“Mayhap if ye were marrying,” I ground out again before I could stop myself.
“Nonetheless, I agree,” Robert said. “’Tis best Aspen be looked at as a Sutherland rather than a MacLeod, so ‘tis more appropriate if she retired for the eve as well.”
Wanting to keep her close for as long as possible, I went to argue that, but Aspen spoke before I could, clearly wishing to ease any further tension.
“It’s okay,” she said, showing me the strength I needed to see when she looked at me. “I’m tired anyway.”
“I’ll see ye to yer chamber,” my mother said.
I nodded at Mother, thankful she could be there for Aspen when I could not. After everyone left, except me and my brethren, I refilled my whisky and downed half of it in one long gulp, never so frustrated.
“’Twill be all right, son,” my father said softly. “As ye know, fated mates sense each other more than most, so I know yer mother sees a glimmer of hope. There is something the Sutherland laird is not telling us. Something connected to the pact that will reveal itself soon enough.”
“But not before Dugal takes Aspen to a castle and clan she doesnae know,” I grunted, finding little relief in my father’s words.
“Ye must remember this too was a castle and clan she didnae know with a laird who wasnae particularly welcoming to her,” he pointed out. “But she persevered because she is strong and resilient.”
“Aye,” Kenneth agreed, giving me a look of reassurance. “’Tis unlikely the king will want ye following her north as I sense ye intend to do, so I will go in yer stead and follow from a distance.”
“Which only gets us to Sutherland Castle if ye’re lucky enough not to be intercepted.” I shook my head and sighed. “’Tis what happens beyond those castle doors that worries me.”
“Ye forget the MacLomains dinnae have strife with the Sutherlands,” Kenneth countered. “So I cannae see there being an issue and mayhap ‘twill comfort her, aye?”
“Aye.” Lucas looked at me with the same frustration I felt. “He’s right. He’s the best option and will likely be ignored by most Sutherlands as he’s known to wander about.”
As much as I loathed the idea of not following myself, I nodded in agreement. “Fine, then.” Narrowing my eyes, I couldn’t help but ruminate aloud and voice my biggest concern. “Who’s to say Dugal keeps his word and abides by their agreement when Robert’s not around? Who’s to say he doesnae take advantage of Aspen because there’s no one to stop him?” Terrified by the possibility, I shook my head. “Not among his own people.”
“’Twould only be a matter of time before the king found out, as I cannae see Aspen being quiet about it,” my father assured. “And that is the last thing Dugal wants.”
He made a good point, but still. All I could do was envision the worst without anyone there to protect her. Withoutmethere to protect her. Even so, I kept my worries to myself and stayed on for a time without drinking too much to keep my wits about me. Eventually, my cousins retired, leaving me alone with my father, who was fully aware of what I intended to do.
“Take great care, son,”he said into my mind lest our words somehow be overheard.“If Dugal finds out ye visited her chamber this eve, it could verra well bring the king’s wrath down on our clan.”
“I’m well aware,”I replied, but had to see her one last time and assure her all would be well. Nothing would stop me from comforting my mate. Not the entirety of Scotland or the love of my clan.“Dinnae worry. I will behave accordingly.”
As we both knew, behaving meant no intimacy because that would be far more risky, given Dugal was a dragon and could hear or sense it if Aspen became too riled. I could use magic to protect her, but it was impossible to know how dependable that would be if I lost myself to her touch, which was bound to happen.
So when I finally bid my father goodnight, assuring him I would take care, I kept that firmly in mind as I made my way through the hidden hallways toward her chamber. At least I kept that in mind until I caught her scent and inhaled sharply, sensing the worst, given our situation.
Stop now,I warned myself, trying to rally every bit of strength I could muster, but the closer I got, the more I knew I was in trouble. How else could it be when the worst thing possible just happened?
Aspen was in heat.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
–Aspen–
ALTHOUGH BRODERICK’S MOTHER assured me all would be well when she walked me back to my old chamber, I still tossed and turned, restless though I must have drifted off at some point because the next thing I knew, I was running past red autumn leaves toward a golden light. Running until I was scooped up and found myself astride a horse in the arms of a man who looked so much like Broderick, I knew it had been him in another life.
More than that, I knew he was stealing me away when he had no right.
Stealing me when I was promised to another.
Yet my heart swelled as I held on because I wanted to be nowhere else but in his arms. Nowhere else, even if it broke all the rules, despite knowing I’d been tryingto save him and the MacLeods from a war with the Sutherlands when I went to the Sutherland chieftain in the first place.
Trying, despite how much leaving my MacLeod laird had broken my heart.
“Dinnae leave me,”he whispered, his words echoing in my mind until the dream morphed, and I went from being in his lap astride his horse to lying beneath him somewhere I couldn’t see, but it didn’t matter.
