by Ava Ivy
Chapter 1
As Ariel MacDonnel rode along the path through the thick Highland forest, she let out a long, silent breath of relief that all had gone better than she could have ever anticipated.
The three enemy warriors she’d met in the forest earlier—two of whom were Fraser vampires--were currently escorting her to their infamous lair to insure that she arrived safely.
Ariel was exhilarated by her success, nervous about what would happen when she finally met the terrifying Fraser warlord, and yet the steady rhythm of the horse’s movements and the strong Fraser warrior she was currently leaning back into, were combining to make Ariel’s eyes feel very heavy.
Luckily the first vampire that she’d met in the forest earlier—a black haired, golden eyed warrior named Randolph Fraser, who was quite irritating in that annoyingly fascinating sort of way--had believed her false tale when she’d confessed to be in need of sanctuary to escape an uncle who wanted to marry her off to gain more power.
He’d been a bit belligerent when she’d first met him and he’d never apologized for cuffing her--quite forcefully--on the head when he’d confused her for a male trespasser. But when her hood had fallen off and the vampire had realized that he’d just injured a female, the big warrior had acted completely out of character by stretching alongside her injured form in the grass and gently rubbing her head where it throbbed. This hadn’t made up for him hitting her but she supposed it was a kind gesture--for him. Not that his bullying had stopped with just a cuff, however. No, the Fraser had then informed her that he intended to rip out her throat and he followed that bit of rudeness up by trying to trick her into believing that he was the infamously cold-hearted Fraser leader…the one that he already knew she didn’t like.
Unfortunately, other than the stories of their cruel exploits, Ariel knew next to nothing about the three vampire brothers who lead the Fraser clan. They were an extremely secretive clan who were forbidden from sharing information with outsiders. What she did know, however, was that the oldest vampire brother was a widower. In fact, her own clan had been erroneously accused of killing his wife just this past year during their annual hunting trip! So when Randolph had slipped up earlier and stated that he’d never been married, Ariel had inwardly smirked, knowing that he truly wasn’t the Fraser warlord. Even though it irked her that he was obviously trying to antagonize her, she was relieved that this male wasn’t really the eldest brother. For some silly reason, the thought of ending her new vampire friend’s life didn’t sit very well with her. The thought of killing his oldest brother, however, didn’t garner much sympathy insider of her. That monster definitely had it coming!
Earlier, when the two warriors had belatedly joined up with Ariel and her vampire friend, Randolph had introduced her as Elizabeth to his middle brother, whose name was Connor. Although this new vampire—who was extraordinarily handsome--appeared to be acting very calm and casual as he regarded her, the emotional turmoil she had sensed coming off of him had told a different story. Connor’s interest and concentrated focus on her was almost unnerving and highly confusing to Ariel. Several times she would have sworn she felt burning jealousy push through his guard…but perhaps she was merely misreading the whole situation since she was not used to perceiving the emotions of supernatural beings, only humans.
Connor and Randolph both seemed much more intense than the third young man, a burly red-headed warrior named Ross who was human. Ross had merely nodded in polite greeting when they’d been introduced, his intelligent eyes giving her a surprisingly thorough inspection and warming in what seemed like approval.
Currently, Ariel was silently boosting her confidence up enough so that she wouldn’t go into a full-fledged panic when they entered the Fraser’s impenetrable compound, repeatedly telling herself that there was nothing to worry about as she rode in front of Randolph on his tall steed, his horse’s gait rhythmic and steady. Her new vampire friend’s arms were like rock around her, strong and secure. Unfortunately, Ariel was later thoroughly appalled with herself because, as they trotted along the Highland trails, the firm comfort of the big vampire holding her, and the steady cadence of the horse, had almost immediately put her to sleep.
Ariel finally stirred to wakefulness when their horse came to a stop, their small group patiently waiting as the huge drawbridge was beginning to lower. The distant sound of rhythmically clanking chains broke through her deep slumber. During her nap, she had unconsciously snuggled back even further into Randolph, her shining pale hair splaying all over him in a thick, luxurious tumble. Her head had fallen over, resting awkwardly against his outstretched upper arm, which held the reins. Sleepily opening her eyes, Ariel blinked several times, her expression blank.
The main reason that she should never have let herself fall asleep was because Ariel was extremely grouchy and unbelievably slow to gain full consciousness after waking, which usually caused her to be much, much grumpier and more emotionally volatile than her normal, happy, smiling self.
At home, her cantankerous morning behavior was a constant source of amusement for her best friend, Kaid, who liked to sit up against the headboard in bed, pull her onto his broad chest, and soothingly rub her back while she sluggishly awoke. He was abysmally cheerful in the morning and would laugh at all of her hateful grumblings as she struggled to fully come to.
Absently lifting her head, she blearily watched the massive drawbridge as it was slowly starting to lower and a hazy sort of panic suddenly began to swim through her sleep-fogged mind.
Once they crossed the moat and the drawbridge went back up, locking into place, Ariel would be trapped inside this huge, fortified structure. She had her bizarre abilities for when she was truly in danger and needed to defend herself, but still, the thought of being stuck inside the lair of such a cruel vampire warlord made her a wee bit hysterical. The fortifying walls, alone, were astounding in their height and thickness.
Twisting around, Ariel latched onto Randolph’s right forearm, unconsciously pulling it into her side. His dark eyebrows rose slightly as he moved the reigns to his left hand, letting his right hand wrap securely around her slender waist. His handsome face grave, he waited patiently for her to speak, a slight smirk forming on his full lips as he took note of her sleepy appearance. “You will not let him…um…anyone kill me, will you?” she demanded in a low, husky tone, her face and eyes still marked with sleep, her beautiful hair, endearingly tousled.
By the slightly frustrated look that came over Randolph’s face, he had obviously not missed her slip of the tongue. He knew of her outrageous fears of the infamous warlord of clan Fraser. Tightening his grip around her waist, the vampire leaned his head down to her ear, his black shoulder length hair momentarily brushing against her thick, pale curls as he informed her, “No one will kill you.”
One of her eyes widened, while the other suspiciously narrowed in a perfect parody of a deranged cat, as a sudden sleep-fuzzy thought had her insisting, “Or torture me?”
Letting out a long-suffering sigh, he grudgingly agreed, “No one will kill or torture you under my care, Elizabeth.”
“You promise?” she whispered in a drowsy, child-like way, her eyes searching his for assurance.
He gave her a slightly reproving look. “My word is my word.”
Slowly blinking, she continued to stare up into his dark, forbidding face and square, set jaw as she waited, groggily hoping he would give in and say the words that she needed him to say, but he looked quite mulish about it.
With a slightly sour cast to her face, Ariel slowly turned back around, staring forward. Reaching up, she sleepily scratched the side of her head and then gave a gasping whimper of surprise as she inadvertently touched the goose egg sized knot on her head from where this vampire had whacked her earlier when he had thought she was a male trespasser. That irritating jolt of pain made her even grumpier.
Letting out a huff of displeasure, Ariel’s tone was low as she bit out, “Fine! I’ll not go inside with you,
then!”
Her next grouchy movements were fascinatingly amusing to all on-lookers at the guard gate as she clamped one small hand around the vampire’s thick wrist, stubbornly trying to pry his despicable arm from around her waist as she simultaneously attempted to wiggle forward in the saddle, childishly trying to get farther away from him. Her breathing accelerated along with her sleep-fogged dissatisfaction and mounting apprehension.
Letting out a noisy sigh, as though he was admitting defeat, Randolph ignored her fruitless endeavor to get free of him and wrapped his other arm across her upper chest, effortlessly pulling her back against his muscular form. His tone was wryly amused when he leaned down to press his cheek against the soft, smoothness of hers and then he murmured, “Even if you really deserve it, I will not let anyone torture or kill you, Elizabeth. I promise.”
At this point, Ariel was too grumpy for her pride to allow her to bend so she sat there like a lump for a moment, inconsolably quiet before effortlessly lifting her legs--which were clad in loose boy pants—to her chest. With practiced ease--from doing the same thing with her best friend, Kaid-- she twisted around in the saddle to face Randolph and then lowered her legs back down to either side of the saddle. With a petulant look still on her face, she slowly leaned forward and laid her cheek against his chest in a grudging show of appreciation for his promise, leisurely wrapping her arms around him in a silently grateful hug.
“You’re welcome!” The vampire pointedly prompted, both hands on her back, tangling in her unbelievably soft hair.
His tone was so annoyed that it actually made Ariel give a small snort of laughter as she smiled against his tunic.
Then, needing to pay him back for taking so long to promise, Ariel pinched him in the side. This had one of his dark brows rising in warning which had her bursting out in another muffled snort of laughter, her grumpy mood dissipating even more.
Leaving her arms around him, she was half stretching as she leaned back a little to look up into his face. “How long was I asleep?”
His eyes sparkled with a sudden burst of humor. “Let’s see…you fell asleep around the time that my horse started moving.”
Pursing her lips, Ariel scowled up at him as her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. “It takes me a while to trust people.”
His good mood restored, he laughed, white teeth flashing a handsome smile. “Obviously.”
From the stout, elegant horse beside them, Connor’s voice rumbled out, “Glad she’s finally awake! Her snoring was grating on my nerves!”
Ariel gasped in outrage, looking over at the other yellow-eyed demon, who then gave her a slow, very friendly wink.
She narrowed her eyes, lips twisting into another scowl. “I do not snore!” Her ex-boyfriend, Bran, liked to accuse her of snoring and, to be honest, Ariel was sick to death of it. She wasn’t about to allow these strangers to get away with such rudeness.
Impertinently raising her eyebrows, Ariel confidently tilted her head and looked up to Randolph so that he could obediently agree with her and tell them that she hadn’t been snoring. Unfortunately, her new warrior friend gave her a slightly-pained expression, indicating that she had, in fact, been snoring.
“It was a cute little sound,” Ross intoned thoughtfully from the horse on Randolph’s other side, “with a tiny whistling noise at the end.”
Slowly turning her head, Ariel gave the rusty-haired young man a mutinous glare, as well, her hands unconsciously reaching for her knives before Randolph stopped her.
“They are only teasing you, lass,” Randolph murmured, chuckling with the others. Pulling her in closer to him, the dark Fraser nuzzled the side of Ariel’s temple in a soothing gesture that had the other men blinking in surprise.
“She’s an easy one to rile,” Ross murmured approvingly, “and violent, too.” His voice lowered into a mock whisper, “So maybe we shouldn’t mention the drool.”
Ariel drew in a sharp, angry breath before aggressively burrowing her face into Randolph’s chest and letting out a long, frustrated growl. “Just one knife each?” she begged, her violet eyes pleading as she glanced back up at Randolph’s face.
“No, Lass,” Randolph denied her with another chuckle, an oddly satisfied smirk on his handsome features. “Connor is not as fast as me and Ross is human, so you might actually kill them.”
Her eyes were wide, her tone innocent. “And that would be a problem?”
The men laughed at her bold cheekiness.
As she heard the loud muffled thump of the huge drawbridge finally hitting the hard ground, Ariel breathlessly twisted back around to face forward, not wanting to miss a second of her adventure into this new clan now that she had Randolph’s promise to protect her.
This clan’s security measures immediately intrigued her. The guard towers on top were much bigger and more elaborate than at her home and twice as many men were on post. If she had ridden up here without an escort, Ariel didn’t know if she would’ve had the nerve to approach this scene. Each warrior on guard looked as if he’d been hand-picked for his extremely-alarming appearance. Big, intimidating, hulking Frasers, all of whom, Ariel suddenly realized, were openly staring at her with fierce, undisguised interest. She could feel the weight of the warriors’ combined curiosity even from so far below their elevated perch. It was much more attention than she was accustomed to receiving.
Did she look guilty?
Did they already suspect her of foul play?
Something about seeing so many Fraser plaids in front of her made Ariel’s heart suddenly race with an overwhelming sense of panic, reminding her of their attack on her family, when a devastating number of Fraser plaids had seemed to swarm through the woods as she’d kept her promise and stayed safely hidden in the bush . That memory, combined with having every one of their sharp, assessing gazes fully trained on her, had Ariel slowly shrinking back, burrowing hard against Randolph in an attempt to escape their unconcealed interest.
Pulling his right hand from her hip, Ariel mulishly wrapped it around her waist until it was clutching her other hip in a show of ownership, almost defiantly declaring that she was with this big vampire. Although Randolph had initially tried to frighten her into believing that he was the awful Fraser warlord—the leader who starred in all of her worst nightmares—she had caught several of his slip ups and had eventually called his bluffs, declaring that he was obviously the youngest of the three vampire brothers and not the oldest. Looking exasperated, he hadn’t disagreed with her after that.
At the moment Ariel was inwardly fighting off a nauseating wave of cowardice. She would give anything to give up and go home, back to MacDonnel land. But Ariel sternly reminded herself of the goal she must achieve. She couldn’t go home yet. If she did she wouldn’t be able to bear the guilt when the Fraser’s raided again and took more MacDonnel lives. Those lives could be saved in the next few days with her own possible sacrifice and bravery. It was up to her and her alone to kill the awful Fraser leader. Her plan was truly feasible but she was the only one that could do the gruesome deed and get away with it. Because of her father’s strange overprotectiveness—whereby, she was locked inside her room when guests came and not allowed to meet anyone from outside their clan---no one but her own people could pinpoint her as a MacDonnel. Plus, she was stronger than normal humans, especially when she was angry, which was quite an advantage when dealing with vampires.
She must have made a tiny noise of protest at seeing so many staring Fraser warriors because out of the corner of her eye, she saw Connor make a curt, irritated gesture with his hand. Immediately, the soldiers looked elsewhere, their attention now fixated on anything else but her.
Inhaling a deep breath, Ariel let out a sigh of relief. Turning her head, she sent Connor a grateful look. His steady, golden eyes flamed warmer at her gratitude, his cocky grin firmly in place. For some strange reason, this middle vampire acted as if he already knew her, like he was familiar with all of her little quirks. But that was ludicrous. Ariel
had never met any of these Frasers.
After the horses leisurely began moving forward, she nervously questioned. “Are any of those men vampires, as well?”
“No. None of them,” Randolph answered.
“But they all looked very…hungry.”
Connor chuckled softly. “They were hungry, my dear, but not for blood.”
“Well, perhaps they should be given more frequent breaks to eat. Or maybe someone could bring them a basket of food to hold them over until the next meal,” she suggested helpfully, not liking the thought of anyone going without proper nourishment.
Ross snorted.
Connor shot her a bemused look. “Just how sheltered were you at this clan you hail from that you have never seen that expression on a man’s face when he glanced over at you?”
“I’ve seen that expression!” she replied indignantly. “I do like to make big batches of sweets sometimes and I always remember to take some to our guards on duty, but these soldiers don’t know if I’m good at baking or not.”
“Good grief!” Ross murmured under his breath.
Leaning down to her ear, Randolph’s voice was low and husky. “Remember how we kissed in the forest earlier? How good it felt? That’s what they’re imagining doing when they look at you.”
By the end of his words, Ariel’s cheeks were flaming bright red. “Really?” she breathed, her tone tinged with disbelief. “All of them?” Glancing up as they crossed under the guard-post station, she caught one of the soldier’s side glances and he boldly winked at her. Her blush deepened as her gaze skittered away from the broad-shouldered, handsome blonde who reminded her of Kaid.
“Well, I suppose I can understand why,” Ariel admitted to Randolph. “That felt really good,” she confessed languorously.
Randolph let out a low groan, adjusting in the saddle so that he could pull her tighter into him. This was fine with Ariel, who relaxed even more, tilting her head back to give him a small, random peck on the cheek, just as she would have if he were Kaid. Her unconscious gesture seemed to greatly please him.
As they rode through the outer bailey, people immediately stopped their daily chores and openly gawked at the lot of them. Ariel—whose powerful father had never allowed her to meet any of the visitors that had come to their castle--was so thrilled to be seeing a clan other than her own, that she forgot she was plotting against the Frasers and smiled shyly at the unfamiliar residents. Several times she even waved, which was mostly reciprocated, but sometimes not, especially if the person just stood there, looking befuddled, as they stupidly gaped at her. They acted as if they’d never seen a girl wearing boys clothing before.
Earlier in the woods Ariel had been harassing Randolph about all the reasons why he should allow new people to visit and marry into his clan, including fresh blood increasing the intelligence level. So she continued teasing him again in a low, sarcastic tone, “Hmm… you’re right, Randolph. I’m definitely not seeing any signs that you need to allow more visitors to marry into your superior clan.”
“Elizabeth…” Randolph warned drawing out the fake name she had given him in a low, extended growl, her sarcastic tone earning her an inconspicuous jab in the side.
His aggressive poke had her bursting out in sweet, melodious laughter that had their other two companions grinning, as she innocently demanded, “What was that for? I said that I was definitely not seeing any signs!”
To Randolph’s obvious chagrin, the pleasing, happy sound of her amusement had even more people stupidly gawking in their direction. One startled observer was in the middle of getting a drink from the bucket at the well when he looked over, his jaw dropping at the sight of them. He was so focused on staring at Ariel that the rest of his water poured out of the bucket and onto the ground.
By the wave of irritation that she felt sweep over Randolph, Ariel knew he had seen the warrior’s not-so-intelligent blunder, as well. Brushing a lock of thick, blonde hair from her forehead, Ariel smoothly turned to look up into his brooding face, one pert eyebrow raised sardonically. Not quite suppressing a smile, she pursed her lips, feigning a look of pity as she gave him a reassuring pat on his upper leg, “A close relative of yours?”
“What makes you think that?” he demanded grimly, trying to force her to say something mean so that he could reproach her for not being nice just like she had done to him in the forest.
She twisted her lips in thought, vaguely admitting, “Well, I think it was something about your eyes.”
“You said mine were the same color as the flames of Hell,” Randolph reminded her gruffly, then countered flatly, “His eyes are blue.”
Ariel blushed hotly at the reminder of her descriptive slip-up earlier. “No, it’s definitely not the color. I think it’s something about the squinty shape,” she mused, wrinkling her cute, pert nose and scrunching her eyes almost all the way shut in an overdramatic demonstration of an unstable rodent.
Randolph emitted a harsh sound of frustration, patently trying to hide his amusement as he caught her jaw in one hand, his fingers and thumb squishing into her cheeks as he planted a quick peck on her lips before releasing her. “Witch!” he grumbled petulantly as she easily laughed at his harsh expression. “I’m definitely reconsidering whether or not I should start collecting those tiny sticks for a witch-burning fire.”
Ariel’s self-confident smile was wide as she shook her head. “You can’t burn me at the stake because I’m not a witch and because you promised not to hurt me,” she reminded him smugly, her pretty violet eyes sparkling with genuine happiness because of how safe she felt with him. Ariel was more than a little pleased that she had managed to survive the first part of her trip and was unconsciously shoving all thoughts of what her next actions would entail, to the back of her mind. She would think about those unnerving little details later.
“I don’t know what is causing the biggest stir,” Connor chuckled sardonically, interrupting their conversation. “The pretty female who is currently cuddled up against you, laughing...or that huge, frightening animal walking beside your steed?”
Knowing that she would have a better chance of surviving if she curried favor with both of Lord Fraser’s brothers, Ariel turned her head and smiled softly at Connor, suddenly shy, but pleased that he had called her pretty. Luckily Ariel seemed to be able to get along with all of the Fraser clansmen that she’d met so far. Well…when they weren’t trying to rile her up.
As they reached the massive stone edifice, a huge, Fraser warrior came striding towards them, stutter-stepping when he caught sight of Ariel, no doubt fascinated by a female dressed in boy attire, just like his other clansmen had been.
“There is a messenger, Sir,” the warrior’s deep voice reported almost absently, not hiding his interest in Ariel, his serious eyes seemingly fixated on her face and the abundant, pale cascade of thick, spiraling curls that hung down past her waist. “He is becoming more anxious as it grows closer to dusk and is eager to give you his missive and be gone from here.” The warrior’s tone was now matter-of-fact, yet held a hint of condemning arrogance and amusement.
Somehow Ariel knew that Randolph would be smirking, as well, pleased that the Fraser name intimidated people so easily.
After dismounting, Randolph reached up and wrapped his hands around Ariel’s waist, easily lifting her off of his black steed. Grabbing onto his thick forearms for stability, she gave him a disapproving look as he smoothly set her feet on the ground.
Noticing her disgruntlement, he raised one well-shaped brow in silent inquiry.
Ariel playfully narrowed her eyes at him. “You like being thought of as a bully,” she accused quietly.
Although he was amused, his wicked smile held an edge of cruelty. “There’s never any doubt,” he began and then leaned down, his warm breath fanning over her ear, his husky voice sending shivers up her spine as he bluntly whispered, “I am a bully, Elizabeth.”
Taking a step back, Ariel crossed her arms over her chest, pursed her
lips in condemnation, and harrumphed.
The brutality in his eyes eased and his own look softened as he closed the distance that her step had put between them. “A very nice bully, though,” he amended, his lips curling cynically as his hand lifted to play with one of the shiny pale locks of hair that was resting on her shoulder.
Though she tried to resist, Ariel couldn’t help returning the bully’s smile.
With a smug air about him, Randolph turned towards the soldier and inquired, “Was the messenger served refreshments?”
Looking startled by the question, the warrior’s brows furrowed. “Of course!”
Satisfied, Randolph returned his yellow gaze to her, raising one dark brow. “There is your proof! We are nice people!”
Highly displeased that Randolph might have the last word—which could possibly indicate a character flaw that she needed to overcome…uhm…tomorrow--Ariel put her hands on her hips and easily came up with an argument to extend the conversation so that she could get the last word.
Meeting the other warrior’s direct gaze, Ariel suspiciously inquired, “Did this messenger actually eat the food that was set before him?”
The handsome warrior appeared torn as he looked to Randolph and then back to Ariel. Then his serious gaze gentled even further from the pleasing vision of her pretty features and wide, jewel-bright eyes as he honestly admitted, “No…” then with more confidence, “…but he drank several tankards of ale.”
“You see?” Ariel chimed, raising a self-satisfied brow at Randolph. “He wasn’t even served edible food! You probably served him blood with goats eyes bobbing on top just so the poor man would go blab about his frightening experience at every bar and tavern along his journey home, thereby increasing your clans leverage of fear over the rest of us lowly peasants,” she teased with mock bitterness.
Randolph’s eyes narrowed in thought before he grudgingly admitted, “That’s actually not a bad idea.”
“Randolph! No!” Ariel gasped, trying not to laugh. “You want visitors to come here, remember?” she emphasized with a meaningful eyebrow raise. “Visitors are good.”
With an ironic twist to his lips, he reached out and rested his big hands against the sides of her ribs, before leaning in closer to tell her, “For once, you might be right. It may not be so bad to have visitors here. Especially now, since I’m already pretty fond of having you around.”
Seeing the intensity of his gaze, Ariel blushed a soft pink.
He smirked and his eyes twinkled with a knowing look as he nodded towards the huge stone edifice which obviously housed the main bulk of their horses. “Connor and Ross are already tending to their horses in the smaller stables, which is full. While the messenger is here, you should go find your mare a clean stall in the larger stables. There are boys in there that will help you, if you wish it,” he told her lightly,
What? He wanted her to walk down there all by herself? With Frasers swarming everywhere? One of whom could easily be his notorious older brother! Ariel’s eyes widened in terror and even though she tried to appear calm—as if panic wasn’t beginning to vibrate through her whole body—both her slender hands automatically reached out and nervously clutched the lower half of his costly tunic in a death grip, anxiously twisting the fabric.
Ariel’s breathing became a little unsteady as she angled her face away from the male who had just spoken to Randolph. The warrior seemed to be lingering nearby for some silly reason but Ariel didn’t want him to overhear her nervous question. In a slightly-flustered whisper she stammered, “B-but are you going to meet me down there? I-I would hate to run into one of your…err…other relatives without being properly introduced first.”
When Randolph didn’t immediately answer, Ariel turned her head back to glare at him and noticed that his dark head was slightly tilted down, his attention calmly riveted on the front of his tunic.
With dawning horror, Ariel suddenly realized that her nervous fingers had reflexively untucked his tunic from under his belt and mindlessly twisted the material up to such an extent that the rippling muscles of his lean stomach were now very visible.
Ariel’s breath caught in her throat as she gasped out a hasty, “I’m so sorry!”
Mentally shaking herself out of her foggy stupor, she jerked her hands back from his clothing, as if it were on fire, wildly swatting at the bunched-up tunic until it was back in place, slightly rumpled, but covering his sculpted form. Then she looked away, her face flaming with mortification.
“Eliiiiizzabeth…” Randolph purred with obvious pleasure.
His amusement was so palpable that Ariel immediately wanted to stab him. She could feel the waves of wicked delight coming off of this big Fraser. Her eyes were narrowed, her lips pinched in extreme irritation when she finally tilted her face up to meet his twinkling golden gaze.
In a low, annoyingly-taunting voice, he mocked, “Are you so eager for me that you would attempt to strip me bare right in front of my whole clan, lass?”
Ariel hadn’t thought her face could get any more rosy hued.
She was wrong.
Emotions crashing through her like waves, Ariel threw her arms around Randolph’s neck, burrowing her face in the crook of his neck and shoulder. “I don’t like you!” she whisper-hissed as he guffawed with laughter, wrapping one strong arm around her waist, the other curving up against her back so his hand could gently palm the back of her head.
“I’m so embarrassed!” was her muffled groan.
“I didn’t think you were such an exhibitionist,” he continued to harass her in a low, mocking voice.
“Ughhhhh!!!” she growled against him. “I’m going to cut you!” she declared vengefully.
He hooted with even more laughter.
When she moved as if to reach down for her blades, he grabbed her arms, his amusement still more than apparent by his lingering chuckles.
“You are going to bleed!” she grunted, struggling against his hold on her arms. “A lot!”
Finally caging her against him, her back to his chest this time, he purred, “I’m flattered…”
She let out another low growl, her breathing erratic, as she still struggled to get free of him.
Pressing his smiling lips against her temple, he soothed her, “Everything about you is utterly delightful, Elizabeth. It scares me how much I already adore you, and yet we have only just met today.”
A stubborn frown briefly crossed Ariel’s delicate features. “Pretty words will not save you!” she grumbled, even though her lips were slowly beginning to twist up in a small, grudgingly pleased smile and she felt her frustration starting to ebb away.
The deep rumble of his voice continued to sooth her. “Do you know that I have found more amusement in this one day than over the last decade?” His arms affectionately tightened. “For an irritating little mouse, you are already proving quite pleasant to have around.”
Though she doubted any of their words had been overhead, Ariel could not help but notice that the warrior who had curiously lingered nearby wore an astonished expression on his handsome face. Angling her head away from the other man’s view, she insolently whispered out of the side of her mouth, “I’m still going to stab you!”
Releasing her with another snort of amusement and a small, overfamiliar swat to her behind, he once more directed Ariel to the stables and then told her the young stable boy’s name and that she was to stay with her horse until he himself came and retrieved her shortly, his tone indicating that there would be a harsh punishment if she disobeyed. He also mentioned that they would soon be going into the great hall to partake of the evening meal with the rest of his people.
Ariel obediently nodded and then quietly watched the two men disappear into the castle before she curiously looked all around her, memorizing every detail in order to tell Mary when she returned home.
Ariel had done it!
She was actually inside the Fraser stronghold!
I know Forbidden has its flaws and a
n occasional mis-spelling, but if you enjoyed reading it, PLEASE take a moment and leave a positive review…which will immensely help in inspiring me to keep writing. Thank you!! Ava Ivy
COPYRIGHT, etc.
Copyright@2016 by Ava Ivy
Cover by Selfpubbookcovers.com/ravenborn
This is a work of fairy tale type fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s crazy imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever.
That being said, I’d be completely flattered if you shared this book with your friends and family. Books should be enjoyed.
I hope you have a great day!!
Blessings!!
Ava Ivy
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