Page 36 of Fallen
Coira’s breathing choked off, sweat now trickling down between her breasts.Mother Mary,No.
The abbess scowled, her face growing taut as she cast a worried look at Coira. “Why?”
MacKinnon inclined his head, his gaze narrowing. “If she has been outside the abbey walls at night, she may have had contact with the outlaws.”
Mother Shona drew herself up. “If ye have any questions for Sister Coira, ye can ask her here.”
A heavy beat of silence passed, and then MacKinnon leaned forward, his gaze snaring the abbess’s. “I think ye misunderstand, Mother Shona,” he said coldly. “That wasn’t a request … but a command.”
15
No Way Back
COIRA WALKED INTO the chapter house on trembling legs.
She couldn’t believe Mother Shona was allowing this meeting to take place, that she was letting MacKinnon bully her. The abbess knew the full story about Coira’s past—of her history with the clan-chief.
But, unlike the abbot, MacKinnon wasn’t a man you defied.
MacKinnon’s threat had hung over the air, like the heavy pause between a lightning flash and a thunderclap. They’d all sensed the danger, and when Mother Shona had dropped her gaze, giving her silent assent, Coira had felt as if the walls of the refectory were suddenly closing in on her.
The same sensation assaulted her now, as she walked into the chapter house. Deliberately, she left the door open behind her, but even so, the usually lofty ceiling and large windows seemed oppressive this evening. Outside, it was still light—for night fell very late this time of year—and as such the banks of candles that lined the walls hadn’t been lit.
In the center of the space, MacKinnon awaited her.
He stood still, legs akimbo, hands hanging loosely at his sides. Yet his gaze tracked her every step across the floor.
Pulse throbbing in her ears, Coira halted a few feet back from him. She was relieved that her long skirts hid her shaking legs, and she clasped her hands together in front of her so that he wouldn’t see how they trembled.
“My last visit … I knew it was ye,” he greeted her, his voice a low rumble.
Coira forced herself to meet his eye. “I wasn’t sure ye recognized me,” she admitted. The steadiness of her voice surprised her. One thing her experiences over the years had taught her was self-control, it seemed.
MacKinnon favored her with a sharp smile. “I wasn’t sure, I admit … for one nun looks much like another … but few women have eyes like yers. Ye are a difficult woman to forget, Coira.”
The intimacy in his voice made her skin crawl. Acid stung the back of her throat, yet Coira swallowed it down. She needed to keep a leash on her fear; if he saw it, things would only go worse for her.
MacKinnon took a step closer, his gaze raking over her. “Aye … ye are still comely … especially in that habit ye wear.” His smile widened to a grin then. “And all the ‘Hail Marys’ in the world can’t cancel out who ye were …whatye still are.”
Coira remained silent, even if his words made her nostrils flare. Lord, this man knew how to wield words like blades; he always had. Deliberately, she didn’t answer him, didn’t deny his comment.
MacKinnon’s gaze hooded. “So ye go for walks at night, do ye Coira?” He stepped closer still. They now stood little more than three feet apart, and it took all Coira’s will not to shrink back from him.
“Sometimes,” she admitted. “I’m the healer here at Kilbride … some woodland herbs have to be collected at night.”
He snorted. “That’s a weak excuse … I thought ye were cleverer than that. Ye are still a whore at heart, aren’t ye? I’d wager ye sneak out at the witching hour to spread yer legs for outlaws.”
His words were a slap across the face, and Coira started to sweat with the effort it was taking her not to react. Unfortunately though, Duncan MacKinnon wasn’t yet done. “Have ye serviced my bastard brother yet?”
Nausea swamped Coira. She’d not done anything to be ashamed of with Craeg, and yet MacKinnon’s words made her feel dirty.
“I haven’t seen any of the outlaws,” she lied, her voice husky with the effort it was taking not to turn tail and bolt from the chapter house. “And if that’s all ye want to know, our conversation is at an end.”
“No, it isn’t.” MacKinnon closed the gap between them, and suddenly he was looming over her, invading her space.
Coira went rigid. Her arms dropped to her sides, and her fingers curled into her palms, the nails digging in. Her heart was pounding so fast that she was sure he’d be able to hear it.
“I’ve missed ye, Coira,” he murmured, his voice lowering. It was an intimate tone, a lover’s voice. “And seeing ye again has reminded me how much I enjoyed our time together.”
