"Aye," she nodded. Amused. His dark blue eyes never left her face and she could read a hint of doubt in them. "I am real and I willnae leave ye until yer wounds are healed," she reassured him.
"How do you know aboot my wounds?" he looked around, and suddenly realizing his head was on her lap, jumped up from his place. He winced with pain and fell back on the ground again.
"Ye are indeed stubborn, Highlander," she shook her head. "You'll have to obey to my rules if ye dae not want to die of that nasty knee wound."
"I do not obey to anyone's rules. Especially..." he paused. Right before he said he did not trust women that he had never seen before, Tara laughed. This task was going to be much harder than she expected.
She could read every emotion in his eyes—honest and straightforward. She had never met anyone like him. In Tara's world, everything was hidden behind the mists of mystery. Words never meant what they were, emotions were concealed and spells were all that mattered. This Highlander was the complete opposite of Tara's people and that was what attracted her to him.
At first, he was cautious around her. Tara was not intimidated by his difficult personality. He could growl and snarl at those ladies in his castle and they would tremble with fear, but here in the woods, he trusted her with his life, with his wounds and soon—with his heart.
Days passed by and every evening Laird Aengus left the castle for his secret meetings with Tara. His wounds were healing. The progress was slow but visible. Her magic was getting weaker as she was determined to give it up forever, to turn away from her family and live the simple life of a highlander's lady.
During all those days that he met her in the intimacy of the woods, he never asked about her family, never doubted her intention. Earning this powerful warrior's trust meant the whole world to Tara, yet she feared losing him the moment she opened her secret to him.
"Be my wife," he asked her one night as he jumped off his horse and wrapped his strong arms around her. His strength was back to him. She could feel his heart beating hard and strong in his chest. She loved leaning against it and listening to the rhythmic beats.
Be my wife, his words echoed in her ears as silence hung between them. Simple words that sounded more like a command than a request. Those words would've offended any lady who dreamed of a knight to kneel in front of her and claim words of undying love. To Tara's ears, those words, blurted out in a moment of passion, were the most enchanting song. They meant freedom to her. Salvation from the destiny that she carried as the firstborn of her coven.
"I cannot," she shook her head. Immediately, she felt the sting of disappointment in her heart. She was about the reject the one true love that had been foretold for her by the stars even before her birth.
"Why?" he insisted. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and storms that Tara knew were ahead of her in her life seemed insignificant. All that mattered was this dark night under the starless sky when she stood in the arms of her beloved.
"You do not know who I am," she simply replied.
"I care not," he barked. "All I need to know, I know. You are my destiny and I am yours." His world was so uncomplicated compared to hers. A little bit of physical strength and Laird Aengus MacLachlan was the happiest man in this world. He rode on the back of his horse, took care of his lands and his people. What else did one needed for happiness? A beloved woman? Well, he was holding her right now in his arms.
"Sit down, Laird Aengus," she said, stepping back. And then, as much as she tried to hold her words back, they betrayed her. Tara told him everything. The duty to her coven that was put on her shoulders from the day of her birth, the dangers of her gift and the grieve consequences if she dared to reject her magic, the anger of the whole family of ancient witches that was to fall upon them if she dared to choose a husband without their approval. Her words felt like hot lava that could burn down his naive dreams of love, but if he could take them in and arise from their fires, their hearts would forge an unbreakable bond.
"You still want to marry me, Laird Aengus?" she asked in a voice that was hardly a whisper. Tara's whole body was shaking like a tiny frame that had escaped the explosion of lava.
"Aye," he said calmly. Then, he rose from his seat, took her hands into his and looked her into the eyes—hard and firm. "Aye, you will be my wife. Meet me here tomorrow at dawn and I will take you to the castle with me. Tomorrow you shall be mine."
Tomorrow... a sweet word... so close, yet so far away. Tara knew there were storms yet to come before they could meet that tomorrow.
Chapter 3
That evening, Aengus found his father and two brothers sitting by the fireplace and discussing how to punish a liege laird that had betrayed their trust, causing more disquiet on their lands. Since his recovery, he had stayed away from all the political affairs. Aengus cared not about fighting anymore. All he needed was to bring Tara home with him, to get his father's blessing and to live a peaceful life. Sadly, such a life was not foretold for a highlander. Such a life did not flow in his veins.
Aengus MacLachlan was never known for making spontaneous decisions. Yet, with the new passions blazing in his heart, he had lost his ability to think calmly before acting.
"Father, I must send
