She continued on, walking back along the river’s edge until she reached the place where she’d first jumped in. The waning moonlight beamed over her drenched gown caught between two boulders and she wriggled it free. A little more warmth seeped from her hands, not enough to fully dry her gown but it would do. With the fabric still wrinkled and damp, she shimmied the layers of red velvet over her head and laced the front stays.
Finlay’s tunic and vest lay bunched near the river and she picked up his discarded clothing, dried it as well as she could then folded and left his clothes with a small rock overtop to weight them down should the wind rise.
She splish-splashed across the muddy marsh oozing thick and heavy with the additional rainfall then at the edge of the woods, found her soggy slippers and slapped them on. Along the forest path, she trod.
As the sun rose over the horizon, it sent a stunning blaze of gold and red across the lightening sky and the formidable stone walls of Matheson House rose before her. She hurried through the gates and ducked into the lingering shadows of the curtain wall as a score of warriors strode out in their battle attire, their weapons holstered at their sides.
She crept inside, dashed up the side steps and walked into her chamber.
“Good morn, my lady.” Effie rose from the hearth where she’d lit her fire and dusted her hands against her aproned sides. “I ordered a bath for you. What do you wish to wear?”
“The silvery-blue gown, please. Lay it on the bed if you could, and then ask Julia if she could join me. I need to speak to her.” Two minds were always better than one, and right now, she needed her sister’s advice on all that had occurred.
“Aye, my lady.” Effie laid out the gown requested then tugged the tub from the corner into the area in front of the fire and left.
Two lanky lads with their shirttails fluttering loose over their tan breeches carried in pails of hot water and poured it into the tub while another maid added vanilla scented oil and a sprinkle of dried rose petals. Done, the maid closed the door behind her after the servants had filed out.
Longing to be done with her damp gown still chaffing her skin, she shed it and her sark then sank into the glorious water. ’Twas wonderful and warmed her through. She dunked her head and when she came back up, Julia stood inside her chamber, her golden locks coiled high on her head with two loose spiral curls bouncing free at each side.
“You asked for me, and I’m glad you did.” Her sister crossed to her in a swish of her emerald skirts. “I was so worried when Finlay set out after you. Where have you been all night?”
“I ran to the cove and spent the night in the cavern with him. I have so much to tell you.” She built up a lather with the bar of soap and scrubbed her hair with the mass of bubbles. “I exhausted my fire.”
“What?” In a flurry of skirts, Julia knelt at the tub’s edge. “But ’tis impossible. I’ve never heard of a fire-wielder doing so afore.”
“Neither have I, but ’tis the truth. I couldnae even bring forth a flicker of heat until this morn. My fire still has yet to fully return.” Hands raised, she wriggled her fingertips and two fingers caught alight. Her fire was reigniting. She dragged more of her heat from the well deep within her and lit another three fingers. The moment she did, the last five flared to life with ease.
“Well, it appears you now have your fire back.”
“With no fire, there was no way I could harm Finlay.” She slid under the water, rinsed her hair and popped back up with a grin.
“You joined as one?” Excitement shimmered in Julia’s voice. “Tell me you did.”
“We did. We also spoke handfast vows then completed the bond and created a merged link of the mind.”
“But you are here now, and without him. Where is he?”
“After I awoke, I snuck out. He’s still under Isla’s compulsion and of course willnae remember me since we’ve parted ways. I must remedy all I’ve done, as soon as I can.” She grasped her sister’s hand where it rested on the rim. “The four elements came together last eve in a perfect storm. Fire came in the form of lightning, water in the form of the rain, air in the form of the fierce wind that rose, and with the earth, we were deep inside the cavern when the storm unleashed itself.”
“Incredible.” Julia clutched a hand to her chest. “This is wonderful news, that your fire can be exhausted, and in that time it’s gone allow a joining with your mate. I wonder if such a merging of the elements again will exhaust your fire.”
“I have to hold onto the hope that it will. Surely it could no’ have been just a one-time occurrence. Although I need to need to test that theory to know for sure, which means I’ll need a mate who remembers me.” She lit her fingers and blew on the tips until the flames lengthened. With only one thought, she snuffed them back out. “The one thing I certainly learnt last eve was that I cannae continue to hide from him, no’ now we’ve created the merged link of the mind.”
“Then we need to speak to Isla. She will be ecstatic to hear of the storm and that you completed the bond. If you exhausted your fire once, then there is hope you’ll be able to do so again. Allow me fix your hair afore we leave. It’s been knotted into an awful mess by whatever you’ve gotten up to.” Giggling, Julia gently detangled her hair. She separated it into sections then ran the comb through it before drying it with a cloth. “All done.”
“Aye, finding Isla is imperative.” She hopped out of the water and dried herself. Quickly, she donned a clean sark from her trunk, picked up the silvery-blue gown the maid had left and eased it over her head. The soft satin folds shimmered over her hips and swished to her ankles.
“I am so excited for you.” Julia shuffled in behind her and laced her stays with jittery fingers. “You are each other’s match in every way. ’Tis wonderful to know that is the case.”
“You dinnae believe I hope too highly? What if I’m wrong about the storm and the combining of the elements? What if my fire never extinguishes itself again even when another perfect storm strikes?”
“You are soul bound, and there is no hope greater than that of the mated bond. I have faith you will find a way to extinguish your fire again since you’ve already done so.” She turned her by the shoulders and pinched her cheeks. “Which means you must. Now, ’tis time to live your life to the fullest, no matter where that journey might take you. Let’s be away.”
“Thank you, Julia. I love you.” Her heart full, she slid her matching slippers on and followed her sister out the door. They walked down the winding stairs and entered the great hall abuzz with warriors attired in their clan plaids. Kenneth sat at the dais, although Gilleoin, Aunt Sorcha and Nessa still remained at the village and would until they’d convinced the leaders of the need for all within the village to seek refuge during the coming battle, one that would rise in mere days. June the eleventh approached with speed.
“Do you see Isla?” Hand to her brow, Julia peered about on the tips of her toes. Warriors sat at trestle tables with steaming bowls of oats and fresh loaves of bread before them. They ate with gusto and much chatter and din. “Oh, there she is. At the front door.”
Isla, her hand resting within the bend of Iain’s elbow, walked outside with her mate, Kirk right behind them. Both Finlay’s brothers were dressed in black leather pants and dark tunics under padded cotuns, their claymores glinting at their sides. With the coming battle looming, all had to be prepared for the MacKenzie’s strike and they appeared ready for training.
“We’ll catch them up.” Julia grasped her hand and tugged her along after her.
Outside in the bailey, the warriors trained in their kilts, dust pluming at their feet and steel ringing loud as they struck each other. A tall burly warrior stomped to the center of the group in thick fur boots with a gong in hand. He called for the change and several warriors swapped out with men on the sidelines before the battling once again resumed.
Iain halted at the center well draped in ivy, kissed Isla’s cheek then strode with Kirk to the training a
rea. The two warmed up, twirling their blades in a precise figure eight. Then they tapped their swords together and fought, swiftly and with immense strength.
“Isla!” Julia waved out and they both hurried across and joined her at the well.
“Good morning to you two.” Isla hugged Julia and her, a welcoming smile on her face.
“We have much to speak to you about.” In a flurry, Arabel recited all that happened between her and Finlay while Isla listened with wide eyes and a rising smile.
“That is the best news.” The wind lifted, fluttered Isla’s sapphire skirts and the white ribbon at the top of her cinched bodice. “What you’ve told me also explains why Iain sensed a great deal of contentment coming from Finlay last night, ecstatic contentment. Kirk got a blast of it too, and I sat quietly with hope in my heart that things might have changed for you both. It does sound as if the realignment of the elements occurred during the storm, and I love that it extinguished your fire. There’s hope, always hope to keep us strong.”
“Aye, but I left without waking Finlay this morn, and there willnae be a chance he’ll remember me, or our joining.”
“I agree, and unfortunately I can’t reverse what I’ve compelled. All his memories of his time with you are gone. I also can’t tamper with his thought processes and try to reinstall them, or else he’ll begin to believe he’s gone mad. There is a fine line to what I can and can’t do.” Isla’s gaze softened. “He’s your mate, Arabel, and I can never compel that truth from him, that is why, deep in his heart, he completed the bond with you the first moment he could. Doing so rages through our shifter men, their desire to tie their chosen one to them all that rides them. Did you successfully create the merged link of the mind?”
“We did, and if you are in agreement, I would like you to remove the compulsion from Finlay and his brothers, provided Finlay too desires it.”
“He might be angry at the lengths we took to keep you from him, but he’ll never turn you away. You’re not alone, and never will be. You have an entire clan, your sister and me, and the ‘power of three’ on your side. There is no limit to what we’ll be able do to help you find all the answers you seek.” She glanced toward the gates and raised a brow. “Oh, and it appears the time for some of those answers has now arrived.”
Fury lined Finlay’s brow as he marched toward his brothers, his wrinkled white tunic un-tucked and flapping over his tan rawhide pants, his brown leather vest slung over one shoulder. The stubble razzing his jaw was thick and dark, his black hair a wind-tossed mess and a mass of emotions swirling within the golden depths of his eyes. He tossed his vest to the ground and heaved his sword from its side scabbard, his rage evident as he slammed his blade into Iain’s.
She should never have denied her mate. The time for her reckoning had arrived.
* * * *
So many intense and fierce emotions barreled through Finlay. He’d awoken in a cavern on a ledge overhanging a cool freshwater pool some miles from the castle, all alone and with only slivers of memory to mark the time. He’d been chasing a woman with long blond locks that swayed to her waist and vivid red skirts. She was nameless, faceless, yet everything about her called to him, on the deepest level. She was also the same unknown woman who’d haunted his dreams over the past few days. He ached, so deep in his soul he could barely breathe through the pain, and his heart, it felt as if it had been torn in two, as if he’d never be whole again.
“Whoa.” Iain backed up a step. “What’s going on?”
“I need help.” He swung again, striking Iain’s blade hard and fast a second time. “I can’t bear the weight of this loss thundering through me a moment more. I can’t find her.”
“You mean your mate?” Kirk jumped in and met Finlay’s next strike. “Yet I sensed only contentment coming from you last night, and an overwhelming amount of it.”
“If I was content, that emotion has well and truly gone. This morning I awoke inside a cavern deep within the cliffs at the cove, and I have no idea why I did. There was also no sign of anyone but me, yet I’m certain I was with someone. I’m running out of time and she needs me, just as badly as I need her.”
“Finlay, I’m so sorry.”
He stumbled to his knees, grasped his head.
“Are you all right?” Iain fell to one knee beside him, Kirk dropping down on his other side.
His searched his mind, found the pathway those sweet words had been delivered along. “I don’t believe it,” he whispered to his brothers. “There’s a telepathic link between me and another.”
“You’ve completed the bond?” Wild confusion lit Iain’s face, likely the same wild confusion racing across his own. “How could you not remember joining with your mate?”
“C-come to the chief’s solar, Finlay.” Her voice flowed through, all shaky and pained. “I-I promise to explain everything where we’ll be afforded more privacy.”
“Who are you?” He found his footing and stood. “Chief’s solar,” he said to Iain and Kirk and took off, his brothers hot on his heels. He pounded into the great hall, skidded around the corner and flew into the side antechamber bereft of its chief but instead holding Isla and Julia standing either side of Julia’s sister who sat in a padded chair. He strode toward her. “Arabel, isn’t it? You’re the fire-wielder? Is it you who just spoke to me?”
“Aye, I did.” She bunched her hands in her lap and twisted her fingers within the silvery-blue folds of her skirts.
“How”—he seized the arms of her wooden chair and scraped it closer, bringing them nose to nose—“did you manage to do that?”
“Finlay, calm down.” Kirk shut the door, pulled out a chair and plunked it behind him. Kirk gripped his shoulders and urged him down. “No looming over the poor lass.”
Iain eyed Isla and the two clearly spoke, although along their merged link and by the look on Iain’s face, he wasn’t happy with whatever he’d just discovered.
Scrubbing a hand over his heavily whiskered jaw, Finlay faced the women he’d created a merged link with. Arabel trembled, her head bowed and her gaze on her whitened knuckles. Aye, he needed to take more care. She was scared and he’d caused her to be so.
Slowly, he leaned forward and covered one of her hands with his. She was cold, and for one who wielded fire, she shouldn’t be. That he knew to the depths of his soul. He pulled back an inch, lost the contact he needed but assuaged the fear taking hold of him instead. “What is going on?”
“I’ve done you a grave wrong.” She lifted her gaze and those beautiful eyes of hers glimmered with tears. One trickled free, trailed down her soft cheek and splashed her gown.
He touched the salty drop with one finger and shook his head. Hell, he’d made his mate cry and that was the last thing he wanted to do. “Please, don’t cry.”
“I’m so sorry. This is all my fault.” More tears, and as each one fell, they hit him like he’d taken a spear to his gut. “When emotions of grief or loss rise, so too does my cold-fire. It makes me cold.”
“Then fix your cold-fire, right now.” Her talk of it set him completely on edge, although he knew not why. “Hurry.”
“Of course.” She closed her eyes and remained quiet. Long minutes passed before her cheeks finally flushed and she ceased trembling. When she lifted her lashes, she looked into his eyes and he almost drowned within the watery blue depths lit by sparks of gold around the edges.
“Are you feeling better?”
“A little.” She gulped. “Finlay, when you first discovered we were mated, you were so determined to complete the bond even though doing so would have ended in your death. In the past two centuries only six fire-wielders have been born afore me with the skill of fire and all have perished following the death of their loved one. There is no intimacy permitted with one who wields fire.”
“Yet we’ve clearly been intimate and I survived such a joining. What happened at the cove?”
“Yesterday, I ran there and you chased me. You wouldnae give up the fig
ht and when the storm hit, we took shelter in the cavern. Fire came in the form of lightning, water in the form of rain, air in the form of the fierce wind that rose, and the earth, well we were deep inside the cavern when the storm unleashed itself. My fire was exhausted and I couldnae raise even a glimmer of heat. The four elements had come back into realignment.”
“Fire, water, air and earth.” He mumbled the words, although they roared inside his mind, as if he’d spoken them many times before. “Has your fire been out of control since our arrival in this time?” The knowledge flittered at the edges of his mind, wispy and frail but still there.
“That’s right. During the storm we completed the bond, when we knew ’twas safe to do so.” She lit her fingers and flames danced on her fingertips. “Now the realignment has occurred, I no longer release heat for no reason, but I shall always be susceptible to losing control during moments of intimacy. That I can never control.”
“I see.” He reached for her hands and she doused her fire and threaded her fingers through his.
“You’ve told me many times that we are each other’s match, that we wouldnae have been mated otherwise. I believe, but in reaching this point, I took many precautions. To ensure your safety, I asked Isla to compel you and your brothers. She wouldn’t to begin with, no’ until I forced your hand and you too asked her to do so. I was to be no one to you, no more than another woman who resided here within this keep. No one of interest or importance. No one to draw too much of your curiosity. And should we have met, each instance would have been as if the first and all other times forgotten.”
“Well, that explains a damn lot. No wonder I can’t remember you, except you took a grave risk by your actions. Those who are mated work best together, not apart as you’ve forced us to be.” Frustration had reared and wouldn’t abate. She’d chosen to leave him, when mated pairs never did.
Highlander's Passion (The Matheson Brothers Book 2) Page 10