Loki (13 page)

“He’ll not whip my wife. You are to come to me if he threatens any such foolishness.”

She didn’t answer him.

Loki rubbed his thumb across her cheek. “Bella…you are my wife now. He has no rights. You promise to come and get me if aught happens?”

She nodded her head, but the movement was so slight it was almost imperceptible.

“Wife?”

“Aye, I promise.”

Why did Loki not quite believe her?

“There’s one other thing I need to ask you, wife.” He paused, taking a moment to put the fear into words. “Do you think I’m cold-hearted?”

“You, cold-hearted? Och, nay, Loki. How could you ask such a thing? You love all your cousins. I saw you dance with Ashley because she’s afraid of lads. Besides, you have protected your family again and again. You’re a soft-hearted lad, if you want my opinion.”

“My father’s men say he is hard-hearted, and they think I am the same because I don’t show pain.”

“Not showing pain does not mean you have a hard heart. Look at Lady Madeline. She has the biggest heart of all. That’s a daft notion. Do not listen to them. I’m surprised you can even think such a thing of yourself.”

“Well…”

“Well, what?” she prodded.

“Well, there’s one thing I think I do have in common with the earl.”

“Tell me more.”

He paused, hating to admit this one truth about himself, but he had to tell her. “I have always wanted to tell my parents how much they mean to me, how much the adoption changed my life, but each time I try, my tongue becomes muddled and doesn’t seem to work. I get so addled that I cannot think of what to say. Probably because I still carry the fear of being abandoned again.”

“Have you told them you love them? I know you would do aught for them.”

“Nay,” he replied, “The words just do not come.”

“Loki, you’ve told me you love me. Why not them, especially your father? Even I love my father, though he does often try my patience. I have many fond memories of him when I was younger.”

“I’ve had great difficulty, but after seeing what my true sire is like, I’m hoping I’ll be able to thank them. Blackett made my parents seem even more special.”

“When the time is right, you’ll say the right things. They know you love them, but ‘twould be nice for you to express your feelings in words, especially to Lady Celestina.”

“You are correct. Now I just need to decide how to do it.” And in his mind, he thought it would be the final testament to him being different from his sire. He would demonstrate that he was not hard-hearted by telling his parents what they meant to him. He’d told his wife, now he would tell the rest of his family.

“And Loki? You do not have to ever fear being alone again. Now you have me.”

He hadn’t thought of that, but she was right, wasn’t she?

Chapter Fourteen

The next morning it was time to say goodbye to the other half of their party. Loki promised his uncle he would consider working for the crown in the spring. First, though, they needed to get things settled with Clan Grant.

“Aye, and if I do not get the laird’s heir back to his clan soon, my brother will hang me by my ballocks.” Logan said, giving his nephew a sly look.

Torrian, already seated on his horse, had a huge grin on his face. “Aye, but this was such a great trip, Uncle Logan. We’ll have to do it again some time.”

Logan rolled his eyes as he turned to face the married couple. “Travel safely, and send a message with any news about your sire.” He gave Bella a kiss on the cheek and then slapped the flank of their horse. “On home with you both. Good luck with your sire, Bella. He’d be a fool not to accept Loki as your husband.”

Logan had left three guards to travel with them. Even though the next part of the journey was a rough climb over steep inclines, Loki liked it best of all. The majestic peaks of the Highlands around them were topped with snow, and they cast a white glow on everything. The leaves had mostly fallen, but some reds and golds lingered on the trees, while the green of the pines remained.

Later in the day, Loki tugged Bella tight against him to protect her from the cold wind whipping around them as they moved through a narrow pass in the forest. He had the sense they were no longer alone, or soon would not be, so he ordered a man to ride ahead of them—something he’d never done before. Usually he preferred to be in the lead, but now his priorities had changed. Wee Bella was his main concern. “Ride ahead. I sense someone is headed this way.”

The guard nodded and galloped out of sight.

“What is it, Loki?” Bella tipped her head back and stared into his eyes.

“I’m not sure, but we are close to Grant land. If someone is coming, it should be someone we know.” He stopped his horse and turned so he could listen to the wind. “We’re so far north, it must be someone from our clan. Not many would venture this far into the Highlands at this time of year.”

A few minutes later, their guard returned with a grin on his face. “Just a few Grant warriors ahead. They’re awaiting us.”

Loki flicked his reins and moved ahead, a smile breaking across his face as soon as he came upon the Grant contingency. His sire was in the lead, and as soon as Brodie saw Loki, he rode forward, moving away from all the guards. Loki led his horse directly up to Brodie’s. “Where are you headed? Do you need me along?”

Brodie chuckled. “Nay, we’re coming for you. We received a message you were being held for ransom. We were confident Logan Ramsay would handle everything, but I wished to see you with my own eyes. I’ve brought the coin to pay if necessary. What happened?”

Loki shrugged one shoulder.

A feminine voice interjected. “He escaped. He was held in a dungeon and chained to the wall, but my husband outsmarted his captors.” Bella crossed her arms and nodded her head for emphasis.

Brodie quirked his brow at his eldest son. “You escaped chains? And did I hear you correctly, Bella? Did you call him your husband?”

Loki nodded, wrapping his arms around her and tugging her close. “Aye, we married in Ayr, but we’d like to keep it a secret until I can win the approval of Bella’s sire.” Loki was happy to see their marriage pleased his sire, he could tell by the expression on his face and the way he looked at Bella. More important, Bella could tell he was pleased they had married. How blessed he’d been the day he met Brodie Grant.

“Congratulations and welcome to the family, Bella! Loki, you’ve chosen well and your mother will be verra happy. I will respect your wishes and not mention it until we meet with your laird to discuss it. Bella, do not mention your marriage around any of the guards or word will travel. I might add that ‘tis good to see you are safe, lass. We worried when you disappeared, though my wife and I had a good idea of where you’d gone.”

Bella blushed a shade of pink. “My apologies, but ‘twas the only way I knew to learn more about Loki.”

“‘Tis all right, lass. You are both here and happy.” Brodie chuckled and turned his horse around.

Loki was relieved that his adopted father still referred to himself as his father and Celestina as his mother. Thank the stars above they hadn’t given up on him now that they knew about the earl.

They headed for the Grant castle, and Loki was surprised to see the number of guardsmen who came out to escort him to the keep. Brodie moved to his side as the guards cheered him on. Naught was mentioned about why he’d been captured, but everyone seemed impressed that he’d escaped from his captors. There was also naught said about the fact that Bella and Loki were arriving together.

He was happy to be home. Once they dismounted from their horses, they crossed the cobblestone courtyard to applause and greetings from his clanmates. He wanted to hold his bride tucked against him, but she stepped away from him. If they were to perpetuate the ruse that they were not married, they would need to act like it.

As he neared the door leading in to the great hall, Alison and Catriona raced toward him. Each hugged one of his legs once they reached him. “Loki, we’re glad you are home. We were so worried. Do not ever leave us again.”

He returned their hugs and then moved on to the woman standing on the steps, tears flooding her cheeks and her arms outstretched in greeting. Celestina hugged him and said, “Saints above, I’m glad you are home safe, Loki.” She stepped back from him and cupped his face. “I was so afraid we’d lost our first son.”

“Nay, Mama,” he kissed her cheek. “Your son is hearty, do not worry about me.” Love swelled in his heart, and he hoped he’d soon get the opportunity and the courage to tell his parents how much their loyalty and support meant to him.

“You will never know how worried I was that you would not return to us. I was afraid you would find a mother or father to love more.”

“Nay. You need not worry about that ever happening. Come inside and I’ll explain everything to you.” He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and led her toward the door.

But the door flew open as soon as he reached for the handle, and before he knew it, Alex Grant stood in front of him. Loki was surprised to see that he was almost eye to eye with his laird. Naught would make him happier than to be able to look him in the eye.

“Loki, ‘twas a short trip on Brodie’s part. They met up with you on the way?” Alex grasped his shoulder, and after Bella and Celestina had entered the great hall, he led him through the door. “My guess is you have a story to tell. I’d like to hear it as soon as you’ve had something to eat.”

“If my laird approves,” Loki said, “I’d ask to speak to you now in private, with Arabella and my mother and father also in attendance.”

“Agreed.” He waved to Maddie, who hurried over to their side.

Maddie gave Loki a fierce hug, her eyes damp with tears. “Welcome home, Loki.”

“Maddie,” Alex said, “would you have them bring food into the solar? You are welcome to join us if you would like.”

Uncle Robbie came up behind Loki and clasped his shoulder. “Welcome home. Mighty proud of you for making it out on your own.”

Loki thanked all of his well-wishers, but his eyes were fixed on Bella. She seemed a bit nervous, but not enough to give anything away. A little while later, Alex ushered them inside his solar, getting everyone situated while they waited for the food and ale to arrive.

Once the food had been brought in, Brodie closed the door and Alex asked, “Who wishes to start?”

Loki said, “I will. As soon as we arrived in Ayr, Logan checked in with Hamilton, who gave us his instructions to find out anything we could about missing royal jewels. Torrian and I attended an event at the royal castle, and managed to get some information from a couple of goons.”

“And what was that?”

“That the Earl of Cliffnock claimed I was his son.” Loki cleared his throat before glancing at his mother, wishing he could avoid causing her any pain. “Edward Blackett, the Earl of Cliffnock, declares himself to be my sire. Logan and I traveled to his keep the following day, and he requested that I stay for two moons to get to know him better.”

Loki heard a slight intake of breath from his mother, but he forced himself to continue. “I refused that request, but agreed to stay a couple of nights, so Logan left. As soon as they left, I was drugged, and when I awakened, I was locked inside a cell in the dungeon.”

Celestina whispered, “Is it true? Is the earl is your true sire? And what of your mother?”

Though it was only the laird’s place to speak in such a situation, Alex allowed the question. It was a true testament to the respect he had for Loki’s mother. Loki wanted to look away from her, but he did not. He stared into her eyes as he answered her question. “Mama, he claims to be my sire, but whether or not ‘tis true, I don’t accept him as my sire. I only have one, and ‘tis Brodie Grant. The earl claims my true mother died in childbirth giving birth to my sister, who also passed.”

Celestina choked on her sigh of relief, trying to hide it but failing. Loki wished he could take away all of her pain and discomfort, and he hoped this information would help.

Brodie wrapped his arms around his wife and asked, “And the reason you were living in a crate in the royal burgh?” A flash of anger burst in his eyes.

“He says I ran away when my mother died. At first, he was too distraught to notice, and by the time they searched for me, it was too late. They couldn’t find me.” Loki allowed that to settle for a moment. His mother and Maddie were both tearing up and dotting their faces with linen squares. “They did not live in Ayr, but in Perthshire at the time. ‘Tis anyone’s guess how I arrived in Ayr.” He ran his hand down his face. There was something else he recalled—something about how he’d been naught but an extra mouth to feed—but there was no need to tell them that. Nay, he would not spend any more time on the lout.

After a short pause, Alex said, “Please continue about the events at the earl’s castle.”

“When I awakened, the earl came to speak to me. He claimed he deserved coin after all he did for the crown during the battle with the Norse. So he wished to extract coin from you, from Quade Ramsay, and from the Camerons and Lochluin Abbey. Apparently, he knew about all of our family’s connections. Messengers were sent to all three places. Torrian and Logan intercepted the messenger headed to the Ramsays and Logan sent his own messenger to the Cameron to advise him to ignore Blackett’s messenger. They were unable to catch the man headed to you.”

Alex nodded back to Loki, pausing for thought before he stretched out his hand in a signal to continue.

“I was able to grab Blackett’s head through the bars of my cell and slam it against the iron a few times before his guards could stop me. I took a beating that knocked me out for an unknown period, and when I awoke, I was chained to the wall.”

“Did you learn aught about the earl that we should know?” Alex asked.

“Only that he has no honor. He claims my mother had the same eye coloring I have. ‘Tis how he knew I was his son. Though I admit ‘tis possible he fathered me, I refuse to accept him. You should know that he plans to continue his quest for the coin he feels he deserves.”

Alex asked, “Why do you question his story? I could believe that a wee lad would run away after his mother’s death.”

“Because I don’t remember it. If I ran away, I think I would recall running through the forests or arriving in Ayr. But I have no knowledge of my arrival in the burgh at all. He said I was five or six summers, and I think I would recall something about it. He has a guard named Hamish who claims to remember me, but I have the strangest feeling around him. Someday, I’ll recall something about the man.”

“And how did you get away?”

“Uncle Logan taught me how to use a tool to open a lock. There was one hidden in my clothing, so I managed to free myself from the manacles. I had to convince my sire to come into the cell, and then I stole his dagger and used it against him.”

Alex quirked a brow at him as his hand came up to rub his chin. “Well done, lad.”

“Torrian and Uncle Logan were already on their way to break me out, so I met them just outside the Cliffnock castle.”

“And Bella? How does she fit into the story?” Alex tipped his head in her direction.

Bella started to speak, but when Loki noticed she was trembling, he tugged her onto his lap—much to the surprise of most of the people in the room. The poor lass was not used to being in the laird’s solar or being questioned by Alexander Grant. “Bella had heard I was being held captive, so she sneaked away from her sister’s keep and came after me. We found her in Ayr and I asked her to marry me.”

Celestina and Maddie gasped, then both of them broke into smiles. Brodie embraced his wife, and Maddie squeezed Alex’s hand, which prompted him to tug her onto his lap before signaling for Loki to continue.

“Bella and I married at a kirk in Ayr with Logan and Torrian as our witnesses, but we would like our marriage to remain a secret until I can earn her sire’s approval.”

Celestina and Maddie’s faces went from smiles to scowls in but a moment.

Alex asked, “And is this what you would like also, Bella?”

Bella nodded. “I want my father to want Loki to be part of our family. He said he would find a way to convince him to support our marriage, and I believe in my husband.”