Gwen paced the room, absolutely fuming. The door was locked tight and her rough pounding on it had merely made it groan in protest, not open. The only other way out was through a small window cut into the stone wall on the far side of the room. She stood under it, stretching her body so she could peer out, only to find herself high above the ground. She swore under her breath, cursing the dark haired man for locking her in the tallest room of the oversized castle.
Outside the door she could hear the murmurs of guards who had been ordered to prevent her escape. Trying to remain calm she sat cross-legged on the wooden floor. She knew she had only three options, two of which could land her in even more trouble then she was already facing. The first option was slightly unwise, to so easily form a pedestal under her feet and quietly float out the window to freedom, praying all the while that no one below spotted her. On the other hand a much simpler approach would be to merely use her unique skills to break the lock. Both involved exposing herself as more than human, something she assumed would put her in even more danger than the third option of staying put until the man returned for her.
She scowled, desperately trying to remember the ancient Scottish penalty for being found to be a witch.
"Laird Levin, Ah swear Ah didne ken!" Cooper once again barked gruffly, clearly overwhelmed with guilt.
The man said nothing in response. His eyes were closed and his brow was furrowed as he sat at his desk deep in thought. After having locked the red haired lass in one of the highest chambers the two men had immediately returned to the study where they righted the knocked about furniture and began to devise a plan.
"Aiblins ye coods keep 'er jist until we win th' war," Cooper pondered aloud. "Ance yoo're kin' ye can do as ye please."
The man's black eyes narrowed in response.
"Ye ken Ah hae nae interest in politics." He spat angrily. "Ah jist want th' Tennyson clan tae gonnae-no interferin'."
"'en mebbe she is th' answer." Cooper grinned, raising his eyebrows as a plan began to shape in his mind.
Gwen rose from her cross-legged seat, her legs having gone numb many minutes ago. She silently crept to the door, kneeling and pressing her face to the keyhole. The guards were still mumbling in the hall, clearly bored with their current post and not afraid to say so. She grinned, ready to fulfill their desire for a more eventful day.
After pondering her options she'd decided to do some improvisation and escape through the door without completely giving herself away, at least she hoped her plan would play out that way.
She pressed her finger to the keyhole, closing her eyes and feeling as pink tendrils of energy extended from her fingers and into the lock. She focused on the shape of it, manipulating the energy to encase the space within the keyhole. After a couple of seconds of fiddling she heard the click of the door unlocking and withdrew her hand, sighing in relief that she didn't have to resort to flying or breaking things with unnatural ability.
The guards outside the door continued with their griping, completely unaware that their prisoner had just essentially freed herself. Gwen smirked cockily, opening the door and stepping out, watching as the men's eyes widened first in shock at her escape then upon seeing her clothing. She rolled her eyes, sick of being judged based on her clothes. She couldn't help but think about how differently she would have dressed had she known she'd have ended up in this situation.
After a few seconds of gawking the men snapped back to reality and angrily bellowed what she assumed was an order to get back into the room. She rolled her eyes; taking another few steps forwards until one of the two guards irately stomped forwards and attempted to grab her.
She moved instinctively, grabbing the man's arm and using it to lead him forwards quickly enough to trip over her extended leg. Once that happened all hell broke loose as the men drew their swords and Gwen frowned in irritation at the speed bumps standing between her and freedom.
Cooper walked beside the Laird, completely oblivious to the struggle until it was too late. By the time he noticed the two guards struggling to contain one small woman, both he and the Laird were frozen in disbelief.
Although the men were being thrown about like rag dolls, she didn't look boorish nor vicious. Her movements were precise and fluid, almost as if she were dancing with them rather than hurting them. It was intoxicating to watch, almost elegant even, and neither man dared to look away. A few moments later she was standing looking down at the crumpled bodies of two brawny guards, her face set in a stone cold mask.
Cooper felt a shudder run up his spine at the sight, and turned to see his companion with an amused smile on his usually reserved face. Still frozen in place he watched as Levin walked to the woman, lifted her with one arm by her waist, and hauled her down the hall towards his quarters, her madly struggling all the while.
Gwen hit the bed with a thud, struggling to get up but finding it hard to get any leverage. The make shift mattress moved as she did, molding to her and making it near impossible to get up.
"What is this, the water bed from hell?" she screamed, finally managing to jerk up into a seated position.
He gaped at her, a strange combination of lust, amusement and confusion in his deep eyes. She stared into them, hypnotized, before turning her head suddenly to hide her face as a blush crept across her cheeks. She looked down, noticing the bed was merely a piece of fabric stuffed with what she assumed were millions of extremely pliable feathers positioned atop a stone slab to elevate it off the hard ground.
"It's Gwen, reit?" the man's voice purred in his deep sultry baritone.
Gwen nodded, wriggling backwards with every step he took towards her. Before long she found herself pressed against the wall with no more room to escape his advances. He was atop her in mere moments, his strong frame pressing her against the wall and into the plush prison of the bed.
"Let go," she demanded angrily, struggling pointlessly against his weight. "I don't even know you."
"Aam Laird Levin." He smirked, boring into her eyes with his own endless black orbs. "But ye can call me Kevin."
He whispered the last part into her ear, his warm breath tickling her neck and sending shivers across her body. She felt his lips press against her neck and he begin feathering kisses lower and lower. She writhed under him, desperately trying to push him off to no avail. When she felt his mouth reach her chest she gasped audibly and in a flash of pink light he was off of her and lying on the floor on the far side of the room.
"Crap." She groaned under her breath, realizing what she had just done as the pink energy engulfing her hands began to fade.
Kevin stared up at her from the floor in shock and she held her breath, awaiting the inevitable consequences of what she had just shown him.
Authors Note: So just in case the brogue is confusing here's the translations (also please R&R):
"Laird Levin, Ah swear Ah didne ken!" = "Lord Levin, I swear I didn't know!"
"Aiblins ye coods keep 'er jist until we win th' war," Cooper pondered aloud. "Ance yoo're kin' ye can do as ye please." = "Perhaps you could keep her just until we win the war. Once you're king you can do as you please."
"Ye ken Ah hae nae interest in politics." He spat angrily. "Ah jist want th' Tennyson clan tae gonnae-no interferin'." = "You know I have no interest in politics. I just want the Tennyson clan to stop interfering."
"'en mebbe she is th' answer." = "Then maybe she is the answer."
