Page 91 of Kilted Abduction
“Nae fer that,” she said. “Fer comin’ fer me.”
A gentle smile touched Magnus’ lips. “I’ll always come fer ye. Ye’re mine.”
“And ye’re mine.”
“Aye. I am,” he said softly. “I love ye.”
She laid her head against his chest as he pulled her even tighter to him. “And I love ye.”
EPILOGUE
In the days after Fairfax was killed and MacDougal captured, the army in the valley had scattered. With nobody to lead them, they seemed to have lost their taste for fighting. Domhnall had breathed a sigh of relief. With the looming threat gone, spirits were once again high—perhaps even a bit higher than before—and attention had turned back to preparing for the coming Yule feast.
Ciara felt a mixed bag of emotions. She was well relieved that Fairfax was dead and would never be a threat to her again. She no longer had to worry about being clapped in irons and dragged back to a place she no longer considered home and forced into a marriage she never wanted. She would never again have to worry about being a pawn in somebody’s political game.
But her father, as cruel and evil as he had been to her, languished in the cells beneath Dunvegan. She knew it was what he deserved. And part of her was glad that like Fairfax, he would never again be a threat to her. But there was another piece of her that lamented the fact that her father would spend the rest of hislife in a cage, if the king didn’t decide to repay his treachery with a headsman’s blade. Despite everything, he was still her father.
“Are ye all right?” Magnus asked.
“Aye,” she said. “I’m fine. Just thinkin’.”
“About yer faither.”
She nodded. “He refused tae see me.”
“I’m sorry, me love.”
“Dinnae be. If this is what he wants, so be it,” she said. “But I willnae lie and say it doesnae still hurt a bit.”
“’Tis natural. Like ye said, he’s yer faither.”
“I sometimes wonder if it would have been more merciful tae have killed him the night ye captured him.”
“I think ye’d have been just as torn up inside if we had. He’s yer kin, so there’s never goin’ tae be a good answer that leaves ye feelin’ whole.”
“Aye. Ye’re right,” she said. “I just have tae remember this is the path he chose. ‘Twas nae mine. He did this tae himself.”
“Aye. That he did. And I ken ‘tis easy tae say, but ye’ve got nothin’ tae feel guilty about,” Magnus replied softly. “If he’d had his way, me and mine would be dead and ye’d be trapped in a marriage tae a monster.”
She nodded and looked out to the ocean, watching as the sun slipped toward the horizon, closing the book on another day. They stood together on the highest ramparts of the castle. It was freezing up there, but it somehow felt cleansing to her. Though the sky overhead was clear, dark clouds rolled in from the east, promising a bitterly cold night and very likely, more snow. Ciara held Magnus’ hand tightly, letting the love she felt and the peace he gave her push out all the dark thoughts in her heart. She turned to him, mustering a small smile.
“I’m just glad we came through all this alive,” she said. “I’m glad ye came fer me.”
“Like I said, I always will. Ye’re mine and I’ll never let anythin’ bad happen tae ye.”
“And ye’re mine.”
He nodded. “Aye. That I am,” he said. “Speaking of which…”
A shy, awkward smile touched his lips, and he looked… tentative. Magnus was always so sure of himself, so the uncertainty she was on his face was odd. It was something she’d never seen in him before, and it piqued her curiosity.
“What is it?” she asked.
“I need tae ask ye somethin’.”
“What is it? Are ye all right?”
“Aye. I’m fine. I just…”
