Book 2 Chapter 3
Welcome To Black Wolf castle
"Welcome to Black Wolf Castle my home."
She could feel the blood drain from her face when she saw him. How could she not stare at him, he was very gorgeous.
He had a smile that made her heart skip a beat. His eyes looked into hers yet again as if they were looking into her soul. She felt that same chill run up her spine like the other night when he and she meet in the glade.
"Well, hello you two again, I am glad to have you in my home."
He walked to Tony and shook his, then turned and walked to Ari whom was still just staring him like she was in some sort of trance.
"Good day to you Ari, I hope you are feeling better then the other night when we met.
Ari did not say anything for a few moments as she was just looking at him still.
"Huh? Oh yeah I am feeling great thanks. I want to thank you again for all your help."
"It was my pleasure Arianna. What kind of man would I be if I let you come to some harm and not step in and, shall I say save the damsel in distress?" He smiled with a wickedly seductive smile, which made her knees weak, but she managed to keep standing.
"This house has been in my family since the old days, more then 500 years now. Many of the Mc Cloud family's descendants have lived here in this house for as long as I can remember being told by my mother and father. I hear you are interested in the history of my home."
"Well, I uh well this is going to sound utterly strange but I have. Please don't think I am insane but, I have been dreaming about this place all my life, ever since I can remember. This house and Scotland."
"Really, how odd. I do not think you are insane so your worries can be quieted. Would you like a tour of the house and the grounds?"
"Yes, that would be great thank you." She said to him still not having looked away from him.
Gavina looked at Duncan and Ari and smiled to her self, she reached out for Tony's hand and took him off in the other direction, while Drew chuckled and walked off to go do some things in another part of the house.
Having not really noticed her brother and the others moving off she was taken by the hand and lead into the main room of the house.
"This is the gathering room; it's where we all gather when we have get togethers like parties and such. Many wedding receptions have been held here over the years."
"Yours?" she asked him softly.
"Mine?" he chuckled. "No I am not married yet. But my mother and father were married on the grounds here and I was born here as well."
She smiled and turned around and started walking off looking around at things as he told her the history of the house and the land it sat on. They must have spent hours together talking about the house and all that had gone on there over 500 years. By the time, they stopped walking they were in the rose garden. They both looked at each other and smiled.
"Thank you so very much for the tour I enjoyed it immensely. I can't tell you how much this means to me. I have not been able to think of much else since I got here."
He nodded and smiled at here then reached out and moved a strand of dark red hair out of her sparkling eyes the eyes that held the image of his past and her own. She might not yet remember it but soon he hoped it would come to her. He hoped with all his being.
She shyly moved away from him, though she really wanted to loose her self in his eyes that just captivated her immensely. She moved down the narrow hallway between the great-room and seemed to be a study. On the walls on both sides of the hallway were hundreds of family portraits and memorabilia that he must have inherited over the years. There were so many strange images from her dreams. Faces she saw now in the paintings before her. She thought now for sure she was or had gone crazy.
She turned to Duncan and then pointed to the paintings.
"Who are these people?" She looked at him and the next words stuck in her throat cause she knew or at least thought he was going to think she was out of her fucken mind.
"These are the Mc Clouds my ancestors, they are from the first Mc Cloud till my self. He took her gently by the arm, walked to the end of the hallway, and began telling her the Family History. He talked to her about the family for what seemed like forever till they stopped at one picture. Ari about fainted when she saw the woman in the picture. There staring back at her was a woman who looked almost just like her; the only difference was the hair color. The woman in the painting had the darkest brown silken hair she had ever seen and doe like eyes to match.
"This is Castalena Revali, married to my name sake Duncan Mc Cloud. They were." Before he could finish she finished for him.
"Childhood sweethearts, they were meant to marry each other from childhood." Her tones were as if she was far off in thought.
"She died something tragic. She died saving someone she loved."
Duncan felt his heart stop at her words. It was true his beloved Bella died saving him from being shot by Henry. She held on to life for a week after being shot but the injury had been to much for her body to heal and she passed early in the morning about sunrise. Duncan fought back the pain and the tears as he heard Ari speak of his beloved wife and mate.
Air turned to him with that far off look in her eyes and cocked her head slightly to one side her hand wanted to reach out and touch his face but something held her back.
"It is said that he died the day she did. He was so in love with her his heart could not go on. It is said he lived out his life in a small cabin not far from here. Never talking to any one ever,
seems to me a true enough love has never been." He turned and pushed the door open to the Study. The suns rays lit up the dark wooded room and it shown with a deep rich rustic color that made Air marvel at the site, the woodwork was very old but seemed to be in pristine condition. Duncan told her the whole history of the house and answered any questions she had.
When they were done it was some time after 2 pm and he invited them all to join him and Drew for an elegant dinner party they were having the next night. He also offered Ari and her brother and open door invite to his home any time day or night. Ari smiled and thanked him for all his kindness. She called out for Tony but he was not answering, she was sure he was out having well his fun time with Gavina.
She decided to walk to the house; she wanted to be alone to think about everything that happened today.
Things sure were not what she thought they would be. For sure she thought that this was going to just turn out to be some crazy trip and that none of this really existed. Nevertheless, god it was real and she saw it and touched it. She had no idea what she was going to do now. But, well she would try and make some sense out of it all.
She must have walked for hours but not back to Gavi's house, she soon found her self out by the loch. She had been drawn there unknowingly; she found a place to sit down, rocks over looking the loch and a huge tree. For some reason she felt as she had been there before but, that can't have been she had never been to Scotland before this trip. Why was it all so real yet no foggy in her mind? She wrapped her arms around her and sighed softly watching the peace of nature pass her by slowly.
Soon she found her mind drifting away to some other time, like a dream but she was awake least she thought she was. She sat there watching a man chase a woman around the tree below her. She watched them frolic, soon the two were swept up into some lust driven embrace. Ari found her self watching unable to turn away as if watching it all through some one else eyes.
The scene unfolded like it had in the past, her past she just didn't know it. All these things were coming at her left and right, one thing after another and she was not sure now what was real and what wasn't. Was she really loosing her mind?
Duncan looked out over the rose garden and took a deep breath, he could smell her scent in the air, it was heavenly. Long had he missed that soft warm smell of her on the air, long had it been since he looked into her eyes and saw her love for him, every night had he prayed she would come back, and now several hundred years past and now she had found her way back, back to him.
