To Bewitch a Highlander (Isle of Mull series) (16 page)

Aidan threw his hand up. “’Tis not me you need to be telling all this to—‘tis Shoney. With that in mind, Ronan, should we not go find her?”

“Aye”, he grumbled, “and swiftly. If she loses her temper, there is no telling what she might do. It will be hard enough to convince the clan she is just a normal girl. The last thing I need is for her the challenge a passing warrior to a duel.”

Aidan burst into laughter.

“What is so funny”, Ronan growled.

“I’m sorry, my friend, I did not mean to make light of the matter, but I imagined Shoney confronting big, harry Dugald with sword at the ready, and picturing Dugald’s reaction just did me in.”

Ronan could not help but smile. “I have found a spirited lass”, he chuckled.

“That is one way to describe her”, Aidan grinned.

“Something tells me we are about to witness just how spirited she can be”, Ronan said with a grimace as he headed toward the forest.

Upon entering the wood, he wondered how long it would take to find her, but he did not have to wonder long. Within moments, the Witch appeared from behind a tight cluster of trees and stormed toward them.

“Saints preserve us”, Aidan cringed as the figure charged.

Ronan had to admit Shoney was a chilling sight. She was fully enclosed within the folds of the tattered cloak of the Witch, but she had abandoned the usual limp and shuffle. If he didn’t know better, then he would have sworn the Witch of Dervaig had sprouted wings. But just as she was upon them, she flung her hood back and revealed her waves of golden hair and her fierce steel eyes.

“Sweet Jesus, thank you”, he heard Aidan mutter at his side.

She stood unflinching with legs apart and hands on her hips. Her head barely reached his chest. He had three times the breadth of shoulder, but still she brandished her might like a chieftain.

“How dare you cast me aside, Ronan MacKinnon”, she said as she jabbed him in the chest with her pointed finger. “And to think, I trusted you. I was a fool to dismiss my vision”, she shouted.

He grabbed her wrist and turned her hand over and kissed her palm, but she yanked her hand away and cradled it as though he had stung her.

“Let me begin by clarifying that I have not cast you aside as you put it. I demand to know what gave you that idea”, he said.

“You told me to watch for you”, she shouted. “You told me you could not bear to stay away. You led me to believe your return was imminent not in a week’s time.”

“Ronan, she does have a point”, Aidan said.

 Ronan glared at him before turning back to Shoney. “I have my duties, Shoney. I have been very clear about this from the beginning. Do you know how much I risk speaking to you right now so close to the village?”

Aidan once again interrupted, “Shoney, he also makes a good point.”

“Aidan”, both Ronan and Shoney shouted in unison, “shut up.”

He raised his hands in surrender. “Fair enough”, he said, backing away. “I will keep watch while you both work through this mess alone.”

Ronan waited until Aidan was out of ear shot. Then he turned back to Shoney. “I don’t want to fight, Shoney.”

And he meant it. Seven days had seemed like an eternity, and now that she was finally standing in front of him, the last thing he wanted to do was argue. Looking from side to side, ensuring they were indeed alone, he said, “Come with me. I want to show you something.”

“Are you taking me to the village?” Shoney demanded. “Because that is the only place I want you to take me right now. I cannot stomach anymore deception or broken promises. Let us take our chances with the truth.”

“Nay, Shoney”, his hand ran through his hair in agitation, but he worked to keep his temper at bay. “You know I cannot. My people are already anxious about the threat of war. Their actions will be guided by fear. They will think you are a bad omen.”

“That is absurd”, she scoffed.

“That is the truth, Shoney,” he sighed. “We must wait until after the war. I am sorry, lass. Now, enough of this”, he beseeched. “Please, come with me.”

He edged up the wooded slope, staying low to the ground. He glanced behind to see how she progressed, but she stood unmoving at the hill’s base.

“Are you coming?” he called.

“Ronan, I know every tree in this forest. There is naught for you to show me except a little understanding.”

He walked back down the slope and stood before her. Sweeping the Witch’s cloak off her shoulders, he stuffed it into his sporran. Her face was crimson with anger, and her gray eyes blazed, reminding him of a steel blade catching the sun’s fire.

“I have missed you every minute of every hour. I swear to you, Shoney. If I could have stolen away, then I would have, but I will not act rashly. There is far too much at stake to be reckless.”

He watched as a series of emotions seemed to dance across her face. Then her head hung for a moment as she stared at the ground. When her gaze met his again, he could see emotion still churning behind her stormy eyes.

“’Tis not easy being the one who is found wanting, Ronan, and although you say ‘tis just a matter of time, I feel in my heart that we want the impossible.”

He started to interrupt her, to deny her claim, but her hand silenced him.

“Please, Ronan, allow me to finish. I am proud of who I am. I am proud of the woman who mothered me. I do not wish to dishonor myself any further with this deception.”

“You speak against deception”, he interrupted, “but, Shoney, you and your family have been deceiving my clan for well over a century. Or need I remind you of the invented and fearsome Witch of Dervaig.”

“But that has been a necessary lie”, she snapped, “for our protection, our safe passage through this land.”

“Your protection is my one and only motivation for deceiving my family”, he replied.

“I believe nothing will be different when the war is over”, she said. Her shoulders stooped with dejection, and her eyes clouded with a shadow of pain. “’Tis impossible, Ronan”, she whispered.

“No, Shoney. Do not despair. I told you I will find a way.”

“I remember the madness that claimed poor Aidan when he thought he faced the real Witch. I will only ever be despised and feared.”

“But, Shoney, that same man greeted you with a smile just moments ago and even as we speak is keeping watch to ensure our secret is safe. If Aidan can be convinced then why not the rest of the MacKinnons”, he paused, taking a deep breath and then exhaled loudly, “but not now, not when war is so close at hand.”

She stared off into the distance for a moment, her face a mask guarding her thoughts. After a time she said, “You know the temper of your people far better than I, but I can make no promises to remain contented until after the war. I do not say this to be obstinate. I just do not want to make a promise I cannot be sure to keep”. She reached out and took his hand. “I do owe you an apology, however.”

“Whatever for?” he asked.

“I have been selfish today, drawing you into the woods. I allowed my temper to once again guide my actions.”

“A trait which you and I share”, he smiled.

“And yet, you came despite the personal risk. Why?” she whispered.

“Is it not obvious, Shoney”, he said. Then he pulled her to him and grazed his fingers across her cheek.

“I love you”, he whispered as his lips took claim over her mouth, kissing her deeply. When he pulled away, a wide smile lit her face. She laughed and started running up the hill.

“Where are you taking me”, she called down to where he stood.

He stared for a moment in awe of her strange beauty. Then he dashed up the hill, catching her hand. They ascended the remainder of the slope together.

“Is this safe, Ronan? Should I not return home now?”

“There is naught to worry about. Aidan will alert me if anyone ventures close.”

Her wide eyes were lit with pleasure, causing him to chuckle as he considered how just moments before her eyes had flashed hot with anger. He was once again the hero. Never would he have imagined a girl who could cause him so much agitation and at the same time so much pleasure. Her sharp tongue and stubborn ways pushed his patience to the limit, but her resilient spirit and fervor for life were intoxicating.

As they crested the top of the hill, he paused to take in the idyllic scene below. From all sides, the forest gradually sloped down and the trees thinned out as land met the waters of a small pond where dozens of small, black ducks swam.

“I saw them flying overhead in the direction of the forest this morning, and I knew they would come here to swim.”

“’Tis beautiful, Ronan. If only we could forget that a world existed beyond this splendor.” She chuckled as she continued, but her smile did not reach her eyes. “However, even Puffins do not allow the mind to forget the trials of life.”

He laughed, wrapping his arms around her. “Be patient, Shoney, and do not doubt me. I promise you I will find a way”, he vowed.

“When can we be together again?”

“Tomorrow”, he said. “Meet me under the lone tree that sits in the valley west of here.”

“I know the place, but do we not risk discovery?”

“Aidan will ensure our privacy. Meet me there in the morning. I will bring food and drink, and I promise you I will not leave your side until the next day.”

“No more promises, Ronan. If you do not make them, then they cannot be broken”, she frowned.

“Have faith in me, my love. This is one promise I know I can keep.”

Chapter 14

Shoney stretched her arms out, fanning her fingers wide. The leaves of the Hazel tree above were abundant and obscured the blue sky with green finery. She smiled at the shadows of leaves that littered her arms. Then her gaze returned to the man asleep with his head in her lap. A leaf shadow danced on his cheek, and she traced its outline with her finger, causing him to stir. He smiled but did not open his eyes.

“Your slightest touch has the power to soothe me to sleep like a babe”, he smiled.

Then he sprung to life and pulled her beneath him. “Or fill me with a fire that pulls me from my dreams”, his husky voice whispered.

 She felt the muscled weight of him cover her as she breathed his scent and reveled in his strength. The day so far had been wonderful. She could not remember having ever been so content.

“I did not, my love, but graze your cheek,” she said.

Her finger traced a path down his neck as he lowered his lips to hers. She had expected his kiss to hold the demand of his body, but his lips only brushed hers, and then he froze as darkness crept into his eyes. She sensed he was searching for something. He seemed to be desperately trying to see into her mind, but what he sought, she could not say.

Could he still even now doubt she was real?

“You are indeed a sorceress,” his rasped, “for you muddle my mind and plague my body with insatiable need.”

She was breathless and lightheaded. “I am only a woman, Ronan. And need I remind you that it was you who taught me how it was between a man and a woman.

His eyes brightened as a slow smile curved his lips. “I believe ‘tis time for another lesson.”

He covered her mouth with the warmth of his kiss, and she finally felt the full force of his desire. His tongue stroked a languishing path through her mouth as his fingers dug into her hair. He pulled down, forcing her back to arch. His hands swept waves of heat over her body as he caressed her breasts through the fibers of her tunic, causing her to moan with pleasure.

Again he held himself aloft, resting his weight on his elbow. He thought his size too much for her small frame to handle, but she wanted to feel all of him. She tore at the skin of his back as she pressed their bodies closer. Then she seized his arm and pulled until it finally gave way, and his full weight slid over her. He groaned and his kiss intensified as if his last restraint, the last of his self-control were gone. His kiss stunned her by its overpowering force. His mouth and hands devoured her, and she returned every hunger-infused stroke as her fingers threaded through his thick hair, urging his tongue to plunge deeper. He yanked her tunic and kirtle until they were bunched at her waist. The warmth of the sun mingled with the heat of his hands, branding a pathway down her stomach to her thighs.

She trembled at his touch. Sensation overwhelmed her. He stroked her warmth, igniting fiery ripples of pleasure, which tantalized as she melted beneath his caress. Her hands rushed over his back, and she groaned as she felt his strength and heat.

“Ronan, I want you now”, she begged.

Suddenly, he swore and pulled away. Her eyes flew open, and she started to voice her protest, but her words were lost in folds of fabric as he pulled her tunic over her head.

He quickly unbelted his plaid, and then once more, his body covered hers. She shoved against his chest, and he rolled over. She followed, straddling his bronzed torso. Her lips and tongue enticed and tormented as she traveled across his rugged physique. His ragged breathing and groans of pleasure drove her wild as she explored and reveled in the salty taste of his skin and the allure of his musky scent. Then he swept her gently onto her back, and she strained to open herself to him. Her body ached to be filled, but he did not take his pleasure swiftly. He slowly pressed into her. With deliberate constraint he drove her to writhe beneath him. The exquisite ache intensified. It was too much to bear. She lifted her hips, pleading for relief as her body throbbed with need. Finally, he took her with the force she craved.

She was a windswept wave, charging toward shore. And as he drove deeper and deeper, the storm inside her body raged on until she suddenly seized, erupting with sensation that spread throughout her being like the broad fingers of lightening slashing through the sky.

But her cries of pleasure were silenced by the gentle din of an unwanted intruder.

The tolling of a bell came floating over the moors, cutting through her euphoria. With the peal of each passing chime, the reverberations of ecstasy coursing through her body were replaced with shutters of foreboding. The sound was so distant—barely audible—but its obtrusive meaning blasted in her ears.