Highland Shifters: A Paranormal Romance Boxed Set

by Unknown

  Colin stood on one side of the room now, lounging against one of the bookshelves. When their eyes briefly met, a current seemed to run between them.

  "So," the brother said. Unlike Colin, his face was cold and impassive. Even his eyes were cool. This was a man who kept iron control of his emotions. "I understand that you are a visitor from another world?"

  "So it would appear. But an unintentional visitor."

  "Unintentional?"

  He wanted her to explain. She recognized his technique instantly. Repeat her own words in a questioning inflection and get her talking. She smiled as courteously as she could and answered simply, "Yes."

  His cold eyes flickered. He would know she had been trained in how to behave during an interrogation.

  Like Colin, the brother spoke the Common Tongue. Quite well, too, with a little less of a broad accent than his brother. Perhaps it was she who ought to be questioning them. How often had they visited her world? Were there more of them there, spying on her people? What were their intentions? Were they hostile? Here in Scotland, the knowledge of so many ordinary things like lights and transportation far outstripped anything in her world. No doubt the same was true of the weapons of war.

  "My brother tells me that you claim to be something called a Traveler of Zanovar."

  She nodded her assent.

  "And this Zanovar is a country in the parallel world known as Dunya?"

  "Zanovar is a country, yes. Dunya is the word in several of our languages for 'world.'"

  "What exactly is a Traveler?"

  Ariane sensed that he knew the answer to these questions already. "Someone who travels," she said blandly. "With the assistance of various animals such as horses, which I'm sure you also use in this world, sea dragons, and mammoth eagles."

  "What is a mammoth eagle and how do you travel with it?"

  "It is a large predatory raptor. A Traveler mounts upon its neck and shoulders, just above the wing joints, binds herself by means of a special net, and flies with the bird."

  "Such a bird must be large indeed to carry the extra weight."

  "Yes," was all she said.

  "How do you swim with a sea dragon?"

  Since his brothers could transform themselves into sea dragons, she presumed he knew the answer to this. Nonetheless, she politely explained how it was done.

  "And you control these animals by giving them some sort of commands? How? Verbally?"

  "Mentally. And by means of extensive training, of course."

  "Mentally? You are a telepath?"

  She had never thought of herself as a telepath. But her mind link with Colin must have happened by telepathy. Had Colin told his brother about that? "It is a kind of deep empathy," she said. "I can feel my companion's emotions and direct his course."

  "So you directed your sea dragon to bring you through the Barrier to our world, correct?"

  He was twisting her words. "No. We were attacked by a creature we call a darkling. As we dived to escape the attack, we entered a place in the sea that felt like a whirlpool. We were sucked in. I was knocked unconscious and knew nothing more until I awoke on a strange shore."

  "Where is your sea dragon now?"

  "I don't know. He was injured by the darkling. I ordered him to return to our world. I don't know if he was successful, or if he will recover." She spoke in clipped tones now, trying to keep a grip on her emotions. Rin!

  "You say you were attacked by a darkling?" He sounded skeptical.

  "Yes."

  "Why did it attack? Had you done something to rouse its anger?"

  "No. I got the sense that the creature was driving us toward something. An ambush, perhaps. But I now wonder if we were being herded toward the Abyss."

  "Why would a darkling want you to leave your own world and enter ours?"

  She shrugged. "I've no idea. It was just a feeling I had."

  "What did this creature look like? Would you recognize it if you saw it again?"

  This was a puzzling question. Did darklings have individual features? Perhaps; all other creatures did. "I had never before seen one, and I was too busy fleeing it to get a careful look. So, no, probably not."

  Cameron rose from his desk and stepped around it. He had something in his hand, something shiny, and metallic. Whatever it was had a cold, dark aura.

  He approached her. She stood her ground, but not happily. She didn't dare look at Colin, but she heard him shift and felt the sudden increase in tension. "Do you have any idea..." Cameron asked her "...how nonsensical your story sounds?"

  She stiffened. "I am telling you the truth."

  "That you tumbled through the planes of existence after being attacked by a vampire?" His tone was scathing. "I sincerely doubt it. Take this." Cameron held out the thing to her. She wasn't sure what it was. It was oval in shape, with ends that appeared to lock together. It resembled a heavy metallic necklace. Or a slave collar. It appeared to be worked in at least two metals, perhaps more.

  "Put it on. It goes around the neck." He assessed her neck dispassionately. "I believe it will fit you."

  "What is it?" she demanded.

  "It will not hurt you. Nor will you wear it for long. Assuming you're telling the truth."

  Colin spoke up. His voice sounded hollow with anger. "That is not necessary. She is a Traveler, not a shifter."

  Cam didn't even look his way. "Then there should be no problem," he said. To her he added, "Will you put it on yourself, or must I do it?"

  She took the thing, not wanting him to touch her. He was so different from his brother. She already had a strong gut feeling of dislike for this man.

  The collar was cold to the touch, and yet it seemed to burn her. Some kind of magic? "What is it for?"

  "Are you a shape shifter?"

  "No. I never knew there was such a thing until I saw your brother change his form last night."

  "This prevents a shifter from shifting. It is used to make certain the person you are interviewing doesn't change into a wolf or—he paused for a moment "—a gigantic predatory raptor."

  She shook her head. For a moment, she wished she could turn into a mammoth eagle and attack him. So it was some sort of test? Fine. It suggested he was afraid of her, although he certainly did not show it.

  She took the thing in both hands and slipped it around her neck. It was not easy to separate the two sides enough to get it open, but once it was situated, it snapped shut on its own. It felt tight. Uncomfortable, although it didn't seem to be impairing her breathing. Cold.

  "Satisfied?"

  He merely stared at her. Unlike Colin's stare, which warmed her and set her female parts a-tingle, this man made her want to flee far away and hide.

  "Are you a shape shifter?" he asked again.

  Was this some kind of truth collar? It seemed impossible to her, but flying machine with men in them seemed impossible, too. "As I said, no. I swim with sea dragons, but I can't change into one." She shot Colin a look. His entire body was rigid with tension, and it occurred to her that he should probably be the one wearing the collar, because he looked as if he were about to change into something ferocious and rip out his older brother's throat.

  "Why did you come through the Barrier? What are you doing in our world?"

  "I told you. I didn't intend it. All I want is to return to my own world."

  "Why were you attacked—if indeed you were attacked—by this overly aggressive darkling? Did you challenge it in some manner?"

  "No. I am a Traveler of Zanovar. We do not enter into battle with other creatures except to defend our own lives."

  "Were you sent to gather intelligence about this world?"

  "No. I was not sent. Not for any purpose. My being here is pure mischance."

  "The Travelers of Zanovar do gather intelligence about other nations in your own world, correct?"

  "The Travelers are neutral. We do not engage in political maneuvering. We are a corps of diplomats, healers, and explorers. We facilitate communication an
d trade between nations."

  "You may do all those things, but the Travelers are also intelligence agents." Cameron stated this as if it were a known fact. Which it probably was. But how did someone from this world know so much about the Travelers?

  "If the fact that we travel to many countries, learn their languages, and familiarize ourselves with their customs makes us intelligence agents, then I guess you are right."

  "And you are here to gather intelligence, or worse, to steal technology and try to smuggle it back through the Barrier into your own world."

  "What?" She was truly startled by this accusation. "That is untrue! Mother Creator, is that what you think? I don't even understand your technology, but if you refer to flying machines, why would I even want those in my world? They would make the Traveler's Guild obsolete."

  "The technology in this world consists of far more than aircraft, as I'm sure you know."

  "Actually, I don't know. I've seen nothing of your world but a dark beach and a few rooms in a keep that resembles the fortresses we have at home." Except for the lighting, she was thinking. And the bathing facilities. And the varied and plentiful food.

  "The punishment for attempting to steal technology and transport it across the Barrier is death," her adversary intoned.

  She had had enough of this duress and intimidation. "Fine. Kill me then if that is how you treat innocents in this benighted world of yours." Her fingers went to the iron and silver collar. She pulled at it, but it stayed firmly in place. "This is hurting me. Take it off so I can die with dignity."

  "Oh, you're not going to die. Not yet. I'll have a whole lot more answers from you before I allow you to die."

  "What the fuck?" Colin said, his voice reverberating like a struck gong from across the room. "You're treading a bit heavy there, Cam."

  Cameron ignored him. Ariane was uncertain of the power dynamic here, but she doubted that Colin had the authority to interfere. He was a younger brother, and this castle was clearly under the rule of the eldest twin. She would have to defend herself. She had done it before.

  "Remove the device," she said, framing the words into a command. This might be a different world, but she would maintain her status with pride and courage. "It's heavy. And it burns my skin."

  "The quicker you answer my questions, the sooner we can remove it. I want to know everything you have in your pretty little head about your own world. The nations. Their forms of governments. Their rules. Their resources. Who is allied with whom. Trade routes. Religious and cultural customs. And so on. You'll answer my questions until I'm satisfied."

  "I will not. I'm done answering questions. You have no right to press me for information."

  He raised his eyebrows in that sardonic way that some men liked to use when they were mocking you. She really did not like this man. In some ways, he reminded her of a darkling. He had a dark shadow hanging around him. She did not want to talk to him. Or have anything at all to do with him.

  "If you know anything about the Travelers, you must know that we only treat with high officials. National leaders. Kings. Queens. Emperors. Princes. I have tried to be courteous, but your threats cross the line. Anyway, I thought it was your elder brother who was the ruler here."

  "My brother is the laird of a small region of Scotland. But the great lairds of this land no longer have the authority they once held. We have few kings, princes and emperors anymore." He paused. "But when it comes to the lives of shifters, a great deal of power is vested in me. I am the leader of what is known as the Council of Protectors. We protect the Barrier, which you have violated."

  He stepped toward her until he was only a couple of paces away. "What that means is that your fate is in my hands."

  "If you are a leader among your people, you may think of me as a princess of mine," she said crisply, hoping she was using a term that was suitable. "And I am accustomed to being treated with more deference."

  Her questioner broke into a grin. This was the first time she had seen him smile, and it transformed his hard features and made him seem almost approachable. "A princess!" He swept her a mocking bow. She realized belatedly that the smile was not genuine. He stepped closer so he was right in her face and one of his big hands wrapped around her throat, above the point where the collar bit into her skin. He pushed her back against the wall. He was rough, and she gasped.

  "Very funny. Now you have ten seconds to tell me what the fuck you are really doing on this side of the Barrier."

  Chapter 13

  "Take your bloody hands off her!"

  Colin had been yearning to step in and stop the harassment, but Cam was his senior on the Council of Protectors. His brother was smart, strong and totally committed to his job. Colin knew the questioning was necessary. He also knew that he wouldn't be doing any favors to Ariane if he interfered.

  But he was finding it difficult to fight the unaccustomed emotions that had him in their grip. He kept thinking of that moment when he had seized her in his sea dragon arms and wound his pectoral tentacles around her body. There had been a glimmer of light, a sparkling that he thought, from his extensive research, might have been an unusual phenomenon called the sevmelle. Legend said it only appeared between Malloch shifters and their mates. A sort of love at first sight in the shape shifter world. It meant you had met your life partner, and that like it or not, she or he was the one for you.

  He might have dismissed the notion out of hand, but Ross had confided that it had happened to him when he'd met his Kate.

  Cam wasn't getting the answers he wanted, and Colin could tell it was pissing him off. Still, he had hidden it until Cam advanced upon her, slamming his hands around her throat.

  Colin was off the wall before thought was even possible. He leapt on his brother from behind and dragged him away, shouting at him to take his hands off Ariane and adding for good measure, "Get the fuck away from her."

  Cam elbowed him furiously, but Colin knew the moves and compensated. It took less than a second for the attack to turn into a brawl, and probably less than ten for Ross to burst in, cursing, and wrench them apart. Colin was shaking with rage and something else, something he had never felt so strongly before.

  Ariane was his.

  No other man was going to touch her, not for any reason.

  Especially not his bloody brother.

  Ross had him by the shoulders and was shaking him. "Colin! What the hell is wrong with you?"

  Colin was so limp with rage that he wasn't resisting. Cam had backed off, but his expression was grim. Controlled, though. The bastard was almost always controlled, no matter how wrathful he was feeling.

  "You know better than to interrupt an interrogation, Colin," Ross went on. He sounded stunned. No doubt he was. Colin had never done anything like this before. If it had been Jack, no one would have been surprised.

  Ross called for Kate, who hurried in, looking worried. He nodded to Ariane. "Please take her out of here. Let me remove the collar. Give her a cup of tea or something."

  Kate shot an irritated glance at Cam and put her arm around Ariane's shoulder. "Will you come?" she asked gently.

  "Not yet," Colin gritted out. He didn't want Ariane to leave this room without knowing that she was safe. That he would protect her from Cam. So he removed the collar himself, forcing himself to smile encouragingly at her as he did so. Then his slid his hands down her bare arms to grip her hands in his.

  And the atmosphere in the room changed yet again. Because as his fingers moved over her, they gave off sparks of pure white light, like the glimmering when he had first touched her last night, but stronger, more persistent.

  Even Ariane noticed it this time. "What is that?"

  Colin reluctantly withdrew his hands. "I'm sorry. Did that hurt?"

  She shook her head. "No, no, it felt nice. Warm and tingly. But what was it? More magic?"

  Colin glanced at Ross, whose lips were pressed together as if in concentration. Ross would know what it was. And what it meant. He smiled a
t Ariane. "We do have strange magic here. I hope it's not freaking you out too much. Let me talk to my brothers, okay? Kate'll take good care of you."

  She went.

  Cam sent Colin a short, nasty sneer. "I shouldn't have allowed him into the room," he said. "Bad decision on my part. In the past, he has shown more judgment."

  "Fuck your judgment," Colin roared.

  The twins exchanged a glance. "What's going on, Colin?" Ross asked. "Cam wasn't hurting your girl, was he?"

  "He was threatening her. Intimidating her. He put the damn collar on her even though she's no shifter. Then he put his hands on her neck and it sure looked like he was squeezing. Why was he even touching her? She was doing her best to answer his questions."

  "Suppose you let me handle the responsibilities of a professional interrogation. Or have you forgotten how many times I've done this before?"

  "How could I forget? They call you the Black Inquisitor."

  Cam glanced down at his black t-shirt and black jeans. "Maybe I should have mentioned that to her. Works wonders."

  Colin ignored this. "I also want to know why you are keeping her locked up like a prisoner. Can't you see she's no threat to anyone?"

  Cam just looked impatient. It was Ross who tried to calm them both down. "If what you say is correct, Colin, and the world she is from is less technologically developed, then it's best that we keep her in a state that is not dramatically different from what she's accustomed to."

  "Why? Are you afraid she'll be shocked insane by a glimpse of the modern world? She strikes me as level headed and sensible."

  "You want her to be able to go back, right? We can't allow knowledge of advanced technology into her world. In case you've forgotten, that's one of the purposes of our guardianship of the Barrier."

  "She shouldn't be here in the first place," Cameron barked. "It is unfortunate that she survived the transition."

  "Oh aye? Then it's a good thing I got to her before you did, brother, since you'd probably have taken care of this problem by having her shot on sight."

  "It wouldn't be the worst idea I've ever had," his brother snarled.