Her mother took Avery’s arm, giving her a wink.
“Let’s give the new parents some time alone,” she said.
Outside of the chamber, her father and Bhaltair stood, looking just as anxious as Gawen had. Her mother went to her father, her eyes brimming with tears.
“We’re grandparents.”
Her father let out a cry of joy, embracing her mother, as Avery moved toward Bhaltair, wrapping her arms around him.
“Is yer sister well?” he asked.
“Very well,” she said. “She’s the new mother to a handsome wee lad.”
Smiling, she reached down to take his hand.
“Come. We’ll come back after Lila and Gawen have a moment with their son. There’s something I want to tell you.”
She gave her parents a little wave as they walked away. They watched them go, puzzled, but Avery just smiled. This was news she wanted to share with Bhaltair first.
Avery led him down the corridor to their guest chamber. Once inside, she faced him with a tremulous smile.
“Soon, I’ll have to go through what Lila just did,” she said. “You’re going to be a father, Bhaltair.”
A momentary look of shock flickered across Bhaltair’s handsome features—and then joy. Pure, unadulterated joy.
“Avery,” he whispered. “My wife. My love.”
He sank down to his knees before her, wrapping his arms around her waist and pressing his hand to her abdomen. When he looked up at her, tears shone in his beautiful eyes.
“Ye’ve brought me back tae life, my sweet Avery. I’ll spend the rest of my days loving ye, Cadha, and all the bairns we’ll have.”
“How many do you intend for us to have?” she asked with a laugh.
“A dozen.”
“We’ll have to talk about that,” she said, letting out a moan as he nibbled on her neck, guiding her toward the bed.
“Aye. I suppose,” Bhaltair said with a twinkle in his eyes. His eyes raked hungrily over her.
“Pregnancy makes ye even more bonnie, wife. I intend tae keep ye in this state as often as possible.”
“Again,” Avery said, grinning as he lowered himself onto her, “we’ll have to talk about that.”
“I can be verrae persuasive,” her husband said, and she laughed as he kissed her, stealing her very breath. “I love ye so, wife.”
“And I you, husband,” she returned. “Always.”
Chapter 27
Present Day
Isle of Skye, Scotland
Astrid gripped the steering wheel as she made her way down the winding road. It was the middle of the night, and her headlights were the only illumination guiding her toward the fairy pools of Skye.
Her heart thundered wildly in her chest, and she had to keep drawing breaths to calm herself. But what she was preparing to do was momentous . . . traveling back centuries through time. It was something she’d never done before.
Swallowing hard, Astrid pulled over, parking on the side of the road. Siobhan, her coven leader, would take care of her car while she was gone. She prayed that her trip to the past was a brief one. She just wanted to get this over with.
She got out of the car, looking down at her clothing. She didn’t know exactly what year she was going to, and neither had Siobhan. She could only tell her it was some time between the thirteenth and fifteenth centuries. Astrid had chosen a simple tunic and gown combination that was common in the thirteenth century, hoping that she didn’t look out of place if she landed in the 1400s.
She’d attempted multiple times to braid her hair into one long plait and coil it at the back of her head, but her long, dark curls refused to cooperate. She’d simply made do with a simple bun.
Astrid began her trek toward the fairy pools, fighting to calm herself down. She was one of the few stiuireadh who’d never traveled through time. The only reason she was doing it now was because of visions that had plagued her dreams for the past year, even filling her mind during her waking hours. There were consistencies in what she saw; the Scottish Isles, ships traveling on churning waters, a fierce battle fought at sea and on land, and a strikingly handsome blond man.
Desperate for answers, she’d traveled to Scotland to seek out the leader of the coven she’d been born into. Siobhan had told her the visions were caused by her magic—and time. Neither would leave her be until she obeyed their call.
Frustration had surged through her at this. She had a nonmagical life that she loved; she was in the final year of her residency training after medical school, and she’d just started dating a fellow medical student she liked very much. For the first time in her life, she had normalcy, something she’d craved her whole life after the darkness of her childhood.
But her magic refused to let her go.
“I’ll do what you want, magic,” she said now, not caring how ridiculous it was that she was talking to her magic. “And then you leave me alone. Deal?”
Her only reply was the rushing of the waters up ahead, the whisper of the surrounding breeze. She didn’t need an answer to know that this was the only magical thing she’d ever do, and then she would return to her normal, nonmagical life working in a field as far from magic as one could get—modern medicine.
She just needed to take care of this mysterious task that magic—time—wanted her to do. Not even Siobhan could tell her what her task was, insisting she’d know once she arrived. This made no sense to Astrid, another reason she’d chosen science instead of magic. At least science had rules.
As she drew closer to the fairy pools, relief swept over her. There was no one around. It was why she’d chosen to come in the middle of the night.
She wrapped her arms around her body as she made her way to the very edge of one pool, going still when she noticed that it seemed to emit an eerie glow. Astrid had asked Siobhan how she’d know where exactly the portal was located, and Siobhan had given her a cryptic smile. “You’ll know.”
Her heart picked up its pace as she looked down at the waters, letting out a startled cry at what she saw.
A flurry of images appeared on the surface of the glowing waters, like scenes from a movie, many of which she’d seen in her dreams.
Ocean waters battering craggy cliffs. A looming castle. Dozens of ships on rough seas. Scenes of battle.
And there he was, the handsome blond man, standing in the center of a massive glen. Just the sight of him made a strange sensation wash over her, a sensation that felt oddly like longing.
The images faded, but the glow remained. Astrid drew a breath, knowing what she had to do, though it terrified her.
As much as she loathed magic, she needed to trust what she could do—what it could do. And right now, it was urging her forward, into the glowing waters . . . into the portal.
She took another step. The waters rippled gently as if coaxing her forward.
Here goes nothing.
Astrid drew in a breath to hold air in her lungs, closed her eyes, and she leapt into the pool, allowing the swirling pull of magic to draw her back through time.
* * *
The story continues in Domhnall’s Honor (Highlander Fate, Lairds of the Isles Book Three) . To be notified of its release, join Stella Knight’s newsletter.
Glossary
Below please find a glossary of magical terms used in the novel.
aingidh - a stiuireadh who uses magic for dark purposes
eadar - an unconscious state in between life and death, usually caused by a spell
fiosaiche - Seers who can detect anomalies in the flow of time
Pact - the agreement between the stiuireadh and the chieftains of the Scottish isles pledging to assist the stiuireadh in times of need
Seer - see fiosaiche above
sidhe - a term for fairies in Scottish and Irish mythology
stiuireadh - a witch or witches who possess the ability to travel through time
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About the Author
Stella Knight writes time travel romance and historical romance novels. She enjoys transporting readers to different times and places with vivid, nuanced heroes and heroines.
She resides in sunny southern California with her own swoon-worthy hero and her collection of too many books and board games. She’s been writing for as long as she can remember, and when not writing, she can be found traveling to new locales, diving into a new book, or watching her favorite film or documentary. She loves romance, history, mystery, and adventure, all of which you’ll find in her books.
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Bhaltair's Pledge: Highlander Fate, Lairds of the Isles Book Two Page 15