Highland Magic

by Donna Grant

  Yet, every time she thought of destroying the book, she found she didn't want to. What if she needed one of those spells someday to save someone she knew? What if she needed one of those spells to end a great evil? What if she needed one of them for Frang?

  Nay, she couldn't destroy it.

  Malina, a young, beautiful Druid with light brown hair and smiling hazel eyes sat beside her. “You've been sitting here awhile."

  Kenna returned her smile easily. “I've been thinking about how stunning it is here."

  "I don't think there's a more beautiful place in Scotland."

  "Where you born here?"

  Malina nodded. “My mother was a Druid who had travelled from near the border with England, and my father was a member of the MacInnes clan."

  "So you always knew you were a Druid?"

  "You could say that,” she said with a small laugh. “My two brothers and youngest sister didn't inherit the gifts of being a Druid though."

  "Out of four of you, only you?"

  Malina nodded. “That is what happens when one of the parents isn't a Druid, and a chance we all take."

  "Have you married?"

  "Not yet.” But by the way Malina smiled she had found someone.

  Kenna sighed wistfully. “In my clan, I was the healer and always alone. I had resigned myself to living out my days by myself."

  "You have Frang now."

  Malina's words jerked her head around. Frang wasn't hers, nor would he ever be hers no matter how much she wished it so. “Frang is my friend, someone who protected me when others wouldn't. He isn't more than that."

  Malina just smiled and rose to her feet. “Only time will tell, Kenna."

  For a long while after Malina left Kenna thought over her words. It was well after midday before she stood and found the Druids gathered together as Frang spoke to them.

  "Aye, it is me,” he answered someone. “Do not ask how it is so, for I cannot answer you. Conall and the MacInnes clan are in need of us again. Another evil has followed me here and wishes to do us harm."

  "Is it Kenna the evil seeks?” a man yelled out.

  She saw Frang sigh before he nodded. “It is. The man after both Kenna and me is the laird of the Wallace clan. He is not just a man though. He is a man who knows some magic, so we must be prepared. Under no circumstances should any Druid venture off MacInnes lands.

  "The magic that keeps us secret is centred in these stones and extends to the boundaries of Conall's land, but they are weakest at the boundaries. If you must leave the stones, only venture as far as the castle. Any farther and I fear what might happen."

  "What kind of magic does Wallace have?” a woman asked.

  "I don't know the answer,” Frang said. “I imagine we'll find out very soon."

  Voices rose as questions poured out, but Frang merely held up his hand for silence. Once the Druids had quieted, he continued.

  "We have an obligation to keep any Druid safe. Kenna is one of us. The MacInnes clan has kept us secret for centuries, we cannot let anything happen to them. The Wallace has no idea we are here. We have the element of surprise. And I intend to use it."

  Cheers rose up and a relieved smile pulled at Frang's lips. Kenna watched in amazement. Now she knew what Glenna meant when she said this was where he rightfully belonged. He was the leader of the Druids, it was in his soul. He would never be whole away from the Glen. And seeing him with the other Druids made his power and magic more palpable, more physical, almost ... erotic.

  When his gaze turned to her, her blood quickened. His sky blue eyes were ablaze with emotion that made her body come alive with heat and excitement. Unable to stop herself, she walked towards him through the throng of disbursing Druids until she stood before him.

  "You do belong here,” she said.

  When he held out his hand for her, she eagerly took it, never questioning him when he walked out of the circle and into the forest.

  Each step brought them more solitude, and each step made her more aware of him as a man. They were deep in the forest surrounded by ferns and giant pines when Frang stopped and faced her. His eyes glowed with a strange emotion that made her blood pound in her ears.

  "Kenna,” he whispered just before his hands cupped her face and his lips met hers.

  She whimpered as she melted against him. His tongue licked her lips before it swept into her mouth to dance with hers, sending her spiralling into an abyss of pleasure.

  His arms moved until they wrapped around her back and moulded her to the hard planes of his body. Kenna's hands roamed over his muscular back to his trim waist while his mouth teased hers with untold delight.

  Just as suddenly as the kiss started, it ended. Kenna's body was on fire. Her breasts ached and there was a growing desire between her legs. She stepped away from Frang and turned her back to him.

  "Why do you keep kissing me?” she managed to ask him though her voice shook.

  "I can't seem to help myself."

  "You were going to leave me without so much as a farewell, but you can't stop kissing me?"

  She felt him move as he walked up behind her. “I don't understand it any more than you. I'd like nothing more than to lay you down and make love to you.” He turned her around until she looked at him. “But you deserve so much more than I could ever offer you, Kenna. You are destined for great things."

  "And making love to me would compromise that?"

  "Nay. It would be my leaving afterward that would do it."

  She frowned. “I thought ... you belong here. Everyone knows you've returned."

  "I will tell you what I haven't even told Glenna and Conall. I will stay until the Wallace is defeated. And then I will leave for I have no other choice."

  "Even if everyone wants you to stay?"

  His finger ran down the side of her face in a soft caress. “Even then."

  Kenna didn't want to talk anymore. She only wanted to feel. With a step towards him, she laid her head on his chest and wrapped her arms around him. Instantly, he embraced her, enfolding her in his warmth and magic, his power and safety. She knew as long as she was with Frang, she was safe—except for her heart.

  * * * *

  The Wallace drummed his fingers on his knee as he stared out over MacInnes land. His missive would have been delivered to their laird by now, and he expected an immediate answer.

  Out of the corner of his eye, Wallace spotted Callum walking towards him.

  "It was delivered?” Wallace asked his first in command.

  "Aye, laird."

  Wallace stood and glared at his man. “Well? Was there an answer."

  Callum visibly swallowed. “He refused to give me one."

  For a moment Wallace couldn't believe his ears. “What?” he bellowed.

  "Laird MacInnes read the missive and dismissed me. When I asked for an answer he told me I wasn't getting one yet."

  Wallace seethed. “He's bold, this laird of the MacInnes. He doesn't know who he has tangled with offering sanctuary to Kenna and the man."

  "Frang."

  "What?” Wallace asked, irritated that Callum would interrupt.

  "The man. His name is Frang Malcolm."

  "Interesting,” Wallace said as he crossed his arms over his chest. “A Malcolm, aye?"

  "That's the name he gave a few of the men."

  "And his interest in Kenna?"

  Callum shrugged. “I didn't even know they knew each other."

  "He was at the castle then?"

  "Aye. The night before Kenna fled."

  Wallace sighed as it all came together. “Kenna and this Frang were in league together to steal my...” he trailed off as he realised what he had almost revealed.

  "Laird?” Callum asked, confusion marking his voice.

  Wallace waved his hand in dismissal. “Nothing. I want word sent immediately to me when the MacInnes answers."

  He waited until Callum walked away before he let the smile show. It was too bad he no longer had the Book of Ma
gic, but he had a good memory and had been able to memorise some spells. Maybe it was time he tried a few more out.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Ever since that kiss in the forest, Frang had thought of nothing but Kenna. Her taste lingered on his lips and her heat stole into his body. He couldn't get her out of his mind. Everywhere he looked, he saw her. Everywhere he went, she was there.

  It should frighten him, but it didn't. He couldn't deny he wanted her, needed her.

  "Everything all right?” Conall asked.

  Frang nodded and concentrated on the food set before him. The great hall was crowded with people for the evening meal, and it was one of the few times he had sat with Conall on the dais. He hadn't been able to tell Conall no, nor had he wanted to since he knew Kenna would also be there.

  He found it difficult to concentrate on his food with Kenna only a few seats from him. Every time she laughed or spoke he found himself leaning towards her to hear what she had to say. He was fast becoming infatuated with her, and it unnerved him like nothing else could.

  In his whole existence, there had never been a woman he couldn't forget or walk away from. As it stood now, it would be nearly impossible to walk away from Kenna. Her innocent, sensual kisses stirred feelings in him he'd thought long dead. And the trust that shown in her amber eyes every time she looked at him made him weak. Long ago he'd given up the idea of a wife and family, yet Kenna made him think there could actually be a future between them.

  "Frang?"

  He stirred and turned to find Conall watching him keenly. “Something wrong?"

  "I've asked you that same question three times. I was hoping you could answer it for me."

  Frang looked away from Conall's penetrating silver gaze to his platter of uneaten food. “I'm just thinking."

  "Since your gaze hasn't left Kenna, I'm guessing she is the one occupying your thoughts."

  Frang cursed silently. “Not her exactly, but how I'm going to keep her safe."

  Conall nodded and leaned back in his chair. “Do you still have your powers?"

  "The powers I had were because I'm a Druid and had nothing to do with the Fae or my immortality. So, aye, to answer your question, I still have my powers."

  "I'm glad to hear it since we're going to need them."

  Frang reached for his goblet and drank heavily from the ale. When he lowered the goblet, Conall's gaze caught his.

  "Why do I get the feeling you're keeping something from me?” Conall asked.

  Frang set aside his goblet and turned to his friend. “I'm not leaving anything out that would endanger your clan or the Druids."

  After a moment Conall nodded, accepting his words. “Kenna seems to be settling in all right."

  "She is,” Frang agreed. “Her teacher was a healer and spoke of the Druids to Kenna. Still, the woman didn't teach her much of the Druids and focused instead on the herbs and their uses."

  "That's valuable information."

  "Aye. She'll be a great asset."

  As if knowing she was being spoken of, Kenna turned and looked at Frang. Her long, red hair had been pulled away from her face and plaited at her temples. Her smile was infectious and Frang found his lips tilting upwards.

  "She's quite stunning."

  He blinked and glanced at Conall, the smile leaving as quickly as it had come. “That she is. I've never seen hair that shade before. It's a cross between the deep red of a sunset and the flames of a fire."

  Conall studied Frang, curious as to the High Priest's words. “Her eyes are also remarkable,” he said to see how Frang would respond.

  "Very. They're the colour of amber."

  Conall looked to Kenna to find the woman in question smiling at Frang. There was definitely something between them, something that could blossom into something more. If Frang allowed it.

  He cleared his throat to gain Frang's attention. “What did you do these past years?"

  "Wandered Scotland.” Frang reluctantly looked away from Kenna and focused on Conall.

  "Were you searching for something in particular?"

  Frang shook his head, his dark hair brushing his shoulders. “I went wherever my feet took me."

  "In all those years you never found a place you could call home?"

  He hesitated for a moment before answering. “Nay."

  Conall considered him a moment before he gave a slight nod of his head. “Nay, I don't guess you would have, not when your heart and soul are here."

  "You've the right of it."

  "I hear you've become quite the warrior."

  Frang's blue eyes hardened a fraction, as if waiting to hear what Conall would say.

  Conall smiled before he reached for his goblet. “What did you do before being cursed by the Fae and serving the Druids?"

  Frang watched him as he lifted the goblet and drank. When he set it aside, Frang turned towards him. “Why do you want to know?"

  "You've been a mystery to everyone. I simply want to know more about the man you were."

  "The curse did not change me other than my appearance."

  Conall leaned forward so only Frang could hear his words. “The hell it did. You were immortal for three hundred years. That would most certainly change a man."

  "Do your abilities to tell whether someone lies or not change you?"

  "This isn't about me?"

  Frang's eyes turned glacial. “Answer me. When you lost your power, you floundered about, but did it change you?"

  Reluctantly, Conall shook his head. “You know it didn't. My power only enhances the man I am."

  "So it was the same with me."

  Conall leaned back and sighed. “What were you before being cursed?” he asked again.

  "Simply a man,” Frang said as he stood. “A man who is a Druid."

  Conall watched Frang leave the castle, and he wasn't surprised when a few moments later Kenna followed him. Conall turned to his wife to find her looking at him.

  "What did you do?"

  He chuckled. “Have some faith in your husband, my love."

  "You know I do,” she said as she took his hand in her own. “Now, tell me what you did."

  He smiled at his wife and played with the ends of her dark braid. “I wanted to know more about Frang. And Kenna. I think there might be something between them."

  "Most certainly there is,” she agreed. “To what extent I do not know, but I think we will discover very soon."

  Conall's gaze moved back to the castle door. A smile pulled at his lips. “In less than a week's time is Beltane. The answers we seek could very well be given to us then."

  They exchanged a knowing smile. The fires of Beltane drew all Druids, a pull that would not be ignored. Passion could not be denied and lives were forever changed.

  * * * *

  Frang roamed the forest for hours. He knew sleep would elude him, and he needed to clear his head and think. Conall had brought back memories he didn't wish to dwell on.

  What were you before the curse?

  Frang leaned a hand against an oak and clenched his teeth. A memory of training with his father to be a warrior flashed in his head. He had been destined to die on the battlefield until the day he heard the Druid's call.

  He pushed away from the oak and reached behind him for his sword. In one fluid motion he unsheathed the remarkable weapon. He lifted the end of the blade towards the sky, the moonlight reflecting off the metal and the beautiful Fae knot work.

  The air moved behind him, subtle and unthreatening. Aimery. Frang ignored the Fae's presence as he wanted to be alone. When Aimery refused to leave, Frang pivoted and levelled the sword at the Fae commander's throat.

  Aimery lifted a brow. “Running from memories is never a good sign."

  Frang lowered the weapon and cursed. “I've blocked you from my thoughts."

  "True,” Aimery replied. “However, it does not take magic to see that the past is haunting you, my friend. I would have thought by now you would have let it go."

&nb
sp; "Let it go?"

  "It wasn't your fault."

  Frang let his head drop back as he sighed. “If I had been there..."

  "Enough."

  Frang lifted his head and looked at Aimery. The Fae rarely raised his voice, but there was an edge of hardness about him now. Anger rumbled through Frang, anger he knew he could control but refused to.

  "Enough?” he repeated. “You have no right to tell me when to leave my memories alone. You have no control over me anymore."

  "If you had been with your father and brother that day, you would be dead as well."

  Frang ran a hand down his face. “It was where I should have been."

  "Your place has always been with the Druids,” Aimery said as he stepped towards Frang. “You saw what it did to Conall to ignore his Druid side. Can you imagine what life would have been like for you had you done the same?"

  "My family depended on me."

  Aimery's hand sliced through the air. “Your father hungered for glory, Frang. He knew he couldn't survive that battle, but he had too much pride to turn back. And yet, he brought your brother with him, knowing they would both die. Why do you mourn such a man?"

  "He was my father.” Frang leaned back against the oak and briefly closed his eyes. He felt something touch his shoulder and opened his eyes to find Aimery's hand upon him."

  "You were destined to lead the Druids. It was even your destiny to be cursed so you could ensure the survival of Glenna and her sisters for the prophecy."

  Frang's eyes narrowed and he straightened. “If that's the case, tell me what my destiny is now?"

  Aimery's hand dropped and he took a step back, all the emotion erased from his face. “You did the right thing in bringing Kenna here."

  But Frang wasn't fooled. “I don't think this has anything to do with Kenna. This has to do with the Book of Magic, doesn't it?"

  "It does."

  Frang shook his head in disgust as he sheathed his sword. “All the time I've served the Druids, and even the Fae, has not altered how you think of me."

  "Do not make the mistake of thinking you know what is in my mind,” Aimery said.

  "Then, please enlighten."

  Aimery sighed wearily. “Frang, you of all people know that we each have our own paths that we must walk. Even I have a path and decisions to make that could alter how my future lives out."