Page 35 of Her Scot of Yesteryear
“Take care with him, Aspen,”I said into her mind. I wasn’t going to speak to her telepathically lest it make this moment too difficult, but I couldn’t help myself.“He cannae be trusted and assumes all lasses want him, whether they’ll admit it or not. ‘Tis a dangerous combination.”
“I’ve got this,”she assured, meeting my eyes ever so briefly yet long enough for me to see how much she cared about me. How much she would miss me.“My last life, or incarnation, is with me, Broderick. Helping me because I’ve never ridden a horse, at least not in this life, yet I know how to now as if I always have.”
“’Tis good,”I replied.“Listen to her and follow the trail of the aspen tree because ‘tis part of our journey back to each other.”
Or so I could only pray.
“I will.”Her heart was in her eyes as her gaze lingered on my face before they made their way onto the drawbridge, and she had no choice but to face forward.
Hating every moment of this, I ground my teeth and clenched my fists as they left the bridge behind and made their way into the woodland. I was desperate to follow and take her back, bedamned what it meant for my people. We would figure out a way. Fight. Hold our ground.
“But ye would not,” my mother said softly from beside me. “’Twould be like yer shared vision and mean not just yer death but Lucas’s, leaving Aspen on her own with no hope for help because our clan would be at war with the Sutherlands for yer trespasses. Moreover, likely the king himself and all those who support him would be against us, for ‘twould be ye who broke the pact once again, not Dugal.”
“This isnae right,” I ground out. “She shouldnae have to suffer for my mistakes in another life.”
“’Tis verra debatable to say ‘twas all yer mistake, son, when we dinnae have the full story yet.” She rested a comforting hand on my arm. “Yet we will soon enough. Of that, I have no doubt.”
“Aye, and even more of the story if I have any say in it,” Kenneth said from astride his horse. His eyes flickered with his inner wizard. “I will make sure she stays safe, my friend. Ye have my word.”
“Thank ye, cousin,” I said, wishing it were days before and he was riding in with Aspen in his arms rather than bidding us farewell and pursuing her once everyone had vanished.
I frowned at my mother when I found her wearing the oddest expression. As if she were trying to understand something. “What is it, Ma?”
“I dinnae know,” she said softly. “I just had the strangest feeling, but it vanished before I could make sense of it.” Her gaze drifted over my shoulder, where the Viking blade was sheathed. “Mayhap ‘twas that finding its way along.”
“’Tis gone,” Lucas exclaimed when I reached for the blade, only to find it missing. Yet I remembered the satchel my mother had given Aspen and saw the knowing look on her face, so I knew it had done what it was known to do on occasion. It transitioned to a blade more suitable for a satchel and followed Aspen, giving me a much-needed glimmer of hope.
Little did I know it would do far more than that.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
–Aspen–
IMIGHT APPRECIATE a good adventure, but not this kind. Not the sort that led me into the heart of enemy territory in the medieval period, destined for my fated mate’s rival. Give me a sheer drop off Everest any day of the week. At least then, I would feel like I had some semblance of control.
Right now, I felt the opposite because,yayme, I was in heat apparently and heading toward a slew of shifters and virile male dragons with nothing but Dugal, of all people, standing between them and me. And the last person I wanted in that position was the man who intended to make me his mistress.
Sure, he had promised the king he wouldn’t do anything without my permission, but still. He had a sleazy way about him, which made me wonder how honorable he would be in the end, especially now I was so fertile. There was no need to ask Broderick if that was really true, given I was on birth control because I felt it,never mind saw it in his eyes the night before. He had desired me before, but this was a whole new level of lust, and I felt the same for him.
What was that all about, anyway? Why would this happen at such an inopportune time? Unfortunately, considering my last life seemed to be seeping into this one, all I could think was maybe history was trying to repeat itself. As it were, Ihadbecome pregnant by the enemy in another life, only to end up losing both our lives in the end.
If things weren’t crappy enough, I lost telepathic communication with Broderick once we were on Sutherland land, and I was surprised by how much that affected me. I had become so used to having his presence in my mind that it was profound not feeling him there anymore, lending me strength. Neither I nor my inner beast liked it one damn bit.
My only glimmer of hope came when I pulled bread out of the satchel Chara had given me, only to find a small, simple blade tucked inside. The same shade of brown as the satchel, it had been hidden in a secret pocket, so it was difficult to see. When Flame sniffed inside and met my eyes, I realized it was Broderick’s Viking sword. How I knew that by looking into a wolf pup’s eyes was beyond me, but it was true, and it gave me a level of comfort I hadn’t had before.
One much needed given what lay ahead.
It turned out the Sutherland’s castle was different from the MacLeods. Surrounded by woodland, it didn’t sit on a cliff but was relatively close to one. Not surprisingly, I had the same strange sense of déjà vu I’d had at MacLeod Castle, only this time, there was a strong sense of dread associated with it, similar to the dread I’d felt the first time I saw Dugal.
The structure was less rugged than MacLeod Castle and more circular, with several towers built higher than the treetops. Like MacLeod Castle, it had been designed to give dragons a better view of the countryside around them.
People eyed us curiously as we made our way into the courtyard. Like Broderick’s clan, they appeared to be a thriving community, though, for whatever reason, I expected the opposite. When I saw how Dugal interacted with his people after he swung down from his horse and announced my arrival, I understood the dynamics of his leadership. Unlike Broderick, he wasn’t a friend to them but appeared to rule with an iron fist as he barked orders, and warriors jumped to do his bidding.
I couldn’t tell if people feared or respected him, but I imagined it would become clear soon enough. Meanwhile, he tried to help me off my horse, but I did it myself, keeping the wolf in hand. Flame seemed to take everything in with a wiser eye than I would have expected, given he was only a pup. Then again, like Broderick had implied, he was clearly powerful in his own right if Dugal hadn’t sensed the dragon magic clinging to him.
“M’lady?” Dugal said, holding out his elbow to me. He might sound chivalrous, but I didn’t miss the dark gleam of anticipation in his eyes. “Might I escort ye into yer new home?”
Though tempted to deny him because this best not end up being my home, something about his tone told me I better play nice for now, so I set Flame down and took his arm. It was the first time I had made physical contact with him, and I knew whatever he might think, I would never be drawn to him like he wanted me to be.
