Page 13 of The Irresistible Warrior
“Into the keep,” he ordered, low and clipped.
Hamish, ever watchful, stepped forward as they passed. “You heard him!” he shouted to the crowd. “He has chosen the woman who will be his bride. Now get out of here—all of you!”
A few chieftains looked ready to follow, but Hamish brandished his staff, warning them off and no one dared follow.
The heavy wooden doors of the keep slammed shut behind them, the noise echoing along the stone halls. Declan didn’t stop or release her until they’d reached the quiet of his solar.
He shut the door firmly, then turned to her.
“You wouldn’t have been safe out there,” he said without preamble. “Not after that display and I believe that was just the start of the chaos.”
Aura stood by the table, arms crossed and her hands gripping them firmly as if needing support. However, her shoulders relaxed some, feeling the safety of Declan’s presence.
There was no point in disagreeing with him since he obviously was right, so she said nothing.
“I warned you it would get worse, though I didn’t expect it to happen this fast,” he added. “Now that they have seen you, know who you are, and that you’re different, it makes you valuable or dangerous.”
She looked away, annoyed by the truth of his remark and the consequences of being immune to him.
“We can help each other,” he said, softer now, glad to see the fear leaving her brown eyes.
“But I didn’t need help,” she said, annoyed that her life had changed so dramatically, so fast. “Not until you came along.”
Declan stepped closer. “I never meant to entangle you in this and for that I apologize. But you have need of help now, and there is no turning back… for either of us.”
She could not believe she was even giving it thought, more than just thought. “A marriage of convenience and you would free me of the marriage once the cursed wish was removed.”
He gave a slight nod. “Aye. A marriage of convenience. No more, no less and I would free you once it was done.”
Aura stared at the hearth, its embers barely glowing, as if hoping to find a sliver of her former peace there. But she already knew it was gone. The quiet life she loved had vanished the moment she stepped into his wish that had become a curse. And now she’d never be free if she didn’t help him.
She turned to face him. “So be it.”
Declan straightened. “You agree?”
She took a breath as if needing the courage to confirm it. “Aye, I agree.”
There was no joy in her words. No joyous moment to celebrate as she would expect such news to bring. They were simply two people bound by necessity, standing on the edge of something that neither of them understood. But the decision had been made. And the path forward, whatever it held, was now theirs to walk together.
CHAPTER 6
The scent of drying herbs lingered in the air, mingling with the earthy hint of cold soil. Aura moved through her cottage with purposeful strides, carefully wrapping jars and satchels, her fingers moving on their own while her mind tangled with frustration and grief.
Two women had already tried to reach her cottage since sunrise, one nearly being successful before being hauled off by one of the three guards Declan had posted at her home last night. The other had pretended to be injured until Aura stepped outside, only to lunge toward the door with wild eyes and a screech of “You can’t have him, witch!”.
Declan had taken no more chances.
The two largest warriors he could summon now stood outside her home, flanking the door like stone sentinels. Their added presence made her cottage feel like a cage.
“I never asked for this,” she muttered, tucking her seed pouch into a cloth sack.
Late autumn had already turned much of her garden brittle and brown, the vibrant life of summer curling at the edges. She paused at the window, looking out at what remained, what she had so carefully tended with her own two hands.
She was already missing it and hoped it would not be long before she could return.
She would take what she could, the heartier plants, still rooted, still clinging to life. Declan had promised her a garden. A larger one, even. But it wouldn’t be the same.
Not like this had been. She had worked hard to cultivate the garden since her arrival here three years ago. A start to a fresh life for herself, away from her ever-demanding mother, so she could do what she loved. Immerse herself in plants, nature itself, and gain knowledge.
