Chapter Seventeen
Angus’s strong thighs caged her in a protective wall that pressed against both of Lillianna’s legs. Nauseating, sinking despair filled her. She had seen the look of disbelief, followed by acceptance and then awe on Angus’s face after he had witnessed her have a vision. Now he knew her powers were real, that the legend was true. There was no way to take that knowledge back from him, and if Angus spoke of feelings for her now, she would never know if it was because of the power she could wield or simply because of her.
Her heart ached and she clenched her teeth, even as her mind chided her. Angus had proven himself honorable before now. Did the knowledge of her powers and his belief in them now make him dishonorable? No, certainly not. And he had desired her before he knew of the legend, most definitely, but care for her? He had never said as much, and she wished with all her soul that she could know for certain that he had cared for her before he knew the legend was true.
She tensed as light flashed in her mind, and swift images of her mother and her ancestors passed through her head. Her eyes burned, and the forest before her started to part as if someone were pulling on it from both sides, opening up a new world. She tingled all over, and an image of Angus entered her head. He was in a dark passage filled with smoke. Two torches were the only light in the passage. He held one, and Bruce stood in front of Angus holding the other. They were surrounded by a circle of Scots dressed for battle and wielding swords.
“Robbie!” Angus said, gripping Robert by the arm. “How in God’s name do ye come to be at Edinburgh Castle? Why have ye nae contacted anyone?”
“Edward has been keeping me prisoner,” Robert said, grasping Angus in return. “How do ye come to be here?”
“By horse,” Angus said with a chuckle. “Where else would I be after hearing Edward was headed this way to try to take Edinburgh once more? And ye are here now, so ye will be freed from Edward’s clutches.”
“Nay,” Robert replied grimly. “Edward is at the door of the castle with over a hundred thousand men. The English are slaughtering their way inside these walls.”
“Good Christ!” Angus said on a ragged breath. “We dunnae ken the numbers.”
Robert nodded as the Scots with Angus came closer. “We must get whoever is hiding in the great hall out down the back wall or they will be slaughtered. The king does nae have any mercy this day.”
Suddenly the picture shook and disappeared. Lillianna realized the horse had jolted her, but Angus still held her, and light flashed in her mind again. She gritted her teeth. She did not want the image of Angus. Tears filled her eyes as she fought against what was happening to her. A memory of her mother holding her and speaking of her power flooded Lillianna’s mind.
“There were times,” her mother whispered, running her hand over Lillianna’s head as she rocked her, “that I could control what I saw. I could push back against the vision if I focused very hard on something in the past.”
Lillianna saw herself in her mother’s lap. She was but a child of ten summers.
She looked at her mother with adoring, fascinated eyes. “When, Mother? When could you control your visions of the future?”
Her mother opened her mouth to answer, but the bedchamber door slammed open and her father, his face twisted with anger, strode in.
Light flashed in Lillianna’s mind again, and the images of her mother and ancestors begin to appear. Desperate to stay in the present, she conjured up the memory of Angus kissing her in the woods. She felt his lips, his strong arms, his warmth. She smelled his scent of pine, and she inhaled, curling her hands into fists and pushing that image over the one of her mother and ancestors. The light in her mind disappeared, the images of her mother and ancestors disappeared, and all she was left with was the beautiful memory of Angus kissing her.
She had done it! She had stopped the vision. She had no notion if she could do it again, but she had done it this one time. Tears filled her eyes as she felt Angus’s powerful arms on either side of her, extended to hold the reins of his horse. His chest felt like stone against her back, and his heat served to fight the chill of the cold night. Relief and happiness that he was alive rose in her. She sucked in a sharp breath, certain now that she cared for this man. It had grown with each day she had been with him, and soon she suspected it could become love if she would but open her heart. Was that what her mother had been telling her? Did she dare hope he care for her in return, truly? Was that foolish or wise? She didn’t know.
She lifted a shaking hand to the brooch and ran her fingertips over the smooth surface. She had never once considered that her powers could save the lives of people for whom she cared. She had focused only on the negative things having the powers had brought to the women in her family. The brooch seemed to pulse in her hand as she held it. For a moment, she considered taking it off, but what if they found themselves in another desperate situation? What if she needed to see into the future to save Angus, Allisdair, Ross, or Grant?
With a sigh, she let the brooch slip from her fingers, and the heavy stone settled once again in the valley of her breasts. For now, until they were safe, she would wear it, and then… And then she did not know. Perhaps she would destroy it or throw it into the ocean. Or perhaps she would do as much good as she could with it. Perhaps Fate would finally smile on her. That last thought almost made her laugh.
The thick woods started to become less dense as they rode, and then a path appeared that directed them toward the castle. They galloped toward a bridge with two guard towers, one at the front and one at the end of it.
Angus held up his hand. “Open the gates and sound the horns,” he called out. The gates opened immediately as they approached. Once they were all through the gate, they rode down the long stone bridge, which was lined with warriors.
Angus gave orders to the men he passed. “Put the men on alert for enemies in our midst.”
“So you think Belfaine and Drumlan will still come?” she asked, breaking the silence that had been between them for nearly the entire ride.
“Aye,” he replied. Something in his tone seemed evasive, but she could not say why or what. “See up there?” He pointed to the high rock formations that rose on either side of the castle, which sat low near the sea.
“Yes,” she said, looking at the rocks. She could also see men upon them—archers, it appeared.
“That is our first line of defense. They can see a great distance and can shoot down approaching enemies and ships with not only arrows but fireballs. Belfaine and Drumlan want my home because it sits in the only valley that guards the passage to the west and the sea beyond. But ships must get past my home to get to the sea; otherwise, they have to pass through—”
“The Narrows of Yarrow,” she finished for him.
Surprise flashed across his face. “Aye,” he said as they paused at the end of the bridge to wait for another gate to be opened. “Lillianna…” His voice was heavy with emotions she could not name. “About yer powers—”
“I met Isla,” she cut in, unwilling to face what he might have been about to say. What if he said he cared for her? What if he only asked about her powers? Her emotions turned inside of her like the violent waves she had plunged into earlier.
“I’m sorry for that,” he said, pulling his horse to a stop in the courtyard that was filling with his warriors.
“She’s horrid, but I think she may have been forced to betray you.” Lillianna revealed her suspicion because what she really wanted to learn was if he could forgive Isla and still love her if he knew that.
Angus dismounted his horse and looked up at her, his face taut. “Ye kinnae force betrayal, Lillianna. I would die before betraying my family. That is the allegiance ye give to those ye love. That is—”
“Angus!” Allisdair came running to them and then paused awkwardly in front of his brother. It was the first opportunity the lad had to have a moment with Angus. The need to escape, and the speed at which they had ridden here, had prevented it before. Lillianna suspected the lad wanted to embrace Angus but also wanted to appear tough. When Angus reached out and tugged Allisdair to him and gave him a hug, tears blurred Lillianna’s vision. Angus was a good man. He was. He was not like her father, Belfaine, or Drumlan.
Angus’s men held back from them as did Grant and Ross, and she was certain to give Angus and Allisdair a moment of privacy. When Angus released Allisdair, Lillianna gasped, truly seeing the wounds Isla had given him and only then thinking of her own wounds. Her inner thighs no longer burned, but her new lashes from Isla did, and she was certain Allisdair’s did as well. Raw gashes crossed his chest, and she set a hand to her fiery stomach, knowing her own skin must look much the same.
Rage swept Angus’s face as he stared at Allisdair. “Who did this to ye?” he growled.
Allisdair’s cheeks became blotchy. “The lady Isla. I hate her! I’m ashamed that a lady beat me,” he mumbled.
“Aye, I ken well how ye feel, but dunnae feel shame,” Angus replied to Lillianna’s pleased surprise. “Ye survived the ordeal, so ye did well.”
“I only survived because Lady Lillianna told the lady Isla who she was so that she’d quit whipping me.”
Angus ruffled his brother’s hair, making Lillianna’s heart squeeze. “Then ye were lucky that Lillianna was there to watch out for ye.”
When Angus’s gaze came to her, her heart turned over in response. The admiring look he gave her made her mouth twitch with the desire to grin. She’d never felt as if she’d been so useful in her life.
“I was lucky!” Allisdair exclaimed. “When Lady Lillianna put on the brooch that Drumlan thrust at her, she had a vision. The brooch gives her the power to see the future, and her vision saved me!”
Angus locked eyes with her once more, and the gratitude she saw there stole her breath. If ever there was a reason to wear the brooch, to accept her powers, it was this. Angus’s gaze fell to her stomach, and he swore. “God’s teeth!” he thundered, reaching toward her stomach where her gown was stained with blood from her wounds.
She jerked away from his touch instinctively, as much in fear of a vision as to avoid the pain his touch would bring because of her injuries. He pulled his hand back, and she could have sworn hurt flashed across his face. Did he care enough about her that she could hurt him? She wanted to explain, yet how could she? She opened her mouth to try but could not find the words.
Instead, Angus said, “I will avenge ye for this.” His savage tone and equally enraged face left no doubt in her mind that he meant it.
“Angus! Allisdair!” a woman cried, racing toward them. She had hair the color of Angus’s, and it flew behind her as she darted nimbly around his soldiers and came to a stop in front of Allisdair. Her eyes grew wide as she looked at him. “Allisdair! What happened?” She turned to Angus, a question in her eyes.
“Isla Belfaine,” Angus said.
The woman’s eyes widened with shock, then she spat toward the ground, before narrowing her attention on Lillianna. “Who is this?” the woman demanded.
“That’s Lady Lillianna de Burgh,” Allisdair piped up. “She’s a MacLeod and a seer!”
“Allisdair!” Lillianna gasped. He grinned, and she realized with horror that he thought her powers magnificent and he wanted to tell everyone.
The woman looked at Lillianna with a mixture of interest and uneasiness. Her gaze drew low to the brooch. “The Brooch of Lagothmier,” she whispered, her tone almost reverent. Her eyes rose swiftly to Lillianna’s once more. “So the legend is true?” She turned to look at Angus, who nodded as his gaze came softly, almost reassuringly, to Lillianna. She felt immediate comfort from him, which surprised her.
“Lillianna, this is my sister, Greer.”
“So,” Greer said, before Lillianna could offer an appropriate greeting to Angus’s sister, “if I recall correctly, the MacLeod seers can gain their powers when they fall in love or when they wear the brooch.” Lillianna tensed, unsure where Greer was going with this but sensing it was not somewhere Lillianna cared to tread, especially not with an audience.
Greer pinned Lillianna with her probing gaze. “Did ye gain yer powers first by falling in love or by putting on that brooch?”
Angus could hardly believe Greer had asked Lillianna such a personal question. Yet he found he was keenly interested in her answer, so he did not reprimand Greer and focused instead on Lillianna. Her tense posture and stricken face made it apparent that she did not wish to answer Greer’s question. Was it because she feared injuring him with her answer? God’s teeth, for a man who did not want to become entangled any more than he already was, he should not care, but the undeniable fact was that he did.
He studied her for a brief moment—arms crossed, lines of tension between her brows. She had agreed with him when he’d said love was a curse, and no wonder! She must have known her uncle would only come for her if he thought he could find the brooch. Her mumbled words in the grip of her fever echoed in his mind. She had said she had worth, almost adamantly. She felt worthless. Had her uncle and father made her feel her only worth lay in the powers she might get, and when she had not, they had been willing to discard her? His chest squeezed for her.
He wanted to drop to his knees before her in reverence, which had nothing to do with her powers and everything to do with the beauty she possessed inside and out. He wanted to vanquish her fears, and—Astonishment hit him full force, robbing him of breath. He wanted her to give him her heart. It was irrational, for he would not relinquish any more of his than she had already taken. Yet, irrational or not, he wanted her heart.
“Are ye going to answer or nae?” Greer demanded of Lillianna, sending Angus’s focus back to the current conversation.
“The brooch is the only reason I have my powers,” Lillianna bit out, her gaze cold on his sister. Well, her answer was not exactly what he wanted to hear and did not bode so well for getting her to agree to wed him. And he needed her to do so today. He was certain an attack would eventually happen, but even more pressing in his mind was Drumlan and the threat the man posed to Lillianna. He would come for her in desperation to use her powers to get what he wanted, and Angus would not only make her his wife because he wanted it but he would wed her so that his men would fight for her with the loyalty a laird’s wife would command from them.
Taking her heart would have to wait until after the wedding. Today, he would have to be satisfied with her agreement to wed him, which he needed to gather his siblings and Father Dunlap for now.
“Enough, Greer,” Angus grumbled. “I need to meet with the counsel. A fight with Drumlan and Belfaine is looming. Take Lillianna to the great hall.”
“What for?” Greer demanded.
“Because I ordered ye to,” he bit out. “Allisdair will go with ye.” He flicked his gaze to his younger brother, who nodded. “I will be there shortly. And have a servant fetch Mari so we can have a family meeting. And fetch Father Dunlap, too.”
“Father Dunlap?” Greer asked, her eyes narrowing upon him.
“Aye,” he bit out, refusing to lay out his intentions in front of his sister or, for that matter, Lillianna. She might bolt if she knew. He couldn’t decide whether the last thought was amusing or sobering. He wanted them all in one place when he told them he was marrying Lillianna, and then they would get the deed done quickly.
Greer looked as if she was about to argue, which was no surprise. His eldest sister was incredibly protective, and since Greer was not familiar with Lillianna, she likely did not want her there since Greer thought they would be discussing family matters. “Do as I say, Greer. I trust Lillianna.”
“Of course ye do,” she snapped. “She is verra bonny, and we all ken ye give yer trust so verra easily to bonny lasses.”
The barb stung like a dagger to his heart. He felt his nostrils and his temper flare. “Make yer way to the great hall now,” he growled, hearing his anger vibrating his voice.
She nodded stiffly and snapped, “Come along,” at Lillianna before taking Allisdair by the hand and petting his head. Angus frowned as he watched them leave. Greer coddled Allisdair too much, but he’d not fought it because he knew she saw herself as the mother of the lot of them since their own mother had died. He also knew that Greer blamed him for both their parents’ deaths, and rightly so, so he did what he could to make amends for his failings in the past.
Once the women and Allisdair had parted, Angus motioned Grant and Ross to him, who had been standing talking with a group of men near the castle door. Once they stood before him, he said to Grant, “If ye kinnae stay for the battle, I ken it. Ye have yer own clan—”
“I’ll stay,” Grant interrupted, clasping Angus by the forearm.
“Thank ye,” Angus said, meaning it.
“I’ll help ye fight Drumlan and Belfaine, and if ye make a mess of things with Lillianna, I’ll be happy to take her with me,” Grant said with a wink.
“Ye’ll nae be taking her anywhere,” Angus said, understanding Grant was trying to stir him to say things.
Grant nodded. “I’m gladdened to hear ye say it so adamantly. She deserves such feeling.”
Angus clenched his teeth on that statement. He did feel for her, but he would control it. Angus quickly called the council together in the courtyard, and once all the men faced him, he spoke. “Belfaine and Drumlan had planned to attack our home in the next sennight. I think it’s less likely that they will do so now that I ken of their plan, but we will proceed as if we are sure they will attack. I want every man on alert.” He barked out orders for who was to be in charge of what, and then he motioned to Grant. “This is Grant Fraser. He has generously offered to stay and aid us in our battle. He’s renowned for his commands of ground troops, and, Ross, if ye will agree, he can aid ye in the command of ours.”
“Aye,” Ross quickly agreed.
“Go now and prepare,” Angus commanded.
When the last of the council had left, and only Angus, Ross, and Grant remained in the courtyard, Ross turned to Angus, his expression curious. “Why did ye call for Father Dunlap to come to the great hall?” Ross asked. “Ye dunnae usually invite him into our private family discussions.”
“I intend to wed Lillianna today,” Angus admitted, seeing no reason to hide what he was about to reveal.
“Excellent!” Grant boomed.
Ross nodded. “Verra smart to wed the seer, Brother. If I’d nae seen her have the vision in front of us and then guide us safely home, I’d nae ever have believed the legend to be true.”
Angus would not have, either, but Ross’s words of why he was wedding Lillianna angered him. He glared at his brother. “Do ye truly believe I’d wed the lass to use her? Do ye nae think I have more honor that that?”
Ross paled. “Of course I do, but I ken ye put the clan first always, so I thought…”
“He likes her,” Grant teased.
“I dunnae like her,” Angus growled, regretting the words that had just flown out of his mouth in irritation.
“Pardon me,” Grant said and elbowed Ross with a smile. “He desires her.”
“I can see why,” Ross said. “She’s verra bonny.”
“She is more than a bonny lass,” Angus barked. “She’s braw and honorable, kind and sensitive.” When both men gaped at him, he realized what he had revealed of his thoughts aloud, and he quickly added, “And she saved Allisdair’s life. My life, too, most likely. And Grant’s. And yours, Ross.” He narrowed his eyes upon both men and dared them to deny it.
“Aye, that she did,” they agreed.
“But,” Grant said, “ye saved her from drowning. Twice. So that makes ye even.”
“Twice being saved compared to four lives saved dunnae make us even,” Angus snapped. “Beyond that, she needs our protection.”
“And she is verra bonny,” Grant said with a wink, to which Ross chuckled.
“And she does just so happen to be a seer,” Ross added, laughing, but then he sobered. “Greer will nae like ye marrying her, as it seems ye hardly ken her.”
Angus inhaled a deep breath. He knew Lillianna better than any woman he’d ever known before, including Isla, but that was none of his brother’s or Grant’s affair.
Ross scratched at the stubble on his face. “Greer will likely accuse ye of losing yer heart again.” Angus growled, and Ross held up his hands. “Greer’s words, nae mine. Ye ken our sister, as well as I do. She will think ye lost yer—” he stopped and glanced at where Angus’s heart beat in his chest “—that thing. And with its loss, ye will be distracted and nae be as effective a leader, which will make us vulnerable.”
Angus frowned as he stared at Ross. His brother made it seem as if he was only pointing out what Greer might think, but Angus got the distinct impression that Ross was worried about the same things. “I am nae distracted,” he lied. He was, God’s truth, he was, but wedding Lillianna would fix that. “And I have nae lost the vital organ that keeps me standing here and leading all of ye. It’s right here.” He thumped his chest as his annoyance with his brother and the skeptical look that had just appeared on his face mounted. “And I’ll nae be losing it. This discussion is over,” he ground out.
He shoved past his brother and Grant and stalked all the way to the great hall door, pushing it open with such force that it slammed against the wall as he entered. Lillianna jolted, Mari’s eyes grew wide, and Greer studied him as if she saw something she did not care for, which only served to stoke his ire. Father Dunlap, an always affable older gentleman with silver hair, kind blue eyes, and a belly that showed just how much he loved to eat, smiled at him. “Welcome home, Angus!” the man said jovially. “Did ye call me here to give ye penance?”
“You confess your sins?” Lillianna asked in a shocked tone that managed to cut through his anger and make him want to laugh.
“Only a few,” he replied, winking at her. “If I confessed them all, we’d be here all day.”
Lillianna’s jaw dropped open, but his sisters, Father Dunlap, and even Allisdair, looked at him as if they didn’t know who he was.
“Sit,” he commanded the bunch, and everyone but Lillianna immediately obeyed him, which for some reason made him grin. Though the lass would have to learn to heed his commands. He was laird, and he would be her husband. As soon as he convinced her… “Please take a seat, lass,” he said to Lillianna. Behind him, he heard footsteps and glanced over his shoulder to see Grant and Ross coming into the great hall.
“I’ll stand, thank you,” Lillianna replied, which had him turning back to her to receive a petulant look. He felt everyone’s eyes on him in expectation.
Uncomfortable with the audience he had called to such a delicate talk, he yanked his hand through his hair, trying and failing to find words. Mayhap he should talk to her in private? Before he could decide, Allisdair said, “Angus dunnae like it when we dunnae obey his orders.”
Lillianna scowled at Angus but offered Allisdair a sweet smile. Angus liked that even when she was irritated with him, she was kind to his siblings. It showed that the lass had control of her emotions and a caring heart. She speared Angus with another look. “As I’m not a hound, nor obligated to obey your brother, I will decide if I wish to sit or not, and I do not.” Her gaze held his, almost defiantly, which made him proud, though he’d never admit it to her.
Greer, who often made known her dislike of following his orders, opened her mouth and said, “I suppose since ye’re a seer ye think ye can do as ye wish! My brother gives orders to protect us. Yer verra presence here endangers us because ye take his attention away from where it needs to be!”
“Greer!” Angus bellowed. Lillianna had flinched at Greer’s harsh, accusing tone. Lillianna’s face grew pale, and her lips were pressed into a hard line. This was not going like he had intended, and he needed to get control of the situation. “My attention is where it should be, so dunnae fash yerself, Greer.” Before anyone else could interrupt him, he continued. “Ye can stand if ye wish, Lillianna, of course, but I’d like to hear how Drumlan came to possess the Brooch of Lagothmier, and I assume the telling might take a spell.”
“It’s simple,” she said, crossing her arms as a wary look came to her eyes. “Long ago Drumlan duped my mother into believing he loved her when all he really wanted was to use her for her powers. She discovered his treachery, and when she fled him, he tried to stop her and the leather strap that held the brooch around her neck broke. She fled, leaving the brooch and her powers behind.”
“So the legend we heard growing up is true,” Greer murmured, her face showing her awe.
“I don’t know,” Lillianna responded, her voice cool. “What precisely did you hear?”
“That yer powers lie dormant until ye fall in love,” Mari and Allisdair said in unison. Angus looked to his siblings in surprise. Judging by the worshipful expressions they wore as they stared at Lillianna, they very much believed in the legend to which he had never given any credence. Worry enveloped him. Lillianna surely noted what he did, and it was going to make it that much harder to convince her that he was not marrying her to use her.
“Yes, that’s right,” Lillianna said, a look that seemed wistful to him passing across her face so fast that he could not be certain his instinct had been correct.
“Is it also true that if ye are betrayed by the one ye love that yer powers disappear, and ye can only ever foretell the future again if ye are wearing the brooch?” Mari asked innocently.
Lillianna was gazing down so Angus could no longer see her face, but her fingers twisted together in front of her. “That’s correct,” she said, her voice resigned.
“May I touch the brooch?” Mari asked, rushing so quickly for Lillianna and reaching toward the brooch that Angus did not even have time to tell her not to touch Lillianna. But there was no need. Lillianna scrambled backward until there was nowhere to go because the wall blocked her.
“I’m sorry,” Mari whispered, sounding stricken. His younger sister had a fragile heart.
The tenseness in Lillianna immediately disappeared, and she offered Mari a reassuring smile. “No. It’s me who should be apologizing. It’s just that the visions are new to me, and I don’t have much control over them yet.”
Angus frowned. “So ye have been able to control them a bit?”
Her eyes, which brimmed with hope, met his. “Only when you touched me,” she admitted. “I…I was able to make the vision stop.”
The unmistakable relief in her voice matched what he felt. He didn’t think he would want her having visions of his future every time they touched.
“How did ye stop the vision?” Allisdair asked with the same innocence as Mari.
Lillianna flushed and bit her lip.
“Leave it be,” Angus said. Clearly, how she had done it was something that embarrassed her, and he’d not have her shamed just to satisfy their curiosity.
Greer plunked her hands on her hips, glaring at him. “How did ye come to be with this woman? And what happened to Allisdair?” she demanded, shooting Lillianna an accusing look as if she was personally responsible for Allisdair’s injuries.
Angus opened his mouth to explain about taking Lillianna from the Palace of Westminster for her safety, but Lillianna beat him to it. “Your brother,” she said slowly, “was asked by Lord Bruce to take me to the safety of my clan. My uncle thought to use me, and he didn’t mind if he needed to kill me to get what he wanted.”
Angus could hear the breathing in the room it was so silent. Lillianna’s face was almost unreadable except her eyes. There a fathomless sadness dwelled. She inhaled a long, deep breath. “I suspect my uncle discovered where the Brooch of Lagothmier was, and so he sent a knight after me to bring me back. He would not have done so otherwise. I’m worthless to him without the brooch.” She said it with a matter-of-fact tone, as she would state any piece of information that she had no feelings about, but he knew it to be a defense. She cared greatly. Her uncle and her father making her feel worthless had affected her deeply.
Angus interrupted to purposely give her a moment to consider if and what else she wanted to say. He did not want her to feel compelled to answer Greer’s demanding questions. “I had to ride to Ettrick Forest first to warn Robbie’s men that King Edward’s men were coming for them. A battle ensued, and Belfaine was apparently there, though I kinnae say why.”
“It was happenstance,” Lillianna inserted, glancing Angus’s way for one brief moment. “His horse had thrown a shoe on the way to his home, which was why Belfaine was still there. He came upon us”—she motioned between herself and Allisdair—“as we were trying to escape the English.”
Allisdair nodded vigorously. “The English who were pursuing us were also trying to kill Ross. He was hanging upside down on his horse, and Lillianna saw him and was turning to save him when Belfaine and his men shot at the English and killed them,” Allisdair added, looking meaningfully at Greer. “Belfaine took us when he realized who I was, and he left Ross to tell Angus that he had me. He took Lillianna to…to use her.” His face turned red.
Rage filled Angus at the thought of Belfaine thinking he would defile Lillianna.
“But Drumlan was at Belfaine’s home because he had brought his daughter back to Belfaine. Drumlan realized who I was right away.” Lillianna’s eyes took on a sort of glassy look, as if memories swirled in her head. “You see, I look very much like my mother,” she almost whispered. “We’ve the same hair and eyes.” She gave herself a little shake and focused on all of them. “He had my mother’s brooch.” Her hand fluttered to the brooch secured around her neck. “He had kept it all these years. He wore it.” She gave a little shudder, and Angus wanted nothing more than to comfort her, but he held himself still and did no more to touch her. He didn’t know if his touch would bring her a vision and pain. He didn’t want that.
Lillianna brought her wary gaze to him. “Of course he thought to use me, as has every man I have ever known. As Drumlan did my mother. As my own father thought to do to my mother and myself.”
“Is that why ye brought her here, Brother?” Greer demanded. “Are we going to use her powers against our enemies?”
Lillianna flinched at Greer’s words, and it took all of his will not to stride across the room and shake Greer senseless. “Nay,” he bit out. “I will nae use Lillianna’s powers. She is here because I vowed to protect her.”
“She will bring trouble to our doorstep!” Greer bellowed. “Drumlan will come for her, as will her uncle!”
“Let them come,” Angus said in a hard, ruthless voice. He brought his gaze to Lillianna and willed her to understand, to accept that he would never hurt her. “I will kill anyone who dares to try to take you from me.”
Lillianna’s mouth parted, and her eyes went wide. Total silence descended on the room, broken only when Angus said, “Everyone but Lillianna out of the room. Await me in the hall. Lillianna and I need to talk in private.”
Convincing Lillianna to wed him would take more than words, and for what he intended, he did not want an audience.