He laughed, softly at first, then harder.
“No, Aunt, it’s no my duty. I dinna ever accept that old superstition. But be grateful. Yer better off than this one.”
He shook Cate a bit by her neck causing her to gasp for air, stumbling as they continued forward, closer to Conner.
“At least yer no bleeding.” He laughed again. “I hae finally delivered my own self from all the superstitious fools and cowards,” he yelled at no one in particular. “I dinna need the gods.”
Connor’s eyes blazed with fury when he jerked his head up, the rope binding his neck. He glanced quickly at Cate before speaking, as if to assure himself she was unharmed.
“Yer father’s no going to take kindly to yer treatment of Rosalyn.”
“Ah weel, it’s no so much a matter of what my father will think anymore. It’s a verra sad time at Dun Ard, you see.” He shook his head as if saddened, and then brightened. “Or it will be later today when the people there discover the terrible accident my father had riding home from yer castle yesterday.” He smiled maliciously. “Strange, but it’s verra similar to the accident he arranged for yer brother, Kenneth, all those years ago. Fate, do you think?” He shook his head. “Poor Anabella will find herself a widow before the day grows much later. And her with no bairns.” He made a tsking sound. “Her position at Dun Ard will be tenuous at best.”
“And Blane? We dinna find any tracks that would indicate he’s on his way to the MacPherson with my sister. Has he had an accident as weel?” Connor’s voice was harsh, his eyes hard.
“Och, no. My men did a fine job of disguising their tracks, did they no? I’m paying them extra for that. How many times did you circle around before you realized?” He smiled, running the knife lightly against Cate’s skin, tracing the line of her camisole strap. “As for Blane, he’s enjoying the comforts of yer own dungeon, such as they are, even as we speak.”
“The dungeon? That’s been closed off since my father’s time.”
“Aye. But I’ve reopened it.” He laughed again, a high cackling sound.
“Then what hae you done with Mairi?” Connor appeared calmer now, as if the warrior had taken over, replacing the man.
“Safe and sound. Locked in her room at Dun Ard. Awaiting the arrival of her anxious groom. Although I imagine she’s no too happy.” He giggled.
“The king will deal with you harshly for this.” Robert spoke for the first time, and was rewarded with having his head jerked back by the man holding his ropes.
“Oh, I think not. I think yer king will be ready to reward me when he hears how I was forced to kill my own brother to avenge Connor’s death. Or perhaps Connor will kill Blane, and I can avenge his death. I haven’t decided which I prefer yet. For now, you’ll all rot in the same dungeon together. I hae plenty of time to decide.”
“Why would anyone believe I’d harm Blane?”
“Everyone recognizes yer right to challenge for the position of laird. And with my father dead, what better time?”
“I told you, and everyone else, I’d no interest in being laird.”
“Oh, aye, you did. Over and over. It would hae been so much easier for me if you just would hae fought him. All yer deaths could be so easily disguised in bloody big battle, but you’d no do that. Too damn much honor. Always making my plans more difficult, you were. Just when I think yer gone for good, and perhaps I’ll no hae to deal with you any longer, you drag her in and find a way to get married.”
He shook Cate by her neck, again causing her to gasp for air.
“Leave her be,” Connor yelled, straining against the ropes.
“Oh, I dinna think so. In fact, I think her part in my plan has just changed.” He smiled broadly as Connor struggled helplessly against his ropes. “I think, before this day is over, she’ll willingly come to me, for the same reason yer mother came to my father.”
Connor froze, his eyes blazing with hatred.
“No.” His voice was low, almost a growl. “Cate will no betray me.”
“No, she’ll no betray you,” Lyall agreed pleasantly. “She’ll come to me to save yer life. Just as yer mother went to my father to save yer life. To save you from Kenneth’s fate. To guarantee you were sent away to her family. To keep you safe.”
He pulled Cate close to him, his face only inches from hers. “What would you be willing to do to hae me spare Connor’s life, eh?”
The man was truly insane. She had no doubts. His eyes glittered inches from her face as his hand tightened on her throat, the other rubbing the knife he held across her stomach.
“Anything. I’ll do anything you ask if you’ll just let him live.”
“No,” Connor screamed, raging against the ropes. “You canna do this to her. Cate.” He turned his gaze to her, pleading. “You dinna hae to do this for me.”
Laughing, Lyall released her, allowing her to run to Connor, to kneel by him, to place her hands on his face.
“I can’t let him hurt you. Don’t you understand? I love you, Connor. More than anything. I’ll love you for as long as I live. Even if you’ll never love me in return, I’ll do anything to save you. Whatever it takes.”
The anguish on his face bore into her soul before he closed his eyes. He groaned and opened them again, passion smoldering there, passion for her. She could feel it.
“Yer wrong, wee Caty,” he whispered. “I could not see it before, would not, but it’s right here in front of me. I ken the truth of it only now when it’s too late. I’ll go to my grave loving you. Please, for me, dinna let him do this to you.” His eyes were begging her now.
“Oh, Connor.” She threw her arms around him only to be roughly jerked back by Lyall, who shoved her across to the man holding Rosalyn.
“Keep her there until I’ve finished.” He laughed, a mean hateful sound. “I begin to see the attraction in taking another man’s woman.” He walked to Connor and, drawing back his foot, kicked him in the face, knocking him to the ground. “I’ve often thought I’d enjoy that.” He laughed again. “I do.”
“Stop. Stop it. I’ll do whatever you want, just let him be.” Cate struggled to pull free of Malcolm’s grip.
“Oh, I’ve no doubt you’ll do whatever I want. We’ll get to that in due time.” He continued to laugh, backhanding Connor to the ground this time after the guardsmen had hauled him back to his knees.
Cate collapsed to the ground, watching through tears while Lyall continued to punish Connor. Watching the horror through a prism of tears that blurred her vision until she could hardly see. Watching through a green, shimmering prism of light.
Only when she heard Rosalyn calling her name did she begin to realize what was happening.
“No,” she whispered.
Time had stopped. Everyone in the courtyard was frozen in place, Connor on the ground, relief clear in his expression as he looked toward Cate, blood trailing down from a cut on his face; Lyall, his hand drawn back to inflict another punishing blow.
Only Rosalyn standing just outside the pulsing sphere spoke to her.
“Remember what I told you. The darker the mark, the stronger the power.” She placed her hand, fingers spread, against the sphere. “My power brought you here. Yer own can bring you back if it’s what you choose.”
Rosalyn turned and ripped her nightgown from her shoulder, exposing her back. Through the pulsing green light, Cate plainly saw the faint marking on Rosalyn’s shoulder blade.
When she squinted her eyes and turned her head just right, it looked like a flower.
Then the lights went out.
CHAPTER 27
Cate awoke on the floor of her own bedroom, a wet, sticky spot under her hand. She lifted it to her face and sniffed. Drambuie. The liquid from her overturned glass hadn’t even had a chance to dry. Although she had spent almost two months in the past, she had only been gone from here for a few minutes.
She rose to her feet, wondering if it had all been a dream, a nightmare. Looking in the mirror, she saw the bloo
d smeared on her throat. Her hand flew to the spot. Pulling it away, she looked at the traces of blood there, smeared across her palm, her fingers, and the heavy gold band she wore.
“He’s real. Thank God, he’s real.” She shivered, fighting the urge to give in to hysterics. She had to do something, to save him. But what?
“Whatever it takes.” She said it out loud, firming her resolve. That was what she’d sworn to him. That was what she meant. But how?
She walked to the bathroom and picked up the washcloth lying there, still damp from the shower she had taken so long ago. No, less than an hour ago. After she washed the blood from her neck and hands, she pulled bandages and antibiotic gel from her cupboard and tended to her neck.
How could she save him? There wouldn’t be time.
Turning her back to the mirror, she looked over her shoulder at her reflection. Her birthmark was an exact duplicate of the one Rosalyn bore, except where the older woman’s was pale, her own was a deep, dark red. She smiled.
How could she have forgotten? It wasn’t about time. It was about love.
She had all the time she needed. She just had to map out a strategy, arrange for reinforcements and locate a couple of Faeries. No problem.
She strode to her living room. Picking up the portable telephone, she glanced at the clock. It was time to put that twenty-four-hour research department at Coryell Enterprises to work. She punched in the number.
“Peter Hale.”
She was in luck; he was her favorite researcher. Peter was a major über-geek, but he never missed a detail and that was exactly what she wanted now.
“It’s Cate. I have a top priority for you.”
“Ms. Coryell. It’s kind of late. How soon do you need it?”
“I need it yesterday, Peter.”
“Gotcha. Fire away.”
“I need research in Scotland. Find me two castles, one called Dun Ard, the other Sithean Fardach. They’ll be within a few miles of each other. Somewhere a couple days’ horseback ride south of Cromarty. They would have been in use sometime around the thirteenth century. I need names, dates, history, the complete workup from around 1270 forward. Everything you can find. That’s enough to get you started. I’ll be in the office first thing in the morning with some names from that time period I want researched.
“Whoa. Thirteenth-century Scotland. Could be tough. We dealing with terrorists or crazies?”
“Something like that. You get me a lot, you get it quick and I’ll see to it you get a bonus.”
“No worries. Anything else for now?”
“Yeah. If you can find someplace in that same area that has Faerie legends associated with it and some trees covered in little pieces of cloth, that bonus will make Christmas look like pocket change.”
“Awesome. I’m already on it, boss lady.” The line went dead.
She immediately dialed again. Five rings, just like the last time she’d dialed this number. She smiled as she heard the sleepy voice on the other end.
“Yeah? Talk to me.”
Jesse never woke well.
“It’s me.”
“How many times are you going to wake me up tonight? You have something else you don’t really want to talk about or have you come to your senses and decided to dump that creep?”
“It’s a real long story. I’m having plane tickets delivered to your hotel tomorrow for you and the guys. Use them. I’ll be waiting for you at the airport on the other end.”
“What’s up? New assignment?”
He was wide awake now, all business.
“Sort of. Let’s just say I’m getting ready to treat you to the adventure of a lifetime, big brother. I’ll explain everything when you get there.”
She hung up and laughed. She knew Jesse. A true adventure junkie, he’d never get back to sleep now.
Cate leaned over and dug through the drawer of the table where the telephone sat. One crumpled Hershey’s Nugget was all she could find. She unwrapped and popped it in her mouth in one quick move.
“Oh yeah, baby. SPECIAL DARK chocolate with almonds.” She sighed. “Starbucks will have to wait for later.”
She’d just started to dial another number when the doorbell rang. The unfamiliar sound jangled her nerves and she laughed at herself as she walked over to answer the door, still holding the telephone.
Richard waited at the door, looking exceedingly well groomed in his tuxedo. And exceedingly irritated as he pointed the cell phone in his hand at her.
“I’ve been trying to call you since I left the condo to make sure you’re ready, but your line’s been busy. We’re going to be late to the dinner as it is.” He seemed to actually see her for the first time. “And you’re not ready.” He shook his head and his eyes narrowed. “Although this is a good look for you. A very good look.” His eyes trailed appreciatively down her body and back up again before meeting hers. “Is this your way of apologizing for our little misunderstanding this afternoon?”
He reached for her but recoiled at her loud guffaw of laughter.
“Yeah, like that’s going to happen.” She didn’t have the time or inclination to argue with him right now. She held up her phone to show him. “I’m dealing with a situation. You’re going to have to do dinner without me.”
“These are important people, Cate. You understand their impact on my career.”
“What I’m dealing with is more important than pushing your career. We’ll talk tomorrow.”
She shook her head in disgust and slammed the door. He could stand there and make a scene on her front porch or he could go meet his important people, she didn’t care which he chose to do. Knowing Richard, he was already in the car.
Tomorrow she’d deal with their future together, or rather, their lack of a future together. He was not going to be happy that she couldn’t return his ring yet.
She punched the telephone’s ON button and dialed again. The answer took longer this time, but finally came.
“Yeah?”
“Daddy? It’s Cate. We need to talk about Mom’s family.” A pause. “Oh yeah, you could say something unusual happened.”
She smiled and curled up on the sofa, getting comfortable for a long, informative, way overdue chat.
* * *
The airport in Inverness had been congested and the girl at the car rental desk a nightmare, but those had been nothing compared to dealing with her brothers’ skepticism. Even though their father had hit some of the high spots for them on the plane trip from Madrid, they were still having a hard time accepting her whole story.
Even now, careening down the wrong side of the road in their small van, she occasionally caught one of her brothers staring at her like she needed to be committed. After the longest week of her life, she wasn’t completely sure they were wrong. At least she could identify with how their clients felt now. And once they reached the coordinates Peter had given her for a likely Faerie Glen location, she’d know for sure whether or not to hunt up a local psychiatrist.
They had spent the last couple of days scouting their location. Dun Ard still existed, although greatly changed. It was now serving as an upscale hotel and hunting lodge. Her father, Cody and Cass were already registered there as guests.
She had wanted to weep at the site where Sithean Fardach had stood so proudly. Only a fenced-off pile of rubble remained, posted with danger signs to warn off trespassers. It was just as well. Even if she had been able to get near the old dungeon entrance, she wouldn’t have had the courage to check for bones anyway.
Cate took a deep breath to clear her mind as her father pulled off the road to park. They would have to hike the remaining two miles back into the forest from here. This was as close as they could take the van. Getting out, she nervously wiped her hands down the front of her jeans. Doing so caused the wide gold band on her left had to slide up and down, its weight a reassurance and solid reminder of what was at stake.
No one spoke as they hiked back through the forest, the lush green fo
liage gradually growing denser and more tangled until at last they broke through into a clearing.
Cate hoped Peter was happy with his bonus. He’d certainly earned it.
The glen had changed very little. The waterfall still tumbled merrily into the deep green water of the pool. The biggest difference was the trees. Not only had they grown larger, now many of them surrounding the pool sported limbs covered in bits of cloth, each bit representing someone’s dream. It was a staggering realization.
“Okay, guys. This is it. Just move over to the edge of the clearing there and try to make sure no one else wanders in. I don’t want to get hauled off to a Scottish funny farm because someone catches me standing here half naked, talking to invisible Faeries.”
She grinned at her brothers, rolling her eyes when Jesse indicated that she might want to consider a quick trip to that farm when this was over. Her father gave her a hug and then joined his sons, fanning out around the perimeter of the area, stationing themselves with their backs to the water.
Cate walked to the pool and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. It was her moment of truth.
“Hey, Faeries. Remember me? Caitlyn Rose MacKiernan?” Her bravado wavered for only an instant. If this didn’t work, she knew at least three men who would tease her unmercifully. And one who would die, seven-hundred-and-thirty-some-odd years in the past.
She stripped off her T-shirt and turned her back to the water. “See this? I’m here for my formal introduction to the family.”
Standing in her bra, she waited for only a few seconds before shivers ran up and down her body. It felt like a finger softly tracing the pattern on her back. She turned and confronted the shimmering image of a woman with long blond hair tossing about in a nonexistent wind.
“Hi.” Not the most clever of greetings, but the best she could come up with at the moment.
“Welcome, Daughter of the Glen.” The voice was ethereal. She heard it only in her mind, but it was real enough nonetheless. “How may I assist you? Do you wish to borrow our power for some task?”
“Yes and no.”
Thirty Nights With a Highland Husband Page 26