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

by Katy Baker

  “What do I want?” Irene replied. “What I always want: to see the balance restored.”

  “And what the hell is that supposed to mean?”

  Irene smiled and walked right up to Beth. She was so short she barely reached Beth’s chin and stood gazing up at her with her midnight eyes. “Ye look well, dear. Yer skin is fairly glowing! It seems my homeland agrees with ye.”

  Beth resisted the urge to back away. “Have you come to whisk me away again? To throw me through time without so much as a by-your-leave?”

  Irene’s smile didn’t falter. “Only if ye wish me to.”

  “Damn you, Irene!” Beth exploded. “This isn’t a game! This is my life you’re talking about! What right did you have to meddle with it without my permission? What right did you have to send me back here?”

  Irene cocked her head. “Would ye rather I hadnae?”

  Beth opened her mouth and closed it again. If Irene hadn’t sent her back here, she wouldn’t have met Cam and that thought was unthinkable. “Well, no,” she managed at last. “But you could have asked me first.”

  “I’m nay sure I understand ye, my dear. Are ye saying ye were forced to come here? That isnae what happened at all. If ye remember, I explained that ye would be going to an unknown place and that yer road would be a difficult one. The choice was yers to make, as it always must be. Ye made that choice, not I.” She smiled up at Beth like a kindly old grandmother.

  Beth’s anger drained away. Irene was right. She might not have known exactly what she was getting into when she stepped through that archway but she’d been willing to take the risk. She’d been willing to walk into the unknown in search of the thing she’d always been searching for.

  “And did ye find it, my dear?” Irene asked as if reading her thoughts.

  “I did,” Beth breathed. “I found more than I could have ever imagined.”

  Irene patted her arm. “I’m glad. It was a difficult path ye had to walk, my dear, more difficult than most, but I knew ye had the courage needed. Ye made the right choice. Now ye must make another.”

  Beth looked at her sharply. “What do you mean?”

  “I’ve come to give ye a second choice. If ye wish it, I will send ye home, back to yer own time.”

  A slight gasp escaped Beth. Home? She could go home? When she’d first arrived in this time going home was all she’d wanted. If Irene had turned up during those first few days, Beth would have accepted her offer in a heartbeat. But now? Now things were very, very different.

  “I am home,” she replied. “It took me a while to realize that. There’s nothing for me in the twenty-first century. Everything I need is here: family. Friends. The love of my life. Why would I want to leave?”

  Irene’s grin broadened. “Ah! Spoken like a true child of the Highlands! And here’s me thinking all ye ever wanted in life was that internship, eh?”

  Beth smiled wryly. “I thought that too. I was wrong. Since my parents died all I thought about was becoming a lawyer: that it would somehow help me put the world to rights. But I don’t need to be in the twenty-first century to do that. There are so many people here I can help.”

  She’d already been given a seat on Logan’s council to advise him on all sorts of legal matters. Young Travis was training as her aide, a role which the boy had taken to whole-heartedly, and already Beth had all sorts of ideas on how to improve the justice system and help those who needed it.

  It was ironic, she thought, that after her utter abhorrence of violence, she was about to marry a warrior. But she’d learned that things were never as simple as she thought. There weren’t good people and bad people, just varying shades of gray.

  “Aye, lass,” Irene replied. “Ye will live a fine life here and other lives will be better off for having ye in them. I’m happy for ye, my dear.” She patted Beth’s cheek and turned away.

  Beth touched her shoulder. “Wait. I never said thank you.”

  “Nay need, my dear,” Irene replied with a smile. “The balance is restored. That is thanks enough for me.”

  “Will I ever see you again?”

  The old woman shrugged. “Who knows? Even I canna see every future. Mayhap our paths will cross again someday. Until then, have a grand life, Bethany Carter.”

  With that the old woman walked to the door and left. A moment later Elspeth’s head poked around the door and the red-haired woman hurried to Beth’s side.

  “Are ye all right?” she asked. “Thea told me who that was. A Fae! Right here in the castle! I can hardly credit it!”

  “I’m fine,” Beth replied. “Irene just came to wish me well for the wedding. Where’s Thea?”

  “Talking to Irene. Seems she and Thea are old friends too. Whist! Does everyone in this castle know a friendly Fae?”

  Beth laughed. “No, only the foolish ones. And believe me, most of the Fae are not friendly.”

  The door opened and Thea came in, her hand on her swollen belly. She looked decidedly uncertain.

  “Are you okay?” Beth asked.

  Thea nodded. “I...think so. I asked if Irene would come and help me with the birth and she gave me quite a shock. She reckons I’m having twins!”

  “That’s wonderful!” Elspeth cried, hugging Thea tight. “Then today is a double celebration!”

  “All the same,” Thea said with a sheepish grin. “I think it might be best to wait until after the wedding to tell Logan. When he finds out he’s having two sons he might very well have twins of his own!”

  They all burst out laughing. From outside came the sound of a bell ringing.

  “Midday!” Beth cried. “We’re late!”

  In a hurry, she took one last look in the mirror, pushed a few strands of hair from her face, brushed down the beautiful red and gold wedding gown that the castle seamstresses had made for her, and then with Thea and Elspeth on either side, Beth swept from the room.

  The corridors that led to the Great Hall were strewn with late-blooming flowers and a delicious scent filled the air as they walked. Nerves began to wriggle in Beth’s belly and her heart began to pound. Oh God, she was getting married! She could still hardly believe it.

  They reached the door to the Great Hall and paused. The door stood open and through it Beth saw rows of people crammed into the space, all looking at her expectantly. A piper began to play and, accompanied by its song, the three women swept into the hall. Beth’s eyes sprang to the far end of the room, searching for Cam. There. He stood by the high table, dressed in the traditional MacAuley plaid over a crisp white linen shirt. His copper and gold hair fell onto his shoulders in soft waves and a ceremonial sword glittered at his side. Rabbie, freshly shaved and looking neater than Beth had ever seen him, stood by Cam’s side and Logan faced the two of them, his hands clasped as he waited.

  Beth’s heart skipped a beat at the sight of her intended. He was so god-damned handsome. So god-damned...everything. Cam’s winter-blue eyes found hers across the distance. Beth began walking down the aisle but barely noticed the people turn to watch her. All her attention was fixed on the man she loved.

  He watched her intently, hardly blinking as she moved down the aisle to stand by his side. Only when she reached him did he break into a wide, boyish smile that made his eyes sparkle.

  “Lord, Beth,” he breathed. “Ye are a sight to set a man’s blood pounding.”

  “You don’t scrub up too bad yourself,” she murmured.

  Cam took her hands and together they turned to face Logan. The laird of the MacAuley looked resplendent in his ceremonial plaid and his velvet cloak of office. He didn’t smile as he looked them over but his eyes twinkled with merriment.

  “One of the most rewarding duties a laird can perform is the marriage of two of his people. Today is such a day, made even more special because today it is the wedding of my brother, Camdan MacAuley, to Lady Bethany Carter. I thought this day might never come and it gladdens my heart to stand here and welcome them both into Clan MacAuley.”

  A
round of cheering filled the hall. Beth glanced at the guests and saw row upon row of smiling faces, the faces of her new clan, her new family. Her heart constricted and Cam squeezed her hand reassuringly.

  Cam spoke his vows first, his hands gripping hers tightly as he gazed down at her, making promises that would bind him to her for the rest of their lives. Then it was Beth’s turn. The words rolled off her tongue as easily as if they’d been lining up.

  And then it was done.

  With one of his rare smiles, Logan pronounced them husband and wife and, to cheers from the guests, Cam swept her into his arms and kissed her long and hard.

  THE FEAST THAT FOLLOWED was louder, busier and brasher than any wedding Beth had ever attended. There was eating, drinking, dancing and games. Clan MacAuley sure knew how to party. Ale, wine and whisky flowed all afternoon and long into the evening and she lost count of the number of delicious dishes that were brought out of the kitchen by an army of serving staff.

  Night had fallen and candlelight lit the Great Hall. Beth leaned back in her chair and took another sip of wine. How much had she drunk? Certainly enough to be a little tipsy.

  The center of the Great Hall had been kept clear for dancing and Beth had taken part in so many that her feet were aching. She’d begged off the next dance and went to slump in her chair, leaving Cam down there with the musicians. He and Travis had joined in playing with the quartet, Travis on the flute, Cam on the lute, and now a jaunty tune filled the Great Hall, with many of the guests clapping along.

  Beth watched Cam as he played and smiled to herself. The tune finished and Cam struck up another, leading the hall in singing what sounded to Beth like an extremely rude drinking song. Elspeth hurried down from her seat to cover young Travis’s ears and everyone laughed.

  Cam looked up and their eyes met across the Hall. His smile widened and Beth raised her wine glass in toast to her new husband.

  Cam finished the song and handed the lute back to the musicians. He crossed the hall, weaving through the people who were forming up for the next dance, and came to her side. His cheeks were flushed, his red-gold hair shining in the candlelight.

  “How about we get out of here?” he asked, his voice low and breathless.

  She grinned at him. “I thought you’d never ask.”

  Cam bent, grabbed her round the waist, and suddenly threw her over his shoulder. A chorus of cheering erupted as he carried her to the stairs and Beth felt her cheeks burning. Yet she didn’t protest as her husband carried her up the stairs and into their chamber. Only when he’d shut the door behind them did he set her on her feet again.

  Beth looked up at him. He was peering around the chamber, an odd look on his face.

  “What is it?”

  “I was just...remembering,” he said softly. “This was my chamber when I was a boy. There are so many memories and now here we are, about to create a whole host of new ones together. Sometimes I think I’m dreaming. Sometimes I think this isnae real.”

  Beth took his hand and gently placed it over her heart. “Feel that? It’s real.”

  Cam flattened his palm against her chest and then took her hand and placed it over his own heart. “I love ye, Beth. I love ye so hard and so deep sometimes I can barely breathe.”

  She could feel his heartbeat under her hand. It was pounding and she realized that Cam was every bit as terrified and exhilarated as she. She moved his hand lower to cup her breast and a low hiss escaped his lips. His pupils were huge, turning his eyes dark, and in them Beth saw raw, naked desire.

  He stepped close, putting an arm around her waist and jerking her hard against him. He bent his head and his mouth covered hers, his kiss deep and urgent. Arousal flared to life in Beth’s veins and she found herself tugging at Cam’s clothes. She wanted him. All of him. Now.

  Cam obliged her by tearing off his plaid and stepping out of it and then pressing the length of his naked body against hers so she felt the contour of every muscle through the thin material of her dress and the hardness of the bulge digging into her stomach. He kissed her fiercely, his mouth caressing hers whilst his hands moved behind her back and deftly untied the laces of her dress. The garment fell to the ground and suddenly there was nothing between them but skin and heat.

  Cam’s hands trailed down her back to her buttocks whilst Beth wrapped her arms around his neck. With a low moan Cam put his hands under her backside and lifted her and Beth wrapped her legs around his waist. The tip of his manhood bumped against her, sending a hot spear of need right through her body.

  Cam carried her to the bed and laid her gently on the covers. He knelt over her, his eyes taking in every inch of her bare skin as though committing it to memory.

  “My love,” he breathed. “I must have ye.”

  “Then what are you waiting for?” Beth gasped.

  He nudged her knees apart and lowered himself on top of her. Beth raised her legs and wrapped them around his waist, inviting him in. He gave her what she wanted. With a hard, deep thrust, Cam pierced her core, driving himself all the way in.

  Beth cried out, bucking against him as a hot wave of sensation deluged her. Cam thrust in again and Beth ground her hips against his, her fingers digging into the hard muscles of his back as scalding waves of sensation rocked her body. Cam’s tempo increased and he plunged hard into her, claiming her. The headboard slammed against the wall and cries of pleasure were torn from Beth’s throat as she felt her man filling her, answering a deep, desperate need.

  It was too much. With a shudder Beth came apart, all her thoughts exploding in a blinding conflagration of ecstasy that tore through her. She arched beneath him, her nails gouging into his flesh, and screamed his name at the ceiling.

  Cam went rigid and then growled deep in his throat as he thrust one last time, spilling himself deep within her. He held himself motionless for a few heartbeats and collapsed atop her, his delicious weight pinning her to the bed, his hoarse breathing loud by her ear. For one long, timeless moment, Beth remained still, breathing in his scent.

  Then Cam raised himself onto his hands and gazed down at her. Their gazes met, neither speaking. No words were needed. Slowly, he leaned down and kissed the tip of her nose before rolling onto his back and pulling her against him. Beth rolled onto her side and slotted her body alongside his. His arm cradled her possessively and she rested her head on his muscled chest, listening to the wild thump of his heart.

  It was done. They were joined, and always would be.

  My husband, she thought as she lazily ran her fingers along the contours of Cam’s chest. My home. My future.

  Tomorrow her new life would begin. Tomorrow. For tonight there was just herself and the man she loved and their wedding night stretching ahead. Beth intended to make the most of it.

  She raised herself onto her elbow and cocked her head at him. “Okay. Round one wasn’t bad. Let’s see if we can make round two even better.”

  He grinned at her. “Round two is it? There will be many more rounds than that if I have my way.” With a growl he grabbed her and kissed her and all rational thought went right out of Beth’s head.

  Oh, yes. The night had only just begun.

  THE END

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