by Vella Day
“I can’t wait to meet this Shamus fellow. He sounds really nice.”
Ainsley smiled. “He is, but don’t get too attached. I doubt he’s staying longer than a few days.”
“Well, darn.” Blair grinned then nodded to the letter. “Is that all he wrote?”
“Almost.” She scanned the last two lines. “He just said that he couldn’t wait to see me as it’s been too long.” She swallowed. “He signed it, Love Shamus.”
Blair grinned. Not good.
*
“Jackson, come help me take the lid off of the pickle jar,” his mother called from the kitchen.
Jackson Murdoch leveraged himself out of his dad’s recliner and went in to help his mom. When he saw the three plates of hors d’oeuvres and a ton of desserts, he shook his head. “I know you said my cousin was a big man, but Mom, he’s not going to eat all this stuff.”
“I’m doing it for my sister, goddess rest her soul. Moira always said her son could eat a horse.”
A knock sounded on the front door, and a smile broke out on his mom’s face. “He’s here.” She wiped her hands on her apron then slipped it off. “Well, go answer it,” she said, shooing him out.
“You come with me. He knows you better.” Jackson had met him one time when he was eight after Aunt Moira had come over to the States with her husband and young son.
“Dan? Where are you?” his mom called out as she hustled out of the kitchen and rushed past the dining room table. Striding up to the front door, she shook her head. “Where is your father when I need him?”
Jackson knew better than to answer.
When she pulled open the door, the cold air rushed in, and his mom gasped. “Shamus? Is that you behind that beard?”
“Hi, Aunt Felicia. Thought I’d give it a try.” His grin was wider than the door.
“Come in, come in. It’s chilly out there.”
“This isn’t cold.” They hugged, and when the big bear of a man lifted Mom off her feet, Jackson thought he’d have to intervene. His cousin finally set her down and ran his gaze from top to bottom. “It’s so good to see ye. Why ye haven’t changed a bit. Still a lightweight, I see.”
Jackson bet his mom loved that since she was always on a diet.
“Aw. You don’t need to sweet talk me.” She turned to Jackson. “You probably don’t remember, but this is my youngest son, Jackson.”
Jackson stuck his hand out to the man who was a good two inches taller and a lot heavier than he was. He wore dark blue jeans, work boots, and a plaid shirt that looked close to bursting. Jackson bet his cousin would be a beast in a fight. “Nice to finally meet you—again.” Jackson didn’t expect the bear hug that followed.
“Can’t wait to get to know ye better too.” Shamus looked around. “Where’s Uncle Daniel and the rest of the crew?”
“Your uncle will be here in a moment,” his mom said.
“And Kalan?” Shamus asked.
“Kalan’s still at work.” Jackson faced his mom. “You did tell Blair about the visit, didn’t you?”
She glanced to the side. “I don’t remember. When Shamus wrote us a month ago to say he was coming, Blair hadn’t moved back here yet. I told your dad to let her know.”
Jackson held up a hand. “I’ll give her a call right now.”
“Before you do, bring in Shamus’s suitcase while I get your cousin something to drink.”
“Is your car locked?” he asked Shamus.
“No, but leave the bag. I’ll get it later.” Shamus faced his aunt. “Now where’s that drink ye promised? I’m a might thirsty.”
His mother smiled. “Come with me. I figured after that long flight, you’d be hungry too.”
“Ye can count on that,” Shamus said with a grin.
Jackson liked his cousin. He was open and honest. What a shame they hadn’t reconnected sooner. As Jackson headed through the living room toward the sliding glass door that led outside and to his dad’s workshop, he dialed Kalan.
“Is the guest of honor there?” Kalan asked.
“He is.”
“And?”
Jackson chuckled. “You’ll like him. Too bad he’s some kind of banker. If he had any law enforcement background, I know you’d try to recruit him at the sheriff’s department. Half the criminals in town would take one look at him and run. The man is huge.”
“Good MacLeod stock.”
“You got that right. Are you going to make it to dinner?” Jackson asked.
“On my way there now.”
“What about Elana?”
Kalan let out an audible sigh. “I’m afraid my mate will be absent tonight. She’s creating some arrangements for a wedding and has to set it all up. She’ll come over if she finishes early.”
“Great.”
When his mother had first announced that their cousin from Scotland was coming for a visit, Jackson hadn’t been overly excited to meet him. Shamus was kind of scrawny as a kid with bright red hair. Jackson always pictured him growing up to be some stuffy, conservative man. Boy had he been wrong. Now that he’d met him, Jackson wished he’d found the time—and the funds—to take a trip to Scotland to meet all of his relatives.
Just as he was about to step outside to find his dad, his father exited his workshop and headed his way. Mom must have telepathed him.
Dad stomped his feet on the outside porch before coming in. “Shamus is here?”
“Yup. They’re in the kitchen.”
Seconds later, his mom came out of the kitchen carrying a tray of hors d’oeuvres, followed by Shamus who had two large trays.
“There you are, Daniel. Take off your coat and join us.” She waved both of them over.
His father strode toward them and gave Shamus a hug. “I swear you’ve grown since we last saw you, boy.”
Shamus laughed. “Only in me belly.” He patted it.
Jackson joined them. “Kalan is on the way. I was just about to call Blair to let her know.”
His mom and dad started in on Shamus, asking him a ton of questions. Not needing to disturb them, he stepped into the living room and called his sister.
She answered on the first ring. “Hey, stranger.”
He laughed. “You’re the one who’s busy working all the time. Listen, I think Dad might have forgotten to mention that one of our cousins from Scotland was coming to town.”
“He never said anything about it. Have I met this person?”
“When you were seven.” Only their parents had flown over to Scotland two years ago when Aunt Moira had passed away, but none of the kids had joined them. “He just arrived.”
Blair covered her hand over the phone. His sister must be speaking with Ainsley, who used to live over in Scotland. “What’s our cousin’s first name?”
Did it matter? “You don’t remember?”
“We have a lot of cousins.”
That they did. “His name is Shamus. Mom wants you to come over now for dinner and meet him.” His sister didn’t respond. “Blair?”
“I think we may have a problem.”
Chapter Two
‡
From the way Blair’s face paled, something bad had happened. Ainsley waited until her friend hung up before asking. “What is it?”
“What’s Shamus’s last name?”
“MacLeod.”
“Wow. I just found out that your Shamus is my cousin.”
It was as if ten people with guns had come at her at once. Ainsley held up her hands, her blood curdling in her body. “Are you sure?”
He was a bear shifter, so she supposed it was possible, but what were the odds?
“My mom’s sister is Moira MacLeod.”
Crap. “That’s his mom. Poor Shamus. Your family can’t know that he’s come here to visit a Changeling. They’ll never understand.”
Blair blew out a breath and stabbed a hand through her hair. “You’re right. This isn’t good, but you aren’t the typical Changeling.”
“That doesn�
��t matter. Do your parents know that I’m one? Or rather that I’m a half Changeling?” Blair promised she’d never mentioned it to her folks, understanding that they wouldn’t react favorably.
“After we went out to lunch with Mom last week, I told her. I’m guessing that means Dad knows too, but he’s never said anything to me, so he must be cool with it. They both know how close we are and trust my judgment.”
“What about your cop brother?”
Her nose scrunched up. “I may have forgotten to mention that fact to Kalan or Jackson. They’d just finished working a case in which two Changelings stabbed a Wendayan and took his magic. Fortunately, the security firm that Jackson works for was able to retrieve it, but Kalan was injured in the fight.”
Guilt swept down. Even though she had no connection to the Changelings in the US, it didn’t mean she didn’t feel bad when their malicious acts touched someone good. “I bet that pissed off everyone around here.”
“You can say that again. Once Jackson and his team stole back the magic, the Changelings tried to take a different Wendayan, but she managed to escape.”
That caught Ainsley’s attention. “She must be one powerful witch.”
“She is, especially when she mated with another Wendayan and inherited his powers too.”
“That’s cool.”
Blair stood. “My parents have asked that I come over for dinner right now. The whole family will be there, so I gotta change.”
Ainsley wanted to see Shamus, but not under these circumstances. “Can you pull Shamus aside and tell him I’m in town?”
Blair leaned over and hugged her. “I sure will.”
Her roommate stepped into the bedroom and returned five minutes later wearing a cute pair of jeans and a pink sweater. She then gathered her things. As soon as Blair headed out, a sense of doom descended. Someone would end up being hurt because they knew her, and she prayed it wasn’t Shamus.
*
“So tell us Shamus, how did you defeat those bastard Changelings?” Jackson’s dad asked as he broke off a piece of bread from the loaf then slathered on too much butter. If he weren’t a werebear, Jackson bet his dad would have some serious health issues.
“It was a might hard, I’ll tell ye that. Owen Chancellor—he was their leader—thought he had the edge, but—”
“Owen Chancellor?” Kalan asked.
“Kalan, wasn’t that Izzy’s stalker?” Jackson asked.
His brother glanced at him. “Yes, but what are the chances there are two Scotsmen with the same name who came over here?”
Shamus smiled. “I’m betting it was the same person, and I’ll tell ye why I think that. After we defeated him and his useless Clan members, his parents gave away his title-to-be to the younger son, Alex. Since he’s mated and a tad smarter, Alex was elevated to be next in line as Alpha.”
Jackson chuckled. “I bet being stripped of his title put oil in Owen Chancellor’s blood.”
“It did. That embarrassment caused him to look for a powerful wife. I heard through the grapevine that his search lead him to America to find her.”
Jackson glanced over at Kalan, whose jaw had tightened. If his glass hadn’t been plastic, he bet his brother would have crushed it.
“But he failed,” Kalan said, his voice sounding like he’d swallowed gravel.
“Thankfully. I wouldn’t have given a hoot one way or the other, but ye see, I was always a little sweet on his sister.”
Blair knocked over her glass of water. If Jackson hadn’t been gazing in her direction, he wouldn’t have seen that she’d done it on purpose.
His sister jumped up. “I’m sorry. I’ll get something to clean it up with.”
His mom used her napkin to keep the liquid from flowing too far, but it wasn’t enough. Jackson stood. “I’ll help too.”
While Blair protested, he needed to ask her what the hell was going on and rushed into the kitchen after her. Fortunately, from the dining room, no one could see them. With the excellent shifter hearing, he’d have to whisper. “Why did you tip over the water? I know bears have the reputation of being clumsy, but you have never been like that.”
She looked over her shoulder, probably to see if their mom was coming in. “My roommate Ainsley is Ainsley Chancellor—Owen’s sister. But she’s nothing like him.” Her words spilled out. “Nor does she know he’s dead.”
Jackson didn’t hear much past the part about how his sister had roomed with a Changeling for four years. His heart was pounding too hard. “Are you crazy? You knew she was one of them, yet you told no one? And worse, you’re rooming with her now!”
“Shh. Keep your voice down. You don’t know anything about her.” She blew out a breath and looked at the ceiling, as if she were trying to figure out what to say. “I’m not going to defend myself or Ainsley. I’m sorry that you’re too pigheaded to listen. Shamus is her dear friend, and he wouldn’t have protected her since fifth grade if she had been evil. Just so you know, Owen is her stepbrother. They’re not even related.”
He pounded a fist on the stone countertop. “But she’s still a Changeling.” It didn’t matter that two Changelings had risked their lives to help Kip’s brother retrieve his magic. Those two were an anomaly.
Footsteps sounded. “What’s going on in here?” Their mother grabbed a hold of each of their arms like she used to do when they were little. So what if he towered over her by a foot, she still had the ability to make him quake a bit.
“Did you know that your daughter’s roommate is a fucking Changeling?” Jackson ground out, not caring if his voice traveled or if his mom took offense at his language.
Her grip loosened. “As a matter of fact I do. Ainsley is a lovely girl. And she’s only half a Changeling. The other half is Wendayan.”
“But—”
“I’m ashamed of you, Jackson Murdoch, judging someone before meeting her.”
“You should know,” Blair said, “that Ainsley is a dear friend of Shamus’s.”
“Is that so? What a small world. By all means invite her over to dinner. There’s plenty of food.”
He could see his sister’s mind spinning, trying to come up with a reason not to. “Ah, I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”
His mother’s chin tucked under. “Why not?”
Her shoulders sagged. “Okay, I’ll call and ask her, but she might not want to come.”
“That’s fine,” their mother said. “It’s important that she understands she’s welcome in my house.” She looked straight at him. “Some family members might not be soon.”
Blair glared at him too, but he wasn’t backing down. “Don’t tell Kalan or we’ll have a war on our hands,” he said.
Their mother lowered her hands to her side, but her lips remained pinched. “I raised both of you better than that. Come back out to the table and act like adults.”
With that, she stepped out. Without another word, they gathered wads of paper towels to clean up the water spill. Jackson kept his focus away from his brother and Shamus while trying to quell his anger as he helped soak up the mess on the mahogany table. Even as they blotted the water, Shamus never stopped his story telling, seemingly oblivious to the discussion in the kitchen or what they were doing.
“Good, you’re back,” his dad said as soon as Shamus took a breath. “Shamus was describing the massive defeat against the Changelings.” His father returned his gaze to his cousin. “So did Owen take this mate home then? Not that I’m looking for a happily ever after for that scumbag.”
Jackson was sure Kalan had told their father about what had happened to his best friend’s mate’s. Dad must have forgotten.
“I’ll answer that, Dad,” Kalan said. “No, he didn’t. I told you about Izzy’s stalker. Don’t you remember?”
“Her stalker?” He glanced off to the side. “Was he the one who got tangled up in a vine?”
“That’s him, yes. After Izzy shunned him, he ran off the road at Gulver’s Gap and tumbled down the moun
tainside where his car burst into flames. I figured he committed suicide because he was heartbroken.”
That was a line of crap, but Jackson wasn’t about to bring that up in front of everyone.
“Blair has some good news for you, Shamus,” his mother said.
If his sister could have turned any whiter, she’d be lighter than a piece of paper. Blair pasted on a smile, though most likely Shamus could see it was fake. “Yes. I couldn’t believe it when you said Owen’s name, but my roommate is Ainsley Chancellor. She just received your letter maybe half an hour ago.”
Shamus slapped a hand on the table. “Good goddess, woman, ye need to bring her here. I came across the pond to reconnect with her. Why didn’t ye say something sooner?”
Answer that one, sis.
“I honestly didn’t think her Shamus was you.”
“Well, call her for me, will ye?”
Blair pushed back her chair. “Right away.”
His sister stepped into the living room not only for some privacy but probably to regain control of her emotions. No doubt, later tonight, Dad and Kalan would blame her for tainting their house with a Changeling.
“So how long have you known Owen’s sister?” Kalan asked Shamus with a hard edge to his voice.
“Since we were young. I got to know her before I learned what horrible creatures Changeling’s were.”
Kalan leaned forward on his elbows. “Didn’t it bother you when you found out that she was one of them? I mean her brother was one sick dude. He stabbed my best friend in the gut and left him to die.”
“Is he okay?”
“Fortunately, he got help in the nick of time. He’s a werewolf, so he healed quickly.”
“I’m sorry. I, for one, know firsthand how bad Owen Chancellor is, or rather was. He always tormented Ainsley, which was partially why I needed to protect her. The bears and wolves didn’t get along well back in Scotland, and even the good werewolves made fun of her.”
Sympathy swelled, but Jackson couldn’t get past the fact that she had defective genes. “How did she escape being like the rest of them?” Jackson asked, not convinced she had.