Donna Grant - Untamed Highlander

“I do.” Hayden replied without hesitation. The MacLeods had proven themselves time and again. There was no reason not to trust them.

The castle door opened and five women moved onto the castle steps, the torches lighting them in a red-orange glow. All but Isla descended to the bailey.

“Three hundred years without a woman in this castle,” Quinn said. “I thought Lucan had gone daft when he brought Cara inside. I was the foolish one. How much difference a woman makes to a man’s life.”

“Women complicate things,” Hayden said, unable to take his gaze from Isla. Even in her too-big gown she drew his gaze. Her ice-blue eyes looked not at the people in the bailey, but to the distance. He wondered what she was thinking.

Quinn just shook his head with a smile. “Whenever you find that one woman you cannot live without, then you can tell me how she causes difficulties.”

Hayden didn’t have any illusions about finding such a woman. He wasn’t dense enough to allow himself to have feelings for a female, not while he was immortal. Why would he do that to himself or to her? It was unnecessary.

Everyone grew quiet as Isla closed her eyes. Wind began to move though the bailey with more force than normal, whipping through the torches causing the flames to spurt. The gusts swirled and coiled around Isla, causing her black locks to lift away from her and float on the breeze. The breeze caught the fabric of her gown and molded it to her body.

Hayden tried to swallow past the lump of desire that welled inside him at the sight of Isla’s breasts and small waist. He saw her nipples pucker and bead in the wind, straining against the gown. His cock swelled and thickened, and he was eager to cup those breasts himself, to feel their weight as he buried himself deep inside her.

He was so involved in his body’s reaction to her that it took a moment to realize it was magic he felt swirling around him. And not just any magic — Isla’s. He’d never felt magic so enthralling, so erotic. He swayed and glanced around to see if anyone else was as affected, but it seemed he was the only one.

Her hands turned, palms up as she slowly lifted her arms out to her sides. Hayden started toward her, fearful that she would hurt them all with her magic. But a hand on his arm halted him. He looked to find Quinn holding him.

“She’s helping us. Remember?” Quinn reminded him.

It took everything Hayden had to remain in place, to not jerk Isla out of the bailey to stop her magic and to kiss her. Quinn removed his hand, but Lucan had moved to Hayden’s other side.

Hayden already had one home destroyed, he didn’t want that to happen to another. He only wanted to protect those he considered his family, but they refused to see past the allure Isla brought. But if she harmed any of them, Hayden would destroy her regardless of the way his body yearned for her.

Isla’s hands continued upward until her palms faced together over her head. The wind swirled around her angrily. Magic, her magic, invaded everything.

It was heady and dangerous, and Hayden hated to admit how much he enjoyed the feel of it. He’d felt magic before, but nothing as strong and seductive as Isla’s.

There was a loud boom with the vanishing of the wind, and they saw the magic, nothing but a dull light in a small ring, shoot from Isla’s hands straight up over them high in the sky. The ring ballooned out covering the castle and even the village only to disappear into the ground.

Isla licked her lips and focused her eyes on those around her. “The castle and village are now shielded with my magic. Deirdre knows where the castle is located. She will send others to try and find it. They won’t be able to see it, but they’ll know it’s here.”

“So we’re safe from other Warriors and wyrran?” Marcail asked.

“For as long as I am here, and as long as my magic is strong, the shield will last,” Isla said. “To Deirdre’s eyes, the castle, and all its occupants, will have disappeared. If you walk out of the shield, you will be spotted.”

“Won’t she know you helped us?” Lucan asked.

A niggle of worry moved in Hayden’s gut when Isla glanced away from Lucan.

“Aye.” Her voice was calm. Too calm.

She was troubled, and Hayden knew she had every right to be. He looked at Quinn. “You’ve gotten your wish, but I wonder just how much more Deirdre will bring to us now that we have her greatest weapon.”

“We doona plan to find out,” Quinn replied. “We’re hoping one of the artifacts will be able to sever that link between Isla and Deirdre.”

So that’s what they told Isla to gain her cooperation. Hope was a powerful sentiment, and one that could conquer almost anything.

The urge to protect Isla once again assaulted Hayden. What was wrong with him? She didn’t need protection. She was a drough with more magic than any Druid at the castle. If anything, Hayden needed to guard everyone else.

“You’re playing with fire,” Hayden told Quinn. “What do you think will happen when none of the artifacts help to break the bond?”

“And what if it does?” Quinn sighed and looked around the bailey. “We have something to fight for, Hayden, and I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure everyone here is safe. Taking risks is part of this game, and though I’d rather not, sometimes there isn’t a choice.”

Hayden knew that all too well. He found himself turning to Isla once more. To his surprise she was staring at him. Her face gave nothing away, but in the depths of her ice-blue eyes, he saw pain … and hope.

Isla didn’t know why she found herself staring at Hayden. His obvious dislike for her should have made her keep her distance.

Instead, she found him fascinating. Addictive.

Captivating.

He was a proud man, a loyal Warrior. He was the tallest among them, standing head and shoulders above the others. But it was more than just his height that made him stand out. It was his manner, his attitude of “I can do anything and you can’t stop me.”

Isla imagined he could do anything he set his mind to. Men like Hayden were few.

She allowed herself to look him over at her leisure as he spoke with Quinn. While Quinn and the other Warriors were well formed, Hayden’s arms and shoulders bulged with muscles.

The way the material of his kilt hung over his left shoulder only accentuated the shapely form of his upper body. His wide chest narrowed into a vee, and his kilt wrapped lean hips.

He stood with his feet shoulder width apart, his arms crossed over his chest, and his jaw set. A Warrior waiting to defend those he cared for.

Isla had gotten a glimpse of a muscular thigh when Hayden bent over earlier. She had to wonder if there was a place on his body that wasn’t corded with muscle.

And then his black eyes turned to her.

She almost took a step back. She held her stance and returned his stare. He might intrigue her, but he also stirred a measure of fear. She wasn’t sure why, but there was something about him that seemed almost … familiar. It quickly faded as her blood heated under his intense gaze.

“Thank you,” Fallon said, drawing her attention — and her gaze — from Hayden.

Isla bowed her head as she faced the leader. “I don’t know how long the shield will last once Deirdre realizes what I’ve done. She will try to use me, but the shield will make it difficult for her magic, now dimmed, to penetrate.”

“But it could happen?” Cara asked.

As much as Isla wanted to lie to them, she knew she couldn’t. “Aye.” She then turned to Fallon. “The shield won’t keep Deirdre out forever. She will eventually find me. When that happens, you must kill me.”

“Isla,” Fallon began.