Gifted

Heart

It took Alina months to persuade Magnus to return to the cave with her. Neither had been back since the accident. He'd sealed the crevice in the dungeon behind a locked grate and no amount of haranguing from Alina could convince him to give her a copy of the key. He'd said that she was too forgetful and he didn't want any other children falling down that tunnel.

She suspected Magnus of agreeing to the cave partly to get away from their holiday guests. The MacLellans arrived just yesterday and they were already causing havoc. Yuka sequestered herself in Elizabeth's chambers and refused to return to the nursery until all the MacLellan children were gone.

They dismounted Storm and Zephyr and entered the hidden hollow. Magnus made use of the rope in the narrows but they didn't bother lighting the lamps. He held her hand and trusted her to lead the way. A blue glow beckoned them toward the cathedral cave.

Alina loved seeing Magnus wonderstruck by this place that meant so much to her. She knew he had misgivings about being back here but she assured him that the good memories outweighed the bad. Besides, there was something here that she'd been meaning to show him for some time now.

They walked quietly under the otherworldly lights. Musical water drops accompanied the soft echoes of their steps. She led him to the cave of drawings. They stayed well clear of the cave opening and walked past Una's and then Rhona's symbols. Beside Lady Alys Kerr's sun was Alina's charcoal drawing. It was a bear paw done in the style of a Celtic knot and the biggest knot in the middle formed a heart.

Magnus hovered his big hand over her drawing then turned to Alina with a soft smile.

"I care about a lot of people," she said. "Sometimes I let myself get distracted trying to manage everyone but never forget that I love ye the most, Magnus. When it came time for me to choose my symbol for this cave, the symbol our descendants will see, I chose an image that called ye to mind."

"A big bear?" Magnus teased.

She took one of his hands between both of hers and traced lines on his palm with her fingertips.

"A big paw," she corrected. "One strong enough to protect but, in the middle, is an even stronger heart. I never feel safer than when I'm with ye and I ken that the people lucky enough to have yer love will feel the same."

"I'm the lucky one, min skatt," he rumbled. "I love ye so much I don't ken what tae do with it all."

He cradled her head with his free hand, caressed her cheek with his thumb and then tilted her face up to meet his kiss. His tongue dipped in slow exploration like he'd not tasted her many times before, like it was their first time.

She released his hand so she could wind her arms around him. She reveled in the feel of his body against hers. Their kiss deepened. He lifted and pressed her against the cave wall. She hitched her skirts and wrapped her legs around him. He ground against her until she arched and moaned. Then he moved his mouth to feast on her neck.

He nibbled up to her ear and whispered, "Let's make a bairn, love. I want tae spend inside ye and I don't want tae wait til we get home tae use one of yer sponges."

She turned her head as he nibbled back down then sucked hard on the spot where her neck met her shoulder. She was about to nod in assent but found herself distracted by a charcoal snout. Magnus took care to avoid any drawings when he lifted her against the wall but they ended up where Rhona's pornographic unicorn seemed to be looking right at them.

Magnus continued, speaking against her skin, "I ken ye wanted tae wait until I felt ready tae be a father, tae love our bairn as much ye will. I'm ready, Alina. I want us tae have a bairn and share our love with our child. I want tae -"