Page 7 of The Irresistible Warrior
He walked with purpose, boots echoing softly over the packed dirt paths of the village. It wasn’t long before he spotted two women near the healer’s garden beside her cottage. Freyda stood there, her long white hair in a braid and a smile on her aged face. Beside her stood a shorter woman, slim and plainly dressed, her dark brown hair twisted in a messy knot. She nodded to Freyda then knelt near the edge of one of thegarden beds. Soon her fingers were dusted with soil and her full attention focused on the patch of plants she was examining.
Declan halted. So that was Aura.
She was plain featured and petite. Certainly not the type of woman who would have ever caught his eye. He preferred taller women with curves, striking ones who turned heads when they entered a room. Not the sort you might overlook entirely if you weren’t paying attention.
But even from a distance, he noted something about her, an ease to her movements, a quiet confidence. Still, appearance didn’t matter. All women favored him, whether they wanted to or not. It was no longer about attraction. It was the blasted cursed wish.
He approached, squaring his shoulders as he strode toward them.
Freyda looked up first. “Ah, Chieftain Declan, just in time. Aura and I were?—”
She didn’t get the rest out.
Aura had gotten to her feet and, brushing her hands on her skirts, she took a step toward Declan.
He instinctively threw his hand out to ward her off. “Wait!”
Freyda echoed him. “Aura, stop?—”
But she had already closed the distance.
Nothing happened.
Aura blinked, confused. “What is it?”
Declan stared, dumbstruck. She stood only a pace away, perfectly upright, completely unaffected. No stumble. No sudden collapse at his feet. Just standing there… like a normal woman.
He blinked again, as if his eyes deceived him. “I… I don’t understand.”
Freyda looked just as bewildered. “That’s… not what I expected.”
Aura glanced between them. “Did I miss something?”
Declan’s gaze locked with hers. And for the first time, in far too long, he felt something change. It wasn’t the weight of a curse, but the spark of something else entirely… curiosity. And the faintest, most dangerous hint of hope.
Aura arched a brow at both. “You act as if I just committed some offense by stepping toward him.”
Declan shook his head, still reeling. “Forgive me. I wasn’t expecting…” He paused, then said bluntly, “You didn’t fall.”
“Fall?” she asked, puzzled.
Freyda glanced at Declan. “Perhaps you two should speak alone.”
He gave a curt nod. “Aye. If you’ll permit it, Aura.”
Aura studied him a moment, unsure of the handsome man in front of her, then curiosity had her giving a small nod. “This way.”
She led him along the narrow, worn path, past the back of the cottage and into the quiet stretch of woods beyond. A few birds chirped overhead, and the scent of wild mint and damp earth scented the air.
But he heard none of that, his eyes focused on Aura as he kept pace by her side. Her footfalls were confident, determined, yet graceful. She looked more like she glided than walked all while she kept her focus on her surroundings, not out of caution but as if she saw a wonder in everything.
When they reached a small clearing, she turned to him. “This is a nice quiet spot. No one will hear us here, which I assume is what you want… no ears to hear what you ask?”
“Aye,” Declan said, wasting no time. “I’m cursed and I need help getting rid of it.”
She tilted her head, his fine features could certainly grab a woman’s attention, but it was his words that intrigued her the most. “That’s a bold way to start.”
He gave a single, grim nod. “Bold but true, I fear.”
