Page 54 of Taming the Highland Beauty

With a flick of her wrist, the golden stones scattered on the beach rolled uphill and reassembled the wall. The Fairy Flag then shimmered and glowed. “The MacLeods may use the flag’s magic once more, but this time, no one will need to pass into Fairyland. The flagbearer will be safe.”

Alastair’s face lit up. He bowed to the fairy queen. “Thank you for your generosity, Titania.”

“Your gratitude is appreciated,” she said. “By preserving fairy lore, you ensure the fairies’ magic endures. Belief in our existence is vital to our power.”

Alastair nodded solemnly. “The MacLeods will dedicate themselves to preserving fairy lore on Skye and beyond.”

As her men escorted Oberon away, Titania looked upon the MacLeods. “I will miss watching all of you.” She turned to Callum. “Especially you and Gille,” she said with a wink, then turned to go.

“Wait,” Callum cried out. “You must change Gille back. If you care for her then you cannot leave her like this.”

Titania stepped into the portal, and as she started to disappear, she said, “You need no other magic than love to set her free.”

What did she mean? He did love her and that hadn’t been enough. Callum’s throat tightened as he turned to Alastair. “The Fairy Flag. Please let us use its newly restored magic to reverse Gille’s curse.”

“That will not be necessary,” Alastair said, motioning for Callum to turn around.

Callum turned, his heart in his throat at the sight unfolding before him. Bathed in the golden light of sunrise, the branches of the beech tree softened, its leaves transforming into shimmering strands of hair, devoid of her previous white streak. The bark peeled away, revealing the smooth, delicate skin of a woman until Gille emerged. He had thought her beautiful in the past, but now she was transformed as nature endowed her with more grace and elegance than before. And the leaves that had once been her hair now adorned her head like a crown, a symbol of her resilience and strength.

Callum approached her, his eyes wide with wonder. His heart filled with a love so profound it seemed to transcend words. “Gille,” he whispered, his voice trembling with emotion.

Gille lifted her face to his and her magnificent green eyes filled with tears. “We did it. We broke the curse.”

Callum took a step closer, his hand trailed along the curve of her cheek. She leaned into his touch and looked up at him then. Gratitude brightened her eyes, bathed him in an unfamiliar light. His chest tightened. Images of their time together tumbled through his brain. He saw her bathed in sunlight as they searched the forest, wreathed in moonlight as they celebrated Beltane Eve. He saw her lying against the coverlet of his bed with desire in her eyes, waiting for him to pull her into his arms, wrap her in his warmth, and reveal the greatest mystery of life to her.

An emotion both intense and primal surged inside him. It was an emotion he had never expected to feel after all those long, lonely days tending the castle while his brothers were away. He let the emotion form, swirl inside him, warm him in places that had dulled to anything other than survival. It burst from him on a breath and seemed to fill the very air around him. “I love you,” Callum said, his voice firm and unwavering.

“And I love you,” he heard her say over the thunder of his heart. She blinked back tears. “I had never thought I would hear those words from you.”

His lips came down, claiming a kiss that was both urgent and gentle. When he pulled back, he smiled down at her. “I might not have said the words, but tell me you felt them in my touch, read them in my eyes, heard them in my voice.”

She returned his smile. “Every day since we first met.”

He brushed his lips across her brow and smoothed her hair back from her cheeks. “If I have not said the words enough, then I promise you will hear them every day. I love you, Gille. Always and forever. I cannot image another sunrise without you at my side.”

“I can think of no place I would rather be,” she replied, her voice filled with warmth.

And as if in response to their newly made commitment, the charred, skeletal remains of the trees regenerated until the woodlands were once again the lush and vibrant landscape they had been before the fire.

With a sense of wonder, Gille and Callum watched the sun continue to rise. Pink and golden light flared, sending the warming rays of the sun over them. Callum pulled Gille against his chest as they looked out over Loch Dunvegan. The water, still and calm, mirrored the colours of the sky, shimmering like liquid fire.

“This sunrise was almost stolen from us,” Gille said with no hint of dismay, only a newfound hope in her voice.

“It is a gift. This new day and all those to follow.” Callum held her close, never wanting to fear he would lose her again.

“Perhaps we should make a habit of this, coming out every morning and watching the sun rise, to remind us of what almost slipped through our fingers.”

Callum agreed, his heart filled with a sense of peace and contentment. As they watched the sun climb higher in the sky, they knew that their love was stronger than any challenge that might come their way.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Callum and Gille paused their journey through the forest near Dunvegan. Callum dismounted, then assisted Gille, and together they ventured into the heart of the forest, where Gille had made her home before that.

Earlier that morning, the couple had exchanged marriage vows amidst their loving family. It was a day Gille had dreamed of during her isolation in the forest, filled with acceptance and affection.

Tomorrow, Gille and Callum would sail on the Cliodna with Marcus, Rowena, and their young son for a honeymoon adventure. Callum’s sister and brother-in-law had promised to share breathtaking sunrises with them.

While Gille was eager to explore new horizons with her husband, she knew that no sunrise, no matter where they travelled, could ever surpass the magical sunrises they had already experienced together at Dunvegan.