Page 62 of Bond of a Bewitched Highlander

Brodie gave a single nod. "I agree."

One of her brothers or Brodie's mother served as chaperone for the rest of her visit. Too soon, 'twas time to leave.

After talking to her parents back at Kincreag, they had settled on the wedding date for a month hence. She had written Brodie a missive, letting him know.

When her father had died in the accident, she, her family, and the entire clan had sunk into grief. They had postponed the wedding but not rescheduled it. A wedding was to be a joyous occasion, but no one in her clan, including her, wished to celebrate after such a devastating loss. But she'd still longed to marry Brodie, regardless of her sorrow. 'Twas what her da would've wished for her.

Brodie had traveled to Kincreag as soon as he'd learned the news. They'd been alone in a small, round tower room, and he'd held her so tightly on his lap while she wept, wishing he could take some of her pain away, he'd said. Once the storm of emotion had passed, he'd given her a handkerchief for her eyes and nose.

Instincts and love overrode rationality and propriety. They'd needed to reaffirm life in the midst of death.

Even through the bleak times, their love had remained strong, vibrant, and alive until....

"The curse," Elsea hissed. Wilona MacRae had placed the curse on Brodie, Gavin, and Torr while she'd been at Inverslaig Castle for her cousin's wedding.

The witch had given her a nightmare, a vision so real, Elsea was there in the physical, experiencing it.

She'd fallen at the edge of a violent battle in the wood, frozen. The metallic tang of blood mixed with the scents of torn-up black dirt and pine needles.

Brodie, Gavin, and Torr fought against their enemies. Sword blades clashed like thunder and thumped against wooden targes. Men shouted. Horses screamed, their hooves pounding the ground.

Time stopped, and all the warriors froze. Three enemies lay on the ground, unmoving. Something or someone yanked her forward, close to the stranger. The young bearded man's throat had been slit, and he was bleeding out. She slammed her eyes shut against the horror of it.

"Nay, look!" a female commanded and shook her violently. Elsea tried to scream, but no sound emerged.

Against her will, her eyes were forced open.

A gaunt harpy clutched the front of Elsea's clothing and shook her again, wrenching her neck. Elsea tried to grab the dirk from her belt, but her paralyzed arms refused to move.

Her captor's ginger hair flamed, and her green eyes glowed like liquid arsenic. Who the devil was she?

"Your beloved is one of the murderers!" The woman growled through clenched yellow teeth. "And he will pay."

What was she talking about?

The demonic woman released Elsea, but icy cords bound her so tightly she could scarce breathe.

The battle scene in the wood sprawled out before them again. Brodie and the other warriors were still frozen in time. The hag strode toward Brodie, yanked the gifted dirk from his belt scabbard, and slit his throat. Blood gushed as he fell.

Elsea silently wailed. She could not even close her eyes against the horror.

What seemed an eternity later, Elsea jolted awake in her bed at Inverslaig Castle, gasping for air, sobbing.

Was Brodie dead or alive?

She must go to him. "Forget the wedding," she cried, leaping out of bed and stumbling toward her trunk.

A force slammed into her, knocking her backward onto the bed. "You will not leave." The female voice gritted out the words.

Darkness surrounded Elsea, except for the same glowing green eyes in the haggard face.

"You bitch!" Elsea tried to scream, feeling as if she might die. But any sounds she made were muffled. "Did you kill him?" she croaked out.

"Nay yet." The hag bared her teeth. "But I will in three days' time if you do not do exactly what I say."

"Why? What did he do to you?"

"I forbid you to ask questions, and you will keep our bargain a secret. I can get to him far faster than you can, anyway, since I can fly." She glowered. "You will break the betrothal and break his heart, permanently. You will bed another man."