Free Immortal Desires (Well of Souls) by Laura Eno Page B

the captain of the football team and coping with braces on her teeth, if she remembered correctly. A mist formed in Deanna's eyes as she watched Isobel steer Mairi out of the room, her arm affectionately draped across her daughter's shoulders.
    Deanna got up and helped clear the table before Isobel flapped her hands and pushed her toward the door. "It's a nice day. You need to get out of the keep and walk around the bailey. Do you like horses?"
    The older woman gave her a serene smile but Deanna wasn't ready to run into Ian yet. She'd either try to hit him with her fist or kiss him. Either one could be disastrous. "Your son doesn't seem like he wants to talk to me."
    Isobel's voice grew soft and lost its banter. "Ian is a fine laird but doesna understand matters of the heart."
    Matters of the heart? Deanna broke out in a cold sweat. She'd only been here a day, didn't belong here…and yet the woman's words pierced open the dark secret Deanna had tucked away in a hidden corner of her mind.
    Ian Mackay drew her to him like no man ever had before. Not even Nick, the man she thought she'd love for the rest of her life. What was it about the aggravating Scotsman that had her willing to drop into his bed at the crook of a finger? Deanna didn't like pig-headed oafs.
    It was a nice day, she conceded as she stepped outside. The air smelled fresher than anything she could remember. Walking in the opposite direction from the stables, Deanna studied the curtain wall surrounding the bailey, which had been missing on the modern version.
    Rising thirty feet in the air, Deanna wondered what the view must be like along its walkway. Pretty spectacular, no doubt—not that she'd get the chance to see for herself. Guards stood at intervals along the top with their backs to her as they watched the valley below. The only way in or out was through the portcullises, wood and iron gates that were raised at the moment but could be lowered at the first sign of trouble.
    The curtain wall must slope down towards the back of the uneven property, Deanna thought, since she could see over the top and view the river from her third-story window. Would the guard at the back gatehouse let her pass by and walk down to the river? It'd be worth a try. They all thought of her as a Cameron spy though, so he probably wouldn't let her through.
    The rest of the bailey held barracks and other buildings whose purposes were unknown to her…and the stables, of course. She walked back to the wall of the keep itself and placed her hand on the cool stone, its rough facing pitted by hundreds of years of weathering the elements.
    "If you're looking for something to pet, I can think of more suitable pleasures." The challenge in Ian's voice dared her to turn around and face him. He stood too close, letting his body heat warm her backside. Images of him from her dreams rose unbidden and her face flushed.
    Blood pulsed in her ears, the frantic pounding of her heart blocking all other sound as she felt his warm breath on the back of her neck. She turned to face him and knew she'd made a mistake. Deanna took a step back, the cold stone sandwiching her in place while his gaze flamed the front of her body. How could one look make her want to tug off that kilt—the one now rising in her direction? She jerked her eyes back up to his face and saw a satisfied grin play across his lips.
    His hands came up to rest on the wall, caging her in, a look of devilment in his eyes. "I've decided to get to know you better, lass."
    Deanna silently cursed her weakness as her eyelids fluttered closed of their own volition—a sure sign to him that she wanted to be kissed. He took advantage of the invitation and it was all she could manage not to moan as his lips brushed against hers. A spark of familiarity swept through her staggering emotions, as if they'd done this before.
    He pulled back and she watched him study her face, his eyes widened in surprise. So he felt it too—that jolt of awareness every