Page 62 of A Celtic Memory
“Yes.” He couldn’t help a small knowing smile when he spied the tiny beads of sweat left on her forehead from their lovemaking. “But would that not be welcome right now?”
She met his smile and slid her hand into his. “You’ve got me there.”
He led her down another path and around a small bend until she stopped short, and her jaw dropped. Emerald flared in her eyes again.
“What is it?” He grew alarmed when she teared up. “Are you all right?”
“I am.” She put a hand to her heart. “I know this place, too, Cian.”
She couldn’t seem to pull her gaze from the frothing pond enclosed by a conclave of jagged cliffs at the bottom of a waterfall. What made the location especially unique were the trees cutting through the cascading water, creating a cathedral-like canopy overhead.
As if reliving a memory, he knelt, removed his ring, and used magic that cooperated enough to spin another wildflower into it. He took her hand and met her eyes when her gaze drifted down to him. For a split second, he thought he saw a little girl with auburn hair, then a blink later, a teenage girl. A blink later, still, she was herself again.
“Marry me tonight,mo dhraoi.” Cian slid the ring onto her finger. “Tonight. Beneath King’s Heart. Beneath our tree.” He shook his head. “Let’s not wait another moment.”
“But...can we?” She blinked back tears. “Is that allowed considering the prophecy?”
“’Tis impossible to know until we try.” He never looked away. Couldn’t if he wanted to. “So will ye become my wife tonight? Will ye—”
“Yes.” She nodded, smiling through more tears. “Of course, I’ll marry you tonight.”
He grinned, pulled her into his arms, and kissed her with all the passion he felt. Kissed her until he knew if he didn’t stop, he might never.
“So you recognize this spot?” He met her eyes. “You’ve been here before?”
“I’m certain of it.” Her gaze lingered on his face before she looked around and nodded. “I know it like I know the best ways to avoid Boston traffic.” She started down a path hidden between bushes like she’d done it countless times. “I played here as a child.” She tossed a grin back at him that, again, made him see her as a little girl for a flicker of a second. “And I was always quicker than you.”
“Or I let you be.” His heart leapt into his throat when he knew for certain he had said that before. He would have let her outrun him anywhere just as long as he caught up.
“Oh,please.” Madison chuckled and crouched at the pond’s edge. “You never stood a chance.” She dipped her fingers in the cool water and closed her eyes as though nothing had ever felt so good. “We had so much fun here. In this water.” She opened her eyes to the waterfall. “We spent a great deal of time here because it felt so safe.”
He marveled at how on target she was with that because he and his brothers had always thought so too. As though this location, somehow an extension of King’s Heart, offered them a little escape from not just their enemies but the responsibilities of their kingdoms.
“This placeisalmost as close to the gods as King’s Heart.” Madison urged him to join her. “Only less intense. Less...like you’re being judged, I guess.” She frowned and thought about it. “Not that you are at the tree. Well, maybe a little. Yet here,” her gaze swept over their surroundings, “it’s different.”
Cian had always wondered if this place was blessed too.
He crouched beside her and ran his hand through the water as well. “You feel them, then?”
“I do...I think.” She narrowed her eyes as though trying to pinpoint exactly what she felt. “I’ve never been religious, not like Constance, so I can’t be sure.”
“So your sister believes in the gods?” he asked, surprised.
“Oh, no, notthegods.” Madison flinched when she considered the situation. “The one almighty God.” She looked at him with concern. “She’s pretty pious, so how can she be a druidess? Moreover, meant to work alongside one of your brothers when I assume they’re all pagan?”
He had no idea other than therewashope.
“My brother, Adlin, believed in the one god, too, and did fine amongst pagans,” he assured. “He believed,believes, the two could peacefully co-exist. For that matter, he’s seen it firsthand. Oftentimes, helped it along.”
“Yeah?”
He nodded.“Ta.”
She bit back a small smile. “So, do you think he can come hang out when it’s Constance’s turn to travel back?”
“When it comes to Adlin, you never know.” He met her smile. “He tends to pop up where he’s most needed.”
“No doubt.” She shook her head. “It’s still hard to imagine the old man pretending to be my real estate agent was your brother.”
