Chapter 11
Ariane was grateful for the warm blanket and the cheerful chatter of the woman who was married to Colin's brother. As she spoke, Ariane listened closely, trying to learn the new language. The general cadences and sounds were indeed similar to Arralic. She must be in a country that corresponded to Arralon.
Twin worlds. This land was roughly in the same position on the map as Arralon, and the language, too, was similar.
She was given food and fresh clothing that was more feminine than the sweat suit. She liked the laird, whom she met briefly, and his wife, who spent a good deal of time with her. They laughed and used hand gestures as they tried to communicate. Her name was Kate, and her babe was expected some three moon cycles from now. Her belly was large and she often put her hand to it and smiled, as if she could feel the baby move.
Ariane had never been pregnant herself, never really thought about the idea of giving birth to offspring. But Kate seemed to be looking forward to it.
Kate showed Ariane to a bedchamber in a high wing of the castle. Although the windows were barred with an iron grill, the rectangles between the bars were large enough to allow a splendid view of the sea and the village on the mainland, which was separated from fortress by a narrow causeway.
Ariane was intrigued to see how bright the lights were in the village, even though it must be well into the night. They must have the same form of illumination that the keep had—soft glowing lights that did not burn or smell. Were they fueled by some kind of gas vapor? Compared to the dark palaces of the wealthy in the lands of Arralon and Zanovar, and even Sariye where there were flares and candles everywhere, this place was amazingly bright.
She could see lights in the distance, too, although not many of them. Colin had told her that the land around Mallochbirn was mostly farmland, moors and mountains. There were no large cities nearby.
The village differed from any she had visited in Arralon. Because of the lights that burned through the darkness, she could see that the roads were paved with a smooth, hard surface that made traveling easy, especially in the strange mechanical vehicles that moved by some type of rapid self-propulsion. She did not see any horses or oxen. Of course, it was dark and she was not herself. The shock of losing Rin might have addled her brain. She couldn't be certain that anything was entirely real.
She was not normally a fanciful person. She considered herself sensible and tough-minded. It was not unheard of to lose one's bonded partner. Or to encounter strangers. She had been trained for such events. Remember your endless years of instruction. Don't disgrace the Guild. You can cope with this!
Still, she could not drive from her mind the mental sound of Rin's groans, his pain, his terror, his desperation because he couldn't find and protect her. Oh Rin. You tried, my dear one. He had saved her from drowning. He had set her safely on shore. But she had not been able to help him, or soothe his wounds.
Before leaving her to sleep, Kate, smiling kindly and gesturing with her hands, showed Ariane to a small bathing room that was attached to the bedchamber. She looked around, impressed. There was a commode, a washing bowl with valves for both hot and cold, and a large tub with an overhead spray, which Kate turned on for her. Soon steam began filling the room. The fixtures were made of soft white porcelain, which was rare in her world, even in the palaces of kings. Ariane had not seen such a fine bathing facility anywhere except in Sariye with its elegant public bathhouses.
Nodding and smiling, Kate handed her a pile of fluffy white towels. Grateful for the means to get clean, Ariane slipped off her clothing. Kate seemed surprised, but not embarrassed by Ariane's rapid disrobing. Perhaps people were accustomed to more modesty here? It was hard to know. Colin had introduced himself to her naked.
She quickly learned the words thank you, water, and sleep. Kate made sure that her bedding was turned down before giving her a spritely wave and leaving her alone in the room.
Grateful that she had found such friendly people in this strange world, Ariane used the switches Kate had shown her to turn out the lights. Then she climbed into the bed and nestled into the warm bedclothes. When she closed her weary eyes, she saw Rin and heard once again his anguished sounds after she had ordered him to leave her. Tears dampened the pillow as she slipped into sleep.
* * *
Colin had always been an explorer, and one of the places he had thoroughly explored was Mallochbirn Keep. More than any of his siblings, he knew every nook and cranny of the place. He knew all its secrets.
There was a network of old tunnels in the thick walls. Colin had discovered them long ago, when still short and skinny enough to fit in the narrowest ones. He had no idea whether anyone else in his generation knew of the tunnels, although he suspected Ross might.
The room where Ariane had been installed had once been an important guest chamber. There was a secret passage that led to it. It had probably constructed back in the days when spying on your important guests was universal.
Colin lay in his own bedroom and tried to resist temptation. There was no reason for him to spy on her, and certainly none to intrude on her. But that hunting instinct was still alive in him and he couldn't resist.
As he crept through the tunnel to her room, he mocked himself over the shame he felt. Damn he was pervy.
She was sleeping, looking sweet and lovely, lying on her side with her knees tucked up. One hand was under her cheek and the other lay quietly on the half-tossed-off quilt. Kate had given her a nightgown, but she had draped it over the headboard instead of wearing it. She slept naked. He could see the soft curves of her body. She had a small waist in proportion to her breasts and hips.
Her skin was darker than most of the women he knew in Scotland. Not brown, but cafe au lait with a slight rosy tint. Her hair was light, something between gold and honey with a touch of copper. It was long. Her hair had been braided when they had met, probably to keep it out of the way while she swam. She must have loosened it for sleep because it was all around her now, a shiny cloud of fine hair.
He wanted to sink his fingers into that softness, wraps thick locks of it around his wrist. Pull it. Grab it in his fists and drag her head back so he could have full access to those lush lips, that beautifully arched throat.
Definitely pervy. His cock grew hard, watching her. The desire to take himself into his hand and bring himself to climax was strong. Truth was, sex hadn't been that big an obsession in recent weeks, despite his occasional fun with Evie. He had been too obsessed with learning all he could about the world beyond the Barrier. The world from which this lovely desirable woman had emerged.
There was something special about her. Something special about the way he felt when he was around her, with her, touching her. Something extraordinary about the mental connection they had shared during the swim back to Mallochbirn. He'd never been inside another person's mind before. It had been strange and intriguing. Mysterious. A different landscape from what he was accustomed to in his own mind.
His explorer instincts and his innate curiosity made him want to experience that bond again. To probe it. To know more of it. And of her. Inside and out. He also wanted to fuck her, and he wished he could burst in and do it now.
He was glad that Evie had made it clear from the start that she wasn't monogamous. "I'll be with you, Colin, if we're both in the mood, but don't expect anything from me. I like men, especially shifter men, but not exclusively. I'll get with ords too when I fancy them. It's my nature. I've never been a one-man woman."
He'd been fine with that, never having been a one-woman man. But as of tonight, he wasn't interested in Evie or any other woman. He wanted Ariane, and he was damn well going to have her.