Page 38 of Taken by the Devilish Highlander (Taken by Highland Devils #7)

F eya rolled over in bed, sunlight streaming through the window and across the bed, where the large form of Archer still snored quietly beside her.

He had pushed the blankets to his waist, and she saw the raw, angry cuts that were nearly healed from his fight with Elijah.

As she rubbed the sleep from her eyes, she rolled over to inspect them, checking for any signs of infection.

“What are ye doing?” Archer grumbled, his eyes still closed.

“Just because ye have decided ye are well doesnae mean it is true,” Feya said. She pressed a finger near his scar and heard the air he sucked between his teeth. “See?”

“It doesnae hurt.”

Archer rolled out of bed, moving away from Feya’s prodding fingers. Her body still hummed from their lovemaking last night, and she reached out for him, not ready to get up.

“Where are ye going?” she whined, looking at him with pleading eyes. Archer looked back with amusement, casting his eyes down her naked body, only half-covered by the sheet.

“Are ye not satisfied from last night?” he asked. He stood naked before her, the slice of scars and fresh cuts creating a pattern Feya was starting to memorize.

“Five minutes,” she said innocently, but Archer shook his head, laughing at her.

“Ye ken as well as I do that five minutes will turn into ten, which will turn into an hour….we daenae have the time. Not today.”

Feya sat up, letting the sheet fall away completely. She shifted to the edge of the bed, very aware of Archer’s eyes on her. Then she dropped her feet to the floor and walked to him, pleased when he stood his ground, waiting for her.

“But today of all days,” she said. She wrapped her arms around his waist, dropping her hands to his backside. His length jumped against her stomach, responding to her touch, to the press of her breasts against his chest. “How can we not?”

“Your family is arriving any minute,” he said evenly, but his hand moved up her side, tracing her ribs, finding her breast.

“They can wait,” she assured him. Feya shifted to her toes, feeling every inch of her body that slipped against him as she rose up to put her mouth against his.

Archer growled, and suddenly he swept his hands under her thighs, lifting her into the air. Feya squealed, laughing as he carried her to the window, and then dropped her onto the deep windowsill, tucking himself between her legs.

“Five minutes?” he asked, and his mouth was already on her neck, across her chest, biting at her shoulder.

“Aye,” Feya said, breathless as she felt him stirring between her legs, quickly aroused. His hand slipped down and pressed between her legs, where he gave a satisfied grunt at what he found there.

“Were ye dreaming of me?” he teased, and Feya swatted at him, rolling her eyes at his arrogance. But then his fingers pressed inside of her, and she was struck silent as he stroked her. Feya pressed her mouth against his and reached for his hardness, teasing him in the same way he was teasing her.

“I dreamed of ye,” he gasped, rocking his hips against her hand. “I dreamed of taking ye on your wedding day.”

Pressure built deep in Feya’s stomach, and her breasts sparked with need. She guided him closer, desperate to replace his fingers with what she held in her hand. She glanced up at him, a mischievous thought crossing her mind.

“I think ye will get your wish,” she said. Archer pulled his fingers from inside of her, and Feya shifted to the edge of the windowsill. She felt his impressive size teasing at her opening, and she gasped, alive with need. “The question is, how many times?”

Archer’s eyes sparked with surprise, and he pressed forward, making Feya scream.

The leaves around the castle were bursting with color and whimsy as the wedding party moved outside, satisfied from the elaborate feast they had just enjoyed.

Feya walked with Morgana and the twins, pointing out her favorite trees and promising to show them Holly’s healing garden when she did not have so many guests to please.

“And there’s a fairy cabin in the woods,” Feya said, watching Poppy’s eyes widen in excitement. But Eloise looked at her skeptically, looking far too mature for her young age.

“Fairies arenae real,” she said, plopping her hands onto her hips. Hearing her sister’s declaration, Poppy changed her mind as well and scowled at Feya.

“I daenae believe ye,” Poppy cried.

Feya only glanced at Morgana and shrugged her shoulders.

“Well, if ye daenae want to see it, I guess only Morgana will ken the secret pathway...”

“Nay!” Eloise cried, and suddenly, both girls were pulling on her arms and her skirts, begging to see the secret cabin in the woods. Feya and Morgana laughed at the enthusiasm, and Feya called Tormond over.

“Ask yer braither nicely,” Feya told them, and Poppy and Eloise assaulted Tormond with their ‘pleases’.

“What are ye dragging me into?” Tormond asked, looking warily at Feya, and she laughed at his cautious expression.

“Nothing as horrible as ye think,” she assured him. “Do ye see that path over there? The opening just through those trees?”

Her brother turned, and Feya was struck by how tall he was. Overnight, he had transformed into a man.

It will be Tormond’s wedding next .

Feya pushed the thought aside, not willing to come to terms with that just yet. Her brother had years yet before he would settle down. A whole world to explore before he had a house and a family of his own.

“Aye, I see it.”

“Bring the girls down the path,” she said. “They want to see the fairy cabin.”

“A fairy cabin?” Tormond asked, each word sounding stranger to his tongue, but Poppy and Eloise didn’t give him any more time to protest. They simply grabbed for his arms and pulled him down the path, leaving Morgana and Feya chuckling as they watched them.

“They are getting so big,” Feya said, and a stab of guilt hit her in the chest. What would life be like now that she lived away from her family? How would she stay close to her siblings and still be a part of their lives?

“Nay, daenae start,” Morgana said. She shook her head, clearly recognizing that Feya was dropping into despair. “Ye willnae worry about us. We are barely a day’s ride away from ye.”

“But I willnae be there to see the twins grow up,” Feya protested.

“That’s right, because ye will be here to receive them when I need a break. The second those two become moody teenagers I’m sending them to spend summers at Castle Dougal.”

Feya was delighted by the thought, imagining Archer trying to navigate the mischief those two could get up to.

“Me husband is plenty moody on his own,” Feya laughed. “So, they’ll be in good company. But what about Ronnie and Tormond? Who will knock sense into those two if I’m not there?”

“Ryder is pretty good at setting those two straight,” Morgana laughed. “And no offense to ye, but they are a bit more afraid of me husband than their sister.”

They glanced across the yard, catching sight of Ryder and Archer deep in conversation. Now that the two were brothers by marriage, they seemed to drop into clan conversations any chance they got. It pleased Feya to know Archer had someone he could depend on.

“Who would have thought,” Morgana said, squeezing her sister’s hand. “Both of us village girls married to Lairds. If I didnae ken better, I would think it was a tale from the twins’ story books.”

“Sometimes it feels that way,” Feya admitted.

She was dressed in emerald green, the crushed velvet perfectly complementing her eyes.

Ayla had arranged her hair in a series of braids and curls, tucking chamomile flowers here and there to add to the look.

“I never imagined I would end up here. It was quite...unexpected.”

“The best things in life are,” Morgana beamed. “Come, if we don’t go break up their chat, they’ll speak to no one else for the entire ceilidh.”

“Aye,” Feya nodded. “Getting Archer to talk to me is hard enough. It’s going to take some convincing to get him to make the rounds with his wedding guests.”

“And why do I have a feeling ye have no trouble convincing your husband of anything? The man’s infatuated with ye.”

“He is not,” Feya laughed, shaking away the accusation, but she couldn’t help the burst of pride she felt at Morgana’s observation.

She knew Archer was devoted to her, just as she was to him.

And she was pleased to know that Morgana could see it, in the same way Feya could see the bond that Morgana shared with Ryder.

“I’m glad he has someone to talk to,” Feya said as the women walked toward them.

Feya admired the full frame of her husband, constantly struck by how handsome he was.

He was dressed in his clan’s traditional colors, his long hair braided behind him, also Ayla’s work. “Someone who willnae betray him.”

“Nay, Ryder wouldnae dare,” Morgana laughed. “Or else he’ll have me to deal with.”

“If she’s anythin’ like Morgana, I don’t envy ye in a fight. That woman can argue with the best of ‘em.”

“Feya, too,” Archer laughed. He had a flash of this morning, when a single glance from Feya had him eating from the palm of her hand. Or, to put it more bluntly, making desperate love to her against the windowsill. “Must have been somethin’ in the water where they grew up.”

“Village girls,” Ryder said, shaking his head, and Archer laughed. “They certainly keep things interesting.”

“Alright, you two, no more talk of politics,” Morgana scolded. She walked up with Feya beside her, and Archer and Ryder shared a guilty look.

“Of course,” Ryder nodded, holding back a smile.

“We do have other people to see,” Feya teased. “Have ye even thanked your sister for all the work she did to put this party together?”

“I was getting to it,” Archer said, his voice light and teasing.

“And Ryder has promised me a dance.” Morgana pulled on her husband’s arm, slowly dragging him toward the open grass where couples danced in front of musicians.

“I did?” Ryder asked, feigning surprise, but then he quickly spun his wife in a circle, guiding them gracefully to the edge of the dance floor.

“I like him,” Archer said, nodding in Ryder’s direction. “He and Morgana are well matched.”

“Aye,” Feya agreed. She slipped her hand into Archer’s arm and walked him toward Ayla.

She was seated next to Holly, their heads bent together as they whispered.

Nearby, there was another spread of food, complete with all Feya’s favorite treats from the women in the village.

Despite the many hands Archer hired to help Jan with the cooking, the village women insisted on bringing their own pastries, breads, and cookies to the celebration.

“I think it was a success,” Ayla announced, casting her eyes around the grounds as Feya and Archer approached.

They all took a moment to survey her handiwork, enjoying the bouquets of flowers and the village musicians.

The whole wedding was the perfect mix of festive and formal.

A good mix, Archer realized, of him and Feya.

“It was wonderful, Ayla,” Feya beamed. “We could never have pulled this off without ye.”

“Of course ye could have,” Ayla protested, but Archer shook his head.

“We’re grateful, Ayla,” he said. “Truly, we are. It wouldnae have been the same without ye.”

She smiled at him, and Archer realized how pleased he was to have his sister by his side. He had very little family left, but the person he did have, well, she made up for all of them. Now he only needed to remember that when his sister was doing something to make him crazy.

“You’re still hungry?” Holly asked, watching Feya bite into a blueberry tart with energy. The berries stained her fingers, the juice rushing down her hand. They had just finished a five-course meal complete with all of Jan’s delicacies. Archer himself couldn’t have fit another bite if he tried.

“Starving,” Feya said, letting her eyes go wide. “I don’t know what’s gotten into me. Lately, I want to eat everythin’ in sight.”

He was confused by Holly and Ayla’s reaction. Why did they look at each other like that? And why did Ayla gasp? The two women turned back to Feya, trying to hold serious expressions, though their mouths were curving up into smiles.

“You don’t think…?” Ayla asked.

“Could be…” Holly nodded.

Feya swallowed her treat and stared at them, looking just as perplexed as Archer felt.

But then she took in their words, and it was Feya’s turn to hold back a smile.

Her eyes went wide, and she reached out to squeeze Ayla’s hand, nearly bouncing with excitement.

Even Holly looked giddy, thrilled by some unspoken truth Archer still couldn’t decipher.

“What is it?” He asked as Holly and Ayla came to either side of her, looking at his wife with a question in their eyes.

“It’s possible,” Feya told the women, ignoring Archer completely.

“What’s possible?” he asked.

“Oh, I hope so,” Ayla squealed.

“Excuse me, but could someone tell me what’s going on?” Finally, they looked at him, giving him such a mix of expressions he had no idea what news they were about to break. Then Feya smirked at him and stepped forward.

“It’s nothing,” she said, shaking her head with a spark of mischief in her eye. And then, with a shrug of her shoulders, she told him the best news of his life.

“Only that I think I’m expecting. We’re going to have a bairn!”

The End?