Page 35 of Deception of a Highlander

Staying within the castle walls would allow ample opportunity to eavesdrop on servant’s gossip. If the information she sought could be gleaned through overheard conversation, perhaps she would not have to betray him at all.

“You are kind to offer me a place in your home. Thank you.”

He studied the hazy shore looming on the horizon with his mouth set in a grim line. “Are ye expecting to meet someone here? Someone ye know?”

His face was unreadable, yet somehow, she felt he was pressing her for information.

“I don’t know anyone in Scotland, save the men you’ve introduced me to.” She eyed him warily. Her nerves were frayed from waiting for a noose to drop around her neck. She was tired of carefully worded games and grasping assumptions. “Is there something you wish to ask me, Kieran?”

The gauntlet had been thrown. With her back straight, head lifted and heart guarded, she waited for his response.

The menacing look he gave her was one meant to intimidate, but she refused to cower. In silent response to his challenge, she arched her eyebrow.

“Have ye ever dyed wool?” he asked. The lines on his face eased, and a slight smile lifted the corner of his lips.

“No,” she replied, confused by the change in his demeanor.

“Ach, it’s easy. Ye will learn it quickly.”

The boat bumped against something solid below. “Here ye are, lass. Caisteal Camus.”

A shadow loomed over their vessel, so expansive and great that it blotted out the sun. A jagged cliff rose from the swirling waters, stoic as white-capped waves crashed against it, shielding the fortress that rested atop its crown. Stone walls followed the rock-faced plane and ascended toward the heavens where it crested in fashioned turrets. From where she sat, Caisteal Camus appeared cold and ominous.

“How do we get there?” Mariel asked, eyeing the swirling water.

“Ach, ye dinna need to be concerned about the ocean, lass. It’s only deep enough to come to yer knees.”

The thought of plunging herself, albeit only to the knees, into the frigid sea was not a pleasant one. Letting Kieran see her bested by something as petty as icy water, however, was even more unpleasant.

“Is that all?” She gripped the hull of their boat and leapt deftly over the edge.

A thousand daggers broke her fall as she crashed into water so cold it burned. The exhausted muscles in her legs locked against the freezing temperature and refused to move. Idle waves rolled to life and clawed at her heavy skirts. The wind shrieked its rage in her ears and tore at her hair, shoving her back with powerful gales.

And then he was there. Kieran’s strong arms wrapped around her, and she was free of the water’s sucking grip. His chest was dry and warm beneath her cheek as she nestled closer against him to free herself of the wind’s wrath. Heat. Finally.

Kieran’s chuckle rumbled deep in his throat and vibrated against the top of her head. “I dinna think ye’d jump overboard. I had planned to carry ye.”

There was a smart retort on Mariel’s tongue, but her teeth wouldn’t stop chattering long enough for her to speak. Instead, she clung to him and allowed herself to revel in his comforting strength.

Once they arrived on land, Kieran lowered her to the ground. A chill spread against her body where he’d held her and seeped into the heat he had created.

“Welcome to Caisteal Camus,” he said, his voice low in the roar of the wind.

Mariel beheld her new home, and a gasp stuck in her throat. Grassy hills tinged with the dormant gold of winter stretched as far as she could see. It was a startling contrast to the brilliant blue sky stretched above. The glowing sun sparkled majestically and burned off the last vestiges of mist from Skye’s lush landscape. Without turning to look, she knew the fog behind her had closed around them like a heavy curtain, a shroud masking the magnificence of the island from those not worthy enough to glimpse it.

In the sunlight, the castle was not so imposing as it had appeared from its menacing perch atop the cliff. The large, rectangular building ran along the curve of the sheer-faced cliff with its walls made of smooth-cut stone. Several windows faced out over turbulent sea and winked in the sun’s light. Chimneys lined the roof’s peak and thick, dark smoke coiled briefly above the stone columns before being whisked away by strong winds. It didn’t look like the impenetrable fortress she had heard others describe it as. Caisteal Camus looked like a home. A magnificent, beautiful home where one could feel comfortable and safe.

“What do ye think?” Kieran asked beside her.

“It’s magic,” she breathed. Heat flooded her cheeks as soon as the words were spoken out loud. Had she just said that? “I mean, it…looks like something from a bard’s tale.”

Kieran gave her a knowing grin and led her up the hill toward the large iron gates where throngs of people stood in wait. As they neared, the idle chatter among the awaiting clan fell away, and a tense silence hung in the air.

The smile froze on Mariel’s lips at the hostile glares. Caisteal Camus might look like a home, but she knew she would receive no welcome there.

* * *

Kieran had been so damn eager to get home. Too eager. He had not allowed himself to dwell on the ramifications of his clan’s feelings toward Mariel.