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been the dark color of hair the older man was reputed to have when he was younger.
    Caelis finally released her.
    She refused to acknowledge the abandonment that washed over her, but in that moment she felt more vulnerable than she had since leaving Scotland pregnant by a man who had categorically rejected her.
    Audrey stepped forward to slide her arm around Shona’s waist. “All will be well, dear friend.”
    Shona simply shook her head. How could it possibly? The greatest fear she had not even prepared herself to feel now stared her in the face with the ferocity of a ravening beast.
    In her desperation to save her son’s life, Shona now risked losing him to the father who had denied even the chance of his conception.
    The same man who even now dropped to one knee in front of
their
son. “No one will be angry at you for the truth, do you
ken
me, Eadan?”
    The boy nodded.
    “You said
real
father. Why is that?”
    “
You
know,” Eadan said in a fierce whisper they all heard.
    Cold chills washed over Shona as her breath turned shallow. Her son knew Caelis was his father? How could he?
    It was impossible. Not only untenable to believe her son knew Henry had not been his father, but that Eadan would have somehow divined that Caelis
was
, thoroughly flummoxed her.
    “Aye. I do know,” Caelis said, exhibiting none of the disbelief plaguing Shona, wonder and warm affectionshining in his blue eyes. “And my heart rejoices in this knowledge, but I am needing you to tell me how you came to know of it.”
    “Oh. Do you like me, then? You think I’m a fine Scottish laddie?”
    The broken sound that came out of Shona made Caelis tense, but he did not turn away from their son. “I do,” he promised with absolute solemnity.
    “You want a little boy. In the dreams you cry for me, wishing I was with you.”
    “Dreams?”
    “The real dreams. The ones that come true.”
    “Do you have other
real
dreams?” Caelis asked.
    Eadan looked to Shona, asking for permission to speak.
    She nodded her head. She knew about the real dreams. Or thought she did, but he’d only ever told her about two. And Shona had always wondered if the dreams had been more wishful thinking and imagination on her son’s part than anything else.
    She’d always considered his dream about her daughter and the pond fortuitous, not prophetic.
    Clearly her son had not shared all with her. Mayhap her initial disbelief had shown through and that was why?
    “I dreamed my lord would die and he did. I dreamed Marjory would fall into the pond and hit her head. Mum saved her from drownded.”
    “Drown
ing
,” Shona automatically corrected.
    Eadan nodded and repeated obediently, “Drowning.”
    “Oh, Heavens, he’s another Ciara. Did you know Caelis was of the royal blood?” Abigail demanded of her husband.
    He didn’t reply, but with a furtive glance at Shona, Abigail subsided just as if he had.
    Shona had no idea who Ciara was, or what Abigail meant by Caelis being of royal blood. Any other time, she would have demanded answers, insisted on understanding, but she was barely able to maintain her composure as it was.
    Exhaustion beat at her more relentlessly than her husband had ever done, mention of her son’s “gifts” bringing additional worry Shona simply could not take in at the moment.
    “I did dream of you,” Eadan said to Caelis. “Lots. ’Specially since we left the barony. I knew we’d meet you here.”
    Shona gasped. That was a bit of information she would have liked to be privy to. Though would she have believed her son, or thought him guilty of wishful thinking again? This time with an uncanny similarity between reality and his dreams?
    “I am very pleased you dreamed of me,” Caelis told their son. “I am even more pleased you have come to the Highlands so we can be a family again.”
    Shona’s knees would have buckled if Audrey had not held her up. Shona had her own dreams, but they had
not
been prophetic and she’d known without