Highland Fires (14 page)

She had never felt so alone or frightened in
her life. “I do,” she lied. “Since you know my name, why not give
me yours?”

He bowed his head slightly, and in his deep
timber said, “I am Tane.”

“Tane, I beg you, leave Lugus unharmed and
alive.”

He took a deep breath. “What makes you think
I’ve come for you?”

Ahryn didn’t believe her ears. “You haven’t
come for me?”

Tane shook his head.

“Then wh....” She stopped as realization
dawned on her. She glanced at Lugus then turned back to Tane.
“Why?”

“Why?” he repeated, his black brows raised.
“He is the rightful heir to the Fae kingdom. He was unjustly
imprisoned, and only by his strength of will did he survive and
manage to exit a realm no one has been able to leave before. And
you ask why?”

She tried to swallow but found her mouth dry.
“What do you want with him? He is a good man.”

“We know. A wrong needs to be righted, Ahryn.
Lugus needs to return to your realm.”

“He cannot. He’s been
banished.”



Tane closed his eyes and sighed. When he
opened them again, his gaze was harsh, demanding. “You must get him
into the Fae realm. At any cost.”

Ahryn looked away from Tane’s penetrating
copper gaze. “I’ve already discussed his return with him. He won’t
go. Nothing will make him pass through the gateway.”

“He will go through it.”

It was Tane’s tone, so certain and powerful,
that made Ahryn turn to him. “He could be killed.”

“Theron may be many things, but he would not
kill his own brother.”

“How do you know so much about Theron and
Lugus?” she asked.

His eyes moved away from her. “That doesn’t
matter.”

She sensed that he knew much
more than he was willing to share, but she also knew he wouldn’t
give her any more information. “What if I cannot get him to come
with me through the gateway?”



“I will get him through the gate,” Tane
said.

Ahryn wanted Lugus in her realm so Theron
could see how wonderful Lugus was, but she couldn’t help but doubt
Tane. He was a Draconian.

“You doubt I’m sincere,” he said.

It wasn’t a question, but a fact, and Ahryn
nodded. “Draconian’s and Fae do not mix.”

“And why is that? Haven’t you ever
wondered?”

She had, but she wasn’t about to admit that
to Tane. “You are working with Marcus. For all I know you gave him
the bracelet to trap me,” she said and held up her right hand.

Tane walked to her and stared at the
bracelet. “Marcus told me he had it, but I never saw it until now.”
He moved his gaze to her face. “You cannot remove it.”

“Nay.”

“I can.”

Her breath left her body in a whoosh. “Then
do it,” she said

“Only if you make sure Lugus is with you at
the gateway.”

“Once I pass through the gate, the bracelet
will no longer work.”

“Who told you that?”

Ahryn could feel sands of Fate shifting
beneath her feet. “I just assumed....”

“You assumed wrong,” Tane said and moved to
stand near Lugus. “Until that bracelet is removed, you will not
have your magic.”

“Surely someone on my realm will be able to
remove it.”

He shrugged. “Possibly. If they can decipher
the marks.”

Ahryn glanced down at the bracelet and the
marks she and Lugus had looked over. “You know what they mean?”

“I do, and I will remove the bracelet as soon
as Lugus is again on the Realm of the Fae.”

Ahryn inhaled deeply and realized she didn’t
have much of a choice. “All right. Just answer me one
question.”

“If I can,” he said softly.

“Do you intend to hurt or kill Lugus in any
way?”

One side of his mouth lifted in a smile. “If
I wanted to kill him, I would have done it while you slept. Nor
will he be harmed or killed once he returns to your realm.”

“How can you promise that?”

“I can,” he said as he turned and walked
away.

Ahryn blinked, and he was gone. No sooner had
Tane vanished than Lugus began to stir. She watched as he slowly
rose up on one elbow and rubbed his head with his other hand.

“Did you sleep well?” she asked.

He grunted as he sat up. “I don’t think I’ve
ever slept so hard before.”

Ahryn turned to the sea. “Did we travel far
last night?”

“We did,” he answered as he came to stand
beside her. “I’ll go look for some food and water.”

“We can both go,” she said as she turned to
face him.

He studied her face a moment before he said,
“Are you rested enough?”

“Aye. I’m anxious to get to the gateway.”

“Then let us be off,” he said as he walked to
the black.

Ahryn watched as he untied the horse and gave
the big black beast a pat on the neck as he spoke hushed words into
the horse’s ear. She desperately wanted to know what words he
shared with the black, but she knew she would never know.

“Come,” Lugus said and held out his hand.

Ahryn shook her head. “I would like to
stretch my legs for a bit this morning. Besides, we need to save
the horse for later.”

She knew Lugus wondered at her logic by the
way he stared at her, but he didn’t question her. The truth was,
Ahryn needed to think over Tane’s visit and she couldn’t do that
with her arms wrapped around Lugus’s muscular abdomen.

“You are quiet this morning,” Lugus said
after awhile.

Ahryn shrugged. “It’s just that I’m so close
to home now.”

He nodded. “I understand. We could have slept
longer. I had intended to rest most of the day and travel at
night.”

“Why not travel when we can? We both were
rested this morning, and it’s only a little after noon. We’ll
travel slowly until dark.”

Lugus stopped walking and reached out to halt
Ahryn. “What is going on?” he asked. She had been different as soon
as he had opened his eyes. In truth, she looked...apprehensive...as
though she had much to think about.

Her mystical blue eyes met his, and he nearly
came undone by the fear and sadness in their depths. “Ahryn?”

She stepped away from him and lowered her
eyes. “I just want to return home, Lugus.”

He let her lie. Again. When she began
walking, he let her have a slight lead while he hung back and led
the black. They had gone another ten minutes or so when Lugus
spotted the small cottage.

When he started to hand the reins to Ahryn so
he could bargain for some food and water, she shook her head.

“Let me,” she said.

He was hesitant, but agreed. “All right.”

As he watched her walk to the cottage, he
fingered his dagger, praying he wouldn’t need it.

She reached the door and knocked. An older
woman answered and smiled at Ahryn. Though Lugus strained, he
couldn’t make out the words they exchanged, but it wasn’t long
before the woman handed Ahryn a basket and a water skin.

Ahryn had a wide smile as she made her way
back to him. “Hungry?” she asked as she lifted the basket that was
laden with food.

“Starved,” he admitted and reached into the
basket.

He waited until she had
gotten a piece of bread and cheese before he asked, “What did you
tell her?”



Ahryn grinned and started walking. “I told
the truth, that we were on a journey and asked if she had any food
to spare.”

“Amazing,” he said as he caught up with her.
“I think from now on I’ll let you get our food.”

She laughed and threw him a knowing look.
“I’m up to the challenge.”

Lugus quickly finished his meal and took a
long drink of water. He knew he needed to find them some fresh
water to refill the water skin, not to mention he would like a
bath. The last bath, if he could call it that, which had taken
place on board the ship, was just a bowl of water he washed
with.

He cast a glance at Ahryn and saw her steps
start to slow. Without asking, he reached over and lifted her atop
the black. She gave him a small smile and took hold of the horse’s
mane in one hand while she held onto the basket with the other.

They traveled in silence for hours, and it
was during that time that Lugus realized he had slept without
dreaming again. Twice now he had done that, and it worried him. Not
only had he slept hard, but he hadn’t dreamed. Of anything.

He glanced up at Ahryn and found her deep in
thought. It wasn’t Ahryn. She couldn’t use her magic with the
bracelet on, but then who could it be?

He had no answers. But he did know magic was
used. On him.

But for what purpose?

Chapter Fourteen

Ahryn closed her eyes and tried to imagine
the grace and beauty that was the Fae realm. The bright blue sky,
clean air, powerful waterfalls, mountains that reached nearly to
the heavens, and dragons.

She missed the commanding swish of the
dragons’ wings as they glided through the sky. She even missed the
sound of their roar in the fading light of the day when they
returned to their nests.

For years she had taken the dragons for
granted, but on the Earth realm where there weren’t any dragons,
she discovered just how much she missed them. She found herself
eager to look up into the sky and see a great red dragon or a small
green dragon soar through the air.

“Everything all right?” Lugus asked her
softly.

She opened her eyes and turned her gaze to
him. “I miss the dragons.”

He looked away quickly but not before she had
seen the anguish in his eyes. He missed them, too.

“Which were your favorite?” she asked.

One side of his mouth lifted in a smile. “I
loved to watch all of them, but I have to say my favorite was the
dark blue dragons.”

“Ah,” she said as she recalled seeing them
only once in her life. “They are magnificent and rare. So large and
graceful.”

“And powerful,” he added.

“Do you know why there are so few of
them?”

He shrugged his massive shoulders. “I suppose
they are like most creatures in that some of them survive and
prosper while others find it difficult to produce offspring.”

“I suppose,” she said. “I’ve only seen them
once, but I plan to seek them out when I return.”

He glanced at her and smiled. “You will have
to travel far.”

“I don’t care.”

“After this journey, you’ll
have no problem finding them, Ahryn.”


“Care to join me in my search?” She
wasn’t sure what prompted her to ask, but she knew she desperately
wanted him with her.

He looked away and sighed. “You know I
cannot.”

“No one will know you are in the realm.”

“Theron will.”

Ahryn looked down at him from atop the black
and thought over Tane’s words. She would do everything she could to
ensure Lugus did indeed return to the Realm of the Fae with her. He
belonged there, even if he didn’t want to acknowledge it. And if
she had to seek King Theron and Queen Rufina out herself to plead
his case, she most certainly would do that. He didn’t deserve to be
banished.

But what if he really does deserve his
punishment?

Ahryn refused to believe that. Lugus was a
good man and whatever he did couldn’t have been so terrible that he
wasn’t allowed to live with his own people. He was a Fae, with or
without his immortality.

She would keep her word to Tane, but if there
ever came a time when Lugus’ life was in danger or he would be hurt
in any way, she would make sure Tane was hunted down and
punished.

Whatever Lugus might be, he was her savior,
and that was enough for her.

Is it really? Would you still think that if
you knew the whispered rumors the elders passed regarding him?

Ahryn wanted to think she would, but it was
hard to say. She tried to imagine the worst and that involved
innocents being killed, something she knew Lugus would never do.
Lugus wasn’t a killer.

But she had doubts
about
Caer Rhoemyr’s
destruction. The city of kings was a sacred place, and for
someone to try and destroy it would very well have resulted in
their banishment.

She made up her mind then that once they
reached the Fae realm she would discover exactly what Lugus had
done and decide for herself. He had made it plain he would never
tell her, but she knew one person that would--her grandfather.

She was so deep in thought she hadn’t noticed
Lugus take them off the coast and head inland until he stopped the
black and she found herself staring at a small loch.

When she glanced at Lugus, he shrugged. “I
need a bath,” was his only explanation as he dismounted. He set the
basket on the ground, then reached for her.

Her hands gripped his shoulders as she slid
from the horse. His large hands nearly spanned her waist, and she
found the heat of him exhilarating and addictive. Before she made a
fool of herself, she stepped away from him with her head down and
turned to look at the water.

“You may bathe first,” she said as she
hurried away to the grove of trees. There was something about Lugus
that made her yearn for his kisses, his touch. Something that made
her want to throw caution to the wind and see where it would lead
her.

But she knew exactly where it would lead
her--into Lugus’ arms. It was exactly what she wanted, but she knew
he didn’t really want her. His body may want a woman to slake his
needs, but his heart wanted...Moira.

Ahryn found herself hating Moira. Who was
this woman that had such a tight hold of Lugus, and why wasn’t she
with him?

As Ahryn leaned against a tree and stared at
the sea, she knew no one would answer her questions. If she ever
encountered Moira, she would find out the truth.

She heard a splash and knew Lugus had dove
into the water. She could easily envision his hard, lean body
gliding through the dark water until his head crested the surface.
Just that image alone had her heart racing and her breathing coming
in great gulps.