“Exactly how grateful?” She smiled slyly at Iain over her shoulder. “Enough to convince your brother to include me in the battle?”
“Don’t agree to a word she says. She is going to be nowhere near the village come June the eleventh.” Iain shook his head then swiped his dagger from ear to chin and in the small space between his nose and lips. Done, he splashed the remaining suds away and dabbed his face dry with one of the folded cloths. He leaned his leather-clad butt on the edge of the side table as he faced his brothers. “My wife-to-be is expecting twins, two boys and both highly skilled seers.”
“Well, well.” With a smile, Finlay slapped Iain on the back. “We needed to hear some good news today. Congrats.”
“Stupid brotherly allegiance.” She snorted and closed the door with a thunk. “I’ll find a way to get around you all. I know what I’m doing and I can remain safe while I do whatever I need to do.”
“Your wife-to-be sounds like she means business.” Kirk shook Iain’s hand then frowning, set one palm over his sword hilt.
“What’s up?” Iain asked him. “You look particularly worried.”
“Finlay and I’ve been talking about our previous searches for our mates. Over these past five years, my searches have only ever led me north-east across the Highlands, in and around Loch Shin. I mentioned so to Nessa this morning. She’s assured me that my mate holds a touch of fae blood and that all I need to do to find her is to follow my senses, that she may or may not be at the village. Only time will tell.”
Finlay nodded at Iain. “For me, for the first time in five years, I was actually driven toward this area during the night of the last full moon. Except I only got halfway into the chase when I sensed your excitement. I knew the moment you’d found Isla that you had. I couldn’t continue on and was drawn back to Ivanson Castle. My mate could be anywhere as well.” He clasped Iain’s forearm with one hand and Kirk’s with the other. “Although deep inside, I feel strongly that my mate is close.”
“A sense I haven’t yet felt.” Kirk grasped Finlay’s forearm then took hold of Iain’s forearm and closed their circle until the three of them stood together, each facing the other. “I have a feeling it’ll be more difficult to find my mate. It’s not like we have air travel or vehicles to get us anywhere with any speed.”
“We’ll find both your women all the same.” Iain’s determined gaze decreed his stance.
Aye, their brotherly bond was strong, their presence a formidable one, and so too would Isla stand with them, no matter what trials or tribulations reared ahead.
She crossed to the window and opened the wooden shutters. Outside, the morning sun’s golden rays bathed the treetops and the green hills rising in the distance across the glistening loch. Everything looked so beautiful, not a gray cloud in the sky and certainly no threat of their enemy’s attack so close at hand, although on the eleventh, blood would soak this ground and the village would burn. Something that wasn’t happening, not on her watch and certainly not now she’d been given this chance to save the village that housed so many with fae blood.
She laid one palm over her belly and the precious babies she carried within. She wanted for them what she had in this moment, a future with their chosen one. This trip through time though wasn’t just about Finlay and Kirk’s need to find their mates, but also to ensure that the future mated bonds within their clans had the chance to flourish and grow strong. Certainly, they couldn’t leave this place until everything had been set right. The time to save their clans had come.
Slowly, she turned and rested back against the stone windowsill. The ‘power of three’ stood before her, the most beautiful sight and she was excited to be a part of them.
Chapter 12
The morning following his daughter’s disappearance, Murdock Matheson stood at his solar window on the second floor of Matheson Castle overlooking the inner courtyard. The ancient elm tree swayed in the brisk breeze coming in off the loch, its branches scraping against the thick stone walls of the keep. A seagull circled overhead then flew toward him and landed on the closest branch while below, his men trained, their swords slashing and steel clanging loud throughout the keep.
The ‘power of three’ had now been unveiled and although he couldn’t speak to Isla, he still sensed her closeness even over the wide chasm of time. Nessa, the old seer, would watch over his daughter, of that he had no doubt. Isla had conceived and she now carried a new merged line, one that would unite the two clans. And soon, Finlay and Kirk too would begin their search for their mates. It was all as it should be, as he’d seen such a short time ago in an incredible, awe-inspiring vision.
“Chief.” A knock sounded. “It’s Daniel.”