She plopped back onto the bench at the stern and rubbed her achy head. Jeremiah MacKenzie’s attack had caught her unawares and hitting her head a second time hadn’t been all that helpful. ’Twas just as well she hadn’t reopened her wound.
“Does your head hurt?” Tavish tied the ropes off to hold the sail in place then dropped in beside her. With the rudder in hand, he guided them alongside the rugged coastline toward one of her favorite places. “I noticed you’re rubbing it.”
“Nay, my head is fine.” She shoved her hands in her lap. She didn’t wish to speak of Jeremiah’s attack, not when she’d rather embrace this moment and the precious time she’d been afforded with him. “Will your kin be missing you and Tor back home?”
“They’ll know where we’ve gone since we ran straight out into the courtyard chasing you, Cherub and Kirk.”
“What of your parents? I didnae get to meet them while I was in your time.”
“You wouldn’t have anyway. Mum and Dad are away on holiday, touring a place far from these shores, two countries yet to be discovered in this time.” He spread his hand over hers in her lap. “Mathesons have traveled the whole world over and continue to do so.”
“Which countries are they visiting?”
“Australia and New Zealand. They’ll be back in another month, or maybe two. They’re enjoying their travels too much to return, although that might change when they hear I’ve found my mate, and that Tor will soon be searching for his chosen one. They’ll want to be close, offer their aid if we need it. For certain they’ll want to meet you.”
“I would love to meet them too. Tell be about the countries they’re visiting.”
“Australia and New Zealand are right around the other side of the world. Australia is around a hundred times the size of Scotland, while New Zealand would be three times the size of our fair land. There are so many countries and large continents that have yet to be explored, places I would love to explore with you when we return to my time. One can almost travel around the entire world in twenty-four hours should they wish to.”
Surely he jested. “One cannae even travel the length of Matheson land in one day, let alone the entire world.”
“We fly by airplane, a large contraption that can seat hundreds of people and fly thousands of feet high above in the sky.” His aura remained pure, ringing with complete honesty.
“And you’d truly take me in such an…airplane?” She’d always been such a curious child, yet her parents had never taken her or Arabel far from their Matheson lands due to the skills they held. Holding a touch of fae blood was both a privilege and a burden and they took extreme care as to who might see all that they could do.
“Of course.” He pointed ahead. “That looks like an interesting place to stop.”
A white sand beach curved around a glorious bay scattered with the odd boulder while a jagged rock wall rose high behind it and a river gushed into the swirling incoming tide to one side.
“That cove is one of my favorite places. Deep underground there is a large array of caverns just beyond the rock wall, caves that hold both hot and cold pools. I’ve explored this place often with my parents. Arabel too.”
“I’d love to see the caverns, although no swimming just yet for you. That wound isn’t to get wet. It needs time to heal.”
Thunder rumbled along the horizon and the clouds above swirled into a muddier gray. A drop of water splashed her nose and another hit her cheek. “We need to hurry and make landfall, otherwise I’ll get wet regardless.”
“We’re almost there.”
“I cannae wait to show you the caves. I’m so glad we’ve come.”
“As am I.” Tavish adjusted the rudder and sent them cruising toward land then lowered the sail and steered them into shore. Once the hull scraped the sand, he bounded out and hauled the boat half up onto the beach. The waves rolled in and splashed his leather trews as he held out his arms for her. “Come here, my true mate. I’ll carry you.”
She scampered to the bow, climbed onto the seat then jumped into his arms.
He caught her with a chuckle. “You’re clearly eager to be back on dry land.”
“Nay, I’m eager to be here and alone with you.” She kissed his cheek. “Thank you for bringing me. I needed this, to get away for a little while.”
“Let’s seek shelter.” He set her feet down on the soft sand then leaned into the skiff and collected his war coat and a Matheson plaid, which he slung over his shoulder. After tying the mooring rope to a boulder and fully securing their skiff, he guided her across the beach to the cavern’s entrance carved into the solid rock cliff face.
She skipped across the white sand and ducked inside just as the clouds opened up and the rain slashed down. “We made it, just in time.”
“How deep does this tunnel run?” He caught her hand and twined their fingers together as he walked with her along the darkened, slickly wet tunnel carved of stone. Water trickled through cracks above and splashed into puddles at their feet.
“For some distance, but we are no’ going very far.” She pulled Tavish to a halt. “The cold and hot pools are straight ahead, but since I’m no’ allowed to swim we should instead take this side vent. There’s a steamy cavern which is glorious to see.”
“What side vent?”
“’Tis right here.” She patted the wall and found the slim opening. Through the craggy gap, she squirmed then as the fissure opened up, she stopped and waited for Tavish on the other side.
He wriggled through and smiled. “Well, that was a tight fit. I never would have found that side vent if you hadn’t of shown me.”
“The first time Father found it, ’twas quite by chance. Come. We’re almost there.” She strolled to the end of the passageway and leapt onto the white sand a few feet below. Heat shimmered all around, the steamy air thick and humid. “You’ll need to breathe slowly until you get used to the heat.”
Within the round earthen cave with its high craggy ceiling, a thin shaft vented skyward and allowed a shimmer of light to beam through the tiny cavity above. Light rippled over the slick black boulders in one corner where cold water trickled over hot rocks. Steam plumed and filled the cavern. “Dinnae touch those rocks,” she warned him. “They’re very hot. The cold water flows in from the fresh water stream close by.”
“This place reminds me of a sauna.”
“What is a sauna?”
“A manmade room designed to replicate exactly this.” He turned her by the shoulders and parted her hair at the back to run another inspection of her wound. “Everything’s still looking good. This steam will be fine for you, even if your skin gets damp. It’s just soaking wet I don’t want.”
“Come, I’d like to show you something special.” With her hand in his, she tugged him past the boulders toward a chiseled rock basin carved into the ground across the other side of the cavern, one that held a bath-like pool of cool water. “The carved bath is rather shallow, knee deep at most, but if you get too hot, a quick sit down here is wonderful. Mother never used to be able to get Arabel and I out of this pool.”
“I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed so many wonderful times here. So too we shall share an equal number to come.” He knelt at the basin’s edge and swirled a hand through the water. “This is incredible.”
“I wish to dip my feet.” She unbelted her white crocheted girdle and dropped it on the dry sand at the rear then tipped off her slippers.
“If you’re hoping in then so am I.” With a wicked grin, he flapped his plaid out and settled it on the sand. He kicked off his boots, unstrapped his sword belt and laid his weapons next to her belongings then stripped off his tunic, rolled the hems of his trews to his knees and sat on the edge of the tartan. Feet dunked in the water, he patted the space beside him. “Come here.”
“One moment.” In no time at all she’d be far too hot with all these clothes on. She eased her burgundy gown over her head, dropped it on top of his shirt and sat next to him in her linen shi
ft. With her long hem bunched over her knees, she dunked her feet next to his and swished them back and forth though the deliciously cool water, her toes just touching the smooth, stony base. “Since we’re all alone, I would like to speak to you about our bond.”
“Go right ahead. I’m listening.” He settled one hand on her leg, curled his fingers around her thigh and gently caressed. His white aura with its tinge of shifter red glimmered with sparks of gold and the gentle purr emanating from him vibrated stronger, deeper, his and his bear’s need for her shimmering through.
“What if I’m ready now?”
“Ready for what?”
“To complete the bond and create the merged link of the mind.”
“Are you certain?” Such hungry hope swirled within his gaze.
“I wouldnae want to push you, if you were no’ ready, but aye, I am.” She leaned closer, touched her lips to his. “Are you?” she whispered, sharing her breath with him.
“I’ve been ready since the moment I met you, but since you’re not from my time, I need to first ask you a very important question.” He lifted the edge of the tartan they sat on, tore a thin strip from it then moved onto one knee before her, clasped his right hand with her right and wrapped the thin tartan strip around both their wrists.
“What are you—” Her heartbeat raced at the symbolic gesture she understood well. “This isnae necessary.”
“You are my mate, the only woman I’ll ever desire. If we’re to complete the bond, then I’ll only do so once I’ve made you my wife in truth. I wish for a handfast marriage, Julia. Bind yourself to me as my wife for a year and a day, and the moment we can, we’ll speak vows before a clergyman.”
“Oh my.” Her hands shook. “You truly wish to handfast with me?”
“I want you as my wife, and that is my one and only stipulation before we complete the bond and all that it entails.”
Tears misted her gaze. “I do wish to speak handfast vows with you, to be your wife in truth.”
“Then I’ll begin.” He kissed the tip of her nose, his lips lifting. “I, Tavish William Matheson, of Ivanson Castle, pledge my troth to Julia, of the House of Clan Matheson. With this handfast, I take her as my wife for the next year and a day, and as my soul bound mate for all time.” He squeezed her hand. “I long to be your husband, to know none other can ever claim you, except for me. This way you’ll be mine, in every single way. None can ever tear us apart. Certainly not a MacKenzie, or their devious demands.”
“I cannae believe this is happening.” The depth of the vow she wished to speak with him, and the complete rightness of the moment rolled through her. She twined her fingers through his and looked into his eyes. “I, Julia, of the House of Clan Matheson, pledge my troth to Tavish William Matheson. With this handfast, I take him as my husband for the next year and a day, and as my soul bound mate for all time. I will never allow another to tear us apart, and in speaking this vow, I also promise to both trust my mate and his word.” Tears slipped down her cheeks, her happiness overwhelming her. “Kiss me.”
“Aye, we’ll seal the vows with a kiss, then I intend to make love to you, to devour every single inch of you, for you to know you’re mine, just as I’m yours.” He slid one hand around the back of her head, his fingers sliding through her golden locks. Gently, he drew her forward, captured her mouth with his and kissed her. She swayed forward, grasped his shirtfront and twined her tongue with his in a delicious dance she couldn’t help but desire more of. Their kiss grew wilder, more frantic and he tugged the handfast binding off and freed their hands. Rising up over top of her, he toppled her back onto his plaid, gently eased one knee between hers and nudged her legs farther apart. He settled himself fully on top of her, his glorious body a heavenly weight she desired more of.
“My husband.” She dug her fingers into his hair, his warm and fresh scent surrounding and embedding itself deeply within her.
“Knowing you can’t get away from me right now soothes me beyond reason.”
“I dinnae wish to get away.” Reveling in his closeness, she glided her hands over his bare back and down his sides. Her fingers itched to touch more of him. “I’ve always been a curious lass, and there is no one who sparks my curiosity more than you.”
“I need to join as one with you, Julia, more than I need my next breath. I long to complete the bond and form the merged link of the mind.”
“To have such a merged link, just as Arabel does with Finlay, is something I too desire.” Carefully, she caressed over his leather-clad buttocks, wrapped her legs around his legs and rocked underneath him. The sand made a sweetly soft bed, the steam dampening his golden skin and making it gleam in the trace of light filtering through from the vent above. “I want you inside me, all around me, and for us to never be apart again.”
“That’s exactly what I want as well. You are one very agreeable wife.” His lips lifted in a sensual smile and he lowered his head and seized her mouth once more with his. He slipped his tongue between her lips and licked the inside of her mouth, so smoothly and slowly, with such a seductive stroke he left her panting for more.
Raw and primal need swelled within her and she pushed her breasts into his chest and clung to him. Nipping and licking, her mate tasted her with such a soulful and greedy need, need that flared to raging life within her as well. Heat flooded her below and she moaned and scraped her nails down his back.
“I love it when you do that,” he whispered against her lips, “and I mean by marking me as yours.”
“Aye, you are mine.” She dug her fingers into his back once more and he rumbled his pleasure then kissed her deeper, until something brushed against her mind and pushed harder as if trying to find a way into her mind. Cradling his head in her hands, she pulled back a touch and locked gazes with him. The merged link was only possible between mates and his mind clearly battered at hers and demanded entrance. “We truly are mated.” Awe laced her words.
“You still doubted it?” His aura expanded and flowed out. “My mind is shoving against yours, trying to gain access. I want the telepathic connection.”
“Mayhap just a little part of me still held back on that truth, but not anymore, not when I can sense your need to form the merged link.” She gasped as his aura suddenly swarmed around hers, not only tugging but completely surrounding and melding into the rainbow of colors that made up her own. “Oh my.”
“What’s wrong?” He searched her gaze.
“There is naught wrong. Your aura is saturating mine, fully enveloping me.”
“Well, about damn time.” He slid one hand around her nape and his warm breath whispered tantalizingly across her lips. “You are my true mate. Claim me, just as I wish to claim you.”
Her grandmother’s words reverberated through her mind. Live as you’ve never lived afore, my dear. There is warmth and an all-encompassing heat at the end of the tunnel. That is the place you seek. All your heart longs for will soon come to light and from that sacred place, your journey shall begin.
Aye, her journey had now begun, right here within the all-encompassing heat at the end of the tunnel. She slid her fingers into Tavish’s silky black hair and nuzzled his neck. She licked over the mark she’d given him that very morning, right there within the sensitive hollow where his shoulder and neck met. His pulse throbbed under her tongue and dizzy with need, she scraped her teeth back and forth, her only desire to bite him, to mark him fully and completely as hers. “I wish to live, Tavish, to be a part of you, just as you will be a part of me.”
“Bite me.” He rubbed his body against hers, his aura flaring with more need and flushing hers with the same. Holding her head against his flesh, he sucked on her neck and she clamped down on him and bit him just as he’d asked her to.
He bucked and moaned against her, slid one finger under the shoulder of her shift and eased her sleeve down her arm. A low rumble vibrated in his chest as he freed her breasts and gazed at them, then he dipped his head and licked the hard buds which ti
ghtened further under his hot and marauding tongue. “You skin is so flushed. Are you all right?”
“I’m about to lose my mind.”
“Then we’ll lose our minds together.” He curved his palm around her breast, flicked one finger over her nipple and smiled at her. “Say aye.”
“Aye.”
“Thank you, my love.” He covered her mouth with his, captured her lips in a wickedly scorching kiss, his hard body a powerful stamp of heat that embedded itself into each and every inch of her. He licked her tongue and she couldn’t help but respond. She sucked it into her mouth and when she did, he delved deeper and growled, his bear rising to the surface and rippling right under his skin.
Mmm, he tasted so good. She melted into a pool of liquid heat, wishing this kiss would never stop. Naught had ever felt so right and a desperate spike of need rushed through her, so strongly, so fiercely. She rubbed her body against his, kissed him wildly in return and reveled in their beautiful bond. Being this close to him was sheer perfection. She seized his biceps and held on as he kissed her over and over, until their breath mingled as one and the heat between them blazed into a fiercely hot fire. “I need skin on skin.”
“So do I. Hands up.”
She lifted her arms and he swept her shift over her head and tossed it on top of the pile of their discarded clothes.
“Hell, you’re so beautiful.” With one finger, he traced around her beading nipples then down between the valley of her breasts to her belly button. His aura heated further, as did the molten gold of his shifter eyes. “I can’t believe you’re all mine.”
“As you’re all mine.”
“Aye, always, from this moment forth and throughout all of time.” He clasped her bare bottom, dipped his head and sucked her nipple deep into his mouth.
“There will only ever be you.” She arched into him, desperate to rub against the hard length of his erection almost spearing through his black leather trews. She fumbled with the ties at his waist.
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