by Terry Spear
Ian’s phone rang. He read the name on the caller ID. Shaking his head, he said to his brothers, “The Kilpatricks.” He set his phone on the desk and didn’t answer it.
They had to know she was here. She felt mixed emotions over that. She was worried about bringing the MacNeill clan into this, although it was her kin’s fault for putting her in this predicament in the first place. And she felt self-righteous satisfaction that after having been so ruthless toward her and Cearnach, the Kilpatricks had lost her to their enemy.
“After what they pulled, we’re not going to just turn her over to them,” Cearnach said, as if he was in charge of the pack and dictating terms.
Ian took a seat at his desk and leaned back in the chair. “She’s their kin. I doubt they plan to harm her.”
“Ha! They’ve already treated her shabbily. What if she had been shot while running as a wolf?”
Ian’s expression turned stormy. “You mentioned nothing of this to me.”
“A sheepherder’s dogs barked until the farmer investigated to see what was disturbing the peace. Oglivie, you know how he is, and another man chased after us in a pickup and tried to shoot us. What if they’d injured Elaine?”
Duncan snorted. “Her kin don’t deserve to have her back.”
She wholeheartedly agreed, but she wasn’t sure Ian wanted to keep her here, which could stir up more trouble between the clans.
Cearnach remained beside Elaine, his fists clenched in anger. “What if they’re furious with her for having been with me? You can’t turn her over to them.”
“I’m not going to. They have to make full restitution of your vehicle and hers. Your clothes, sword, phone, and anything else they took. If they can’t do that right away, she’ll be our honored guest until they do,” Ian said. He looked at Elaine as she stiffened, and she thought his dark expression was a warning. She had brought this trouble to the clan; he was the clan chief and would decide what happened to her.
After Rafferty, no one had dictated what she could do, so she was used to being in charge of her own destiny. She didn’t like anyone thinking he could tell her what to do.
Ian’s phone rang again, and this time after he looked at the caller ID, he shook his head. “The McKinleys.” He set his phone back down on the desk. “They can stew overnight about what they did to the lass and Cearnach. Guthrie, make sure the place is locked up tight. Next time they see her, they can show their kin a wee bit more Scottish hospitality.”
“Aye, Ian.” Guthrie hurried out of the room to take care of the task.
“Elaine and I need to have dinner.” Cearnach slipped his hand around her arm. “I’ll get us something to eat.”
“You don’t cook,” Ian reminded him. Though his brother’s tone was dark, Cearnach thought he heard a hint of amusement in his voice.
Cearnach gave him a small smile. “Maybe I can manage a pizza. Or…” He sniffed the air. “Maybe Cook’s got some of that lamb stew left.”
“The way this clan eats, I doubt it,” Duncan said.
“Then I can take her to Scot’s pub.”
“Not without an armed escort. Call ahead and clear out the place before we arrive,” Duncan suggested.
Cearnach was thinking of a quiet dinner for two. Just Elaine and him where they could discuss what they would do next. Not a mob scene with his clansmen watching over them.
“Did the rest of you not eat already?” Cearnach asked. At this late hour, he knew they had.
Ian and Duncan glanced at each other and looked as though they finally got the message.
Julia and Duncan’s mate, Shelley, smiled. His aunt and mother didn’t look pleased.
“Cearnach,” his mother said, her brow furrowed, “a word with you.”
When he hesitated, fairly sure she would lecture him about getting involved with his enemy’s kin, he couldn’t believe it when she said, “Please.”
It was the first time he’d ever heard his mother say the word, and he knew everyone present was just as shocked.
“I’ll take Elaine down to the kitchen, and you can join her in a few minutes,” Shelley quickly offered.
Cearnach didn’t care how nicely his mother asked, if she even asked him nicely, or if she tried to order him about. She wasn’t the one to determine what would happen to Elaine.
Chapter 11
Ian’s phone rang once again in his solar, and everyone looked at him as if he was about to hear some earth-shattering news—a call to battle, a final ultimatum—from one of the McKinleys or their cousins. He glanced at the caller ID and frowned. Looking at Cearnach with a raised brow, he greeted the caller with a brief, “Calla.”
Cearnach couldn’t have been more astonished.
“Yeah, Cearnach is safe here. I’ll let you speak with him.” Ian held the phone out to Cearnach.
Cearnach crossed the floor to Ian and took the phone. He breathed in deeply and said, “Calla.”
“You’re all right?” she asked, and he heard a hint of tears in her voice.
He hated that Baird or his brothers had upset her. “Aye, I’m fine, Calla. You… heard about my car.”
“Aye, the bastards. I’m so sorry.”
“You had nothing to do with it, lass.”
“Is… is the woman with you?”
“Aye, Elaine Hawthorn. Robert Kilpatrick’s distant cousin. They stole her rental car and left us stranded.”
Silence.
“Calla?”
“Aye, I know. That’s why I called. After I left the church, I learned Baird and his brothers and the Kilpatricks went after Elaine’s car. Except they didn’t know at the time that she was the one who was to meet with Robert. I was worried when they were concerned you and Elaine hadn’t made it to Argent Castle yet. They were furious you came to the wedding, but even more so when I called it off.”
Cearnach didn’t say anything for a moment, too astonished. “But you got married.”
“We didn’t exchange our vows yet. I’d explained to Baird that I’d invited you, so when Vardon hit Elaine and made you leave the church, I was furious. I’d told him before the wedding that if he did anything to discourage your being there, I’d call off the marriage. Despite my warning, he still had his brothers throw you out. He said he had nothing to do with it, but he lied. I saw him give them a slight nod, issuing the order to have them remove you. So as soon as you left, I walked out.”
Cearnach smiled. “I’m glad to hear it.”
“If I’d learned they’d destroyed your car beforehand, I would have made a public spectacle of Baird. Is Elaine all right?” she asked, sounding genuinely concerned for the American.
“Aye. She’s here with me now.” Safe and secure, and he meant to keep her that way.
“Good. Keep her there, Cearnach. Let them continue to be concerned. Robert’s stored her rental car in his garage so it’s protected for the time being. They’re still worried that Elaine might not have made it safely to Argent Castle. Ian wouldn’t answer his cell phone. So they’ve turned wolf to find your trails. I’m sure they’ll soon discover you made it home and will be demanding Elaine’s release.”
“They can demand all they want. Are you going to be all right? About calling off the mating?”
Calla gave a ladylike snort. “My family has been really quiet about the whole situation. I think they’re secretly pleased I didn’t marry Baird but afraid to say so. What’s Robert’s cousin like?”
Sexy as hell was what came to mind. Cearnach smiled at Elaine. “Travel weary, and she’s hungry. I’m about to fix her something to eat.”
“I’d like to meet her before she returns home to America,” Calla said. “She’s really pretty. I saw her poke at you and heard her say that if you were going to object to the wedding, you should do so. I had to smile, although Baird was scowling up a storm. I like her already. Keep her away from Robert. Make him pay for what they did. I think Vardon feels bad about hitting her when he meant to hit you, but you know how they are. No apologies
to anyone. And, Cearnach?”
“Aye, lass?”
“Thanks. For telling me what I didn’t want to hear. I’ve got to go. Dad wants to talk with me. He says to tell you hi. Take care.”
“You as well. ’Night, Calla.”
When the phone call ended, he took a deep settling breath, glad that Calla had not married McKinley, but he knew it wouldn’t be over that easily. He was certain Baird would attempt to convince her to marry him, if nothing more than to save face. Although knowing him, he’d probably blame Cearnach. He handed the phone to Ian. “Calla called off the wedding.”
Duncan gave a dark laugh. “No wonder they were angry with you, Cearnach. So she finally listened to you.”
“Yeah, well, I don’t think she would have done so if I hadn’t been there and they hadn’t reacted the way they had. They proved to Calla what I’d been talking about all along.” Cearnach turned to Elaine. “Ready to eat?”
“I’m not all that hungry,” she demurely said.
She looked tired and ready to go to bed, which immediately made him think of sharing his mattress with her and wishing she was thinking along the same lines. “Keep me company then after I speak with my mother? I’m starving.” He took her arm and led her into the hall, away from his family. He hoped he could whip up something that would appeal to her.
His mother came out into the hall looking determined. He said to Elaine, “I’ll be down in a moment.” In truth, he didn’t want to leave her for a second longer. Even while he’d stood next to her in Ian’s solar, he’d wanted to do so much more.
Elaine seemed to know what he was thinking. She took his hand in hers and squeezed, then reached up and kissed his lips briefly as if she was afraid to do much more in front of his mother or Shelley.
Hell. But when he saw the devilish smile in her eyes and on her lips, he knew her sweet, innocent kiss was intended to entice him. Vixen.
He pulled her hard against him, looked down into her dazzling dark brown eyes, and kissed her for all it was worth. All the pent-up worry about her and the men that had been shooting at them, and the anxiety about her being injured in the falls… all of that came rushing back to him.
He didn’t stop at a sweet, chaste kiss but gave her what he was feeling—relief, desire, and a craving for her so strong that he didn’t want to curb the emotions. When she melted in his arms and kissed him back, pressing her soft body against his arousal, he deepened the kiss.
Both their hearts were pounding as he leaned his forehead against hers, breathed in deeply, smelling her own arousal, and gave her a small wicked smile. She cast just as devilish of a smile back at him.
He kissed her again, then let her go, his body still hot and hard and wanting from holding her. “I’ll be down in a moment,” he said, his voice rough with need.
She nodded.
Shelley was grinning as she took Elaine’s hand and led her toward the stairs. Cearnach stood staring after them until they disappeared, not caring how his mother might react to his impulsivity. But then he noticed that his brothers, his aunt, and Julia had observed the whole thing, too. Fine. They could assume what they would.
Julia was wearing a small smile of approval. His aunt’s brows were raised, a hint of disbelief in her expression. Guthrie shook his head as if he finally got the point that he didn’t have a chance with the little gray wolf. Duncan’s brows were furrowed. He probably figured Cearnach was going to start a war between clans if he took the she-wolf as his mate. Ian closed his gaping mouth and glanced at their mother to see her take on it.
“Coming?” his mother asked, her voice brittle.
He followed her to the library, where three walls were covered in books all the way to the ceiling. A large floor-to-ceiling window was situated between two of the bookshelves, providing a view of the garden during daylight. One whole section of a bookcase had been dedicated to Julia’s werewolf romances as well as some of her favorite authors’ romance stories.
A book with a hot-bodied military man and a wolf on the cover lay on one of the tables, apparently someone’s recent read. He could just imagine Julia insisting that Ian wear a dog tag for her next book. He wouldn’t go for it, Cearnach was sure. No self-respecting wolf would wear something called a dog tag.
After his mother was settled in an overstuffed reading chair, he closed the door. He didn’t move any farther into the library, his whole posture stating that the audience with his mother would be as brief as possible. He crossed his arms in a defensive manner and studied her.
“In the old days you would have killed a wolf who hurt a woman like that. Are you going to kill Vardon, Cearnach?” his mother asked, her tone serious.
In fact, if he hadn’t known her better, he would have thought she was giving him permission to do just that. He certainly hadn’t expected her to ask such a question. He cast his mother a wry smile. “Is that what this is all about?”
“Mate with her,” his mother said.
His jaw nearly dropped to the floor. He had half expected his mother to tell him not to get interested in the woman and to get her out of their castle at the earliest convenience. That she was a source of danger to their people.
But mating? He was stunned as hell that she would even suggest such a thing. He wanted to ask if she’d been nipping the brandy with his aunt before he and Elaine arrived.
His mother shrugged. “She’s protective of you, a good quality in an alpha female. She’s able to stand up to me. I like her.”
He ground his teeth, studying his mother’s set expression—the one she used when she was determined to have her way. He knew she had to be interested in something beyond just liking Elaine.
His mother was a crafty wolf, always thinking of what would benefit the clan, the pack. She wasn’t impulsive in the least.
“What else, my lady mother? What are you thinking?”
“She knows where our stolen property is hidden. She’s a Hawthorn, niece to those rogue wolves who were pirates. You will help her to locate the stolen goods and keep her safe at the same time.”
Keeping her safe was what he had in mind. And more. But he didn’t like where this was headed as far as the stolen property was concerned.
“The Kilpatricks, who obviously want it, won’t get a farthing, and we’ll keep all of it,” his mother continued.
He frowned.
She quickly said, “Through a mating. We won’t take it away from her. We’ll keep it in the family. It’s ours anyway. You know if they get hold of her, they’ll plan the same thing—to get the stolen goods. Worse”—she cast him a concerned look—“one of their wolves will mate her.”
“Like hell they will. What about her feelings in the matter?”
His mother smiled slyly. “From what you’ve demonstrated, dear boy, you already know what you’re doing in showing everyone in the clan you’ve claimed her. And she… you. No need for you to ask me how it’s done. Of all my sons, I always thought you would be mated first. It’s past time.”
It was true that he’d loved the lassies since he was a wee lad. Ian had been too busy running Argent Castle and the pack once their father had died. Duncan had been much more interested in quelling battles until Shelley walked into his life. Guthrie couldn’t quit thinking about numbers and the pack’s finances. No female wolf in the near future for him.
“She protected you, Cearnach. She stood up for you and risked her own safety. You won’t often find that to be the case. Not when she didn’t know you all that well. In the old days, a woman who could fight her husband’s battles when he had to leave the castle was a real boon to a marriage. Many a castle was kept out of enemy hands because of a wife’s canny wit and, more than that, a backbone and drive enough to make it happen.”
“I’m not running the castle. Ian is.”
She waved her hand in dismissal. “Don’t be so obtuse, Cearnach. You want the girl. Make it happen.” She gave him a wicked smile. “She said you were at fault for ruining your tires.”
He raised his brows.
She nodded. “I have to agree with her. It was your fault. Now go cook something for the lass and make it good. I know she said she wasn’t hungry, but have her eating out of your hands.”
He shook his head. “A mating is for a lifetime.”
“Aye, you think I don’t know that? Everyone can see the way you feel about the woman. I raised you, you know. I probably understand you better than you do yourself. You want her. Don’t you dare deny it. She feels the same for you.”
He let out his breath. “I wanted to give time for us to get to know each other and for her to feel like she was part of the family first.”
His mother scowled. “Don’t give her a chance to get to know the family. She’s mating you, not us. We don’t want family issues to change her mind.”
He laughed. He suspected Elaine might enjoy their family and all its quirks and not be put off by it. Unless his mother had ruined that chance.
His mother smiled. It was a calculating, evil kind of smile. He wasn’t sure what she was up to, but he knew she was planning something. “Lust is only the beginning. You don’t think your father lusted after me until he wore my father down into letting him have me? Of course the feeling was mutual.”
If Cearnach had been human, he might not have wanted to hear the details. As a wolf, he knew his father and mother had been very much in lust and in love. He was glad she’d had so many good years with his father before he died. Though her relationship with Ethan, Shelley’s uncle, wasn’t the same, he thought they were growing closer every day. He’d even witnessed Ethan kissing his mother briefly in the gardens, and she hadn’t even clouted him one. Just turned a rosy pink. Ethan had smiled in his indomitable way.
“Did you treat Elaine as though you wanted her to become one of our pack?” Cearnach asked, frowning.
“Och, Cearnach, you cannot be serious. She doesn’t need my coddling. She’s a fighter—a good one at that. Agnes and I went at her with a two-pronged attack, and she still came out on top.”
He groaned. “You want me to undo the damage? Do you think I’m a miracle worker?” He let out his breath in annoyance.