The Dragon Bodyguard_Silver Talon Mercenaries

by Sky Winters

  Opening her eyes the bear was stood a short distance away, still gazing at her. A large paw came towards her and she held her breath, yet the claws were pulled back and the dry leather paw touched her face softly. She almost fainted with fear, yet there was something about this creature, something almost familiar.

  With a great bellow it raised itself onto its hind legs and waved its gigantic paws into the air before falling down onto the ground.

  The poor thing looked ill, it seemed to writhe around in agony and she could only stand and watch. The face twisted and contorted, it was changing before her very eyes. The body was changing shape and instead of brown fur there was bare skin. Soon James Macadam was lying naked before her and she eventually swooned, the whole experience being too great for her mind to contemplate.

  When Arabella next awoke, she was back at the camp. She did not know how long she had been asleep, but it had grown dark and she was very hungry. James was sat next to her, he looked tired and worn, deep shadows forming under his eyes, yet he smiled when he saw her wake and his whole visage changed to one of joy.

  “James I had the most fantastic dream.”

  His smile changed to a look of concern.

  “Arabella, there is something you need to know about me.”

  As she looked into his dark, brown eyes, she thought of the bear and deep inside already knew. There had always been something different about James Macadam, and although she could hardly believe it, knew it was true.

  “I would never hurt you Arabella, you must trust me. My family is ancient and we have handed down the werebear gene from generation to generation. It is said that one of my ancestors was cursed by a witch for not returning his love and was turned into a savage bear, but through the centuries we have learned to tame our bear and use it only when we must –that is our code”

  She placed her hand in his for comfort, not knowing what to say.

  “Can you still love me after this Arabella, I understand if it is too much. I should have told you but I was afraid?”

  Weaving her fingers into his she looked openly into his deep, dark eyes.

  “I love you, no matter what James and I always will.”

  The pair kissed and James gave her a knowing smile.

  “It’s good job that you do. I fear that our first night of passion has produced a new life within you,” he touched her stomach tenderly.

  She had felt different too, something that she hadn’t quite grasped, but there had been a fullness about her, a blossoming that she had put down to love, yet how could he know? She looked up at him quizzically.

  “Call it my animal instinct.”

  The new Laird of Inverness was a kindly, younger man, a nephew of the late Lord Andrew Stewart. His had been a terrible death, ripped to pieces by a pack of wild bears, but many said it was not undeserved. The lands were restored to the Macadam Clan by the new Lord Stewart and the old man was immediately released and recovered well in his ancestral home.

  James and Arabella were soon married with the full blessing of her parents. With Lord Stewart dead there was nothing more to be done. Besides, they had never fully understood who was behind the kidnapping of their daughter in the first place.

  Their joy was complete with the birth of their son, James Macadam the second, a bonny baby with dark brown eyes like his fathers and a shock of wild brown hair.

  He was her baby bear.

  Book 3: Lord of the Wolf

  Chapter 1

  I squinted my eyes and looked about me. The place I was in was a hazy, purple world, full of flames and fury. Violence was everywhere. Suddenly, I saw what I must have been looking for. I ran toward my brother Kain's silhouette. He seemed to be further away from me with every step that I took toward him, and I knew that I would never reach him in time. It was the same, endless battle, the same grueling images playing in my mind since the day he died. I heard his murderous cry, and I knew what was going to happen before it ever did.

  He was fighting for his life – a battle he had lost once, three years ago, and again, over and over in my dreams many nights since. Suddenly, the image of Kain disappeared, and standing in front of me, as if keeping me from reaching him, was a great, white wolf. It was the most majestic and beautiful creature I had ever seen, and seemed to have no place among such violence. We stared at each other for a moment, and I had the silly impulse to reach out and touch it. I had no idea what it might want, or whether to be afraid. The war was loud in my ears, and the sounds of death surrounded me. The wolf howled, and I was startled into wakefulness.

  I sat up in my bed panting, my heart racing in fear. Kain's name was on the tip of my tongue and I cried out, reaching my hands into the darkness and touching nothing. My nightmare had stirred the servants down the hall, and the woman who had cared for me since childhood burst through the heavy doors of my room. I looked down at myself, the vision of my chest, heaving against the thin fabric of my nightclothes.

  All I could see was my brother Kain, my twin. The person I'd loved the most in the world and the only friend I'd ever had. That is, until he was taken from me by the highlanders, slaughtered in cold blood.

  “Lady Bethia, are you all right?” Rose asked, fanning me from the bedside. “You must have been having one of those dreams again. Kain?”

  My heart lurched at the sound of my brother's name and I nodded, holding back tears.

  “Everything's all right now, my Lady. He's made it to the west, and will be taken care of in Tir nan Og. Many men would envy him for his residence in the land of eternal youth, my Lady, and he is waiting there for you still. Do not shed tears for him. Time will heal your wounds, and reunite you to him inevitably.”

  Rose, normally a quiet and simple woman, was the only one who could console me when my brother's death racked my frail body with sobs. She knew just what to say, and took comfort in the tales of the west of Scotland, where the souls of the dead were said to dwell. Her quiet faith brought me peace when nothing else ever could.

  “Now lay back down with you, miss, you don't want to catch your death of cold. Your dreams were a fright, but everything is all right now.”

  She gently pushed my shoulders against the soft down of my bed and tucked the covers over me. I nestled into them and returned her kind smile.

  “I'll be down the hall if you need me,” she whispered, and picked her candle up off the bedside table and headed from my room, casting lengthy shadows in her wake until my door closed on the candle light and left me alone in the darkness.

  ***

  The next morning, the halls were in a flurry of activity. I dressed and was suddenly whisked away to speak with my parents, who were sitting autocratically at the large banquet table where we usually dined with guests. I opened my mouth to ask what the occasion was, when they told me to take my place at the table.

  “This is the last meal you will be sharing with us for quite some time. Tensions between the highlanders and the lowlanders has been high for far too long. Finally, we have a chance to change the course of our history together. We can bring peace between these clans. We have made a deal, one that can finally unify the land again.”

  I stared at my father in disbelief as he spoke. What was he talking about? Our last meal together?

  “What kind of deal?” I asked, suddenly nauseated. The servants were bringing out dishes of food and the smell wafting in my nostrils brought bile to my throat. I was afraid I knew what was coming.

  “You are to be wed to Lord Lachlan. Your betrothed is to send his emissaries here to retrieve you and take you to your new home. He requested the wedding be held in the highlands, where he feels most comfortable.”

  “The highlands?!” I exclaimed, rising from my seat. For the first time in my life, I was yelling at my father. “I am betrothed to a highlander? It was the highlanders who killed Kain! My brother, your only son! Or did you forget that?”

  “Know your place, child! Sit down at once.”

  My father's steely gaze pi
erced through me. I seethed, tempted by years of training to sit down and shut up, but I held my ground.

  “I understand your distaste for the highlanders,” he said. “But it is this union that could prevent another war like that which your brother died in. Your hand to Lord Lachlan could mean that no other men must die for the sake of our disagreements. Do you not understand that there are bigger things at work in this world than yourself? You silly, selfish girl. Now sit down and eat your breakfast.”

  I opened my mouth to retort, but my father made the kind of stern sense that he always made, and all I could do was sit down and poke at my food, waiting for the moment when my life would change forever.

  Chapter 2

  Breakfast had been very uncomfortable, like most meals with my parents were. We didn't have the closest of relationships. They were both frequently busy with the toils of the kingdom. My father was always cooped up in his office, signing documents and chattering passionately with his advisers. As a child I used to sneak in with Kain to spy on him. It was the only way we felt close to our father. We would listen in from our hiding place in the curtains, but the older we got the harder it was to remain concealed. And the bleak nature of our father's conversations began to leave me with a heavy heart, full of doubts and concerns for the future of our kingdom. Directly after breakfast, he told me to ready myself to meet my betrothed and locked himself away into his study.

  I quietly mourned the distance between my father and myself, and turned to my mother, who was eyeing me sternly. I knew exactly what she was thinking; I was hardly presentable to be wed in the outfit I had chosen for breakfast. I wasn't close to my mother either. My father, of course, busied himself constantly with the affairs of the kingdom. In the meantime, my mother had taken pity upon the impoverished, and spent much of her time out in the world, accompanied by servants as she made it her business to feed and clothe the sick and hungry. She had recently made a name for herself for feeding a small group of vagabonds who had made their camp just outside the limits of our kingdom.

  Most of the villagers were disapproving of her tendency to take pity on that group. They had caused trouble just weeks beforehand when they raided a few farms of food and mead. My mother announced that they would not be punished – instead, they would be fed. Time revealed that the group were an unfortunate band of highlanders who had lost their supplies to bandits on the road as they headed back home. My mother took care to show them all great kindness, something I privately resented her for. I wasn't alone, but I still felt defensive of her when she was heckled for it.

  The vagabonds had escaped back to the highland not long ago, undoubtedly boasting about my mother's great naivety. It was undoubtedly the message of her kindness that had caused Lord Lachlan to reconsider peace with the lowlanders. Perhaps he saw a window of opportunity to take something valuable from the poor woman. His kind had taken her son, perhaps now they could take her daughter as well.

  My blood boiled as I stared into my mother's regal face. She was certainly beautiful, and had passed on her stunning looks to me. What good would they do anyone now if I were to be enslaved to wed Lord Lachlan? There couldn't be a fate worse than that. Except perhaps to be slayed by him.

  Again, my thoughts returned to my brother Kain, and I suddenly remembered the white wolf in my dream. It had appeared there many times before, and I had yet to make any sense of what it might mean. For some reason, the wolf's image in my mind pacified me, and I allowed my mother to whisk me off to my chambers to help prepare me for my journey.

  ***

  I inhaled as shallowly as I could, grimacing at the sharp pain I felt in my ribs from the tight corset my mother had laced for me. She claimed that I had to be presentable to meet Lord Lachlan for the first time, and when I had rolled my emerald green eyes toward the ceiling she gave me a resigned smile.

  “He is rumored to be quite handsome,” she said as comfortingly as she could.

  “He is a brute, I shall hate him until I die,” I vowed, jutting my lip out. Mother laughed quietly.

  “It may not be so bad as you think,” she said before spritzing me with scented water and walking out of the room. “Pack a small bag and be down soon with it. Don't make poor Rose drag you down for me. You know she will.”

  I sighed and glowered out the window, annoyed that she would use my warm feelings toward Rose against me. Whatever would I do without Rose by my side in the night, comforting me from the horrific nightmares of Kain that I was haunted by? Nothing about this was right. Everything was all wrong. I wasn't supposed to marry a disgusting highlander. Even if mother was right and he was attractive, I would rather die. Maybe I could find some way to escape.

  Kain's fierce face flashed before my eyes disapprovingly. If I wanted to protect other men like him, I would have to go. I owed it to the memory of my twin, and to all the other families out there who could be divided by the ravages of war if I did not comply to my father's demands. Kain would have died in vain. I felt powerless to stop this cruel union, and waited with my stomach rolling in fear for the escort that was to be sent by the highlanders.

  My father and mother were standing on either side of me, their faces stern and emotionless. I couldn't stand it anymore and turned to face them.

  “How do you know they will keep their word? They are nothing but dirty heathens! What if they just take me to double cross you? Do you not care about my safety? My happiness?”

  My furious pleas fell on deaf ears, and I was silenced by the dreaded footfalls of horses outside the door.

  “Please don't make me go,” I begged my mother, clinging to her dress. Her face didn't waver, and I turned to my father. “Please, don't! I want to stay with you. I want to stay in the lowlands!”

  “Silence,” my father commanded. A rapping sound fell upon my ears and soon I was hit with a gust of cold wind as the escort entered. He was unkempt and had a long beard, and glowered at me from the doorway.

  “That the girl?” he asked in a low, gruff voice.

  My father nodded.

  “How 'bout her dowry then?” he demanded, his grubby hands extended toward my face, as if to touch me. I flinched and had to do everything I could not to spit on him.

  “It will be as we discussed with Lord Lachlan. See to it that she is safe for the next year and the dowry is all his. He is free to come and collect it himself, barring proof that Lady Bethia is all right.”

  So, my father did intend to secure my well-being. I sighed silently, my shoulders slumping forward. It was a small comfort considering my fate. I glared at the man in our doorway. He seemed to know exactly what I was thinking and leered at me. It sent another spike of nausea through my body.

  My parents bantered with the man briefly and saw me off. I was led to the man's carriage. He took his seat near the horses and we left unceremoniously, my parents standing firmly in front of the door. The terror on my face had to have been obvious, but they made no sign that they recognized it. I glared at them until they were out of sight, feeling as if they had betrayed me in the deepest, worst respect.

  I watched as the familiar landscape around me passed before my eyes. The familiar haunts of my childhood were all left behind me as I was moved past the limits of our kingdom. The landscape turned more and more unrecognizable, and all I could do was look off into the distance, mourning the land where I had grown up and dreading my venture into the highlands.

  Chapter 3

  We rode for all of daylight without stopping. At dark, the carriage suddenly stopped, and the unkempt driver jumped out of his seat. I watched him curiously, suddenly afraid. There was nothing around for miles.

  “I 'ave to piss. Don't move.”

  I stared at him, horrified by his lack of propriety. He seemed to sense this, and a big ugly grin spread across his face.

  “You're a pretty little thing,” he said, eyeing me up and down. I clenched my teeth, unsure of how to respond. “If I wasn't to deliver you to Lord Lachlan safe n' sound, virginity intact, y
ou bet I'd 'aver my hands all over ye. Ah well.”

  “I'll be sure to let him know you said so,” I said, lifting my chin with the same regal air I had learned from my mother. This sobered him, and he backed away, scurrying off into the darkened woods. I shuddered as I heard his stream of urine hitting the dried leaves of the forest floor, wishing I was anywhere but there.

  Suddenly, I heard commotion in the forest. A strangled cry reached my ears, and I looked around, terrified. It was too dark to see anything, so I gripped my bag tightly, straining my eyes and ears. I stifled a scream when a huge black figure approached me.

  “Look what I found,” he said in a deep voice. “A pretty little princess.” As he came closer, I saw that the man was huge and beastly. He was missing teeth, and had wild hair. His mouth was twisted into a cruel smile, and I squirmed into the furthest corner of the carriage as he reached his hand out to me. It was wrapped in a bandage. My night could not have gotten any worse.

  “Stay away from me,” I growled, kicking at him. He didn't flinch. Instead, he laughed.

  “Feisty,” he said approvingly, grabbing my ankle and sliding me down the seat, until our bodies were touching.

  “Let go of me!” I shrieked, hitting him with all my strength. His eyes were evil and glared down at me, and I was sure that I was doomed. If this man had his way with me, it would be my fault that the peace treaty between the highlands and the lowlands was broken. I would be a defective bride, and more men like Kain were sure to die.

  The ugly sneer on the man's face grew closer. Before I could tell what was happening, a blinding white streak flew between us. It was large and snarling, and I watched in a daze as the man was torn away from me, his advances intercepted by a majestic white wolf. Soon, the large beast's perfect mane was stained red with blood, and the cruel man lay on the ground, shrieking in a womanly a voice.

  “Princess, help me!” he cried, reaching his bandaged hand to me once again.

  My heart grew hard and suddenly I was incapable of pity.