Total pages in book: 46
Estimated words: 43414 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 217(@200wpm)___ 174(@250wpm)___ 145(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 43414 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 217(@200wpm)___ 174(@250wpm)___ 145(@300wpm)
Marriage—no matter how convenient—threatened all of that.
Still… she hadn’t said nay.
The hum of voices reached her ears before she stepped beyond the last of the trees.
She frowned.
The village was in disarray. Horses tethered haphazardly, carts half-blocking paths, and people, so many people, clustered and calling out in loud, impatient tones.
Aura slowed her steps, gripping her basket tighter.
Several men in fine cloaks gestured broadly, red-faced and shouting. Chieftains, no doubt. And nearby, a handful of daughters stood straining their necks toward the keep, their eyes anxious to spot Chieftain Declan.
“I demand to speak with Chieftain Declan at once!” one of the men barked.
Another countered with, “My daughter is the best match. She is of noble blood and strong constitution!”
“I approached him first and he is considering it. That’s a promise if ever I heard one!”
Aura recognized that voice, Chieftain Crane of Clan MacKinty. She shook her head. This was complete madness.
Freyda appeared at her side, her breath quick, and her eyes wide with warning.
“You shouldn’t be here,” Freyda whispered urgently. “Word spread fast. They all know you didn’t fall. They’re saying Declan plans to wed you.”
Aura’s eyes widened. “Has he announced—”
“That doesn’t matter now,” Freyda said. “They have decided, and they are not pleased.”
A high-pitched voice rang out. “There she is!”
Aura turned, and too late saw one of the young women pointing straight at her. “The woman who lives in the woods and talks to plants… a witch!”
A sudden hush fell—just long enough to feel like a pause before a storm breaks.
Then it hit.
The women surged toward her, garment hems flying, fingers pointing, voices overlapping as they gathered around her.
“Did you curse him to get him for yourself?”
“You’ve bewitched him!”
“She has cursed us all!”
Aura took a step back, her heartbeat quickening. Her knuckles turned white as her hand tightened around the basket handle. Fear rippled through her, realizing she was trapped and what their accusations could mean for her.
The roar cracked through the air like a thunderclap, silencing everyone.
“LEAVE MY BETROTHED BE OR SUFFER MY WRATH!”
All heads turned to see Declan approach with the force of a storm on the horizon, his cloak billowing around him, and his eyes ablaze.
The crowd parted without a word, chieftains and daughters alike shrinking back.
Declan’s gaze locked on Aura, and he spotted the fear in her eyes, yet her stance didn’t show it. Her shoulders were drawn back and her chin tilted up in defiance.
“Come,” he said, his voice low but fierce. “You are not to be harassed by gossip or fools.”
Aura didn’t hesitate, she walked toward him through the stunned silence, the path before her cleared by the weight of his fury… and something far harder to define.
Possession? Protection? Or something that, despite her best judgment, was beginning to feel like fate.
Declan reached her side in three long strides, stretching his hand out to her. Again, she didn’t hesitate, she took hold of it.
“Keep close,” he whispered, tucking her against his side, his arm going around her slim waist and feeling its gentle curve. It unexpectedly aroused him, but then it had been far too long since he had been able to touch a woman, even just a simple touch.
Aura said nothing, still reeling, and kept pace as he guided her through the now-silent crowd, grateful for the strength of his arm and how he shielded her.
“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.”