Page 84 of Highlander of Steel
A smile curved his lips. “And now?”
“Still stormy up here,” she said, tapping the side of her head. “But… there’s somethin’ soothin’ about ye too.”
He nearly laughed, imagining what his brother and Peter would have said if they had heard her describe him as ‘soothing.’
A pang of sadness caught him in the chest, thinking of his man-at-arms. Yet, there was something about Ailis’s presence that was also soothing, staving off the worst of any sorrow.
Forgive me, Peter. I cannae be sad when I have me beloved at me side.
“There are always calm waters after a storm,” he told her, giving her hand a squeeze.
It was the most perfect autumn morning, the air crisp but not so cold as to seep into the bones, the sun hanging low in the sky, turning the world golden.
The moorland they were crossing was rich with its seasonal palette of russets and mossy greens and swathes of dusky purple, tinged with yellows and browns. Meanwhile, the woodland that sprang up in tufts along their route was already braced for the coming winter, sparse of leaves and stark in its beauty.
Seagulls were the first sign that the coast wasn’t far, the sleek gray and white birds wheeling and squawking their shrill welcome. Killian squinted at the near horizon, noting where the ground began to slope and the sea glittered.
“How do ye feel?” he asked, leading Ailis onward. “Nervous? Dizzy?”
She shook her head. “A little weary, a little sore, but… I feel calm. I cannae say if it’s because I figured out me nightmare or if it’s all the time I spent at yer castle hearin’ the sound of it, but it doesnae affect me the same way anymore.”
On the walk from Castle Ainsley, she had recounted the same story she had told Murdock, filling in the parts that Killian had missed while he had been waiting outside the doors. He hadn’t intended to eavesdrop; he had simply been respecting Murdock’s wish to speak with his sister alone.
Still, hearing Ailis’s tragic history from her own mouth instead of from behind a stone wall had been intimate and affirming. A sure sign that she trusted him.
“After hearin’ that, do ye really nae resent me?”she had asked a while back.
“After hearin’ that, I’m more in awe of how ye’ve survived, and gladder still that ye did,”he had replied, meaning it.“But if I ever hear ye tryin’ to blame yerself again, I’ll have to take firm measures to ensure ye understand that nothin’ is yer fault.”
He had seen her smile at that, his heart swelling at the precious sight. Not so long ago, he had wondered if he would ever see her smile or laugh again, and knew that this was the beginning of her healing the wounds of her past.
A short while later, they met the faintly worn path that led down to the beach. Unlike the steep steps to the cove, this was a mild slope, the moorland transforming slowly from greenery to the muted gold of dunes that undulated across the landscape.
Tufts of marram grass swayed in the chilly breeze, the fronds trying to brush against their legs as they made their way up the dunes.
At the top, Ailis stopped, her hand shielding her eyes from the sun’s glare as she stared outward.
“It’s beautiful,” she said quietly.
Killian, who preferred a different view, nodded. “Aye, it is.”
“How can it be so different from the cove, when it’s all part of the same coast?”
He shrugged. “The sea does what it does, shapin’ everythin’ as it sees fit.” He paused, leaning down to press a kiss to her hair. “Any sickness?”
“None,” she replied almost triumphantly, looking up at him. “Race ye.”
“What?”
He barely had time to get the word out before Ailis had broken free of him, running like a wild thing down the rather steep dune.
Like a wolf spotting the movement of a rabbit in the bushes, he took off after her, the sand sliding and slipping under his feet. He heard her giddiness as he caught up to her, her sweet laughter filling him with joy and desire.
Here was a woman who knew she was free; it soothed him more than any tonic could ever have.
“I won,” she said, breathless.
Smirking, he slowed his pace and wrapped his arms around her from behind, dipping his head to kiss her shoulder.
