If you read the teaser on my twitter Friday night, you're about to find out where that scene is from!
I'm grateful that you guys have accepted Scottish Edward with open arms. Now, let's drop back in on Edward and Bella. Happy reading!
3
I reached the training ground where Emmett led the men in hand to hand combat; he hurried over with a murderous glint in his eyes.
"What troubles ye, brother? Is yer bairn unwell?"
"Nay, Henry is teething but well. Brother, our flock of sheep has been slaughtered during the night."
"What happened to the posted guard?" I questioned putting my plate aside and making my way toward the gated farm. Emmett easily kept up with my strides.
"Dead."
"Do we know who did it?" I asked.
"Black Wolf, of course! He left his mark," Emmett growled pointing at a wooden post by the sheep gates.
Burned into the post was an image of a snarling wolf but the only thing left of our flock was the blood stains in the pen. They were our livestock and their coats would protect our people from the fast approaching harsh winter.
"God dammit, Emmett. Did ye see to it that their coat gets shaved and their meat saved for the curing process?"
"Aye, the coats have been shaved but their meat is no good, brother. They were poisoned before being slaughtered. We can't risk curing the meat."
I nodded in understanding.
"Are there tracks? I want to catch that bastard!"
"I followed the tracks with a group of men but it disappeared after the river. We searched the surrounding area for his camp but nothing. How would he know that we have Isabella?"
I sighed, "The other day when Isabella and I were in the forest after her stunt with the horse. I thought we were being watched. He must have spies in the forest."
"Black Wolf is a coward, brother. He willna storm a heavily armed castle knowing we have an ally like Jasper to our North," Emmett reminded.
"First things first, brother, we need to hunt for big game. The winter is fast approaching and I fear we do not have enough cured meat to last us. We ride out today and return tonight with whatever game we can find. Help me gather our best hunters?"
"Aye, brother, but let me go alone with our men. If Black Wolf is out there, ye should be home to command the army."
I reluctantly agreed. After Emmett left, I spent the day organizing more men for guard duty and putting up more torches to light our perimeter. I worked until Emmett and his caravan returned home with the kills early evening: one deer, a wild boar, and a handful of rabbits. It will have to suffice. We worked quick to help the butcher skin the animals and prep the meat for the curing process. I thanked Emmett and the men for their hard day of hunting before escaping to the family room for a drink. Emmett joined his family so I was alone to worry.
We would have to make up for the lost flock of sheep by hunting at least twice a week now and curing the meat as soon as we prep it. The vegetables in the garden will have to be preserved sooner rather than later and the wool from the flock of sheep needed to be spun for warm coats. Whatever else we needed in the winter would have to be bought. These were my thoughts when I was interrupted.
"My laird, ye look like ye could use a distraction."
"Mallory." I greeted without enthusiasm.
She sauntered in, swaying her hips side to side. She was a pretty girl, a blazing redhead with calculating green eyes. She was a whore in rags before she found this castle begging Emmett for a position as a maid for which Emmett granted after I took pity on her. I found her in my bed stark naked only a few weeks later and took what she offered so freely. Only I wasn't so stupid as to spill my seed into her womb like she hoped and even tried to force me. After that, I forbade her from coming to my bedchambers again if she wished to live.
"I could help relieve ye, my laird."
She's learned some new words, I see.
"Off to bed with ye, wench."
She touched my thigh trailing her fingers up my kilt before she straddled them. I leaned back knowing I should push her away, but the alcohol was hindering my better judgment. I've been pining after Isabella since her arrival and lord knows I could use some relief which is the only reason why Mallory isn't on the floor now after my rebuff.
"My laird, ye know I can make ye feel good. Let me help ye." She pressed her lips against my neck and for a moment, I lost myself in the sensation imagining that it was Bella. My brave Bella grinding her hips into my rock solid body and kissing me like I'm the only man she will ever know.
A knowledgeable hand grabbed my cock with just the right pressure and I was knocked out of my fantasy reminded of who I was with. Bella may be a skilled woman, but she would have no knowledge of a man's bedchamber.
Quickly, I gripped Mallory's arm, the one snaked under my kilt and forcibly removed her from my person. I stood her up and told her to head to bed. The wench had the audacity to stand there glaring at me as if I owed her something.
"Now, wench." I commanded.
"Why do ye want someone who doesna want ye?"
I whipped my attention to the servant standing before me. She had some nerve to think she could speak to me that way when I clothed and fed her.
"I'm giving ye one last warning before I throw ye out, wench."
"She doesn't want ye!"
The crack of my hand against her face was satisfying until I heard a gasp nearby. I turned to see Isabella standing at the door frame with her hand hovering over her mouth. Before I could react, she took off feet pounding against the stone floor. I turned back to Mallory, who ended up on the floor after my backhand with a murderous glare.
"I donna care if she never wants me, but that doesna mean I will ever want ye. If ye donna wish to return to the whorehouse, I suggest ye do yer job and stay out of me way."
With long strides, I stalked up to my bedchamber in search of Bella.
"Isabella?" I called opening my door.
"Don't touch me," She whirled around in a defensive stance like a cornered lamb.
Not once have I seen Bella fear me since she set foot onto my estate, but now here she was looking at me like I've committed murder.
"Bella, lass…"
"You're just a brute man who exerts his dominance over the weaker sex. I can't believe I thought you were any different and to think of marrying you!" She spat.
I opened my mouth to defend myself until the last part of her sentence caught me off guard. "Ye were thinking of marrying me?"
"Not anymore, you brute," She stated angrily.
"I warned her but she didna listen, lass. She kept going on about how ye would never want me and I lost control. Besides, I am still her laird and she-"
"She served her purpose, so, you have every right to push her aside after you're done with her. Is that it?"
I leveled her with a look that would've made my men run scurrying in opposite directions but Isabella held my glare with one of her own.
"Isabella, I assure ye she knew exactly what she was getting into when she crawled into my bed. After all, I am a man and I'm not above a willing woman and that was exactly what she was. I could do far worse than hit her. I could throw her back onto the slums where she came from. I did her a favor and I certainly don't need her paying me back by running her mouth. I am laird and I demand respect. That is the way it is, Bella."
"You're a brute! A tyrant!" She cried.
"If that were true, do you think yer virginity would still be intact right now or would ye have already known my bed?"
She gasped, bringing her hand up to strike me which I easily caught around the wrist. With a tug, I brought her body flushed against mine cupping her buttocks in my palm like the brute she labeled me as.
"Would a brute shelter ye? Keep ye safe? Offer ye his ultimate protection? Would a brute do that?"
She stared up at me wordlessly and I took pride in finally shutting her up for once.
"But I do know what a brute would do right now."
I could no longer keep a reign on my control, especially not when she was in my arms. The moment I crashed my lips upon hers, Bella began to struggle in earnest against my body which did nothing to help her cause. Her lips tasted better than the finest wine and I wanted to drink from her cup until she was empty. I pulled back wanting to see if I effected her in the least.
The dancing fire casted a light on her face which was tinted with a rosy blush and her breaths were shallow. Her hands were against my chest but they were no longer pushing me away. The expression on her face was conflicted as if she didn't know if she wanted me to continue or cease altogether. It also reminded me that Isabella was innocent. Slowly, I lowered my head again and she reared back turning her head away from me exposing her neckline in the process.
I pressed a kiss there on the skin of her neck and abruptly stepped back. She furrowed her brow but didn't say anything.
"I would say I'm sorry but I'm not. Go to sleep, Isabella and I give ye my word that I willna bother ye."
For the next couple of days, I threw myself into work to get Isabella off of my mind. I put my men through vigorous, muscle straining exercises with their swords hoping the sweat and exertion would drive Bella from my mind. I followed that with manual labor by fortifying a small part of the castle that was damaged in a battle. With my determination, the wall was rebuilt that day.
When Emmett suggested he ride out to hunt with a group of men, I decided I could use a good hunt and told him I would go. I knew my brother's bairn was increasingly fussy with his teething and Rosalie could use another pair of hands to help her. So, I rounded up a few men and equipment before heading out. The winds were getting crisper by the day and I knew winter would be upon us very shortly. I didn't expect a successful hunt, but we could eat what we brought home and save the cured meat for later.
I mounted my horse and caught a flash of color in the corner of my eyes. It was Isabella's purple gown fluttering in the wind as she stood hugging a basket of leafy vegetables. I haven't spoken to her or seen her much at all. The expression on her face was one of anger and confusion. Before I could act on the urge to jump off my horse and see to it that she smiled before I left, my men informed me that we were ready. With a scowl, I gave the signal to head out and kept Isabella in the back of my mind.
That very night, I found myself in the library again to do some bookkeeping. I've been hiding here for the past several days until Isabella went to bed. This awkward silence between us has gotten out of hand and maybe I was wrong to initiate it in the first place. I thought if I left her alone for long enough, she would seek me out but it has been nothing but cold stares from afar. She even ate at a different time and often found things to do around the keep. I missed her presence more than I liked to admit, but I don't think the feeling is mutual. Maybe it was time to give up.
With a heavy sigh, I leaned back in my chair only to come back up fully alert. I thought I saw a shadow amongst the books. Whoever thought they could sneak up on me was only asking for a death wish. I sat motionless keenly aware of my surroundings. Years of battle told me to trust my instincts and my senses. I heard rustling to my left and then behind me. I could practically feel their presence now.
Patiently, I waited for the intruder to get closer before I made my move. He was just behind me now when I flew out of my seat but before I could attack, my intruder jumped back.
"Edward, Edward, it's just me!"
"Bella?"
"Yes, who did you think it was?" She asked while I tried to calm my heart rate.
I ran my hand through my hair, "Ye really shouldn't do that, lass. Ye could get yerself killed."
Looking her over, I saw red. She was dressed in a thin night rail that barely kept her concealed. I could see the outline of her body from behind the material by the dancing fire. It took every fiber of my control to keep my hands from reaching out for her.
"What the hell were ye thinking of walking the halls in that?" I snapped.
She looked down at her night rail, "No one saw me."
"Ye would think a proper lass like ye would have more sense of propriety than that."
She shifted to mull over the things scattered about my table ignoring my disapproval all together. "What are you doing in here this late at night?"
"Working."
"You've been working quite hard lately. Come to bed."
If those words left any other females lips, I couldn't help but think they were an invitation for something else. Except this was Isabella and as much as I loved to join her in bed, I knew the odds weren't in my favor.
"Why aren't ye asleep, lass? Tis late."
"I could say the same for you." She was side eyeing me and I refused to meet her gaze. "Unless you're avoiding me," She added shifting her whole demeanor. Her baby doll face softened and her body hunched in on itself. It wasn't something I was used to from her. She was always a stubbornly strong willed woman who stood tall and proud.
I worried seeing her this way. Was she ill, feeling unwell? Did her back trouble her?
I reached out cupping her face in my palm, our first contact since I kissed her and I half expected her to flinch away from my touch but she didn't.
"Because a brute such as I doesna deserve to be in yer presence." Though my words mocked her they were delivered with gentle softness.
She shook her head slowly, "Edward, I'm sorry. You're not a brute. That much is obvious by the way you worry and care for your people. You are Laird and your word is law as it should be."
I didn't know what to say to that because that was essentially the truth. I was just glad that she finally accepted the fact.
"I know it's my fault that your flock of sheep was slaughtered. Black Wolf is after me and he did it to draw me out, but I'm such a coward hiding here to let all of you suffer because of me."
"Who told ye?" I demanded.
She grimaced but didn't answer but that was answer enough.
"Donna listen to those maids. They donna know what they're talking about."
"Edward, I don't think I can stay here anymore. You and your people will be implicated because of me and I can't live with that guilt."
I let go of her and ball up my fists at her train of thought. She wanted to leave me. That was all I could think about and it drove me insane. Didn't she know that I couldn't let her go? Not now. Not ever.
"And then what?" I challenged. "Run until Black Wolf catches ye, because believe me he will regardless of yer set of skills. Or maybe, ye were going to give yerself up to him."
"I would rather die!"
"And ye would rather die than become my wife, is that right?!" I shouted.
"I don't want to see you get hurt because of me, Edward! I don't want to see anyone get hurt. It was because of me that my people were slaughtered and my father killed. The blood on my hands is three times worse than the men you've killed."
Bright as day, I finally understood her reluctance to marry me. It wasn't because she didn't want me. Hell, she cared for me enough to not want to bring harm to me or my people. She was being selfless. I watched her tears well up in her eyes until they brimmed over causing my chest to constrict. My arms folded her against me lending my strength for her to lean on.
"Bella, it wasna yer fault. Black Wolf is a murderer."
"Exactly, and he's coming after you with his heathen army."
I pull back just enough to hold her chin between my thumb and forefinger lifting her eyes up to mine. I needed her to understand something.
"I have a heathen army of my own. Why do ye think he attacked my flock instead of my castle? Because he knows I'll kill him in battle so, he's trying to weaken me by other means. Isabella, he won't hurt me and he definitely won't come near ye. I promise. I swear to ye."
I search her face for some sign that she might've changed her mind that somehow I might've persuaded her but I found none. It was time I accepted the fact that she would never accept me. Resigned, I slowly started to pull away.
My fingers nearly left her body when her hand shot out firmly grabbing hold of me. Startled I stare into her eyes noting that they were hard with determination.
"Lass-"
"Kiss me," She demands.
I fight the urge to give into her naïve wants and the urge to do what's honorable toward a lady but she was already testing my control the moment she decided to seek me out. I held her at arm's length debating with myself. I would die a happy man with only the sweet nectar of her on my lips.
"Lass, ye donna know what yer asking fer." I tilt her chin up to gaze upon her face in the light. By God, she was what dreams were made of and why men fight to stake a claim.
"I've never been kissed before you…" She admitted quite bashfully. "But I thought if there was a man I could give my kisses to, wouldn't it be great if it were you?"
With that she successfully knocked down the last mortar of my self control. Resisting was only futile.
"Are ye sure, my little gem?" I leaned down hovering a needle's width from her lips.
"Yes." She closed her eyes giving her permission without hesitation.
I couldn't help but think that she was a fearless lamb into a lion's den as I ghosted my lips against hers. Soft like the finest silk, intoxicating like a fine brandy and like ambrosia, I wanted to drink from her cup until I was drunk from desire. Gently, I pressed our lips closer tasting more fully of the wine she offered. My hands were of their own accord, one wrapped around her waist pulling her closer and the other snaked around her neck to give me better access.
Her response was instantaneous as she stepped closer and placed her hands on my shoulders with nothing but trust. It was a kiss of an innocent, one that would suffice her request but like ambrosia to a human. I couldn't and didn't want to stop at just one sip. I needed more, so much more.
I held her tighter, consumed by her fire and fueled by my own desire to call her my own.
"Part yer lips for me, lass." It was a command which she obeyed most readily.
I coaxed her lips to part enough to sweep my tongue inside. I heard her gasp at the odd and probably intruding sensation but when she touched her tongue to mine, experimenting, I couldn't be happier. My Isabella was as bold as she was fierce.
Her tongue began to duel with mine learning my mouth as I did hers. The low fire burning in the pit of my stomach was now beginning to roar to life. I knew that I would have to put an end to this soon because I have taken far more than what is honorable.
Drawing in a sharp breath, I found the will to stop and pulled myself away from her. Bella's lips were red, swollen, her cheeks flushed and her hair ruffled painting a picture of a woman thoroughly kissed.
"Off to bed with ye now, lass."
"Edward-"
"Before I lose complete control and make you mine," I gently warned her.
Awareness crossed her face and my little gem simply nodded before disengaging herself away from me completely. The loss of her in my arms caused a hollowness to settle inside my chest. Watching her walk away, I promised myself it would be the last time because I would do everything in my power to convince her that she belonged with me.
Did Scottish Edward turn up the heat or what? Let me know down below.
