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“Perhaps…” I said with a grin of my own.

“It’s as good as. It’s a large manor house that has been a part of the MacDougall family for many years. When you step onto the property, it’s as if you are stepping back in time. This place,” he said, looking around, “…though I know in my heart is fairly old as well, still looks modern to me.”

“So, what would you make of a modern princess, Highlander?”

“If we are talking of you, then I am enamored. You move with grace yet with the ferocity of a soldier. You are fluid like the rivers but have the stopping power of giant boulders. I haven’t seen anything like you in my existence.”

“And just how long has your existence been?” I asked, swallowing. His words made my heart lift, and my insides quiver.

“I am a fair bit older than you, Princess.”

“Age means nothing in our world.”

“There is a lot of truth to that. I like to think I’m aged like a fine whiskey, it only gets better.”

I chuckled at that, and he returned the gesture.

“I will only ask ye one thing, lass.”

“Yes?”

“If you’ll accept me as mate, I prefer to trust those around me to the fullest extent.”

His eyes fell upon Felix Dumont with a blaze of anger. I understood his sentiments. “I agree wholeheartedly. You can trust that whoever I choose will have the truest hearts whether you or another. But more than that, I intend to choose for my heart as well. I don’t intend to build an army around me for protection, but I intend to build a group of linked souls that will fight for one another as much as they would fight for the sake of all our people, regardless of clan name and boundaries.”

“I would not stay if I felt otherwise about you, my lady.”

He stopped dancing. His stare burned down at me. I gulped as I realized he was making his intentions known now, right at this moment. “Are you offering yourself to me, Calen MacDougall?”

“I am.”

“You do not wish to wait until the end of the weekend?” I asked, eyebrows raised.

“I prefer to do it now. I know enough about you to know your heart. We can get to know one another in time, but I’ve seen your strength, I know your beauty. The rest of your mystery, I would like to peel away a little at a time. It is the way with my clan.” He dropped to his knees in front of me. “I offer my service, and my heart to you, Princess Isabelle Ravana, and I ask that you choose me in return.”

The world around me stopped. I looked up to find that all eyes were on us. It had begun.

My gaze flickered past my parents as they waited for my response in earnest. Felix looked shocked and a little disgusted. Rafe, Theo, and Kai watched on with their eyebrows raised. They were probably waiting for their own chance to dance with me, not realizing they would have to see me add or turn away someone from my harem already.

But it was the last set of eyes that gave me pause. Alexei.

His face was a blank. His throat worked, but he stared on as if he was just a passerby in the audience of my life.

“My lady?” Calen urged.

Are you ready? This is your first decision! Would you like to add Calen MacDougall, the sexy kilt-wearer, to your harem? Keep in mind that your decision affects everything going forward. It may even impact your ability to choose one of the other possible mates…

If you would like to add Calen MacDougall to your harem, please continue to the next page.

If you would like to refuse Calen MacDougall’s offer, please clickhereor go to location 972.

Chapter Seven

I knew my heart. I lowered to one knee as he had done and grabbed his hand. “Calen MacDougall, I accept your offer, and am honored to have you.”

For the first time, I saw nerves overcome the big, burly man in front of me. The crowd cheered. He drew up to his full height and brought me with him. His hands gripped me around the waist and he swung me around in a circle, my dress billowing out all around me. “Thank you, lass.”

My heart squeezed. I’d never been called lass before, but I loved it, especially in his rich accent. He bordered on the old and the new. I was excited about this match. Not only was Calen strong, he was also sexy and honorable. He treated me with respect and that was the foundation of all relationships. We would work together to move forward, peeling away our layers, as he called it. I kind of liked that he was a mystery as he said. That we could spend time with another, to figure one another out in our time.