Highland Strength (Book 3)

Chapter 38

Chapter 38

Artair strode from the Main Keep where the women and bairns were currently fussing around Sheena and Scott. Currently bustling them up to a guest chamber to, most probably, smother them to death with different fragrances for bath water…he never would understand the inner workings of a woman’s mind, but he could be one to appreciate the effort they put in. Having been put in charge of the prisoners, he had seen them to the dungeon below the main hall, and hurried back out, before he did something incredibly foolish like killing the now gagged Douglas. Even gagged and tied he was still an irritating fool, and with the way Aonghus was pacing in the bailey Artair had an even stronger urge to go back down to the troublesome lout and prick him with the pointy end of his sword…multiple times.

No one hurt his brother. Well, no one but him. He was allowed due to the innate nature of having shared their mother’s body for a time, and him being given the role in life of annoying little brother. No one else was allowed to say anything about him, or hurt anyone he cared for. And with the way he had seen Aonghus act around Sheena, he knew that it was more than caring, it was love. Of that he was sure, and Artair had known he had never been more right in giving up any notion of going after Sheena himself. She may have been the perfect woman for him, but he had seen how she had returned Aonghus’ looks and he was set at peace with the situation. He may not be happy about it for himself, but he was not selfish enough to not feel some happiness, or at least feel content that the brother who had always been there for him. Protecting him for the world, and even himself, had found what he so desperately wanted for himself.

Seeing that Aonghus was still pacing like a cage animal, he paused, the horses were still waiting to be tended to, the men either working or talking while they waited, and all the while Aonghus paced. Hamish leaned against an unused barrel, watching with his arms crossed, as if Aonghus was an interesting specimen that could explain the wonders of the world. But in reality he was most probably watching to make sure Aonghus did not do anything foolish, like try and interrupt a group of highland women in their pursuit of claiming another as their own. They had not even been phased by the kilt she had worn in the fashion of a male. They had shaken their heads and taken them in, not that anyone had thought to ask Sheena and Scott what they wanted.

But he most definitely would not want to go up against the group that had taken charge of them, and he had a feeling Aonghus knew it would be fruitless to do so. But the longing that he wanted to go into the Keep pounded into Artair, and he could feel the longing as if it were his own. It was making the situation a little difficult for him, but seen as he had not yet informed his twin of his plans…he took the feelings without a word as the guilt was eating at him in no small amount. He had never been far from his twin for a long period of time, and here he was planning to be apart from not only his clan, but a part of himself for what could be years.

Cam surged past him with a face like thunder, followed by a few of the men who had been under his command with the prisoners. Well, it looked as if word of what he had had to deal with on the journey back had finally reached Cam. They had set off before the others so as to get the men they had captured alive in the Keep and safely behind bars where they could not cause any more harm for the time being. With the amount they had had to take, they had only arrived an hour or so before the rest, who had stayed behind an extra day to make sure Aonghus had been fully recovered after the miraculous work Sheena had managed to perform. A performance which Cam, Hamish and himself had sworn all the men to secrecy over. If it became known of her abilities there were some who could be known, even within the clan, who would call her out for being a witch. Aonghus would not take that well.