Page 14 of A Celtic Secret
“She followed you, then?” Declán assumed, patting Luna rather than shoving her away once he realized who she was.
“She must have.” She shot him a grateful look. “She means no harm.”
She didn’t either. Based on the slightly wild look in her eyes, Luna probably traveled back at the same time as Riona, then gave into wanderlust. Did she blame her? Heck, no. This place was magnificent. If she were a dog, she would be off exploring right now too.
Only she wasn’t a dog and couldn’t explore quite yet, if at all.
So said Raghnall without actually saying it.
“No harm will come to your dog.” His arm tightened possessively around her. “No harm will come to either of you.”
He might say it, yet she had trouble believing it. She might be unnaturally drawn to Raghnall, but she still sensed things about him. Danger. Ruthlessness simmering just beneath the surface.
An inability to forgive.
Her gaze wandered to Declán. She worked to keep her breathing even. He had a sense of danger around him, too, but she wasn’t frightened by it. Rather, it felt familiar. Like she had witnessed that danger. That it might have even protected her.
Sacrificed for her.
She startled at the thought. How much the word sacrifice suited him. Why, though? She struggled to hold on to the sensation, understand it, but it got away from her when they broke through the tree line, and a castle appeared.
“GoodGod,” she whispered, wide-eyed. “Look atthat.”
She had seen a lot, but nothing like this castle built so close to a cliff’s edge, it was a wonder it didn’t fall straight into the roaring ocean. But it didn’t because somehow, someway, its very bones, made of wood and stone, merged with the rock underfoot. Much like Raghnall, it was sinister yet alluring in a way she couldn’t quite put her finger on.
“Welcome to my castle,” Raghnall murmured in her ear, becoming too familiar too fast. While tempted to tell him to back off some, she got the feeling she should be careful. It was important she find balance between accepting his advances and keeping him at arm’s length.
“What do ye think of it?” Raghnall asked, pulling her attention back to his castle as they drew closer.
“I think it’s amazing.” She smiled at him over her shoulder, then took in the castle again. The scant few people meandering about in medieval clothing seemed wary and watchful rather than content. The amount of battle-hardened warriors roaming about, however, was notable.
There were so many.
Everywhere she looked.
Madison’s description of Cian’s castle sounded far different. People had been selling wares. Productive. Happy despite the unrest in the country. Not just that, but she claimed they loved Cian a great deal, where she couldn’t quite say the same of Raghnall’s people as they made their way over a drawbridge with not one but two portcullises.
Only then, when she instinctively reached for the camera around her neck, did she realize it was gone. She had no clue if she’d lost it when Aodh tossed her over his shoulder or if it hadn’t traveled back in time to begin with. While she felt lost without it, she hoped it was the latter. Twenty-first-century contraptions had no place in this era.
Nobody said hello or even made eye contact as they passed stables, an armory, and several other dismal-looking thatch-covered buildings before entering the courtyard. The air smelled not just of salt and brine but almost metallic. Different somehow. As if drawn to this location, to the castle itself, dark storm clouds gathered over the sea, thunder rumbled in the distance, and a biting wind gusted where it hadn’t minutes before.
When Raghnall swung down and pulled her after him, she tried not to shiver at the way he looked at her. The feel of his cool touch on her waist. His gaze lingered on her face for a moment before he grunted at the stable boy to see to his horse and led her up a set of wide stairs to an imposing door.
Not surprisingly, Luna was off to investigate. While worried about her, there was little she could do but pray she stayed safe. Honestly, she wished she could join her. Look around. Find a place where she could breathe in fresh air.
Despite being drawn to Raghnall, she felt more and more suffocated by his presence, if for no other reason than she sensed he would not let her out of his sight. That she had swiftly become his possession rather than someone he wanted to get to know better. Someone he could ever love. Then again, that would require the ability to love, and she had a feeling, based off what she’d heard about how he treated his people and their reaction to him just now, that he was incapable.
Fortunately, Declán remained by her side as well when they entered the great hall. Where she was aware of Raghnall’s intensity and sheer presence as she took in the almost haunting underwhelming great hall, she was more aware of Declán on her other side. Of his need to pull her close. Protect her. While she’d be inclined to say it was to glean her secret like Cian had Madison’s when he first touched her, it was more than that.
Had he been the faceless man who had haunted her dreams for years? The one she sometimes loved and sometimes hated? Who she desperately needed to get to? Or had that been Raghnall?
She eyed the mammoth dusty tapestries depicting war and monstrous charred hearth and wondered at their lack of care. Thoughts she hoped Raghnall didn't catch when she smiled at him and nodded in approval.
“So what make ye of my castle now?” Rahgnall wondered, clearly as impressed by the inside as he had been of the outside. “Can ye see yerself queen of such a place?”
Queen?But, of course, that’s what he intended. A terrifying concept she kept from her face. From her thoughts, the best she could.
“I can,” she replied easily enough. Or so she hoped it sounded easy. She glanced from Declán back to Raghnall. “Where does that leave my other king, though?”
