Page 23 of The Highlander’s Enchanted Healer (Spellbound Hearts #2)
I did not bother to knock at Alba’s bedchamber door. Anger sent me straight into the room, but I stopped short at the sight of Aria sitting beside Alba. Aria had a full supper tray on her lap, happily eating while my sister stared like a starving pup.
“What the devil do ye think ye’re doing?” I demanded, trying not to notice how lovely Aria looked tonight. She had on a green gown that complemented her fiery hair and molded to her curves, the memory of which was seared into my brain.
“I dunnae ken what ye mean,” she said, setting down the hunk of bread she’d been holding.
I strode across the room to tower over her.
“Imagine my surprise when I returned to the castle for supper and Allan told me ye had sent him away this morning with Alba’s breakfast tray, and as far as he kens, Alba has nae eaten today.
Are ye trying to starve my sister?” I questioned irritated with myself that even as I was growling at her, I wanted to kiss her.
“Alba is sitting here. I would ask that ye direct questions about her to her.”
I scowled at Aria. “Alba does nae talk.”
Aria narrowed her eyes at me. “Alba does nae talk because ye all have nae made her. Ye have given her everything and made it easy for her to live in her fear. Is that nae so, Alba?”
When my sister made no indication she’d even heard Aria, I could not stop the smirk that pulled at my lips. I motioned toward my sister. “My point has been proven. Now, what are ye doing? Why are ye denying her food?”
Aria set her tray to the side and stood so that we were facing each other. She glanced up at me, eyes blazing, which was quite the sight to behold, and it stirred my desire, despite myself.
“I am nae denying Alba food. Am I, Alba?” Aria asked, glancing toward my sister, who once again did not acknowledge that Aria had spoken to her.
I motioned between her and Alba. “This is ridiculous.”
“Nay!” Aria spit out, swinging toward me and poking me, to my surprise, in the chest. “Ye are ridiculous. Ye brought me here to aid yer sister, so let me do aid her!” she bellowed.
“I ken ye want to protect her, as do Allan and yer entire clan, but all of ye have made it easy for her nae to fight to get her life back. She must fight!” Aria swung toward Alba once more, and her motion was so fast that her hair slapped my chest. “If ye want to eat, ye must go to the great hall as I told ye, as all of us do, and either get a tray or sit in the great hall to dine.”
I felt myself gaping at Aria. “She’ll nae eat, then,” I muttered at the back of her head.
“She will,” Aria responded, facing me once more. The fire in her gaze had dimmed, and compassion simmered there, which tightened my chest. “She will go when she gets hungry enough because she kens there is nae anything to fear there. Do ye nae, Alba?”
Alba did not speak, but her eyes narrowed, showing me she was listening and understanding. Still… “What else do ye intend to do?” I asked.
“I intend to make her take back her life. Take back her pride. Take back her backbone. I’ve told her. She kens.”
“I do nae like it,” I muttered.
Aria nodded. “I’d expect ye’d nae. Ye love her. She’s yer sister. Ye want to protect her, but aiding her in staying in this room, letting her isolate herself, is nae helping her.”
A knot lodged in my chest as I stared at my sister, who looked like a ghost of the woman she once was, and I forced myself to nod. “I’ll allow it for a time, but I’ll be watching ye.”
“Ye may watch me all ye desire, Ross. Just keep yer distance, aye?”
The request, the way she looked at me, as if she too could recall my hands on her, and the pleading note in her voice all made me think she was having just as much trouble getting me out of her head as I was vanquishing her from my thoughts.
I nodded and departed the room gladly. Every moment near the lass was like torture.
I had no more than sat down upon the dais in the great hall when Allan said, “So?”
I knew what he was talking about. I took a long drink of my wine, allowing the liquid to warm my throat and loosen some of my tension, and then I faced my brother. “We will wait and see. Aria has a plan.” When Allan gawked at me, I growled, “What?”
“The lass has a sway upon ye,” he said, grinning.
“She does nae have any sway,” I snapped. “She explained herself, and I agreed. ’Tis as simple as that. I will watch her and ensure Alba is all right.”
“If ye’d rather I watched over them—”
“Nay,” I growled, disconcerted by the possessiveness that gripped me when I thought of another man watching Aria. “’Tis my duty as laird. I’ll do it.” It would be torturous, but I’d do it.
Just as I looked down to eat some supper, Allan jabbed me with his elbow.
I jerked my gaze up, prepared to blast him, but when I looked to him, I saw that he was staring ahead, mouth agape.
I followed the line of his gaze, and my own mouth fell open, too.
Strolling toward the dais was Aria, with Alba at her side.
Alba’s expression was mutinous, her arms were crossed over her chest, and her chin had a defiant tilt, but she was in the great hall, I presumed, to eat. That alone was cause for celebration.
“I can nae believe my eyes,” said Allan.
My gaze went to Aria. Her hair hung loose over her shoulders, and her pale skin, dusted with the freckles I found so lovely, looked luminous under the glow of the torches that lined the walls of the great hall.
With every step she took, her skirts swayed, and all I could think upon was the gentle curve of her hips and my hands tracing it as we’d lain together. My blood thickened in my veins.
“Aria is some sort of witch to have gotten Alba to come to heel so soon,” Allan said.
Aria was no witch, but she had cast some sort of spell over me at least. I cleared my throat and forced myself to look away from Aria to my brother. “Alba is nae a dog to be brought under control.”
“I did nae mean that,” Allan said, “I’m just impressed with what Aria has accomplished so quickly.”
“Aye,” I agreed. “As am I.” Allan and I both stood as Aria and Alba came to stand in front of the dais.
Aria looked between Allan and me. “Alba would like to join the two of ye for supper.”
Remembering what Aria had told me about addressing Alba, I looked to my sister, who appeared about as excited to join us as I would be to sit in a circle of gossiping women. “Alba, we’re so glad to have ye here with us,” I said. “Ye can take yer old seat between Allan and me.”
“Aria,” Allan spoke, “ye can sit on the other side of me.”
I had the urge to protest, as that put Aria on the far side of the dais away from me, but it was likely for the best. I had a hard enough time keeping my mind off her when she wasn’t even around.
We all took our seats, and Alba reached toward the trencher with both hands and grabbed a hunk of bread with one and meat with the other.
“Alba,” Aria said gently, “I think ye should use yer dagger to spear the meat.”
Alba huffed but dropped the meat on the platter before her and picked up her supper dagger, then proceeded to eat with the gusto of a large warrior.
“Starving, are ye, Sister?” Allan asked.
Alba stilled in stuffing another piece of meat in her mouth and gave Aria a pointed, disgruntled look, to which Aria said, “Ye can be vexed with me all ye wish, Alba, but is it nae so much nicer to eat side by side with yer family than alone in yer room?”
Alba darted her gaze to me, then Allan and, to my surprised delight, jerked her head in the affirmative.
Allan’s grin told me he felt exactly as I did. My chest tightened in happiness and gratitude, and I caught Aria’s gaze and mouthed, Thank ye.
A pretty blush swept her cheeks, and she shrugged as if to say it was nothing, but it was everything.
She was helping our sister come back to life.
I watched her as she looked down to eat, and I could not help but think how natural it felt to have her at the dais with us, almost as if she were part of our family.
I was acutely aware of the sudden ache the thought caused in my chest. I was longing for things that might be out of my reach, yet I could not seem to stop it.
After training by the loch the next morning, I started to make my way to the great hall in hopes that I’d find Alba and Aria there, given Aria had managed to get Alba to join us last night.
As I entered the gardens, I saw Aria and Alba squatting in the grass, sunshine kissing the tops of both their heads, which were very near together.
They appeared to be tending to something.
I leaned against the wooden post of the gate and watched them, curious.
After a moment, I realized Aria held a small pup in her hand.
She was cooing at it, and the fat little thing was wiggling around yapping, which made her laugh.
To my shock and happiness Alba started laughing as well.
I pushed off the fence and approached them. “What are the two of ye doing?”
Aria cocked her head at me, her eyebrows hitching upward and a large grin still on her face. She inclined her head toward Alba. “We decided to take a walk, did we nae, Alba?”
Alba offered the slightest inclination of her head, which did not fail to fill me with the same sense of amazement as the night before.
A sudden tightness formed in my throat with a surge of emotion, and I had to clear my throat to speak. “I’m glad ye’ve ventured outside today, Alba.”
She offered another inclination of her head that made me want to bend down and hug her, but instead, I kneeled beside them, closest to Aria.
I was not touching her, but I might as well have been.
Freesia lingered on her skin and seemed to float from her to me.
The heat of her body rolled over me as well, and this near her, I hardened with the memory of how she tasted when I kissed her and how it felt to be inside of her, and the throaty sound of her plea demanding that I take her.