Page 31 of An Enchanted Knight

The knot in her stomach made Gwen afraid to ask.

“What?” Gwen finally asked.

“The sacrifice could have something to do with Tristan’s kids. I’m willing to bet Meliot has them and since Tristan took away from the wizard the ability to have children…” Sabrina didn’t finish.

“Oh no,” Gwen gasped. “That would be terrible. I hope you’re wrong.”

“Well, if he’s the one to sacrifice something then I’m sure I’m right. However, if you’re the one to sacrifice something, then it could be something totally different.”

“Me? You think I may have to be the one to give up something?”

“Like Tristan McRainey said, it will come clear once the time comes.”

“I’m heading back tomorrow.” Gwen closed the spell book. “I’d appreciate it if one of you came with me.”

Tammie shook her head. “I can’t, I have an opening at the Bennett Art Gallery—it starts tomorrow night. I can fly over next week.”

“I’ll do it.” Sabrina placed her hand over Gwen’s. “I have a Marc Jacobs photo shoot coming up soon. Why not scout Scotland for the perfect location?”

“I can’t believe how lucky I am to have you two in my life,” Gwen stated, blinking away tears.

“Oh Soppy, stop it,” Tammie grinned, giving her a stern look, her shiny eyes giving away the fact that she felt the same.

Sabrina let out a loud laugh. “I’ll go pack and then we’re off to rescue the hunky man in distress!”

Chapter Twenty

Brooding was not something he was prone to do. But for the last two days, that’s exactly what he’d done. Discontented at his mood, Tristan mulled over his last conversation with Gwen. Not quite sure of the emotion that tickled the corners of his conscious, but it felt like guilt. He’d done what he had to do and planted the seed, the thought of falling in love. He had no choice. In order for the enchantment to be broken the enchantress had to fall in love with him. That the guilt seemed overshadowed by another emotion pulled him into the dark mood. When he’d told Gwen he didn’t want to be the only one falling in love, it wasn’t exactly a lie. His heart had jumped, his voice hitched, a lump caught in his throat.

“Bah,” he snorted, and moved toward the window to peer out to see if the horsemen remained. They did.

When he became a free man, able to live a normal human life in the modern world, how could he possibly hope to attain a woman like Gwyneth Lockhart? Independent, self-sufficient, and powerful in her own right. He was not much more than a barbarian, compared to the men of her time. There were so many things he didn’t know about her world, so many changes had taken place since he’d left. What could he possibly have to offer her?

Wealth. As far as he knew, the family had taken very good care of the McRainey fortune, which made him a rich man. He’d secreted away gold in the keep before leaving. It remained there, hidden in a cave under the cellar, worth quite a bit more now. Still, a woman like Gwen was not swayed by riches.

What did it matter? He’d regain his life. He’d have his hands full, relearning to run the estate. Perhaps in time, he’d meet someone, after he became accustomed to modern life. The thought of spending time with a woman other than Gwen didn’t sit well.

“Well I’ll be damned,” Tristan whispered.

Feeling the now familiar pull, he knew Gwen was back. He glanced out the window one last time, the lines of horsemen a menacing view. Campfires dotted the lands surrounding the keep. How long would they remain?

In the great room, Liam and Niall sat at the long trestle table with a chess set between them while Gavin paced in front of the fireplace. Tristan noticed that the chess players were not actually playing.

“Has Paddy not returned?” Tristan asked, automatically scanning the room for the young Irishman.

“Nay,” Niall replied. “It’s been too long since he vanished to the clearing.” Padraig had gone to scout the area prior to moving them there to help Tristan leap to the other side. He’d left against Niall’s orders.

“I’ll go check on him,” Tristan told Gavin, who seemed poised to do just that. “I’m the reason he’s in trouble, so it falls on me to help him. I might as well use some of this pent-up energy on something useful.”

“The lass may have something to say about a use for your ‘energy.’” Liam gave him a double eyebrow wag. “I can go check on the young lad.”

“No, I will go,” Gavin said, ignoring Liam’s indignant growl.

Before they could argue further, Tristan ran out back to the walled garden and willed himself to the clearing. As soon as he materialized, he was attacked by four enormous warriors. Soulless, the lot of them, their empty black eyes totally hollow as they swung their cleavers and battle-axes. Tristan did not see Padraig but had little time to ponder it. He began fighting with all his might. When four additional warriors appeared and threw themselves at him, sending him falling to the ground, he pulled from his power of strength and flung them off. No sooner did they land on the ground than they turned around and pounced back on top of him.

He managed to cut two down and began backing up. He needed space to will himself away, and they were not giving an inch.

The clank of metal fastening around his left wrist startled him. One of the warriors yanked at the chain and held fast. Tristan swung his arm around and sent the idiot flying into nearby trees. Catching the chain, another two pulled him down to the ground again. This time he rolled, but before he could stand, another cuff was snapped on his right wrist. Tristan howled in anger, he pulled the chains out of the warriors’ clasps and knocked one out, swinging the chains, using them as weapons as he inched away.