“But you're not alone any more than I ever was,”Willow said softly, manifesting inside my cell.“Because one way or another, even with six hundred years between us, we’ve always had each other.”
She appeared more beautiful than ever, her ethereal beauty caught in bluish-white moonlight, sparking a poignant memory that both alarmed me and warmed my heart. I was about to remind her of it, too, when something seemed to catch her attention beyond the bars because she drifted that way.
“What is it?” I asked, joining her.
She smiled at me, seeming certain.“It’s here for us, so let’s see if we can make the best of what time we have together.”
She no sooner said it than I caught sight of the willow tree beyond, and an elegant branch blew inside, sweeping us away on the next leg of our journey.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
–Willow–
IWASN’T ENTIRELY sure how I did it this time, but I knew when my willow tree appeared outside Sloan’s cell, I could pull him back into the Morrow with me, and I did.
What I didn’t expect was where we ended up next.
“’Twas what came to mind when I saw you standing in the moonlight,” Sloan exclaimed as the willow tree faded, leaving us in what had once been a very special spot.
Or at least it had been before he told me he was marrying another woman.
“Do you remember, lass?” he said softly, taking in the unique cave in which we stood before looking at me. “Because I never forgot one moment of it.”
Situated inside a cliff overlooking the sea, as if a great spoon had carved it out, small clusters of trees had managed to grow at the mouth of the cave. They clung to the cliff and what meager land they could find, canopying a grassy area beside a sheer drop to the frothing waves below.
“I remember,” I murmured, almost feeling like I was in a dream as I drifted toward the opening where he had proposed to me, shocked I hadn’t figured things out sooner. “I wore a blue linen dress that suited the era.”
“Aye, and you were a vision standing there in the moonlight,” he marveled, stopping beside me beneath the trees where we’d once stood together on what was supposed to have been one of the best days of my life. “Wearing the same color dress you’d worn the first time I saw you as a wee girl.”
“That’s right,” I said, still remembering the anticipation I’d felt because I suspected my Scot of the Morrow was going to do something gallant and romantic. “Because you’d asked me to wear that color.” I couldn’t help but point out the obvious, wondering if it was somehow related to my mark. I eyed the blue tattoo on my wrist, hoping it meant good things rather than terrifying ones. “It’s the same colors, Sloan.”
“’Tis.” Now that he could touch me, he cupped my wrist in his big, strong, weapon-roughened hand and brushed the pad of his thumb over it, sending all sorts of delicious sensations spiraling through me. “Because ye’re meant for me, Willow. Ye always have been.” He trailed his fingers along my jaw as if cherishing being able to feel me again. “Now nothing stands in our way. Marry me tonight, lass. Marry me within the Morrow before anyone dares to take ye away.”
My heart leapt into my throat at the love in his eyes because I had missed it so much. This feeling he invoked inside me. The way he gazed at me. It was unique to him and had always made me feel special. Loved. Never alone.
“You know that’s impossible,” I managed. “Even if I knew how to get someone into the Morrow to marry us, we can’t risk the safety of your clan. My sisters’ safety.” I shook my head. “We both know I’ve got to go back to Sutherland Castle and shift. There’s no avoiding it.”
“Mayhap there is, though,” he countered, reeling me against him before I could pull away, locking one strong arm around my waist and a hand around the back of my neck in a possessive move that seriously worked for me.
“I’ll shift right now and fly us out of here,” he swore vehemently, his dragon eyes flaring. “My beast is strong and swift and will take you far from here. Far from all of this. Then ‘twill protect you with all the power it possesses.”
“Yet the unraveling spell will always bring me back,” I said softly, gentling my voice when I sensed how close his dragon was to the surface. How desperate it was to do what he’d suggested. “If I’m sure of nothing else, it’s that.” Trying to ignore how being against him set me on fire, I shook my head. “There’s no running from this, Sloan. You don’t run anyway, leaving the people you love to fight a war you started. That’s not who you are.” I rested my hand on his rock-hard chest. “You’re the guy who protects and defends no matter what. You’re the stuff heroes are made of, and that’s one of the many reasons I love you, so don’t start being the bad guy now. It’s not a good look on you.”
He clenched his jaw and gazed into my eyes, clearly debating whether he wanted to listen to me or not, before finally seeming to meet me halfway. “Then promise to marry me as you once swore you would. Forgive me for all the lonely years in between. For choosing my father’s wishes over my love for you. For putting king and country first. Had I put you first instead, we would be married with wee bairns of our own.”
Sadly, he was probably right, but we were long past that alternate reality.
More so, I was done being angry and resentful.
Done pushing him away.
“There’s nothing to forgive, Sloan,” I said softly, meaning it. “I might not have understood back then because I was too young and naïve, but I do now.” I pressed my hand more firmly against his chest. “Who you are now,thisversion of yourself, while you may be older and wiser, is still the man I fell crazy in love with. The one who puts others before himself, despite how hard it is…was.”
“’Twas excruciating,” he said just as softly, searching my eyes. “You ken that now, aye? Truly ken ‘twas the worst thing I’ve ever had to do? Watching you go…feeling you leave me that final time knowing deep down you wouldnae return no matterhow hard I tried to keep you in my life.” He caressed my neck, clearly grateful to be touching me again. Feeling me beneath his fingers. “I dinnae ever want to feel that way again, Willow. ‘Tis too hard…” He shook his head. “Too much.”
Understanding now wasn’t the time to try to argue we might have no choice, I chose actions over words and finally did what I’d wanted to do since laying eyes on him again.
I pulled his lips down to mine and kissed him, determined to take his mind off our conversation, yet I underestimated just how much it would affect me. Our kisses had been magical in my youth, but they were something else entirely now, and I knew he felt the same when a soft kiss filled with memories turned hot, hungry, and desperate.
