They pulled their horses to a halt, grim anger slashing Coll’s face, the emotion pulsing through the air and smothering her. Wonderful, so now he shared his emotions. Well, he was about to get a handful of her own too. Cherub had decreed they were soul bound, which meant she needed him to accept that fact as well.
With a fierce bellow, Coll bounded from his destrier and stormed toward her. He planted his feet wide, slapped his hands on his sides and sent her yet another whirlwind of his wrath. “Woman, you cannae simply ride from my keep and cross these mountains without a guard.”
“I know this land as well as you do, Coll MacKenzie.” She’d certainly never tell him she’d gotten lost, because well, she barely had gotten lost and that’s all that counted. What also counted was the fact he’d come after her. She’d instigated the hunt, and he’d begun the chase. “Although I do appreciate that you’re now here.”
“Appreciate?” Another bellowing word.
“Coll, please, I am no’ a simpering lass who you can berate however you wish.” She jabbed a finger into his chest, his very big and immoveable chest. “How could you agree to wed another lass without speaking to me about it first? Explain that.”
“I am no’ a man who you can berate however you wish either. Nor must I clear all my doings with you first.” His dark war coat studded with bits of steel flapped open at his sides and gave a glimpse of his lethally sharp blade sheathed at his hip. “Last I heard, you belonged to Matthew, and I’d had no knowledge of that changing.”
“I’ve never belonged to Matthew. He never once demanded marital rights or even bestowed more than a kiss on my cheek, whereas your coming marriage to Elizabeth MacRae will be consummated in every way.”
“I cannae set Elizabeth aside simply because you and I have touched.”
“Excuse me.” Duncan dismounted and swung Ella down from her steed, their horses whinnying. “You two clearly need some privacy for this argument you’re having.”
“There is no argument,” Coll snapped back at him.
“Aye, there is.” His brother collected their horses’ reins, looped their leads to a boulder near the stream then scooped Ella into his arms. “Do excuse us. We have some of our own arguing to undertake.”
“Oooh, I do love a good arguing session with you.” Ella wrapped her arms around Duncan’s neck and nipped his ear. “You are about to get an ear-lashing.”
“One with all the right noises, I hope.” Grinning, Duncan jogged off with her into the trees and the two disappeared.
“You should never have walked into my bedchamber last eve.” Coll leaned closer, the muscle in his jaw thumping a hard and fast beat.
She breathed out, tried to center herself then once assured she could speak calmly, met his irrefutable gaze. “You cannae marry Elizabeth MacRae. I willnae allow it.”
“You have no right to say who I can or cannae marry.” Slowly, he circled her, his gaze roaming down her body, from her head to the low neckline of her gown then her hips, legs and back up again.
She followed his very predatory move, his hands clenching and unclenching at his sides, his brown leather pants hugging his muscular legs and his white tunic flapping freely under his coat. “Do you like what you see?” She planted her own hands on her hips. “My stubborn one.”
“What happened between us last eve should never have happened.” He halted in front of her. “I touched you in ways I had no right to.”
“You had every right considering our mated bond.”
“There is no bond, and if I’d known about Matthew’s death at the time, or that I wasn’t dreaming but you were actually there in my chamber, then we would never have even kissed.”
“Are you angry at me for speaking vows with Matthew?” He had every right to be now she’d been made aware of their bond. Yet at the time, she’d seen no other way past their issues. Her father had threatened that she must choose a husband soon, or if she didn’t, then he’d have chosen one for her. So too Coll’s father wouldn’t have waited forever before finally demanding his son wed Kyla, and Coll had been the most obvious choice from amongst their chief’s three sons. Their chief certainly wished to ensure that only the strongest fae blood continued to flow through his direct line, and Kyla’s was as strong as it could possibly come.