Page 12 of The Irresistible Warrior
Aura slowed her steps, gripping her basket tighter.
Several men in fine cloaks gestured broadly, red-faced and shouting. Chieftains, no doubt. And nearby, a handful of daughters stood straining their necks toward the keep, their eyes anxious to spot Chieftain Declan.
“I demand to speak with Chieftain Declan at once!” one of the men barked.
Another countered with, “My daughter is the best match. She is of noble blood and strong constitution!”
“I approached him first and he is considering it. That’s a promise if ever I heard one!”
Aura recognized that voice, Chieftain Crane of Clan MacKinty. She shook her head. This was complete madness.
Freyda appeared at her side, her breath quick, and her eyes wide with warning.
“You shouldn’t be here,” Freyda whispered urgently. “Word spread fast. They all know you didn’t fall. They’re saying Declan plans to wed you.”
Aura’s eyes widened. “Has he announced?—”
“That doesn’t matter now,” Freyda said. “They have decided, and they are not pleased.”
A high-pitched voice rang out. “There she is!”
Aura turned, and too late saw one of the young women pointing straight at her. “The woman who lives in the woods and talks to plants… a witch!”
A sudden hush fell—just long enough to feel like a pause before a storm breaks.
Then it hit.
The women surged toward her, garment hems flying, fingers pointing, voices overlapping as they gathered around her.
“Did you curse him to get him for yourself?”
“You’ve bewitched him!”
“She has cursed us all!”
Aura took a step back, her heartbeat quickening. Her knuckles turned white as her hand tightened around the basket handle. Fear rippled through her, realizing she was trapped and what their accusations could mean for her.
The roar cracked through the air like a thunderclap, silencing everyone.
“LEAVE MY BETROTHED BE OR SUFFER MY WRATH!”
All heads turned to see Declan approach with the force of a storm on the horizon, his cloak billowing around him, and his eyes ablaze.
The crowd parted without a word, chieftains and daughters alike shrinking back.
Declan’s gaze locked on Aura, and he spotted the fear in her eyes, yet her stance didn’t show it. Her shoulders were drawn back and her chin tilted up in defiance.
“Come,” he said, his voice low but fierce. “You are not to be harassed by gossip or fools.”
Aura didn’t hesitate, she walked toward him through the stunned silence, the path before her cleared by the weight of his fury… and something far harder to define.
Possession? Protection? Or something that, despite her best judgment, was beginning to feel like fate.
Declan reached her side in three long strides, stretching his hand out to her. Again, she didn’t hesitate, she took hold of it.
“Keep close,” he whispered, tucking her against his side, his arm going around her slim waist and feeling its gentle curve. It unexpectedly aroused him, but then it had been far too longsince he had been able to touch a woman, even just a simple touch.
Aura said nothing, still reeling, and kept pace as he guided her through the now-silent crowd, grateful for the strength of his arm and how he shielded her.
