He left the room and headed to the burn, or stream that emptied into Loch Linnhe. Mayhap the cool breeze in his hair would help him to clear his muddled mind and he’d be able to figure out where his mother had hid the book.
* * *
Lovelle stepped foot outside the hospice with Clarista, after just having met the rest of the women of the clan who all seemed very nice. Storm’s half-sister, Isobelle was with them.
“You will be staying in the hospice tonight, if you don’t mind,” said Clarista. “I would invite you to stay in the family cottage, but it is getting crowded.”
“Aye,” agreed Isobelle. “Me three bairns and husband are stayin’ there as well as another o’ me sisters and her bairns too. Guid thing Lara and her family are stayin’ the winter at the castle wit’ Storm or we’d all be sleepin’ atop one another.”
“I’ll sleep in the hospice,” said Lovelle, “that’s fine. I don’t mind, and am thankful for your hospitality, especially in this situation.” She noticed Onyx stomping out of one of the cottages and heading across the moor.
“He disna look happy,” stated Isobelle.”
“I’m afraid that is my fault,” she said. “I upset him when I saw his eyes, and flinched this morning.”
“Everyone does that when they first meet him, dear,” said Clarista. “He is used to it, don’t worry.”
“Mayhap so, but I was not very nice and even called him a name. I think I’d like to go talk to him if you don’t mind.”
“He’s probably going te the cave by the loch,” said Isobelle. “He always goes there to be alone and think.”
“Thank you,” she said with a nod and hurried off after Onyx.
She headed across the land, noticing the sheep dotting the hills, grazing on whatever little live grass they could find sticking through the thin layer of snow. It was beautiful up here in the Highlands, and she could see why these people chose to live here. There were rolling hills for as far as the eye could see. Snow kissed mountains reached up to a wintery sky filled with clouds that stretched across the vast sky threatening to burst open at any minute. The air was so fresh and clean, and she felt as if she were on top of the world. But it was very breezy, and she was chilled to the bone, especially without her hat. Yet none of the Highlanders even seemed to be bothered by the cold.
She would find Onyx as fast as possible, and bring him back to the fire where it was warm so they could talk.
Onyx walked quickly, and she had a hard time keeping an eye on him in order to follow. She would have called out, but she thought that would only make him want to get away from her more, so she stayed quiet. The sun went behind the clouds and a strong wind picked up. She raised her hand and held her hood to her head and looked back toward the camp. It was getting hard to see through the blowing snow, but she could still see the wisps of cooking smoke rising up from the holes in the roofs of the cottages, toward the vast sky.
She wanted more than anything to go back and sit by the warm fire, but she felt horrible about what happened with Onyx and wanted to make amends first. She wasn’t one to hold grudges, and her mother had often told her that she lived up to her name of Loveday because she, more than anyone, seemed to forgive those who did her wrong.
Then it started to snow. She walked faster, seeing Onyx up ahead. She decided to call out to him after all, but she was downwind and he didn’t hear her, and kept on going. She followed him toward the lake, but by the time she got to the edge of Loch Linnhe the snow was falling so fast that she could barely see.
She reached up to brush the snow out of her eyes, and when she did her mother’s ring flew off her finger and slid across the frozen lake, out of reach.
“My mother’s ring,” she said aloud. Her body shivered and her teeth chattered. She would never get used to this Highland nasty weather. One minute the sun was shining, and the next it was dreary and snowing and she could barely see the hand in front of her face.
She walked up to the edge of the lake and realized the ring had slid quite a ways out from the shore. She would have to walk on the ice to get it. The day was dreary now, and with her color blindness, it was hard to tell what was solid ice and what was not. She tested it with her toe, and when it seemed like it would hold her, she gingerly walked out onto the ice. When she approached the ring, she bent over to get it – and heard the sickening crackle beneath her feet.
She frantically grabbed for the ring, but before she could get it, it went through the ice, and she followed. She sank into the water quickly, her cloak and gown soaking up the ice cold water and the weight pulling her down. She went under completely, panicking. She felt the pain of a thousand needles as the cold water started to send her body into shock, and when she surfaced, she realized her limbs were too cold to even move.
“Onyx,” she called, but she knew he wouldn’t hear her. “Onyx, help,” she said just before the water covered her head once again.
Chapter 7
Onyx was sitting at the mouth of the cave overlooking the lake and just thinking, when he thought he heard his name called on the wind. He looked out to the shore, but the snow was falling so fast and hard that if someone was there he couldn’t see them.
He was going to ignore it, when his bones started to ache, telling him that something bad was about to happen. He jumped to his feet and walked out of the mouth of the cave, looking out to the edge of the water. He thought he saw movement on the water, and he knew the lake looked frozen but it was deep near the shore in spots and would not be totally frozen over.
Then he heard his name again, and this time he recognized it as the voice of Lovelle. He spotted her near the shore, but near a spot where he knew the water dropped off quickly. She had broken through the ice and was struggling to keep afloat.
He took off at a run, pulling off his weapon belt and dropping it to the ground as he moved. Then he ripped off his clothes, throwing them down just as he got to the edge of the water. He knew he was going to have to jump in to save her, and with a heavy, wet, wool plaid on, they would both drown in the process. He didn’t have time to remove his boots, and jumped into the lake wearing them and his braies only.
Her face was frozen in fear and her skin already looked blue. Her eyes were closing as she dipped under once again, and he knew this might be the last chance he had to grab her before she disappeared under the water forever.
He took a deep breath and dove under, feeling the cold sting against his skin. He put his shoulder beneath her and tried to lift her upward. She was frightened, and struggled and started to panic. Trying to climb atop him, the weight of her wet cloak and gown pushed them both under.
He surfaced again, taking hold of her cloak and ripping it from her body. He let it sink down into the water, and she coughed and gagged and gasped for breath. Her hands clawed at him, and he called out to her.
“Hold on to me neck,” he said, but she wore gloves and they were slippery. He reached out and yanked them off and let them fall into the water as well. He would have tore off her gown, but it was fastened on by a lot of buttons and he didn’t have his dagger on him. Instead, he took a deep breath and went under the water again, then came up under her, tossing her onto the ice.
“Stay flat on the ice,” he called out, “or ye’ll fall in again.”
He managed to pull himself up next to her, having fallen through the ice more than once in his life, and knowing how to maneuver his way out. He then pulled her over the ice, and to the shore.
The cold wind bit into his wet, bare flesh, and he knew that no matter how uncomfortable he was, she was feeling it much worse.
She coughed again, spitting up water, and finally getting her breath. He helped her to her feet, and the snow fell around them now, so fast that it was like a wall in front of their faces.
Her gown was wet and heavy, and she couldn’t seem to move.
“We need te get ye outta these wet clothes quickly,” he told her. He could see her eyes closing, and knew there was no way h
e’d get her back to camp in this storm. “Hold on, Lady Love, I’ll take care o’ ye, dinna ye worry.”
He picked her up in his arms, stopping to collect his things along the way. But it was awkward to carry everything as well as her wet, dripping body with her very heavy gown, so he flipped her over his shoulder, and started for the cave. When she didn’t struggle nor protest, he realized that she had slipped from consciousness after all.
He made it to the cave and got inside, out of the wind and the snow. It was dark, but he’d come here often as a boy and knew it like the back of his hand. He put her down against the wall, her eyes closed and her head tilting to the side. He needed to warm her up and he needed to do it quickly.
He felt his way around the cave in the dark, thankful when he found the dry wood still stacked where he’d left it not that long ago. This was his place to come, his private spot where he could get away from the woes of the world and all his troubles and just relax. He’d stocked it well with dry wood and flint, and it wasn’t but a minute and he’d started a fire. They were close to the mouth of the cave so the smoke could exit, but yet far enough in to keep them out of the elements.
He stripped off his wet braies and boots, laying them near the fire to dry. Then he spread his dry plaid on the ground, making a bed for her.
“Lady Love,” he said, trying to stir her. Her eyes opened slightly, but her teeth were still chattering and her skin was a tint of blue. “We need te get ye out of yer wet clothes and te warm yer body quickly.”
“All r-r-r-r-right,” she said, the tears now streaming from her eyes. “You s-s-s-s-saved m-m-m-my life,” she said. “T-t-t-t-thank you.”
“Shhh, my bonnie cailin, dinna use yer energy te talk.” He removed her gown, then reached for her shift, but pulled back his hand and looked up to her instead. “Lassie, I need te remove all yer clothes. Do I have yer permission?”
“I u-u-u-u-understand,” she said, nodding her head.
He reached out again, pulling the shift over her head and then removing her hose, shoes and undergarments. He wanted to admire her beautiful nakedness, but knew this wasn’t the time for that. He had to get her warm or risk losing her forever.
“Come, lay by the fire and get warm,” he said. “I’ll put our clothes close by to dry.”
“I c-c-can’t walk,” she said. “I c-c-c-an’t feel my legs. Onyx, I am s –s-s-so scared.”
He could see this was worse than he thought. There was only one thing he could do to help her now since they had no blankets other than his plaid to use.
“Listen te me, Love, and dinna try te fight me. There is only one thing we can do te get ye warm quickly, but I dinna think ye are goin’ te like it. Still, it’s the only way.”
“A-a-a-anything,” she said, her teeth chattering so much that he thought they would break.
“Lay down then,” he said, getting her to sit on the plaid. He stoked the fire higher, then sat next to her. Staring into her beautiful blue eyes, he slowly lay back and held out his hand. “I need ye te lay atop me,” he said. “Our bodies together will give ye the heat ye need to recover.”
“Are you s-s-sure,” she said, looking at him cautiously, holding her hands over her bare breasts to hide her nakedness from him.
“I am sure, Love,” he said, gently taking her hand in his, and then with both hands, bringing her body to his as he laid her atop him. He then grabbed the sides of his long plaid and threw it up over her back, wrapping them together in some sort of cocoon.
He felt her body tense and stiffen at first, and he took his hand and rubbed lazy circles on her back. She relaxed, and her arms came away from the sides of her breasts, and up around his shoulders, as she lay her head on his chest.
Their two bodies, skin to skin, warmed quickly between them. He kissed her atop her head and she looked up to him with those bright blue eyes and tried to smile.
“What was t-t-that for?” she asked innocently.
He reached out and gingerly wiped back her wet hair from her face.
“I thought I’d lost ye today, lassie.”
“Would it bother you if you had?” Her body was warming nicely against his, and her teeth no longer chattered.
“Aye, it would bother me, more than ye ken.” He rubbed a hand against her cheek. Her skin was still very cold. He could see she was exhausted and he knew what she needed now was to sleep.
“Onyx?” she said. “I am so sorry for the way I acted before when I saw your eyes in the sunlight.”
“Dinna fash yerself, lassie, I am used te people reacting like thet.”
“I want to explain something to you. I – when it is nighttime, I can’t see colors, only black and white and grey. And – and in the daytime, if it is bright sunlight I can see some colors, but even so, they are not what they should be.”
“So thet’s why ye didna flinch when ye first saw me.”
“I think you are very handsome, and I want you to know that your eyes don’t bother me. They just startled me at first. That’s all.” She looked up into his eyes then, and he could see the sincerity in their swirling depths. He believed her, and that pleased him more than she could ever know.
“What happened lass?” he asked. “Were ye born thet way?”
“Nay,” she said. “I was fine until the birth of my child. It was a hard birth and I almost died and he almost died as well. Afterwards I was struck with a high fever and it took with it my sense of seeing colors.”
“Ye have a child?” He’d been stroking her cheek but stopped and pulled his hand back. “Are ye married, lassie, becooz if ye are, I dinna think yer husband will understand this position we are in.”
“Nay,” she said. “My husband died two months ago.”
“Och, I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be,” she said. “He was forty years my senior and we never talked. He had a mistress and hadn’t even touched me in the last seven years.”
“Well, he was a damned fool,” said Onyx under his breath. “I dinna ken how any man could treat ye so horribly. If ye were me wife I’d . . .”
“You’d what?” she asked, looking up at him again, and suddenly he realized how foolish he sounded. She was English, and he was a Scot. They were enemies because of what happened to both their fathers.
“It disna matter,” he said. “Tell me, how old is yer son and what is his name?”
“His name is Charles and he is seven.”
“Where is he now?”
“He is being fostered by an earl, and I miss him dearly.” Her eyes started closing when she spoke, and he knew she needed to rest. He took his hand and gently held her head against his chest. Then he wrapped his arms around her tightly, and closed his eyes as well.
He knew this was all wrong, but yet it felt so right. It felt so good to be holding their naked bodies together that he knew he wouldn’t be able to control himself from coupling with her if they stayed this way much longer. But her body was still cold and he needed to make sure she was warm and would heal. He needed to stay here a while longer, so he just closed his eyes and slept so he wouldn’t be tempted to do something they would probably both regret in the morning.
Chapter 8
Lovelle awoke feeling warm and happy, at first thinking she was at home in her bed, until she realized she was on the ground. Her eyes sprang open and her heart thumped wildly as the events from yesterday came barreling back into her mind.
Falling through the ice – Onyx saving her life – lying naked together to get warm. Naked! She didn’t move, just looked around and realized she was naked, pressed up to Onyx’s naked body and trapped under his arm as well as his leg that was over her. Her initial reaction was to push away from him and jump up and put on her clothes, but he was sleeping and looked so peaceful that she just wanted to look at him for a moment.
She barely remembered what happened, and wondered if he’d taken advantage of her. Then, she felt his hardened manhood poking against her and knew that he hadn’t been sated in th
e least. She owed this man her life. He was her enemy and had every reason to hate her, and no reason at all to keep from bedding her, especially since they were naked and pressed together. Yet he hadn’t. He was a barbaric Highlander, yet he acted like a refined English gentlemen. She didn’t understand him at all.
She liked the intimacy of lying here with him. This is something she missed in her life. And she was attracted to him. He was strong and had a pleasing body, and his lips were sensuous . . . and so close to her mouth. Before she knew what she was doing, she leaned over and kissed him.
Onyx’s eyes fluttered open and he stared right at her. This time, in the dimness of the cave his eyes weren’t so shocking, and instead they drew her in.
“What was thet fer?” he asked in a low voice, reminding her of their conversation last night.
“That was for saving my life,” she said softly, then reached over and kissed him on the lips again. His hand went around the back of her head, and he pulled her even closer as his other hand reached up and caressed her hair. The kiss lingered and she felt a new warmness taking over her body, a feeling she’d never had with the late baron.
“And what was thet one fer?” he asked again, after they broke from the kiss.
“I – I’m not sure,” she said. “I just felt like . . . it just felt right, that’s all.”
“I agree,” he said, kissing her again. He was gentle and caring, and this time as they kissed, his hand wandered down her back and rested atop her buttocks. She felt his hesitation at first, but then his fingers caressed her slowly, and his kisses trailed down her neck.
She reached out bravely and rested her hand against his hardened manhood, causing a surprised gasp from his lips.
“Ye do ken what yer doin’ dinna ye, Lady Love?” he asked, about driving her mad with want every time he called her Lady Love. She had told him she didn’t like it, but actually, hearing it from his mouth in his low Scottish burr, it excited her to no end.
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