Page 19 of Taken by the Ruthless Highlander (Taken by Highland Devils #6)

19

“C ome on, I ken that horse can go faster,” Ryder called over his shoulder to Morgana.

He was thrilled to see the flush on her cheeks—for once, it was from the thrill of the ride and not the concerns of the world. It was moments like this that made him hopeful. After all, how could marriage be so bad if they both seemed so happy?

“Dinnae worry about me,” Morgana called back, her voice barely audible above the howl of the wind.

Ryder couldn’t help but smirk. Even when she was losing, she had a spirit of endurance and perseverance. She was a survivor, just like him.

“I’m supposed to be the one who worries about others.”

“I dinnae worry about ye,” Ryder said as he slowed his horse. “Ye’re far too independent for me to have to worry about ye. I’m certain whatever trouble ye get yerself in, ye’ll find yer way out of it.”

“I’m so glad ye have such faith in me,” Morgana said, grinning from ear to ear as she overtook him. “But it would seem I’m the one about to win.”

Ryder laughed as he watched her speed past him in a blaze of glory. Or, at least it would have been if she were going the right way. But who was he to stop her? Shifting in his saddle, he wondered just how far she’d get before realizing she was on her own.

He licked his lips and watched the valley floor for her.

Just as predicted, she charged through the shrubs like a banshee claiming her prize, before he realized she wasn’t in control. The reins flapped down the length of the horse’s neck. Morgana clung to the saddle horn for dear life.

Without hesitation, Ryder charged down the hill, disregarding the angle of the slope. It could have been a sheer cliff and he would have charged down it.

“Easy,” he murmured as he guided his horse with skill and precision. “Ye’ve done this before. Remember the banks of Sherilock in Cork? I found ye in Ireland; I can always take ye back, and then maybe the Scottish soil willnae seem too dreary to ye.”

His heart pounded as his horse slid down the rugged terrain. Leaving a cloud of dust behind him, his horse jumped to flatter terrain. Without missing a beat, Ryder charged forward, refusing to let any time slip. Morgana was but a few leagues ahead, and if he urged his horse faster, he’d be at her side in no time.

“Come on, just a wee further. Ye can do it,” he encouraged.

Morgana glanced over her shoulder. The fear in her eyes only drove his confidence higher. There was no way he was going to lose her to some wild horse. Riding hard, he came up next to her horse.

“Get the reins,” Morgana called as she dared once more to reach for the wild leather straps whipping her.

The crack of the reins shot through Ryder like lightning crashing between the flat cliffs.

“Let go!” he shouted as he reached for her.

There was no time to spare. In a split second, Ryder wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her from the saddle. Her horse veered off as he lowered her in front of him. Morgana clung to him, burying her face in his chest as he slowed his horse.

“Ye’re safe now,” he whispered.

He cupped her face in his hands and drew her eyes to his. It pained him to see the shimmer of tears and fear in her eyes.

He brushed back her wild locks and inspected her further. “It’s all right now. Ye’re safe.”

“I had lost ye in the grove of trees. Somethin’ in there spooked the horse. She took off like we were bein’ hunted by somethin’ unseen. And that’s when I lost the reins…” Morgana let out a shaky breath.

Ryder schooled his features to calm. She was far too distraught at the moment for him to express any other emotion.

“Ye’re safe now. We’ve stopped,” he reassured her when her gaze darted to her horse, who became nothing but a speck in the distance. “Dinnae worry about the horse, it’ll come back to the castle.”

“How can ye be so sure?” Morgana asked.

“Morgana, what do ye think is more important to me? Ye, or some horse I can buy at the market, or trade with any other farmer around here?” Ryder asked, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

Carefully, he brushed his thumb over her cheek, clearing away any evidence of her distress.

“But—” she started to protest.

Ryder shook his head before planting a kiss on the top of her head. With the thrill of the moment finally ebbing, he exhaled in relief. How easily the situation could have turned into something far worse. He found his heart pounding with joy and fear. What if something happened to her?

He shuddered at the thought. He had grown to care for her more than he had expected. Not seeing her around the castle, or never hearing her laughter again, would be dreary. The thought was inconceivable.

“I dinnae want to hear it,” he said as he slipped off the saddle and reached up for a dishelved Morgana. She was flustered and timid with her body as rigid as iron.

“Yer goin’ to have to calm down a bit before he continue for the castle. The horse is just as frightened as ye are,” he said as Morgana slid into his wide-open arms. “There, on solid ground for a moment. But I dinnae think that ye’ll be ridin’ on yer on goin’ back.”

“I daenae ken what happened, one minute…” Morgana said as she trailed off. Her heart raced and pounded violently against her chest.

“Aye, it’s over now,” Ryder said. “But yer goin’ to have to get back up in the saddle. We’ve still got some ways to go and I doubt ye’ll want to walk.”

“Wait, we’re nae goin’ back to the castle?” Morgana asked.

The shock on her face made Ryder chuckle as he helped her back into the saddle.

“We’ve come this far, I dinnae see why we cannae keep goin’,” Ryder answered with a playful smirk.

If only she knew where he planned to take her. Of course, getting there wasn’t supposed to be so treacherous. He’d come down this same path for years and never once had such issues. Yet, as he mounted behind her, he understood she was the snare for trouble with her maddening, sweet floral scent.

Morgana shifted. The way her body moved between his thighs stirred more than just desire; she had woken something far more carnal.

“I had come to this place in my youth,” Ryder explained as he tried not to focus on the warmth of her body.

She was like the sun, scorching his flesh and bringing both pleasure and pain. His manhood throbbed to attention.

“Is that right?” Morgana said.

He couldn’t help but wonder if she knew how wild she was making him. With every sway of her body, all he could think of was how she would look like moving above him.

“Aye, there was a time I’d run away. Of course, I never got far. That was until I found this place,” Ryder said as he guided the horse back to the trail and up the hill. “We passed the trail comin’ down this way; we’ll have to backtrack some.”

“Why would ye run away? And where did ye think ye’d go to?” Morgana asked.

Ryder shrugged as he steered the horse to the path on the left hidden behind boulders.

Morgana’s body twitched. “I never would have spotted this trail,” she conceded. “Ye really must have wanted to get away.”

“Aye, well,” Ryder muttered, flashes of his father’s brutality flickering into his mind. Before they could take root, he pushed them away. “I suppose that’s what happens when ye have a faither like mine. But ye’d ken all about that, wouldnae ye? Or did it nae get that far with ye?”

“Nay, yer faither never raised a hand to me. Although there were times he wanted to, I’m sure,” Morgana answered. “But I can tell ye this much—if he had, I would’ve had nay issue endin’ his life.”

“Aye,” Ryder said, her words sinking into his heart.

She had just spoken the very words he had been holding back since he buried his mother.

“And I’d have been glad to dance the gallows jig,” she continued with such conviction that it left no doubt in his mind.

It never failed to amaze Ryder just how fierce Morgana was. Her warrior spirit spoke volumes and drummed out the same tune that played for him.

“So ye’d leave yer family just like that? What of the twins and yer braithers? What of Feya?” Ryder questioned.

It wasn’t that he didn’t believe her. It was the stern conviction in her voice that he needed to hear.

Morgana paused for a moment. “If my siblings found out that a man violated me in such a manner, ye better believe they’d understand why I was swingin’.”

“How do ye live yer life with such conviction? I’ve never met a woman who speaks like ye do.”

“I dinnae think many women have been through what I’ve been through,” Morgana answered. “Or at least I would hope nae, as it wasnae a very pleasant journey.”

Ryder nodded in agreement, just as the path before them narrowed. A gasp escaped Morgana’s lips as they crossed the stone bridge.

“Where are ye takin’ me again?” she asked.

“Ye’ll see,” Ryder said, pleased to find the roadway dry. “The place fills up when it rains. Always best to come here in the dusk when the sun hits the terrain just right. It’s like the land turns into gold.”

“That’s lovely,” Morgana answered.

The sound of rushing water drifted to their ears. Ryder’s heart pounded in his chest. He held his breath as he shifted in the saddle. Low-hanging branches covered the path, and as Morgana pulled back the foliage, a new world opened before them.

“Oh Ryder,” Morgana breathed. “This is…”

“Welcome to the fairy’s pond.”