Mate?
1163 Words
When Liam arrived in the great hall, he noticed that the guard had deposited the woman in one of the chairs that sat in front of the large fireplace. Fiona was standing at the arm of the chair handing the woman a cup with steam coming from it. Liam assumed it was some sort of tea.
Liam kept his distance from the woman. Rowan stood in front of her with his arms crossed over his chest. He peered down at her as she took a drink. "Ye said that you were traveling. Where is it you were headed?" Rowan asked the woman.
"I was headed to my uncle's estate. It is to the East." The woman said as she sat the cup in her lap. Liam could see her hands shaking from the other side of the great hall. She was visibly upset from the ordeal. Liam looked to Rowan once more. He was curious about what his brother was thinking.
"What is yer uncle's name?" Rowan finally asked.
"Kai Fitzpatrick. He lives on the outskirts of Clan Fraser." Clan Fraser was a small clan that sat a day's ride to the east of Douglas Castle. The Frasers and the Douglas Clans did not see eye to eye much, so they kept their distance from one another. Rowan, hearing what clan her uncle was a part of, made him draw his brows together.
"What clan do ye come from?" Rowan asked the woman. She obviously did not come from Clan Fraser.
"Clan Sinclair. Both of my parents were killed in a terrible fire. My uncle is the only family that I have left." The woman's voice quieted as her shoulders sagged forward and her gaze dropped from Rowan.
"My condolences on yer losses," Rowan said. Liam could tell that Rowan was still not convinced of the woman's story. Liam could not understand why he was so focused on this woman. Fiona walked over to Rowan and put her hand on his arm. She said something to him in a hushed tone. Rowan nodded once. "My Luna has had a room made up for ye. If ye would like to go and get herself righted." The woman thanked Rowan and stood slowly. Fiona was about to walk the woman to her room. Liam stepped in front of the two.
"I will see her to the room. Ye should be off yer feet." Liam said. Fiona nodded her head. Grateful that she did not have to go up the main staircase. Liam looked over Fiona and back at his brother, who nodded in agreement.
Liam held out his arm to the woman. When her small hand came to rest on his tanned skin, he felt what could only be described as pins and needles. It almost made him drop his arm. He did not want to offend the woman, however. Instead, he held his arm closer to his body all the way up the stairs and to the first guest room down the hall.
"Thank ye." The woman said as she put her hand on the door knob.
When the woman was almost through the doorway, Liam blurted out, "My name is Liam Douglas. The Alpha, Rowan, is my twin." The woman stopped and turned around. Once again, her beauty had Liam frozen in place.
"Ye donna look much alike to be twins," she commented. Liam smiled.
"Aye. But we are. I am sorry but I must have missed yer name." Liam assumed that must have been addressed when the guard had helped her to the great hall.
"Maisie. Maisie Gibson." The woman said, returning Liam's smile before she closed the door. As the door closed he got the strangest scent of Scottish Bluebells. Liam stood for a moment longer outside of her room. He shook his head slightly. It was most unusual. He felt a pull towards this woman. As if he did not want to leave her side. That was absurd though, as he did not even know her. He had just found out her name.
Liam walked back to the great hall. He found Rowan in the same spot but was talking with Rory. Liam walked over to the two men. "It is strange. I sense that there is more she is not saying, but I cannae say how?" Rowan said as he rubbed his chin.
"I will have someone watch her from afar. If something is amiss she willnae be able to hide it for long, being in someone else's clan." Rory said. Liam felt himself begin to grow agitated as they talked about her. Once again, his emotions confused him. He was torn, the logical part of him knew that of course they would watch her to make sure that she did not mean the clan any ill harm, but there was another side of him that wanted to protect and defend her.
"Are ye alright, brother? Ye look bothered." Rowan asked Liam. He must have been wearing his emotions on his face. Liam cleared his throat.
"Do ye remember what mother and father told us when we were little? About how they met?" Liam and Rowan. Rowan slowly nodded his head.
"An Arranged marriage."
"Yes, but the other stuff. About fated mates." Liam said.
"Ah, aye. Although the only one to feel the pull was Uncle James and our own sister," Rowan said.
"Do ye recall the signs?" Liam asked Rowan. Rowan raised an eyebrow at the direction of the conversation. He nodded slowly.
"They said that there was a tingling feeling when they touched their mates, as well as a certain scent. Is there a reason ye are asking?" Rowan was beginning to draw to a conclusion but needed his brother to confirm.
"Scottish Bluebells. Did ye smell it on the woman?" Liam asked. Rowan could only shake his head no in answer. It would seem that his twin brother had found himself a fated mate. Great. Rowan sighed, he wished that his mother and father were not currently on a ship. Alana had bugged Hugh about finally going on an expedition now that Rowan and Fiona had taken over the clan. Rowan was not equipped to help Liam with a mate that he had a feeling was hiding something sinister.
"What do I do?" Liam asked. This was completely foreign to him. All he wanted to do was return to Maisie's room and talk with her. Possibly feel her soft skin upon his arm once more. His body was instantly intrigued by the idea of feeling her skin on his. He quickly cleared his throat and shifted to his other leg. He was unaccustomed to having his thoughts consumed by a woman.
"Why donnae ye let the woman rest first? We can discuss it with her later. She may not even ken the legends of fated mates," Rowan said. He was right. Liam would let her regain her wits. She has just been through a traumatic experience.
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