The Highlander Series (51 page)

“Aye, warrior, ’tis your angel come to soothe you. Tell me now, will you rest if I remain by your side?”

“Glad you’re here,” he croaked. “Not the same when you’re gone.”

She went soft from head to toe and leaned in closer, allowing his seeking hand to touch her arm.

“I won’t leave this time, warrior. I’ll stay with you.”

His arm curled around her, pulling her until she was forced down to his side. “I’ll not let you go this time,” he vowed.

Keeley refused to look at Alaric’s brothers. She had no desire to see the irritation or condemnation in Caelen’s eyes. She’d seen enough of that to last her a lifetime. If he had a single word to say to her after dragging her from her bed, she’d belt him right across the face and damn the consequences.

Luckily she heard no sound from that quarter. Only the soft shutting of the door alerted her to the fact that she and Alaric were alone.

She snuggled into his side and smoothed her hand over his taut belly. “Sleep now, warrior. Your angel will be ever close. This I swear.”

He made a sound of contentment and his body went
slack, all the fight leaving his muscles. He squeezed his arm around her until not a single part of her wasn’t touching him in some way.

He went immediately to sleep, but despite Keeley’s overwhelming fatigue, she lay awake for a long time, savoring the sensation of lying in her warrior’s arms.

When she next opened her eyes, sunlight was straining around the furs covering the window. The fire had died down in the hearth and only a few glowing embers remained. Despite the chill that she knew was probably present in the room, she was bathed in warmth. So cozy and comfortable that she didn’t move a single muscle.

Alaric’s arm was still wound tightly around her waist and she was pressed up tight to his side, her head resting in the hollow of his shoulder.

Her hand glided over his chest and finally up to rest against his cheek. To her delight, his skin was much cooler and not as dry as it had been over the past hours. Cool sweat shimmered on his forehead and she pried herself out of his arms to rise excitedly.

As she looked down at his face, she was surprised by how clear his eyes were. No haze of confusion darkened the light green orbs.

Then he smiled up at her and to her utter shock, he reached up and pulled her down on top of him.

“You’re mad!” she hissed as she struggled to move to his uninjured side. “You’re going to tear your stitches and I spent the better part of two hours setting them!”

“So my angel is real,” he murmured, not letting her wiggle out of his grasp.

“Your assessment of a demon was more accurate,” she gritted out.

He chuckled and then winced.

“See? You should be lying still, not dragging me over your body,” she said in exasperation.

“But I like you on my body,” he purred. “I like it very much. In fact, I barely feel my injury now. All I feel is your softness against my flesh. Your breasts pressed into my chest.”

Heat crept over her shoulders and up her neck over her cheeks. She refused to meet his gaze and focused instead on his shoulder.

“Do you know what would make me feel even better?” he husked out.

She chanced a peek at him to see him studying her intently, his eyes glowing in the faint light that bled through the furs.

“What?” she asked nervously.

“A kiss.”

She shook her head even as she tried to wiggle off his chest again. He caught her against him and then reached with his free hand to cup her chin.

Ignoring her protests, he raised his head and fit his lips to hers. It wasn’t clear who had the fever. Him or her. Heat seared through her body. ’Twas a wondrous sensation. Heady. Sinfully sweet.

Her head spun and she felt incredibly light, like she’d taken flight and drifted among the clouds. She let out a sigh and melted into his strong body.

His fingers splayed out over her back and he rubbed up and down. When they reached her nape, he gripped her neck and delved his fingers into her hair, pulling her down to meet the intensity of his kiss.

“Alaric,” she whispered.

“I like the sound of my name on your lips, lass. Now tell me yours so I may know the name of my angel.”

She sighed in exasperation at how quickly he turned away her objections.

“My name is Keeley.”

“Keeley,” he murmured. “Such a beautiful name. Fitting for such a beautiful lass.”

“You must let me up,” she said firmly. “Your brothers will be up any moment now. They’re most concerned about your injury. I need to look at the stitches to make sure they’re holding, and if you feel strong enough, you should eat.”

“I’d rather kiss you.”

Foregoing her gentle reproach, she balled her fist and gave him a thump on the chest. To her surprise, he laughed but relinquished his hold on her.

She scrambled off his chest and smoothed her wrinkled clothing and disheveled hair. She probably looked like she’d been dunked in the loch and then dragged behind a horse.

Her gaze kept creeping to his broad, naked chest. Not that a man’s chest was a mystery to her. Nor was the rest of the male anatomy. She’d seen more than her fair share of naked males thanks to her skill at healing. But this man took her breath away. He was … magnificent.

Her eyes ate him, and she wasn’t being entirely discreet about it. She hoped that his fever and pain kept him from noticing her avid attention.

“I must look at your wound,” she said, damning the husky catch to her voice.

He glanced down and then slowly rolled onto his good side so that his injury was outward.

“I must thank you, Keeley. I don’t remember much about the day I was injured, only that I knew I would die if I didn’t seek aid immediately. When I opened my eyes and saw you, I knew that God had sent me an angel.”

“Sorry to disappoint you,” she said lightly. “Angel I’m not. I’m merely an ordinary woman who is skilled in the healing arts. ’Tis nothing more than knowledge gleaned from other women who’ve come before me.”

“Nay,” he denied. He reached up and caught her hand when she moved closer, bringing her fingers to his lips.

Tingles shot up her arm and her chest tightened in pleasure. It was hard not to smile at the handsome warrior who wielded pretty words as surely as he did a broadsword.

She caught his wrist and gently pushed until his arm was over his head at an angle. Then she leaned in to survey his newly stitched wound. It pleased her to see the redness had abated and that it no longer looked quite so raw and angry.

“What’s the verdict? Will I live?” he asked in amusement.

“Aye, warrior. You’ll live a long, healthy life. You’re fit, which will aid you in a complete recovery.”

“Glad to hear it.”

When she allowed him to lay his arm back down, he rubbed at his belly and grimaced.

“Hungry?”

“Aye. Fair to starving.”

“ ’Tis a good sign,” she said with an approving nod. “I’ll ask for a trencher to be brought up.”

“You don’t leave.”

She raised her brow because it wasn’t a request. The command in his voice was evident.

“Please.”

At the lowering of his voice, she all but melted again.

“Aye. I’ll stay.”

He gifted her with a smile even as his eyelids lowered. He blinked, fighting the urge to sleep. She laid her hand over his forehead. “Rest, warrior. I’ll have your food to you in a moment.”

She rose from the bed and smoothed her skirts, wishing she didn’t look so bloody awful. She’d made it to the door and was about to open it when it swung open. She scowled at the intruder, letting him know his bursting in wasn’t welcome.

Caelen scowled back, letting her know he wasn’t impressed with her ire.

“How is he?” he demanded.

She swept her hand toward the bed. “See for yourself. He was awake a few moments ago. He’s hungry.”

Caelen strode past her and she made a face at his back. When she turned around to exit, she nearly ran into Ewan.

“I don’t suppose you’ll forget you saw that,” she muttered.

Ewan’s lips twisted in amusement. “Saw what?”

Keeley nodded her approval and then walked past, not really knowing where she was going, but she could definitely use some air. She could still feel Alaric’s mouth on hers. She could still taste him.

Alaric kept his gaze fastened on the lass until she disappeared from view. Then he shot his brothers the full force of his glare.

“Is there something you wanted?” he asked irritably.

“Aye,” Caelen drawled. “For instance, to know whether you were still alive or not.”

“As you can see I am. Isn’t there something else you could be doing?”

Ewan shook his head and sat on the stool next to the bed. “Forget your fascination with the lass for a moment. There are things we must know. Starting with who did this to you.”

Alaric sighed. His side ached. His head felt as though he’d spent the last week drowning in a tankard of ale, and he was hungry and grouchy to boot. The last thing he wanted was an inquisition.

“I don’t know,” he said honestly. “They ambushed us in the middle of the night. It was a slaughter. We were outnumbered at least six to one. Maybe more. I barely managed escape and don’t remember much beyond waking up feeling as though I was being burned by the fires of hell but with an angel soothing the pain.”

Caelen snorted. “More like a she-demon likely mated to Satan himself.”

“She saved my life,” Alaric said.

“Aye, she did,” Ewan agreed. “She has a fine hand at healing. I plan for her to attend Mairin’s birth.”

Unexpected pleasure—and excitement—coursed through Alaric’s blood, stirring desire he hadn’t felt for a woman in a long time. He had plenty of dalliances. A quick tup now and then was good for a man’s disposition. But Keeley fired his senses like no other. He was on edge, his skin way too tight, all because she wasn’t near.

“She agreed to come here and be our healer?” Alaric asked casually.

Caelen chuckled. “Not exactly.”

Alaric narrowed his eyes. “What does that mean?”

“It means we didn’t give her a choice in the matter. You needed her skills and so will Mairin. So I brought her here,” Ewan said with a shrug.

Typical Ewan. He made a decision and acted on it. Though he liked the idea of Keeley being near, it didn’t sit well that his brothers had manhandled her. It would explain her sharpness with him.

“Forget the woman,” Caelen said darkly. “Unless you forget, you have an agreement to wed McDonald’s daughter.”

Nay, he hadn’t forgotten. He may have pushed it from his mind temporarily, but he hadn’t forgotten why he’d embarked on the journey where he’d lost several of his best men.

“I received a missive from Gregor a few hours ago,” Ewan said. “He was concerned that you hadn’t arrived yet. I held off sending him word of what transpired until I knew myself what exactly had happened.”

“ ’Twas as I said,” Alaric said wearily. He raised his hand and rubbed his aching temple. “We’d stopped for the night. Six men were standing guard. In the middle of the night we were attacked with speed and ferocity I
haven’t witnessed since the attack that decimated our keep eight years ago.”

“Cameron?” Caelen asked with a scowl.

Ewan blew out his breath, his eyes as dark as a winter storm. “Who else? What purpose would anyone else have to launch such a vicious attack? This was no demand for ransom. You don’t slaughter people you have hopes of collecting a bounty for.”

Caelen leaned against the wall, his lips set into a grim line. “But why Alaric? Mairin and Neamh Álainn have been his focus. Killing
you
makes sense, Ewan. That gets him closer to his aim of having both Mairin and her inheritance. Killing Alaric does nothing to further his crusade.”

“He has a vested interest in keeping our clans from allying themselves,” Alaric pointed out. “ ’Tis not just the McDonalds. ’Tis the fact we would control a vast portion of land and that neighboring clans would readily join with us. They’d be afraid not to.”

“I’ll send word to McDonald of what occurred. I’ll alert him so that he will be on guard against a possible attack by Cameron. We’ll determine what is to be done about your marriage to Rionna.”

Caelen nodded his agreement. “For now our focus should be on Mairin’s safety and seeing her through the delivery of her child. All else can wait.”

Alaric also nodded, relief rushing through his body until the sensation left him light-headed. He knew their clan needed this alliance with the McDonalds. Their future depended on making strong ties with neighboring clans. He even coveted the position of laird of his own clan. But that didn’t mean he was in a rush to leave everything he held dear. It didn’t mean he was ready to rush into marriage with a woman who inspired nothing within him.

Perhaps that explained his unreasonable attraction to
Keeley. Not only did the lass save him, but proximity and the fact that he was hesitant to bind himself to another woman might account for him wanting her near him. She was a distraction. Aye, nothing more.

Feeling better now that he’d explained away his odd fascination with her, he returned his attention to his brothers.