Highlander's Kiss

by Joanne Wadsworth

  “Which means you arena all right at all. You’re also bleeding, and rather profusely.” Arabel gripped the hem of her forest-green skirts, exposed her shift underneath and tore a strip from the bottom of the ivory cotton. Carefully, Arabel wrapped the strip around her head and tied it off in a knot at the back. “This should help stem the blood flow until I can get you inside. You’re going to need stitches, several of them.”

  “Nay, please, no stitches.” She touched the bound cloth at the back, her fingers coming away wet with blood. “I hate stitches, and I hate even more how rough you are when you administer them.”

  “I’m no’ rough. But stitches are stitches. One cannae halt the pain when taking needle and thread to one’s self.” Arabel patted her hand. “Although I promise to be as gentle as I possibly can.”

  “Ladies, wait a moment, there’s another option.” Cherub slid one arm under Julia’s back and helped her sit up. “I know of a healer within my mate’s clan. Tavish is known as a doctor in the twenty-first century and I’ve been to see him a time or two when I’ve had an injured kinsman who required far more aid than what a healer in this time can offer.” Cherub looked into her eyes. “Julia, in the future there are great advancements in healing and Tavish can ensure your wound is stitched without you experiencing any pain whatsoever. If you wish, I can take you to him.”

  “You’re going to take me to the future?” She would gladly take Cherub up on her offer for that reason alone. Seeing the time and place where Arabel would soon live with Finlay enticed her to no end. “I would love to go to Ivanson Castle.”

  “Then we shall.” Cherub glanced at Arabel with a slightly impish tilt to her lips. “’Twill be best if I take just Julia since Finlay willnae appreciate it if I take you so far from his side, even if only for a little while.”

  “I’ll remain but only if you promise to bring Julia back here as soon as you can.” Arabel crawled to Julia’s feet and unhooked her shawl still snagged around her slippered foot.

  “I give you my word I will.” With one arm wrapped around Julia’s waist in support, Cherub aided her to her feet. “Julia, you’re to hold on to me while we’re traveling through the vortex I open. No letting go, otherwise you’ll experience a far rougher journey than what is necessary.”

  “I understand. I’ll hold tight.” She’d never traveled through one of Cherub’s portals. Eager, she gripped Cherub’s arm.

  “Be careful as you travel.” Arabel stepped back, blew each of them a kiss.

  “We will.” Cherub swirled her fingers through the air and the wind rose and whipped all about. A portal opened and she and Cherub fell away into the churning abyss.

  Stars whirled through the dark and lightning flashed. Excitement buzzed through Julia and she gasped at the sheer beauty of moving through both time and space. What an adventure. She’d gladly fall from her horse again just to experience this.

  * * * *

  Far in the future and on guard in the misty moonlight, Tavish Matheson patrolled the battlements of Ivanson Castle. All remained quiet beyond the curtain wall, the surveillance cameras mounted on the topmost corners of the ramparts capturing the stillness of the night and nothing more. Beyond their keep, the forest stretched for miles upon miles within the mountainous ranges of the Highlands, providing their shifter clan with the perfect level of isolation they needed from the rest of the world.

  Deep within the woods, an owl hooted then a second joined the first’s nightly call. He scanned the woods, his shifter sight alone allowing him to see so very well in the gloomy dark. Unease rolled through him and his bear pricked under his skin. Something was off, although he had no idea what.

  “Anything interesting going on tonight, brother?” Tor strode toward him in his belted plaid and shirt, his golden shifter eyes bright in the near dark.

  “Not a thing, although that alone is making me even more restless.” The wind rose and fog swirled over the treetops. The brisk breeze lifted his black hair and plastered his white shirt against his chest. He palmed his belted sword resting snug at his side. “Are you here to take over?”

  “Aye, I’m on watch until dawn.”

  “Good, then I might just go for a quick walk, let my bear have a wee stretch before I head to bed.” He clapped Tor’s shoulder as he walked past him then bounded down the stone stairs and jogged out the gate under the raised portcullis. Allowing his bear his release, might just help to settle him down.

  More fog swirled, the wind rushing around him. Within the churning haze, two women suddenly appeared, one of them Cherub. He’d never mistake the Fae Angel of Love, not when she’d visited him a time or two along with the odd patient from far in the past. The lass she held onto with one arm around her waist staggered on her feet and clutched her head. Blood oozed through the ivory strip of cloth bound around her head. She must be another patient, and with her velvet gown of cream sweeping to the ground, its sleeves draping over the backs of her hands, quite clearly a lass from another time. Aye, her clothing was from centuries past.

  “Tavish, there you are.” Cherub waved out to him. Her creamy skin sparkled, the glimmer a physical attribute held only by the eldest child born within the ancient royal line of the fae. “My apologies, I lost my focus as I opened a portal and missed arriving in your medical rooms, although no’ by far. I need your aid.”

  “What can I do to help you?”

  “This is Julia. She’s close kin, and took a nasty fall from her horse and wounded herself. Could you take a look at her injury?”

  “Of course I can.”

  “You all right down there, Tavish?” Tor gripped the crenellation as he leaned over it, his black hair falling forward over his brow. His gaze darted to Cherub and he grinned. “Welcome back, Cherub. So you’re the one causing the air to stir.”

  “Evening, Tor. I brought Dr. Tavish a patient, a very important patient from Gilleoin’s time.” Cherub smiled at his brother. For so long Cherub had hidden her true self from their clan, preferring to remain cloaked on her visits due to her sparkly skin, but no more, not since she’d become mated to Kirk, one of their chief’s three sons.

  “Let’s get the two of you inside and I’ll see to this very important patient.” Tavish went to scoop Julia up so she needn’t walk but then stopped. She wasn’t from his time, might find his actions far too forward. Instead, he offered her his arm.

  “Thank you.” Julia slid her trembling hand through the crook in his elbow and curled her fingers around his wrist, her touch so sweetly warm and making his bear stretch deep inside him, as if itching to get closer to her. That had never happened to him with a woman before.

  He shook the thought off as Julia glanced all about, taking in the high curtain wall, the forest then the gravel driveway which led around to the back of the keep to a large parking area in the rear. “I take it this is your first time here?”

  “It is, although I expected to see something…different. Particularly since I’ve traveled over eight-hundred years through time.” She watched her feet with each unsteady step she made.

  “Just wait until you get inside.” He guided her across the stony ground. “You’ll see ‘different’ then. That I promise you.”

  “Julia, you’ll love seeing all that this time offers.” Cherub led the way under the arch and into the bailey. “Like electricity and running water. I have a home in this time which is located not far from here at Angel Bay. I dearly miss being there when I flitter all about.”

  The brisk breeze rose, swirled Julia’s scent around him, a sweet white rose fragrance that tickled his nose. She smelled so soft and feminine and he dragged in an even deeper breath to capture more of her elusive aroma. His bear fairly purred his pleasure from deep within.

  Julia’s gaze lifted to his, her blue eyes as stunning as a clear summer sky and holding glittering sparks of gold around the edges. “Did you say something? I heard a purr.”

  “That was my bear.” Although how she’d heard his beast deep inside him w
as intriguing. He hadn’t emitted any sound. Only he could hear his bear. “My other half likes how you smell, and so do I.”

  “You do?” Her cheeks flushed an adorable pink. “I sprinkle rose oil in my bath, ah, water.” The pink bloomed even brighter as she lowered her gaze. “Goodness, I cannae believe I just said that.”

  “I’m rather glad you did.” He halted in the middle of the bailey next to Cherub, right beside the center well with its swinging wooden pail and sweeping ivy.

  “Oh dear, Kirk calls.” Cherub touched her head. “There’s another emergency. Our connection can cut in and out sometimes when we’re separated by time so ’tis fortunate he could reach me as he has.” She gripped Julia’s hands. “I must go, but just know I’m leaving you in the best of hands. I trust Tavish. He’s a wonderful doctor, so kind and caring.”

  “If you need to go, I understand.”

  “I’ll return as soon as I can.” Cherub patted his shoulder. “I expect you to take good care of my kin.”

  “I’ll take the utmost care. You do what you need to. I’ll keep Julia with me until you return.”

  “Of course you will. I would expect naught less.” With a mischievous smile, Cherub backed away then twirled the air. She opened a vortex and as the wind rushed all about, she disappeared within the swirling dark.

  “Cherub said you’re close kin. How close?” He steered Julia toward the front door of the keep.

  “My sister, Arabel, is Cherub’s sister by marriage, so very close.”

  “I’ve heard of a lass named Arabel. She’s mated to Finlay, right?” Which meant her sister held the fire-wielder skill. Even though Finlay hadn’t yet returned to this time, he’d heard all about what Arabel could do from Finlay’s brother, Kirk, during his flying visits in and out with Cherub. “Iain, Finlay, and Kirk are my second cousins.”

  “Then ’tis a very small world indeed…or mayhap time.” She smiled and swayed, grasped his arm firmer.

  “Here, let me carry you. You’re not stable on your feet yet.”

  “I’m truly—”

  He scooped her up and she gasped and clutched his shirtfront.

  “—fine.”

  “No, it’s best I carry you. I wouldn’t want you falling and hurting yourself again.” Too bad about the protocols between times. He wanted to hold her. Up the front step, he bounded then upstairs and along the passageway of the second floor toward his well-lit medical rooms at the end. Once inside, he set Julia down on the white-sheeted medical bed positioned in the center of the room, washed up at the sink and pulled on a pair of surgical gloves. With a tray of utensils in hand, he walked in behind her and set the tray on the side table. “Head wounds can be dangerous, but I promise to take good care of you.”

  “Cherub trusts you, which means I trust you too.” Her words warmed his heart and he smiled.

  “Thank you. I don’t intend to lose that trust.” He picked up his scissors, carefully sliced the bloodied cloth away then gently separated her hair. The wound was long but thankfully not too deep. “Tell me all about yourself, Julia.” He yearned to know more. “Everything about the past intrigues me, particularly your time when Gilleoin reigned as chief of our clan.”

  “I’m an aura reader and can sense another’s true intentions by the color and the sound of their aura, and Gilleoin is my uncle, wed to my Aunt Sorcha.”

  “I’ve never met an aura reader before.” But that went someway to explaining her earlier comment. She’d heard the sound of his bear’s contentment. “What does my aura tell you?”

  She glanced over her shoulder at him, her smile making his heart lose a beat. Those sweetly pink lips of hers with their perfect pout, enticed him, made him want a taste. “Your aura is a pure white with a tinge of sizzling red at the edge, just as Gilleoin’s is. ’Tis a shifter’s aura you have, but there is more. When I focus on you, I can hear a gentle purr and that tells me you and your bear are as one, that your other half is rather content right now.”

  His bear was certainly content, any and all restlessness he’d felt earlier having disappeared the moment she’d arrived. “Your assessment is absolutely correct. Where do you live when not buzzing through time with Cherub?”

  “At the House of Clan Matheson on the shores of Loch Alsh.” She rubbed her forehead and grimaced. “There is an ache and it worsens.”

  “Did you lose any awareness when you fell from your horse?” He’d give her medication for the headache, the moment he’d stitched her wound.

  “How did you know I fell from my horse?”

  “Cherub said so when you first arrived. Do you recall her saying so?” Her clear confusion likely came from her losing consciousness.

  “I do now you’ve jogged my memory, and aye, I lost awareness, Dr. Tavish. My sister woke me from the dark.”

  “Call me Tavish. There’s no need to stand on formality while you’re here.” He reached up and tugged the overhead light on its metal arm closer. Light blazed and Julia’s eyes went wide as she ogled it.

  “Oh my, you have light without fire.”

  “This light comes from a light bulb, and definitely no fire is needed. This is a form of the electricity Cherub mentioned before. Lower your chin if you can. I’d like to flush this wound and clean it well. I’m also going to numb the area too. The most you should feel is a slight pinch when the injection goes in then maybe the odd little tug as I stitch the edges together.”

  “What is an in-jec-tion?” She twisted her tongue around the foreign word as she touched her chin to her chest for him.

  “Doctors in this time use different tools to aid us in healing our patients, and since I’ve no intention of allowing you to feel any pain, I’m going to use an injection with a numbing agent inside.” He cleaned the wound then smeared each side with numbing gel to ensure she didn’t even feel the needle going in. No pain at all was his ultimate goal.

  “Tavish,” she whispered his name, her voice so soft as she leaned back a little against him. “Did you know your name means twin?”

  “Which I happen to be.” Injection in. “Did you not see Tor on the battlements outside? He’s the one who called out. We’re identical.” He threaded the needle and set to work stitching the wound. “He was pretty hard to miss.”

  “I’m afraid I only saw a dark shadow. My vision was still a little spotty at that time. Arabel isnae just my sister but also my twin. She’s a whole five minutes older than me, and always reminding me of it.”

  “Tor’s a whole five minutes younger than I am. I have no trouble reminding him of that either.” He ran another quick check over her head for any sign of swelling but there was none. Keeping a close eye on her throughout the night though would be a necessity, and he wouldn’t allow Cherub to take Julia away until at least the morning, that’s if Cherub returned before then. Another stitch. “Twins actually run strongly in my shifter clan. More often than not two cubs are born at once, although Iain, Finlay, and Kirk are the first triplets we’ve had.”

  “Twins run strongly through my fae line as well.” She gripped the edge of the thin mattress either side of her, her knuckles going white. “I’m nervous. I’ve never been all that good at getting stitches and I fear the first one. ’Tis an awful kind of pain.”

  “There’s no need to be nervous.” He covered one of her hands with his and her grip relaxed under his touch. “I’ve already made the first stitch, as well as the second.” He began the third stitch.

  “You have?” She jerked her head upright and stared at the long length of thread that led from the back of her head to his hand. A smile lifted her lips. “Well, would you look at that. You are a very clever doctor indeed, with a most magical touch. Should I ever need stitches again, I am coming right back here to see you.”

  “Thank you, but I hope you’ll never require stitches again. Look front and center for me.”

  “Of course. My apologies.” She resumed the right position and he returned to his work, bringing each side of her wound nicely and ne
atly together. “Are you mated, Tavish?”

  “As yet I’m not, although on the last full moon my senses arose just as the other unmated males in my clan’s did since the ‘power of three’ was unveiled and the fae village saved.” He inspected his stitches, five altogether, which would dissolve on their own in another six or seven days’ time. “All done, Julia.”

  “Already?” She glanced at him with the sweetest smile. “I shall never forget your kindness. You have my most grateful thanks for your aid.”

  “And I shall never forget the aura reader who paid me a visit from the past.” He dropped his utensils into the automated cleaning machine on the bench, collected a bottle of water from the small corner fridge then with two painkillers in hand, returned to her and held them out. “I want you to swallow these pills. They’ll chase away any lingering pain and allow you to sleep with ease throughout the night. I’ll also need you to sleep over so I can ensure all is well.”

  “I would like to stay longer, to see what else this time offers. What herb are these made of?” She accepted the pills and humming under her breath, rubbed them between her fingers.

  “Those pills aren’t actually made of herbs but a proven medication.” He uncapped the bottle lid.

  “Would you look at that.” She nabbed the bottle from him, swirled the water within then fingered the notches on the rim. “How clever to put a top like this on the bottle. I see the cap can wind itself over the head of the spout through these ridges. What is this bottle made of?”

  “Plastic, a manmade substance. Pop one of those pills on your tongue then scrape it to the back with your teeth. As soon as you’ve done that, take a sip of water and gulp the pill down, then repeat again with the second pill.” Her questions and delight at seeing so many new things touched his heart. He’d love to show her around his home, take her to some of his favorite places and watch her excitement continue to grow and bloom.

  She swallowed the pills.

  “Would you like to bathe and wash the blood from your hair before I organize a place for you to sleep?”