Through the years, whenever his thoughts or intent swayed from the course of conquest on which his father had set him, he would stare at the tapestry until his soul remembered who he was. No, he did not think he rode down from a cloud as a fully grown man, not when he remembered the pain of watching his mother draw her last breath at Bàs’s birth. So, who was he to God?

God, guide me to keep our clan strong. The prayer felt unfamiliar and stilted. Since his mother had died, he rarely prayed.

His mind stopped taking in the colors and textures of the tapestry, turning inward again to the angles of Ella’s jaw and cheekbones, and the soft fullness of her arse. The little sounds she had made while they kissed were a cross between the soft purr of a kitten and heavy breathing of a lass who was growing close to finding her pleasure. Her reaction was certainly powerful enough to break his discipline.

He rubbed a hand down his jack, but it had interests other than staying down, mainly the lush woman who stood in the middle of all his strategies, like a boulder on the chessboard that stopped his advance. He’d avoided her since the kiss three days ago, trying to regain control of his thoughts.

“She is to be my wife,” he murmured. And a wife should not affect his plans to strengthen his clan. But blast it, Ella Sutherland did affect him with each frown and smile he won from her. She had a power over him, one which he must consider in this game. Daingead!

He turned at the sound of footsteps, but it was only his aunt carrying a basket of baked offerings to take outside where the festival was being set up.

“With your father gone, ye will be in charge of the Fire Festival tonight,” Merida said.

Cain walked with her to hold the doors. “Aye. I have Bàs reminding the warriors and villagers about the leading of the animals around the flames. Joshua and his men are stacking peat and wood to make three huge bonfires.”

Merida shook her head, her white hair swirling around it. “That man loves fire.”

Cain stood in the open doorway. Would Ella come down for the festival? They must also celebrate Midsummer at Dunrobin with games, blessings, and treats. But did their celebration veer toward the carnal side once the sun went down and the children put to bed? Just the thought of her dancing with wild abandon around the fire made his jack twitch.

“Is something amiss?” Merida asked, studying him in the light from the open door.

If she could read his tangled thoughts, she’d realize there was a chink in the armor he kept around his strategy to take over northern Scotland. He forced his frown to relax. “All is going according to my plan.”