MacNachton Vampires: Born To Bite Part 11

Chapter Four.

"Rowan?" Another s.h.i.+ver of fear ran through Aedan as he stared at Rowan's limp form in his arms. Her face was pale, her breath but a flutter against his skin. She lived. Barely. Had he taken a moment longer to return, she would have been drawn into the stone circle.

And would have died.

Before, he'd believed the circle sensed their connection, but after learning she was part fey, he'd dismissed any threat to her. The stone circle was the entry to the Otherworld, her home. But now, danger pulsed through the air, a malignancy that foretold ill.

For her.

Why? Rowan had no vampire blood within her. If she had- A hum of energy like a breath vibrated through the air.

He stilled. Nay, 'twas impossible. Such was- Whispers of light brushed against Rowan's skin, s.h.i.+mmered around her in a whimsical dance. His breath left him in a rush.

She carried their child.

Overwhelmed, humbled by such a gift, Aedan pressed a kiss upon her brow. Never had he believed he would find a woman who loved him. Now, Rowan had given him that and more.

"Rowan?" he whispered.

A soft moan fell from her lips.

He brushed her damp locks from her brow, the sheen of moisture revealing the subtle trauma upon her system, that indeed her body had begun to change. Would her fey blood protect her human side from the intense changes to come? How long would it take for their child to grow within her? Seven months as was the norm for a vampire child? Due to the strength of her fairy blood, would the time she carried their child be less?

And what of her human side? Would her body accept the presence of a vampire child, or would it rebel? By making love with her, had he endangered her life? Bed.a.m.ned! Why had he not considered the chance of her becoming pregnant, or the ramifications? He'd been so caught up in wanting her, he'd thought of naught else.

Aedan blew out a rough breath. Now he understood. The power within the stone circle had detected the child and sensed that within its body pulsed vampire blood. A natural enemy of the vampire, the protective energy within the stones had sought to rid Rowan's body of the invader.

Had the power of the stones alerted the fairy queen? Nay, if so, Ysenda, Queen of the Otherworld, would have appeared. Though he'd planned to remain near the circle to try to catch his betrayer, for Rowan's safety he must take them far away.

"Aedan?"

At Rowan's feeble whisper he gave her a tender smile. "I am here." He gently laid her upon the soft gra.s.s, knelt by her side. "How do you feel?"

"I-I ... am dizzy."

A mild symptom of her pregnancy. How long before she would feel the first kick of their babe? "I asked that you remain hidden. Why did you leave the cave before my return?"

A frown crowded her brow. "I heard the song of a lute coming from the stone circle. Curious, I went to find the source."

Anger sparked. The fey's pa.s.sion for music was well known, though not to Rowan. It had been a trap set to lure her.

She started to sit, and Aedan helped her. "As I walked closer the ground began to tremble; cracks opened within the circle. I tried to leave"-a s.h.i.+ver wracked her body as she glanced toward the circle-"but it pulled me. I-I must have pa.s.sed out."

Bed.a.m.ned. And he'd caught her a second before she'd fallen inside. "Rowan," he said, keeping his voice calm, "I am taking you away from here."

Lines furrowed her brow. "I thought you needed to wait here another night to see if anyone returned to the circle?"

"Things have changed."

Shrewd eyes studied his. "What things?"

The waver in her voice had him d.a.m.ning the entire situation. "Rowan ..." How did he explain the magnitude of what he'd discovered? Blast it, how could he not? "You are carrying my child."

"Your child?" A smile tugged at her mouth. He but teased her. Rowan waited for his answering glint of laughter, anything to a.s.sure her Aedan was merely jesting to lighten the moment. But, his expression remained intense.

She tried to pull back; he held her firm.

"It cannot be," she whispered, as if to speak the words would ensure their truth.

"Never would I lie about something of such import."

The seriousness of his voice shook her further. "How is such a thing possible?"

The faintest smile touched the corner of his mouth, faded. "You are a healer, you know how a child is created."

Frustration swelled. "That is not what I meant."

His face softened, and he took her hand, cradled it within his own. "My belief is that when we made love, our bodies recognized that we are mates and-"

"Created a child?" Her fragmented whisper echoed her shock. "I find it difficult to believe."

"Aye, there is much to accept."

"Except you have," she said, her mind overwhelmed, "completely, without any question."

" 'Tis nature's decision, and not my place to question her wisdom." Aedan glanced toward the circle, then turned back to her, his expression grim. "You are not safe here."

Reasons why she was unsafe poured through her mind, the foremost one being that she was in love with a vampire.

Black eyes narrowed. "Never would I hurt you.

"Nay," she whispered. With Aedan she found strength, a calmness she'd never before experienced, and a belief that, come what may, he would protect her.

A far-off yell echoed from the south.

Against the merest hint of morning, torchlight wavered in the distance.

A low growl erupted from Aedan. He released her, shoved to his feet. "The men who search for you."

She stood, caught his hand. "What are you going to do?"

Furious eyes met hers. "Kill them."

Heart pounding, she shook her head. "Their deaths will but incite more people to join in the search for me."

"Then I will wipe the men's minds, and they will remember naught."

If only 'twas so simple. "Should the men return to their village with no remembrance, 'twill convince any who hold doubts that I have cast a spell to erase their memories. Alas, they too will raise their swords and join in to try to catch and burn me at the stake."

His mouth tightened. "None will harm you!"

The determination within his voice left her shaken. "Aedan," she urged, "there must be another way."

He eyed her a long moment, his expression dark with anger; then his body relaxed a degree. "We will leave here. Before we go, we will convince them you are dead."

If they could, it would be an immense relief. "How?"

"The cliffs are but a few leagues to the west. We will travel there. Then, you will toss your clothes over the edge into the sea. Once we have hidden, you will scream, and the men in search of you will come running."

Simple, yet effective. "With my clothes floating atop the waves, they will believe that guilt-laden, I have jumped to my death."

"Aye. More important, they will end their search and report to the others that you have died."

"And what about the false evidence you were to leave to convince your betrayer you are dead?" Rowan asked.

"Once the men searching for you have departed, we will return, and I will finish the task."

A man's voice echoed nearby.

Aedan caught her hand. "Hurry." With keen night vision, he guided her through the forest. Soon, the rich sting of salt grew in the air, the ground soft with the moisture from the sea. He pushed aside the limb of a thick fir, and she gasped.

" 'Tis beautiful."

Cliffs, battered by wind and time, stood illuminated by the moonlight. Blasts of white erupted against the ragged stone where the surf pounded the sheer wall of rock below.

"Aye, 'tis a bonny sight, one I never tire of." He led her forward. Near the edge, he released her, nodded. "Go ahead and remove your garb."

However foolish, the thought of disrobing before Aedan left her shy.

Tenderness touched his face. "After the ways I have touched you, kissed you everywhere, there is no reason to be bashful."

Heat burned her cheeks. "Must you read my thoughts?"

He gave a soft chuckle. Always would she amaze him. Aedan lifted her chin with his thumb, bent to place a soft kiss upon her mouth. "I will not look."

Seconds later, the whisper of clothes sounded in the night, awakening images of her naked within his mind. His body ached to take her again, her sweet taste still warm upon his lips.

"I am done," Rowan said.

"Cast your clothes over the edge."

The flutter of clothes melded with the rush of waves.

His body hardened. Stealing but one glimpse of her lush body, he covered her nakedness with his cloak, then led her to the nearby bushes. "Now scream."

Rowan's yell pierced the night.

"Over there!" a distant voice called.

The thud of footsteps grew. Between the ripple of leaves, torchlight cast slashes of yellow upon the sway of gra.s.s and jagged rock.

"The tracks lead this way," a man snarled, his burr deep.

"Aye," replied another. "Toward the cliffs."

Fractured torchlight illuminated the men as they drew near, their faces mottled with anger.

Rage churned within Aedan as he struggled against the urge to kill those who would dare harm Rowan. Though he'd promised not to touch them, neither would he risk these men's catching sight of her. Within his mind he beckoned the air, thick with moisture from the sea.

Around them mist grew, thickening to a slow, subtle sweep of white.

The nearest Scot rubbed his arms, his scraggly beard accenting a weathered face lined with a grimace. "Blasted cold tonight."

"Aye," another man replied, shrewd eyes scanning his surroundings, "and looking as if 'twill be foggy as well."

Rowan stiffened.

Fury wrapped around Aedan. These are the men who have been chasing you, aye?

Surprise widened her eyes. We can speak through our thoughts?

He nodded.

The men, are they the ones after you?

Aye. The b.a.s.t.a.r.ds, 'twould sate many an urge to slay them. He rubbed Rowan's arms, waited. Once the men saw the garments floating on the surf and departed for their clan, he would take her far away.

"Step with care, lads," called a man leading the group who had a deep scar slashed across his lower jaw. "I can hear the pounding of water. The cliffs are near."

A redheaded man close to the carved rock lifted his torch, the shudder of flames casting harsh shadows against his face. "The edge is over here." He took several cautious steps, paused and leaned forward.

"Do you see anything?" called a man farther to the back.

"Aye," the redheaded man answered. "A woman's gown floats upon the waves."

The man with the scraggly beard halted before the edge. He peered over, grunted. " 'Twas the la.s.s's scream we heard when she jumped."

"Looks as if the witch killed herself," the man with the scar across his jaw grumbled. "Saves us the blasted trouble."

"Do you think she's dead?" a tall man asked as he moved to stand beside the others.

Silence descended upon the shoddy group, and Rowan tensed at Aedan's side. He covered her hand with his, gave a subtle mental push to the tall man holding doubt.