Call of a Highlander: A Scottish Time Travel Romance (Arch Through Time Book 8)

by Katy Baker

  “No!” Beth screamed.

  She sprinted across the clearing and threw herself between them. She grabbed Cam’s sword-arm, trying desperately to hold it back. Her fingers closed around the blazing tattoo on his arm and it suddenly exploded into white light so dazzling that it blinded her.

  When her vision cleared, she was no longer in the stone circle. She was standing in what looked to be the bar of an inn. A brawl was taking place. She recognized Cam in the middle of it, being set upon by four other men, all as big as he was. Cam laid about him with his fists, a manic grin on his face. One by one, he knocked out his opponents and then glared around at the rest of the room’s occupants.

  “Come on then!” he yelled. “Who’s next!”

  The patrons quickly shuffled away, fearful expressions on their faces. The madness faded from Cam’s eyes and as reason asserted itself, Beth saw shame flare in his eyes.

  The vision shifted and now she was riding with Cam at the head of a long column of men. MacGregor was riding by his side and he was counting gold coins and putting them in a pouch.

  “A grand day, men!” he called, turning in his saddle to look at the outlaws riding behind him. “Thanks to our champion fighter here, we’ll eat well tonight.”

  There was a ragged cheer and the men began chanting. Demon Blade! Demon Blade!

  The scenes kept coming. Cam living alone in the wilds, eating only what he could hunt or trap. Sitting staring into the flames of a campfire, remembering everything he used to be. Taking work as a mercenary, fighting and killing for whoever would put food in his belly and give him a place to sleep.

  She saw the man Cam thought he was.

  No, she said to herself. This isn’t it. This isn’t the sum of all he is. This isn’t the man I fell in love with.

  Images tore at her, each one worse than the last. They came faster and thicker, deluging her with images that spoke of Cam’s shame and self-loathing. It was difficult not to be swept away by them.

  Damn it, she thought. How am I supposed to stop this?

  Beth squeezed her eyes shut and concentrated, bringing to mind other images of Cam, memories of the time they’d spent together, memories of the man she saw when she looked at him. It was hard. Cam’s thoughts battered at her, refusing to let her in, but she persevered, using the iron-willed stubbornness that every lawyer needed. Gritting her teeth, she forced her will over his. She opened her eyes and the image around her began to change.

  This time she saw Cam crouching by young Travis, telling him a story whilst the boy laughed in delight. She saw him hauling logs with Rabbie as they built a goat pen on the MacGoverns’ lonely holding. She saw him spending hours scouring the hills, soaked to the skin as lightning cracked above, searching for one of Elspeth’s lambs who’d gotten lost in foul weather. Beth saw Cam offer his aid to a strange woman in a clearing: Beth herself. She saw Cam take the necklace she’d given him to sell and tuck it carefully beneath his shirt and instead trade one of his own daggers so he could keep Beth’s keepsake safe. She saw Cam pick himself up from where he’d laid unconscious on a mountain trail and, despite the pain of his wounded leg, begin to limp towards MacGregor’s fortress, his face set in determination.

  “You see?” she yelled into the maelstrom of images. “Do you understand now?”

  There was movement behind her and Beth turned as a man approached her through the whirling images. It took a moment to recognize Cam. He looked younger, his expression less worn, more carefree. This must have been what he looked like before the curse took him, she realized. When he was still Camdan MacAuley, darling of the MacAuley clan.

  He came to stand beside her. His blue eyes were clear, no longer full of shadow.

  “Beth,” he breathed. “I know what ye are trying to do. It’s too late. I am what I am. The curse willnae allow me to escape.”

  “So that’s it?” she snapped. “You’re giving up? That’s not the Camdan MacAuley I know! That man didn’t flinch when faced by an angry mob baying for his blood—he stood and fought. Fight now, damn you!”

  Something flashed in his eyes. Anger? Good. She needed him furious. A tiny vein throbbed in his temple and his jaw set. He looked around at the memories. Beth’s memories. His eyes widened slightly.

  “Aye,” he breathed. “I had almost forgotten this man ye show me. Ye are right. The curse of the Fae made me a fighter. Now I’ll show them just how fierce a fighter I can be.” His jaw was set with determination and fire danced in his eyes.

  He held out his hand and Beth took it. Together they turned and faced Cam’s memories of himself. They were his demons—memories twisted by the magic of the Fae. But this time, instead of flinching, Cam’s grip on Beth’s hand tightened and he lifted his chin, straightened his shoulders, watching the memories play out in their entirety.

  “Aye,” he yelled. “I am that man. I did those things. But it isnae all I am. Do ye hear me? I willnae be yer puppet anymore! I accept the choices I made! And I will do better! Ye have nay power over me!”

  For a moment the images whirled thicker and faster as though defying Cam’s words but he stood resolute, watching each one with an unflinching gaze, acknowledging his past but no longer letting it dictate his future. And then, suddenly, the images burst into blinding white light and a blast of power exploded through the stones of Druach with enough force to send Beth flying through the air. She landed heavily on the ground, all the breath knocked out of her and everything went dark.

  It took a moment for her to come to her senses. She blinked to clear her thoughts and then struggled up to sitting, pressing her hand to her head with a groan. Around her stretched the dark silence of the Highland night, punctuated only by the sounds of the sea. The moonlight showed that the stones of Druach had been knocked flat and now lay prone on the turf, great holes gouged into the earth where their bases had once stood. Cam and Logan were both coming around, blinking and looking as dazed as she was.

  Cam scrubbed a hand across his face and looked around. “Beth? “he said. “Logan?” His tattoo had faded until it was all but invisible, just a faint tracery of shadow on his forearm. “It’s...it’s...gone. What does this mean?”

  Beth found herself grinning. “What do you suppose it means, you great lummox? You did it! You broke your curse.”

  He shook his head. “Nay, lass. We did it.”

  Logan climbed unsteadily to his feet and looked around, his dark gaze taking in the fallen stones and then looking down at his brother. He held out his hand. Cam took it and Logan pulled him to his feet.

  “I’m sorry, Logan,” Cam began. “I didnae mean to—”

  Logan cut off whatever he was about to say by pulling Cam into a bear-hug. There were tears shining in the big man’s eyes. For a moment Cam went rigid, unsure how to respond, then he wrapped his arms around his brother and the two men embraced.

  Beth scrambled to her feet. There were tears in her eyes too. Footsteps sounded and Thea pelted into the clearing, throwing herself at her husband who released Cam and put an arm around his wife’s shoulders.

  “You bloody idiot!” she cried. “Don’t you ever do that to me again! I thought I was going to have a coronary back there!”

  Logan smiled. “Cam, I would like ye to meet my wife, Thea. She, like yer Beth, is from another time and without her I wouldnae have been able to break my curse.”

  Cam gave an awkward bow. “An honor to meet ye, my lady.” Then his eyes went to his brother. “It seems there’s much to catch up on.”

  “Aye,” Logan replied, clapping Cam on the shoulder. “I’ll tell ye everything when we get home.”

  Cam went very still. “Home? Ye mean Dun Ringill?”

  “Aye. Where else would I mean? It’s past time that ye returned to yer family.”

  Cam nodded dumbly and Beth heard him whisper the word ‘home’ under his breath.

  Logan glanced at Beth then back to Cam. He cleared his throat. “Come, my lady,” he said to Thea. “We’ll go and fetch the ho
rses. The sooner we leave this accursed place the better.”

  The two of them quickly left the clearing, leaving Beth alone with Cam.

  Neither spoke. Cam looked different: the slight stoop to his shoulders, like he constantly carried a heavy burden, was gone and his expression was less guarded, more open. Moonlight shone in his blue eyes as he regarded Beth in silence.

  She wished she knew what he was thinking. She wished she knew whether he felt the same way she did. When Beth had battled his curse, when she’d forced him to see him how she saw him, all her feelings for him had been exposed. She’d held nothing back. Now he knew, unequivocally, how much she loved him. How much she needed him. She felt dangerously vulnerable. He held her heart in his hand and with one squeeze, he could crack it asunder.

  Beth found herself breathing quickly. She wanted to say something, anything, to break the silence, but the words wouldn’t come.

  “Beth,” he breathed, her name sounding like a promise as it filled the air between them.

  She opened her mouth to speak. “Cam, I—”

  She didn’t get any further. Cam crossed the space between them so fast she barely registered the movement. He slammed into her, gathered her up, and wrapped her in his arms. His mouth came down on hers and suddenly he was kissing her fiercely, desperately. Heat roared to life along Beth’s nerves and she found herself kissing him back, her arms circling his waist and pulling him hard against her. She lost herself in the sweet taste of him, his tongue dancing with her own, his hands pressed into the small of her back.

  And suddenly she didn’t need words. She didn’t need Cam to tell her how he felt about her. He showed her instead. He showed her in the way he held her possessively. He showed her in the way his body trembled slightly under her touch. He showed her in the way he kissed her with a passion that took her breath away.

  Eventually, he broke the kiss. A little breathless, Beth looked up at him. Cam cupped her face in his hands and gently pressed his forehead against hers. His eyes were silver pools of moonlight as he looked down at her.

  “Ye saved me,” he breathed.

  Beth reached up and ran the tip of her finger down his stubbled jawline. “Ditto. I guess we’re even then?”

  He smiled, his fingers warm against her cheek. “Aye. Mayhap we are.”

  She breathed out slowly. “And now it’s over. You can go home.”

  “I’m already home,” he replied with a shake of his head. “I’m with ye. That’s the only place I need to be.” He placed a finger under her chin and tilted her head to look at him. “I love ye, lass. I dinna have the words to tell ye how much. Maybe my brother Finlay could come up with some fancy verse but I dinna have the skill. All I can tell ye is that I’m yers. All of me, for all time.”

  Beth’s heart swelled. They were the words she’d been longing to hear and she thought she might burst from the sudden joy of it. Her lips pulled back and she smiled so hard her face hurt. God help her, she’d never known it was possible to feel like this. So...so...alive. So full of hope and promise.

  “And I’m yours,” she replied, the words catching in her throat. “I was since the very first moment I saw you. It just took me a while to realize it. I love you, Camdan MacAuley.”

  An answering grin, every bit as wide as Beth’s, split Cam’s face. His eyes sparkled, alight with joy. “Then stay with me,” he said. “Stay with me for all time.” He cleared his throat, took a deep breath and said, “Will ye marry me, Bethany Carter?”

  The phrase exploded in her mind like a firework. Marry him? The ramifications shook her. Stay with him. Here, in sixteenth century Scotland and give up all thoughts of going home.

  But I am home, she thought suddenly. Wherever he is, I’m home.

  And then she had her answer.

  “Of course I’ll marry you,” she whispered. “I thought you’d never ask.”

  With a whoop of joy Cam picked her up and spun her around until she yelled to be put down. Cam set her back on her feet and she staggered against him. He caught her, lowered his lips to hers and kissed her until her toes curled.

  Chapter 17

  “Oh my god,” Thea said, examining herself sideways in the mirror. “Could I look any dumpier? I swear I’ve gotten fatter since this morning.”

  Beth glanced over at her friend. Thea was holding her breath and doing her best to stand up straight and tuck in her expanding stomach.

  Beth laughed at Thea’s comical expression. “You are having a baby you know? Getting bigger is kind of in the job description.”

  “That’s no excuse to look like an overweight duck waddling about,” Thea replied. She pointed an accusing finger at Beth. “I know bridesmaids aren’t supposed to upstage the bride but this is ridiculous. This color shows every bulge! Why can’t I wear black? At least that way people might not notice that I look like a tugboat!”

  Beth shook her head and turned to Elspeth who was kneeling on the floor by Beth’s feet, pinning up her train. “Help me out here, would you? Tell Thea she looks fine.”

  The red-haired woman looked up and raised an eyebrow. “I’ve tried. Three times I’ve explained that the cut of the dress is perfect for a pregnant woman and that the color highlights her eyes. Goes in one ear and out the other as my old ma used to say.”

  Thea planted her hands on her hips and then stuck her tongue out at them. Silence descended for a moment and then the three of them burst into laughter.

  Beth was amazed and immensely pleased at how quickly the three of them had bonded. In the few short weeks since Beth and Cam moved into Dun Ringill and fetched Elspeth, Rabbie and Travis from the mountains, she, Thea and Elspeth had become firm friends. Both women showed a mischievous sense of humor and Thea had been indispensable in helping Beth adjust to life in the sixteenth century, having been through it herself when she came here over a year ago.

  And wow, had there been a lot to get used to! Not least of all the fact that she now lived in a castle. A castle! Beth could hardly believe it. And it wasn’t some drafty, cold damp castle either. Dun Ringill was beautiful. The halls and rooms were hung with tapestries, thick rugs covered the floors, and roaring fires blazed in the rooms, chasing away the Highland chill. It was always busy. Logan, along with members of his council, held court in the Great Hall, and there was a constant bustle of people coming and going and children getting under everyone’s feet. After her somewhat solitary existence in the twenty-first century, Beth knew it would take some adjusting to but so far she loved it.

  She wished her parents could see her now. They’d be so happy she’d found this life, even if it was a little unconventional. With a sigh, she pushed aside a little pang of sorrow. Her parents would be watching over her, she knew.

  She climbed to her feet and, careful not to tread on the hem of her dress, crossed to the window. Outside stretched the wide courtyard of the inner bailey. It was busy. Logan’s steward stood down there, overseeing the last minute preparations for the wedding. A cart had just rolled up laden with even more barrels of beer and the steward was supervising the unloading. The whole bailey was done out as though for a fair. There were games of skittles and hoopla set up, along with other things like tug of war and the caber toss.

  Even the weather had decided to behave itself for her wedding day. The autumn storms of the last few days had blown through and now the sky was a vault of blue with wispy clouds like sheep scudding along above.

  Yes, it had been a crazy few weeks but Beth wouldn’t change them for the world. Cam, it had turned out, was incredibly popular within the clan and they’d been overjoyed to have him back. Gradually, bit by bit, he was assimilating back into clan life. He’d resumed his post as the garrison commander and now trained the clan’s warriors every morning out on the tourney field. He’d taken a seat on Logan’s council—along with Beth herself—and had already had several blazing rows with his brother—something, Beth was assured by the older members of the clan, which was perfectly normal. The only fly in the oin
tment was that they’d heard no word of the younger brother, Finlay and Beth knew this cut Camdan deeply.

  After the wedding Logan and Cam were planning on leading an army into the mountains to route MacGregor and his cronies once and for all. Beth knew Cam was eager to ensure his old adversary faced the king’s justice and eager to get Firefly back. But that worry could wait for another day.

  A knock on the door startled Beth out of her reverie.

  “That better not be you, Cam!” Thea shouted, waddling over to answer it. “It’s the bride’s prerogative to be a bit late!” But as she opened the door her voice trailed off and she gasped. “Beth,” she called, her voice sounding a little uncertain. “There’s somebody here to see you.”

  Beth turned and her heart skipped a beat as her eyes settled on her visitor.

  Irene MacAskill.

  The old woman looked exactly the same as when Beth saw her in Edinburgh all those miles, and all those years away. Same gray bun pinned to the back of her head, same cherub-like smile and rosy cheeks. She stepped into the room and stood with her hands clasped in front of her, smiling up at Beth.

  Thea looked from Beth to Irene and back again. “Um, Elspeth, why don’t we leave these two to talk?”

  Elspeth, looking a little confused, took the hint. “Of course,” she said, climbing to her feet. “We’ll just be, um....outside.”

  She followed Thea out, shutting the door behind her. Beth was left alone with Irene.

  The diminutive woman looked around curiously. “Well I must say I like what young Thea has done with the place,” she said, nodding at the paintings on the wall and the dried flowers standing in vases around the room. “I always said this place needed a woman’s touch. She’s fitted into her role as mistress of the castle as though she was born for it. Which, of course, she was.”

  “What do you want, Irene?” Beth asked, unable to keep the heat from her voice. The woman chose to turn up now? On her wedding day? After throwing her back in time and then abandoning her?