He knew Jarle was up to no good. “But why wait? Why not attack Dundaire today?”
“One of my men intercepted a messenger who stated before being killed, that Jarle is waiting on reinforcements from Rorik. We believe the earl will not show up for some time and is waiting for my father to die before making a play for Dundaire. I believe it has something to do with my stepmother being a goddess. They don’t see me as anything in her eyes, but my father is the vampire who sired her daughter, so they will wait for him to die before attempting to conquer his lands.”
All the more reason to secure Aine’s future and keep her away from that war-mongering beast. “I’m in love with your sister. Always have been.” He’d finally said it. Fast and to the point.
Mortimer adjusted the leather ties dangling from the keyhole neck of his brown leather shirt. “You do realize I canna speak on Aine’s behalf.”
“And I’d never expect you to speak in my stead.” Aine entered the great hall, her earlier brown dress replaced by a red plaid gown. An ornate gold brooch of a wolf, sat pinned to the bodice.
She’d raided the trunk in his room. Smart wumman. Now Jarle would see she wore a MacHendrie wolf near her heart, and not a Norse dragon or other Viking beast. The wolf brooch was in stark contrast to the silver pins Jarle wore. Even the beads in his hair had always been made of silver. May Aine’s bold move give Jarle thought.
Mortimer shifted in his seat. “Are ye certain, sister, that this stubborn Scotsman is the man ye wish to own your heart?”
“I do not wish anything, brother. Bane already has my heart.”
Mortimer let out a deep breath. “And here I thought I could barter with the Viking and give him your hand in place of sacking our castle.”
Bane lowered his gaze. If only Mortimer knew the truth about what was to come, about the fall of Dundaire. “I assure you, Aine will be safe with me.”
“Then I give my blessing,” Mortimer said. “But I do advise that you speak to father before running off and doing anything daft. Da still rules this castle and I for one do not want to get on his bad side.”
Aine leaned in and kissed her brother on the cheek.
At least things hadn’t shifted too far from how he’d remembered them happening in the past. He still had Aine. And for tonight he could enjoy her company, but come morning, he knew the hell he’d have to deal with once Jarle learned of the broken engagement.
Tomorrow the real fight would begin.
And that was more worrisome than anything because one wrong word, one wrong move, and the sons he’d loved would have never been.
Chapter Six
Entering the guest chamber, Aine tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear.
Mortimer and Bane had looked so content talking up their stories of swords, mead, and horses, that leaving them downstairs to come up here to face goddess mommy was almost disappointing. Men’s tales were so much more fascinating than women’s gossip.
She stared at the painting of her mother hanging over the hearth. Goddesses didn’t usually wear plaid, but as The MacDougal’s wife, Iona often did and she looked stunning in the vampire clan’s red tartan. Even the silver bat choker accentuated her beautiful, swan-like neck. Her mother could wear anything.
Unlike herself.
She gazed across the room. It would be nice if for once goddess mommy had showed up on time. What in the world took that woman so long to make an appearance?
A swirl of mist rose from thin air. “You have no patience, daughter.”
“And you have no sense of time, mother.”
Iona appeared in her full glory, a gown of white chiffon trimmed in gold draping her tall, thin body.
She certainly didn’t inherit her mother’s genes in the looks department. “Did you get my full message?”
“Yes,” Iona answered, sounding only mildly annoyed.
At least the woman’s mood was a step improved than normal.
“But I can only do so much and you for one should know that.”
Then again, maybe not so much improved. Yes, her mother was a lesser goddess whose name wasn’t even documented in historical accounts, thus limiting her powers. But still, was it really too much for a daughter to expect her mother’s help?
Iona paced, her nearly sheer gown billowing in her wake. Her silk slipper-covered feet shuffled against the floor. “Jarle will be furious with you breaking the engagement. If I step in and ask the gods as I did in the past when we were in this time period, they will probably still agree to calming Jarle and keeping him from killing that wolf you insist you love. But they will still demand the Viking be given something in exchange for giving you up. Jarle will request it. He did in the past and I doubt he will change now, especially being aware that he is in the past and that he did receive a settlement before. The man is quite vocal and he is owed by the gods for all the times they’ve used him.”
Her mother’s words weren’t helping. “But can you get them to lessen the amount they will ask of Bane?”
Iona frowned. “He really should never have asked your father for that gold.”
“But he did. And now I must fix it or I will have to marry Jarle and then my sons will never have existed.”
“You should have never come back to this time.”
She should never have aligned herself with Jarle, but at the time she hadn’t realized he was such a vile beast. “I did not make this choice. Jarle returned prior to me and Bane coming back. His actions forced us to do so.”
Iona toyed with the gold-link belt at her waist. “You’ve broken your pact with the gods by stepping out of the shadows. Traveling back in time will only add to their anger.”
“Please, you must be able to do something.” Her mother’s inability to think emotionally frustrated her. But unlike mortals, gods and goddesses rarely held the same emotions for their children as did humans.
“Of course I can do something. That is not the issue.” Iona paused, played with a sphere of light that appeared suddenly in the center of her palm. “I will speak to the others about lowering the price Bane must pay to Jarle this time around, but it will cost you. The gods always demand a price.”
She didn’t like the idea of being tied to the rulers of the Otherworld, but what choice did she have? “I’m willing to do anything to protect my sons. And Bane.”
“All I can say is that should you manage to get back to the time from which you came, the world you return to will not be the same.”
What did that mean? “Does this affect my sons?”
“Yes.”
Her heart clenched. Tears clouded her vision. “I canna lose my boys.”
“I canna say more.”
“You’re my mother. How can you do this, knowing how much I love my sons? How can you put them in jeopardy?”
Her mother twirled a strand of her long, gold hair around her forefinger. “You altered their world merely by coming back. If anyone is to blame, it is you and that wolf you married. Had you let Jarle be and then appealed to the gods, they might have listened to you, seen your plight, and sided with you. But you broke the pact made with them, and now they will also listen to Jarle’s plea. You’ve lost their favor.”
This was not what she wanted. In fact, it was the complete opposite.
Iona glared at her with a sternness she’d never seen in those gold-flecked eyes.
She rubbed her arms, a chill enveloping her.
“Take the offer or leave the old one be,” her mother said. “I need your answer. Now.”
Aine wiped her eyes. “I accept the offer.”
“Good. Now I must return to the Otherworld.” A gold cape materialized at her shoulders.
She couldn’t believe her mother wasn’t even going to ask about the boys. Pain sliced at her chest.
The goddess wrapped the fine garment about her body, then paused. “I have no need to ask what I already know.”
Aine felt a slow smile cross her lips. “So you do watch over my sons.”
“I may be a fierce goddess, but I do have heart, daughter. I am here, am I not?”
She hadn’t thought about it that way. Her mother had come on her behalf, and she was sure that couldn’t have been easy as the other gods didn’t actually favor half-human, half-Otherworld offspring like herself. She wasn’t one of their equals. “Thank you.”
Her mother nodded, then vanished.
She couldn’t wait to tell Bane the good news. But maybe it was best to leave out the part that their sons lives would be altered. Especially since she hadn’t had an answer as to how that was about to take place. And knowing Bane, he’d go and do something very stupid to avoid changing their sons’ lives. And that in itself could spark disaster for the boys at this point.
Chapter Seven
Sneaking into Bane’s chambers just as dawn broke, was a dangerous act. But patience was never one of her stronger suits and the desire to improve the flaw was fleeting, especially right this minute when the first time to sleep with her husband in a thousand years, presented itself.
Aine inched across the floor. The last thing she needed was to alert Bane from a deep sleep as it was a known fact her magnificent wolf slept with a sword under his bed. Ending up on the wrong side of that blade could turn deadly.
Her right ear twitched.
The faint sound of snow falling in the field outside the castle, revved up her preternatural hearing. The changing elements never failed in heightening the non-human aspects of her senses.
Which brought her attention to the wolf sleeping in the four-poster bed in the middle of the room.
A slight snore usurped the sound of snow.
She smiled.
Thank the gods Bane didn’t howl in his sleep. The tales she’d heard from some of Mortimer’s men’s wives housed at Castle Dundaire were harrowing. But Bane was different than her brother’s wild coven of vampires. Even the wolves, and the other shifters for that matter, that Bane reigned over, were nowhere near as refined or as caring as her big lug of an alpha.
Simply put, the man warmed her heart.
She homed in on Bane’s silhouette which highlighted his large frame resting under the thick bed covers, his body lying on its side.
The morning’s sunlight glowed from behind the velvet drapes covering the chambers largest arched window. The soft hue gave just enough light to see without being overbearing.
Her right ear twitched yet again.
Bane’s breathing came at a calm pace. The wolf slept as if he had no cares in the world.
If only she hadn’t known better.
She stepped up to the bed and discarded her slippers, sliding her feet out of the soft red silk.
Cold caressed her toes.
She shivered.
Removing her gown wasn’t going to be fun, either, but it was a must. A thousand years was too damn long to wait to snuggle up to her man. And yes, technically in this current time they weren’t yet married, but since they had travelled back to this period and they did so as a wedded couple, there was nothing wrong in what she was about to do.
As if merely thinking she was innocent was going to absolve her of any sin she may or may not be about to commit.
She shrugged. The outcome didn’t matter. Being with Bane is what she wanted and they’d waited to darn long for this moment.
Sin or no, she was sleeping with him.
She stared at Bane. His shoulder poke through the top of the blanket. His naked shoulder.
The fact he was probably also naked even below the waist, didn’t come as a surprise. Wolves weren’t the type who fancied being covered up under the covers. Some of them even roamed au naturel in the woods.
What she’d give to go outside in the buff and streak through the forest with her tall, handsome Bane. Any one of those cabins he had up on Mount Dundaire would make the perfect little love shack. So too would her mist-covered chambers in the Otherworld. But bringing Bane there was a definite violation of her pact with the gods. Her man could only venture into that world if he’d give up all attachment to the earthly plane, which she would never ask of him. Being alpha meant everything to her husband. He lived for that pack of uncivilized wolves.
And they meant just as much to her as they did to him, because whatever mattered to Bane, mattered to her.
With preternatural powers revved, she mentally focused on the laces of her gown and undid the ties. A light zipping noise danced on the air as the laces undid themselves.
Her bodice and skirts fell to the floor, pooling at her bare feet.
She stepped from the garments. Turning toward the bed, Aine reached for the covers and slowly pulled them down. A hint of sandalwood perfumed the bed. Bane’s scent never failed to entice her, reminded her of some faraway exotic place that was a bit savage while also being refined. The scent suited her wolf as his soul was the perfect combination of fierce animal mixed with sophisticated man. His wolf soul and his human side came together nicely, which was a rare prize among shifters.
Sliding under the blankets, she shivered slightly, the feel of the linen sheet against her bare body causing goosebumps to pop up on her arms.
Bane shifted.
In a flash, he was on top of her, his strong grip holding tight around both her wrists, lifting her arms above her head. “You do realize if I had not smelled that damn intoxicating lavender scent of yours, ye would now have the blade of a sword at your neck. Maybe even in it.”
“I’m too soft for you to have thought me an intruder.”
He huffed. “That is not the point, wumman.” He shook his head, his long, black hair coming partially undone from its queue. “If I had been in a deep sleep, I could have mistaken you for someone else.”
“But you didn’t.”
He leaned his head forward and nipped at her neck. “Ye always were trouble.” He moved his tongue up to her ear and licked the lobe.
A slight giggle escaped her.
“Ye think that funny, do you?”
“No, it’s just that you’re tickling me.”
“Ah, well, we canna have that.” He nudged her legs apart with his knees, his strong thighs settling between hers. “Me thinks I should engage in something other than mere brushes of my lips against your soft skin.”
She gasped, a mocked feign of shock. “But my lord, I am an innocent, maiden. Taking advantage of an unmarried woman would put your soul at risk.”
A wide grin crossed his perfect mouth. “If ye think words will save me, wumman, you are sorely mistaken, for I have been damned for centuries. Maybe even longer.”
She reached up and placed her hands on his stubble-covered face. “You are a handsome devil, Bane of Wolfsden. The day we married, you looked quite the wolf in your MacHendrie tartan. I hope when all this is settled, you will remember how much that day meant to me. And remember how much now means to me.”
“Ye speak as if this is the end.”
She didn’t want to tell him about what changes may be waiting for them in the future. “Just remember this moment, that is all I am saying.” She wrapped her arms around his neck, her fingers reaching for the silver tie he usually wore in his hair, and unclasped it.
Bane’s hair fell free, the tips teasing her bare skin.
She sucked in a breath.
He leaned forward and nuzzled her neck. A second later he brought his mouth lower, planting kisses across her left breast, venturing his lips toward her nipple.
The sensitive bud puckered on the instant.
Aine moaned.
She glided her hands over Bane’s shoulders, and down his chest. The man felt so good on top of her. There was nothing as intimate as being one with her mighty wolf. The nights they’d spent at Wolfsden during the early days of their marriage were some of the happiest memories she had. Only the day she’d given birth to her sons surpassed them.
Her fingers fanned out. The ripped muscles of Bane’s tight abs met with her palms. A slight warmth flowed from her hand to Bane’s chest.
&n
bsp; “Ye are a witch, wumman.”
She liked him liking her and liking how she felt against him. “To that I will admit in this instance.” Her hands inched lower.
Bane licked the tip of her nipple and circled the taught peak with his tongue, making the bud ache.
The delicious sensation went straight to her clit.
She bucked against him.
He took her whole nipple into his mouth and sucked. Softly at first, then with more vigor, forcing her to arch her back and silently show him she craved more.
Bane obliged, his mouth taking a fiercer pull. His teeth grazed her throbbing nipple.
She cried out.
She brought her hands down past her waist, to the hair at his groin and below. Her fingers skimmed his hard, jutting cock.
He lifted his head, his mouth and teeth pulling her nipple before suddenly releasing it. His free hand grabbed her wrist. “Ye do know we did not do this on this morning in the past.”
Aine took a deep breath, then said, “Aye. But did you really think nothing would change coming back to today? Just the mere fact we traveled through time changed things.”
He swallowed, the bulging Adam’s apple at his throat moved. “Mayhap we should refrain from sating our base desires and think on other things.”
As if she could stop now. “We may never get this chance again. And yes, maybe it is a bit selfish on my part, but damn it, Bane, you have kept me in the shadows for a millennium. You didn’t even attempt to release our love back into being after Callen killed Jarle. Why didn’t you come for me then? Do you not love me anymore?”
He moved slightly against her. “Do I look like I dinna love you anymore?”
“Lust and love are two different things.”
“Christ, wumman, I love ye more than I can possibly love anything. Don’t ye see? All that time our love remained sealed, it was safe. And safe is where I came content to keep it because I knew no harm could come to you. I lived a thousand years seeing the pain our sons suffered. And it was all because of who I am. I was an alpha who dinna properly protect his pack because I allowed love to get in the way. I dinna want to make those same mistakes where ye were concerned. Keeping you in the shadows, keeping our love sealed, it all meant you and it would never die, never fade, never turn to anything but what ye and it were when you went away and our love was sealed. You are the one thing I canna lose. Ever.”
Highland Wolf Shifters of Dundaire 4 Page 5
