by Sky Winters
“Not if he doesn’t want me to,” Alisa responded.
“You’d keep a secret like that? You’d be strong enough to do it?”
“I’m a woman of my word. My Father taught me to be so. Why should anyone need to know what Logan’s capable of?”
This seemed to satisfy Drew, though she thought she still detected uncertainty. He jerked open the door and gestured for her to enter. Something dark and pungent wafted over her, and she peered inside.
“It isn’t just Logan, is it?” she said. “You can do it too.”
“Please, enter.”
She stepped inside and waited for Drew to close the door. At the back of the shack a narrow tunnel had been dug into the side of the cairn perhaps half a man tall and just as wide. The smell of earth and decay filled her nose, and she felt her stomach twist. There were dark things lurking in the burial mounds of Scotland. Every young lass and lad knew that.
“Miss MacGregor, we all deeply regret leaving your father’s service,” Drew said. “The chieftain always treated us well and looked after our interests. I wish we could help him now. His enemies are much deadlier than he realizes.”
“Why can’t you? Why are ye so isolated and hidden from the world?”
The old warrior’s eyes grew sad. He took a torch from its sconce beside the door and sparked a flint against a stone. Light filled the shack and tunnel as the torch flared to life.
“Watch yer head, my lady,” Drew said, stooping low and passing into the cairn.
Alisa did her best to suppress a sudden trill of fear and then followed. The tunnel was perhaps only two meters long. Pungent earth and mud dropped onto her in small clumps. Upon entering the cairn, she saw it was bowl-shaped, the length and width of a small boat. Ancient, semi-fossilized wood could be seen at anchor and support points, and a large oak table rested in the center, covered with jewels and gold that glinted in the flickering yellow light.
“Who was buried here?” Alisa asked.
“The first of our kind. It’s said he towered over men and had the strength of the gods. He had a woman he loved deeply, but she was taken by another. He came to this glen in search of the druid gods of old. He found them.”
Alisa spotted a rolled parchment on the table and moved to pick it up. Unfolding it, she discovered a long and storied lineage chart. Hundreds of names, some of which she recognized from local history and lore.
“There are so many of you,” she said.
“Aye, though many less than there were perhaps even a hundred years ago. We’ve served the chieftains of this region for centuries, and we never made a mistake when it came to concealing our true nature.”
“It’s true, then. It isn’t just Logan.”
“No, lass, it’s not,” said Drew. “And perhaps it’s no coincidence Logan was there to help you.”
Alisa rolled the linage chart back up and gently placed it on the table. She eyed the riches, but not out of lust. The village was wealthy, which no one on the outside would know. Whatever else they may be capable of, the bear shifters of the Artos Clan were perfectly well off.
“What happened, Drew? Why are ye no longer with my father?” Alisa asked.
Drew hung his head. “Lass, he discovered what we are. We had no choice but to reveal ourselves. Perhaps you don’t remember, but about seven or eight years ago, his life came under threat by a local warlord who’d thought it would be funny to kill a chieftain of a high Scottish clan.”
“I do remember. It was a frightening time … You were the ones who protected him, weren’t you?”
“Aye. He’d been forced to travel to Glasgow on a lordly matter and his carriage was waylaid outside Cumbernauld. I was there, as was Logan and several more of our kin. Your father greatly valued our skills on the battlefield, so he often kept us near. There were too many for us. The warlord was an upstart, but he was a bloodthirsty little man who did not die well.”
Drew’s face was tight and remorseful, as if the memory caused deep pain.
“We were forced to shift,” he said. “Your father’s men were outnumbered two to one. With our strength and mighty jaws, we gave those bastards a bloody good go. We saved your father, and he was very grateful, but he knew as well as we did we could never return to Castle MacGregor.”
“Why not?” Alisa said. “If he depended on you so much, why didnae he encourage you to stay?”
“Our presence would make him a target, which would in turn endanger your entire family. You must understand that throughout the centuries, whenever the outside world discovered what we are, there’s been bloodshed and strife without end. Human beings are not capable of accepting what they don’t understand, not unless they’re exceptional and have gathered to themselves love and compassion. Your father’s enemies would hunt us for sport, and then they’d go after him and everyone he loved. They’d call it devilry, witchcraft, and not a soul alive would disagree with them.
Alisa shook her head. Sudden tears sprung up, though she fought to keep them from falling.
“His enemies are after him now,” she said.
“Aye, it would appear so.”
“Where is he? The first of your kind? Where are his bones?”
Drew shrugged. “Plundered long ago. He made no secret of his nature, and it cost him everything in the end. A lesson for us all.”
“What should I do, Drew? How can I keep everyone safe from harm?”
He set the torch in a nearby sconce and dug around on the table for a short sword and glinting bronze shield. Handing them to her and gaining a look of caution, he said, “If I were you, lass, I’d learn to fight.”
Chapter Five
Logan finally woke up four days later, by which time Alisa had already begun learning the warrior ways of Clan Artos. She was neither strong nor sure-footed, but she was a quick study, and her father had insisted on grace and balance training, which meant she had more control over his muscles than most beginners. She dueled with Drew in the hemlock beside the healer woman’s peat house.
“Watch yer feet, girl!” Drew bellowed. “If I can catch ye on your heels so easily then so can Campbell assassins!”
He swung at her right guard, and though she managed to block the attack, she slipped on the grass and crashed down on her rear end.
“Ouch!” she said.
“What did I tell ye? Yer footing is everything, lass.”
Alisa scowled at Drew and rubbed her sore spot. The morning was crisp and bright with a nip in the air that seemed to make the world come alive. A light snow had fallen the night before, and the ground was still wet where the majority had melted. Alisa climbed to her feet and lifted her sword in an initiation of the guarding stance Drew had taught her.
“Again,” she said.
“No, lass, that’s enough for today.”
“Again!”
“You’ve collected enough bruises already. We must bend and remold the body, but we mustnae—”
Alisa attacked at full force. She caught drew off guard and managed to drop the sword from his hand with one swift blow. Grinning, she drove her sword into the ground and heaved an exhausted sigh.
“I cannae help my father if I cannae fight,” she said.
“You’ll learn to fight,” said Drew. “You’ve got to give the training time. Now do me a favor and rest a while.”
His eyes locked with something over her shoulder and he grinned. Alisa turned and spotted Logan leaning against the house with his arms folded. He was smiling at her, though he still looked pale and weak. Honestly, as close as he’d come to death, it was surprising he’d managed to get out of bed.
“Logan,” Alisa said.
“Ye look good with a sword,” he said. “Ye’d have made a fierce shield maiden.”
Alisa blushed.
“Good to see ye up and about, lad,” said Drew. “If young Miss MacGregor hadn’t been there, ye’d be singing with the angels.”
Logan nodded. “I know. The healer told me everything. I think I owe
you my life, Alisa.”
Despite herself, she giggled. “Think nothing of it. You did the same for me.”
The two men exchanged a glance, and then Drew cleared his throat and stooped to pick up their shields and practice swords.
“I’ll leave you two alone,” he said. “Think the missus may be needing me at home.”
As he passed Logan, he clapped the younger man on the shoulder and began whistling an old chanter tune. When he’d gone, Logan gestured to see Alisa’s sword and she brought it over. Taking it from her, he swung it a few times to feel it’s heft.
“It’s a fine blade,” he said.
“Aye.”
“Do you mean to help your father?”
“I do.”
“Alisa, ye cannae—”
“Don’t try to talk me out of it,” she said. “I’ve made up my mind and I’m learning to fight just like one of your warriors.”
“And what if they find you first? What if they’re still looking for you?”
She folded her arms and frowned. “You said you covered our tracks.”
“I did. But Clan Campbell are no fools, and neither are the men they pay to track people down. They have spies everywhere. Someone may have seen you. You need to stay indoors and keep to yourself. Try not to attract attention.”
“You think someone in this village is working for them?”
“I don’t know,” he said. “And until I do, I don’t—”
He clutched his shoulder and doubled over. Grunting from the pain, he leaned against the Pete house. Alisa touched his side and did her best to help hold his weight. The feel of his muscles under his shirt made her quiver in sudden excitement. Logan seemed to sense a certain electricity as well, because he lifted his head and locked eyes with her. There was a beauty there in that deep blue gaze, a kind of natural warmth and intensity that caused her body to respond. And there it was again, that sweet, musky scent. She’d noticed it on some of the other villagers as well, but for some reason, the way this man smelled attracted Alisa deeply and profoundly.
“Lass,” he said, “ye know all about me now. All about us. There’s something I haven’t told you.”
He moaned and fell to his knees.
“Logan, you’re still not recovered,” she said.
“No, it’s all right. I just need to rest. Lass, if ye could help me back to bed.”
She supported him as he climbed to his feet. Allowing him to drape his arm over her shoulders, she bore his weight and walked him back inside.
“You’re a good woman. A good woman,” he said.
She helped him into bed and poured a fresh cup of water from the pitcher on the small cupboard by the fire pit. He drank deeply and closed his eyes a few moments, telling her he felt better and urging her to sit.
“Lass,” he said, “my people are noble and strange. When we form relationships with others, they often last a very long time, and the bond that can form is often strong and difficult to break.”
“Why are ye trying to tell me, Logan?” she asked.
He hesitated, put a hand over hers. The touch was electrifying. She felt hot all over and found herself gazing into his eyes.
“Lass,” Logan said, “have ye noticed anything different about me? About the way I…?”
“Smell?”
He nodded. “So it’s true. We’re bonded.”
“What does that mean?” she asked.
“A shifter, when he meets his bond-mate, the soul he’s meant to spend the rest of his life with, there’s often a kind of unexplained spiritual attraction that manifests itself as...”
She drew a hand to her mouth. “The smell.”
He sat up with effort, leaned in and gently placed his hand on her cheek. “It’s the way we Artos folk can draw to us the purest of spirits. It’s means you’re a good human being, Alisa MacGreggor, an eternal soul that’s lived a hundred lives of worth and honest deeds. Yer meant to be mine, lass, and I am meant to be yours.”
She wanted to argue, to deny what he was telling her. Nobody had ever spoken to her like this before, said the things he was saying. Yet though his words seemed strange they felt true, and in an instant of dawning clarity she realized her spirit was far older and wiser than the eighteen years she’d lived on earth. The deeper things, those unspoken truths, they dawned on her, and she understood Logan Allaway was the man she’d been waiting for her entire life.
He said nothing to her as he leaned in for a kiss. Love and heat flooded her being, and her body awoke to the possibilities of his touch. He pulled her into bed with him, and as they cradled each other and continued to kiss, it seemed to her she’d known him her entire life. He grinned at her and slipped his hand up her thigh, under her dress, pressing his skilled fingers lightly against her, rubbing gently and filling her with a hot, urgent longing. She could feel it as his arousal began to take root, and he rubbed the length of himself against her as he stripped her dress off, kissing her wildly, passionately. She tried to be careful of his arm, but she had wanted him for so long that they were losing all sense of propriety.
“Aren't we supposed to wait for-”
“Shhh,” Logan said, pressing his hot mouth over hers and maneuvering himself between her legs, pressing tantalizingly against her middle.
She moaned as he kissed her breasts, and gasped when he pushed his cock deep inside of her. She buckled against his strong body, as her entire being was filled with pleasure. He was still somewhat weak, and his love brought a tenderness to their lovemaking that sent pulses of heat all through her. He trailed his tongue against her neck as he pushed fully inside of her and groaned when she sighed, her hair falling in front of her face. He brushed it away and they kissed as he stuffed himself in and out of her gently, until she was so overwhelmed that she closed her eyes and felt herself coming against him.
Her climax milked a sweet, hot explosion from deep in his loins, and he gripped her hard as they came together, their bodies in unison.
They made love so intensely, that rather than hurting the man, Alisa knew she’d performed an act of incredible healing.
Chapter Six
The alarm went up in the middle of the night. The clanging of a heavy bell woke Alisa from her deep slumber, and she felt Logan shift beside her in the darkness.
“What is it?” she asked.
“Attack. Get yer clothes on. And fetch yer sword while you’re at it.”
They scrambled from bed and Alisa slipped into her dress. Hefting her sword from the dirt floor, she felt around for Logan and followed him to the door.
“Quietly,” he said and then opened the door a crack to peer out. The bell suddenly cut out, and a stifled cry could be heard. Silence for a few moments, then a battle cry went up and clashing steel rent the night. Logan closed the door and uttered a curse.
“It’s Campbell. They must’ve tracked you, just like I feared,” he said.
“What do we do?”
“I’m no good for a fight, not in this condition. And you—”
“I can handle myself.”
He was reluctant to responds, but he must’ve realized she stood more chance against Campbell’s assassins than he did.
“I cannae tell how many there are,” he said. “Knowing these bastards, they brought every last man. We’ve thirty warriors, but they might have twice that number.”
“But your men can shift.”
“Aye. And if I’m not too much mistaken…”
A deep, terrifying roar filled the night. Someone screamed, and the clashing sounds of battle intensified.
“Let me go out there, Logan,” Alisa said. “I’ve learned so much. I’ve got to be able to hold my own against Clan Campbell. Too much is at stake.”
Logan hesitated.
“This is something I have to do, man, get out of the way!” she said.
Logan laughed at her, but nevertheless stepped aside. As she opened the door and stepped out, he gripped her shoulder and looked her in the eye, the pale m
oonlight glinting in his caring, gorgeous eyes.
“Be careful, Alisa. You’ve become … special to me. I know we’ve not know each other long, but I think you understand just as I do, that you and I…”
“Are meant to be together.”
He nodded.
“I … I do, Logan. I dinnae know how, but somehow it seems I must’ve always known. I’ll be careful. This is something I have to do.”
He nodded. “You need to protect yer own. It’s what makes you the incredible soul you are.”
He leaned in and kissed her, and then he told her to go defend the village. She sprinted from the peat house and headed for the sounds of battle. Rounding a livestock pen, she spotted the Artos warriors clashing with a number of soldiers and assassins more numerous than Logan had anticipated. Drew was at the fore of it, his broadsword flashing against a backdrop of burning fires and fallen men. He was surrounded by Artos warriors, all of whom had shifted and were swiping and snarling at their foes. The bear men were not as large as Logan, though they were nevertheless fearsome and terrible to behold. Many of Clan Campbell’s men fled as claws and teeth ripped through cartilage and tore flesh from bone. But the rest seemed eager for the fight, and if Alisa didn’t know better, she’d say they had the training and discipline of royal soldiers.
Drew and his bear men were holding their own, but they were wildly outnumbered, and Alisa knew if she was going to help she had better do it soon. Taking a deep breath, squaring her shoulders, she let out as fierce a battle cry as she was capable of and stormed into the thick of battle.
One of the assassins spotted her instantly, and he rounded on her with a blunt axe. Alisa shifted to the left and allowed his swing to pass beside her, then she set her feet and struck at his flank. The assassin swiped the blow away and brought the axe down, angling for her head. She panicked for a moment, then remembered Drew’s admonishments and allowed her feet to sink into the grass and bear her weight as she brought her sword up to block. The blow sent shockwaves of pain through her hands and up her arms, but her block held, and the assassin was momentarily caught off guard. She saw her opening and quickly drove her sword through his chest. He screamed and dropped to the ground.
