Chapter 3
Isabelle could only stare, dumbfounded, into Lucian’s dark eyes. The world began to swim around her, and her only anchor was the mysterious, gorgeous man who held her hand.
She drew in a deep breath, wondering why she’d felt compelled to ask about the woman he searched for. Never had she thought it could be her. A beautiful maiden of noble blood, aye, but never her.
Yet, she couldn’t deny the invitation to return with Lucian held promise, a potential she suddenly wanted to grab with both hands and never let go. The possibilities of her life opened before her, as if a dam had been broken by Lucian’s words.
His black eyes watched her carefully, his thumb tenderly caressing the back of her hand. Her skin tingled from the contact, and the pull, the attraction she’d felt the first time she’d seen him intensified until it was a living, breathing thing in the cottage with them.
“Isabelle?” he prompted, his voice soft, a hint of uncertainty lacing his deep baritone.
Strong, stubborn, and unmovable was how she expected Lucian to be. The anxious man before her, she somehow knew, was completely opposite of who he really was.
Was he nervous waiting on her answer? More than that was a burning question she had to have answered.
“Why me? You don’t know me.”
He leaned closer and wrapped his other hand around hers. “Please understand, Isabelle, I want to tell you everything, but I doona want you thinking I’m daft.”
“Well, I think it’s a little late for that,” she said, amazed that she could tease him after such a serious matter.
One side of his lips tilted in a heart-stopping smile. “It’s you because I know it here,” he said and touched his chest over his heart. Then he put a finger to his temple. “And here. It’s a…gift…my family was given. We know our mates instantly.”
She tried to swallow, finding her mouth suddenly dry. Isabelle couldn’t look away from his penetrating gaze. He believed everything he said, the truth of it shining in his eyes. “Tell me of this wonderful place you come from.”
He leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his massive chest as his eyes crinkled in the corners, as if he was pleased she asked. “It’s deep in the Ben Nevis Mountains.”
“Now I know you're jesting,” she said as she finished laughing. “There is nothing in those mountains but wild animals, snow, and ice.”
Instead of arguing with her, he continued to smile. “But what if I was right?”
“Nothing can survive in those mountains.”
He leaned forward and placed his hands over hers again. For a moment, time stood still as she gazed into his dark eyes and something passed between them. It left her dazed but wanting to experience it again.
“Do you believe in magic?” he asked so solemnly that she knew he was serious.
“Nay.”
He frowned and sat back once more, releasing a long breath. “That’s too bad, Isabelle.”
She loved the way her name rolled off his lips. Who would have thought her name could sound so wonderful? So sensual and alluring.
How strange that just the sound of her name on his lips could have her contemplating things she would never dream of doing otherwise, things that made her blood heat and her heart skip a beat.
And her body burn.
In order to try and regain some composure, she rose and faced the hearth. Either the man in her cottage was daft and needed to be put somewhere safe, or he was telling the truth.
“You want to believe me,” he said near her ear, his hot breath brushing the nape of her neck.
Chills raced down her spine at his words…because they were the truth. She had no idea when he had risen from his chair. He moved as silently as a spirit, his body a hot, hard presence behind her that urged her to lean back against him, to believe in everything he said.
She had always dreamed as a little girl that there would be more to her life, that she was destined to be something…more. Her dreams had even gone so far as to make believe she would be taken away and made a princess.
“Let yourself consider the possibility.” He softly took hold of her upper arms and drew her back against his chest.
His warmth spread around her, enveloping her in a cocoon that did anything but soothe her. She was all too aware of the very male, very solid man at her back. She imagined his large hands moving over her body, his arms holding her close as he kissed her, languidly, deeply. Thoroughly.
His head nudged hers aside so he could nuzzle her neck. His warm breath caused chills to race over her skin. “Come see my birthplace, Isabelle. See the splendor, the hidden beauty of it all. My parents await my return. They await you.”
Her breath hitched when she was sure she felt his tongue touch her ear.
“Our city is hidden, but it thrives. You can do anything you want there, be anything you want. The gates to the city will open upon our return. We’ll travel down the road paved with blue stones that leads to the castle sitting high up on the mountain.
The people will come out to see us, cheering that I’ve returned with my mate.
It’s a place of magic, a place of indescribable beauty.
We have seasons, but the winters are no’ harsh.
Game is plentiful, the grass greener, the flowers more vibrant. You’ve never seen such majesty before.”
She closed her eyes and allowed herself to imagine a place like the one he had described and, to her astonishment, was able to envision it clearly. “I won't belong there,” she whispered.
His voice, smooth and soft, replied, “You doona belong here. You belong with me in Drahcir.”
Her eyes opened. It was as if Lucian knew all of her secret longings, all of the dreams she’d barely allowed herself to imagine.
It frightened her at the same time it excited her.
She turned in his arms and looked up at him.
Her fingers itched to trace the strong line of his jaw, to know if his lips were as soft as they looked.
She inhaled and breathed in the scent of pine, sandalwood, and leather. It was a heady mix combined with a man such as Lucian. He tempted her body, and his words tempted her soul. Did she belong with him? Or did she belong in the tiny village she’d grown up in?
There was nothing holding her here. Her grandparents were gone, her friends were few, and the likelihood of her finding a husband was as slim as her tugging a star from the sky.
She was tired of being alone, of having no one but herself to come home to.
How she yearned to share her troubles, to have someone to eat with, to face each new day with.
Someone she climbed into bed with each night.
“I’ll take you away at first light, if you let me. You need never work in a tavern again or want for anything. Please, Isabelle, believe. That’s all you have to do. I’ll do the rest.”
The gleam in his eye was one of hope, of anticipation. He was daring her to trust him. And before she even knew what she was doing, her soul already accepted his words as truth.
His arms came up around her. “Believe.”
“I don’t think I can.” She’d seen her reality, lived her reality for too long to do anything else. The disappointment in his black gaze was like a punch in her stomach.
She wanted to explain to him, but his nearness jumbled the words. He confused her, spun her about until she wasn’t sure what was right and what was wrong. Her body craved him, longed for him.
And her soul cried out as if had found its other half.
“You’re the woman I’ve searched for, the woman that I can no’ leave here without.”
His words sent a sizzle of awareness through her.
He lowered his head. His hypnotic eyes held her spellbound.
She lifted her hands to his chest, telling herself it was to help keep her balance, but really it was because she wanted to feel him.
Even against the coolness of the leather jerkin beneath her hands, she felt the heat of him.
“Believe me,” he whispered, just before his lips touched hers.
His lips were soft, yet insistent as they nibbled and kissed her mouth.
She moaned softly as she let him guide her against his body and his arms wrapped securely around her.
His arms were like bands of steel, his chest an unmovable force.
The kisses became more urgent, deeper with every taste, and Isabelle felt herself awaken, slowly, fully.
The fire started to burn, and her body trembled as she ached for more of Lucian.
Even her hands wanted more of him as they roamed over his thick chest, wide shoulders, and into his dark, silky hair. When his tongue swept into her mouth, she sighed as a rush of pure passion and excitement ran through her.
In that moment of such exquisite pleasure, she would have promised him anything.
Lucian knew he couldn't continue to kiss her and remain in control. He was amazed to find he wanted her as much as he did, yet “want” was mild compared to how he truly felt. He ached, he hungered. And only Isabelle would be able to ease him.
Just touching her was enough for him to realize what kind of future they could have. Her beauty was just one part of it. He felt the passion within her, waiting to be released. She was stubborn but kind, stalwart but sympathetic.
The fear that had taken root in him months ago when he thought to never find his mate began to loosen. The longer he kissed her, the more he knew he couldn’t live without her. He…needed her.
Not just because of the stupid curse. Because she was the other half of him, the part he hadn’t realized he was missing until he’d found her. He couldn’t explain it, could barely comprehend it himself. There was no denying it.
He ended the kiss and inwardly smiled when he heard her groan in irritation. With his hands, he smoothed back the tendrils of hair that had come loose of her braid and tilted her head up to him.
“I know you felt what I did,” he said.
She licked her swollen lips, nearly sending him to his knees with need. “Oh, aye. I felt it.”