Highland Fires (10 page)

She chewed her bottom lip and brushed the
hair from her face with her hand. The jingle of her slave bracelet
drew her attention. She ran her finger over the intricate knotwork
of the ancient Celts and wondered about the strange markings that
looked somewhat like a language. If anyone could decipher what the
language was, they would be found on the Fae realm. She just had to
get there first.

Needing some air, Ahryn scooted to the end of
the bed, then slipped on her shoes and quietly left the cabin. Just
as it normally was after a vicious storm, the sky shown blue and
the sun bright.

She leaned on the railing and studied the
deep blue of the sea. Off to her left and up ahead was the Isle of
Skye. If she walked to the other side of the ship she would be able
to make out the isle, but she didn’t like knowing it was so close
yet so far away.

“Good morn, milady,” the captain said as he
approached.

Ahryn inclined her head and wished she had
taken the time to replait her hair. She could only imagine how
awful she looked having just woken up.

“I see you survived the storm,” he said as he
leaned an elbow on the rail and stared at her.

The captain was an older man with hair nearly
completely white and a full beard to match. His hazel eyes seemed
innocent, but Ahryn somehow doubted he was.

“I did,” she finally answered. “Thank you for
the excellent work in keeping us afloat.”

He chuckled and looked out over the water.
“That storm was nothing compared to some of the ones I’ve been in.
I could tell you stories that would make you never want to step
foot on a ship again.”

Ahryn found herself smiling. “I imagine that
you could.” Her eyes lowered, and that’s when she saw it…Lugus’
sword.

She knew he hadn’t been wearing it yesterday,
but she just assumed he had stowed it in their cabin.

“’
Tis a mighty fine sword,”
the captain said. “I’m surprised yer husband parted with
it.”

She swallowed and made her gaze meet his. “As
am I.”

“Just shows you how much he loves you,” the
captain said before walking away.

Ahryn was stunned. That sword had been a
masterpiece and worth the price of the ship and ten others just
like it. And the captain knew it. She tucked a stray hair behind
her ear and thought over the man asleep below deck.

~ ~ ~

Lugus came awake with a start. He sat up and
tried to get his bearings. His shoulder throbbed where a mast had
broken loose of its knot and slammed into him. Other parts of him
hurt just as badly as he recalled the many long hours as he and the
other sailors had struggled to keep the ship together in the
violent storm.

He braced one hand on the floor as he leaned
back. To his surprise, he realized it was the first night he hadn’t
dreamed of Moira. He knew it was probably due to his fatigue, so
didn’t scrutinize it more.

His stomach grumbled, reminding him he hadn’t
eaten since yesterday morning. Using the bed as leverage, he pulled
himself up. And stared at an empty bed.

Chapter Nine

Lugus blinked. Where was Ahryn? She had to be
on the ship, but he had warned her just what her Fae magic could,
and would, do to the sailors.

He threw open the cabin door and rushed down
the narrow hall and up the stairs. As soon as he reached the deck
he had to stop and shield his eyes from the bright sun. With his
arm raised, he scanned the deck. When he didn’t find her at the
railing, he began to walk the ship.

It wasn’t until he reached the other side
that he found her. He stopped and braced his hands on his knees as
he drew in a deep breath. The trepidation he had felt at not
finding her scared the hell out of him. It had been a long time
since he had felt such a strong emotion, and he didn’t know if he
was ready to feel again.

When his breathing was under control, he
walked to her and leaned against the railing beside her. They
didn’t look at each other but stared at the water instead.

“Thank you for moving me to the bed,” she
said.

He still recalled walking into the dark cabin
and finding her huddled in the corner. Despite his fatigue, his rod
had stirred as he lifted her and placed her on the bed.

“I couldn’t let you sleep as you were.”

She shrugged. “You needed the rest more than
me. The floor couldn’t have been comfortable.”

“In truth, I was so tired I
didn’t notice.”



“You bartered your sword.”

Lugus sighed and turned
towards her. “Aye. I did.”



She faced him, her eyes troubled and her brow
furrowed. “Why? That sword was magnificent.”

“And can be replaced. I will make another
one.” He didn’t want her to know just how much the sword had meant
to him or how easily he had given it to the captain to give her
safe passage to the isle.

“You say the words, but you don’t mean them.
You forget I watched you while you worked. You put your heart and
soul into each weapon.”

“It is true I love crafting the weapons, but
they are just weapons, Ahryn.” She glanced away, but he had seen
the doubt in her mystic blue eyes. She knew he lied.

“Does the bruise pain you?” she asked and
pointed to his injured shoulder.

The pain was like having a
dragon chew through his shoulder, but he wouldn’t tell her that
either. “Not too badly.”



“It looks awful.”

He found himself wanting to smile at her
scrunched up nose and doubtful voice. “And to think I was told
women liked men with scars.”

The teasing light shown in her blue eyes as
she flipped her long braid over her shoulder. “Scars aye. Bruises
nay.”

To his surprise, he chuckled. He couldn’t
remember the last time he had smiled, much less laughed.

Ahryn leaned close and studied him. “Was that
what I thought it was?”

“Depends. What did you think it was?”

“A laugh?” she asked hopefully.

He thought a moment then nodded. “Aye, I
think it was.”

She leaned back and gave him a thoughtful
smile. “Interesting. The sound wasn’t half bad. I’m sure if you
work on it more it might even sound natural.”

Lugus looked away before he did start
laughing. Her teasing tone and quick thinking brought a smile to
his face like nothing else could.

“And I have to admit, the smile looks very
handsome on you.”

He swung his head around to her. “Ah, so you
do find me handsome.”

She raised a finger and
shook it side to side. “I said it
looked
handsome on you, not that you
were handsome. Maybe there’s something wrong with your
hearing.”

“I’ve never met anyone like you,” he
confessed before he thought better of it. “You’re in the most dire
of situations and yet you find something to laugh about.”

She shrugged and faced the railing again.
“Why not? What will happen will happen, and no amount of my
fretting or pouting will change that. And if jesting lightens the
mood for a moment and makes me forget, why not?”

Lugus had never thought of
it this way, and it gave him pause. “You find me dour, don’t
you?”



She threw him a look and shook her head. “Not
dour. You’re a brooding sort, and it gives me an extra challenge to
see if I can make you smile.”

He wasn’t the sort to be surprised or
intrigued by anything, yet Ahryn continued to do both to him. And
he didn’t want to be intrigued, especially by her.

His eyes followed her as she pushed from the
railing. He faced her, wondering what would come out of her mouth
next. Would she have a quick response that made him want to smile?
Or would she finally admit that he had kissed her before last
night?

“Be careful today,” she said as she trailed
her finger along the railing before she turned and walked away.

Lugus shook his head. Once again she had
surprised him. He could have sworn she had been about to say
something else. He sighed and moved his shoulder to try and work
out some of the soreness. The tightness and pain would only get
worse as the day drew on.

“Better grab some food, lad,” the captain
said as he sauntered by. “’Tis going to be a long day repairing the
damage the storm caused.”

Lugus nodded and made his way to the galley.
He took the offered bowl and tried not to look at the slop that was
dished into it. Instead, he sat and began to eat, hoping that Ahryn
got something better than the tasteless gruel he ate.

He barely got the last bite down before he
was up and once again on deck. He wanted to survey the damage
himself and see if it would cost them an extra day. His hands, sore
and blistered from the previous days work, throbbed and protested
when he reached onto the rigging and began to climb.

The damage wasn’t as bad as he had feared,
and he doubted it would slow them much at all. The relief he felt
was short lived as he realized that once on the isle, they would
still have to reach the gateway before Marcus. He and Ahryn had a
head start, but just how much of one?

As he set about attaching part of the sail
that had come loose he thought over the sensation he had when
leaving the dock that someone had been watching him. He wished he
had seen his eyes so Lugus would know if it was a Draconian--or
something else. It could have been his imagination and
apprehension, but he highly doubted it.

The tasks became more difficult, and Lugus
had to concentrate or fall to the deck. It was some time later that
he heard one of the sailors mumble something near him. Lugus turned
to the sailor to his right who hung perilously by just one hand and
foot as he pulled the sails tight. He followed the sailor’s line of
sight and found Ahryn strolling the deck.

She had done just as he asked and kept her
right hand hidden so no one would see the slave bracelet. Her steps
were slow, leisurely as she ambled about not looking at anyone or
anything.

His gaze was drawn to her like a dragon to
treasure, and if he were honest with himself, it wasn’t just his
gaze that wanted her. His body ached for her.

The memory of their kiss still lingered in
his mind as did the incredible feel of her body in his hands. The
desire that had flared in her mystic blue eyes had only fueled his
own. If they hadn’t been interrupted, Lugus knew he would have
claimed her that night. He couldn’t help but wonder how long he
could put off what he craved so dearly.

The hair on the back of his neck suddenly
stood on end. Slowly, Lugus looked over his shoulder, and he could
have sworn a set of copper eyes stared at him through the clouds.
He blinked and they disappeared, but he knew what he had seen. The
Draconians were on Earth. How many, he didn’t know, and by the time
he found out, it would most likely be too late.

He cursed and glanced down at Ahryn. If he
still had his powers, he could easily dispense with any Draconians
that came near her. But he didn’t have his powers anymore. No magic
flowed within him, only the memory of it did.

Quickly he finished tying off his knot and
began to descend to the deck. He landed in front of Ahryn and
reached for her hand.

“What is it?” she asked.

He pulled her below deck and into their cabin
before he turned to face her. “It’s the Draconia.”

She swallowed and sank onto
the bed. “How do you know?”



“They are watching us even as I speak.”

“Then there’s no hope for me,” she said with
a sigh.

Lugus knelt in front of her. “We will get you
to the gateway, and I vow that I will do everything I can to make
sure that you pass into your realm.”

“Our realm.”

He ignored her correction and stood.

“
What bothers me is their
sudden appearance and interest in you.”

“I have no idea what their interest is,” she
said and looked away.

He knew then she lied. It hurt that she would
trust him with her life but not her secrets. Yet, he wouldn’t tell
her he knew she lied. He would let her keep her secrets because the
only thing that mattered to him was getting her through the
gateway.

“They want something,” he
said. “If not you, then what?”



“Or who?” she said. “Your
brother, maybe?”



Lugus’ breath lodged in his chest. “Theron?”
His mind raced with the possibility. Theron was powerful as the
king of the Fae, but what would the Draconians want with him?

“Aye, Theron? Why not? He’s the king and very
powerful.”

He thought over her words and leaned against
the door. “It could be. I cannot think of anyone else they would
want for them to dare to venture into this realm.”

“It has to be,” she said and moved a strand
of flaxen hair from her face. “The Draconia haven’t been seen by
the Fae in….”

“Ages,” Lugus supplied for her.

She nodded. “Exactly. As you said, for them
to dare to venture here, they would have to be after either
something extremely powerful or extremely precious to them. Could
they be trying to take back this realm?”

“Nay,” he said. “I don’t think they would
dare try. It would be too difficult now to wage that kind of war
with all the humans about.”

Ahryn smiled inwardly when she heard Lugus
refer to the humans. Whether he wanted to admit it or not, deep
down, he still regarded himself as Fae.

She pondered the Draconians appearance. “Wars
have been fought before with humans here.”

“They have. However, it cost us dearly to
keep it from the humans.”

“If the Draconia are just as powerful as us,
they could very well try.” She watched as Lugus ran a hand down his
tired face. Her gaze caught his reddened hand and hated that he was
having to labor for her passage.