Highlander's Claim: Time Travel Romance (The Matheson Warriors Book 2)

by Joanne Wadsworth

  The mist parted and a golden eagle soared through the skies, the bird her sister’s favored form to take, but Cairstine wasn’t here and could never fly in the daylight. It wasn’t her. Several other smaller birds resting in the rushes alongside the loch cackled and flapped. They heaved out of the rushes and winged away farther down the shoreline then settled again.

  More splashing, the seal pup back and now ducking and diving about the rushes as it chased the birds. Slowly, her vision melted away.

  “Drat it. I needed more.” Gritting her teeth, she stood as a light breeze stirred and lifted the thick mist a touch. She reached out to Lilias again, muttered, “I have an update. Is all well out on the water still?”

  “Aye, there is naught to report and I am halfway between our encampment and the MacKenzie’s stronghold. I’ll swim on, right to the fae village. It willnae hurt to check the entire length of Loch Alsh.”

  “I need you to remain alert for a seal pup, a playful one.” She detailed her vision, and her sister murmured her agreement, that they needed more to uncover the exact day and time.

  “A seal pup is a good start—wait,” Lilias uttered, “I almost forgot. There’s a seal colony near the mouth of the Loch Long, where it meets Loch Alsh. Perhaps a pup has ventured farther from that colony. I’ll go in search now afore swimming onto the village. I’ll report back with what I find.” Her sister closed their connection.

  Hunter frowned, a fierce scowl deepening his brow. “From your vision, we now know that MacKenzie will attack by both land and sea.”

  “Aye, particularly since he beached a galley and allowed his men to trek inland. That is in fact a common tactic of his, which is why Cherub and Kirk are running inland checks right now. They’re well aware of his tactics.”

  “We need to warn them both about your latest vision though.”

  “I’ll do so, but first I need a few moments of privacy to tend to my needs.” On her toes, she kissed his cheek. “I willnae be long.”

  “Don’t wander too far. I’ll alert the warriors to your vision.” He stormed into the rising mist toward the central fire pit where the murky outline of two apron-clad women in woolen kirtles became clearer. The women chopped food on a trestle table, the whack, whack of their knives on the wooden boards echoing across the clearing. Meat and vegetables got tossed into two large blackened pots sitting on top of the fire. Steam curled into the air, and along with it came the heavenly scent of seafood stew wafting all about. Hunter halted next to Gilleoin’s captain and spoke to him.

  She needed to hurry. Tugging the edges of her black coat closer together, she ducked into the trees and trekked a hundred feet inland, farther than she would have preferred, but here she could be assured of privacy, the undergrowth thick and lush. Once she’d found a large bush, she crouched behind it then done, wandered toward the secluded pool close by, one she often bathed in once all had quietened within camp.

  At the water’s edge, she washed her hands and caught the reflection of her messy hair sticking into riotous curls. Not surprising considering the night that had just passed with Hunter. She patted her ever-present pouch of faerie dust. Over the centuries, it had become a necessary part of her arsenal, right along with her daggers and sword. She pinched a little now and sprinkled it over her hair, then along with a quick wish to fix the riot, the air moved and stirred her golden ringlets about.

  She leaned over the edge of the pool and smiled as her hair settled back down, nice and tidy once more. If only it were that easy to put the Chief of MacKenzie back in line. He’d been a thorn in clan Matheson’s side for a long time, and his desire to hold fae blood in his line, relentless. Over the years, he’d inflicted immense pain to those within the fae village and she didn’t doubt he’d continue to do so until he’d gotten what he wanted—the strongest fae blood, that of an immortal’s—within his line. Never would that happen though, not on her watch. Nor Cherub or Kirk or her sisters’ watches either.

  Ambling back through the trees, she connected with Cherub and passed along the information about her vision, then she closed the link as she halted on the edge of the thick line of pines surrounding the encampment. The mist had risen slightly higher again and the grassy trail leading around the sandy shoreline had become fully visible. Tents dotted the area along the curve of the bay and she passed the tent she’d shared with Hunter and trekked toward the center of camp where the fire blazed and their warriors broke their fast. Horses whickered within the makeshift corral to one side and a driver unloaded supplies from a cart and ducked inside the supply tent. Camp life continued on, no matter how close a war could be to breaking out.

  Hunter still stood with the captain, his arms crossed over his wide chest as he spoke to him, but when he caught sight of her, he left the warrior’s side. She stepped up to him, and he speared his fingers through the long strands of her hair and lifted them to his nose. Breathing deep, he touched his mind to hers, “I love this merged link of my shifter kind.”

  “I love it too,” she whispered to the man who held her very heart and soul in his hands.

  “I struggled not to race after you, and I believe I might need counseling on how best to deal with these new and incredibly intense emotions running through me. I couldn’t stand having you out of my sight. It was the most difficult ten minutes of my life.”

  “I’ll counsel you. Have no fear there.” She grinned and rubbed her body against his, both to soothe his bear since he adored being covered in her scent, and to soothe her own since she too loved being covered in his scent. “I’m hungry. What about you?”

  “Starved, but not for food.” He kissed the top of her head. “After this battle is done, I want to spend some time alone with you. Just the two of us.”

  “That would be a dream.”

  “Then I’ll make sure it happens.” He steered her toward a log pulled close to the fire, gestured for her to sit and once she had, he collected two bowls of seafood stew from the cooks and handed one to her as he eased onto the log beside her.

  With no spoon, she cupped the wooden bowl and tipped it to her lips. Mmm, fresh fish and a medley of cooked vegetables warmed her belly. ’Twas exactly what she needed. As she finished her meal, a team of men trekked into camp from the woods with a dozen rabbits hanging from a long stick balanced on their shoulders between them.

  They lowered their catch to the ground next to the trestle table and with a shout from the elderly cook to a lad of perhaps ten cleaning fish at the water’s edge, the boy heaved his pail of fish, climbed the verge and left it with the cook before sitting on a rock and setting to work skinning the rabbits. Hunter stood and added more logs to the fire to keep it ablaze, while the warriors who’d returned dispersed down to the beach, some washing up where the waves lapped into shore, while others rested on rocks protruding along the grassy bank as they partook of their morning meal.

  She was here because of these people, to ensure they could continue living off this land, holding this land and ensuring it remained theirs alone. She and her sisters, Cherub and Kirk, would always be here to watch over them, to ensure they were protected and guarded, that they grew from strength to strength, because in the future, the very survival of clan Matheson depended upon what happened here right now.

  Needing to shake her mind of all her deep thoughts, she set her bowl in the washtub where two maids scrubbed the dirty dishes, thanked them and wandered along the beach. Hunter, in what she now understood was his tracker-mode, strode along beside her without missing a beat.

  “What are you thinking, Goldilocks?” His golden shifter gaze narrowed as he watched her, like a bear about to strike, his attention fully and completely on her.

  “Life can be so short for those on Earth. A battle can kill hundreds or thousands of good men, women, and children. I’ve watched too many battles unfold, but still there are more to come. ’Tis endless.”

  “You do all you can by tracking your visions with your ability, and fighting the good fight.”


  “Aye, yet I always wish I could be doing more.” She kicked a pebble and it skittered across the shore. “You and I now belong to each other, and all I wish is for all of my fae kind to find their chosen ones and experience such a bond as ours.”

  “So do I, particularly with Liam and Levi. I want to see them fall as I did. It’ll be glorious to watch.” He grazed a knuckle across her cheek, stared out across the loch then back at her. “It also scares me to think I could’ve missed out on being here with you.”

  “It scares me too. I kept pushing you away rather than pulling you closer, but I have you and your fierce determination, our swordfight and Faodail to thank for our final meeting of minds. I’ll certainly be forever grateful to Murdock for his vision which ensured I remained until the right time to leave came to pass.”

  “As will I. Murdock’s always known of my deep desire to have only one person as mine, and I’m glad I’ve now got you.” A slow smile lifted his lips, the same smile now shining bright in his eyes. “I can never go back to how things were before, being alone, even though surrounded by my entire clan. It’s time for me to follow my heart and seek out other adventures with you, so from now on, we stick together, for every day that’s to come, either here in the past, or far into the future.”

  “Agreed. I wish to seek out those adventures with you as well.” The mist had closed in again, cocooning them within its serene quietness. Goodness, her mate held the most stunning golden eyes, which always followed her every move, the desire within the glittering depths clear to see. He was so tall and solid, a man who held immense love. A confident tracker and a shifter of great ability. His arms flexed against his war coat as the long hem swayed, his sword glinting at his side and the tips of his wrist daggers glinting under his cuffs. He’d altered her from the inside out, from the very first moment they’d met, and she couldn’t imagine falling in love with any other man. She grinned giddily as she murmured, “I cannae wait for you to meet my parents. They will adore you, your strength and the love you hold for me and all your kin.”

  “I’m looking forward to meeting them too, and for you to meet my parents as well. My sister, Bella, is going to love that I’ve now found my mate.” He pulled her into his arms and smothered her in his tight hold.

  As the waves washed in with a gentle swish, and the birds nesting in the tall pines chirped cheerily, the harmony of nature’s beautiful song all about, soothed her very soul.

  She swayed from foot to foot, her eyes closed and cheek pressed to Hunter’s chest as she enjoyed the song natured had provided. This moment surpassed any she’d ever experienced here at this encampment and she memorized it. Carefully, she locked it safely away in her heart, to cherish for all time to come.

  Chapter 21

  Holding Ailith in his arms stirred Hunter’s protective desires as nothing else could. He didn’t want to move from this spot, could hardly fathom that a battle was on the brink of beginning any day soon. This land was his land, no matter what era in time it was and he would defend it until he no longer could, and with the woman in his arms right at his side. He kissed the tip of Ailith’s nose, her cheeks and the corner of her lips. He kissed her softly, reverently, with all the love he held deep within him. “Will you marry me?” he asked in a whisper against her lips.

  “Aye,” she murmured back, her answer rocking his soul as her mouth melted under his.

  She tasted of freedom, of purity and nature, of all his hopes and dreams all fused into one. His inner bear rolled about in his middle, so content and filled with happiness. She was theirs, always theirs.

  “Our children,” he murmured next, “when we have them, will they be mortal or immortal?”

  “I can spell only one soul to mine, being that of my soul bound mate, but all the children I carry will have their very soul entwined with mine in my womb through the natural bond of mother and child. That soul bond can never be severed or broken, so they shall be immortal as I am, and as you now are too.” She ran her hand along his bristly jaw. “I expect you to bed me often over the coming days, to give me the greatest chance of conceiving a child while I’m still in heat.”

  “You can guarantee I’ll step up to the mark there.” He looked into her beautiful emerald eyes flecked with gold, the mist swirling all about them and tendrils encasing them in a perfect moment of peace and serenity. Wonderful privacy too.

  His chosen one held a heart filled with love for her fae kind and he would do his very best to aid her and her sisters, Cherub and Kirk too, each and every day to come, in whatever way they desired it. His duty was now that of guarding and protecting their Earthbound kind, just as it was hers.

  He dipped her back in his arms and as she arched and exposed her neck, he pressed his lips right over her throbbing pulse point. She was so graceful and giving, yet held a warrior’s heart in that she’d protect her kin in whatever way was needed.

  Her eyelids fluttered down and her breath stuttered as he licked her sensitive skin. His jaw ached and his mouth watered with the need to sink his teeth into her. From the very first moment they’d met, he’d wished only to claim her, and he couldn’t imagine falling in love with any other woman. She was his one and all, everything he’d ever hoped would be his.

  Everything faded away, the mist enveloping them and the fact that they stood on the beach so close to the encampment. It was as if they were all alone in their own world. They weren’t though, and he blinked and tried to clear his thoughts. Their warriors were close. Damn, it was a struggle to withhold from loving her whenever he held her in his arms like this.

  A twig snapped, somewhere along the fog shrouded tree line, then out on the water a creak and splash traveled to him. His bear roared to the surface and his claws sliced out.

  Ailith gripped the front of his padded cotun, her ear cocked to one side. “Did you hear that?”

  “I did. There’s a vessel out on the water and someone lurking within the woods. It could be one of our own men, but then it might not be too.”

  “My thoughts exactly.” She opened a link to her sister, which he caught along their merged connection. “Lilias, where are you?”

  “I’ve found a seal pup, a playful one, as well as a galley half beached on the shore. From where I am in the water, I can see two MacKenzie guardsmen on board guarding it.”

  “There’s a vessel out on the water here too, shrouded in mist. I cannae tell the size or who it belongs too, but ’tis almost here and ’twill be making landfall within minutes.”

  “It has to be Colin MacKenzie. I’ll update Cherub and ensure she returns to camp. You deal with the blackguard, and make sure you take him down. I’m on my way back. Hunter?” Lilias questioned him.

  “I’m here.”

  “Take care of my sister.”

  “You have my word I will.”

  The battle was about to begin.

  A war cry sounded and through the mist a galley appeared. At the helm, the Chief of MacKenzie bellowed an order and his men slashed their oars into the swell and steered it directly toward land. The vessel cut across the rippling waves, the marksmen on board notching their arrows.

  “Nay, no’ arrows.” Ailith grabbed his sleeve. “We have to get out of here now.”

  “I’m on it.” From the misty trees, a huge band of warriors burst out, their MacKenzie plaid clear to see, their shields raised and swords punched high into the air. He always met a battle head on, only right now he and Ailith were trapped between dozens and dozens of enemy warriors and they needed to get out of here and back within the protective circle of their own men. He slung Ailith over his shoulder and raced back along the beach toward camp.

  “Put me down, Hunter. I can run myself.” She clutched his pumping arms, her mind still linked with his as she searched the mist behind them for their enemy and sent him the images she caught.

  “We have to stay ahead of them. Hold tight, Goldilocks. We need our own men at our back, not the MacKenzies.” He picked up his speed, calling on
his shifter strength and ability to gain more of a lead. The pebbly shoreline blurred at the swift pace he reached, everything whizzing by.

  “I had no idea you could move so fast.”

  “I can when the need arises.” He raced up the grassy verge, their warriors having already heard the MacKenzie clan’s war cry. He set Ailith back on her feet and shouted to his kinsmen, “All to arms. We battle this day.”

  Kirk and Cherub appeared in a rush of wind, Kirk’s sword-arm thrust high as he yelled, “We will not fall, nor allow Colin MacKenzie to take our land. It’s time to fight, as we always have and always will. Let us take these idiots down.”

  Cherub rushed toward him and Ailith then gripped her niece’s shoulder. “Lilias updated me. We cannae let the MacKenzie get his hands on you or Hunter. Fight within the protection of the warriors here, without separating from them. We must alter your vision, for your joint capture to never occur.”

  “Agreed.” Ailith eyed him. “Be careful during the battle.”

  “I will. You stay right behind me.”

  “Here.” Kirk tossed him a shield.

  He caught it, slid his sword free and stood in front of Ailith, right along the line of Matheson warriors who too had raised their shields and swords. Ahead, out of the mist, their fierce enemy drew down on them.

  “We fight, for freedom and for our very survival.” Kirk lifted his head and roared, his bear so close to the surface, the same as his was.

  Colin MacKenzie landed on the beach and bounded from his vessel, his warriors exploding onto shore as well, their victorious shout echoing all about.

  They swarmed forward into Hunter’s waiting kinsmen. Warriors clashed, the clang of metal on metal piercing through the mist.

  Hunter released his own battle cry and swung.

  Never would he allow his enemy to win this war.