Page 33 of The Rightful Highland King (The Last Celtic King #4)

When it was over, they lay next to each other, hand in hand, as the fire-warmed tent dried the sweat on their skin.

They did not speak. They did not have to.

Neala knew that the moment they left this bed, things would be messy again, but for this one, precious moment, everything was right with the world.

At some point, they must have fallen asleep. It was the first sleep in a long time when Neala felt no nightmares haunting its edges. She cuddled into the warmth of Ansel's arms and allowed herself to rest.

A horn sounded somewhere nearby, signalling that morning had come. Both of them startled awake at once, and reality flooded unpleasantly into the warm bubble that had sustained them all night.

Ansel was the first to move. He slid out of the bed and reached for his leine, not quite looking at her as he covered himself again then moved to grab his clothes. "This… doesnae change anythin', Neala," he said softly at last.

All of the warmth Neala had been feeling turned to ice. She sat up on the bed in disbelief. "What do ye mean?" she demanded. "This changes everythin' ."

Ansel shook his head. He bent down and picked up her dress from the floor, handing it to her, but still not quite meeting her eyes. "I shouldnae have… I should have…" He shook his head. "I've wanted ye all this time, but it was selfish of me tae give intae that."

"We wanted each other," Neala reminded him, annoyance coloring her tone. "Dinnae make this somethin' ye did." She pulled her dress over her head, only because she didn't know what else to do. "Dinnae pretend it wasnae more than just a simple physical need."

"It doesnae matter what it was," Ansel told her shortly.

He stared at the fireplace now as she dressed, not moving.

"It's done, and I'm still who I was. I cannae leave all of this behind, no matter how much I might—I just cannae.

Ye cannae change me. Ye cannae protect me.

Think of this as a goodbye. A true one this time. "

Neala's heart clenched painfully in her chest, and she felt sick. All the joy she had been feeling evaporated into the night air. "Please, Ansel. Dinnae do this, nae now. Dinnae make me leave ye behind again."

"I've done things. Many things. Things that can never be forgiven." Ansel shook his head. "I'm beyond yer help. Beyond anyone's. Please, Neala, if ye care for me?—"

"Dinnae ye dare ?—"

"If ye care for me, then go ," Ansel urged. "Please, before the rest of the camp wakes up or someone comes tae check on me. "Some of me men might bring ye tae me, but the rest…" He shook his head. "Go."

Neala swallowed. "And if I refuse?"

At last, he turned to look at her. His eyes were dull, his mouth drawn. There was no trace of the carefree joy she'd seen there only a short time before. "If I asked ye to stay, tae abandon Cailean and the rebellion, would ye do it?"

Her heart stuttered unpleasantly. "Never," she whispered.

"Then go," he told her. "And goodbye."

He turned his back again, and Neala felt a tearing in her chest as something within her broke.

After all these months of waiting and hoping, after all this time of falling deeper and deeper, it was done, and there was nothing more she could do about it.

She thought that the revelation might cause her to crumble, maybe shatter her heart or make her collapse in tears.

Instead, she stood up taller. She was Neala McNair, Princess of Scotland. And she had tried.

"I love ye," she told him. "Do ye ken that? I've loved ye from the moment we first spoke, I think, though I didnae ken it then. I dinnae love the Prince of Blackthorn, the son of Ashkirk, who plagues our lands. I dinnae love Edric's slave. But I will always love ye, even if I never see ye again."

He glanced at her over his shoulder, his voice settling into a cold indifference. "Unbelievable. Ye still speak as though those are different men." He sighed. "Ye really dinnae ken anythin' about me. Even now."

Neala took a breath and, with one last look, she turned and exited through the tent flap and into the cold air of morning.

She cursed as her feet trod on fresh snow and knew she'd have to hurry.

There was no way of covering her footprints now, and the guards would not be fooled into thinking these were the prints of a man's boot.

Looking around furtively until she was sure that there was nobody nearby, she broke out into a run, darting from tent to tent, hiding in the shadows as the sun rose threateningly into the sky.

She'd almost reached the forest when the Ashkirk men descended upon her.

"What were ye thinkin' ?" Cailean thundered.

Nessa actually shrank back at the power in his voice. She had never heard him sound quite so dangerous. Though she knew that he would never hurt her, her brother-in-law's power emanated from him as he voiced his fury.

"Nessa… how could ye help her with such a mad plan?" Maeve asked in something akin to stupefied disbelief. "What did she hope tae achieve from it?"

"That's enough," Darren said sharply, causing all the eyes of the worried council members to draw toward him. "What use is beratin' her goin' tae do? Nessa helped Neala get intae the warcamp because she believed it was the right thing tae do. Scoldin' her for that isnae goin' tae get her back."

"She's me sister, " Cailean snapped.

"Aye, and a White Sparrow," Breana spoke up. Nessa blinked in surprise at the unexpected support. "What was the plan, Nessa?"

Nessa almost shrank back as the attention turned to her, but Darren rested a reassuring hand on her back and she took a breath.

She looked around the room. Ewan and Hamish both looked beside themselves with worry, while Senan was watching her with a sharp focus that made her stomach clench.

Beside them sat Darren's cousin Fergus, the new Laird McKenzie, and his wife Sorcha, along with her aunt, Lady Flora McKenzie.

Eoin stood behind Breana's chair, a small frown on his face, and Breana rested her hands on her rounded stomach as she took in the situation.

Ferda and Ann were still absent, but in their place were Laura and Morag, who had arrived with a contingent of White Sparrows the moment they had heard the news.

The intimidating and gruff Kier Bruce was here too, having arrived from Bruce Castle yesterday with news that his men were en route to join them.

Several other clan chiefs and lairds had now joined them, all crowding into the war room.

At the center of it all were Cailean and Maeve, the True King and Queen of Scotland, looking more worried than Nessa had ever seen.

All these people. All these good, wonderful, fearless rebels, who had worked so hard to bring light to the darkness. People who Nessa had once believed her enemies, but who had become her friends. Her family.

All of them, waiting for her to speak.

She glanced up at Darren, who gave her a nod.

She nodded back, then spoke. "Neala asked me tae help her sneak out tae get tae the main war camp," Nessa explained.

"She said she thought she could turn Ansel Ashkirk, and that if she could not, then she could dispatch him.

She said she could get closer tae him than any of us could—and I believed her. "

Cailean swore.

Maeve put a hand on his arm. "It wasnae such a foolish plan," she said, though her expression was grim. "She and the younger Ashkirk clearly had some sort of bond, we all ken that. She wouldnae be with us if he hadnae freed her. I've nae doubt that, if she had tae, she would have killed him."

"But he's nae dead," Cailean replied angrily. "For the second time, he's escaped death at our hands."

"She believed he wouldnae hurt her," Nessa told them.

Laura shook her head, looking distraught. "That lass. Her heart was always her problem."

"She's nae fool," Cailean said at last. "She kent what she was doin'. Her only mistake was bein' blinded tae who he was. Who the Ashkirks have always been. She trusted him—and now she's their prisoner."

"So we act," Darren said, speaking as though it was the simplest thing in the world. "We wanted more time tae prepare, but we're ready for this, Cailean. We've stormed the False King's castle tae steal back yer sister before. Let's do it again, but this time for good."

Many of the other war chiefs cheered at the suggestion, and Kier gave a slow nod. Senan, though, seemed worried.

"It's high time we ended this tyranny once and for all," Ewan agreed. "And we willnae let one of our own suffer while we wait. How long will we need tae amass the full strength of our army? The McKenzies, the Bruces, and many many more of our allies are already on the way here."

"Even if we account for the war camps slowin' them down, it'll be only a few days," Breana replied, studying the map in front of her. "It will be tight, but it's likely we'll have just enough time tae reach Blackthorn Castle before…"

Maeve nodded. "Then it's settled. We gather our army, and we launch our final attack. We get Neala back, and we end this war once and for all."

Eoin nodded, but he looked troubled. "Last time… when we got McNair Castle back, it was different. We had the advantage that it had been yer home, and ye remembered its secrets."

"Aye," Senan agreed. "And when we won back Bruce Castle, it was Maeve's experience of livin' there that gave us the edge we needed tae succeed in our attack."

Sighing, Maeve sank back down into her seat.

"Ye're right. Me sisters and I visited Blackthorn Castle only a handful of times when we were very small, and though Eoin, and I'm sure many of our allies have been inside the place over the years, it has been a long time.

We have the plans Breana stole, which will help, and the information the White Sparrows gained for us, but it isnae the same as havin' someone alongside us who can guide the way. "

Morag shook her head. "Elspeth cannae go back there. I willnae ask it of her. I've sent her off tae a mission in Ireland until she heals herself. And anyway, her knowledge is mostly limited tae the kitchens."

Cailean's jaw tightened, but he nodded. "The fact is that none of us have been close enough tae study its inner workin's in a very, very long time."

Nessa cleared her throat. "That's nae quite true," she reminded them. "And I think it's time I truly made meself useful." She glanced back at Darren, who gave her the kind of smile that flooded her with warmth. "After all, we've a war tae win."