CHAPTERFOURTEEN
Mara stared out into the night, her mind running in several directions. She could sense the dread that was casting a shadow over the whole clan as the horrifying news spread throughout the land. The people were surrounded by the darkness of murder. She had never intended for this to happen. The entire clan acknowledged her as a good lairdess who only wanted the best for her people.
Even this time, she had immediately called for a council meeting and had assigned the task of finding the culprits to very competent guards. She was certain that the people must have noticed her son participated too. All she could do was pray for the best for herself and her clan.
Just then, there was a knock on the door of her bedchamber. Only one person ever came to visit her at this of the night. She rose from her seat by the window and sat down on her bed, facing the door. She sat regally, like the queen that she was.
“Enter,” she announced; her voice loud and authoritative. The door opened, and she smiled knowingly as a tall man dressed from head to toe in a dark cloak entered the bedchamber. She watched as he walked slowly inside before closing and locking the door behind him.
Mara's gaze searched for his hands, and she smiled when she found what she was looking for. His gloved hand was gripping a single parchment. A piece of paper she desperately needed to keep her secret.
“My lairdess, the work has been done,” the cloaked man said; his voice gruff and raspy. Mara nodded quietly but didn't ask him to move further into the bedchamber.
“Ye have the certificate with ye?” Mara questioned; knowing what the answer was already.
“It’s right here,” he replied; raising his left hand. Mara nodded without saying another word.
“Take off yer cloak. I want tae see yer face,” she ordered; making sure that her words were strong and filled with power. Power was the one thing she relished completely, and she had no intention of giving it up for anyone.
She watched as he quickly removed his cloak and appeared in front of her dressed simply in clan colors. Her gaze fell on his bare knees and moved up to his bare shoulders, and she took a deep breath in, wanting to touch them. He was a tall man with great strength and power. She knew this because she had seen and touched him several times. She was familiar with the sensation of those muscles flexing beneath her touch. She wished she could feel them again.
“Why did ye kill Thelma?” she asked; knowing that he was vehemently against murder. She had asked him to kill the healer, but he had persuaded her that stealing the birth certificate would suffice. If Thelma ever said anything to anyone, they could simply label her as a crazy old woman, and no one would believe her without any proof. Mara had agreed at his insistence, so she was perplexed when she learned the news.
“I had no choice. I had tae to dae it for yer safety and the safety of yer secret,” he replied honestly. She also knew how much he cared about her, and because he respected her position, he would make certain that nothing tampered with or harmed it in any way. He would even commit murder for it. She admired his fidelity. She knew how to use it to her advantage whenever she needed something from him.
“What happened tae the daughter? Why haven’t I heard anything about her? Did ye not find her in the cottage?” Mara asked knowing fully well that Thelma had a young daughter.
“She was there when I went, and she too was searching for the certificate. She was going to tell Ronin the truth but before she could leave, I killed her,” he explained.
Mara was indifferent about the fact that he had to commit two murders. In truth, the fact that he would go to such lengths for her gave her great pleasure.
"Well done.I expected nothing less from ye, but yemust understand that yertask is not yet complete. There is still one person left. We must findZerna."
“My lairdess, I promise I will find her soon. The midwife’s days are numbered now,” he replied confidently. She had complete faith in him and his abilities even though finding the midwife was going to be difficult.
“But how will you find her? Neither of us ken where she could be right now,” Mara reasoned. She knew she was letting worry creep into her voice but she needed this matter settled as soon as possible. Her future in this clan depended upon it.
“Ye are right, my lairdess. All we ken is she took a lot of money with her and joined some other clan. I will search all of Scotland if I must, we will find her.”
“We need to do it as soon as possible. Ronin must suspect nothing.” Mara instructed.
She finally took a deep breath before turning her unwavering gaze in his direction, staring at him with a commanding expression. She pointed downwards to the floor, knowing he'd understandwhat she meant. The two had been in this situation before and comprehended each other's needs.
Mara watched as he got down on all fours like a dog and crawled towards her on his hands and knees. He picked up the birth certificate from the floor and tucked it between his teeth after she signaled again. Mara watched as he crept towards her, perfectly mimicking the gait of a pet dog. She extended her hand and lovingly placed it on his head once he was close enough.
“Good lad,” she whispered and rubbed her fingers through his hair. He turned to face her, and she snatched the paperfrom his teeth and opened it, giving it a cursory glance. She thenplaced it on the table beside the bed and returned her gaze to him.
When he noticed she was looking at him, he turned back to her and barked loudly, mimicking every action a pet dog would perform. She loved it when he relinquished control and let her handle him however she pleased.
“Who owns ye?” Mara questioned; holding his hair in her hands firmly.
“Ye dae, me lairdess,” he replied like the good dog he was. She enjoyed making him squirm when she touched him. She traced her fingers across his chest and shoulders as he remained motionless. She felt unrivaled power in these moments with him, and she savored the sense of control that came with wielding such power.
She finally stopped teasing him and spread her legs wide, exposing her damp womanhood. She was drenched in desire, and she knew she needed his tongue to penetrate her right away. She grabbed his hair and pushed his face to where she needed him. As she sighed in response, he crawled forward and greedily licked her damp thighs.
He barked happily, and Mara gently smacked him across the face. That turned him on even more, as he greedily latched onto the center of her desire and licked her clean.As waves of passion engulfed her and she came undone on his mouth, she felt the stress of the situation leave her body. Her whole body relaxed, and she opened her eyes to look down.
“Did ye like it, me lairdess?” he questioned while staring up at her. She bent down to kiss his lips and smiled as she lost herself in his arms, unconcerned about the world around her and everything that happened in it.