Warrior of the Isles by Debbie Mazzuca

Author:Debbie Mazzuca
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Kensington Publishing Corp.
Published: 2011-03-27T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 14

Syrena opened one eye then the other. Two little boys, their chins propped on their hands, lay on the big four-poster bed regarding her with interest. With one pair of eyes as blue as the sky in the Enchanted Isles, the other’s leaf green, it was easy to guess who their parents were.

“Good morning,” she croaked, reaching to prop the downfilled pillows behind her back and make sure Nuie was safely concealed beneath them. Stifling a yawn, she rubbed her gritty eyes. She’d be surprised if she’d managed a solid hour of sleep, tossing and turning when her attempts to reach Lan in her mind proved futile. But it was the images of Aidan from the night before, towering above her, his beautiful face a frightening caricature of itself as he chased her through her dreams. The ferocity of his anger suffocated her beneath a heavy blanket of fear and despair.

“Good morrow,” said the fair-haired boy with an impish grin. “Mama told us ye’re a princess from a far-off land come to visit.”

“I am, but you can call me Syrena. And who are you?”

“Jamie, I’m the biggest, and this is my brother Alex,” he said, jerking his thumb at the dark-haired boy who lay quietly beside him.

“We’re goin’ to protect you from the monster,” Alex whispered with a furtive glance over his shoulder.

Syrena bit back a smile, entranced by their sweet cherub faces. She hadn’t spent much time with the children of the Enchanted Isles of late, and she’d missed them. Their sweet scent, the innocent way they looked at the world, and their willingness to give their love even when it was not deserved. She thought back to her long-ago conversations with Lachlan and swallowed a lump in her throat. Not much older than these two, his childlike prattle and innocent giggles had been overshadowed by his underlying fear and sorrow.

“Thank you. Is it a very big monster?”

They both nodded. “Aye, verra big,” Jamie said. Puffing out his narrow chest, he tugged a wooden sword from beneath him and Alex did the same. “But we bested him the other day. If our da hadna come along, he’d no’ be botherin’ ye.”

She winced when the two of them began to bang their swords together in mock battle. Rising to their feet, they bounced up and down, giggling uproariously.

“Be careful now.” She managed to grab hold of Alex before he toppled to the floor. “Jamie, watch out!” she cried when he clutched the bed curtain for support, pulling it down on top of her. Tugging the swath of red velvet from her head, she looked up to see Aileanna standing at the foot of the bed, hands on her hips, lips pursed. Aileanna cleared her throat, loudly, and her sons landed with a whoosh on the bed, scrambling to hide their swords beneath the bedding.

Jamie’s sword poked her sharply in the leg and she stifled a groan.

Aileanna wiggled her fingers. “Give me your wee swords.”

“But, Mam . . .” Jamie whined.

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