Chapter Nine

Brenna had been waiting for their return, having seen the vision of Cameron falling from the sky as it was happening. When Ian had first returned with his brother in his claws, she’d been afraid Cameron was dead, but there had been a sense of urgency about Ian, and when he called for help, she’d been able to breathe again.

She’d remained at the periphery, hoping no one would notice or challenge her right to be there as she followed them up the stairs into his bedchamber. Only when she heard him calling for her had she managed to break her paralysis and stop hovering on the fringes so she could approach him. When she had taken the seat beside him on the bed, it felt like coming home.

Now, several days later, it still felt like that as she held his hand and watched him sleep. It was a far more restful sleep than he had enjoyed for the first forty-eight hours after being brought back with a magical poison coursing through his veins. Agnes had never faltered in her conviction that he would be just fine, and now Brenna was able to believe it as well.

His color was back to normal, and he no longer breathed so raggedly. He didn’t seem to be tossing and turning or fighting demons as he slept. This was the peaceful sleep of healing, and for the first time in several days, she stretched out beside him with the intent of sleeping as well, completely certain she would wake to find him still alive. The fear that she would lose him had haunted her over the last few days, making it impossible to sleep in more than fitful spurts and stretches.

He stirred beside her sometime later, waking her, and there was a prickling sensation down her spine. Her stomach cramped for a moment, and she bent forward.

“Brenna?” He still sounded somewhat weak, but he looked stronger and was clearly in better health than he had been for days.

“I… I have to go to the courtyard.” The words came to her as though they weren’t her own. She slipped out of bed and shoved her feet into her shoes, rushing from the bedchamber. She thought she heard Cameron moving behind her, and part of her wanted to stop and tell him to stay put, to continue resting, but she was too frantic to reach the courtyard. It was like a vision combined with a compulsion. She hadn’t experienced anything like it before, and she was powerless to resist the impulse.

She broke into a run down the stairs and across the Great Hall, emerging onto the stone steps, which she ran down at a faster pace than was safe. She soon reached the courtyard where the men practiced and drew to a halt at the sight of Ian leading forward a woman wearing an English dress, with a long fall of black hair.

As the group got closer, she could feel the prickling sensation intensifying, like someone was physically poking her in the stomach. She was compelled to move forward, meeting them across the distance. She gasped as she stared into the face that was much like her own, though a few years older. “Lianne,” she said with strong conviction.

“Brenna,” said her older sister, sounding overjoyed. She pulled away from Ian, who let her, and the two women embraced. Brenna was aware of chattering at her for a moment, shocked by her sister’s sudden appearance. Visions over the years had led her to believe Lianne was still alive, but she’d not foreseen any reunion with her, so she had been uncertain if she would ever see her older sister again.

“I take it you do know her,” said Ian after they had a moment together.

She managed to tear her gaze away from her sister as she looked at Ian and nodded. “This is my older sister, Lianne.”

“And this is my baby sister, Brenna.”

“Is everything all right?” asked Cameron from behind them.

Brenna gasped as she pulled away from Lianne’s arms and turned to scold Cameron. “You should not be out of bed yet, Cameron. You need your rest.”

He made a dismissive sound. “If I cannae handle a walk to the courtyard, I do not deserve to call myself a dragon, let alone laird.”

She rolled her eyes as she put her hands on her hips. “That has nothing to do with your state of being, or what kind of shifter you are. You were poisoned by English magic. You need to rest.”

“I needed to know why you ran away so quickly.”

“That might’ve been my fault,” said Lianne in a delicate voice. “I was trying to prod Brenna to meet me, though I was uncertain if she would get my communication. We were never able to clearly communicate mentally, but I was sometimes able to influence her actions.”

Her mouth dropped open as she turned back to her sister in a slow fashion. “I had forgotten about that. You are the one who made me feel like my stomach was going to turn its insides out, and that I must reach the courtyard at any moment to save everything?”

“Such melodrama, but yes, that was me.” Lianne laughed then, sounding a little self-conscious. “My husband used to hate when I would use my ability to influence him. I suppose it is for the best that he decided to fight two men bigger than him and lost.” She sounded unconcerned.

Brenna looked back at Cameron as he inhaled in a ragged breath. “Are you all right? Have you overdone it?”

He looked uneasy, but he shook his head. “No, I…” He trailed off with a shrug. “Never mind. I’ve inferred this is your sister then?” His gaze moved to Lianne. “I can see some resemblance.”

“Like you and Ian,” said Brenna.

“What shall we do with her?” Ian’s question was addressed to his brother.

“I suppose she must be our guest for a time, at least until we sort all that out. I shall leave you to handle it, Ian.” Cameron sounded strong, but it was clear he was still a little woozy, and Brenna moved over to him automatically to provide support.

She looked at Lianne. “I will have to see you later. I must ensure the laird rests.”

Lianne’s eyes sparkled with clear interest, but she nodded. “Of course, Brenna. I am certain Sir Ian can see to my needs just fine.” There was something tempting in her sister’s voice, and the look she shot Ian wasn’t entirely innocent.

Brenna almost burned under the force of the heat in her sister’s gaze when it landed on Ian. She nodded awkwardly and put her arm around Cameron’s waist, leading him back to the keep. “You should not have run after me, Cameron,” she scolded again as she led him up the stairs and back to his room several minutes later.

“Where you go, I go,” he said in a strong tone. “I have not forgotten your promise to me, Brenna.”

She swallowed as she looked up at him. “My promise?”

“You promised you will not leave me. I intend to hold you to that promise, lass.”

She flushed slightly, wondering if he would change his mind when he knew the full truth. She should open her mouth and tell him now, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. She told herself it was because he was too vulnerable right then, and he still needed his rest. He didn’t need another emotional shock until he’d fully regained his strength and recovered from the poison that had been inside him. She forced a smile and tried to sound carefree. “I did not give a promise I do not intend to keep. I shall be with you as long as you want me.”

“That shall be forever.” He spoke decisively, though he wasn’t as strong as he sounded, because he swayed as she helped him back into the bed. She couldn’t resist chastising him a bit more as she stripped him of his clothes and tucked him in.

When he pulled her down beside him, she curled against his side willingly, wanting to soothe him. It was only when his hand started to roam over her, revealing he wanted more than a recuperative rest, that she protested. She lifted her head. “You’re in no state to—”

“I’m in the perfect state, lass, but you shall have to do most of the work.” He seemed intrigued by the idea as he urged her to straddle him. Brenna couldn’t deny she was equally intrigued, and following his lead, she soon took over, bringing them both to new heights of pleasure.