“Secure the keep!” Jeremiah called to his guardsman at the gatehouse. “No one enters, no’ a soul. Raise the alert should you see any vessels out at sea. I need to be informed immediately should we have any unwanted visitors, my brothers included amongst them.”
“Aye, my laird.” The guardsman lowered the portcullis within the stone-arched entrance, its clunky chains clanging and the thundering rumble echoing with finality all around her.
Dread filled her, the cold invading her limbs. Nay, she needed to remain strong, to not show any fear, because Jeremiah would certainly take every advantage of her the moment she did. Ronan was with her, taking each step she did. Across the gravelly inner yard, she walked while the skies above continued to blacken. A warrior lit the torches mounted against the stone walls and the light flickered eerily up toward the battlements. “Night is about to fall.”
“Duncan and I will use the darkness to our advantage.”
“Please, dinnae get hurt.” If her mate came to any harm because of her, she’d never forgive herself.
“I’ll take every care, but I will get you out of there, however I can.”
She stepped through the main doors of the keep and a boisterous buzz of voices echoed toward her. With one deep, fortifying breath, she walked through the foyer and entered the great hall.
The vaulted room held a crown of high wooden beamed rafters, the walls covered with well-crafted tapestries and herbal wreaths. Rushes lay strewn across the floors and the fresh scent of lavender wafted all around. Trestle tables groaned under the weight of the feast laid out for the returning men. Platters of cooked meat, roasted vegetables, and an assortment of pastries and other sweet dishes made her belly rumble with hunger.
Warriors eased onto the wooden benches and serving maids carrying trays holding steaming bowls of seafood stew, weaved around them. There had to be a good eighty warriors in this hall alone, not to mention the score or so on duty outside. “Jeremiah has around a hundred men.”
“Even that number will never keep me from you.”
“Come and meet Fiona.” Jeremiah urged her toward the dais where a lass sat at the high table. “Although if I remember rightly, you two already know each other from my father’s keep.”
Tall and lithe, Fiona held a pale complexion and stunning red locks that tumbled down to her waist, a mass of bright curls she’d never forget. Goodness. It had been a year since she’d last seen her. “Ronan, do you remember when I spoke to you about Fiona? She holds a touch of fae blood and a weakened skill. She wed a man several years her senior then left for Rhue. She’s the one I first created a merged link of the mind with.”
“I see her too.”
Fiona’s corseted forest-green velvet gown hugged her slim waist, the rich cream and gold silk ribbons lacing the front an entwining of vibrant colors. “I need to warn her about all that’s happened and why I’m here. I can garner her aid, find out if she knows of a way out of here, but I cannae forge a connection with her without first releasing this link with you.”
“Then cut it.” He growled the words, those clearly the last he wished to utter. “Be safe, my love.”
“I shall.” She pulled back from Ronan’s mind, dropped their connection then bridged the gap between her and Fiona and delved into her friend’s mind, the link one of deep familiarity. “Fiona, ’tis I, Kyla. Glad I am to see you, but I am no’ here of my own freewill. Dinnae give my actions away, that I speak to you right now.”
“Kyla?” Fiona’s wide-eyed gaze landed on her, shock pounding through, although she quickly hid her surprise. “What are you doing here, and with Jeremiah no less?”
“I shall tell you everything soon, the moment we’re alone.”
“Fiona.” Jeremiah waved out to her friend and motioned for her to join them near the base of the stairwell where a warrior in heavy chainmail stood on guard.
Fiona rose from the high table and walked across to them, nodded at Jeremiah. “Welcome home, my laird. I pray you had a safe and swift journey.”
“I did.” He gestured toward Kyla. “I’ve brought Mistress Kyla with me. ’Twould have been a while since you’ve seen her?”
“Aye, a year now, since the day I left our chief’s keep.” Fiona smiled at her. “Welcome to Rhue.”
“Take Kyla to the chamber that connects to mine,” Jeremiah continued. “She is now my betrothed and I’m sure she’d like to bathe and eat afore we speak our vows later this evening.”
“Of course.” Fiona dipped her head then snuck a look at her. “You have a lot of explaining to do, my friend.”
To the guard, Jeremiah issued, “You’re to remain on duty directly outside my betrothed’s chamber and she isnae to leave it, no’ one step beyond her door. I shall collect her soon. Am I understood?”