“Running is the pits.” That tore at her the worst, knowing what she denied them both. The mated pairs within her clan held the closest bond and she’d always desired the same, to be so at one with the man who wished to be the same with her. If only her mate wasn’t from Ivan’s line it would make all the difference. She didn’t want to give up her father or her people. “That sweet ride of his should be easy enough to track via satellite if we go back through that day’s images. We don’t need to rely on our contact.”
“You wish to know where he lives?”
“Aye, so I can stay well away from the place.”
“I’ve already done a search. Iain waited it out at a hotel then traveled under the shield of darkness once he left the city. They’re as secretive as we are and remain well under the radar.”
“What else have you got on him?” Her father never left any stone unturned once he began an investigation.
“Iain is a triplet and has two brothers, both identical. I discovered that information while searching through the births records. That’s where I discovered his father’s name and designation.”
On the screen, Iain scanned his surroundings then stopped and stared at the surveillance camera mounted near the bank. Gaze narrowed, he looked right at her, his stunning golden eyes shimmering in the sunlight. She could drown in that gaze. So beautiful. Her fingers tingled and she itched to grab him, to remove the space that separated them by the camera lens. “He’s definitely my mate. My desire for him is strong.”
Slowly, she stepped around the table and stopped before the screen. She lifted one hand, traced along the firm angle of his jaw and over his bottom lip. His tongue darted out, his heated gaze turning to one of promise before he stepped back, eased inside his car, revved the engine and took off with a squeal across the blacktop. Gone, and everything within her cried out at the loss. “It’ll be harder to steer clear of him now I’ve seen his image.”
“You’ve been struggling lately regardless.”
“Which city, Dad?”
“Edinburgh, although he could be anywhere by now.” He turned his laptop off and the wall-mounted screen went blank. “There’s no taming an alpha male’s bear, Isla. He’s closing in on you and I can sense that.”
“There’s no taming a compeller either.” She was Murdock Matheson’s daughter, a fae gifted shifter who held a hypnotic voice none could ignore. She’d confront her mate only as and when she was ready.
“Just remember, your ability to sense him tonight will be different now you’ve seen him.”
“Oh, I’m aware.” A desire to tangle with her mate seared through her, left her both wanting and uneasy. She jiggled where she stood.
“I want you to relax.” Dad stepped up to her, grasped her hands. “You also need to cease worrying so much about me. Focus only on what you know is the right thing to do.”
“I’ll try, but old habits die hard.” She hugged her father, the one man she loved beyond all reason.
* * * *
After leaving her father, Isla strode to her chamber, opened her desk drawer and palmed her gun. Their work was dangerous no matter the skills they held and even though she’d be on the run tonight, before that time she had an active case to work with her partner, Daniel. Owen and Ewan Mathie were two shifters within a rogue offshoot Matheson branch, one that thankfully held a very weakened bloodline. Those two men, brothers of the same ilk, had killed two innocent people on the night of the last full moon when they’d allowed their bears to roam and now that they’d tasted human blood, they had to be captured and contained. She looked forward to the chase, to ensuring they paid for their crime. It’d certainly take her mind off her mate’s chase tonight.
Swiftly, she slid her weapon into the back rise of her blue jeans then strapped on her ankle dagger and tugged her favorite knee-high black leather boots over the top. She swapped her long-sleeved shirt for a cooler white tank top since summer sat on the brink of arrival and her shifter-fae blood ran hotter than mere human blood alone.
Strappy red purse slung over her shoulder, she opened the door to find Daniel leaning against the opposite wall. “You appear ready to roll.”
“Just waiting on you.” He slung his battered denim jacket over one shoulder and pushed off the wall, his disheveled blond hair falling forward over his brow. “I can’t wait to capture the Mathies.”
“Me too.” She trod down the passageway beside him. “I saw on the latest data that came in that we’re heading to Loch Bear.”
“To the bed and breakfast right on the fringes of the forest. It’s the only place where the Mathies might stay that’s close enough to their last known location. Have you got your sweet voice primed in readiness?”
“I do. What about Emma? Will you be able to make it back in time to spend the night with her?” His wife and her best friend had given birth six weeks ago to the first cub conceived in their clan in five years. They were all completely besotted with the wee boy who had the sweetest tuft of blond hair and the most stunning golden eyes. If only their clan births weren’t dismally down. It made her decision to run from her mate all the more harder since she was adding to the problem of their people’s slow extinction instead of aiding it.
“Emma understands.”
“I highly doubt it.” Their desire for their chosen one intensified beyond control on this one magical night. It was when their bears rode them the hardest.
“Well, she understands enough to let me go. I also intend to return just as soon as I’m able to.”
“When is her next medical checkup?” One of their clansmen held a medical degree and rooms on the first floor, his door always open.
“She’s got an appointment today. We’re both hoping she’ll get the all-clear. Her bear is clawing for its release.” A female couldn’t shift while carrying a child or in the weeks following her cub’s birth, not until her body was fully healed and the Change no longer harmful to one or both of them.
“I’ll make sure to drop in and see her once we’re back, that’s if you let her out of your bedroom.” She strolled downstairs then headed around the perimeter of the great hall. Near the fireplace, several of their clansmen lounged on a group of four comfy blue swede couches. She waved out but didn’t stop to chat, not when they needed to be away. She stepped outside and strode down the front steps.
Across the keep, a dozen men had broken into groups of two and shirtless, wearing only low-slung jeans or their belted plaid, they battled each other with their swords and shields glinting in the midmorning sunshine. Modern technology had changed the world, but at the heart of their clan, they still adhered to the old ways. And with their shifter-fae blood so strong, the only way to expend their immense energy was with such intense training.
She followed the cobbled path around the side of the keep and walked through the postern gate. In the rear lot, the center’s black SUVs lined up in a row, gleamed.
Daniel pulled a set of keys from his pocket and opened their vehicle. She hopped into the passenger seat while he turned the ignition on. The radio blared and she turned it down.
They drove along the winding road, left the sanctuary of Matheson land and joined the thrum of traffic on the main highway. This was the most beautiful land. Rolling fields of heather were awash with wildflowers and the craggy hills of the Highlands called to her very soul.
“Sooo,” Daniel drawled, “his name is Iain Matheson.”
“Dad told you?”
“I was there when he downloaded the footage. I’m also your partner. There’s nothing you can’t keep from me that I won’t eventually ferret out.”
“’Cause you’re nosy like that.” She smiled. In truth she kept nothing from Daniel and never had. They’d grown up together, tussled as cubs and still did as adults. “Now I need to decide what I do about tonight.”
“You’re thinking of doing something different to the norm?” Interest flared in his gaze. “You feeling the need to get laid, little sister?”
&nb
sp; “Not if Iain Matheson is as annoying as you are to be around.” She rested her arm along the armrest under the open window and tapped the black leather. “It’s no wonder he’s been so persistent. He’s their chief’s eldest son. I’m surprised he didn’t actually find me that first night.” She’d waited out in the courtyard, so hopeful that when her mate appeared, she’d be overcome by the bond and finally be able to join with the one man who’d always been meant to be hers. Although none of her clansmen had appeared and that had rocked her soul, and her world.
“A lucky break for sure.”
“What did you think of the footage?”
“He’s one big bear, but if you need me to brawl with him, I can bring out the claws.” His tone was smooth, his grin a teasing one.
“What claws? You keep levitating your opponents then just kick back while they twirl helplessly around in the air.”
“Iain’s no fae-skilled shifter. I’d have to even the playing field with him and set my ability aside. It’d be the only right thing to do.”
“You are all talk.” She laughed and squeezed his arm. “There’s a very good chance should I ever allow my good sense to fly out the window and let my mate capture me, that I’d get real feisty with you for playing with what’s mine. I might even have to take you down.”
“You couldn’t take me down if you tried.”
“Wanna bet?”
“Five bucks says I’m right. I bet I could take your mate down and you wouldn’t even lift a finger to help him.”
“One hundred bucks says I’m right and you’re the one going down.”
“I’ll stretch to ten but that’s it.”
“You’re clearly worried I’ll win. One hundred and not a cent less.”
“Fine. I was just trying to save you some money for when you lose.”
“Sure you were.” More of her tension seeped from her. Daniel knew how to divert her thoughts and lighten her mood.
“Have I ever mentioned how much Emma likes being levitated?” That teasing grin of his was back in place. “I spin her around and have my wicked way as I—”
“No.” She flung up a hand. “Too much information.”
“Wimp.” He chuckled as he motioned toward the gas station up ahead. “I’ll pull over here and refuel while you grab us some lunch.” He indicated then crawled into the far lane once it had cleared.
She strolled inside, perused the café area with its shelved delicacies and drooled over the offerings. She had a mighty sweet tooth and selected two slices of gooey chocolate cake as well as half a dozen sandwiches to share between them, of which Daniel would eat the lion’s share. He always did. Where he packed all the food he consumed though, she had no idea. With two cups of steaming coffee in hand, black and strong, she trod back to her partner and passed him his brew.
He drove and they munched and planned their coming mission. The weakened offshoot Mathie branch only held four shifters and Owen and Ewan could only shift on the night of the full moon, which meant tonight was the night they had to catch them if they wished to ensure another innocent person wasn’t harmed.
Hours passed and Daniel weaved along the winding forest road while along the horizon, the sun began its descent. “You need to hurry it up,” she told him.
“We’re almost there.” He eyed the GPS. “We’ll make it before nightfall and before the Mathies have a chance to shift. We’ve got to catch them before they cause more mayhem.”
“I’ve never been this far east before.”
“I have, a time or two.” He pointed up ahead at a quaint stone cottage nestled within the woods. “There’s the inn we’re after.”
He slowed then pulled into the gravel parking lot. A sandstone cobbled path led to inn’s front door with its rustic bed and breakfast sign strung above it. With one finger, Daniel lifted his aviator sunglasses up and surveyed the area. “Nice and remote. The untamed forest surrounding this place would definitely call to their bears.”
“Then let’s go rope us some big bear.” She hopped out, patted her weapon still resting at her back and walked around to Daniel as he holstered his gun under his jacketed arm and straightened his buttery-colored t-shirt over his black pants.
At the hood, he breathed slowly out, his claws slicing in and out.
“You okay?”
“Just fighting the early stages of the full moon. I want my mate.” The males always suffered to a greater degree on this one night, their need riding them hard if their female remained some distance away. It wouldn’t help that it had been some time since they’d last been able to join as one.
“You got the sedative?” She nudged his arm.
“Sure do.” He dug out two vials from his inner denim jacket pocket and gave the deep orange concoction a swirl. After they’d caught the Mathies, they’d ensure they slept until they’d dropped them off to their contact. Owen and Ewan would require containment unlike the rest of the criminal population. Daniel turned in a slow circle, this time sniffing the air.
She did the same.
A trace of smoke puffing from the inn’s chimney added a slight taint to the pine fresh air swirling around her. She dug deeper. Beneath the pine, she caught the deep earthy tones of the land. No bears.
She attuned her hearing. Small critters scampered through the dense underbrush and the splashing of water beyond, traveled to her with ease. “There’s a river close by.”
“But no bears. We’ll need to check inside as well as do a wider perimeter search.” He set a hand at her back and guided her past a scratched-up mustard-colored Jeep, a white van and a blue sedan.
At the front door, he pressed the bell and waited beside her.
“I’ll see who that is.” A man’s deep voice rumbled through the door. It swung open and the portly gentlemen with a head of gray hair nodded at them. “Good evening, folks. Are you after a room for the night?”
“We are.” Daniel slung an arm over her shoulders and ruffled her long hair. “My sister and I are heading up higher into the mountains in the morning. Do you have any vacancies?”
“The wife has her family staying over for a few days so we only have the one room left. It does have two single beds though, so it’s yours if you’d like it.”
“We heard.” Isla cleared her throat and used her hypnotic voice to its fullest. “That you might have seen two men we’re eager to catch up with. Both brothers, their names Owen and Ewan Mathie.”
He stared into her eyes, his own clouding over under her compulsion. “They dropped in, and have twice before. They left not long ago to take a hike in the woods. That Jeep in the lot is theirs. They asked if they could leave it there for the night and I agreed. They wanted to sleep out under the stars tonight, although they used the spare room last night.”
“Could you confirm that this is them?” She slid a photograph of Owen and Ewan from her pocket and passed it across.
“That’s them all right.”
Daniel sent her a silent look that said, Bingo. Now let’s find them.
She smiled at the proprietor. “We’d like to take a look around. I’d appreciate it if you showed my brother the room the two men stayed in while I wander around the backyard. You’ll find nothing suspicious about our request and you’ll forget you ever saw us after we leave.”
“Of course.” His glazed eyes focused a little, but her compulsion would hold without issue for Daniel. No one had broken through her ability’s hold yet.
She winked at her partner. “I’ll take the outside since compelling beats levitation. Call out if you need my help.”
“Sure will.” He wandered inside with the proprietor.
Setting out, she trekked along the cobbled pathway winding around to the rear of the property. Either side of the walkway, thick lavender bushes swayed in the breeze. She stepped onto the grass dotted with tiny yellow flowers and surveyed the area. The forest butted right up to the rear of the property. She marched in that direction and finally caught the very faintest whiff of be
ar. Excitement thrummed through her and she picked up her pace and entered the woods. Jogging, she followed the leaf-strewn trail into the dark recesses of the wild. Her bear pushed under her skin, demanding the Change. “Not yet,” she urged it. “You’ve got to wait until our job is done.”
Ahead, the trees stood tall and proud next to a fast-moving river and two massive bears clawed a trunk then sniffed, jerked their gazes toward her and snarled.
“Well, hello, boys. I take you two are Owen and Ewan? It’s about time we met.”
They shoved off the trunk and landed heavy on all fours. Both prowled toward her, their beady black eyes holding only the barest rim of shifter gold on the edges. They heaved up onto their hind legs and roared, drool flying from their jaws.
“Down!”
They bellowed and attempted to fight her compulsion.
“I said—”
A man bounded out of the brush, slung her over his shoulder and bolted along the trail through the trees. Branches scraped her bare arms and her hair flew into her face and obscured her vision.
She shoved her hair back and clutched his pumping arms, her belly thumping into his rock hard shoulder. The ground blurred and the trees whizzed by. She couldn’t catch her breath. “W-what are you doing?”
“Getting you far away from those bears.” One deeply sensual tone that curled her toes. Now that really shouldn’t be happening.
Everything spun and she squeezed her eyes shut. “I can’t leave my partner to fight those bears on his own.” She shoved her upper body up, looped her arms around his neck and slid down his chest and into his arms. “I want you to—” Whoa. Her heartbeat tripped out of time.
Oh hell. Her mate had found her, and the moon only just glimmered on the horizon.
* * * *
Iain Matheson couldn’t believe his good fortune. He’d been out in the woods close to Ivanson Castle when he’d scented her, the one woman he’d been searching five long years for. His bear had gone half-crazy with need and so had he. He only wished he’d been paying more attention to his surroundings. He’d missed catching the other two unknown shifters as they’d made the Change so close by, shifters not of his clan, of that he was sure.
Highlander's Desire (The Matheson Brothers Book 1) Page 2