Highland Bear (Book 4)

Chapter 18

               

                However, if the heat in her eyes was anything to go by, he may not need to convince her much…

               

                Shaking his head, he gave a forlorn sigh, much to Rohesia’s confusion. He flicked up the corners of his mouth at her furrowed brow, and leant forward to brush a gentle brush of lips against her smoothing forehead. Not that she was any less attractive by her expression, but he wanted to see her happy, no matter the cost…but only if that cost meant he was still with her. Nothing else was good enough, not now, not ever. She was his and eventually the world would see that, even if he had to knocked though every obstacle in his way to make that happen.

               

                Her small, soft, and frozen hand came up to cup his cheek. “Artair, are you alright?” Her head cocked to one side. He wanted to lean forward and kiss her once more. Now, however, was not the time. He needed her to be back inside and able to warm up once more before he could do anything else. His mind stuttering knowing she was shivering. When she was safe once more, then he could make a plan…well two plans. One on how to gain Rohesia as his own, the second, well that one included a lot of pain for Kendrick. He was just not sure how far he wanted to go with his second plan yet.

               

                The first, however he planned it, would end up with the same result, of that he had no doubt whatsoever.

               

                Smiling it was his turn to lean into her embrace, and turning his face he kissed her palm gently, before reaching up and taking her hand within his. “Aye, Rohesia, all is fine…all will be fine?” The look she gave tore at his heart, she did not believe him but was willing to go along with his words. “Nay, this is not the end, do you hear?” A wry smile appeared on her face. When she nodded, humour awash in her eyes, he realised his words.

               

                “Nay, Artair, I do not hear.” Laughter was in her voice, and he mourned that she could not tell that just from sound. “But I know what you mean. I will try and believe, I just wish this had come at a different time, in a different place.” She looked over his shoulder, but he knew it was not because she had spotted something, her gaze was faraway, as if she searched for a word that was just beyond her reach. Her eyes flew back to his. “Artair, if I had been anyplace else with this news, I may have been able to bare it. Now, you will hold a piece of me forever, I just hope I can live a semblance of life without it.” Dodging out of his hold, she ran around him, swallowed whole by the gaping maw of blackness that was the slanted doorway of the entrance to her building. Not that it looked like it would stand much longer.

               

                But he took a moment to satisfy his mind, she would not be in that building much longer anyway. He would make sure of that. Alfred be damned, nothing was standing in his way. His was a highlander and a MacKay, it was a dangerous and deadly mix to any that stood between him and his desires. He had seen this with those in his clan, even his own brother, and he would not fail either himself or his clan. Failure was never an option. It was something he had learned from his father. Mostly ignored for his elder twin, Artair was only really noticed when he was failing, it was a long time ago when Artair realised it may actually be better to be ignored, for in a way it was a way his father showed praise for him. Even if it was a sorry imitation of the praise he lavished on Aonghus.

               

                Shaking his head, he turned in the heavy mound of snow and trudged his way back through the streets. He had thought himself long over the issues of his childhood. He had the love and support of his brother, and they had been a strong and sure pillar since before they were born. Making everyone know they were a force to be reckoned with. They had been each others crutch when their sister had died while betraying the clan. He and Aonghus had hardly ever let anything come between them in all their years. While some issues had of course caused rifts, they were still overcame them.

               

                It was he, which had caused the separation this time, needing to ‘find himself’. But instead of finding himself, he found the one person who could see him as one, rather than one of a pair. Had he even told her he was a twin, or just that he had a brother? He could not remember, but he knew that even if she knew he had a living mirror image, she would look at him as an individual. It was strange, when so many who had seen them grow just saw them as an extension of each other. He would even go so far as to say, she could be one of the very few who could tell them apart. Rohesia, he knew, saw the inside of a person, it did not matter what the outer shell looked like.

               

                Not for her.

               

                With a smile on his lips, and the beginnings of a plan forming, he allowed himself a few moments to just picture Rohesia pink faced and smiling at him, before he turned and saw the door he was looking for.

               

                Shutting out all thoughts of the women who was his ultimate distraction would be difficult, but he had to do it. For now, he needed to know exactly what Kendrick had gotten him into.