt soft and cool beneath his fingers. He
slowly lowered his head and pressed his lips to the tender flesh below her ear.
She shivered and sighed and he breathed in her essence. He tasted her skin
beneath his tongue. She smelled of soap but beneath the sweet fragrance her
natural scent rose to greet his senses. He buried his face in the wild tumble
of her windblown hair as he drew her even closer.

“I want you,” he breathed against her skin as she trembled
within his embrace. “I swear to be gentle.” His whispered words were hoarse as
his hands moved down her cool skin to cup her bottom.

She gasped frantically as his hungry mouth grazed across her
skin to taste the warm flesh of her cheek.

Gusty melted into him and Alexander claimed what he
considered his by right of victor, by right of seducer, by right of being the
only man who would ever take her as his own. The kiss started as a tentative
exploration of lips, pressing, shifting, tasting… But the pleasure of the
moment turned quickly to a hunger that needed to be sated. A small whimper of
need escaped her throat as their tongues tangled in a dance of erotic pleasure
and she pressed closer. Her hands fluttered against his chest and then moved
higher until her soft arms encircled his shoulders and her long, slender
fingers sank into his hair.

Finding her soft and pliant in his arms undid him. A surge
of lust so powerful it shook him to the core swept all rational thought from
his mind. He wanted nothing more than to bury his throbbing cock fast and hard
in her soft, willing flesh. His mouth moved over hers again and again,
memorizing the sweet taste of her, elated with the way she offered her tender
lips as she moaned deeply. His groans of pleasure matched hers as the kiss grew
more intense. His hand trembled as he cupped her plump breast, weighing it
before placing his lips to the sensuous feast and drawing the pebbled nipple
into his mouth.

A moan escaped her throat as Alexander drew gently, suckling
her nipple, flicking his tongue over one hard nub before moving to the other.
Gusty cried out, her head falling back as she clutched at his shoulders, pulling
him closer. Her response left him hard and aching and he took her to the
ground, needing to bury his cock deep within her soft flesh.

“Say you want me, Augusta. Say it,” he commanded hoarsely,
barely able to utter the words. “Say you want me inside you now.”

“I want you… I want you now.” Her reply was little more than
a sigh as she moved restlessly against him.

God! A man could happily lose himself in the magic of her
provocative eyes and the feel of her soft woman’s body. Gripping her round
bottom, he lifted her against his throbbing cock, spreading her legs so she
could feel all of him pressing against her core. His hips undulated against hers
as his tongue delved into her mouth in the same inviting rhythm. She moved with
him, the scent of their arousal heavy in the air, evoking a groan from him.

“Please don’t stop.” Gusty whispered against his cheek as
she moved in his arms. She grasped his face and angled her mouth, pressing her
soft lips to his. “I do not want to wait. I want you now.”

He gasped at her boldness and knew he could not deny his
need.

“God above! Do you know what you do?” Uncontrollable want
made his voice sound hoarse.

He covered her with his body and she sighed with obvious pleasure
at his caresses. His lips trailed over the tender flesh of her neck and
shoulder to feast on her breast. He took her hardened nipple into his mouth,
drawing a low moan of passion. He moved his attention to her other breast as
she writhed beneath him. Never had a woman responded so honestly to his
lovemaking. The need to thrust into her soft, wet channel was almost more than
he could control but he wanted to ensure her pleasure before he took his.

He ran his hand over her belly and lower, and Gusty gasped.
She whimpered and moved her legs, opening to his caresses. He cupped her and
she arched into his touch.

Alexander found her swollen flesh wet and ready. He moved
his fingers over the hard, sensitive bud hidden there and stroked her until she
shifted restlessly under him, whimpering in her need. His mouth captured hers
in a long, demanding kiss, and he thrust his tongue in and out as his fingers
plunged deep.

Gusty moaned. Her sheath tightened convulsively, squeezing
his fingers as he thrust them into her again and again.

Alexander captured her scream of pleasure in his mouth, kissing
her long and deep. Passion blinding him to everything but his need to bury
himself in her tight warmth, he pushed his plaid out of the way, taking himself
in his hand. He hissed as his thumb brushed over the sensitive, swollen head,
spreading the moisture leaking from the slit.

“Wrap your legs about my waist, Augusta.” He positioned
himself between her thighs and lifted her hips to slowly ease his hard cock
into her amazing tightness. When he reached her virgin barrier, Alexander
paused. In a hoarse voice, he whispered in her ear. “Kiss me.”

He covered her mouth with his and plunged into her, taking
her innocence, burying his cock to the hilt. He swallowed her cry of pain in a
deep, passionate kiss. Her distress obvious, she tried to slide back away from
him but he used his weight to hold her fast.

“Easy, love. I know I hurt you this first time but it will
only get better.”

He took her mouth in a tender exploration. His hand moved
over her breasts, soothing and plucking her nipples until she released a
pleasure-filled sigh. Hesitantly she moved under him, lifting her hips,
pressing her core around his throbbing cock. He moved then, thrusting and
withdrawing to thrust again and again. After a moment or two, Gusty joined him
in the ancient cadence that took them over the edge.

The explosive orgasm left her panting beneath him. Groaning
in his pleasure, Alexander thrust once, twice more before he stiffened over her
as he spilled his seed deep into her womb. Throwing back his head, he roared out
her name.

* * * * *

“What do you mean you let him have her?”

Maeve threw a bucket of water at Hagen’s head, soaking him
thoroughly.

He counted himself lucky that his wife hadn’t decided to
take her dagger to him. But he would stand beside his decision, even if he lost
his life over it. He had made a blood pledge to his master.

The Sutherland had come to him and demanded he turn Gusty
over to him. He had been surprised when the great Wolf of the Highlands
appeared at their camp looking for his granddaughter. That the man even knew
about the girl was astonishing but then Hagen remembered she had made a slight
detour through the forest before landing in their pot. He realized then that it
was Alexander Sutherland from whom they had snatched Gusty. Hagen had taken this
as a divine sign. As he’d stood before the very angry, very intimidating laird
he made a decision that would change the events determining the destiny of the
Rosses and the Sinclairs. Decades ago, he and Maeve had taken Laird Sinclair’s
children into their care with instructions by their master to see to their safety.
Now Hagen considered his decision to handfast Augusta Sinclair to Alexander
Sutherland as a way of fulfilling his duty.

Augusta Sinclair, daughter of Malcolm Sinclair, mighty laird
of Clan Sinclair would have Alexander Sutherland, Wolf of the Highlands as her
new husband, to protect her and keep her safe from all enemies.

“It is done, Maeve. She is handfasted to the Sutherland and
we are going home tomorrow. Say no more!”

But Maeve had a lot more to say on the matter.

“Blast you, Hagen! Augusta was destined to marry the
chieftain of Clan Ross. She was our best hope of ending the feud between the
clans. And as long as it is taking that stubborn laird to pick a bride, the
feud will go on forever. You know this to be true. We have seen the future. A
Ross and a Sinclair must be united by marriage or there will never be peace in
the Highlands. It was Augusta’s destiny to wed a Highland laird who is powerful
enough to protect her from her enemies. You fool, now everything has been
ruined!”

“Nay, Maeve, nothing has been ruined. She is wed to a
powerful chieftain, one who is respected and feared more than any other. She will
wed the Sutherland. Who better can keep her eternally safe than the Wolf
himself?”

“You old fool. What mischief have you stirred up now?
Alexander Sutherland is indeed a powerful laird and a fine man but we were to
deliver her to the Ross. It had been arranged. Now how are we going to explain
this foul-up to him after what we told him about their marriage being destined?
He will think us inept. He had made peace with the decision and now we are to
tell him we gave her over to the Wolf. It’ll be your head on his pike not mine.”

“Do not worry, old woman, everything will turn out for the
best. I predict it; he will be thanking us for our forethought and wisdom. Let
us wait and see how this match proceeds. At the worst, my dear Maeve, you may
end up a widow.” He was no longer completely convinced of his wisdom in his
decision but he would die before admitting it to his wife.

“Aye not a bad proposition.” She snarled at him. Then she
pointed to the spot on the other side of the campfire. “You will not be sharing
my blanket this night, old man.” She pulled her wool quilt up around her
shoulders and lay down to sleep.

Hagen found sleep eluded him that night. Visions of the
future filled his mind and what he saw troubled him greatly. Danger and turmoil
would fill the months ahead. He hoped he had not been too hasty in agreeing to
surrender their sweet Gusty to Alexander Sutherland. Now there was nothing for
him to do but wait and see what Fate had in store.