Then he spoke to her through the heavy wooden panel.
“Ye cannay take it all Krisi. Do not try. Please. I could not bear for you to be harmed because of me.”
“I will not let you suffer alone Euan. This is my fault and I will help you if I can.”
She heard the weakening of her voice as well as he did and knew that he would not allow her to take his pain much longer.
“Please, Krisi, don’t force me to keep you out. Your presence is the only comfort I have.”
She knew his meaning and gradually allowed the darkness to seep back into him and out of her own mind. She knew that he was suffering, but she didn’t have the strength to fight it any longer. She sank to the cool stone floor beside Darren and let her exhaustion claim her as it had Darren.
5
Krisi felt herself being lifted and she didn’t have the strength to open her eyes to see who had lifted her. Her back was soon met with a soft bed and she heard the familiar chatter of Eva, Cara, and their daughters. She moaned and felt the bed dip at her side. Then a cool cloth was pressed to her head. She opened her eyes to find a smiling Eva sitting with her.
“I must say Krisi. I never expected to find my husband wrapped around you in slumber. I should be cross with you I suppose, but I am not. I smell another man on you and I think that means more than the scent of my dear mate.”
Krisi saw the mirth dancing in Eva’s eyes and relaxed again.
“Why would I slumber with Darren? I think he would crush me as he slept.” Krisi grumbled.
“Apparently not. We found ye in the corridor cuddled in his arms not a few minutes ago.”
Krisi looked to Cara for confirmation and Cara smiled and nodded.
“Why?”
The women laughed as Kris scrunched her face in puzzlement.
“We will ask him when he wakes if you do not remember.”
Krisi let her mind float back to earlier and then it hit her.
“Euan!” She sat up in bed and felt the room tilt. “What is the matter with me?”
“We do not know. We were afraid something terrible had happened to the both of ye, but Deaglan was convinced that you were only tired.”
“We forced the darkness from him.” Her eyes grew sad. “I don’t know how he withstands it.”
Cara shuttered at the memory of the darkness they had entered to retrieve Krisi’s soul from the evil that had claimed her.
“How could he live like that for so long?” Cara whispered.
“I do not know,” came Darren’s deep voice from the doorway. “I could barely stand it for a few minutes. He is far stronger than I.”
“Darren!” Eva flew into his arms. “I was so worried about you!”
“Nay lass. I am well. I took the darkness so Euan could spend a few moments with his mate.”
He bent and kissed Eva’s cheek.
“Gross.” Krisi heard from the corner of the room where Angelica and Hope sat. She wanted to laugh at the look on Hope’s face but she held it in when she saw the frown mar Angelica’s young face.
“Doesn’t Colin kiss you?” Angelica whispered.
“Well, yes, but he isn’t old!” Hope demanded.
Angelica looked as if she had been slapped. She looked up with tears glistening in her eyes to find Deaglan watching her with sorrow in his eyes. Angelica dropped her eyes immediately and refused to meet his gaze.
Krisi felt her heart ache for Deaglan. His mate was unsure of him it seemed and it was clearly breaking his heart.
“How is Euan?” Krisi asked into the silence of the room.
“He was sleeping when I rose from the floor.” Darren’s cheeks went ruddy when he spoke. “I cannay believe I was so weak that I sank to the floor like a woman in a swoon.”
“Aye ye did.” Eve confirmed. “We found ye wrapped around another lass.”
Darren frowned.
“Aye!” Eva continued. “Ye were wrapped around fair Krisi so tightly that it took all three of us to dislodge ye. I am sore angry at ye for it too.”
“Now Eva…” He broke off when he saw the laughter dancing in Eva’s eyes. He swatted her backside and kissed her cheek again.
Krisi smiled at his discomfort. “Thank you for checking on him Darren.”
Darren smiled. “We will find a way to beat this thing that has a hold on him. I have never seen anything like this before. I think we will take him back to Stewart Castle and ask Lady Charlotte and Karic what they think on the matter.”
“Would it be safe for him to travel so far?”
“We will wait a while at least until after the festivities. Then I think if we keep him under heavy guard and try to help him bear his burden I think this will be our best hope.”
“I want to travel with you.”
“I don’t think that would be wise. He reacts far more violently when you are near.”
“I can help him fight it now that I know what to do. Between us we can keep him comfortable. I know I can help him.”
Krisi stood from her bed and walked on shaky legs to where Darren stood. She was a tiny creature whose head barely reached his massive chest, but her presence was strong and her strength glowed within her with a piercing light.
“He is my mate and I refuse to be separated from him. I have this right by your law and I demand it.”
“Aye ye do, but I would remind ye that the mating has not been finished.” Darren placed his great fists on his hips and looked sternly down at her. “I think ye’ll find that Liam will agree with me and ask ye ta stay behind. “Tis for yer own safety that I ask it of ye.”
Darren took a deep breath and was assaulted by a new scent. Euan had marked her. Somehow Euan had marked her while Darren struggled to keep the darkness at bay. The implications of that hit Darren hard. If Euan was able to reach for his cat enough to allow his teeth to grow and mark his mate then he could just as easily taken out her throat. He had refrained from harming her though.
“We will ask Liam, Deaglan, Balor, and Evan. We have been together for many years and we know Euan best. I ask that you accept our decision and abide by it.”
“If I like the outcome of your discussion then I will abide by it.” She shrugged. “If not I will make my own decision.”
Darren exhaled harshly. “You are an exasperating wench, you know that?”
Krisi just smiled up at the huge warrior and patted his hairy arm. She turned to return to her bed when a wave of dizziness took her by surprise and she stumbled. Darren scooped her into his arms and deposited her back in her bed.
“I can see that you are ready to travel with all the haste the situation requires. I will ask again that ye reconsider your request and stay here where you will be safe.”
Krisi ignored his plea and closed her eyes on the room. She had made up her mind and there was nothing Darren or anyone else could say to change it.”
6
Euan awoke feeling strong for the first time in recent memory. He usually woke feeling drained and weak. What had changed?
Krisione
Her name came to him on the gentle breeze that ruffled the dark curtains at the window. He felt a stirring in his mind and knew that someone was trying to comfort him. He had an odd feeling that he must go to this person. He must seek them out, but he knew not how or where to start his journey.
Come to me and I will help you fight the darkness. Come to me and all will be well. Come to me and know that there is hope. The voice was faint as if it was coming from a great distance.
How? He thought desperately trying to understand what was happening to him. He felt the sweet peace that filled him, body and mind. It was an innocence that he had never encountered in all of his years. He felt ashamed for the things he had done in his life as the light in his mind shown on them. He remembered some of the women he had shared with his brother, but not their names or faces. He remembered the act and the feeling he had afterward. He remembered laughing with his brother about the wenchs, but he didn’t remember
caring about any of them. None had been his mate and therefore none were important.
His shame threatened to choke him and he allowed a sob to tear through his aching throat.
Then the image of his mother was illuminated in his mind. Her dark eyes and vivid smile made his heart swell with love. Then he remembered struggling against his brother’s hold as he watched men attack his mother’s ravaged body as she suffered through her brutal assault as his father lay dying, watching as his beloved mate was raped and tortured. Then he remembered his mother as she strived to remain strong after losing her mate. She lasted only a short time after the death of his father and he still mourned her loss.
A memory he had not remembered before then surfaced. He remembered his mother opening the door of the cellar where she had made him and Evan promise to stay when the wolves attacked. Her face had been battered and bloody. Her eyes had been streaming tears, but she had opened her arms to her sons and rejoiced in their safety. He had heard the men asking about the boys, but neither of his parents had spoken of their hiding place and they had suffered for their silence. Her whispered words came to his mind.
“You are more than just my sons. You hold a light inside you that will never be extinguished. I saw it on the day you were born. You will do great things if you stand together. Nothing will harm you as long as you are together.”
“Why did they do this Mamma?” He had asked as he buried his face in her breast.
“They want your soul Euan.”
“Mine?” He had looked to his brother then.
“Aye. Yours. Evan is strength to you, but it is your soul that hold the answers that so many seek. Guard it and let your brother help you.”
Tears rolled down Euan’s face. He could take no more. He begged to be released from the torment of his memories. His heart was so heavy he thought it would fall from his chest. Then the light changed. It became warmer and more brilliant.
You have been given a treasure more precious than gold. A treasure that can never be taken from you. A brother closer than any friend and a mate who will never be tarnished by the things of this world while remaining strong and brilliant she will be all that is soft and loving in your arms. You must first earn her love and prove that you are strong enough to care for her. You have been tainted with only a portion of what fought to destroy her years ago. The evil has grown strong within you and now it is time to fight it or lose everything. You must be willing to sacrifice everything to keep what you love most. You must come to me. You must find a way to strengthen the bond of brotherhood or all will be lost.
How?
It is being arranged. They will bring you to me unknowingly and I will help you when others fail, but you must be willing to look in the most peculiar place to find me. I fear it will take you many days and I will not seek you out for it is forbidden for me to do so. You must trust yourself to find me.
I do not understand.
I am afraid I cannot tell you more, but you will know me when you see me. The hardship will come in trusting in yourself to know. He felt a stirring as if she were laughing.
There will be one who will help you. I will stay with you as much as I dare. I will help you fight and I will help you to know when to flee.
Thank you.
He felt her mirth as she slipped from him. Her? He thought so, but he really couldn’t be certain.
His thoughts were averted when his door swung open and he watched as Balor, Liam, Darren, Deaglan, and Evan walked into his room wearing grim faces. He sought out his brother’s eyes to see if there was anger there, but he was relieved to find none.
Liam braced his feet apart and spoke with the authority that made him such a powerful ruler.
“Darren tells us of the great darkness that you have fought now for so long. We would like to help ye fight it. We are not as strong as Darren, but we all have a measure of power and we would like to help ye shoulder this burden until we can find a way to release ye from its hold.”
The others nodded and looked to Euan. He felt himself smile slightly at their concern. He had tried to shield them from the evil that tainted his soul. He feared he would somehow pass it to them.
“’Tis my burden to bear. I would nay want to taint yer mind with it.”
“’Tis what ye’d do for me.” Evan spoke quietly.
“Aye ‘tis, but I have dealt with it for many years now. I will be able to handle it until we can find a way to leach it from my body.”
“Nay. No man can live through that torture and be unaffected by it. It has changed ye.” Darren insisted. “It has changed me and I was only exposed for a few moments, but I feel no taint from it.”
“We want to help ye rediscover yerself.” Balor insisted. “My mate was lost to me years ago and I still live with less darkness inside me than ye possess with yer mate in the next room. ‘Tis madness to refuse us.”
Euan took a deep breath. “Aye I know I have been changed. I grew up. I would rather die than have this dark stain grow upon any of ye. Darren said it changed him in only a few moments. I will not allow ye to be scarred by its filth and pain. Let me alone and I will handle this as I have done these fifteen years.”
“Atleast let me and Balor stay.” Evan pleaded. “We neither one have mates and we will be strong enough to shoulder some of your pain.”
“Nay.” Euan insisted. “Ye’ll find yer mate soon enough and Balor has had too much as it is. I want to be rid of this and I want to be happy again, but I will not allow this wickedness to taint any of ye. Darren I am afraid that means ye as well.”
The men all sat and regarded Euan with a mix of frustration and admiration. They wanted to help him, but they understood that there could be a risk to them and even those who share a close mental link with them. They could endanger their mates.
“I feel nothing different Euan.” Darren insisted, but Euan only shook his head.
“We will travel with ye then. We want to take ye to The Stewart and ask Lady Charlotte and His Majesty Karic what they ken about this darkness. Are ye willin’ ta travel with us?” Liam’s voice rang with resignation.
“Aye, I’ll go.” Euan answered immediately.
“I’m going too.” Krisi stepped into the open doorway. Her stance was strong and all knew she would not back down from them even in battle. This was the warrior they faced now.
Euan felt the pressure in his mind hit him with a terrible force when he looked upon his angelic mate. The compulsion to harm her was almost beyond his control.
“Nay!” He screamed as pain seared his mind. He grasped his head as if he could force the darkness away. “Nay! Ye must stay safe! Leave me!” He begged as his hold slackened on his control and he fell to his knees.
Krisi did not flinch away from the raging man. Instead she stepped forward and placed her small hands on his naked chest and spoke in a soothing lilting voice that flowed with power from her body. Even kneeling Krisi was only a little taller than Euan and she met his eyes evenly.
“You will not harm me Euan. You are my mate, my heart, and my reason for living. You will not harm me because I am all of those things to you. I am your mate. I will be all that is steadfast and good to you. I will give you sons and I will love you all the days of my life.”
As Krisi spoke she pushed the knowledge deep into the darkness that surrounded Euan’s mind and felt him relax against her hands. The darkness could not change what he was and a tiger could not hurt his mate no matter what happened. He simply was not capable of harming her.
Krisi fell to her knees in front of her mate and allowed her lips to trace the hard contours of his broad chest. Euan groaned groaned in ecstasy as her lips ran over his body. She ran her tongue along one large flat nipple and felt his large frame shutter.
“Love me Euan and complete the mating. Then you will have no doubt that there will never be a force strong enough to make you harm me.” She whispered into his crisp chest hair.
Euan heard her whispered words and wanted to take h
er where she stood. He wanted to sink into her welcoming heat and wallow in her silkiness, but he knew he should not. He allowed his hands to roam over her pert body and pulled her flush against him. He looked up to see the other occupants of the room staring concerned at the couple before them.
“Ye could give us some privacy lads. I doubt my mate would like it if ye watched.” He eyed Evan. “I won’t share either so don’t be givin’ me that look. ‘Tis not a lusty wench that seeks me out. ‘Tis my mate and my heart.”
He almost chuckled at the look of embarrassment that crossed Evan’s face and then he decided to let it go and he did chuckle.
The men looked at Euan in fascination. They hadn’t seen him smile much less laugh in fifteen years and now he was like the same young man again. His hair had lost the dark tent that had covered it for so long, as if grease had stained it, and they all marveled at the man before them.
Liam grinned. “Well I can see that this is going to get steamy. I think I will go and find my Cara and make my own bit ‘o steam.”
Euan laughed then and eyed Liam.
“I heard that ye’d been doin’ a lot of that. How many bairns does one man need?”
Liam grinned broadly. “Just one more lad, always one more.”
All of the men laughed. It was a great joke that Liam and Cara were trying to correct the population shortage of their people. They had three sons and two daughters. One was mated to Deaglan and the other was yet to be mated. Euan was glad to see his friend so happy, but he wanted to be alone with his little mate.
“Get out of here all of ye. There are a few things I need to discuss with Krisi.”
Evan let out a loud snort and left the room.
Darren stood and searched Euan’s mind. “I will stay outside if ye think it will help.”
“It has been a long time, but I hope it will come to me how it is done. I hope I will need no help from you.”
Darren’s cheeks went ruddy, but he shook his head. “You know what I mean.”
Freeing a Tiger's Soul (Tiger Series) Page 3