Chapter 4 #2
Duncan moved over to adjust the saddle on the horse beside him. When he was finished, he turned his head. “Well, are ye coming?”
With a sinking feeling, she realized that she really had no choice.
Instinctively, she knew that if she refused to go with him, he would follow through with his threat, and return her to the great hall.
Then when she was in the confines of the keep, she was certain that Darra would prevent her from venturing out on her own.
And until there was someone available to take her home, she would continue to be at the mercy of the MacGregons.
She had already spent two days at Tancraig Castle.
Could she risk losing more valuable time?
A lot could have happened since she left Dunnvie.
For all she knew, Fingal might have found new ways to torture her people.
“Give me a palfrey. Nay one has tae ken.” She placed a hand on Duncan’s forearm, making one last attempt to sway him.
“’Twould be better off for the both of us if I left on my own…
” Her voice trailed off as a surge of energy shot through her, causing her fingers to tingle.
It was only a split second, but a surprised expression crossed his visage, as if he too felt the queer jolt that passed between them.
Duncan grabbed her by her slender waist, and quickly hoisted her on the horse, trying to ignore the electric current that rolled over him.
What the hell was that? In his twenty-six years, he had never experienced anything like it.
And even though he was mounted on his own steed, it puzzled him that her womanly scent still lingered around him.
He cast a glance in her direction. She was facing forward, unaware that he was studying her.
While she was attractive, he had seen other lasses that were much more fair and definitely more receptive.
It was apparent enough that she disliked him even though he tried to win her over.
He usually preferred fair-haired lassies anyway, and this one possessed dark tresses and was tiny.
And even though he towered over her, she displayed no hint of fear.
In all regards, she was wrong for him. And everything logical indicated that he needed to keep his distance.
Yet another part of him wanted to be near her, to know the taste of her lips, to feel her soft body underneath his…
He straightened his spine. Evidently, his judgment was becoming clouded.
The warning signs were there, and they were becoming loud and clear.
He needed to keep away from her despite the fact that she intrigued the hell out of him.
If he was clever, then he needed to abandon these carnal thoughts before they led him further down the dangerous slope.
No woman had ever affected him like this before, and no matter how alluring she was, he wasn’t going to allow this wee lass to distract him from his task.
***
By the time they rode for an hour, Adrina’s irritation had simmered down.
There were several days of travel ahead, and the skyline stretched almost to infinity.
She wasn’t certain how she had managed to travel for so many days without encountering any trouble.
Although she would never admit it to Duncan, she was grateful for his presence.
As they continued on their way, he made no further attempts to engage her in conversation. She felt relieved by his inattention, since she was content with exploring her own dark counsel.
Adrina’s fingers automatically reached for her brooch, touching the familiar, smooth surface of the bloodstone.
The gemstone was the color of dark moss and was shot with a spray of red speckles.
It was an unpolished stone yet when it was held up to the light, it sparkled with breathtaking beauty.
As far as she knew, no one else possessed an ornament such as hers.
It had belonged to her great-grandmother, and since her mother didn’t care to have it, it was passed down to Adrina.
As her thoughts touched on her mother, the rhythmic movement of the horse underneath her lulled her further into her past. But at the same time, her grip on the clasp tightened, as if somehow it gave her the strength to confront the memories.
The first time she had the vision, she had awoken with sweat pouring down her forehead and back.
Her throat was dry as if she had been screaming.
And maybe she had. The nightmare felt so real.
As her parents were led to the executioner’s noose, she witnessed the stoic expression on her father’s visage, and the terror in her mother’s eyes.
In the nineteen summers of her life, she had never known her father to fear anything.
However today, even though he displayed little emotion, she sensed his fear.
“Halt!” she yelled at the executioner. “There has been a terrible mistake. Ye need tae release my parents. Ye need tae do it now.”
But the man neither heard nor saw her over the jeering of the crowd.
She tried to run to her parents then, but it was as if she was stuck in thick mud, and she couldn’t get to them.
But when she finally reached the platform, her dream ended, and she found herself back in her own bedchamber.
The next morning, she discovered that her parents dined in the great hall as usual.
And the rest of the day resumed as normal.
Even so the nightmares continued to haunt her from one evening after another.
And each time she witnessed the horrific scenes, she felt as frightened and as helpless as a babe.
Over time, she became used to the wild dreams, and she endured them for the most part. At one point she convinced herself that she was merely dealing with an overactive imagination.
However on the night before she struck out for Tancraig Castle, she had the awful dream again.
But this time it was different — at least it felt different.
Death seemed to linger in the air, as if it waited in the peripheral, and was ready to snatch her parents away.
A small part of her hung onto the hope that it was only another night terror that plagued her.
But deep down she believed that there was something more.
And with this, she realized that she had to act upon her guidance before it was too late.
Then armed with only the knowledge that she needed to get to Tancraig Castle, she fled her home —
“We’ll rest here for a bit before we continue on,” Duncan said, interrupting her gloomy recollections.
Adrina blinked at hearing his voice. She looked around her, and was astonished to discover a huddle of thatched houses in the distance.