“Cherub?” Kirk groped the sand then scrambled to his feet, his wakefulness hitting him the moment she’d left his side.
“I’m right here, my tempting bear.”
Eyes closed, he breathed deep and followed his nose toward her. “I can scent you.”
“And what do I smell like?”
“You smell like sweet honey right now.” He dropped to his knees in the water, clutched her waist and burrowed his nose into her belly. “It’s completely intoxicating. I didn’t mean to fall asleep. I was just so content and I’ve hardly gotten any rest of late. I’ve been too anxious as I awaited this night.”
“You didnae offend me, so say no more about it.” She buried her hands in his silky black locks as the surf splashed his pants and molded the black leather to his thighs. “You’re getting wet.”
“I care little about the water, only being close to you. My bear also wishes to meet you, actually he demands it.” He rose, gripped the hem of his billowy white tunic, hauled it over his head and pitched it toward her cloak on the beach. He kicked off his boots then extended one arm. His skin rippled with fur as dark and as silky as the hair on his head, there one moment then gone the next.
“If you need to shift then do so. I’d like naught more than to see your other half, even as furry as he is.”
“He might get a little possessive. He knows you’re ours.”
“There is naught you can do that will scare me, if that is your concern.”
“I’ll need to lose these pants so I can Change. Shredding my clothing is a pain in the butt and I prefer not to do it. Can you handle a little more nudity?”
“I believe I can.” She licked her lips and near panted at the thought of seeing him fully unclothed. Oh dear, she was far more than just wanton. She was downright greedy. She stepped closer, stroked across his broad shoulders gleaming in the moonlight then traced one finger down the center of his wide chest and along the dusting of hair narrowing between his impressively hard abs and disappearing below the waistband of his pants. Only minutes ago she’d touched him below and doing so had brought her such pleasure. She swept her finger along his trim waist, back and forth as her desire to touch more of him flooded her once again.
Kirk caught her hand in his, his lips lifting. “My elusive imp, should you touch me again as you did just before, then I won’t be held responsible for my actions. My cock is already trying to spear right through my pants for more of your exquisite attention.”
“Then shift.”
“As you wish.” He shoved his pants down his heavily muscled legs, stepped out of them and tossed them aside. Under the moon’s glow, he stood before her, so magnificently male and all hers.
Goodness, ’twas just as well he couldn’t see how desperately she wanted him. Living more than a thousand years without any true companionship wasn’t easy, and with him offering himself to her on a platter, the thought of leaving him was becoming more difficult by the minute. “Make the Change, Kirk.” Husky words, which barely made it past her lips.
“Don’t leave me while I’m in my other form.” He fumbled to find her, grasped her face between his hands and brought her mouth to his for a searing kiss before he backed up and in a burst of brilliant lights, shifted and dropped to all fours. A big bear, his pelt a stunning midnight-black, lumbered toward her. He rose up on his hind legs and roared, his growl demanding all stayed far away from this place.
She swished through the lapping waves onto the sand and as she moved, he stalked her. She halted, held out one hand and he stuck his muzzle into her palm and licked her. Giggling, she knelt. “Your bear is beautiful, Kirk.”
He rubbed the side of his body against her, almost knocking her over. She wrapped her arms around his neck to keep herself in place then stroked down his back and petted between his ears. When she stopped, he flopped down, rolled onto his back on the dry sand and exposed his belly.
“Do you wish for a tummy rub?”
One long rumble, which reverberated deep within his chest.
“That sounded like an aye to me.” Hands spread over his belly, she stroked and as she did, he closed his eyes and fairly purred. There was naught more stunning to see than his bear. She laid down beside him and snuggled against his side. This was one of the most magical nights she’d ever had, and with her mate allowing her to see both sides of him, it made it even more special. Although what kind of a mate was she when she wouldn’t even show him her true form?
“I’m sorry,” she murmured in his ear. “You deserve so much more than to be bound to me, a woman who remains from your sight when you’re fully prepared to show me all of you.”
He growled and in a bright array of lights, swiftly made the Change then loomed over her, his dark hair falling forward over his brow as he narrowed his gaze on her chin.
“Look higher.” She caught his face and directed his gaze to hers. “See, I hide from you. I’m sorry to cause you that pain.”
“It’s a pain I can bear, and you’re only doing so in an attempt to protect me. The moment I have your image in my mind, it’ll make our separation all the harder, whereas right now, I have only the knowledge you’ve shared. Blue eyes and blond hair. But I know exactly what counts, and that’s what’s on the inside and deep within your heart. You have such pure intentions and think only of others. You’re all I could ever desire in a mate.”
Tears misted her gaze and trickled free. She sniffed and he frowned.
“You’re not crying are you?”
“Nay.” She wiped the tears away but more rose and slid free.
“Damn it. You are. I can sense your lies.” He traced across her cheeks and growled again when he encountered the wetness. “Please, don’t cry. I never meant for my words to bring you any pain.”
“They are good tears.”
“No tears are good.” He shoved to his feet and lifted her to hers. “What can I do to bring those giggles back?”
“Mayhap ’tis what I can do for you instead that will lighten my mood. Clothe yourself and I’ll take you somewhere special.” She stuck her slippers on, swung her cape over her shoulders and tied it in place.
He donned his clothes, boots and weapons, and she tried desperately not to sneak a long look at his deliciously hard body while he did.
Once he was dressed, she stepped up to him, wrapped her arms around his waist and settled her cheek on his wide chest. “I’m about to take you for a look at my world, and when I do, you’ll experience a sense of weightlessness as we move through the sky. I’ll also extend my cloaking to cover you. I can do so with others when needed.”
“Wait.” He shook his head. “I just realized. You must have been the one who opened the portal that brought me and my brothers through into this time. Isla too.”
“I was. You never once thought it was me?” He’d said he’d heard the legend of the Fae Angel of Love.
“I didn’t put the two together until right now. I didn’t see you within the portal.”
“Aye, just as you cannae see me in this moment.”
“Right. The legend remains strong.” He nodded. “Will this experience be similar to that trip through the portal? There was a ton of wind swirling about and a whole lot of freefalling.”
“I’m sorry that occurred, but it willnae this time. When one holds onto me while traveling through a portal, there is only the enjoyment of the flight. There will be no need for a portal though right now, just a pleasant night drifting through the sky. You will soar as I will, as if on the wings of a bird.”
“Well, that sounds like the kind of ride I wouldn’t want to miss out on.”
“Then make sure you dinnae let go of me, otherwise there will most definitely be a whole lot of freefalling involved.”
“Letting go of you right now will be impossible, not now that I’ve finally found you.” He dipped his head, planted a kiss on her ear then groaned. “I was aiming for your mouth.”
“My mouth is here.” She lifted onto her toes and to
uched her lips to his. “Kiss me, Kirk, and we shall soar to the stars together.”
“Mmm, and I only wish in more ways than one.” He kissed her with a wild passion she couldn’t help but respond to, and slowly, she lifted them higher and dipped and dived through the air, as in control of her element as she could be when he continually sent her thoughts awry.
Aye, the mated bond was a precious thing, and she only wished she never had to lay hers with him aside. Her mate was her match in every way, a man she could so easily fall in love with.
She bobbed over the village and drew in a deep breath. Below, smoke curled from several of the thatch-roofed houses and wisped into the night sky. Children dashed about the cottages, barefoot as they played tag, their squeals reaching her and tugging at her heart. Around a fire pit in the center of the village, both young and old chatted. Her people would always need her, just as she’d always need them. She wasn’t just a time-walker but their princess. That she could never forget.
One night. She’d continue to enjoy this one night, cherish and hold it tight.
That she could do.
Chapter 2
High on the castle’s battlements, Nessa stood, her plaid wrapped around her as the dawn sun peeked over the ocean’s horizon. A radiant haze of red speared through the lightening blue sky and the twinkling stars above disappeared one by one until only one star remained. Eyes closed, she made a wish on it for Cherub—that the Fae Angel of Love who’d now been soul bound to another, just might find a way to make things work so she’d need never be alone again.
Aye, Cherub had said she couldn’t take a mate. She’s been gifted with the greatest of their fae skills, one that required every ounce of her time and intense dedication. Bringing soul bound mates together brought her great joy and she reveled in all she did. So too would Kirk. He was a man who’d stand by his mate and aid her in whatever way he could. He would protect and care for her, ensure her safety and that her dedication to her duty never faltered. Cherub needed Kirk just as much as Kirk needed her. If only her friend would open her mind to all the possibilities, then her joy in all she did would grow even stronger and deeper.
With her inner sight focused on Cherub, she sought aid on what she needed to do to convince her friend to take a chance on her newly discovered bond. Images swirled and she grasped ahold of them, only none were of Cherub but instead their enemy, Colin MacKenzie, the Chief of MacKenzie.
Colin MacKenzie stormed the darkened lower passageways of his castle, his captain at his side. The MacKenzie clenched his fists, his shaggy brown hair plaited into war braids and knotted together with a thick strip of leather at his nape. “I willnae be defeated, and certainly no’ by Gilleoin,” he muttered. “I want control of the waterways between us and the Isle of Skye and for that I need his Matheson lands on the tip of Loch Alsh. I will hold dominion over that land, and by whatever means I can ensure it.”
“Gilleoin protects those within the village with his very life.” His captain spat the words through the gap in his buckled front teeth.
“Aye, the fae have mingled with his Matheson line and he does no’ care to give up the added abilities his offspring now carry. Worse, Gilleoin and his progeny will continue to grow from strength to strength if I dinnae put a halt to it.”
“What’s your plan, Chief?”
“There is only one plan.” He punched one fisted hand into the other. “Afore the village was to be burnt to the ground, which you failed at ensuring, I was after one woman. Find her and bring her to me. She is the answer I seek. She alone will be able to provide what I need to ensure my plan reaches completion.”
“Aye, Chief. I’ll go and bring her back myself.” The captain strode away and Nessa’s vision dissolved.
The Chief of MacKenzie wouldn’t be halted in his drive to take their land. The man was a menace, one relentless and fierce menace. Except which one of the fae women from the village could he possibly be after? She needed to find out. She hurried down the stairs and into the bailey. Finding Gilleoin and imparting all she’d just learnt was imperative.
Chapter 3
With her cloaking veil extended over Kirk, Cherub bobbed through the dawn sky as the sun’s rising warmth flared across the land below. A wash of golden-yellow bathed the forest’s treetops and shimmered across the castle’s fortified walls, while in the distance behind it, the hills rose lush and green with a wealth of new growth.
She smiled at Kirk over her shoulder as he tightened his hold around her from behind, not that he could see her or even she see him while they were both cloaked. “This land is so stunning with its lochs and bens and grassy moors. There is nowhere on Earth quite as beautiful as Scotland.”
“I take it you’ve traveled far and wide?” His warm breath feathered across the top of her head, his question one of a hundred or more he’d asked her during the night. She’d done her best to answer those questions she could, in fact had thrived on having someone to share such a deep and meaningful conversation with. Her questions for him too had been endless, and he’d graciously shared all she’d asked of him.
“I’ve traveled the whole world over, many times and of course throughout the ages, but the Highlands are my home.” This night with him had been magical, yet the end of it now lay in sight and even though she didn’t wish for that moment to arrive, it unfortunately had. “Do you wish to collect your skiff from the village, or shall I return you to the castle instead?”
“The castle. One of the warriors at the village will return the skiff as needed. Where do you intend on going once we’re back on the ground?” Another question she’d need to be evasive with.
“I intend to bathe and change, break my fast then tend to my day’s work.” No knowledge of where, even though she’d be within her chamber and inside the same castle walls as he would be. Certainly the temptation to blurt out the truth was strong, but then where would she be? Where would her people be? Thoughts of Amelia and her decision to forego her duty after accepting her soul bond with Olaf, swamped her. She couldn’t choose such an all-consuming bond and allow her people to go uncared for. They came first and always would.
With her resolve set in place, she breezed lower as she swept toward the castle’s postern gate.
“You’ve gone quiet all of a sudden. If you’re tired and wish to rest, then allow me to join you.” Husky words, and the hope in his tone shimmered through. “Or if you’ve a need to work, I’ll join you in your duties. It matters not to me. I just wish to be wherever you are.”
“I have so much to do this day, and for now, my duties will keep me here in this time until I’ve seen to the new matches being made. So many of the villagers were saved in the recent battle and new soul bonds have now formed across the ages.”
“My place is at your side, just as yours is at mine. What will it take for me to convince you of that?” He squeezed her, the length of his warm body pressed against hers, so sweetly precious. She longed to remain right here with him, but that was a dream she couldn’t harbor. “I will never leave you, Cherub.” He nipped her ear, turned her around to face him then nibbled along her jaw in a slow and leisurely trail toward her lips. “Or ever give up on you.”
“I cannae accept the bond as Amelia did.” She brought them both down onto the forest trail just out of view of the gate where Gilleoin’s warriors patrolled the battlements.
“You’re not Amelia and I’m not Olaf. Choosing the bond doesn’t mean you have to give up your duty. I thrive on a challenge. Aiding you in bringing soul bound mates together would become as much as my calling as it is yours.”
“I’m sorry, but I cannae take the risk and possibly...” She needed to go, and before he actually managed to sway her mind. Swiftly, she became as one with the air and slipped out of his arms.
“Damn it, Cherub. I speak the truth.” Swinging his arms wide, he searched for her. “Don’t leave me. There isn’t anything we can’t overcome if we do so together.”
“Thank you for an unfor
gettable night.” Tears blurred her vision as she drifted higher. Leaving him hurt, bad. “Stay safe, Kirk.”
“Come back here now.” He thumped his chest, anguish slashing his face. “Your leaving, it cuts my very soul in two.”
“As it does for me, but I cannae promise you anymore than I already have.” The farther she moved away from him, the deeper her chest throbbed. Mated pairs should never be separated, that she knew to the depths of her heart, and here she was allowing that to happen. “Just know that I detest this, just as much as you do.”
“Then don’t leave me, because if you do, I will hunt you down, that I promise you.” He growled under his breath. “My chase has only just begun. You’re mine, the other half of my soul and I’m not giving you up.”
“You must. Farewell, Kirk.” She’d taken one night for herself and now she needed to forge ahead. Over the curtain wall, she streamed then through the bailey and up to her open window on the third floor. She fluttered inside, her heart a heaving mess as she materialized in her chamber. Remaining cloaked, she gripped the windowsill.
Outside, a fierce roar echoed and Kirk stormed through the postern gate into the inner courtyard. He marched toward the training warriors, on a direct course toward his brothers. Iain and Finlay were both identical to Kirk in every way, from their shoulder-length locks of midnight-black hair to their wide chests and towering height.
At the sight of Kirk’s clear frustration, his brothers left the warriors and steered Kirk toward a quiet corner of the yard, right underneath her window.
“What’s happened?” Iain, the eldest of the three, gripped Kirk’s shoulder as he eyed him. “I got a blast of contentment along our brotherly bond last night, and I still sensed only satisfaction from you until a mere minute ago.”
“I was far beyond content until my mate disappeared, right into thin air.” Hands clenching and unclenching at his sides, Kirk blew out a long breath. “I found her as soon as I reached the village, although I’ve yet to actually see her. Cherub is the faerie king’s eldest child. She’s also known as the Fae Angel of Love and is one of only three time-walkers born to the fae. She can cloak herself and remain unseen, or if she wishes, move into mist form and become as one with the very air itself. So too her duty to her people is strong and she ensures those who are soul bound and separated across time, are brought together.”
Highlander's Seduction (The Matheson Brothers Book 3) Page 4
