Page 63 of Taken By the Ruthless Highlander
The sound of rushing water drifted to their ears. Ryder’s heart pounded in his chest. He held his breath as he shifted in the saddle. Low-hanging branches covered the path, and as Morgana pulled back the foliage, a new world opened before them.
“Oh Ryder,” Morgana breathed. “This is…”
“Welcome to the fairy’s pond.”
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“Ryder, this is…” Morgana’s breath caught as she took in the beauty around her.
Never in a million years would she have thought there was a place like this. Water poured from the base of the boulders into the pond below. The sun beat down on the water, causing it to shimmer as if it were made of diamonds and precious stones.
“Do ye like it?” Ryder asked as he pulled the reins, bringing his horse to a stop. He slid off the saddle and guided the horse to the water’s edge.
“It’s lovely.”
“There was a time when I would dive into the water from the rocks, thinkin’ a portal would open for me and carry me far away from this place,” Ryder confessed.
The sadness in his voice struck a chord within her. She wished she could wrap him up in a blanket of comfort and security. It was no wonder the man had been so closed off for most of his life. Morgana was certain she would be too if she had to endure the same hardships.
“Were any of yer wishes granted?” Morgana asked as he held his arms up to her.
She slipped effortlessly off the horse’s back and right into Ryder’s welcoming arms. He smiled as he lowered to her feet.
“Nay,” he answered with a shake of his head. “But I suppose if any of them were, things wouldnae have worked out the way they did. I suppose that’s why wishes arenae granted. Gettin’ the things ye want may nae be a good thing for ye in the end.”
“I suppose. But what if ye jump in the water now and make a wish? What do ye suppose ye’d want if ye could have anythin’ in the world?” Morgana asked.
Ryder shook his head and stepped back, giving her room to move. “That’s a very childish thing to say,” he huffed.
“And who’s around to see it but ye? Maybe that’s the reason yer wishes never came true—ye never really believed they would,” she challenged.
Ryder arched an eyebrow, and his lips drew into a tight, stern line. “I suppose there’s a truth to that,” he relented, after a pause.
For a moment, Morgana felt as if the air had been pulled out of the space around her. As if her lungs had cut off the flow of air and the world was growing dimmer. When he finally spoke, she started.
“Deep down, I kenned it wasnae real. But I hoped so badly that just one day, I wouldnae come back home to find new bruises on my maither.”
“From yer faither?” Morgana asked.
There was far more than pity lacing her words. She felt utterly helpless. How could anyone be so cruel was beyond her. It wasn’t like the world didn’t already do everything to break a person down. But it seemed particularly cruel to Ryder.
He nodded his head as he let out a heavy, sorrowful sigh. “I was nine when I came back from a swim. The castle was in an uproar. Cohen held me at the steps as I listened to my maither wailin’. I shrugged him off and charged for her chambers, but I wasnae fast enough.”
Morgana’s heart shattered as she put her hand on his arm. There were no words that could erase the pain of something so gruesome. She knew the world was cruel, but it was moments like this that reminded her just how vile it could be.
“She was already on the floor by the time I got inside the room. My faither towered over her as he rammed his boot into her belly. At that moment, I vowed to take revenge, and as my maither died in my arms, I swore his bloodline would end with me.”
“I dinnae ken what to say,” Morgana whispered so low that she doubted he heard her at all. “Other than thank ye.”
Ryder’s eyebrow rose with curiosity and suspicion. “I tell ye my maither was killed right in front of me, and ye thank me?”
Morgana kept her eyes fixed on the shimmering water of the pond. She dared not even steal a glance at him as she spoke, in fear of losing her nerve.
“Ye’ve been so closed off, and I cannae blame ye. This relationship wasnae exactly conventional by any standards. After all, who marries their faither’s bride? Ye didnae have to, but ye did. And hearing all of this helps me understand ye a bit better. It’s a privilege to ken a person, nae a right or an obligation. So, aye, I thank ye for sharin’ somethin’ so personal with me. Ye trust me with such secrets, and I’m honored.”
Ryder let out a harsh sigh, drawing her attention. She had vowed not to look over at him in fear of what he would think. But the truth of the matter was, she didn’t care what he thought of her. They were already married, and it wasn’t like she’d be safe anywhere else other than with him.
“Ye never fail to amaze me,” Ryder said as he turned to her.
