For Auld Lang Syne [Cairngorm Dragons 4] (Siren Publishing Classic)
Page 1
Cairngorm Dragons 4
For Auld Lang Syne
When dragon shape-shifters Hamish and Mairi fell in love they thought that parental opposition was going to be the only difficulty they'd have to face. After their boat capsizes in a storm, Mairi lies injured and insensible. Hamish can find no trace of her mind and he flies north, unable to stay on Skye with all its bitter-sweet memories. She's rescued but, finding no trace of Hamish, believes he's drowned. Mairi cannot remain at home, pregnant and unwed, so she's sent away to the mainland to live. "Mated for life" means so much that there can be no other love. When they are reunited, after so many years apart, can they make a life together? The passing years have taken their toll and the adjustment could well part them again. Do they love each other enough to overcome their difficulties For Auld Lang Syne?
Genre: Fantasy, Historical, Shape-shifter
Length: 26,956 words
FOR AULD LANG SYNE
Cairngorm Dragons 4
Clair de Lune
EROTIC ROMANCE
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
IMPRINT: Erotic Romance
FOR AULD LANG SYNE
Copyright © 2014 by Clair de Lune
E-book ISBN: 978-1-63258-232-4
First E-book Publication: September 2014
Cover design by Christine Kirchoff
All art and logo copyright © 2014 by Siren Publishing, Inc.
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All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.
PUBLISHER
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DEDICATION
For Izabella Barbara Maria and for all my loyal friends and supporters on Facebook. You know who you are. You enrich my life and I would be so much the poorer without you.
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
About the Author
FOR AULD LANG SYNE
Cairngorm Dragons 4
CLAIR DE LUNE
Copyright © 2014
Chapter One
On the island of Skye, on the edge of the settlement of Portree, Hamish landed in a flurry of small stones as his wing tips scraped along the ground.
Damnation, I forgot again. One of these days I’ll get it right. He changed to his human-form and clothed himself. I’d better not forget that, or someone will get an eyeful. He grinned as he strode down the street. Thus far he’d managed the changes to dragon-form quite easily, but he couldn’t get the hang of the elegant touchdowns he’d seen the older dragons make. He’d asked lots of questions, but they’d told him to practise and he’d get the hang of it eventually. Why do I have to wait until I’m twenty-one to learn more? I can’t see why they can’t tell me right now. All I get is “patience.” Were they never young? I just want to know why I shape-shift and why this is happening to me. What else will happen? No one will tell me anything until my coming of age, so I just have to wait. He adjusted his plaid, throwing the end over one shoulder as he picked up his pace. He was hungry, and if he got home in time, there would be flat cakes and honey and maybe some cheese. His mother complained he was always hungry, but she still fed him well and saved treats for him. They were not one of the best families, and so, sometimes, they had to go hungry, but he could help there. When he was in his dragon-form, there were deer to be taken. He knew that some shape-shifters could catch a wily salmon. He’d tried, but so far success had eluded him.
Suddenly he was aware of a tendril of thought in his mind.
“My but he’s a handsome specimen. He’s so tall and straight.” The voice had a feminine tone.
How do I know that? What’s going on? How is it possible to hear the voice of another in my head? Who is she? Where is she? He stopped and looked about him. There were several girls strolling down the street. It must be one of them. They are well-off or they’d not have time to stroll about dressed in good clothes. He spared a thought for his sisters, who had to work alongside their mother and certainly had no time to wander the settlement, dressed in their best. Whoever this person was, he’d no business with her, because nothing could come of it. Too late. His cock had stiffened and was throbbing. No doubt that’s another thing that will be revealed at my coming of age. My cock seems to have a will of its own. It doesn’t take much to get it interested, and then it’s going to be hellishly painful until I get relief. He reviewed the options in his mind and decided with a sigh that he was going to have to administer to his own needs at this time of day.
There was a chuckle inside his head in the same voice. He looked all round him again, and his eyes met hers. His breath was ripped from him and his heart beat faster than he ever remembered it doing before. She was gorgeous. A little on the tall side for the usual village maidens, she was slender but with curves in all the right places. Her sweet, heart-shaped face was framed with thick, black hair, p
arted in the middle. It was worn, no doubt, it the usual way of young maidens in a long plait down her back. Her eyes were the deep-blue of the summer sky. They shone with mischief, intelligence, and humour. Her skin was a delicate shade of bronze. He couldn’t take his eyes from hers. He felt his already swollen cock throb and grow even harder. He took a couple of steps in her direction, but she shook her head.
“Not here and not now. Come to the loch tonight after the evening meal.” With that he had to be content. Because of his excited state, he walked more slowly toward his home. Absentmindedly he ate the oat cakes and honey his mother handed to him. He couldn’t wait for the evening. He did the chores his mother requested, and so the afternoon passed quickly enough. Who is she? What am I doing going to meet her? She’s one of the good families, and we’re poor. This isn’t a good idea. The same thoughts went round and round in his head as he tried to convince himself not to go. He knew that he would go, however. The thought of her beautiful curves and deep-blue eyes filled his mind. I wonder what she will feel like in my arms. What will her soft mouth taste like? Will she allow me to take her in my arms? When will it be time?
In spite of his impatience, the time passed, and eventually he was striding toward the loch. She wasn’t waiting for him. He stood, skimming pebbles off the loch’s still, flat surface.
“I didn’t expect to be meeting a young boy who passes his time in childish pursuits.”
The voice inside his head took him by surprise. He whirled around, and the sight of her took his breath away. She was even more beautiful than he’d remembered. In the soft twilight her hair shone, and mischief danced in her eyes.
“How do you get inside my head?” he asked.
“You’re a shape-shifter, a dragon lord.”
“I’m a shape-shifter, but I’m not a lord. My family is ordinary. On the other hand, I can see your family is wealthy. You still haven’t told me how you get inside my head.”
“Simple. You can do it, too. Just concentrate on me. Try to send a thought to me only,” she said.
“Like this? Can you hear this?”
“Yes, I can. That proves we have a connection. This is wonderful. I wonder how far away I can hear you. When I go home, I will keep in contact with you and we shall see.”
“This is taking a lot of effort. Can we speak normally now?”
Her soft laugh thrilled him.
“Yes. It takes a bit of practice, but you can do it. It’s the best way to keep in touch.”
“Do you want to keep in touch with me then?” he asked, half-teasingly.
“Yes, I do. Now, let’s walk along the banks of the loch. I don’t have all night, and I want to get to know you.” As she said that she turned, and she began to walk away. He hurried to keep up with her.
“What’s your name?” he asked.
“Mairi,” she said. “What’s yours?”
“Hamish,” he replied.
“Well, Hamish, tell me something about your family.”
“I have two sisters, both younger than I am. They help my mother. We live on the edge of the settlement.”
“I knew I hadn’t seen you before. I live in the centre of the settlement opposite the meeting house. I have two sisters, too, both younger than I am, and one elder brother.”
His heart sank as she told him where she lived. To be in that position, her family were wealthy and influential. They would never let her near him if they found out. “Well, it was a nice dream while it lasted.”
“Why do you say that?”
“I didn’t mean you to overhear that.”
“Then you have to learn to shield your thoughts. Look, like this.”
She showed him, and it was simple. It was so easy he wondered why he hadn’t thought of it himself.
“All this will take time, Hamish. You have to become accustomed to it slowly. You can practise communicating with me. Now tell me why you thought that.”
“You’re rich and I’m poor. Your parents will want better for you.”
“I will choose my friends for myself.”
“I still say that they won’t want us to be friends.”
“Well, I feel a strange connection to you. I won’t give you up.” She stamped her foot in vexation, and Hamish said no more. Time would tell. He was still convinced that their association would be frowned upon.
“Now I have to return home. We’ll go as far as the road to the settlement together. Then it’s best we part. We don’t want to give rise to gossip,” Mairi said.
What did she say? And now we are to part so there’s no gossip.
She went first, and he stood and waited until he could no longer see her. He watched the sway of her hips and her rather mannish stride as she walked back along the road to her home and out of his life.
Chapter Two
The next day Mairi rose early. The connection between her and Hamish was special. She was convinced of it. She hadn’t lost the touch of his mind, until she blocked her thoughts on entering her own home. He was new to all this, and she wanted to tell her parents herself. There was a risk that an unguarded thought of his would betray them. She had some chores to do, but none of them were arduous and she had soon completed all of her allotted tasks.
“You’ve finished early today,” her mother remarked.
“Yes, Mother,” Mairi said.
“Why is that? Is there something special you want to do today?”
“Yes, Mother. I’ve met the man who I believe will be my mate, and I want to talk to you and my father today.” Mairi was pleased to hear that her voice was steady. She’d told Hamish that she would choose her own friends, but she loved her parents and didn’t want to cause them pain. They loved her and would want her happiness, but would they accept a man who, although he was a dragon shape-shifter, wasn’t from one of the best families?
“I will call your father. Go and wait in the solar, my dear,” her mother said. She looked pleased, but Mairi was under no illusion that she’d be disappointed in Hamish’s circumstances. Her father was a wealthy man. She and her sisters and brother had never wanted for anything. Until today she hadn’t really thought about the lives of less fortunate people. She’d taken that path with her friends because she’d been troubled by tendrils of thought that had slipped into her mind. The thoughts seemed to emanate from that direction. She made her way to the solar and sat down to wait.
* * * *
“My dear, Mairi awaits us in the solar. She tells me she’s met her mate. I want to talk to you about it before we go in to see her. It’s always better to present a united front to the children and never more so than in this case. Mairi still has that wilfulness about her…”
She was startled by her husband’s interruption. Usually he waited and heard her out before he gave his opinion.
“She’s way too young and immature yet to be thinking of mating. Who is this young man? Why hasn’t he presented himself here to me? I’d lay odds he’s not of our circle. He’ll be some young sprig from the settlement who has an eye to the main chance,” he declared vehemently.
“Yes, my dear, I’m inclined to agree with you, and so we must proceed with caution,” she replied in a calm voice. This is going to be harder than I’d thought. If he doesn’t see reason, we could push her into the arms of this young man.
“Caution? Just say ‘no’ and there’s an end of it,” her man declared.
“Well, you know, my dear, there’s nothing like parental opposition to make a girl feel she’s a martyr. She’ll take up a position from which she will find it impossible to back down. I’m sure you can see that.”
“Well, you have always handled the girls, my love, and done a wonderful job, but I will never consent to giving my daughter to some low-born scoundrel, out only to take her inheritance. She’ll get nothing from me. Wait until he hears that. He’ll soon change his mind. She won’t want to live in poverty either. She wouldn’t know where to begin, extravagant little puss that she is.”
“We don�
��t know that he is a young man like that. My love, that’s said in the heat of the moment. It’s your disappointment talking. Think, my dear. You won’t want to lose her. The best way to do that is to thwart her. She’s always been headstrong and had most of what she wanted. Let her meet him. I’ll explain that she’s too young and immature to marry now. They must wait until they can have a dragon-mating. In that time, we will present her with men, not boys, of her own standing. One of them will surely catch her eye and know how to turn her head.”
“You mark my words, we shall be lucky if he knows how to eat off a table,” her husband replied tartly. “Young Jeanna mated with a man from the edge of the settlement and look where that ended.”
“Young Jeanna was forbidden to see him by her parents, so of course she flew to his arms. He took her, and then they had to be mated. I know we shan’t be so foolish with our child,” she said and watched the play of emotions on his face. She could see he understood the dangers, and so she hoped he’d agree to her plan.
“Well, my love, what course of action do you propose?” She hid the triumphant little smile and took his hand in hers.
“We allow her to meet this man. She presents him to us. We obtain her word that they will do no more than get to know one another. If they are of the same mind in a few years’ time, when they are of age, they can have their dragon-mating,” she said.
“I hope that you know what you’re about, my love,” he said, squeezing her fingers. “She’s accustomed to the best.”