Caledonia Fae 05 - Elder Druid (24 page)

He took her hand and kissed it. “If putting this condition into our contract reassures you, I will not protest. But please understand, I do not find the proposition of fathering your child a difficult one to accept, Imena. You will not need to coerce me to fulfil my duty to you and to Zalia.”

She nodded. “I will speak to my mother about the legal changes you demand. Will you not sign the contract without them and trust me to work tirelessly on your behalf?”

“It is not an issue of trust, but one of law. I believe your sincerity. I must enjoy legal protection as an azuri. When I sign this contract, I will pledge my loyalty to Zalia. I need more than assurances, regardless of the good faith in which you offer them.”

“Very well,” she said. “I have no objection. I only doubt my ability to deliver what you require.” She paused. “One thing I
can
promise. I discussed this with the conclave, and they offered no opposition. They will grant your bonded druid legal status in Zalia. Regardless of whatever we negotiate separately with their Hall, I want to offer assurance that you would never be forcibly separated from him.”

A chill passed over Tràth. Since burying his connection to Douglas, he’d felt insulated from his heartache.

“You’re not pleased?” Imena looked confused.

“I am,” he said cautiously. He’d wondered how much her choice of him over other suitors had to do with her desire to ally Zalia with the Druid Hall. “Douglas and I have difficulties in our relationship. He is young, even by human standards, and the bonding magic is not without a price. Although we will accept your generous offer, I doubt he will come often. His work demands much.”

“Naturally. I expect you will travel to visit him occasionally, and I’m prepared to accommodate your needs,” she said. “I understand the bonding magic makes extended periods of separation problematic.”

“You are kind,” Tràth said and stood. He took Imena’s hand to help her stand. “Now, there was talk of a meal, was there not?”

“Indeed.” She smiled as she rose. “I am grateful for your good faith. I will speak with my mother and her conclave after our meal and hope to have a formal trade contract for your approval immediately. As to our other agreement, I will put forward your requests, but I make no promises.”

“Good,” he said. They returned to the dining room hand in hand. “I plan to return to the Halls of Mist as soon as we come to an agreement. I’m eager to make the arrangements necessary to move to Zalia and begin work. Already my steward is preparing for the transition.”

“You were that confident we would accept your terms?”

“Yes,” he said with a smile. “Zalia needs this, not only for the azuri, but for the tie to Caledonia, a rising power, and to the Druid Hall. You haven’t spoken directly of it, but I suspect part of what drew you to choose me was my bond to one of their number.”

She tilted her head and sat on the dining lounger. “I will not deny that is one of the reasons my mother and her conclave so readily agreed when I told them of my proposition.”

He nodded and took a place across from her. “Clearly, we all stand to gain. It is an equitable and constructive arrangement.”

As though summoned by telepathy, a swarm of servants came in to lay out an intricate and formal feast befitting a celebration. Apparently, he was not the only one who had been confident of the outcome. Still, he wished he could quiet the twinge of doubt tugging at his thoughts.

Exhaustion threatened to overwhelm Aaron. He lay in bed, wide awake, even though it was past time to get up. Since returning to the Halls of Mist, he’d hardly slept. The call of the bond penetrated his every thought, but he refused to pursue the final step. Joy didn’t even know who he was. How could he ask this of her?

She was so battered and bruised, both body and mind. She flinched and cowered at unfamiliar sounds. He’d begun to wonder if he’d done her a disservice by bringing her here. Afraid of crowds to the point of refusing to eat with the other druids, she even jumped when the servants came in to clean.

At least Cen had some success with her. He asked her to sign the words he spoke to her to help improve his sign language vocabulary. Aaron tried to get used to having an interpreter around all the time. He was
never
alone. Joy constantly pressed on his thoughts.

Munro’s death hit him hard. Aaron still couldn’t believe what had happened. They’d had their differences on occasion. Munro sometimes overruled others without worrying about a consensus. Now that he was gone, though, Aaron realised how much he relied on and trusted the other druid. He’d been the buffer, the one who held them together, the voice of reason and experience. Two years ago, Frankie had been killed by Cridhe. A year ago, Phillip had been murdered by Queen Cadhla, and now Munro. Three of the original six Scottish druids dead. They’d added Huck, Demi, and Lisle to their numbers, but none of them had Munro’s talent for leadership. Aaron supposed it would be up to him to step up. Douglas was too young and lacked the experience. The others would never listen to him. Rory just wasn’t a natural leader.

Aaron sighed. The first order of business would be to announce Munro’s death. The Druid Hall would coordinate with Caledonia, because Griogair didn’t want Eilidh’s condition made public too soon, but they couldn’t wait forever. Still, they shouldn’t plan the death rites until Huck and Demi returned from America.

When Aaron and the others arrived at the Hall, he’d sent Jalail back to his regular duties. With a sigh, he realised he missed having an attendant to wake and dress him in the evenings and coordinate his night. He laughed at the realisation.
An ex-cinema employee turned lord. What a joke.
Still, he had a job to do. He might as well make life easier for himself.

He heaved himself out of bed and put on a robe before going to wash his face. With Joy taking up the second bedchamber in his suite, he’d quit walking around naked, even though she was blind. When he entered the sitting room, he was surprised to see Joy up, dressed, and waiting for him. Cen waited to the side, his hand resting on the back of her chair. When she heard Aaron come in, Joy stood.

“Good evening,” Aaron said to both of them. “Sorry I’m a bit late getting up tonight. Didn’t sleep so well.” Cen began translating their conversation.

Joy signed, “I know. Your restlessness worries me.” Then Cen added, “Lady Joy wishes to speak with you about the bonding, my lord druid.”

Aaron stopped dead in his tracks. He hadn’t brought up the topic on purpose. “Sure,” he said. “Let me wash up. I’ll be right back.”

He took an extra few minutes in the washroom. With everything else going on, he’d almost convinced himself the bonding didn’t matter. He should wait. They’d take their time. Why, then, was his heart racing?

He emerged no more ready for the conversation after the delay. He sat across from Joy and let Cen do his best to be as unobtrusive as one might when translating an intimate conversation from English into the fae tongue for one party and from Zalian sign language into English for the other.

“Are you sure you’re ready to discuss this?” Aaron asked. “We can take our time.”

“My heart pulls,” Joy signed.

“Mine too,” Aaron admitted. “Do you understand what the bond means?”

Joy nodded. “I believe so.”

“Maybe we should talk to some of the other bonded pairs before you decide. Things didn’t work out so well for Tràth and Douglas. They hardly speak to each other, and Tràth has been searching for a way to close down the effects. Eilidh and Munro fell in love, maybe even because of the bond. Now he’s dead, and she may never recover.”

He watched her face as Cen translated. She didn’t seem shocked or worried. Instead, she shook her head and signed, “It won’t be that way for us.”

“You can’t be certain,” Aaron said. He had to wonder where she was getting her information. “Who have you been talking to about the bond?”

Joy’s fingers flew, and Cen had to ask her a question in the fae tongue before he understood. “Flùranach came while you rested. She brought clothing for me, and we talked. She’s been kind.”

“Flùranach and Rory are different. Their bond isn’t complete, and Rory may never accept what is essentially a false match,” Aaron said. “Did she explain what she’d done?” Aaron never really warmed to Flùranach, although he kept his opinions to himself. He was pleased Rory seemed to have forgiven her for everything that had happened, but it never sat well with Aaron that she’d gotten away with attacking Rory and stealing his bond.

Joy nodded. “She told me.” A worried frown crossed Joy’s face before she began to sign again. “Do you not want to bond?” She touched her scars self-consciously.

“It’s not that I don’t want to, but I have concerns. You don’t know me. You might decide in a week or a month or a year that you hate me. I could never forgive myself if you were tied to me but didn’t want to be.” He thought of Tràth and Douglas, how broken-hearted they both were. Douglas was still conflicted but clearly crushed by a sense of loss since Tràth closed the bond.

“You seem sad,” Joy signed. “Even if I am not what you would have wanted in a bond-mate, I can be good to you.”

Aaron froze. “There’s nothing wrong with you,” he said more harshly than he intended.

Joy smiled sadly. “I am scarred and ugly. Flùranach told me a sexual attraction accompanies the bond. I’m sorry I’m not prettier, more what you deserve.” Her fingers shook as she signed, and even Cen had difficulty keeping the emotion out of his voice as he translated.

Flùranach.
Aaron grumbled to himself. She had no business interfering. “Stop,” Aaron barked. Joy flinched, and he reminded himself to be gentle. He took her hand. The bonding magic made him flush with happiness when he touched her. Softening his tone, he said, “You’re perfect.” He tried to find an explanation she would understand. “My title seems grand, but I came from a poor place, a poor family. Even if I live in a castle and people bow and call me lord, I’m just an uneducated bloke from the arse-end of nowhere. What I’m really afraid of is what happens when you see the real me.”

As Cen translated, she squeezed Aaron’s hands and shook with silent laughter. She released his fingers and signed again. “We are more alike than I realised. We have the same fears. Can we not put them behind us? My heart tells me our bond will only make us happier. Will you take me?”

“Of course,” he said and went to one knee in front of her. “Because you can’t speak, I don’t know how we make this work. Do you understand the words?” The bonding words had echoed in his thoughts since before they left Zalia.

She nodded. “I hear them.”

“Try signing them,” Aaron said. He watched as her fingers danced, but he sensed no change. She frowned with frustration. “Can you make any sound with your mouth at all?”

Reflexively, she touched the raised brand on her forehead, the only one of her gestures Aaron understood.

“Nothing you think, do, or say is forbidden here,” he said.

She nodded uncertainly. She moved her lips and breathed out, her tongue making quiet clicking noises in her mouth. The sound was softer than a whisper, but it was enough. A rush of warmth filled Aaron’s chest, and tears came to his eyes. He sensed her presence, bright and overflowing with vitality. A pleasant tingling buzzed over his skin. His awareness became more heightened, and his blood pounded in his veins.

“My lord druid?” Cen said, concern in his voice.

Aaron opened his eyes and realised he’d slumped against Joy’s chair. He struggled to rise, and Joy helped him join her on the wide seat. So many physical sensations rushed through him that he hardly knew what to say. He touched Joy’s cheek. She shied away at first, but the bond told him her reaction was fear of rejection, not of his touch. Cupping her face in his hand, he tilted her chin toward him. “
Dem’ontar-che.
”
The ancient bonding words played across his tongue. He understood the vow deep in his soul. He belonged to Joy forever. He was helpless against her will. He would live or die for her. Never had he experienced trust or faith of this magnitude.

Joy sucked in her breath in surprise. Aaron watched as the same experience he’d just gone through swept over her. Nobody had told him the joining would be like this. If he’d had an inkling, he would have said the words the instant her presence compelled him. Despite all the concerns on his shoulders, Aaron suddenly believed everything would be all right. He leaned forward and kissed her, a soft, almost chaste meeting of lips. They touched foreheads and sat for a moment, relishing the new sensations.

“My lord druid,” Cen said softly. “Guests have arrived.”

Aaron opened his eyes and glanced toward the door. Lisle stood in the entryway with Jago by her side. “I’m sorry to interrupt,” she said. “We wanted to see if Lady Joy might like to come for a walk, perhaps eat with us later. She hasn’t been out much. I thought she would enjoy learning her way around the castle.” She hesitated. “We can come back another time.”

“Come in,” Aaron said. “It’s fine.” He squeezed Joy’s hand. “We just completed the bonding.”

Lisle’s face lit up, and she and Jago came and sat with the others. “How wonderful. Congratulations to both of you.”

“Thank you,” Joy signed.

“I want to learn signing, too,” Jago said to Cen. “Can you teach me?”

Joy appeared startled, and she turned toward Cen and signed furiously. He replied in the fae tongue, and they talked for a moment.

“What is it?” Aaron asked.

“Lady Joy didn’t realise Jago was an infant. She said, as best I can understand, his aura was so large she didn’t know until he spoke he was so young.”

His aura? Interesting. So she did see
something
. He’d ask her more about her abilities. As far as her surprise about Jago, Aaron understood. Fae children were rare enough, so he assumed azuri children were even more rare. He doubted her people were allowed to produce children, considering the fae only seemed to conceive if they went to the human realm to make a sacrifice. Therefore the only azuri children would be genetic anomalies born to earth fae parents. He wondered how old she had been when she’d been silenced and sent beyond the Shadow Gate, but that was a question for another day.