Page 14 of The Irresistible Warrior
She turned away from the window to get back to finish gathering her belongings and take her leave, her heart aching.
Outside, Declan stood at the edge of the garden, arms crossed as he studied the beds. He knew Aura loved this place. And though she hadn’t said a word of protest, he could see the hurt in her eyes and feel her loss like a squeeze to his chest. It disturbed him that she should suffer because of him, yet he admired her bravery to do so.
He turned slightly, scanning the trees. Something caught his attention, a movement of sorts. He could see it just beyond the bramble.
Then he heard it… the faint voice of a woman.
He frowned. Another fool lass creeping through the woods?
He stepped off the path and followed the sound into the trees.
“Aura…” the voice whispered.
He paused and demanded, “Who goes there?”
No answer came.
Clouds rushed overhead, blotting out the sun in a sudden sweep. The wind stilled, and a strange hush blanketed the trees. A figure stepped from the shadows… tall, cloaked in black, her face hidden in the hood’s depths. But he felt her… cold, old, and powerful.
“You’re a fool,” the witch said, her voice sounding like wind whispering through dead branches, “if you think you can rid yourself of a wish so easily.”
Declan’s hand went to his sword. “You did this to me.”
“I gave you what you asked for,” she said with a grin he couldn’t see but could feel. “You asked for women to fall at your feet. I granted it.”
“It’s a curse.”
“It’s your truth,” she hissed. “One you were too proud to see coming.”
He took a step toward her. “I’ll undo it. One way or another.”
She laughed, the sound hollow and cruel. “And do you think marrying the one woman who does not fall at your whim will break it? You have much to learn.”
He said nothing.
The shadows around her seemed to rise like smoke.
“Your marriage will be forever, Declan MacCrone,” she whispered.
“Do you curse me again?” he demanded.
She cackled. “That is up to you.”
Then, like mist on the moor, she vanished.
The wind returned all at once, rustling the colorful leaves and breaking the stillness.
Declan stood alone in the woods, the weight of her words pressing down on him like stone. Then he turned. He had to tell Aura about this.
He hurried to the cottage, and without a knock to announce him, opened the door, leaves falling off his cloak as he crossed the threshold. The warmth inside was a sharp contrast to the chill that still clung to his skin.
Aura was kneeling by a wooden crate near the hearth, carefully wrapping one of her clay pots in linen. Her movementswere precise, but he could see the tightness in her jaw, the way she blinked a little too often to hide the gloss in her eyes.
He disliked disrupting her life like this, but he didn’t have much choice now since he placed her life in danger. And the sooner he could correct it, the sooner she could get her life back.
He was about to tell her about the witch and stopped. Instead, he asked, “Do you need help with anything?”
Her hands stilled for a moment before she nodded. “You can carry this out when I’ve finished wrapping it.”
