Highland Shifters: A Paranormal Romance Boxed Set

by Unknown

  She stopped in front of Luna, who moved her head from side to side so that she could see better. “What happened to your eye?”

  Rain smirked. “Some bitch tried to claim Liulf. I said no. I think she slammed her head into my eye. Hard.”

  “That would have been my guess.” Luna stepped inside the cabin. “If we were in another place, I’d have you put ice on it.”

  “What’s ice?”

  “Exactly. I would like to put something on those scratches though.” Luna looked at Berry. “Would you mind going down to the medical tent and asking my assistant to send the jar of Doggie Salve?”

  “Doggie Salve?”

  “That’s right.”

  Berry shrugged and went to fetch the prescription. When she returned, Luna cleaned the scratches with antiseptic then applied some of the salve she’d made from alien Shea Butter and tea tree oil added to local beeswax, chickweed, lavender, and rosemary. She was musing that someday there might be interdimensional black market trade.

  “That smells good,” Berry said.

  “It does,” said Luna, “but it’s not perfume. It’s herbs that will help Rain’s scratches get better quicker.”

  “Huh.”

  The attention of the three women riveted to Liulf when he suddenly convulsed. He cried out because of the pain of contracting his stomach muscles suddenly, but the sound was interrupted by gagging. That was quickly followed by heaving.

  Rain glanced from Liulf to Luna and she didn’t like what she read on Luna’s face.

  “Get him by the shoulders and sit him up so that he doesn’t choke.” Rain and Berry struggled to raise him from behind and keep him propped up while Luna stuffed clean rags and a shallow bowl under his jaw to try and keep bile from escaping and running into the wounds on his stomach, as the toxins would be sure to create infection.

  Out of the corner of her eye, she saw someone enter the cabin. Without looking at them she said, “Find Liulf’s brothers! Quick!”

  Fortunately, it was Conn and Ken, who had returned to stay with Liulf. They helped maneuver his body while the females changed the bedding. Luna cleaned his abdominal wounds again and applied more antiseptic, but she was worried and knew that her worry was affecting Rain.

  She needed to get fluids into Liulf more than ever. Between the blood loss and the heaving, he was badly dehydrated and, in his unconscious state, there was no way to force fluid intake.

  As the day wore on there was more convulsing and a fever began to spike. Luna was beside herself, not being able to diagnose what might be causing the convulsions. Her eyes ran over Liulf’s body for the hundredth time as she went through a mental checklist of possible causes and struck them off one by one. She talked to herself at length while Conn, Ken, and Rain exchanged worried glances. Then her gaze fell on the abrasion peeking out from beneath his shoulder.

  She looked up at Rain, who seemed to have visibly aged because of the stress. “I have to go. I’ll be back shortly. If he wakes, sit him up gently and make him drink water, as much as you can get him to drink.”

  All four nodded, the brothers, Liulf’s mate and her friend.

  Stalkson Grey was told that Luna had been seen running from camp. After what had happened with Rain Falling, everyone was more anxious about venturing away alone. Except, to Grey’s chagrin, Luna. He caught up with her quickly.

  “Where are we going?” he asked.

  “To where Liulf fell.”

  “Where he fell?”

  “Yes,” Luna said with effort since she was out of breath. A part of her was a little irritated with Grey for being able to sprint without being winded at all.

  Luna slowed to a trot when they were still a good forty yards from the tree and then came to a stop.

  “What?” Grey said.

  “Hemlock. It’s a hemlock tree.” Grey looked at the tree. “When he impacted the tree and slid down, it cut abrasions into his skin. The hemlock bark got into his bloodstream.” She looked at Grey. “That’s what’s causing the vomiting.”

  “Do you have something for that?”

  “Yes. Or I can make something pretty fast. Just need to get back to my tent.”

  Luna made a mixture of asafetida and bison milk, but she couldn’t get it into Liulf’s body unless he woke up. In less than an hour from the time she’d left, she returned to Liulf’s private clinic with a jar of white liquid.

  “Did he wake?” They all shook their heads no. “Well, we’re going to have to try to wake him.”

  “How?” Conn looked at Liulf. “He seems very committed to sleepin’ it off.”

  “I don’t know. Let’s start with cold water. Ken?”

  “Aye?”

  “Will you take that big pot out to the middle of the stream where it’s deepest and fill it with cold water?”

  “Aye. What are you…?”

  “Just do it.”

  He grabbed the jar giving everyone in the room a look, and left.

  “When he gets back, we’re going to pour the cold water on his head.”

  Conn’s eyebrows went up. “That does no’ seem very nurturin’ of ye,” Conn said.

  “Let’s get him awake. If we can keep him alive, there’ll be plenty of time for nurturing later.”

  Conn had been instructed to sit Liulf up quickly if he woke from the shock of cold water. Ken’s job was to try to force him to ingest some of the hemlock antidote. Rain’s job was to encourage Liulf to drink the medicine, then, hopefully, to stay awake and drink water as well.

  Fortunately for Liulf, for Rain, for his brothers and for all the people of New Scotia, he not only woke when he was drenched in a pot of cold spring water, he woke with a string of curses for the Cu Ahlee boys that the females had never heard before. His reaction was a mixture of panic, pain, and confusion, especially about the fact that Rain Falling was dabbing cold water from his head while speaking soothing words of encouragement.

  He drank enough of the asafetida and bison’s milk to neutralize the toxic effects of the hemlock and, at Rain’s urging, drank water. Not as much as Luna would have liked, but she was pleased that he took in some fluids to begin replenishing what had been lost.

  They replaced the bed with one that was dry, cleaned Liulf again and Luna supervised while Rain applied a yarrow salve to Liulf’s wounds. Liulf bravely suffered through the mechanics of trying to keep him clean and germ free.

  Luna made him a rosemary tea with enough primrose and sweet woodruff to help him sleep more comfortably, then gave Rain careful instructions about how to prepare the tea and how often he could have it.

  Grey insisted that Luna leave long enough to get some sleep. She went over the details of Liulf’s care with Conn, Ken and Rain twice more, then allowed her mate to lead her away.

  Luna had left Mave in her tent in the care of her assistant, Harry.

  “Ye’re Irish,” Mave told him, looking at his very red hair, face and beard.

  “And you’re a mess,” Harry replied.

  Mave cast her one remaining eye downward and said, “I do no’ like Irish.”

  “’Tis because you’ve never been away from the land of lochs and fairy plaid skirts.”

  “If ye’re Irish, what are ye doin’ with the New Elk Mountain pack?”

  “’Tis a long story. The short of it is, they adopted me and I came here with them.” He put some tools aside and looked at her. “’Tis no point tryin’ to make it sound better than it is. You’re ne’er goin’ to run again and you’re always goin’ to walk with a limp.”

  She shrugged like she didn’t care, then whispered, “I do no’ want to go back.”

  “Back where?”

  “New Scotia.”

  “Oh.” Harry looked away for a few beats of his heart, then said, “You could come with us. We have plenty of room. Maybe you and I could be outsiders together.”

  She looked at Harry with her one good eye and decided perhaps Irish weren’t so bad.

  Conn and Ken brought two more beds
and two more chairs to Liulf’s cabin. The three agreed that one would watch Liulf while two of them slept. Luna had said he could have more tea for pain when he agreed to eat something. He slept through the night, but woke when the sun was up the next day.

  Rain was sitting beside him, but rose when she saw his eyes flicker open. She put her hand on his face to see if he felt hot. He didn’t. And his color was a little better.

  “Conn. Ken. He’s awake.”

  Liulf’s brothers were there in an instant. “Ye look a fright, Liulf,” Ken said.

  Liulf managed a grimace. “Thank ye kindly.” He couldn’t take his eyes off Rain and didn’t know what had happened to cause such a dramatic change in her attitude. He also couldn’t help but notice the black eye, the scratches on her face, and the bandages on her neck and chest.

  “I’m going to get him something to eat,” Rain said. She started away, but turned at the door looking back at Liulf, who was watching her intently. “Back in two shakes of a lamb’s tail.”

  “What happened to Rain?” Liulf asked Conn.

  Conn chuckled, pulled the stool closer, sat and said, “I’m truly sorry you missed it, brother. ‘Twas somethin’ to see. Rain fought Mave for the right to tend ye and sent her runnin’ with her tail between her legs. Well, she was no’ runnin’ exactly, because Rain left her crippled. Rain looked as much an alpha as any wolf we’ve e’er seen fight.”

  Liulf turned to Ken for confirmation. If it was one of Conn’s jokes, it was in poor taste.

  At length Liulf spoke, trying to separate the mental cobwebs from the pain and make sense of it all.

  “I do no’ know what sounds more strange, that ye say Rain is set on matin’ with me or that she showed ye alpha. I did no’ take her for it.”

  “I told ye she was young. Some wolves do no’ brin’ out their alpha until they mature. So ye’re bringin’ a wolf home by the paw with Silver Ruff’s bloodline strong in her. I’m seein’ a future between the two of ye with lots of fur flyin’.” Conn laughed. “How do ye plan to keep that sorted?”

  Liulf still thought that was a lot to happen in a short amount of time, but he was not going to question pots of treasure left anonymously on the doorstep. “I plan to stay between her legs, hold her to two legged form, and mate her until she’s too happy to argue overly much.”

  Conn laughed harder.

  “What’s so funny?” Rain returned with chips of warm elk meat wrapped in corn meal flats. Liulf thought it smelled mildly appetizing.

  “Liulf was tellin’ us his hopes and dreams for the future.”

  “Oh. Well, sit him up,” she said, like she was accustomed to ordering his brothers around. A lot had happened while he’d been asleep. She unwrapped an elk roll and held it up to his mouth, smiling.

  He took a nibble and she smiled more. “I like you eating out of my hand, Liulf.”

  Conn snorted and turned away, laughing silently, but so Liulf could see him.

  Everyone had left the Gathering campgrounds except for the people caring for Liulf. Silver Ruff sent food regularly and Liulf ate his share. He stayed awake longer each time he woke and, when he was awake, he never took his eyes off Rain. Rather than making her feel uncomfortable as she once had, she seemed to blossom and almost preen under his constant attention.

  Luna was glad to see that the wounds were healing so much faster than they would on a human. Instead of ten days, she was able to remove the stitches in five.

  She told Liulf that he could remove the splint from his arm when it was time to attend the next Council meeting on the new moon. He was clearly not pleased and complained.

  “The wool is itchy. Makes me want to howl.”

  “You’ll manage,” Luna said. Turning to Rain as if she was in charge, she said, “He cannot remove it before the new moon.”

  Liulf huffed and pouted. “Perhaps some of Cairn’s recipe to take my mind off it then?”

  “No. You cannot have some of Cairn’s recipe until you’re completely well and back on your feet.” Luna looked at Rain and back again. Her lips twitched. “But there are other things you can do to take your mind off the sheep’s wool.”

  Liulf’s eyes went to Rain and he saw the shadow of a flush cross her face, which was completely healed, leaving no sign that she’d ever been in a fight.

  Luna said her goodbyes along with Conn and Ken, leaving Rain to nurse Liulf by herself. Luna suspected that he would feel good enough to make the trip to New Scotia within another week.

  Silver Ruff had assigned New Gaul wolves to guard the two left at the camp, but they didn’t impose on the couple’s sense of privacy. With everyone gone from the cabin except Liulf and Rain, she went to a cloth bag and withdrew a musical instrument, similar to a guitar but held upright with a longer neck.

  “Would you like me to play for you, Liulf?”

  “Aye, lass. I’d love ye to play for me.”

  “What kind of music do you like?”

  He thought about it for a minute and finally said, “Whate’er ye play.”

  She laughed and he smiled in response. Rain’s breath caught at the sight, beautiful enough to stop a female’s heart. Seeing her expression change, he became uncertain. “Did I say somethin’ wrong?”

  “No, Liulf,” she shook her head and grinned at him. “You smiled.”

  “Aye. Did ye like it?”

  “I loved it.”

  “Then I’ll be doin’ it again.”

  “Promise?”

  “Ye have my word on it.”

  The first day Rain played and sang while Liulf dozed on and off.

  The second day it rained. Liulf dozed and Rain watched, loving him more with every rise and fall of his chest as he breathed in and out. She wondered if the slashes across his abdomen would scar and leave a permanent testament to his courage. And love. Not that she would be forgetting.

  The third day he said, “How did ye come to be named Rain Falling?”

  She laughed softly. “It’s one of those stories. Silly really. My parents claimed that, if I cried hard enough, the sky would weep with me.”

  When she looked at Liulf to get his reaction, she saw love shining back from his eyes. “How about you? What does Liulf mean?”

  “Nothin’ really.” He shrugged.

  “Oh, no you don’t. I told mine.”

  “’Tis embarrassin’.”

  “I don’t care. Out with it.”

  His mouth twitched. “Means Shield Wolf.”

  “I’m going to need more.”

  He rolled his eyes and looked away. “The Shield Wolf is first in battle. Supposed to be the strongest I suppose.”

  She smiled. “And why is that embarrassing?” Rain squeezed his big hand with her smaller one while thinking that nothing could be more enchanting than a slightly pink blush rising in Liulf’s masculine face.

  “Ye know.”

  “No. I do not know,” she flirted. “Why is it embarrassing to be the biggest, baddest wolf?”

  He squirmed a little, knowing that she was teasing, feeling uncomfortable and loving it at the same time. “Bein’ strong is no’ embarrassin’. Sayin’ so just is no’…” He screwed up his face.

  “Are you trying to say that vanity isn’t a good trait for an alpha?” He nodded once, eyes fixed on her as if willing her to understand. “I understand. It’s another reason for me to love you.”

  Liulf’s lips parted in surprise. He had carefully avoided the subject of mating for fear of scaring her away. He had thought he would take and enjoy any attention she was willing to give for as long as she was willing to give it.

  He shored up his emotions, but decided to find out where they stood, once and for all.

  “So will ye be comin’ home with me then?”

  Rain beamed. “Of course. What did you think?”

  At that very moment two New Gaul wolves entered to deliver food sent by Silver Ruff. They set it down and asked Rain if she needed anything else.

  “Aye. If it wou
ld no’ trouble ye too much, could ye move these beds together and turn the mattresses cross ways instead of long ways?”

  The wolves looked at Rain with understanding, grinned and proceeded to follow her direction.

  She helped Liulf stand. He no longer needed the help, but cherished the moments when he could touch her and, in leaning into her, pull her closer.

  By the time they had eaten the food it was getting dark. Rain helped Liulf into the left side of the makeshift bed for two so that his good arm was in the middle of the bed. When she started to light candles, Liulf stopped her.

  “Come and lay by my side if ye love me, Rain. Let me feel you press yer body close to mine and hear ye breathin’ next to me.”

  Rain didn’t hesitate. She pulled off her boots and eased onto the bed, being careful to keep him still. “Tell me if this hurts you.”

  When she rested her head on his left shoulder, she was amazed that she hadn’t realized, long before the incident with the bear, that Liulf smelled better than anything in the world. She knew she would never get enough of his scent and instinctively wanted to rub it all over her.

  His young mate snuggled close with a happy feminine sigh that made Liulf’s malehood twitch. He closed his eyes and reveled in the sensation of wholeness. The emptiness, that had always felt like a hunger needing to be fed, was gone, chased away by a little she-wolf who had become more important to him than anything, even his pack.

  The first time he’d seen the territory that became New Scotia, he’d thought it was paradise, but after learning how it felt to have Rain Falling settle against him, her body going soft and accepting, he knew he’d been wrong. She was his paradise.

  Rain lifted her head. She didn’t speak, but he knew something was on her mind.