“Aye.” He nodded. “I do. We do.”
“And the ring?” she asked, her eyes never leaving his face.
“What about it?”
“Does the gem shine?” She tapped the corner of her eye. “Is it the color of your eyes?”
Graham made to respond but tripped over his words. She didn’t need to use her magic to suddenly see the truth. No, she just used her motherly powers to see right through a plan he had barely had a chance to implement.
She flat out knew he was fibbing.
“Please, Ma,” he whispered. “Help me do what I need to do, aye?”
“Why should I when I don’t think I like her.” She narrowed her eyes at Christina again who was chatting with Bryce.
“Because I like her,” Graham said. “Verra much.”
His mother’s eyes returned to his and held for a long moment. “You do, don’t you?”
“Aye.” He nodded, never more truthful. “I’ve never enjoyed a lass’s company so much.” He grinned. “She makes me laugh.”
“You’re quick to laughter these past few years,” she countered. “Oddly enough despite all we’ve been through.”
She genuinely makes me laugh though, he nearly said but stopped himself. If he said that it might lead to more questions. Mainly about the chipper false front he put up far too often nowadays. Which might lead to secrets that ran too deep. Even from his mother.
“I care for her, Ma and that’s all that should matter right now in light of everything,” he said. “More than that, the poor lass just traveled back in time and is about to face some verra frightening things. Do ye not remember what it was like when ye first traveled back and met Da?”
“Oh, I remember,” she murmured as she sighed and cupped his cheek. “It just all looks a little different when you’re the mother of a highlander meeting his modern day lass. So bear with me, okay?”
He smiled and nodded, always amused by how modern she still sounded after living in medieval Scotland for well over twenty winters. But his mother was stubborn, so he supposed it made sense on some level. She would only adapt so much.
“So what’s next?” She pulled her hand away, worry in her eyes. “Is it your turn to go to the next historical battle and face a warlock?”
“Aye, I think mayhap ‘tis,” he said. “Though it could be Bryce.”
“We both know it’s not,” she said softly as she took his hand. “Just promise me you’ll stay safe, Graham. Promise me you won’t do anything stupid?”
He frowned. “Stupid?”
“Yeah, stupid.” She stood on her tip-toes, kissed his cheek and clenched her jaw. “Like get yourself killed.”
“He knows better than that,” his father said as he joined them. “Aye, Son?”
“Aye, Da.” He embraced his father, always glad to see him. “How have things been here? Have the Sassenach been about?”
“Nay, not for a few weeks,” he replied. “It’s been...eerily quiet.”
He tensed at that. Quiet could be good or very, very bad.
“What of the surrounding clans?” He looked back and forth between his parents. “Any word? I know many were set to seek shelter here.”
“Aye and some have,” his father reported. “The MacLauchlins any moment now.”
He tensed even more, tempted to scan the woodline, better yet lead out scouts. “I will gather men to greet them.”
“Adlin’s already sent them,” his father said, watching him a little too closely. “With any luck, they should be here soon.”
“Good.” Graham nodded at his parents. “’Tis verra good to see ye both. We’ll talk more later, aye?”
Before they had a chance to respond, he headed Adlin’s way. It almost seemed his cousin anticipated his words because he spoke before Graham had a chance to.
“I sent twenty of our best warriors, Cousin,” Adlin said. “So ye need not worry.”
Because the countryside had become so dangerous, Adlin usually only trusted Graham to oversee things like this. That was half the reason he had spent so much time away from the castle the past few years. Not only did he help protect allied clans but often brought many back to seek shelter behind the castle walls.
“I will head out anyway,” he said, troubled. “They may need my help.”
“And leave yer new lass alone at such a crucial time?” Adlin frowned and shook his head. “Ye’ll do no such thing.”
“She willnae be alone.” Graham met his frown. “All of ye are here right now.”
“So ye are not worried about Laird MacLeod then?” Adlin sounded dubious. “When Milly and I came together, the verra last thing I would have been inclined to do was leave her alone with any man so interested in her.” He eyed Graham with amusement. “Especially one who just kissed her.”
He made a good point.
Graham kept frowning as his eyes drifted to Bryce who was by Christina’s side, enjoying her company. She, in turn, seemed to be equally enamored as they walked together over the drawbridge.
“Bloody hell,” he muttered and headed in that direction after he nodded to Adlin that he would remain here for now. Christina smiled when he joined her, clearly glad to see him again. But then she seemed to be offering that same charming smile to Bryce as well.
“My apologies for getting ye wet, lass,” he said. “’Twas not my intention.”
“No worries.” She grinned then scrunched her nose. “But a bath is gonna feel good because I’m pretty sure I stink.”
Not to him.
“Nay, not at all.” He took her hand and narrowed his eyes at his cousin. “Laird MacLeod, however, is another story.”
“Och,” Bryce muttered. “You’re lucky my dragon didnae go after you, Cousin.”
“Aye, ye might’ve had more than just the moat but the whole bloody loch thrown at ye,” Graham said. “Though I should have tossed as much at ye anyway for kissing my lass against her will.”
Smug, Bryce grinned. “I wouldnae say ‘twas against her will.”
“Well, it wasn’t voluntary,” she countered but certainly wasn’t chastising him as her eyes sparkled with amusement.
Bryce saw hope in that. “But ‘twas good, aye?” He shrugged. “It seems to be the thing to do with lasses from the future so I didnae think you would overly mind.”
“Actually...” Christina gave him an apologetic look. “Though you seem sweet enough, that can’t happen again, Bryce.” Her eyes went from him to Graham. “Because I’m already taken.”
Though Graham was pleased with her words, he found himself wishing he had waited a moment longer when Bryce first kissed her. Would she have kissed him back? Had there been a spark there? Because there were far more sparks than anticipated when Graham had kissed her.
He dragged his eyes from her face and tried not to think about how she had felt in his arms. How he had not wanted those kisses to end. They had fit together so perfectly. Not just their mouths but everything else. He could only imagine what it would be like to lie with her. To feel her soft but toned body against his.
She was in exceptionally good shape, and he had seen it first hand when she ran through the forest earlier. Yet he sensed something else as well. Magic. Her magic. It complimented her physical form somehow, giving her more speed and agility than the average human.
“So did Adlin mention if there had been any sign of Jessie?” Her worried eyes met Graham’s. “Because I assumed he pulled us back in time, right?”
“Actually, he didn’t,” Milly said, catching up with them. “It seems you two are mysteriously time-traveling like the rest of us did.” Her eyes met Christina’s. “Why, what’s going on with Jessie?”
Christina explained everything that happened. “It all started getting really strange right before we traveled back. As if, maybe, she might not have been there all that time. Or at least part of it.”
“What does that mean?” Bryce frowned. “Was she glamouring herself somehow?”
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“Aye.” He nodded. “’Tis a form of magic that allows a person to look like another or mayhap be in one spot when they are really someplace else.”
“Ah.” Christina shook her head. “I have no idea.” She shrugged. “Maybe. Because something definitely wasn’t quite right.”
Milly tilted her head in question at Bryce. “I thought glamouring was a dragon thing?”
“Aye, it typically is,” he said. “But it can sometimes happen otherwise. Our great uncle, Colin MacLomain, could do such a thing and he was no dragon but a wizard who could shape shift.”
Christina’s eyes widened. “So you’re saying Jessie might be a...shape-shifter?”
“Aye.” A little light entered Bryce’s eyes. “Or mayhap half dragon herself.”
“What?” Milly and Christina exclaimed at the same time.
“Ah, I heard another time-traveler had arrived,” Aunt Cassie announced as she and Uncle Logan approached and introduced themselves to Christina. She was clearly relieved they welcomed her a bit better than his mother had. She was also thrilled to meet the woman who had created the forum where she and her friends had met.
He had to give his aunt and uncle credit. Though times had been especially difficult for them since losing Fraser, they remained strong. Unified. Focused on their clan. Perhaps it was because they had led the MacLomains for so long and were determined to keep morale up or maybe it was something more. Maybe deep down they refused to accept their only son was gone.
“You poor thing. We need to get you cleaned up.” Aunt Cassie shook her head as she frowned at Graham and Bryce before smiling at Christina. “It’s not always easy being caught in the middle of wizards who clearly still have some growing up to do, is it?”
“It seems not,” Christina replied, grinning. She was about to say more but suddenly stopped, cocked her head as if listening to something, then whipped around.
Graham and Bryce followed as she sprinted back the way they had come. She moved so fast, they couldn’t keep up with her before she barreled right into his mother who had remained beyond the first portcullis talking with Rona.
“What the hell?” his ma gasped. For a split second, he and everyone else remained confused until Christina held up an arrow and mumbled, “I think trouble’s coming.”
Shocked by her unthinkably quick actions, he and Bryce glanced at each other, before Adlin started roaring orders and everyone sprang into action. Christina pulled his mother up, and they ran across the bridge with Da protecting them.
Meanwhile, Adlin went very still, eyed the forest and murmured a chant before he muttered, “I dinnae know who shot that bloody arrow but there’s trouble a ways out. Our men escorting Clan MacLauchlin are being attacked.”
“Sassenach?” Graham asked. Or something else? Uneasy, he remembered Jessie's cryptic warning to Christina back in New Hampshire. Something he probably should have mentioned by now. So he filled Adlin and Bryce in about what she had said. About another possible dragon coming that might be determined to ruin Scotland.
“Another dragon?” Adlin frowned and shook his head as he resumed giving orders. “Bryce, I need ye to stay and defend my castle. Embrace yer dragon if need be.” He spoke to Graham next. “Gather weapons and men. We’re riding out.”
He nodded and raced for the armory. After he had strapped on as many weapons as he could handle, he found his second-in-command and had him rally a handful of well-trained men. Christina was with Milly in the courtyard, more composed than he imagined she would be.
“Thank ye for saving my ma, lass.” He pulled her close as if it were the most natural thing in the world. “Go into the castle with Milly and dinnae come out again until Bryce says it’s safe, aye?”
Christina nodded, her eyes skimming over his weapons. “You stay safe too, okay?”
Caught not only by the genuine concern in her eyes but the fear he felt leaving her behind, he kissed her with more passion than intended. When she kissed him just as deeply, he wrapped his arms around her and held on tight.
Pretending with this lass was very easy indeed.
“’Tis time, Cousin,” Adlin called out. His words barely got through until Da cleared his throat. “I willnae let anything happen to her, Son. I’ll keep her safe.”
Graham pulled away, brushed his fingers down her cheek then nodded before he turned away and swung onto his horse. Moments later he raced over the drawbridge, then across the field beyond the castle. When he glanced back, the gates were shutting, and Bryce was standing on the battlement above. He clenched the blade at his side and nodded at Graham in reassurance before they left the castle behind and flew into the forest.
“Be wary, men,” Adlin warned, able to enter everyone’s mind. “Someone shot that arrow and though I cannae sense them that doesnae mean they arenae about.”
As it turned out, they never came across anyone in the darkening forest, dragon or otherwise, but rode hard for some time before Adlin slowed. Graham frowned as he concentrated, trying to sense what his cousin did.
“Many Sassenach still live.” Adlin shook his head. “So expect the worst and prepare to fight.”
“We’ll not use our magic unless necessary,” he said into Graham’s mind. “In case a warlock or something else may be about.”
Based on the concern in Adlin’s internal voice, he realized his cousin was more daunted by that mysterious arrow than he let on. Did he think an unknown dragon was involved? Or mayhap a warlock? Perhaps to set a trap such as this or even worse, leave MacLomain Castle more vulnerable?
They left their horses behind and crept through the night until they spied campfires. Evil warlocks and mysterious dragons in mind, it seemed more of a trap based on how few men the Sassenach had guarding the area. Tired men without armor. The rest sat around campfires with many tied up nearby, including several MacLomain and MacLauchlin clansmen.
In any case, trap or not, they needed to save these people.
His heart in his throat, he searched their faces, eager to find one in particular. Where was she? He ground his teeth and clenched the hilt of his sword tightly, awaiting Adlin’s orders. Thankfully, he issued them soon after, and they took out the watchmen first. Graham came up behind the Sassenach closest to him and slit his throat before he attacked the small encampment alongside his comrades.
Seconds later, he heard a lass’s scream.
“Kenna,” he roared as he crossed swords with a soldier before he knocked the blade out of his hand, punched him in the face then kicked him hard in the gut.
He scanned the encampment as he crossed blades with another. They didn’t fight long before Graham lopped off his sword hand then sliced his throat open. His heart pounded as he kept eying the area while battling yet another.
There was no sign of her, but he knew she was here.
She must be in one of these tents.
“Kenna,” he roared again, unable to find his usual berserker laughter as he fought like a madman.
“Graham,” she screamed in reply.
She was close. A few tents over.
He cut down man after man, trying not to panic. Please don’t let it be too late. Please don’t let her be hurt.
Nothing but pure fury hazed his vision as he opened a tent flap to see a man on top of her. Enraged, not sure if she had been raped or not, Graham yanked him back, drove a blade into the side of his neck, and seethed, “Get off my wife ye bloody Sassenach.”
Chapter Five
HAVING BATHED AND changed into a flattering green dress, Christina stood at the window in the room she had been given and stared out into the darkness. While she should be concerned about showing so much of her gift earlier, instead she worried about Graham.
“He’ll be all right,” came a voice from the doorway. “My son’s an excellent warrior.”
About the last thing she wanted to do right now was deal with Nicole. Outside of a brief thank you from his mother for saving her life, they had not spoken since. Christina tried
not to sigh as she turned and managed her best fake smile. “Good to see you, Nicole.”
“Oh, please.” Nicole shook her head as she entered. “You don’t mean that, and I don’t blame you. I was a real bitch earlier.”
“You really were,” Christina agreed, cursing inwardly. She hadn’t meant to be so blunt. “But no worries. You’re allowed. You’re a mom.”
“If only it were that simple.” Nicole joined her by the window and handed her a mug. “I brought you something to drink. It was the least I could do.”
“Thanks.” Christina took a sip. “Whisky?”
Nicole nodded and stared out the window. “I haven’t seen Graham like he was today in a long time and I know I have you to thank for that as well.”
“What do you mean?” Christina leaned against the sill and shook her head. Though she knew she was supposed to gush about how instant their love was, she didn’t. “Because we only just met.”
“Like your friend Lindsay apparently is, Graham has become quite the actor.” She sighed. “As I’m sure you’ve heard, Cassie lost her son Fraser a few years ago, and it’s been a rough road for all of us since.” She pressed her lips together, clearly trying to keep her emotions under control. “Fraser was like another son to me. Hell, I think all of us felt that way. Me, Jackie and Erin. He wasn’t just Cassie’s but all of ours.” She swallowed hard. “But then we’re close, so I suppose we feel that way about all of our kids.”
Christina nodded, understanding how that might happen.
How it could happen if she, Milly, Lindsay, and Jessie shared the same sort of life here.
“After we lost Fraser, all of our kids suffered one way or another,” Nicole continued. “Rona pretty much moved into Hamilton Castle to be near Conall who reminded her of Fraser. And Graham...” Her eyes met Christina’s. “Well, he did what he did best and helped people, but it took a toll.”
“What sort of toll?” Christina said softly.
“Before Fraser died, Graham was a different sort altogether. More stern and structured.” A wistful smile came over her face. “We all knew he would have gladly become Clan MacLomain’s chieftain if Adlin wasn’t here. Not that he ever held it against the clan for wanting Adlin to lead after Logan. He felt it made sense. Besides, he always had a great deal of respect for Adlin.”
Promised to a Highland Laird Page 5