Chapter 50
Chapter Fifty
Rowen drank in the blush pink and lavender sunrise that announced a new day. She had given up on sleep hours ago and instead took up residence next to the window, her mind turning over recent events—a common occurrence since arriving on Skye.
Yet, as scary and exciting as her new magic—and her link to history—was, it was Mason who occupied most of her thoughts. She had almost gone to him when she couldn’t sleep, but she wouldn’t be there to talk—and they really needed to talk. Getting the words out, however, would be a trial of its own.
She sighed, wishing she were snuggled against Mason’s body right then, her head resting on his chest, his heartbeat in her ear.
His arm holding her. The last time she had seen him was when she followed Rhona out of the kitchen.
Rowen had caught a glimpse of him right before the door swung closed behind her.
The next several hours had been spent with Rhona, going over every single detail of her interaction with the evil, time and time again, until Rowen was ready to pull her hair out.
Then there had been the call with her mom.
Next came the family discussion with her aunts—specifically Aunt Maelin, who only confessed that she had seen Rowen on Skye in someone’s dream.
By the time Rowen sought out Mason, it was after one in the morning, and he was nowhere to be found.
That’s when she decided to get some sleep and seek him out in the morning.
Except she hadn’t been able to shut off her mind.
All she had wanted was Mason. She longed to hear his thoughts and get his opinion.
He would tell her the truth of things, even if it was hard to hear.
She trusted him completely. The only other people she could say that about were her family.
Rowen surged out of the chair and stalked from her room. She didn’t care if he was asleep. She had things to say. Things he needed to hear.
The thump of her bare feet as she half-walked, half-jogged was swallowed by the rug. She didn’t know what it would mean if she climbed into Mason’s bed again. Maybe it would turn into something. They could also fizzle out quickly. But she’d never forgive herself for not finding out.
The apprehension that had kept her holding him at arm’s length now seemed laughably trivial—an echo of fear drowned beneath the weight of everything they had faced together.
What had once been safety and security now felt like a barrier to something real, something she no longer had the strength to deny.
The thought of standing beside him and not leaning against him or reaching for him wasn’t just inconceivable, it was unbearable.
She came to a halt before his door, breathing heavily, her front pressed against it as she knocked softly. Excitement and anticipation coursed through her. She couldn’t wait to tell him that she wasn’t going to ignore her feelings anymore, that she wanted more than just one night with him.
She rapped her knuckles against the door again, louder. Harder. A smile curved her lips. What a fool she had been, telling him there couldn’t be anything between them. Had she dared to give them a chance, she could’ve been lying in his arms all night, cocooned in his warmth.
Her leg began to bounce as a niggle of worry slid into her mind. Perhaps he was sleeping heavily. She knocked a third time, her smile slipping. Still, he didn’t answer. Her enthusiasm twisted into trepidation—a knot of foreboding she couldn’t shake.
Rowen put her hand on the knob, debating for only a second, and turned. The door swung open soundlessly, revealing the morning sunlight streaking through the parted curtains to illuminate the empty bed.
She took an uncertain step into the room. Maybe she had missed him somehow in her search before she went to bed. He could’ve been with Carlyle or Ferne. Or, her mind grasped frantically, he might be waiting for her below now.
Yet the longer she looked around the room, the clearer it became that Mason was gone.
She turned to the closet, clinging to one last hope, but it was dashed the moment she opened the door and saw it empty.
She stumbled back, unable and unwilling to believe what she saw. He wouldn’t go. He wouldn’t leave.
Rowen backed out of the room and shut the door as the hard truth of reality settled around her. Mason had left. Whether he had gone to the cottage or returned to England remained to be seen. She lifted her chin, spine straightening with newfound resolve.
She was going to find out.
She spun and ran down the stairs to the main floor, briefly pausing beside the table that held all the car keys and fumbling them in her hands as she tried to grab a set.
Taking someone’s car without asking was beyond rude, but she would beg for forgiveness later.
She couldn’t let another second go by without seeing Mason.
A small thought at the back of her mind said she could call him, but that wasn’t what she wanted—or needed. She had to stand in front of him. Needed to see his face so she could…well, she wasn’t sure what she would do, but it was imperative that she be close enough to touch him.
She raced to the front door and threw it open.
Not even the pebbles digging into her feet slowed her as she clicked the key fob in her hand to see which keys she had taken.
The lights of a black Range Rover flashed, and she hurried toward it.
Within seconds, she had the SUV peeling out of the drive, spraying gravel as every fiber of her being urged her to find Mason, that if she didn’t, she would lose him forever.
Thankfully, the roads were empty that early in the morning.
Every second felt like an eternity, as if someone or something were purposefully keeping them apart.
She pressed the gas pedal, and the vehicle lunged forward in response.
The curves came fast and tight. She took one so recklessly that she nearly wrecked.
But not even that slowed her. Her entire being had one decree: find Mason.
A swell of relief came when she saw the road to the cottage approaching.
She was almost there, almost to Mason. A smile tugged at her lips as she laughed at her feverish actions.
Mason would have a good chuckle when she told him.
Rowen slowed and adjusted in her seat. There was no need to drive so recklessly now.
She spotted a car driving up to the stop sign as she neared. Instantly, she recognized the Focus. She could only stare in shock as Mason’s car pulled out, heading away from her. If he had been going to the manor, he would’ve come toward her. Why could he be heading in the other direction?
And then, she knew. He was heading to the Skye Bridge.
“No,” she murmured and slammed her foot down on the accelerator.
The engine roared, and the SUV shot forward as she raced to catch up with him. The winding roads kept him at an almost unavoidable distance. She increased her speed on the straightaways but had to slow down on the curves to avoid crashing. Mile after mile, the bridge grew ever closer.
Panic-stricken and seeing her future slipping from her fingers, Rowen floored it again on the last stretch of the road to the bridge.
The Rover once more answered her need for speed and surged forward, quickly gaining ground.
She had to pass him before he reached the village. It was the only way to stop him.
“Come on, come on,” she urged the vehicle.
She sped toward Mason, moving over to the opposite lane and blowing past him.
The moment she was clear of his car, she turned the wheel, angling the SUV across both lanes as she came to a screeching halt.
Rowen fumbled with the seat belt release, her hands shaking as she tried to exit at the same time.
Once the door finally opened, she spilled out onto the pavement as he stepped out of his car.
Fury and disbelief mottled his handsome face. “Have you lost your bloody mind? You could’ve been killed!” he yelled.
Rowen ignored his words and strode to him. He could yell at her all he wanted, but he was going to listen to her. As she neared, she saw his anger shift to uncertainty. He watched her warily as she stopped before him. Then she grasped his face and pressed her lips to his.
He jerked back, stormy gray eyes studying her, as if he didn’t know what to make of her.
She held his gaze and smiled. The next thing she knew, he jerked her against him and swept his tongue into her mouth.
Her soul sang, her heart swelled. This was where she belonged.
With this incredible, kind, handsome man who felt like coming home.
A man fiery in his respect, fierce in his loyalty, and ferocious in his love.
She could’ve stood there kissing him forever, but he slowed the kiss and eventually lifted his head. He stared down at her, his breathing as ragged as hers, as he gently cupped her face. The wind cut through her thin pajamas, but she barely felt it next to him.
“Don’t go,” she begged.
His brow wrinkled in confusion. “I’m not leaving.”
“You were headed to the bridge.”
“I was going to get breakfast,” he replied with a grin.
She tightened her grip on his shirt. “I was sure you were headed home.”
“I thought about it.”
Her heart shuddered at his confession, but she waited, hopeful after that kiss.
He moved a strand of hair from her eyelashes. “But it seems I can’t leave. You’re still here.”
“I went to your room this morning. When I found you gone…” Rowen swallowed, the emotions too raw to put into words. “I-I panicked and took someone’s keys. Then I saw you pull out.”
His gaze dropped to her mouth for a long moment. “Is that when you decided to run me off the road?”
“That’s when I decided I’d do whatever it took to keep you off that bridge so I could tell you that I was an idiot.
I thought I’d give you one night and it would be enough, but it turns out I was wrong.
You were all I could think about before that night, and now, you consume my thoughts.
Even when I should be thinking about this reincarnation thing, all I wanted, all I thought about, was you. ”
Something tender, scorching, flickered in his gaze. “I love you. You may not believe me, but I know what I feel. I think I’ve always loved you. Even before I knew you.”
The words eased the final knot of fear in her chest. If he had said those words a week ago, they would’ve sent her running.
Now, his declaration made her want to shout it to the world.
She could barely contain her exuberance as she brought his head to hers, stopping short of kissing him.
“I believe it. I believe it, because I love you.”
He kissed her again, a kiss burned with promise and passion, one laced with pleasure and steeped in love. It wasn’t gentle. It was consuming. A claiming of two hearts that had finally found their places.
The world narrowed to the heat between them, and for one breathless moment, magic wrapped around them—fierce, eternal, and unbreakable.
The moment was broken by shouts, whistles, and clapping. Rowen lifted her head in surprise to find people standing outside their cars in either lane, watching them. Rowen laughed as she looked up at Mason.
“You’re in your pajamas. And barefoot,” he said, grinning.
She shrugged. “I couldn’t let you go.”
“You don’t ever have to. I plan to be by your side forever.”