by J. E. Taylor
I blinked at him. “I told you not to kill Aiden.”
“You conjured a ghost!” His bellow echoed in the great hall.
“I most certainly did not.”
“There was a spirit surrounding you,” Aiden said.
“Why would you call that...that thing?”
I stared at my father. “I did not call any spirit.” My heart hammered in my chest as I glanced between my father and Aiden. “On my mother’s life,” I added, raising my hand to make my oath have more impact.
“Do you swear on his life?” My father pointed at Aiden.
“Aye.” I didn’t dare lose eye contact with him, because the moment I looked away, he would mistake it for a lie.
He stopped pacing and deflated before my eyes. His gaze shifted to Aiden. “If she didn’t conjure that ghost, you must have.”
Aiden laughed, and the guard closest to him jabbed the blunt end of his sword into Aiden’s side. His laugh caught in his throat as he doubled over in pain. His head touched the ground while he wrapped his arms around his midsection.
“Did you curse her?” Father pointed at me, his voice bouncing off the stately rock pillars.
“No.” Aiden gasped and pulled himself back onto his knees with narrowed eyes. “Did you?”
My father blinked and slowly took a seat on his throne. Defeat creased his brow, and he ran his hand down his face. The way his gaze traveled between the two of us bloomed hope in my heart.
He glanced at the guards. “Leave us.”
The guards left us alone in the room.
“Get dressed,” my father ordered Aiden, pointing to the pile of clothing Sheri had left behind.
Aiden climbed to his feet and crossed to the clothing. I tried not to let my gaze wander in his direction, but I couldn’t help it. My insides clenched with disappointment as a shirt covered his bare back, and I looked away.
My father was studying me from his perch, and when Aiden crossed and offered me his hand, I took it, despite the tightening of my father’s jaw. Aiden helped me to my feet, and then we both turned to my father.
With our hands still clasped, Aiden cocked his head. “Did you curse her?”
“Perhaps I did, but not by intention,” he said softly. “Just as your family has been cursed all these years, Marigold’s wrath may have wrapped itself around the only female descendant to grace the Stewart line since her death.” His sharp stare landed on me. “There is more to the story than just the cursing of the MacMahons.”
Aiden squeezed my hand and glanced at me out of the corner of his eyes. Heat rose in my cheeks, and I licked my lips before pressing them together. I shifted my weight and focused on my father.
He leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees, studying the floor. With a sigh, he looked up. “I did not want to believe the lore.” His gaze passed over the two of us and traveled up the columns to the ornate colors painted on the ceiling. “But I should have known better when I saw you at the castle.” His eyes locked on Aiden, and he shook his head slowly.
I shifted closer to Aiden, my body trembling under the tension. Nerves bit at my skin, and the longer my father remained quiet, the more demanding the sensation became. Aiden’s grip on my hand tightened, calming me.
The fog that clouded my father’s eyes cleared, and he stood, his face changing back to that hard resolve that made my stomach sink.
“I will make a deal with you,” he said, staring at Aiden. “I will recant the law that makes your name a capital offense, and in return, you will leave this castle and never return.”
My stomach dropped.
Aiden’s hand squeezed tight, and he glanced at me. The longing in his eyes produced a physical pain in my chest, as if my heart had been ripped from my body. When his grip loosened, letting my hand go, I thought my legs would fail.
“And if I refuse?” Aiden said.
“Then you die today, regardless of what my daughter says.”
I balked at my father, my jaw hanging open as my brain stalled. Did he not see what had just happened in the courtyard?
Aiden stared at the ground. The corner of his lip sucked between his teeth as he glanced at me. The fact he was contemplating his choices tightened my throat.
“Accept the deal and go,” I whispered. I couldn’t imagine living in a world where he wasn’t alive.
He nodded. “Fine. I accept your terms.” His voice cracked, and his hands curled into fists as if his body did not agree to his promise. “Can I say a proper goodbye?”
My father waved for him to proceed.
Aiden turned to me, his blue eyes reflecting the sadness in his downturned lips. He closed the distance and wrapped his arms around me, hugging me tight. His lips pressed against the top of my head. “Good-bye, May,” he whispered and then stepped away, turning and heading out of the throne room.
When the door opened, the guards blocked his exit.
“Let him go. I am recanting the law that calls for his death,” my father announced.
The guards let Aiden pass.
I watched until he disappeared around the corner, waiting for him to glance back, but he never did. I spun, sending a glare at my father. “Why?” was all I could muster.
The doors of the great hall closed, and my father looked down at me. “Because a union between a MacMahon and a Stewart is forbidden.” He stood and came down the steps to stand in front of me. He placed his hands gently on my shoulders. “It cannot be.”
“Why?” I yelled and knocked his hands away from me. The anger built inside me, making my skin tingle.
“Because it will bring Marigold back from the dead, and she vowed to destroy everything the Stewarts’ loved.” His lips pressed together as he gripped my arms. “Do you love that monster?”
I recoiled, but my father didn’t let go. “He isn’t a monster.” My voice was breathless as the anger transformed into fear.
“Do you love him?”
My gaze darted around the room. I had only known him for a few days, but the squeezing of my heart told me the truth. While I didn’t know much about Aiden MacMahon, I had been ready to join him in the afterlife.
“Why would Marigold destroy everything we love?” I didn’t understand where this conversation was going, and I wasn’t ready to admit I loved the man. At least, not to my father.
“Because as soon as Marigold gave birth to an heir, my great, great, great grandfather had her burned at the stake for witchcraft. Her dying decree was that she would destroy the house of Stewart as surely as they had destroyed the house of MacMahon. The firstborn female in the house of Stewart would be hers to command, and the two houses would collide, bringing forth ultimate destruction.”
It sounded a little too cryptic to me. At least with Aiden’s curse, the cure was much clearer than the witch’s dying rant.
“You are the first female born to a Stewart since Marigold burned at the stake. And the fact that her ghost appeared out there...” He nodded his chin towards the courtyard and shook his head. “I cannot take the chance of that witch destroying you or your mother.”
The mention of my mother made me stiffen.
“All that I love,” my father said softly.
I thought of all I truly loved, and my heart squeezed. Aiden was included, alongside my parents and Sheri.
“How do we stop this?” I whispered, afraid that the door allowing Marigold in may have already been opened.
“You are to never see that man again.”
Chapter 8
I lay in bed thinking about all my father had said. The idea of never seeing Aiden, of never feeling his lips on mine or his hands on my body, left me cold.
Doubt laced itself into everything my father had told me. I rolled to my side, staring out the window at the dawn’s soft light. My longing for Aiden was greater than my fear that my father’s story was real.
After a near sleepless night, I climbed out of bed and made my way to the dining hall for breakfast. The only activity in the roo
m was the servants bringing the food in. I piled my plate with sweet breads and meats before sitting down to graze.
My parents came in just as I had swallowed my last bite.
“I’m going back to bed.” I stood as they sat. “I didn’t get any sleep last night.”
“Are you feeling all right?” my mother asked.
I nodded. “Just really tired.” I headed to my room.
While I was exhausted, I needed to buy myself some time. With Shadow on my heels, I dressed in my warmest hunting outfit, donning pants instead of a skirt, and put pillows under the covers so if anyone looked into the room, it would look like someone was in the bed.
I tucked my hair up under a woolen hat and slid Shadow into a bag before I took my bow and arrow from the back corner. When I slid out of the room, I made sure to keep my head down so no one would recognize me.
A group of men were heading out, and I trailed them. Not one of the guards paid me any attention. They assumed I was with the group of hunters. As soon as we hit the woods, the men went straight, and I peeled off to the right, keeping my steps as quiet as I could. I tried to remember my hunting track from the other day. I needed to find that field, as well as that barricade that had stopped me.
When I could no longer hear the men I had exited the castle with, I let Shadow out of my bag. He walked alongside me, sometimes bounding ahead, only to stop and look back. I crouched and slipped him a piece of meat I had taken from the hall. He ate it in one bite.
“Find Aiden,” I whispered, and his ears perked up. “Find the bear.”
His tail wagged, and he turned, putting his nose to the ground like he had understood my request. I followed his zigzag pattern, letting him lead me through the thickening woods.
We came upon the small glen where I had first seen Aiden. Shadow skirted the nest of bushes, finding a small space to make his way through. I dropped to my knees and looked through the opening. Shadow looked back at me from the other side. I sighed and pushed my bow and quiver through and then got down on my stomach.
I wiggled my way through the opening like an inchworm. It took what seemed like forever, but when I got to the opening, Shadow licked my face and moved back, allowing me to crawl to my hands and knees. I kneeled in the small space. The entire alcove was blocked by gnarled bushes. In the far corner, a dark opening caught my attention.
Shadow was already heading that way. My heart pumped raw adrenaline through my veins as I crawled towards the opening of the cave. Shadow stood at the entrance with his nose in the air. He bounded into the darkness. I scrambled after him.
The blackness of the cave was broken only by Aiden’s wide blue eyes that seemed to glow. Shadow’s panting and scraping of nails against rock were the only sounds in the space. I blinked, forcing my eyes to adjust to the dark.
A low rumbling in the bears chest caught me off guard, and then I remembered the hat. I pulled it off, and my hair fell in loose curls. The growl stopped, and a huff filled the space. His blue eyes kept me entranced as they moved closer.
“Hunters in the woods,” I whispered.
His gaze jerked towards the entrance.
“They didn’t follow me. No one knows I’m here.”
Aiden turned and lumbered deeper into the cavern. I hesitated, but Shadow followed as if being near a large grizzly bear was normal. With my vision slowly adjusting, I carefully made my way in the direction I thought they had gone, shuffling my feet so I could navigate around any rocks I came in contact with instead of tripping over something.
Shadow came back to my side and nudged my knee before bounding back into the darkness. As I walked, my eyes seemed to adjust. Either that or the cave was getting lighter. Rushing water filled my ears. I skirted around a boulder, stepping into a larger cave with a small waterfall. It was warm here, like a mid-summer day, and the water glowed, filling the space with blue light.
Aiden stood knee-deep in the water and batted a fish onto the rocky shore near where I stood. The second it hit the ground, Shadow was on it, tearing flesh from bone and eating his fill. Several fish skeletons lay in the far corner with a fire pit that lay barren of wood or ash. A small straw bed sat near the fire, along with clothing drying on the rocks.
This was Aiden’s home. I studied the walls and the crystals hanging on the ceiling that seemed to carry their own warm glow. I couldn’t imagine the bear fitting into the underbrush clearing that I had crawled through to get inside the cavern, nor could I imagine Aiden doing the same.
“Is that the only way in here?” I pointed to the cavern where we had come in.
Aiden was too focused on the task at hand and dove for another fish. He came up with it in his mouth. It disappeared between his teeth, and he lumbered onto shore, shaking off the water. Warm spray doused me. He crossed to the corner opposite the bed and made himself comfortable.
My gaze turned to the straw mat, and I yawned. “I didn’t sleep last night at all. Mind if I lie down?” I pointed to the bedding.
Aiden huffed.
I took that as a yes and crossed to the bed, took off my shoes, and curled up on the soft straw. His scent filled the space, and before I knew it, my eyes closed.
CRACKLING WARMTH PULLED me from sleep. Aiden, in his human form, knelt next to a roaring fire with a spit filled with fish cooking over it. His bare back faced me, and I reached out, running my fingers over his skin.
He jerked and looked over his shoulder. “Good morning.” He smiled.
“Don’t you mean good evening?” I said, and stretched my aching muscles.
Shadow stretched, too, from his perch next to me and then licked my face.
I sat up, pushing my wolf pup away. The cave still glowed with an ethereal light. It reminded me of Aiden’s eyes.
“So, this is where you live?” I twirled my finger around.
He pulled a crude plate from a shelf in the wall and dropped the cooked fish on it. He handed me the plate and sat back, leaning against the rock next to the bedding and stretching his leather-clad legs towards the fire.
“Why did you come?” he asked after I started picking at the dinner he had served me.
“I can leave if you want me to.” I put the plate down on the bed between us and stood.
“If I wanted you to leave, I wouldn’t have cooked you breakfast.” He raised an eyebrow at me.
I sat back down and returned my focus on the food. Cooked salmon always tasted delicious, and these were beyond fresh. The fish melted in my mouth and I shared a few morsels with Shadow. When the bones were picked clean, I handed Aiden the plate.
Despite the fish carcasses lying about, the cave didn’t stink with the stench of decaying flesh. Instead, it smelled like honey and spring rain. I climbed to my feet, crossed to the water, and crouched down to wash my hands. It was hot like a newly drawn bath. I glanced over my shoulder.
“It’s a hot spring, but the center is deep and cold. That’s the channel where the fish swim through.”
I cocked an eyebrow and stood, shaking the warm water from my hands before wiping them on my hips. Aiden climbed to his feet and crossed to me.
“Why did you come?” he asked, his voice soft and tender. His fingers brushed my cheek, tucking the stray hairs behind my ear.
“You know why,” I said, breathless from his touch. Every cell in my body wanted him. I couldn’t deny this strong connection.
He leaned in, and his lips crushed against mine. His arms wrapped around my waist, pulling me against his hard chest. The kiss transcended, making my body vibrate with need. I wanted to feel that same freedom, that same high I felt in my bedroom. I wanted all of Aiden.
He broke the kiss and stared down at me. “I can never set foot in the castle.”
“I don’t care.” My hands trailed down his chest to the clasp of his pants.
He grabbed my wrists, holding them still. The carnal need in his eyes and the tension in his face belied his motion. “I am a bear by day,” he said, his voice quivering.
&n
bsp; “I don’t care.”
“My offspring are cursed as well,” he said and stepped back. “I do not wish this life on anyone.”
I stared at him, measuring the need pumping through my blood and the desire so clearly outlined in the fabric of his pants. My fingers nimbly unbuttoned the shirt I wore. I stripped the fabric from my shoulders and tossed it aside.
Aiden groaned at the sight of my bare breasts. “Please, May,” he whispered.
His eyes begged me. For what, I wasn’t sure. I peeled off my pants and stood at the edge of the water without a stitch of clothing on.
His pupils dilated, leaving only a thin edge of blue around the black abyss. His fingers fumbled with the clasp on his pants. He closed his eyes and pulled his hands away, clenching them.
I closed the distance, placing my palms on his chest. His heart raced underneath my hands, and his eyes jerked open. His breathing quickened. He stared down at me, trembling under my touch.
“Don’t you want me?” I asked in a hushed whisper, laying my vulnerability at his feet.
With a guttural growl, he tore his pants off and then had me in his arms as he walked us into the water. His lips captured mine, walking us backwards until I lost my footing. He continued until the heat vanished and all that wrapped around us was the frigid depths of the water. He pulled away from my lips, his breathing ragged. When I wrapped my legs around his waist, his eyes clamped closed and his lips pressed together.
He pushed beyond the cold, into warmer waters on the inside of the cave lake, near the waterfall. He lifted me onto a rock and kissed me deeper than he had ever done before. I shook with need. When the kiss broke, I whined, but his lips trailed down my cheek to my throat. The sensation of his tongue swiping my skin and his butterfly kisses pulled a moan from deep inside me.
His mouth attacked each breast as if they were his only sustenance, nipping, licking, sucking until I thought I would go insane. Every sensation brought forth a cry from my lips.
With a wicked grin, he moved lower, kissing my belly, and running his tongue in a circle in my belly button. He pushed my legs wider, and I thought my heart would explode when his mouth clamped down on the spot his fingers had manipulated the other night.