by Terry Spear
Touched by her concern, he nudged her face, telling her he was fine.
The castle was not too far now. No sliver of a moon could be seen in the darkness, though the rains hadn’t started again. A heavy mist cloaked everything in shades of wet gray, which was perfect for wolves who shouldn’t have existed in Scotland and didn’t want to get caught out in the open.
They finally reached the long drive that led to Argent Castle, the portcullis and wooden gates still open. Most likely because Cearnach hadn’t returned yet. Some of his clan had to be out searching for him.
Before he could escort Elaine to the gate where lights illuminated the entryway, he heard a car engine rumbling as it approached the castle, the headlights peering into the gloom.
To be on the safe side, he kept Elaine hidden in the woods with him. The car didn’t sound or look familiar.
In the kennel where they were rounded up for the night, the wolfhounds began to bark, warning of intruders.
The black BMW’s tires crunched on the gravel drive, then stopped as the car parked outside the gates. The occupants—the driver and a passenger—remained inside as if waiting for an invitation. Cearnach glanced up at the castle towers flanking the gate entryway. One of his cousins was watching from each of the cylindrical towers. One was calling on his cell phone, warning Ian they had company, and the word would soon spread throughout the pack.
Cearnach watched and waited, intending on lending wolf teeth to a fight if that’s what was needed here. But his priority was keeping Elaine in the woods, quiet and safe for now. She stayed close to him, her body touching his, her tail straight out. She was tense, alert, and appeared ready for a skirmish.
Duncan, his youngest quadruplet brother, was headed for the gate, already armed with a sword, shirtless, and wearing only black trousers and boots. Two other clansmen flanked him, looking ready to shift and fight a battle to the death. Another two in wolf form hurried to catch up to lend backup.
Cearnach wanted to let them know he was all right, but he didn’t want to let anyone know Elaine was here with him, in case these men were the McKinleys or Kilpatricks and they had finally figured out that the rental car they had stolen was their distant cousin’s. He was afraid they’d attempt to take her with them. Not forcibly with all the muscle the MacNeill had in place, but in more of a placating way: We’re your kin, these people are not, and we have your belongings. Come back and we’ll make it up to you.
The driver’s door finally opened and redheaded Robert Kilpatrick got out. Cearnach stifled a low growl. Elaine barely breathed next to him, but then she growled even lower than he did. She was just as pissed off at Kilpatrick as he was.
When she took a couple of steps closer to the edge of the woods, Cearnach nipped at her, warning her not to go any further. He didn’t want them catching sight of her. She turned to look at him, trying to read his intent.
He breathed in deeply, trying to settle his own concern for her. She gave him an almost imperceptible smile. She wasn’t angry with him. Good. He didn’t want her to think he was that controlling. Even if he was pushing it at the moment.
The passenger door opened and Baird McKinley exited, surprising the hell out of Cearnach. Had he left his own wedding reception and bride to come here? Calla must have loved that. Unless she had known what had happened and forced him to come here to check on Elaine and him.
Cearnach was ready to tear into Robert, but he had a more important mission right now. Keep Elaine by his side and out of sight.
“What are you doing here?” Duncan asked, not giving the men a chance to speak.
“Your brother came to my wedding.” Baird acted like that was a reason to wage war in and of itself.
“He stole your bride?” Duncan asked, as though he assumed such and approved. “Time-honored tradition.”
Cearnach had never considered that the pack might have believed that. Now with Baird here, his actions made it appear that way. Cearnach couldn’t believe Duncan was defending him for stealing Baird’s bride. The pack must have thought Cearnach was off somewhere with Calla consummating the mating! He had to set his family straight as soon as he was able.
Elaine bumped his cheek in a playful manner as if amused that his kin thought he was off mating Calla when she was only supposed to be a friend. He licked her back, wanting to tell her that he wanted her, and not Calla. For a second, he closed his mouth and quit panting. He hadn’t meant to be so obvious so soon in their relationship.
For a moment, his and Elaine’s gazes locked, alpha to alpha in a purely wolfish way. She knew what he was thinking just as he knew her own thoughts and desires. Humans would look away from such a gaze if they didn’t know each other well, the eye-to-eye contact too intimate between a man and woman who had just met, unless they were having a bit of conversation and wanted to show their interest in the topic.
Wolves didn’t break eye contact that easily if they were attracted, regarding each other, or reading each other. It wasn’t just their mutual gazes, but the special scents they gave off that told how fascinated they were. Both breathed in deeply to learn what the other was feeling, as if the men having a confrontation in front of the castle gates suddenly didn’t exist.
Baird kicked at the gravel in a frustrated manner, catching Cearnach and Elaine’s attention again. He scowled, but before he could respond, Robert raised his hand in a motion that said they’d come in peace. “We’re here because…” Robert paused, looking as though he was weighing his options: tell the truth or draw this out a little longer. “Hell, he’s stolen my cousin,” he growled.
Elaine again began to move toward the driveway, growling softly. For a moment, she appeared ready to show Robert what she thought of him in a purely wolf demonstration.
Cearnach quickly moved in front of her, blocking her. She didn’t growl at him or act annoyed. Instead, she nudged his cheek with her nose as if to say she wasn’t going to confront her cousin over his lies, even though she wanted to. Cearnach could envision her racing up to Robert, her beautiful wolf teeth bared, and him falling back, shocked out of his human skin. As a wolf, he wouldn’t be as easily intimidated. In his human form, Robert wouldn’t stand up to her half as well. Not as alpha as she was.
Duncan stared at Robert for a moment as if he was processing that new turn of events, then suddenly burst out laughing. “Your cousin? You have five male cousins. Which one did Cearnach take a fancy to?”
The other men standing beside Duncan looked like they were trying to hold straight faces but were barely managing.
“Elaine Hawthorn. We want her turned over now,” Robert said, not in the least amused.
“There’s no one here by that name. My brother hasn’t returned. If you’ve harmed him in any way…” Duncan said, offering the threat but not finishing what he was going to say.
Robert glanced at Baird, who nodded in agreement.
“All right, so she’s not at Argent Castle right now. But if she comes here, call me. I’ll pick her up.” Robert’s voice was forceful but worried now.
“Why… if she’s your cousin… would she come here?” Duncan asked, his expression darkening. “Is she with Cearnach? Did you threaten them?”
Baird said, “You tell Cearnach for me that if he comes near Calla ever again, he’s a dead wolf.” He got back in the car and slammed the door.
Robert let out his breath. “Elaine Hawthorn is our cousin. I want her returned at once, should she come here.” Then he climbed into the driver’s seat, slammed his door, and drove into the turnaround built especially for tourists who thought they could visit the pretty castle without invitation—not that any tourist was ever invited to visit. Once Robert was headed toward the main road, he sped off, spitting gravel in his wake.
“Hell, what was that all about?” Cearnach’s cousin shouted from the tower.
“Cearnach’
s got to be in trouble,” Duncan said, pulling out his phone.
Once the car was out of sight, Cearnach nudged Elaine to come with him, though she seemed a little reluctant. He was certain she was unsure about meeting his family when she was kin to the McKinleys and Kilpatricks, and she could see none of them liked that pack.
He licked her face, and then she took a deep breath and ran alongside him as they headed for the gate where Duncan and the other men had turned around and had begun to stalk in the direction of the keep.
“Cearnach!” his cousin shouted from the left tower. “Hell, he does have the Kilpatrick’s cousin. If the little lady is her. Way to go, mon!”
Cearnach suspected his brother Ian would not be pleased.
Turning, Duncan grinned at him and then looked Elaine over. “Here I thought you’d stolen Baird’s bride. Instead, you’ve taken a Kilpatrick cousin hostage?” Then he grew serious and shook his head. “I knew that if you went to Calla’s wedding, you’d start a war between wolf packs. But I am glad to see you safe.”
Start a war? He had saved a wolf—a she-wolf—to his way of thinking.
Cearnach and Elaine trotted into the inner bailey, while two of the men shut and locked the gates as Duncan jogged to keep up with the wolves.
Barking in the kennel started up all over again. This time the wolfhounds let out happy barks welcoming Cearnach home.
“I just didn’t think it would be over a different she-wolf.” Duncan punched in a number and said into his phone, “Ian, we’ve got trouble. Cearnach just arrived home in his wolf form, no sign of his vehicle, and he’s brought Robert Kilpatrick’s she-wolf cousin home with him.” Duncan raised his brows at Cearnach.
“I know. I thought he had only male cousins. She’s definitely all female. Robert said Cearnach took her hostage. She was with Cearnach in the woods and didn’t make a move to go with her cousin, so I’ll let Cearnach explain what’s going on. He’s headed into the keep now. See you in a minute.”
Duncan opened the front door to the keep and followed Cearnach inside. “Glad it’s you and not me this time.” Then he smiled, the look pure evil.
Chapter 9
Walking into the great hall with Elaine at his side, her body pressing lightly against his, Cearnach wanted to protect her from his overenthusiastic kin. The heat from the fire burning brightly at the hearth warmed the air, but with the word quickly spreading through the pack of Cearnach’s return, his laird brother, Ian, met Cearnach, Elaine, and Duncan in the great hall. The large room seemed to grow hotter with every new body that appeared. Not to mention that Cearnach and Elaine were still wearing their wolf coats, damp as they were.
Voices and footfalls added to the chaos as the aroma of lamb stew cooked in red wine wafted in the air. He and Elaine turned their attention toward the kitchen, and he heard her stomach rumbling. He assumed she was as hungry as he was.
She stuck close to him and seemed bothered by all the attention they were getting. The word most likely had spread that Cearnach had trouble with the McKinley clan. And that she was one of them.
Their financial guru of a brother, Guthrie, was running to join them, speaking on his phone. “Yeah, Oran, bring the men in. Cearnach’s back safe. No car, though, and he’s a wolf. He brought a she-wolf home with him.” Guthrie raised his brows at Cearnach and grinned. “No. She’s not Calla. He’s brought a new she-wolf home. Talk to you later when we know more.”
A mob scene ensued, made up of his brothers’ mates, their families, his mother, his aunt, and cousins, as well as at least half of the pack crowding around. They made him appreciate having a family even more, and he realized just how much of a sorry excuse Elaine’s kin were to her.
She deserved a loving, caring, decent family. Everyone did.
The men looked like they were ready to grab their swords like Duncan had done, while the women appeared more worried about the she-wolf in their midst. They crowded in, inspecting her, making sure she had no injuries.
Cearnach wanted to take Elaine to his room so she could shift. But Julia Wildthorn, Ian’s mate and mistress of the manor, motioned to Elaine to go with her.
“Come, I’m sure we can find some clothes to fit you,” Julia said, waving at the stairs.
He hadn’t even considered that Elaine would need something to wear once she shifted out of her wolf fur. He smiled at himself.
Duncan’s mate, Shelley Campbell, also American, and Cearnach’s mother and aunt went with Elaine. Poor lass. When his mother and his aunt got through with her, Elaine would want to claw her way out of the place, unable to leave fast enough, even if it meant joining up with that bastard Robert Kilpatrick. Cearnach wished he could have warned her before they reached the castle what she might be in for. He should have considered it before. All he had thought of was getting her home safely.
More than anything, he wanted to protect her from them or anyone else who might treat her poorly because of her familial connections.
Cearnach followed them up the curving stairs and slipped off to his own bedchamber where he quickly shifted in his bathroom, and cleaned and bandaged his bleeding arm. The cut he’d received from his shattered car window wasn’t too bad and would heal in the next couple of days. He yanked on a lamb’s wool sweater and a pair of well-worn jeans.
Someone knocked at his door. Cearnach left the bathroom.
“My solar,” Ian said, looking fierce.
Cearnach bowed his head. His brother’s expression said he was ready to gather the troops to right any wrong as soon as Cearnach gave the word. Cearnach put on his socks and boots, then left his bedchamber. When he reached Ian’s solar, he found his brothers were already gathered, looking anxious to hear the news. He shut the door and took a seat on one of the leather sofas.
Observing him, Duncan stood rooted to the floor, his arms crossed. Guthrie sat down on one of the high-backed plaid-covered chairs, his back as stiff as the chair. Knowing him, he was pondering the financial ramifications of the matter. He was always thinking along those lines as their financial advisor.
His arms still folded across his chest, Ian leaned against his desk, but he wasn’t fooling anyone. He was wired and looked like he was only trying to put Cearnach at ease and not jump to rash conclusions.
“Julia’s father and grandfather asked to sit in on the discussion, but I wanted to know how bad this was first. They don’t know the parties who are involved so I didn’t want to have to go into a lot of history. Shelley’s uncles were also ready to sit in on the war council,” Ian said.
That meant they had a lot more muscle, in the form of Americans of Highland descent, to aid them this time around if they needed it.
“We don’t need to go to war, Ian,” Cearnach said, though he was still ready to battle Vardon for what he had done to Elaine. He wanted their properties returned, including a minivan like the one they’d destroyed, before he would agree to anything. Giving Elaine up wasn’t part of the bargain.
Duncan scowled at him. “You arrive without your car, running as a wolf with a lass you must have saved from them, and you’re saying everything’s fine?”
Cearnach laughed.
His brothers frowned at him. He couldn’t help himself. The situation did sound as if that was enough to start a fight, but they had the Kilpatricks and the McKinleys by the balls as long as Elaine stayed with them safely inside Argent Castle.
“All right, all right. The McKinleys destroyed my car and stole the lass’s rental vehicle.”
Duncan growled, “Sounds to me that that’s enough of a reason to want to exact revenge.”
“Oh, aye, they’ll pay,” Cearnach assured him.
Ian remained quiet and thoughtful, judging without speaking. That’s the way he ruled the clan, learning not only what was said, but what wasn’t.
“Who is she?” Guthrie asked, brows ra
ised, his tone of voice sounding as if he might be interested in the new she-wolf for himself. “She doesn’t appear to be anyone we know. Duncan told us Robert Kilpatrick said you had stolen his cousin.”
“Elaine Hawthorn. American.” Not wanting to feed his brothers’ speculation about his own interest in Elaine, Cearnach fought telling Guthrie to stay away from her. He gave him a fierce look instead, which would garner the same result. All his brothers saw his reaction and could guess just where it was coming from.
Ian and Duncan exchanged knowing glances. American wolves could be a handful.
“You met this Elaine Hawthorn while she was attending Calla’s wedding?” Ian asked, trying to sort out the situation.
“No. Elaine ran me off the road.”
Duncan laughed out loud, then smirking, offered an apology, not meaning it in the least. He was still grinning from ear to ear. To see him that lighthearted when he thought they were ready to battle the McKinleys and Kilpatricks was uncharacteristic for him. Duncan poured a glass of whisky and handed it to Cearnach, as if welcoming him to his world of dealing with an American she-wolf.
Cearnach tossed down the smooth, warm liquor. “She was in my lane. To avoid hitting her, I ended up driving off the road and blew two tires. The lass gave me a ride to the wedding.”
“But all did not go well at the wedding,” Ian guessed, head tilted down, his expression severe. He looked like he would be considering battle moves as soon as he knew who the key players were that he needed to target.
“Two of the older McKinley brothers ordered us out.” Cearnach left out the part about Vardon striking Elaine in the face. Everyone would see the damage soon enough, and that would stir up the pack’s ire just as much. “When we returned to where we’d left my car, it was gone. I had the idea they might have dumped it over the cliffs near the Senton Castle ruins. So Elaine and I found the destroyed minivan.”
Duncan swore in Gaelic.
“Robert Kilpatrick taunted us from the cliffside, threatening to leave us stranded. We tore off to stop them, but the McKinley brothers had already stolen our clothes and Elaine’s rental car.”
