Journey with Joe (Middlemarch Capture Book 5)

by Shelley Munro

  “Nothing else to say?”

  The wretched man was taunting her. “And yer sister?”

  “Scarlett is working at our resort. In her spare time, she scours the countryside for materials to make her jewelry. I didn’t ask her to come with me. Farming is not her thing.”

  “Where do ye hail from?”

  “We live on Ione Island, but originally come from a planet called Earth. Our family and friends left when a virus decimated our people.”

  Mungo listened in fascination. She’d never left the Highlands, and although they entertained other clans and wandering travelers, she seldom spoke with them. Everything she learned came from her family, the servants and the clan folk as secondhand.

  “Why did ye decide to live on Tiraq?”

  “Saber, my oldest brother won a dilapidated resort on Ione Island in a card game.”

  “Ye live at this place?” She’d heard rumors of savages who captured unwary travelers and cooked them in large pots over an open fire. When she was younger, Adair had told her the savages enjoyed listening to their screams. She’d suffered nightmares for weeks.

  “It’s not so bad at the resort,” Joe said. “Different, but at least our family and friends are safe. We’re adapting to the challenges.”

  “What is a resort?”

  “Ah! Liam and Kelvin told me the mainland is less progressive.”

  The insult stung, but with her lack of experience, she had no argument. The clans warred amongst themselves in the Highlands, and she kenned little of the lands and people farther east.

  “Sorry, I didn’t mean to offend you,” Joe said. “What I meant was we have lots of visitors from other planets at the resort.”

  “Explain the resort,” she ordered.

  “Yes, thief,” he said, laughter in his words.

  Mungo bit her lip. He’d relaxed her with his conversation, and she’d spoken without thought. “Forgive me.” She was lucky he hadnae cuffed her over the head. Her father and brothers struck her if she spoke out of turn.

  “You remind me of my sister. Scarlett bears the bossy gene.”

  Mungo’s breath eased out in surprise. She hadnae angered him.

  “The resort caters to single women,” Joe said. “We aim to fulfill a woman’s fantasies. They relax by the pool, dance, get a massage, flirt with the staff, play in the holo rooms and a select number of women receive a special fantasy.”

  The concept sat beyond her imagination. Every woman of the Caimbeulach clan worked hard. They cooked and washed clothes and tended the children. Collected herbs and butchered chickens and spun fleece to make fabric. While they socialized, it wasnae in the way Joe explained.

  The silence grew while Mungo pondered the foreign world. She became acutely aware of their proximity, the way her bottom almost rested on his lap. The way his brawny arms wrapped around her torso, and she pressed against his chest.

  “Do you want to ask about the special fantasies?”

  “Aye!” Anything to distract her from this man—the enemy who held her captive. “Aye, tell me about them.”

  “I’m glad you asked, thief, because you are at the start of your very own special fantasy, and it is my privilege to go on the journey with you.”

  Mungo’s mouth dropped open, and desperate to see his expression, she turned her head. She glimpsed bright green eyes full of heat, his strong features put together to make a striking face, one that made her heart beat faster.

  “What d-do ye m-mean?” Breathless. She wanted to demand answers yet her mind refused to function in concert with her mouth.

  “I’ve captured you. You belong to me.”

  “Nay!” The man was crazy. Deluded. Her family would come for her. They’d seize her coos too because that was what her clan did.

  “Yes, thief,” he said with utter male confidence.

  “I’m not a thief,” she spat, stung by the label. She was retrieving her property. She pushed aside the uncomfortable truth. Her brother had accepted coin for her coos. She was the wronged party here.

  “My brothers captured their mates,” Joe said, breaking the silence. “Saber. Felix. Leo.” Joe laughed, his amusement warm. “Sly, my twin, did everything arse backward since a princess captured him, but he ended up finding Cinnabar. Now I’ve claimed you.”

  “I’m not yer property,” Mungo spat. Yet, wasnae she? Her father treated her like a piece of wooden furniture. Her brothers ordered her around, regarding her no higher than the servants. But not Reilynn. Her stepmother treasured her. That she kenned.

  Joe squeezed her a fraction. “No, you’re more than property, my little thief. I’ll get them,” he shouted without warning. “Hold on.”

  He urged the steed to the right. Mungo let out a startled eep, and Joe’s grip tightened as he chased down two of her coos.

  “Don’t hurt them,” Mungo said.

  “Huh! Huh!” Joe used his voice to shunt the breakaway coos back to the herd. “I have no intention of hurting them. Each animal is valuable. They’re the basis of our future herd. Sly and I would never beat our animals.”

  His sincerity and puzzlement rang out, and Mungo relaxed her taut muscles. She’d seen her father beat creatures who fought his bidding. Her brothers and others in the clan followed her father’s example. Mungo sighed, confused by her inner turmoil. Shock reverberated through her at the way Joe had handled the situation with his voice instead of his fists. Curiosity. Fascination.

  They continued to push the coos through valleys and streams, across open land and through forests. Gradually, the landscape changed and the temperatures rose.

  Joe called a halt, marks later, when they reached a grassy plateau. Mungo studied the horizon and the jade-green water that stretched into the distance as far as she could see.

  “That’s the sea between the mainland and Ione Island,” Joe explained.

  “How will ye get the coos over the water?”

  “We intend to walk them across the causeway visible at low tide and swim them for a bit if necessary.”

  “Nay!” she protested, her gaze going to the endless green. She’d never witnessed such an immense area of water. Not even the largest loch in the Highlands rivaled this green sea. “They’ll die.”

  Joe dismounted and reached up to lift her from the steed. The animal who behaved in the peaceful manner of a gentle creature with nary a dangerous bone in her body. She’d doubt the rumors if she hadn’t seen her oldest brother trying to ride one. He still bore the scars on his back from where the steed had attempted to pound him into the earth.

  “It’s kindhearted of you to care so much about my cattle,” Joe said.

  “Nay,” she snapped, whirling from the view to glare at the cat-man. “I saved to purchase these coos when they were calves and the farmers thought them to die. I nurtured them until they grew strong. These are my coos.”

  “I purchased them from your brother,” Joe countered. “You wandered into our camp, and I’m keeping you too, my wee thief. My word is final.”

  Mungo’s pulse beat at the rapid pace that so disconcerted her, but she didn’t break their gaze.

  “Joe.” One of his men—Sam, she recalled from the introductions—approached. “I thought I might run in feline form and hunt for the owl. Will you carry my pack and mind Roly?” He indicated the pink bird that rode snugged to his naked chest in a sling.

  “Mungo will take care of Roly.” Joe accepted the pack and tied it to the steed’s back. Then, he took the owl in gentle hands. It squawked, and Joe rubbed its head with careful fingers.

  Mungo squinted against the glare. These cat-men treated animals with respect. Mayhap because they bore an animal side themselves. She melted inside at his deft handling of the bird and his gentleness.

  “Will you take Roly for Sam?”

  “I…” She hesitated. She couldnae escape if she carried the owl.

  “Thank you,” Joe said, although she noted the laughter in his green, green eyes.

  Such pretty e
yes. She blinked, aghast at her wayward thoughts. This man had abducted her.

  “I’ll pay you in kisses.”

  “What?” Her gaze zeroed in on his mouth. Aghast, she focused on the soft down on the owl’s head. “Nay, I want no kisses.”

  “Hmm,” Joe said. “I think there will be kisses and much, much more. I’m persuasive when I need to be.” And before she could blink again, he brushed his lips against hers. She froze. Joe stepped back and closed one eye in an audacious wink.

  Sam chuckled as he whipped off his boots and trews and stuffed both into a tight wad. “These too,” he said, humor digging into a face that was thinner. A tiny dent appeared either side of his mouth each time he smiled or laughed.

  Mungo’s eyes rounded as the cat-man transformed. The change was quick, but the cracking noises turned her stomach.

  “Mungo,” Joe snapped. “Eyes to me.”

  “He’s pretty,” she said.

  “I’m prettier.” Joe approached again, and she backed up, wary at his expression. Had she been wrong? Would he strike her?

  “I will not beat you, my wee thief. I wish to tie the sling around your neck to make you and Roly comfortable.”

  Interested despite herself, she angled her body to allow him to situate the owl. “What is wrong with him?”

  “He has a broken wing. We think he fell from the nest.”

  “And ye’ve fixed the wing?” She stroked the fuzz on the owl’s head and his lids slipped down as he dozed.

  “Sam did. He was training to be a vet when we left Earth.”

  “What is a vet?”

  “An animal healer,” Joe explained. “I intend to walk and rest the steed. You can walk too, if you wish, but don’t think about escape. I will find you.” His gaze drilled into her, his intent obvious.

  “Understood,” she said, turning her attention from him. She’d noted their route. ’Twas a simple matter to backtrack to her clan. She’d give the cat-men a chance to relax their guard before she made her escape. Adair would come this eve for the coos. If she hadn’t eluded these strangers by then, her brother and his friends would free her.

  Her heart skipped a beat.

  A punishment lay in her future once Adair grabbed her. She only hoped the beating wouldnae leave scars.

  5 – Pleased With His Prize

  Joe divided his attention between the herd and his mate. Sam rode the steed today, leaving Joe and Mungo to trail behind and hustle along the stragglers. Not for the first time, his grin widened until his cheeks ached. The news would thrill Ma. Saber too, since that left his brother only Scarlett to worry about settling. Once his brothers had found their mates, he’d wondered if he’d follow in the same path. He and Sly had discussed their potential mates many times—pondered their appearance and characters. Sly’s mate possessed red hair the same as Mungo’s but that was the sole trait the two women had in common. Cinnabar, his twin’s mate, was shy and kept to the background, although she seemed more at ease these days.

  Mungo…

  Joe shook his head as he considered the woman. She was a tomboy and her masculine name suited her perfectly. A brave and courageous woman, she reminded him of his sister and Felix’s kick-butt ex-military mate. Mungo was knowledgeable about cows and his new herd in particular, which made her perfect for him.

  Joe’s grin dug deep again as his gaze sought his mate. He ached to touch her and press his lips to hers again. He wanted to learn everything about her. The life-changing things. The small things that were important to only a lover. His mind drifted to their kiss. Her lips had puckered like an innocent, a truth that pleased him. Aware of the double standards, since he’d never lacked for a woman on his arm, he laughed.

  In a blink, everything had changed. The lingering disappointment of abandoning their land on Earth faded, replaced by bright, new possibilities.

  “I need to take a break,” Mungo stated in a loud voice. Her tone suggested she’d spoken to him once or twice already but failed to dent his happy daydreams.

  “No problem,” Joe said. “We can sit.”

  “Nay, I must relieve myself,” Mungo blurted.

  “Ah, you need a tree.”

  “Aye.”

  “Why don’t you use those trees?” Joe pointed to a cluster of hip-high shrubs with large reddish-pink leaves.

  “Are ye trying to be funny?”

  Her irate tone snared his close attention. “Why?”

  “Those shrubs have lethal thorns. Have ye never seen them before? The thorns drop off as the tree matures and can pierce boots or rip arms and legs. Clot-heid.”

  Joe snorted at her disdain, humor bubbling in his chest. He was fairly certain she’d insulted him and the entire male sex. “Why don’t you choose a spot, and I’ll wait for you here.”

  Mungo muttered under her breath, shot him a glare and stomped behind a black tree trunk. The baby-pink leaf litter crunched under her boots, keeping Joe apprised of her location. Joe drifted after the herd, giving her privacy.

  A chance for her to escape, but running wouldn’t get her far. He had her scent writhing through his lungs. He had the curve of her face memorized. He had the taste of her on his lips.

  She belonged to him even if she hadn’t realized it yet.

  Some of his brother’s mates had initially been unwilling until his brothers had beguiled them to their way of thinking. Seduction. Already foremost in his mind, but he wanted to exercise patience. Yes, he’d wait to let her become comfortable with him, which meant he needed to exert his Mitchell charm.

  Done. Dusted. Score.

  * * * * *

  Reilynn directed the servants shifting the heavy rimu furniture in the great hall. “Take it to the solar. We’ll polish the tables when we move them back into position.”

  Under her guidance, every portal and window lay open to the fresh air. Another group of women swept the floor, and once they’d completed that task, they’d mop the large flagstones. She wanted the great hall to sparkle for the upcoming celebration.

  Shouts from outside, followed by the creak of the main gates opening told her of an arrival. Guests or Aengus? She lifted her skirts and hastened outside, sidestepping to avoid a cloud of dust caused by the enthusiastic sweeping.

  She scanned the group of men striding through the keep entrance and her heart beat faster once she spied Aengus.

  “Aengus!” Reilynn ran to him, and he caught her in his strong arms. Seconds later they were kissing and her pulse raced. She’d missed him, especially at night in her bed. A secret smile slid across her lips. She couldnae wait to speak with her husband in private. “I have news,” she blurted.

  “Oh?” Aengus cupped her backside for an instant, pressing her close enough for her to experience his hardness.

  “Come inside. I’ll organize a meal for the men. We’ll eat in private in yer chamber. I’ll have the servants heat water for yer bath.”

  “Thank ye, lass. ’Tis much appreciated.” He winked at her. “Will ye be scrubbing my back for me?”

  Heat rushed through her. She kenned he dinnae love her, but he liked and respected her. He desired her, and that was more than most women received in their marriage. She coughed to clear the emotion from her throat. “Aye.”

  “Tell Mungo I wish to speak to her. Where is she?”

  Reilynn frowned. “I havenae seen her since last evening. She dinnae take them selling her coos well and this morn, she is sulking in her chamber.”

  “Send a maid to fetch her.”

  Reilynn froze for an instant. “I shall go myself. Could ye wait until ye’ve eaten and cleaned the dust from yer body?”

  Aengus thrust a hand through his long black hair and yawned. “Aye. It can wait.”

  “Mayhap, I’ll trim yer beard for ye.”

  Aengus nodded. “I purchased supplies on the way home. Extra grain and a wagonload of food stores. Could be a surprise or two for ye as well.”

  “Me?”

  “Aye, lass.” He placed his hand on the
small of her back and urged her toward the spiral staircase that led to his chamber.

  Aengus’s agreeable mood was contagious, and Reilynn noted her two older sons wore infectious grins as they spoke to their younger brother. Curiosity joined the blaze of excitement warming her heart. She paused to give orders to two different servants.

  “Ye go ahead, Aengus. I shall be with ye verra soon.”

  Reilynn climbed the spiral staircase to Mungo’s chamber. She frowned at the plate of cold porridge sitting outside the locked door. Squaring her shoulders, she tugged on the lock and opened the door.

  “Mungo,” she said in a firm voice.

  Her footsteps slowed, and she planted her hands on her hips. She should’ve guessed the lass’s reaction to the sale of her coos. Sly minx. She’d escaped her chamber and the keep right under their noses.

  Blast the stubborn lass.

  She was spoiling everything.

  Reilynn stomped back down the stairs and burst into Aengus’s chamber. Her husband started, then recovered on recognizing her. The fragrance of spices drifted on the air, warmed by the heat of the water.

  “I am expecting another child,” Reilynn said. Not what she’d intended to say at all, but the news of Mungo’s absence would take precedence.

  A grin formed on Aengus’s mouth and he advanced on her, pride and lust blazing across his expression. “Reilynn.” Tenderness filled him as he gathered her in his arms. “Ye are well?”

  “I am. There is something else, Aengus. I told Mungo ye wished to see her. When she dinnae reply, I unlocked her chamber door. She isnae there. I dinnae ken where she is but I expect she has gone after her coos.”

  Aengus spat out a curse that curdled her blood. “I must find her. The wedding will take place in seven cycles. By the gods, I shall wring her neck when I catch her.”

  Reilynn ground her molars together, frustration a heavy weight on her chest. “Ye will go after Mungo.”

  “Aye. Yer idea of wedding her to the Grantlach was ingenious. As ye suspected, the Grantlach wishes for a young lass to bear him many children. I dinnae ask much of the lass, and she will not make me renege on my promise.”