Page 54 of Highlander of Steel
He had been asleep for too long. He had lowered his guard, and now it was a new day, while his entire castle was probably wondering where on earth he had gone.
They’ll think I’ve been taken or worse.
He looked back at Ailis’s sleeping figure and softened again, the effect immediate.
I care for her more than I should.
The realization didn’t come as a shock, but it came with a wariness and an understanding that he couldn’t let down his guard like this again. If she had that effect on him, then it was his duty and responsibility to keep his distance from her until all of his plans had come to fruition. Then, and only then, could he allow himself to care for her as much as he pleased.
Indeed, he had already admitted that he hadn’t been thinking of his brother when he had taken her from her home. If he hadn’t been distracted by her rescue, would he have Fraser back already?
There was no way of knowing, but he couldn’t allow this… weakness to make him lose sight of everything else.
“Until Fraser is safely home, until there’s a semblance of peace,” he whispered, before leaning down and pressing one last kiss to Ailis’s forehead.
With that, he quietly padded out of the cave and into the chilly autumn dawn to clear his head.
A dull rhythm woke Ailis from a deep slumber, her eyes struggling to open. The thick fleece was warm and comforting around her, but as her senses slowly awakened, she became aware of her solitude. Where there had been a furnace behind her, holding her as she slept, there was now just the drape of the fleece.
He’s a laird. He doesnae lie in bed like a lazy creature.
She sat up and rubbed her eyes, a gasp escaping her as she noted the color of the sky outside. It hadn’t yet, but the sun would soon rise. They had spent the entire night there, asleep in each other’s arms.
“Paisley is goin’ to kill me,” she muttered, jumping up to dress herself.
She didn’t put the woolen shirt back on, but chose her dress instead. It had dried by the fire, though parts of the skirt were still damp.
As she looked down at the beautiful piece of emerald and embroidery, she grimaced. It was salt-stained, many of the beads torn off during her foolhardy swim. In essence, it was ruined.
“Rachelis goin’ to kill me,” she groaned, filled with such remorse for her panicked antics.
Wrapping the fleece around her so she wouldn’t have to see too much of what she had done, and praying it wasn’t a bad omen, she wandered out to see where Killian was.
She found him on the shore, just below the opening of the cave, splitting driftwood. For a moment, she didn’t make her presence known, content to watch him swing the axe—another treasure of the cave, no doubt—and cleave the wood in half. He had put his shirt back on, but she could see the muscles of his back and arms rippling beneath the thin fabric as he brought the axe up and down in an arc.
“Are we stayin’ longer?” she called out, for there was quite a pile of split wood beside him. “Shall we just forget the weddin’ and live here?”
She meant it in jest, but his blue eyes were stony as he raised them to her.
“Ye’re awake. Good. We should be leavin’,” he said. “The castle will be wonderin’ where we are.”
A frown creased her brow, but she shrugged off the uneasy feeling in her stomach.
Of course, he wasn’t all smiles and good humor. He had tasked his entire castle with finding her after she had run off, and hehadn’t returned yet to inform them that she had been located. Last night, she had had him all to herself, but now that it was morning, the Laird had reappeared.
“I’m ready to leave when ye are,” she told him.
He gathered up the split driftwood and climbed up to the ledge outside the cave, walking past her to deposit the wood deeper in that shelter of stone. Taking one last look around to make sure they didn’t leave anything, he moved back to her side and offered his hand to help her down to the beach.
See? Everythin’ is well.
She took his hand and let him guide her, holding on tighter as he escorted her up the steep cliff steps. There, his stallion grazed, the sleek beast raising its enormous head with a snort of greeting.
“Have ye been here all night?” Ailis cooed, reaching out to scratch between its ears.
The stallion snorted again.
“I didnae bring a saddle,” Killian said flatly as he took the fleece from around her shoulders and threw it onto the horse’s back. “There wasnae time, but ye willnae fall.”
