Page 14 of Her Scot of Bygones
Though I felt numerous questions churning in her mind, she managed a jerky nod and grew too silent for my taste. What made it worse was that I knew she was more hurt by my actions than angry. She didn’t understand why I hadn’t taken her directly to Aspen since I was aware she was in a delicate condition.
It changed her opinion of me, and I didn’t like it one bit. In fact, as Broderick saw her safely astride his horse, I tendedto agree with both my cousin and Hazel. Ihadacted without thinking, and I was equally frustrated with myself. I only ever meant to keep her out of Sutherland hands because I was certain she belonged to me, yet now that she bore the mark, I had ended up leading her to something that might take her away.
Worse still, I did it despite knowing how much it would upset Aspen.
More and more MacLeods on horseback fell in around us as we made our way through the woodland toward the castle, all at arms and silent. Even Hazel was quiet, despite the awe she felt when MacLeod Castle came into view, sitting tall, rugged, and proud on a towering cliff overlooking an ocean as choppy as my mood. How determined and optimistic I had been when I left our castle earlier, thinking I would return with my adoring, fated mate, and all would be well, because it was one less sister at risk. Yet, somehow, I had accomplished the opposite.
Never was that clearer than when we entered the courtyard and Aspen rushed over to embrace Hazel when Broderick helped her down from his horse. After the women headed inside without a backward glance, Broderick gave me a look I knew all too well and gestured that I follow him into the War Chamber off the great hall.
Yet when the doors shut behind us, I wasn’t subjected to fuming words like I expected, but the opposite…mostly.
“Ye acted as recklessly as usual,” he bit out, his dragon eyes flaring as he poured us cups of whisky. “But fortunately for ye, this time, according to my parents, ‘twas precisely what ye should have done.”
I frowned and downed half my whisky. “How so? All I did was bring Hazel closer to the enemy in more ways than one, not to mention disobeying ye and upsetting Aspen.” I shook my head, truly meaning it. “I cannae tell ye how sorry I am, cousin. I only meant to keep Hazel safe.”
Broderick gave me an odd look, as if trying to figure me out because I wasn’t usually one to apologize for what I considered sound thinking, but he seemed to accept it and nodded once. “Just dinnae do it again.” I felt the warning in his inner beast when he looked at me this time. “I willnae see Aspen that upset again. ‘Twas a wonder we managed to keep her here because she wanted to go after ye and Hazel.”
No doubt she did.
I nodded once in return, assuring him he had my word before filling him in on everything that had happened. “Why does Uncle Marek and Aunt Chara think I did the right thing?”
I knew it was more likely Broderick’s mother who sensed it, but still.
“Because Hazel saw her tree then ‘twas ye who went for her,” Chara said, having heard my question as she and Marek entered through a hidden door.
As always, despite their age, they were a handsome couple. Chara wore her white hair braided, and Marek looked like an older version of Broderick with silver-streaked black hair. The only difference was he had a scar at his temple and gray eyes instead of green.
When I frowned at Chara in confusion, she handed me a scroll with no seal. “We received this shortly after ye left to go to the twenty-first century. ‘Twas not signed, but I suspect ye’ll know who ‘tis from.”
Perplexed, I unrolled it and read, baffled by the words because they coincided with what just happened.
If Hazel saw her tree and ye went to her, Lucas, then ‘tis just as I dreamt and she has found her way back to us. I will trust in yer honor to let her dragon guide ye down the path the three of us must travel to find out which of us she is destinedfor. If ye do not allow her to follow her curious nature back to where we began, then ‘twill be war betwixt us again.
“How can this be?” Scowling, I tossed the unsigned scroll into the fire and shook my head. “What the bloody hell does Evan Sutherland know that I dinnae?”
“We would like to know that as well,” Broderick said. “What ye told me about him knowing her when they were bairns lends credence to his claim, though.” His brow furrowed, and he shook his head. “The letter was delivered by a peasant who claimed it was given to him by a hooded figure who insisted it be hand-delivered to the MacLeod laird, or the future of Scotland would be at stake.”
“Are we to assume ‘twas Evan then?” I wondered. “Or mayhap Hazel’s father, if we believe he didnae pass away in the twenty-first century as everyone was led to believe?”
Though just an assumption, it made sense given Hazel’s father was none other than Malcolm Sutherland. A powerful dragon who had been banished from Sutherland Castle long ago, before he could become chieftain.
Since then, he had sired four daughters in the twenty-first century with four different women, and somehow he also played a part in this wretched pact. We believed he was trying to help his daughters evade the Sutherlands by bringing them together with their MacLeod fated mate. Yet one sister was destined to fulfill the pact, so it remained unclear how he could help her.
“Setting aside that I felt Evan’s essence on that letter—” Chara gave me a pointed look— “’twas common knowledge, at least in this clan, that ye shared a rare friendship with the lad, considering the MacLeods and Sutherlands have never been in the habit of being friendly with one another.”
“Aye,” Marek agreed, eyeing me curiously. “One that ended over a lass, if I recall correctly, with a threat ‘twould be war betwixt ye if ever ye met again.”
“Aye,” I confirmed, catching the irony because the lass had not been a twenty-first-century time traveler. I was about to say more, but it seemed Broderick had been communicating with Aspen via the mind because he spoke before I could and shared welcome news.
At least at first, I thought it was welcome news.
CHAPTER NINE
–Hazel–
WHERE ANY TWENTY-FIRST-CENTURY woman in her right mind would marvel at the medieval Scottish castle that appeared on a cliff backdropped by a turbulent ocean, I felt like I was in a fog of despair as we approached. How could Lucas have taken me when he knew my sister Aspen was in such a delicate condition? While I knew he thought he had my best interests in mind, I saw a vein of selfishness in his actions that I didn’t much care for.
More than that, I felt betrayed.
