The Betrayal Read Free Page A

hand to his arm. There wasn’t so much as a twinge. Nor could he feel blood or dressing or scar. His eyes snapped open and he looked around.
    “So, you’ve finally decided to come back to us.”
    With a rustle of skirts the goddess knelt beside him.
    He felt the jolt of recognition. “I remember you. You were on shore when I stepped from the loch. I don’t recall much after that.”
    Her laughter rang as clear as a bell. “That’s not surprising since you fell to the sand. I couldn’t rouse you, so I called for my family to help.”
    “Where am I?”
    “In our cottage.” She blushed. “In my bed. You’ve been asleep for three days.”
    “Three days?”
    “And three nights.” Full, perfect lips parted in a smile. “But Gram said we weren’t to worry, for your body craved the healing power of sleep.”
    “Gram?”
    “I live here in the Mystical Kingdom with my mother, my grandmother, and my younger sister, as well as some friends. Jeremy, a troll, and Bessie, who is like a dear old aunt. I have an older sister, as well, but she left home to be with her new husband.”
    He struggled to keep up. “And your name is…Kylia?”
    “You remember.”
    How could he forget? Never in his life had he seen such a perfect creature. “My arm…” He lifted it from the fur covering and was startled into silence. Had he only dreamed the attack by the dragon’s vicious claws?
    She gave another soft laugh that did strange things to his heart. “It took a great deal of chanting and conjuring to heal it. My older sister, Allegra, is the finest healer among us. But now that she’s gone, we must make do with our meager gifts.”
    “You…” He swallowed. “You chanted away my wound?”
    “It was still fresh enough that we could manage it. We had to use herbs and a great deal of meditation for some of the older scars.”
    “Older scars?” Beneath the covers he ran his hand over his chest and discovered that the long-familiar knots and twists of flesh were gone. His skin was now as smooth as a newborn babe’s. Shocked, he started to sit up and the fur covering slipped to his waist, revealing the fact that he was naked. Though he quickly recovered and tucked the fur around himself for modesty, he could see the color spreading on Kylia’s cheeks as she scrambled to her feet.
    “I’ll just fetch your plaid. Mum repaired it and washed the blood from it.”
    As she disappeared from sight, Grant lay back, feeling more than a little overwhelmed. Had he lost his senses? Or was this really happening to him?
    It didn’t seem possible that such a serious wound to his arm could heal within three days without leaving a mark. What was more, even older scars had disappeared, leaving his flesh without a blemish. He felt reborn. In truth, he couldn’t recall ever feeling this rested. He felt a wave of momentary discomfort when he thought about strange women examining his body for scars. Still, what mattered more was that every scar had been swept away with a few spells.
    He pressed an arm over his eyes and gave a long, deep sigh. Either he had gone completely mad, or the tales he’d heard for a lifetime were true and he was actually in the Mystical Kingdom, in the company of witches.
     
     
    Grant tossed the plaid over one shoulder, leaving his arms and torso bare in the manner of a Highlander. As he stepped from the cottage,he felt the warmth of the sun on his face and paused a moment to enjoy the view.
    A variety of women in gaily-colored gowns were involved in diverse activities. A woman with long, dark hair threaded with gray stood beside a fire, stirring something in a cauldron. But this was no witch’s brew. The wonderful scent wafting on the breeze had his mouth watering. To one side was a younger woman, working a loom. A hunched, older woman was seated at her feet, twisting the yarn, gathering it into a skein. And approaching from the loch was a little troll who had to be Jeremy, as well as a blue-eyed, golden-haired