by Maya Banks
Keeley curtsied again, grateful she didn’t trip and disgrace herself. Then she hurried after Caelen and Mairin as they headed toward the stairs.
“How are you faring?” Mairin asked Keeley when they were alone in Mairin’s chamber.
Keeley’s eyes widened. “ ’Tis you I’m concerned about. You looked fair to exhausted at dinner.”
Mairin grimaced. “Aye, I was, and ’tis grateful I am for your rescue.”
Mairin sat and Keeley took the babe from the woman charged with her care and handed her to Mairin. Mairin dismissed the nurse and then turned her attention back to Keeley.
“Are you all right? I know this can’t be easy for you.”
Keeley forced a smile to her face. “I’m fine. Truly. I had a chance to speak with Rionna. She has suffered as much as I have over the years. She is the sister of my heart. I have no wish for her to suffer more pain.”
“And so you’ll suffer instead,” Mairin said in a low voice.
Keeley sighed. “I want her to be happy. I want Alaric to be happy. I believe she can make him so. She’s a good woman. She’ll be loyal and true to Alaric. She’ll give him strong sons and daughters. She is a worthy mate to a laird.”
“So are you, Keeley,” Mairin said quietly.
Keeley smiled crookedly. “Maybe one day I’ll find a laird of my own.” But even as she spoke, she knew that no one would ever take the place of Alaric in her heart.
“Stay with me,” Mairin invited. “Ewan will be late this night. It will surprise me if he finds his room before dawn.”
Keeley agreed, because the thought of enduring her chamber alone was more than she could bear. Somehow the company of good friends alleviated some of the pain in her heart and she found it didn’t hurt so much to smile.
A soft knock at her chamber door awakened Keeley. She rubbed her eyes and blinked in confusion. ’Twas not even dawn yet. She’d barely gotten to sleep after staying with Mairin through most of the night.
Hoping nothing was amiss, she rolled from the bed and went to crack her door.
When she saw Caelen there, she swung the door wider. “Caelen? Is something amiss?”
He held a finger to his lips. Then he leaned forward. “Alaric sent me to you. He’d like to see you. He didn’t want to chance coming to your bedchamber.”
Keeley swallowed. “Where?”
“Dress warmly. He’s down by the loch where Crispen skips his stones.”
“Give me a moment. I’ll be ready.”
She hurriedly dressed and went back out to where Caelen awaited her. Halfway down the stairs she stopped and frowned.
“You realize that if anyone were to see us, they’d assume that you and I—that we—were …”
“Aye,” Caelen said quietly. “I know it.”
Keeley bit her lips and resumed the trek down the stairs. Caelen hovered protectively as they exited the keep and walked toward the loch in darkness. They entered the small grove of trees and came out by the shore of the loch where several boulders jutted outward from the banks.
“Thank you, Caelen,” Alaric said as he stepped forward.
“I’ll wait for Keeley through the trees,” Caelen said as he retreated.
Keeley turned nervously to Alaric. It felt as though it had been forever since they’d seen each other. Since they’d touched or kissed.
Alaric reached for her hands and grasped them gently in his. “I had to see you this night. One more time before I say my vows tomorrow. Once spoken, I’ll never break them. I’d not betray my wife or my clan.”
Tears shimmered in Keeley’s eyes as she gazed upon the man she loved more than life. “Aye, I know it.”
He raised her hands to his lips and pressed them to his trembling mouth. “I want you to know that I love you, Keeley McCabe. I’ll always love you. I want you to find happiness. I want you to find a man who’ll love you as I have loved you and who’ll give you the family you deserve.”
Tears ran unchecked down her cheeks. “I want you to be happy, too, Alaric. Rionna is a good woman. She’ll make you a good wife. Try to love her. She deserves to be loved.”
Alaric pulled her into his arms and held her tightly, his head rested atop hers. “I’ll do anything you ask of me, Keeley.”
“Then be happy,” she whispered. “Remember me with fondness. I’ll never forget our time together. I’ll hold it to my heart always. You are a wonderful man and proud warrior. The McDonald clan will be all the more great with you as laird.”
Alaric slowly pulled away, and she knew that the time had come to let him go. Her chest hurt so badly that each breath was agony. She steeled herself, determined that she’d be brave and would bear the parting with dignity and grace. Alaric deserved that much. The last thing he needed was a hysterical ex-lover on the eve of his wedding to another.
She reached up to touch his face and traced the lines of his strong jaw and the angles of his cheekbone.
“Live long and be happy, my love.”
He caught her hand and pressed a kiss to her palm. When she pulled her hand back, it came away damp with his tears. ’Twas more than she could bear, the thought of her warrior grieving for what was not to be.
She turned and walked briskly toward the woods. “Caelen,” she called softly.
“I’m here,” he said as he stepped from the shadows.
“Please take me back,” she said in as level a voice as she could manage.
Caelen took her arm and guided her toward the keep. With each step, the pain became so unbearable that she thought she might die.
They returned to the keep in silence. Caelen escorted her to her chamber and opened the door. For a long moment she stood, so numb she wasn’t sure if she could even manage the short distance to her bed.
“Are you all right?” Caelen asked gently.
When she didn’t answer, he led her into the chamber and closed the door behind them. Then he pulled her into his arms and hugged her tightly.
“There, there, lass. Cry if you’d like. No one will hear you but me.”
She buried her face in his tunic as the tears began to fall.
CHAPTER 35
“Keeley, you must hurry! The priest is going to wed me and Cormac in the hall before he weds Alaric and Rionna in the courtyard at the noon hour,” Christina said.
Keeley rubbed some of the weariness from her eyes and hoped that they didn’t look red and swollen. She’d gotten no sleep after her meeting with Alaric, and ’Twas the truth she had no desire to leave her chamber.
But she didn’t want to dampen Christina’s happiness. The girl was so excited for her wedding to Cormac that she was about to bounce right out of the beautifully sewn dress that Maddie and Bertha had gifted her.
She looked over at Christina and smiled. “You look beautiful, lass.”
And she did. Her face was a wreath of happiness and her cheeks glowed. She hadn’t stopped smiling the entire morning.
“Thank you,” Christina said. “Now hurry! I don’t want to keep Cormac waiting.”
Christina reached for Keeley’s hand and all but dragged her toward the stairs. Keeley had dressed with care and had even arranged her hair in a coiled braid for the occasion. She wanted no one to suspect that she was dying on the inside.
Indeed, Cormac was waiting for Christina, and the relief that crossed his face when she entered the room made Keeley smile. Ewan stood as witness for Cormac, and Christina pulled Keeley along.
“Mairin is resting before Alaric and Rionna’s wedding so I wanted you to stand for me,” Christina whispered.
Keeley squeezed the girl’s hand. “Of course I will.”
Christina shyly approached Cormac and his face lit up as he took her hand. They turned to the priest to exchange their vows. Keeley listened to the sacred words that bound them together as husband and wife. Their love for each other was evident as they stared into each other’s eyes. No one else existed for the couple.
When finally Cormac leaned over to kiss Chris
tina, the room erupted in cheers. Color bloomed in Christina’s cheeks as they turned to face the gathered onlookers.
Keeley hesitated a moment to allow Christina and Cormac to step into the group of people waiting to congratulate them and then she skirted the perimeter, intent on escaping back to her chamber.
“Keeley, a word please,” Ewan said as she passed.
He motioned her into the alcove behind the hall.
She looked questioningly at him and waited for the purpose of his command.
“Caelen told me of what occurred between you and Laird McDonald.”
Keeley froze. “He shouldn’t have.”
“Aye, he should have. I’m sorry that it happened. I’m appalled that someone under my care was treated thusly. The laird will never be welcome into my keep again.”
Keeley nodded. “Thank you.”
“I also want to thank you for not going to Alaric,” he said in a sober voice. “I know he cares deeply for you. This marriage is important. Caelen says you begged him not to tell Alaric because you knew it could possibly ruin the alliance between our clans.”
Keeley swallowed and nodded.
“You have courage, lass. Perhaps the most courage I’ve ever witnessed in a lass so young. You have become dear to my wife—nay, to the entire clan. If there is anything I can do to ensure your happiness here, you have only to name it.”
“I am grateful to call the McCabes my clan,” she said. “I am proud.”
Ewan smiled. “Go now. I’ll not keep you further.”
Keeley curtsied and hurriedly left the alcove and headed in the direction of the courtyard. She dodged through the throng of people and made her way to the hillside that overlooked the place where Alaric and Rionna would be wed.
Pulling her shawl tighter around her to ward off the chill, she settled down on the brown patch of grass that had been covered by snow for so long.
The brisk wind soothed her and numbed some of the pain that still clawed through her chest. The sun shone high overhead and warmed her face and shoulders. ’Twas a perfect day for a wedding. The near springlike conditions could only be a sign that this day was sanctioned by God himself.
The entire keep hummed with an air of expectancy. Banners from a dozen different clans flew high and rippled in the breeze outside the outer skirt. Smaller celebrations among the clans filtered through the air and she could hear musicians play lively tunes.
Today all eyes would be on Alaric and Rionna. Keeley smiled in fond remembrance of when she and Rionna were just girls, dreaming about their prince charming and one day when their wedding celebration would be held. Rionna deserved to have her dream come true, and Alaric would make her the best of husbands.
So immersed in her thoughts was she that she hadn’t realized that everyone had started to gather in the courtyard. ’Twas not a large distance away and she could see every aspect of the ceremony.
She caught her breath when Alaric strode out, dressed in his wedding finery. He wore a velvet blue tunic and emblazoned on the hem was the McCabe crest. His hair fell below his shoulders and the ends lifted in the breeze, lending him a deliciously unkempt look.
He took position by the priest and waited for Rionna to make her appearance. A few moments later, Rionna arrived in the courtyard. Keeley felt a surge of pride at her friend’s beauty. She shone like a million suns. Her golden hair looked afire in the sparkle of the sunlight.
Her dress was elaborately and intricately sewn and took the efforts of two women on either side to bear the hem in the back. She looked regal. She looked every bit a queen.
When Rionna was but a few steps away from Alaric, he looked in Keeley’s direction. He stared for a long moment, and she knew he saw her on the hillside. Slowly she brought her fingers to her lips and then curled them into a fist and touched it to her heart.
Alaric raised his hand in a subtle gesture and splayed his fingers over his heart before returning his gaze to the approaching Rionna.
As he took Rionna’s hand and they turned to face the priest, Keeley’s heart seized. This was it. In a few moments’ time, Alaric would marry another and be forever lost to her.
Twelve drums lined on either side of Alaric and Rionna began beating, a tribute to the marriage about to take place. The sound filled the air and echoed across the countryside.
Movement caught Keeley’s eye and she frowned, leaning forward to focus on the figure laying atop the stone skirt behind the gathered crowd.
What was he about? What could he be doing?
The sun caught something in his hand and reflected, a quick shimmer, but it was enough for Keeley to see the crossbow cradled in his arms.
She surged to her feet and yelled loudly. But the drums continued to beat, faster and louder. She screamed but it was lost in the wind and then she began to run, sure she would never be in time. She wasn’t even sure of the target. The king was present. Ewan was there as was Mairin.
All she knew was she had to issue a warning to all before it was too late.
The drums echoed fiercely in Alaric’s ears. With each beat, the dread in his heart increased until it was all he could do to breathe.
He glanced down at his and Rionna’s joined hands and then up at the beauty of his bride. Aye, she was beautiful. She would make a good wife. She would give him fine sons and daughters. She would be a credit to his leadership of her clan.
Then he looked to his brother, who stood with Mairin on one side and their king on the other. His brother who had sacrificed much over the years to ensure the survival of their clan. How could he not do the same?
He closed his eyes. Oh, God, he couldn’t do this. He couldn’t go through with it.
The drums stopped abruptly and the silence was so keen in the moment following that it was startling. Then he heard a scream. His name.
Rionna jerked around right as he did the same. Just in time to catch Keeley in his arms. Her eyes were wide with shock—and pain. Her mouth opened and then shut and she gasped, her face going white.
For a moment he didn’t know what had occurred, but he heard the horrified screams behind Keeley. He heard the unmistakable sound of swords being drawn and then a shout went up.
Yet all he could see was Keeley’s pain-stricken face as he held her in his arms, and then as she sagged, he saw the arrow protruding from her back, and he knew. The knowledge of what she had done struck him so hard that he staggered and his knees buckled. He sank to the ground holding her against his chest.
“Keeley, nay! Nay! Why did you do it? Oh, God, Keeley, nay. Nay. Nay.”
It came out as a sob. He didn’t care. He had no pride. No shame. Her face was ashen and she had the look of death in her eyes, the knowledge he’d seen in any number of other warriors’ faces as they were struck down in the heat of battle.
Rionna dropped beside him, her face nearly as gray as Keeley’s. “Keeley?” she whispered, her voice shaken and full of the same fear that gripped Alaric with unrelenting force.
Around them the world went mad. There were shouts and call to arms. Ewan ushered the king and Mairin to safety. Caelen and Gannon took position in front of Alaric, their swords drawn, ready to strike down any threat.
“Keeley, don’t leave me, my love,” Alaric whispered. “Hold on. I’ll take care of you. Just as you did me.”
She smiled shakily, her face creased with pain. “ ’Twas worth it. You were destined to be great. I could not …” She broke off as another spasm of agony shook her body. “I could not allow you to die this day.”
Alaric smoothed the hair from her cheek and held her gently to him as he rocked back and forth. He stared into her eyes, at the shadows that grew with each stuttered breath.
He cupped her face and forced her to look at him. Then he reached down and twined her fingers with his until their hands were tightly clasped.
“I, Alaric McCabe, wed you, Keeley McDonald McCabe. I take you as my wife until our last breaths are taken, until our souls are reunited in the hereafte
r.”
Faint shock shone in her eyes and her mouth opened wordlessly.
“Say the words, Keeley. Give back to me what I was unwilling to give you before. Marry me here and now with all to bear witness. I love you.”
A single tear trailed down her cheek. She closed her eyes as if to gather her strength and then she opened them and renewed determination shone in their depths.
“I, Keeley McDonald, now McCabe, wed you, Alaric McCabe. I take you as my husband forever and always until I’ve taken my last breath.”
Her voice grew weaker with each exhale, but the words were spoken. They were handfasted before hundreds of witnesses. She was his wife. She belonged to him for as long as God saw fit to bestow such a precious gift.
He leaned down and kissed her forehead, choking as the cries of anguish threatened to pulse from his throat.
“I love you,” he whispered. “Don’t leave me, Keeley. Not now when I’ve summoned the courage to do what is right.”
“Alaric.”
Rionna’s soft voice intruded on his grief.
He glanced up at the woman he’d nearly wed and saw no shock or horror. No judgment or resentment. He saw answering grief as tears trailed endlessly down her cheeks.
“We must take her inside. We must help her.” Alaric gathered her tighter in his arms and then stood. The arrow protruded from her back, a stark reminder of what she’d sacrificed for him.
“Alaric, this way,” Ewan barked at him. “Take her inside so that I may see to her wound.”
The world tilted around him. It moved slowly as if suspended in time. Caelen and Gannon urged him forward, their swords providing a protective barrier to him and anyone who would venture near.
The roaring in his ears prevented him from hearing the voices around him. He staggered toward the keep as Keeley’s blood dripped onto the ground below him.
He closed his eyes. Don’t take her from me, God. Not now. Don’t let it to be too late to do what is right. Give me the chance to make amends.
CHAPTER 36
Keeley’s chamber was full of people when Alaric carried her inside. Ewan stood by the bed, his expression grim. Mairin and Maddie were at the foot of the bed, their eyes red from crying. Cormac stood to the side, comforting Christina, and Gannon and Caelen stood guard at the door, fury glinting in their eyes.