Page 14 of Her Scot of the Morrow
Or so I could only hope.
“I am,”she said, her internal voice shaky in a way that alarmed me.“So far.”
While that was a relief, what she said next was anything but.
CHAPTER NINE
–Willow–
NOTHING WAS STRANGER than when I woke up outside Sutherland Castle because I felt like a ghost with one foot in reality and one foot in the Morrow. Or so I assumed because I could see everyone else clearly, but they couldn’t see me. Well, except for Sloan.
Even so, I was surprised he wanted me to stay close when I could end up being thrust out of the Morrow at any time, just like he was, while Dugal Sutherland and his mother, Elspet, paraded down to my willow with him in tow. Surprised but okay with it because again, I liked being close to Sloan, even in this strange in-between place where I found myself. Not just that, but I knew without a doubt he would protect me from Dugal, who was tall and broad-shouldered like Sloan but scary dark somehow, and Elspet, with her tightly tied silver hair and beady black eyes, so sinister she made my skin crawl.
I felt comforted by Sloan's presence until the last thing I expected appeared, and I feared his reaction when he found out. Feared he might do something to get himself killed because the way Dugal looked at him with stormy gray, piercing eyes was truly frightening.
Especially now the mark had appeared on him, of all people…again.
I assured Sloan I was still in the Morrow as Dugal stared him down, and had no choice but to tell him what he desperately needed to know. I had no choice but to voice it because I couldn’trisk Sloan looking at me and revealing my presence if I showed him.
“I’ve got it too, Sloan,”I said gently, doing my best to bank my fear because I knew exactly what kind of man Dugal was and saw the hatred in his eyes.“When Dugal touched the willow tree and his tattoo appeared, mine did too.”
“Bloody hell,”he cursed into my mind, but kept his eyes locked with Dugal’s and his expression calm, proving he was cool under fire, yet I heard the emotion in his brogue.“Dinnae remain close to me after all, Willow. Ye should get as far away from me and this lot as ye can. Go back to MacLeod Castle for now. Anywhere but here.”
“Yeah, that’s not happening.”Not that I knew how to transport myself somewhere else within the unraveling spell,anyway.“Leaving you alone with these two isn’t an option.”Not after the way they glared at him with such hate.“I know they’ve assured the king they can be trusted, but I’m certain they can’t be. Your instincts to keep me close were right.”
I wasn’t sure how I knew that, but I did. Nonetheless, I would never abandon him here or anywhere else, for that matter. Much less let him out of my sight. And we were in luck because for the first time ever, I could approach a castle rather than admire it from afar. So I followed when they led him back to Sutherland Castle despite his grumblings for me to remain safe.
Granted, it was strange walking over the drawbridge and beneath the portcullises into a bustling courtyard without anyone knowing I was there, but at the same time, it was pretty incredible. It was late afternoon now and busy with warriors passing by on horseback and people selling wares from carts, yet somehow things felt subdued in a way I couldn’t quite pinpoint. If anything, I sensed the same unease I’d felt since finding out about my mom’s ring.
I tried not to think about that right now, though, given I wore the same mark as Dugal, and his was the first castle in medieval Scotland I could enter, hinting that the unraveling spell had literally led me to his doorstep. I knew Sloan was connecting all those dots, too, despite his calm expression.
“See him back to his chambers,” Elspet spat at a guardsman, gesturing loosely in Sloan’s direction. “We will summon him later to talk business.”
“What does she mean by that?”I wondered, walking beside him through the front door into an impressive great hall full of tapestries depicting nature and animals, which, honestly, didn’t do much for me.
“I dinnae know as there is no business to attend until your arrival.”
“Right, that,”I muttered, dreading my first shift.“Can’t say I’m looking forward to it.”
“Nor I,”he replied, as we followed the guardsman up a set of stairs that ran along the back wall leading to a long, narrow corridor.“Whatever happens, I willnae let him have you, Willow. You have my word.”
While I appreciated him saying it, we both knew he might have no choice. Otherwise, there would be war between the clans, with the MacLeods on the wrong side.
“Then we will be on the wrong side,”Sloan vowed, his inner tone so thick with vehemence I feared it might get us in trouble because in the end I knew he would do whatever it took to keep me out of Dugal’s clutches.
“And I will,”he swore, after the guard closed the door behind us, leaving us in a simple chamber with an arrow-slit window, a few sparse furnishings, and a wooden trunk. Now that it was safe, he finally turned and looked right into my ghostly eyes.“I know ‘twould probably be best to assure you otherwise so you arenae frightened, but I cannae because Dugal’s amonster, lass.”He shook his head, never more serious.“And I willnae see him harm you. ‘Twould be unthinkable.”
“Then let’s not think about it,”I said, knowing him well enough to redirect the conversation and calm him down so he could think logically again.
That meant focusing on the one thing I suspected could do that.
“We have a lot of catching up to do,”I went on, drifting to the window, however narrow its opening.“Tell me about King Robert. I know Aspen found him kind and smart with enough humor to make him likable. He only grew serious when talking about the English, and I get it.”I cocked my head, wondering if I would get to meet him along the way.“But what’s your take, given you’re with him more often and at the border, no less.”
“I see what you’re doing here, lass,”he mused, joining me at the window.“Robert’s all those things and more. He’s of sounder mind than most realize, a clever strategist like his grandfather, Robert the Bruce, and ruthless when he needs to be. He loves this country every bit as much as I do, and I’m honored to serve him and call him a friend. He’s a man well worth dying for.”
“I would say all of that is worth keeping in mind,”I said, somehow still overly aware of Sloan’s proximity despite the divide between us. But then, he’d been in my head and heart for a long time.“It has to be worth it, Sloan.”I searched his eyes, trying to make him see.“He has to be worth it above all others because he represents everything you love.”
“But he doesnae represent ye,”he said roughly.“And I love ye above all the rest, Willow. My love and devotion to ye is everlasting, no matter what happens within these walls or on what side of the Morrow.”He tried to touch my cheek, but couldn’t any more than he could before, with the centuriesbetween us.“’Twill never change.”He shook his head.“It cannae.”
