“And what would that be?” I wondered, yet somehow, I instinctively knew based on the change I felt in Lucas. His behavior was less flirtatious and more friendly as if something had changed overnight.
Something to do with someone other than me.
“Truth told, I cannae help but be curious about the other lasses Storm wrote to,” Lucas said. “Your sisters, aye?”
“That’s right,” I confirmed. “I have three of them.”
“All half dragon and half witch?”
“Yes.” I was about to continue, but we arrived at one of a few balconies overlooking a massive great hall, and the words died on my tongue. Where everything I had seen so far was impressive in an intense sort of way, it paled in comparison to the enormous chamber below with several huge hearths crackling with fires.
Forget the sense of anticipation I had felt in New Hampshire. The feeling I got now when my eyes swept over the enormous floor-to-ceiling tapestries depicting fire-breathing dragons swooping through dark clouds over seething oceans was crazy-exhilarating. For a split second, as thunder shook the floor and a flash of lightning lit up the tapestries, I felt like I soared with them, spreading my wings for the first time as I rode the dangerous, thrilling, turbulent winds.
A blink later, the sensation faded, but not the rush it had given me. I felt alive in a way I never had before. So much so my vision flickered red before returning to normal, and I knew I had ever so briefly looked through my dragon eyesfor the first time.
“Wow,” I whispered, dumbstruck because it felt so foreign yet familiar at the same time. Like I had been waiting my whole life to see the world that way. “I hadnoidea.”
“Now you do,” came Broderick’s curt voice from behind, startling us all as he scowled at Lucas and Kenneth in passing and grunted that they should not linger in dark hallways alone with their guest. What would people think?
Nothisguest buttheirs, despite Kenneth not even living here.
“’Tis no darker than any other corridor,” Lucas mumbled, shaking his head at Broderick’s back as he headed down the wide stairs to the great hall.
Kenneth agreed and frowned. “And since when does he care what people think about a lass alone in a hallway with as many men as she wants in this castle?” He snorted as we followed. “’Tis the verra reason I like this place so much.”
I wasn’t sure I wanted to know what that meant, but I was too curious for my own good. “So, I take it this is a pretty amorous clan?”
“We are dragons, lass,” Lucas said as if I should know that already. “We lust as intensely as we hunt and battle.”
No prude, that didn’t particularly bother me. I liked sex well enough and didn’t judge others for how many partners they took. Whatdidbother me, no matter how much I tried to ignore the sensation, was the idea of Broderick sleeping with one woman, let alone several at once. It left a strange feeling in the pit of my stomach. One I did my best to ignore as we finally made our way down into the great hall and straight into a history book.
Setting aside the intensity of the castle itself, I was awestruck by the people meandering about in clothing suited to the era. Some chatted in small groups toward the entrance, where fresh rusheshad been laid, and others sat at trestle tables eating. Others still, sat in small, carpeted areas in front of the hearths.
When Broderick introduced me, his deep voice carrying across the hall, everyone looked my way curiously, even though I got the distinct impression they were told about me beforehand. Most specifically, they were told not to stare at me and make me feel uncomfortable.
“Aspen is to be welcomed in every corner of our kingdom by all MacLeods,” Broderick said in closing, never once glancing my way. “If any spread word of her arrival to anyone not of our clan, ‘twill be a swift death by my sword.”
He might not have looked at me, but there was no mistaking how deadly serious he was as his gaze swept over everyone, and I saw his dragon eyes flare for the first time. When they did, I didn't feel fear but an entirely different sensation and my vision flickered red briefly as if in response.
Broderick went his own way after that, predictably standoffish and brooding, not just during the time I ate with Kenneth and Lucas but for the remainder of the day. I thought I could push past his despondency and enjoy my adventure, but something had shifted inside me since looking through my dragon eyes at the tapestries in the great hall and then seeing Broderick’s dragon eyes for the first time. Something that made the adventure of my life seem dull when it should be anything but.
In fact, despite the warm welcome I received from everyone inside and outside the castle as I toured the courtyard and surrounding buildings, from the smithy to the stables to several carts selling wares, I ended up pleading exhaustion a few hours later. After thanking the men for being such gracious hosts and even escorting me to my door, each endlessly vying for my attention, I felt relieved when I was finally alone.
Well, that wasn’t entirely true.
I was restless and frustrated. Despite seeing so much today, it still felt like I was waiting for my adventure. I had met so many interesting people and tried delicious new foods, including freshly baked bannock slathered in sweet, churned butter, yet it didn’t feel like enough.
“Sometimes you have to make your own adventures,” Storm’s words seemed to whisper through my mind, even though they had only ever been written on paper. Yet still, they had helped me through the rough years.“Sometimes you have to make your own destiny despite what the world throws at you.”
Even though she had been referring to a particularly hard move into an even shadier neighborhood during my childhood, I couldn’t help but wonder now if she was referring to this moment. Better still, my situation with Broderick, such as it was.
Had she known this day would come? This very moment?
I appreciated her words now more than ever, whether she had or hadn't known, because she was right. I could sit here and mope and give in to exhaustion I suspected had more to do with feeling rejected, or I could pave my own way and maybe create my own destiny. In this case, it wouldn’t be crawling into bed far too early and crying more tears I had no use for but exploring all the parts of the castle I had yet to discover.
Feeling better by the moment, I waited a few more minutes until I was sure Kenneth and Lucas were gone and did exactly that, only to learn soon enough this was no castle for grand solo adventures. More than that, it was no place to create your own destiny without someone along who knew the rough terrain.
CHAPTER SIX
