Highland Fires Read online

  “You say the words, but you don’t mean them. You forget I watched you while you worked. You put your heart and soul into each weapon.”

  “It is true I love crafting the weapons, but they are just weapons, Ahryn.” She glanced away, but he had seen the doubt in her mystic blue eyes. She knew he lied.

  “Does the bruise pain you?” she asked and pointed to his injured shoulder.

  The pain was like having a dragon chew through his shoulder, but he wouldn’t tell her that either. “Not too badly.”

  “It looks awful.”

  He found himself wanting to smile at her scrunched up nose and doubtful voice. “And to think I was told women liked men with scars.”

  The teasing light shown in her blue eyes as she flipped her long braid over her shoulder. “Scars aye. Bruises nay.”

  To his surprise, he chuckled. He couldn’t remember the last time he had smiled, much less laughed.

  Ahryn leaned close and studied him. “Was that what I thought it was?”

  “Depends. What did you think it was?”

  “A laugh?” she asked hopefully.

  He thought a moment then nodded. “Aye, I think it was.”

  She leaned back and gave him a thoughtful smile. “Interesting. The sound wasn’t half bad. I’m sure if you work on it more it might even sound natural.”

  Lugus looked away before he did start laughing. Her teasing tone and quick thinking brought a smile to his face like nothing else could.

  “And I have to admit, the smile looks very handsome on you.”

  He swung his head around to her. “Ah, so you do find me handsome.”

  She raised a finger and shook it side to side. “I said it looked handsome on you, not that you were handsome. Maybe there’s something wrong with your hearing.”

  “I’ve never met anyone like you,” he confessed before he thought better of it. “You’re in the most dire of situations and yet you find something to laugh about.”

  She shrugged and faced the railing again. “Why not? What will happen will happen, and no amount of my fretting or pouting will change that. And if jesting lightens the mood for a moment and makes me forget, why not?”

  Lugus had never thought of it this way, and it gave him pause. “You find me dour, don’t you?”

  She threw him a look and shook her head. “Not dour. You’re a brooding sort, and it gives me an extra challenge to see if I can make you smile.”

  He wasn’t the sort to be surprised or intrigued by anything, yet Ahryn continued to do both to him. And he didn’t want to be intrigued, especially by her.

  His eyes followed her as she pushed from the railing. He faced her, wondering what would come out of her mouth next. Would she have a quick response that made him want to smile? Or would she finally admit that he had kissed her before last night?

  “Be careful today,” she said as she trailed her finger along the railing before she turned and walked away.

  Lugus shook his head. Once again she had surprised him. He could have sworn she had been about to say something else. He sighed and moved his shoulder to try and work out some of the soreness. The tightness and pain would only get worse as the day drew on.

  “Better grab some food, lad,” the captain said as he sauntered by. “’Tis going to be a long day repairing the damage the storm caused.”

  Lugus nodded and made his way to the galley. He took the offered bowl and tried not to look at the slop that was dished into it. Instead, he sat and began to eat, hoping that Ahryn got something better than the tasteless gruel he ate.

  He barely got the last bite down before he was up and once again on deck. He wanted to survey the damage himself and see if it would cost them an extra day. His hands, sore and blistered from the previous days work, throbbed and protested when he reached onto the rigging and began to climb.

  The damage wasn’t as bad as he had feared, and he doubted it would slow them much at all. The relief he felt was short lived as he realized that once on the isle, they would still have to reach the gateway before Marcus. He and Ahryn had a head start, but just how much of one?

  As he set about attaching part of the sail that had come loose he thought over the sensation he had when leaving the dock that someone had been watching him. He wished he had seen his eyes so Lugus would know if it was a Draconian--or something else. It could have been his imagination and apprehension, but he highly doubted it.

  The tasks became more difficult, and Lugus had to concentrate or fall to the deck. It was some time later that he heard one of the sailors mumble something near him. Lugus turned to the sailor to his right who hung perilously by just one hand and foot as he pulled the sails tight. He followed the sailor’s line of sight and found Ahryn strolling the deck.

  She had done just as he asked and kept her right hand hidden so no one would see the slave bracelet. Her steps were slow, leisurely as she ambled about not looking at anyone or anything.

  His gaze was drawn to her like a dragon to treasure, and if he were honest with himself, it wasn’t just his gaze that wanted her. His body ached for her.

  The memory of their kiss still lingered in his mind as did the incredible feel of her body in his hands. The desire that had flared in her mystic blue eyes had only fueled his own. If they hadn’t been interrupted, Lugus knew he would have claimed her that night. He couldn’t help but wonder how long he could put off what he craved so dearly.

  The hair on the back of his neck suddenly stood on end. Slowly, Lugus looked over his shoulder, and he could have sworn a set of copper eyes stared at him through the clouds. He blinked and they disappeared, but he knew what he had seen. The Draconians were on Earth. How many, he didn’t know, and by the time he found out, it would most likely be too late.

  He cursed and glanced down at Ahryn. If he still had his powers, he could easily dispense with any Draconians that came near her. But he didn’t have his powers anymore. No magic flowed within him, only the memory of it did.

  Quickly he finished tying off his knot and began to descend to the deck. He landed in front of Ahryn and reached for her hand.

  “What is it?” she asked.

  He pulled her below deck and into their cabin before he turned to face her. “It’s the Draconia.”

  She swallowed and sank onto the bed. “How do you know?”

  “They are watching us even as I speak.”

  “Then there’s no hope for me,” she said with a sigh.

  Lugus knelt in front of her. “We will get you to the gateway, and I vow that I will do everything I can to make sure that you pass into your realm.”

  “Our realm.”

  He ignored her correction and stood.

  “What bothers me is their sudden appearance and interest in you.”

  “I have no idea what their interest is,” she said and looked away.

  He knew then she lied. It hurt that she would trust him with her life but not her secrets. Yet, he wouldn’t tell her he knew she lied. He would let her keep her secrets because the only thing that mattered to him was getting her through the gateway.

  “They want something,” he said. “If not you, then what?”

  “Or who?” she said. “Your brother, maybe?”

  Lugus’ breath lodged in his chest. “Theron?” His mind raced with the possibility. Theron was powerful as the king of the Fae, but what would the Draconians want with him?

  “Aye, Theron? Why not? He’s the king and very powerful.”

  He thought over her words and leaned against the door. “It could be. I cannot think of anyone else they would want for them to dare to venture into this realm.”

  “It has to be,” she said and moved a strand of flaxen hair from her face. “The Draconia haven’t been seen by the Fae in….”

  “Ages,” Lugus supplied for her.

  She nodded. “Exactly. As you said, for them to dare to venture here, they would have to be after either something extremely powerful or extremely precious to them. Could they be try
ing to take back this realm?”

  “Nay,” he said. “I don’t think they would dare try. It would be too difficult now to wage that kind of war with all the humans about.”

  Ahryn smiled inwardly when she heard Lugus refer to the humans. Whether he wanted to admit it or not, deep down, he still regarded himself as Fae.

  She pondered the Draconians appearance. “Wars have been fought before with humans here.”

  “They have. However, it cost us dearly to keep it from the humans.”

  “If the Draconia are just as powerful as us, they could very well try.” She watched as Lugus ran a hand down his tired face. Her gaze caught his reddened hand and hated that he was having to labor for her passage.

  He was a prince, not some beggar in need of work. “How is your shoulder?” she asked.

  “It’s fine.”

  She licked her lips. “We won’t make it will we?” He tried to hide the doubt in his blue eyes, but she saw it anyway.

  “We will make it.”

  She reached around and loosened her plait, then ran her fingers through the long strands as she gazed out her window. “If the Draconia are aiding Marcus, they are most likely already at the gateway and waiting for us.”

  “Then we’ll find another gate.”

  His statement had her swinging her head towards him. By the look in his eyes, he was serious. “Because of me your home was burned and you cannot return. Because of me you have had to barter your weapons. Because of me you are bruised and battered and exhausted. I cannot ask more of you than I already have.”

  A hint of a smile pulled at his mouth. “I have much to atone for. Bringing you to a gateway, regardless of what happens between then and now doesn’t matter.”

  She didn’t know why she had expected him to want to take her because of her, not because he felt he needed to pay some penance for past deeds. In her heart she knew she should be grateful he was willing to help at all, but when it came to Lugus, she found she was anything but reasonable.

  “You don’t believe me,” he said, his voice full of shock.

  Ahryn looked away. “It isn’t that at all, Lugus. I just want to return home.”

  “And you will,” he said before he left the cabin.

  She fell back on the bed and stared at the ceiling. As the granddaughter of the High Chancellor, Ahryn and her siblings had been sought after for marriages that would align certain houses. All she had wanted was a man she could love, a man who was strong and caring.

  No matter how hard she had looked, she hadn’t found a man she wanted strongly enough to consider marriage. Until now.

  She wasn’t a fool. She knew that any union between her and Lugus, Fae prince or not, could never be. His immortality had been taken away, and he was exiled from the Fae realm. And he didn’t want her.

  Oh, his body might want her, but the fact he continued to pull away from her told her that his heart belonged to someone else. Moira.

  Somehow Ahryn knew that Moira was connected to Lugus’ banishment, but to what degree she had no idea. And why wasn’t Moira with him now? If only the cursed slave bracelet wasn’t on her arm, she would be able to see all she needed to know instead of wondering.

  And wondering drove her crazy.

  Chapter Ten

  Every muscle in Lugus’ body ached. Not even all the hours he had worked hammering the steal had prepared his body for the rigorous work the sailors did as they climbed to the tip of the masts and back.

  At least he wasn’t scrubbing the deck.

  Slowly, he walked below deck. He was half asleep and in sore need of a comfortable bed, hot bath and good food. None of which he would get while on the ship. His feet stopped when he reached the cabin door.

  Ahryn would be inside most likely fast asleep since it was well into the night. He could very well picture her with her flaxen hair spread around her like a golden sheen of silken threads, her luminescent skin aglow in the moonlight while the blanket molded to her curves.

  If he walked into the cabin, he knew he would claim her, and whatever she was, nobility or commoner, he would not take advantage of her despite the desire she claimed she had for him.

  With a deep sigh of resignation, Lugus lowered himself to the floor and stretched out in front of her door. As exhausted and drained as he was he didn’t care if anyone saw him or not. All he wanted was some rest for his mind, body and soul.

  Just before sleep claimed him, he found himself wondering what Theron would think of Ahryn.

  ~ ~ ~

  Ahryn didn’t know what woke her. All she knew was that she was alone. She rose on her knees and looked out her small, round window. The sea was calm. So where was Lugus?

  She scooted from the bed and yanked on her gown before opening the door to go in search of him. After the previous night, he needed rest, and she was going to make sure he had it, even if she had to barter herself to do it.

  But when she opened the door she found a huddled form on the floor. Only the long, pale length of Lugus’ hair let her know it was him. She knew the floor wasn’t where he needed to be, but as long as she was in the bed, he wouldn’t be.

  She turned on silent feet and pulled a blanket from the bed then walked to him and gently draped it over his body. Quietly, she closed the door, undressed and climbed back into bed.

  His actions tonight proved he would go out of his way not to be near her. She knew he would fight the need in his body until the last, and if she pushed him, he would give in but end up resenting her because it wasn’t what he wanted, or who he wanted.

  Ahryn had seen the other sailors looking at her. All she had to do was give one the slightest impression she wanted him and he would be hers. It was the Fae magic that pulled to the humans. But it didn’t work on Lugus, and in a way she was grateful. She wanted him to want her for her, not because he couldn’t resist her Fae charms.

  She regretted the few times she had pushed him to make love to her. At the time, she hadn’t any idea just how deep his feelings ran for Moira, but now that she did, she knew she didn’t stand a chance. And because she admired him, she refused to put him in that position again.

  With the blanket pulled up to her chin, she rolled onto her side and tried to sleep, but all she could think about was the nearly uncontrollable need her body had to be held by Lugus.

  ~ ~ ~

  Lugus opened his eyes when he heard the door click shut. He had come awake the instant he had heard the door open, and for a moment he wasn’t sure what Ahryn’s intentions were. When he felt the blanket against his skin something had moved within him. No one had done something out of kindness for him in...an age.

  It wasn’t until she had closed the door behind her that he allowed himself to open his eyes and turn on his back. After he had repeatedly turned her away, she continued to show him compassion. He didn’t understand why.

  Of all the people she bestowed her kindness upon, he was the least deserving. And that’s when he realized he never wanted her to know what he had done to be banished from the Fae realm. He had seen laughter, determination, fear and kindness in her mystical blue eyes. He did not want to see the loathing and revulsion that was sure to shine through when she learned the truth.

  For many years he had yearned for a Fae to come and end his life for what he had done. But now...now he prayed they didn’t. He needed to make sure Ahryn reached the Fae realm unharmed and safe, then he would welcome death.

  Then he would seek it.

  Ahryn.

  Her name meant passion, and she embodied her name like a well fit glove. Like most Fae, she was elegant, beautiful and graceful, but she had other characteristics that molded her--kindness, determination and faith.

  In his mind’s eye he pictured Ahryn’s lithe body in his hands, her back arched, and her full breasts heavy and eager for his touch. His body hardened as desire flared in him.

  Lugus closed his eyes and tried to erase Ahryn’s image with one of Moira’s, but no matter how hard he tried, he could no
t recall Moira. Not the shade of her hair, the feel of her body, but especially not the green of her eyes.

  He ran a hand down his face and refused to give in to the anxiety that rolled in his stomach. He told himself it was because he concentrated on Ahryn and arriving safely at the Isle of Skye that he couldn’t remember Moira’s face. Once Ahryn was gone, then he would be able to remember details of Moira.

  With his conscious at ease, Lugus closed his eyes and didn’t fight the fact that all he could think about was Ahryn’s mystical blue eyes filled with passion.

  ~ ~ ~

  Ahryn woke feeling as though she hadn’t slept more than an hour. She was tired, cranky and restless. Not a good combination on a ship.

  She raised a hand and brushed the hair from her eyes. Her dreams had been plagued with fear. She had been running from something. At first, she had thought it was Marcus, but soon came to realize it wasn’t him. It was something else, something more dangerous...more evil.

  The jingle of the slave bracelet drew her attention. She dreaded having to tell her family that she had been impulsive and childish in leaving the realm and being caught by humans. She knew her father would be slow to forgive her, but if she needed anything, she could turn to her grandfather. He had always been there for her.

  A soft knock brought her out of her musings. “Who is it?” she asked as she sat up and clutched the blanket to her chest.

  “Me,” Lugus answered. “I’ve come with food. Are you decent?”

  She briefly thought about standing naked on the bed to see if he would notice her but remembered the vow to herself to leave him be.

  “Just a moment,” she said as she climbed out of bed and hastily threw on her gown. She reached for the laces to tie it and said, “You can enter now.”

  She concentrated on her laces as she heard the door open, and Lugus stepped inside the small cabin. It was on the tip of her tongue to ask him if he slept well on the hard floor but bit her tongue before her crankiness could show through.