Rowan still struggled with the terrors of the last two days. What good would come of adding more worries at this time? Her fey blood, her inherent strength, could indeed be her saving grace, could allow her to carry as well as bear his child. But, he wasn"t sure.
Though she"d asked him to change her into a vampire, her bearing his child was enough of a risk to her life. He dared not provoke the fairy queen by turning one of her own into a vampire. If he did, Ysenda would surely demand his death. Without his presence to protect Rowan and their child, they would face a cold world, one where neither would ever truly belong.
However much he wished to believe his people would accept Rowan, he could not be sure they would. Neither could he forget that someone had left him to die. A traitor he must find.
And kill.
Enough of the worries to come. They had this day together and part of the oncoming night. Then, he must return to his people beneath some guise, find whoever wished him dead.
Moments later, Rowan reentered clad in the white gown. Had he not known her a commoner, with her regal bearing and majestic presence, none could have convinced him she was not a queen.
A wave of tiredness brought by the arrival of the dawn settled upon him. "Come." He took her hand, led her to the inner chamber where the scent of time and welcome sifted through the air.
Rowan"s hand tightened within his. "I cannot see."
Of course, she lacked his sensitivities. Aedan lifted her in his arms, carried her into the next chamber deep within the earth, the power of the ancient lair warm upon his skin. With reverence, he laid with her upon a soft cushion of moss fragrant with herbs.
Rowan looked up at him, her wheat blond hair strewn about in luxurious disarray. "Though I can see naught, whatever I am lying on feels wonderful."
" "Tis moss. From what I am told, it comes from a magical place."
"Magical?" Humor wove through her words.
"Aye." He lifted a lock of her hair, inhaled her scent. "I have missed my sojourns here. More than a year has pa.s.sed since I have returned." He would not wait so long again. Easily he could envision his future visits here, his life ahead with Rowan and their child.
"Why have you been away so long?" she asked.
"The demands on a laird are endless, but proud I am to serve my people." Aedan lay beside her and caught her lips in a fierce kiss, then with reluctance, broke free. "Go to sleep, Rowan."
"What if I am not tired?"
At her teasing, he smiled. "Pretend."
She chuckled, and his heart warmed. "If "tis your wish."
"It is." And so much more. "A caution: If you wake before I do, stay nearby."
"You speak of whoever tried to kill you?" Nervousness trembled within her voice.
However much he wished to avoid the discussion, it was reality, one they must face. "Aye," Aedan replied. "Until I find whoever is behind the attempt on my life, we must keep guard. Given the circ.u.mstances of how I was poisoned, I am confident it is a vampire, who must also seek sleep during the day. While you are with me, you will be safe. Now, close your eyes and rest."
On a deep sigh, Rowan snuggled against him. Within moments her breathing became even.
With her womanly scent infusing his every breath, Aedan slowed his heart. After one last sweep of the surroundings with his senses to ensure they were alone, he sent his body into a deep, much needed sleep.
The glow of the setting sun against the jagged peaks surrounding Rowan bathed the time-hewn stone in a wash of red. The color seemed so vivid. Mayhap the intense hue was a unique trait of the local stone. Or, had this special mountaintop been reserved for the laird of the clan?
Aedan"s position as the Vampire Coven"s laird gave her pause. They had enough challenges to overcome without adding that she was naught but a commoner.
Through the break within the stones, she scanned the land below, how the fading sun highlighted the beauty of the mountains, glowing on the roll of fog that embraced the upper peaks. Never before had she seen such wonder.
Leaves rustled behind her, and she turned. Another burst of wind sent the leaves twisting upon the limbs of a large tree growing from the ledge.
The tree"s precarious placement should have been impossible. But as if crafted by a spell, the ma.s.sive trunk rose from the cliffs, its multiple gnarled limbs like desperate arms reaching for the sky, the fog surrounding its trunk bestowing upon the entire base an otherworldly glow.
"The tree is unique, is it not?"
At the deep male voice behind her, Rowan whirled. A striking man stood several paces away, his height intimidating, his eyes deep bronze as if sparks sent by a mighty stroke of a smith"s hammer upon iron. Straight blond hair accented the sharp angle of his cheeks, his beard, and the hard line of his mouth.
Aedan"s warning to remain nearby echoed in her mind. Why had she not remained beside him until he"d awoken?
"Wh-Who are you?" she asked.
The stranger lifted a curious brow. "As it is you who are trespa.s.sing within the private grounds of the Highland Coven, "tis a question I should be asking."
Private grounds of the Highland Coven? Fear crawled through her. Aedan had told her this remote setting was known only to lairds and high members within his clan. This man was a vampire. From his presence, one high in rank within their clan.
On edge, she shifted to the b.a.l.l.s of her feet in case she needed to run. "I am a friend of Aedan"s."
His eyes widened in surprise. "You know the laird?"
The laird. Heat rushed through her cheeks. Of course, why had she not thought to address Aedan as his position demanded? "My apologies at my inappropriate reference. I but woke moments ago, and my mind is a muddle."
Curiosity spilled through the stranger"s intense gaze. He strode toward her, his steps quiet, his stride graceful, that of a man comfortable with his power. Though he was a member of Aedan"s clan, was she safe from an attack?
" "Twould seem you know my cousin," he drawled. "Interesting, as never have I seen you within the walls of Caorann Castle."
"Your cousin?"
A pace away he halted. "Aye, I am Breac MacGregor."
Regardless of his relationship to Aedan, she still did not know whether he was someone she could trust.
A muscle worked in his jaw. "I asked if you knew the laird?"
"Aye, I ..." How did she explain that his cousin was her lover? That she carried his laird"s child? Or, that Aedan wanted her to remain at his side despite the differences in their stations?
The vampire"s nostrils flared as he circled her once. He halted a pace before her. "You are human." It wasn"t a question.
Throat dry, she nodded and prayed, knowing Aedan would save her.
Shrewd eyes scoured the surroundings, where the last rays of the day faded against the horizon. "How many days have you been here alone?"
"Days? Aedan only brought me here this past night."
Shock on the vampire"s face eroded to anger, a slow fury that erased any sign of kindness. "Aedan is alive?"
"Alive? Why would he not be al-" Alarm rolled through Rowan. The only reason Breac would believe she"d remained here alone for days was if he thought Aedan had brought her here expecting to return, then had died.
Nay, was murdered, an attempt that failed.
With sickening clarity she understood. Aedan"s cousin was behind the attempt at his life. How many others were involved in his treacherous plan? Aedan!
"Where is he?!"
She shook her head. "I know not."
Lightning quick Breac"s hand clasped her chin, angled her head from side to side. Understanding dawned within his eyes, then immense satisfaction. A slow, cruel smile settled upon his mouth.
"Mayhap you know not where he is," Aedan"s cousin said, "but he will return."
"Why do you believe that?" she whispered, stunned he could discern such a truth.
"There is only one reason why you would be within the ancestral retreat and unconverted. You are of great importance to my cousin."
"I barely know him."
"Liar, I smell your pathetic human fear and his scent upon your skin." He jerked her forward, sc.r.a.ped his teeth across her flesh. Stilled. "You carry his child."
Her fear of moments before was nothing to this blast of terror. He could not harm her child. "You do not understand."
"As if I give a d.a.m.n that my cousin is a fool."
"I-"
"The b.a.s.t.a.r.d you carry will nae live, of that I a.s.sure you."
Rowan tried to jerk free. "Nay-"
His hand shot out, connected with her jaw. The force sent her sprawling.
He stalked toward her, his face marred by bulging veins and fury. "Think you that a mere human holds any power against a vampire?"
"Nay," she whispered, her legs trembling as she shoved to her feet, pain throbbing through her skull. "Please, do not harm my child." Heart pounding, she focused on him, refused the urge to glance toward the cave"s entry. Aedan would awaken any moment, and then he would save her. "Please, let me go," she said, keeping the vampire"s attention diverted from the cave. "I will tell no one of this place."
He laughed, a cold brutal sound. "Nay, that you will not. When my cousin returns and finds you gone, he will come looking for you."
"He will not come after me," she said, her mind scrambling to buy precious time. Aedan!
The vampire"s lip curled with disgust. "Enough. That I have wasted a word upon a human fills me with revulsion. Aedan will come, that we both know. And this time," he said with twisted pleasure in his voice, "he will die."
A fog shrouded Aedan"s mind like a blanket. He mentally clawed his way to consciousness, his senses demanding he awaken. He gulped a deep breath, another. His heart kicked to life. He reached to his side.
Empty.
"Rowan?"
Silence.
A malignant unrest permeated the air, and Aedan shoved to his feet. "Rowan?"
The far off curl of wind echoed within the tunnels. Otherwise, all was morbid silence.
Mist swirled in his wake as he bolted outside. On edge, he scanned the chasm embraced by the mountains.
Naught.
He scoured the upper peaks. The moon"s edge crept into the sky, its eerie light warring with flickers of fading sunlight struggling in the wilting purple sky.
A wisp of residual anger tainted the air.
Anger? Heart pounding, he knew. Another vampire had been here, and since he"d known of this secret retreat, it had been a member of high regard within the clan. Whoever it was, he had Rowan.
Why? He dismissed the possibility that she"d been taken to feed upon. Once she explained his relation to her and that she was under his protection, any member of his clan would have left her untouched.
Or, he mused with growing dread, was whoever had taken her the same vampire who had plotted for him to die?
Aedan wanted to believe that after finding her here alone, the other vampire had taken her to his home to keep her safe until he found Aedan and discovered the truth. But a sinking feeling in his gut a.s.sured him her disappearance was due to foul play. That sixth sense had saved his life many times over; he would listen to it now.
While he"d slept, whoever had made an attempt on his life had arrived at the ancestral retreat and discovered Rowan outside. Somehow that vampire had gleaned that Aedan still lived, and had abducted her. But she"d not told her captor that Aedan slept deep inside the cave. If she had, no doubt he would now be dead.
Aedan battled the flood of rage, focused on the one who would dare to try to kill him, the same vampire who now held Rowan and their child.
Unless he"d already killed her?
Nay, if she had died, he would have sensed the loss. Their link, one that forever bound them, would have perished.
So she lived. But for how long?
Until whoever had abducted her tasted her blood, he wouldn"t know of her fey heritage. Since it was forbidden to try to change a fairy into a vampire, if whoever held Rowan tried, the fairy queen would come, and he would die.
But, what of Rowan? What of their child? Would Ysenda, the fairy queen, allow them to live? Bed.a.m.ned. He must find them before it was too late!
In a blur of mist, Aedan evaporated into the night.
Chapter Six.
Rowan fought her growing panic as she took in the rocky coast, the weather-beaten mountains beyond.
"Do not think you can escape from me," Breac warned, the softness of his words, his complete control, terrifying. Judging by his actions, this vampire calculated his every move, left nothing to chance, except when it had come to killing Aedan.
In that he"d failed.