Gawen's Claim: Highlander Fate, Lairds of the Isles Book One Read online

  After she resumed reviewing more Offensive and Defensive spells she could use in her battle against Malmuira, her nausea rose; she had to go to the privy to vomit. She leaned back against the wall after emptying the contents of her stomach, praying her anxiety would settle; she needed to be at her best when Malmuira appeared.

  To her surprise, Gawen arrived with a small sack swung over his shoulder as the sky grew dark, and she was preparing herself a dinner of leftover vegetable stew. Delight coursed through her at the sight of him, though it dissipated as he approached her with a frown.

  "Are ye unwell? Ye look pale."

  “I’m just nervous about facing Malmuira.”

  His frown deepened. He cupped her face, his gaze raking over her with concern.

  "If ye're nae well—”

  "I am well," she interjected, her tone coming out sharper than she intended, but she knew where this was going. "I'm ready to fight her and end this. How is Ysenda? Did Struan show up?"

  He scowled, seeming to realize she was changing the subject, but he answered her question without pressing the matter.

  "She's fine, under guard by my best men. Kudan is there; he insisted on staying at her side. Struan arrived, aye; me and Aonghus had tae restrain him from attacking Kudan. He's more humiliated than jealous or even angered—it proves he never truly loved the lass. He agreed tae a divorce; I gave him a settlement of land. I ordered Kudan and Struan tae never see each other again. Struan has vowed to put him tae his blade if they ever cross paths. 'Tis good that Ysenda and Kudan plan tae relocate tae the Highlands when this matter with Malmuira is handled." He dropped his hands from her face, offering her one of his devastating smiles. "I’ll stay with ye for the night and return tae the castle in the morning."

  “No, Gawen. It’s too dangerous. Malmuira will kill you," she said, though her stomach fluttered with joy at the thought of spending the night with him.

  "I'm nae leaving ye," he growled. "During the day, aye, I must be at the castle tae tend tae my duties, but I will be returning here. I may nae have magic, but I'll do what I can tae protect ye."

  There was a fierce, primal protectiveness in his expression, one that caused warmth to spiral through her belly, even as her worry increased. As strong of a warrior Gawen no doubt was, he was no match against magic.

  "Fine," she said grudgingly, knowing there was nothing she could say to make him return to the castle. "But you must do as I say if and when she arrives. I'll put a Binding spell on you if I have to."

  Gawen’s scowl dissipated; he gave her a smile that was both rakish and mischievous.

  "I can think of another reason ye can put a Binding spell on me," he murmured, and a blazing heat infused her at the images his words evoked.

  His expression shifted, and he looked a little shy as he gestured to the sack on his shoulder.

  “I also came here for us tae have a night . . . picnic,” he said, taking great effort to pronounce the word “picnic” correctly, which was so adorable that she had to smile. “I ken we had tae take care of Ysenda and Kudan, but that doesnae mean we cannae have a moment of peace tae dine.”

  Lila beamed, the tension in her shoulders ebbing. She’d done all the spells she could for the day, and there were men standing guard at the door. It wouldn’t hurt to share a romantic night picnic with the man she loved.

  “I’d like that,” Lila said, and Gawen grinned, gesturing for her to follow as they made their way out to the back garden.

  They enjoyed a meal of freshly baked bread and succulent roasted pork marinated in honey that the castle’s cook had prepared, eating the savory meal with their hands. Lila was glad that her queasiness had subsided, at least for the moment, and she inhaled the damp night air as they ate in companionable silence.

  “It’s difficult to see the night sky so clearly in my time,” she said, looking up at the multitude of stars that blanketed the sky. “I only see skies like this when my family takes camping trips out to the mountains.”

  “Ye cannae see the night sky?”

  “City lights and pollution clog up the sky, especially near large cities. There’s nothing like the night sky in the Highlands. Especially in this time,” she said with a wistful sigh.

  “Aye,” he agreed, following her gaze up to the sky. “Sometimes when I went hunting with Father, we’d make camp overnight in groves. Nights like these were perfect when it wasnae tae hot or cold. That’s when he would tell me tales of his father, of growing up at Carraig Castle, of the Norsemen our ancestors fought.”

  A look of nostalgia flickered across his face. Lila leaned back and watched him, enjoying the soothing timbre of his voice as he told her how his sister would sometimes join them, even though he used to resent her presence because he wanted the alone time with his father.

  “But now I appreciate those moments we had together,” he said, a small smile tugging at his lips.

  She reached out and linked her hand through his, and he pulled her close, burying his head in her hair.

  “I missed ye today,” he confessed, and her heart swelled. He reached down to tilt her head up so that their eyes locked. “Have ye bewitched me, sweet Lila?”

  “Perhaps,” she teased, running her hand across the broad expanse of his chest, taking pleasure in the way his breath hitched at her touch.

  “Since ye’ve arrived in this time, I’ve nae been able tae focus,” he murmured, reaching out to pull her onto his lap, and she gasped at the feel of his arousal. “I feel as if ye’re a ray of sunlight that’s entered my life, chasing away the shadows.”

  “Oh, Gawen,” she murmured, his words moving her. They weren't a confession of love, but they were close; she suddenly realized how much she ached for him to say the words. I love ye, Lila. It was on the tip of her tongue to confess her love for him, but when he leaned in to kiss her, she forgot her own name. His kiss was firm and demanding, sending spirals of heat coiling around her body. He released her mouth and peppered kisses down the side of her jaw, her throat, lower . . .

  “Gawen,” she gasped, taking in their surroundings. “We’re outside.”

  “Are we?" he teased with a wicked grin. "We’re in a private back garden. I have a second cloak tae put over us. And the guards won’t disturb us. I ordered them nae tae interrupt unless there was any sign of danger.”

  Lila needed no further convincing. She arched back as Gawen kissed the flesh above her bodice, lowering it to seize a nipple with his mouth, teasing it with his tongue. She gasped, pressing her hand to her mouth to stifle her cry as he laved her nipple, before turning his focus to her other breast.

  She was breathless with pleasure when he lowered her to the cloak on the ground before covering them both with a second cloak, shielding their bodies from view as he again seized her lips with his, reaching down to stroke her moist center.

  “Gawen,” she whispered, arching her body toward him as his ministrations made her body come to life.

  “Come for me, sweet Lila,” he whispered against her mouth, and she obliged, her body coming apart as her climax rippled through her.

  “Ye’re so verrae lovely,” he whispered, releasing himself from his kilt, and she reached down to stroke the long hardness of his cock, making him hiss with pleasure. “I must have ye.”

  He sank inside her, reaching up to grasp her wrists, and Lila let out a soft moan at the sweet feel of him moving inside her. The grass beneath the cloak rubbed against her back as Gawen speared her center with powerful thrusts, keeping her body wedged to his as he kissed her, his body imitating the movements of his lips. The cool night air permeated the cloak, chilling their heated skin as they moved together, until the pleasure that flared to life in her belly once more grew, and Gawen swallowed up her cry as they found their release together.

  Afterward, he stood up and hefted her into his arms as if she weighed nothing, taking her inside to the spare room. There, he tucked her close into his side, fusing his mouth to hers, and they made love once more before drift
ing off to a peaceful sleep in each other’s arms.

  * * *

  When she awoke, a stab of disappointment pierced her to find Gawen gone, even though she knew he'd return to the castle in the morning.

  She began her usual ritual of practicing her spells after the guards informed her they'd seen nothing out of the ordinary last night. Unease crawled through her at this; she prayed Malmuira hadn't determined Ysenda was at the castle and intended to strike there.

  She was making herself a warm vegetable broth using leftover scraps in the kitchen to quell her queasy stomach when Coira arrived. Lila took her in with surprise, stepping forward to embrace her.

  “Coira! What are you doing here?”

  "The laird told me ye were here awaiting this dark witch—Malmuira. I thought I could help ye," Coira said.

  "But . . . you said you barely have any power."

  "Barely, aye," Coira said with a smile edged with danger. "But that doesnae mean I have none."

  With a mischievous grin, she gestured for Lila to follow her to the kitchen.

  "Witchcraft is more than just the conjuring of spells," Coira said, gesturing to a small sack of herbs she'd brought with her. "There's a craft tae it, creating drafts and concoctions that can make spells more potent, or work their own magic."

  Lila watched, transfixed, as Coira made one particular concoction using herbs she’d grown in her garden along with a fragrant wine that she’d enchanted; the combination of the two could enhance a Transformational spell. Lila smiled, impressed by her knowledge. Coira may not think she had much power, but she knew more about the craft of magic than any other witch she'd encountered.

  As Coira explained the order of ingredients for a particular draft that could aid a Sleep spell, Lila couldn't quell her rising nausea. She raced out of the kitchen to the privy, where she again emptied the contents of her stomach.

  When she came out, Coira was already waiting for her with a mug of hot broth and a knowing smile.

  "I couldnae keep anything down when I was pregnant with my first bairn,” she said matter-of-factly.

  Lila froze, almost spilling the mug of broth.

  "Pregnant?"

  "Aye," Coira returned, her smile widening. "I could tell as soon as I saw ye; I can always tell. 'Tis early days yet, but ye're carrying a wee bairn. And if I may hazard a guess, I'd say it belongs tae the handsome laird."

  Lila leaned back against the wall, shaking. She'd been so consumed in practicing spells, obsessing over Malmuira's location and her growing love for Gawen that she'd not even considered that she could be pregnant. She’d assumed her heightened emotions and queasiness were all on account of nerves. If she was pregnant, she must have conceived the first night she’d spent with Gawen. They hadn't used anything, and she hadn't taken the birth control pill she took to regulate her periods since arriving in this time. Then again, she certainly hadn't expected to make love to anyone here.

  But as her shock—and annoyance at herself, for not even considering pregnancy—rose, so did a wave of pure joy. Her hand drifted to her stomach. Would her child be a boy, with Gawen's red hair and sparkling green eyes? Or a girl, with her brunette hair and blue eyes? She allowed herself to bask in her joy for only a moment before reality settled in.

  Gawen. She had to tell Gawen. She knew that pregnant women could travel through time, though it could be risky. But her heart clenched at the thought of leaving Gawen. Did she even want to return to her own time?

  "Ye're thinking tae much, dear," Coira said, taking her arm and guiding her back to the kitchen. "I'll concoct a draft that will confirm if ye're pregnant or nae, but I'm rarely wrong about these things."

  Lila sat tensely as Coira prepared a draft, handing it to her with a kind smile. After Lila drank the concoction, which had a bittersweet flavor, Coira placed her hand on Lila's, and they both placed her hands on her flat belly.

  "This spell is an old one, passed down by druid midwives. The spell willnae harm the bairn," Coira said. "Repeat after me. Nochdadh lathaireachd mo bairn dhomh."

  Lila repeated the words of the spell with Coira, and a rush of warmth spread over her. She froze as she could feel the faint, steady hum of life beneath her hands, along with a swell of overwhelming love.

  There was indeed a baby growing in her belly. Her child. Her and Gawen's child.

  Chapter 23

  As Lila lay in bed that night, her hand resting on her flat belly, a rush of emotions washing over her. After Coira had retired to the spare room for the night, one of the guards told Lila that Gawen wouldn't be coming that night as he had an urgent matter to tend to at the castle. Though she’d felt a stab of disappointment, a part of her was relieved. She didn't know if she was prepared for Gawen's reaction. She wasn't the suitable Scottish bride he'd mentioned weeks earlier, and she was a stiuireadh, a person he inherently distrusted.

  She knew that he wouldn’t want her to fight Malmuira, something that Lila had only briefly considered—briefly. Witches could perform powerful spells even in late pregnancy. Magic is what our bodies were meant for, no matter the state, her mother had once told her. She was even more determined to defeat Malmuira now, knowing that her target was another pregnant woman. She wouldn't let anything happen to Ysenda's unborn child, no matter what the future held.

  She drifted off to sleep with her hand still pressed to her belly. But unlike the blissful sleep she'd had in Gawen's arms the night before, dark dreams punctuated her slumber, just like the ones she'd had before arriving in this time, and the ones she'd had back at the inn.

  Lila awoke from one particular nightmare in which she was drowning, with a multitude of white fingers pushing her head beneath dark, murky waters. No matter how hard she struggled she couldn't resurface, water entering her lungs as she fought to breathe.

  She sat up with a gasp, trembling violently, and froze when she realized there was another presence in the room. She frowned in confusion; it was Mysie. She stood standing at the foot of her bed, looking at her with a blank expression.

  "Mysie?" she asked. "What are you—"

  She fell into a horrified silence as Mysie's form shifted before her eyes; the plain, mousy girl transforming to a gray-eyed, dark-haired woman who glowered at her. Icy fear curled around Lila’s body, along with disbelief. It was the woman she'd seen in her dream when she'd glimpsed the dark witch—the woman Kudan had described.

  This was Malmuira.

  Malmuira gave her a smile that chilled Lila to the bone, raising her hands. Panic tore through Lila as Malmuira shouted a spell into the darkness, one she didn't recognize. Lila retaliated by shouting an Offensive spell, darting out of bed to evade Malmuira's spell.

  Malmuira let out a hiss of frustration, casting a Binding spell before Lila could evade or counter. The spell hurled Lila against the wall and pinned her immobile, powerless. Malmuira advanced, hot fury shooting from her eyes.

  "Why are ye here in this time?" she spat. "I didnae kill ye before because I donnae want tae harm one of my kind. I thought ye were harmless at first, one of those witches who traveled through time out of curiosity. But ye're nae here for that, are ye?"

  "I'm here to stop you!" Lila shouted. "I know what you're doing. I know about the massacre—the massacre that takes place two centuries from now that you're trying to prevent."

  Malmuira stilled with surprise, and Lila saw a brief flicker of grief in the depths of her gray eyes before rage replaced it.

  "It doesnae concern ye!" she roared. "I donnae want tae kill my own kind, but I will if I must."

  "Who was it?" Lila demanded, desperate to buy time to recall the counter to the Binding spell that held her immobile. "Who did you lose in the massacre?"

  Malmuira's face blanched, and there was that grief again, contorting her features into a mask of anguish.

  "'Tis not who I lost—’tis what I lost. I lost everything," Malmuira rasped, tears shining in her eyes. Lila now saw why her nightmares of Malmuira were infused with such rage, such grief
. Both emotions burned bright from Malmuira, as bright as the heat from a raging fire. "I lost everything in that massacre, and I'm going tae get it back! I willnae let ye stop me."

  She raised her hand to issue a spell, but Lila had recalled the counter to the Binding spell just in time, releasing herself from its paralyzing hold.

  Frustration filled Malmuira's features, and she advanced, opening her mouth to shout another spell. But Lila was faster.

  "Tha mi a 'guidhe or gundean thu an t'aingidha seo bleed!" Lila cried.

  Malmuira stumbled to her knees, her eyes widening in horrified surprise as she clutched the wound that had appeared on the side of her neck, the wound caused by Lila's spell. It wasn't fatal, but it would incapacitate her.

  Lila ventured forward, murmuring a Binding spell to hold Malmuira still.

  "I was sent here to stop you—to kill you. But even after what you've done, I believe in mercy. If you allow me to transport you back to your time, to keep you there, you will only have to face your coven for what you've done."

  "What I've done?" Malmuira bellowed, her eyes narrowing.

  "Those innocent farmers you killed—Clinnen and Daimh. Attacking Kudan. And Mysie? I take it you killed her for the Transformational spell? It's how you glamoured yourself to look like her, isn't it?"

  Lila now recalled with a chill the long, probing look “Mysie” had given her when she’d fished for gossip back at the castle. She thought she’d just unnerved her by her questions. Little did she know that sweet, shy Mysie was likely dead at that point, and Malmuira had taken her place.

  And she recalled the sensation of someone watching her in the corridor outside of the great hall . . . that must have also been Malmuira.

  The defiant glare Malmuira gave her confirmed her suspicions, and Lila’s fury rose.

  "I was mistaken about those farmers, aye, and Kudan Munroe. My spells werenae precise; I thought they were the ones who needed tae die, but I was wrong. I didnae even want tae travel this far back, just back far enough tae stop the massacre, tae warn those who were killed. But this is the only time I could travel back tae,” Malmuira spat, though there was a brief flicker of shame in her eyes.