Lured to the Night (The Brotherhood 4)

“I hear you’re a man familiar with propositions. I hear that in Edinburgh you’ve gained experience with proposals that are mutually advantageous.”

She had once seen lust and desire flash in his bright blue eyes. She knew how magnificent such a specimen of strength and brawn must appear to ladies looking for pleasure.

His expression darkened. “I hear you’re a witch set to kill every animal in the village to make your brews and potions.” He raised a brow. “If gossip were fact, there’d be many a man hanging from the bough of a tree. Besides, I doubt Douglas wishes to hear your jealous banter.”

Och, the man could provoke the Devil.

“Did you learn your conceit in Edinburgh, too? What need do I have to be jealous?” The erratic nature of her emotions made her forget they were in company. “You were the one who ran away. You were the one who let bitterness stand in the way of our friendship.”

It was wrong of her to blame Lachlan. The fault was hers and hers alone. She had not wanted to marry Nikolai, but he had a forceful way of speaking that made the most abhorrent acts seem appealing. She had been completely at his mercy. She had been powerless to say no to him.

Lachlan clenched his jaw. “You know why I left.”

Aye, to be far away from her. She had wanted him to stay and fight for her. She had wanted him to kill the devil, Nikolai, with his bare hands.

“Aye, perhaps you’re a coward.” Isla regretted saying the words as soon as they’d left her lips. If she were a man, she would not be standing.

Douglas sucked in a breath. “Have a care, lass.”

Lachlan snorted. “It seems I’m not the only man you’ve chased away.” His tone dripped with resentment. “I hear your husband fled into the night and has not been back for three years. Perhaps he’s gone to Edinburgh where the ladies hearts are kind and tender, where he’ll not find a lifetime’s worth of bother.”

Douglas shook his head and tutted. “Keep yer head, lad, and remember why ye came.”

Isla felt the tips of her fangs burst from their sheath as an intense rage burned in her chest. Her hand flew to her mouth in a bid to disguise it. It was not the pain of Nikolai’s rejection that induced such a virulent reaction. It was the pain of knowing she had lost Lachlan’s love.

She turned her back, couldn’t face the man she had once hoped to call her husband. “Get out, Lachlan. Get out of my home.”

Douglas stepped up to her shoulder. “Will ye nae just listen to his proposition, lass?”

“You listen to him if—” Her voice sounded strange whilst baring her fangs. She could not let Lachlan see what she had become. Fear and pity were not emotions she wanted to see in his beguiling eyes.

Without another word, she turned and ran from the room. She would not go to her chamber. Douglas would send Malmuirie up to pry, and she was too agitated to talk. Grabbing her cape from the coat stand, she rushed out into the night. Perhaps she should go down to the village, scour the fields for an animal to sink her teeth into just to add credence to their silly stories.

But she chose to walk in the forest.

In the forest, she did not feel so alone. There were other nocturnal creatures roaming the darkness. There were other creatures wandering aimlessly, lured to the night.

Chapter 2

“Ah, away and dunk yer head in a horse trough.” Douglas Dougan threw his hands up in the air. “Why did yer have to go and say that to the lass?”

Lachlan shrugged. “Even after all this time, Isla still knows how to rouse my ire.”

“You’re nae a wee laddie anymore, Lachlan. You’re a grown man. If yer shoulders get any broader, you won’t fit through the door.” Douglas sighed. “There’s nae point dwelling on the past.”

Lachlan had spent three years trying to cleanse his mind and body of Isla Maclean. Drink only helped to numb his senses for a few hours, women for even less than that. Despite everything, the essence of the woman he’d once thought would be his wife still clung to his skin. He would often wake at night and imagine it was Isla’s warm body lying curled next to him. He would often catch her scent lingering in the air and feel forced to trace the source of the enticing aroma. All hope of ever moving on with his life seemed to diminish by the day. If he stood any chance of finding happiness, there was only one option left open to him.

“What’s done is done. I’ve no wish to dwell on it anymore.” He tugged at the lapels of his coat, the action a way of reaffirming his decision. “I came at your behest, not to cause trouble. Besides, I plan to take a wife, Douglas. I intend to reside in Edinburgh.” His father’s refusal to accept his decision was one of the reasons he had not already left.

“A wife!” Douglas gave him a reassuring pat on the arm. “Well, there’s nae need to sound so sombre about it. I take it ye have someone in mind.”

“Aye.” He raised his chin in acknowledgement.

In truth, he knew a handful of women who were more than willing. As soon as he returned to Edinburgh, he would make his choice. There were a few stipulations. She could not have waves of golden locks that shimmered in the sunlight. She could not have seductive blue eyes, the silvery hue reminding him of the moon’s reflection on the rippling waters of Loch Earn. She could not have a fiery temper that made a man want to claim her until the only sound to leave her lips was a soft moan of pleasure.

“Granted, I’d rather see ye wed to Isla,” Douglas said disturbing his reverie, “but that sleeky devil ruined all hope for that union. He had us all under his wicked spell, what with his smooth drawl and fancy ways.”

“The man certainly had a persuasive way about him.” Lachlan often wondered if the foreigner possessed a mystical power to force others to do his bidding. “Nikolai,” he paused. The name did not come easily to him. “He had a cold, detached look, one so opposed to his soft words. When he commanded me to leave on the night before the wedding, I felt compelled to obey.”