Highlander's Kiss

by Joanne Wadsworth

  She did as he bid while he parted her hair and assessed her injury.

  “It’s a new wound, an inch lower than the last one and thankfully not deep or long enough to require stitches. Did you lose any awareness at all?”

  “I may have.”

  “For how long?” He turned her again, the worry in his aura spiking out in sharp waves.

  “Not too long.”

  “How long? And be exact.”

  Clearly she wasn’t getting out of answering this question. “The entire night, although I would like to point out that one usually rests during the night once one is asleep. That was all I was doing. Resting and sleeping.” She reached up on her toes and brushed her thumbs along the darkened shadows under his eyes. “Which it appears you didnae do at all.”

  “This conversation isn’t about me but you. Keep your eyes open.” With one hand, he tipped her chin up and peered directly into her eyes, his golden gaze so intent and those luscious lips of his so close. “Do you feel faint at all?”

  “Aye, very faint.” She swayed toward him, her heartbeat racing. Goodness. She needed to regain her focus. Tor, Kirk, and Cherub stood waiting, and she needed to find and rescue her parents. No more could she delay. Swiftly, she ducked under Tavish’s arm and grasped ahold of Cherub’s hand. “I’m ready to leave.”

  “Julia Matheson.” Tavish caught her around the waist. “You should be in bed, resting. Losing consciousness is dangerous, particularly for a solid night.”

  “Yet I just woke up. I dinnae need any more rest. What I need is to find my parents, and then I shall rest once that is done. You may oversee that rest if you like.”

  “I’m sorry, Tavish.” Cherub arched a sympathetic brow at him. “You really can’t argue with a woman when she’s in this kind of a determined mood. The sooner we leave, the sooner we can return, then you can tend to your mate to your heart’s desire.”

  “Thank you, Cherub.” Julia squeezed her hand. “I need to get my parents back and now we have a destination, to Loch Broom we go.”

  “Aye, to Loch Broom. I’ll open a portal and take us directly there rather than fly us through the skies. There’s an inn I’ve visited afore, one close to the loch’s entrance and at a good guess, I’d say his keep will be close to that point.” She glanced over her shoulder at Kirk. “Ready to leave?”

  “Always, my elusive imp.” He banded his arms tight around her waist. “How are you holding up?”

  “My energy is depleting. I’ll soon need a rest, but for now I can manage one more jump through time.” Cherub swirled one hand through the air and the wind rose and tunneled around them. The dark ensued and they all fell away into the churning abyss.

  Moments later they reappeared on the rise overlooking Loch Broom. Dark and ominous clouds gusted in from the sea. Loch Broom weaved inland for several miles with the odd longhouse nestled along its rocky shoreline. Cattle grazed within the lower pastures and sheep dotted the craggy hills rising high either side of the waterway. This ruggedly wild land was so difficult to reach when one traveled the dangerous mountain pass directly across the mainland.

  Cherub swayed and Kirk turned her in his arms and eyed her. “You need to rest now, before we go any further.”

  “Aye, an hour or so to replenish my strength would be appreciated, a meal as well if possible. Transporting so many so far can be draining.”

  “You also haven’t rested since well before the battle. We’ve got time on our hands right now. Not only will Colin MacKenzie be searching for Julia but Red Point is still a half day’s sail away from here.” Kirk motioned toward the winding downward trail where at the base, nestled amongst a stand of towering elm trees, a quaint stone building with smoke puffing from its chimney, beckoned travelers. “We’ll head to the inn for a meal. None of us are wearing our Matheson plaid. We’ll appear as no more than any other warrior or traveler would.”

  “We also need to keep a low profile,” Tavish added. “Ensure no one discovers who we are or where we’ve come from.”

  ’Twas a sound idea and Julia nodded her agreement. She too longed for a hot meal. At the side of the inn, a wooden beamed enclosure housed horses and a lad with a woolen cap, his tunic’s sleeves rolled to his elbows, brushed a horse tethered within. Two other horses dug their snouts into a wooden pail holding feed and gobbled it down.

  “Look, right there.” Cherub pointed toward the loch’s entrance. On the jutting, rocky tip overlooking the ocean, a castle stood, its stone curtain wall rising high. The MacKenzie’s banner flapped from the uppermost corner of the gatehouse. “That must be our enemy’s holding.”

  “That’s it all right.” Tor’s gaze narrowed on the very strategic location the MacKenzie held. “From that point, the MacKenzie will be able to keep an eye on one and all sailing these seas.”

  “Let’s go. I’ll rest, restore my strength then we’ll be underway once more.” Cherub tugged on Kirk’s hand and started down the trail, her white fur cloak resting over her shoulders and her navy skirts flapping. Tor followed them and so did she.

  “Julia, slow down for a moment.” Tavish tilted his head in that angle she was fast learning meant business. “If you feel unwell at any time, then you must tell me.”

  “I promise you I shall. Now cease worrying.” Before he could issue yet another demand, she picked up her pace and skipped ahead down the trail to prove she was mightily well. This mission was far too important to allow a little head wound to get in her way, one that bothered her not at all. So too Arabel was counting on her and she wouldn’t let her sister down. Not again. Bringing her parents back home was all that mattered, however it had to be done. Surely they lived. The MacKenzie had been so adamant that they did, and she wouldn’t allow herself to think otherwise.

  Tavish grumbled as he caught up to her. “I will worry as much as I like.”

  “You are one very stubborn mate.” Thunder rumbled overhead and a drop splashed her nose. “We’re about to get wet.”

  Cherub glanced skyward. “’Tis best I allow those clouds to remain where they are. No’ only do I need to conserve what strength I have but sweeping them away will alert the MacKenzies to my arrival. Our enemy’s warriors have seen me in action, and far more than once.” The heavens opened and Cherub tugged her cloak’s hood over her head and dashed toward the inn’s front door with its low hung eaves and stony facade.

  Kirk chased her and Tor loped after them.

  Two lively children squealed from under an apple tree at the side of the inn and with baskets in hand, tore barefoot into the stables where the lad tending the horses too had sought shelter from the rain.

  Julia grasped her skirts and darted around a lanky brown-haired dog in the center of the yard and ducked in through the front door, Tavish one step behind her. She brushed the rain from his gray jacket and handed it back to him. “I’ll warm up quickly now I’m inside. This search is becoming quite the adventure.”

  “Adventure or not, just don’t forget whose land we’re on.” His golden gaze blazed as he leaned in and nipped her ear. “I won’t lose you again.”

  “How can I help ye fine folks?” The innkeeper, a crinkly-eyed man wearing breeches and a loose plaid tossed over one shoulder, ambled over from the bar toward them. “The wife has beef stew cooking and fresh bread warm from the oven. There are travelers aplenty here today.”

  “Beef stew and fresh bread would be most appreciated.” Kirk tucked Cherub under his shoulder, her head tipped down within her hood and her cloak fully protecting her identity. Cherub always took great care with whom she allowed to see her. Her glimmering skin was a physical attribute held only by the eldest child born within the ancient royal line of the fae and since Cherub was the king’s firstborn and she’d yet to conceive a child, she was also the last to hold the unique skin trait. It certainly made her easily identifiable.

  “Then find yourselves somewhere to sit. I’ll have the barmaid see to ye all.” The innkeeper plodded off through the side door into the
kitchens.

  “I’d love a moment to freshen up.” Cherub peeked at her from under her hood. “What of you, Julia?”

  “Aye, I’ve a great need to freshen up.” Her windblown hair must look a fright and she wouldn’t mind washing the blood from her hair. With the blood out of Tavish’s sight, mayhap her new injury would also be out of his mind. A side stairwell led upward to the top floor of the inn and a young maid of perhaps ten and four swept the floors near the bottom step. She squeezed Tavish’s hand. “Cherub and I will be back soon.”

  “Keep your mind open to mine.”

  “I shall.” She crossed to the lass with Cherub at her side. “Excuse me, we’ve a need to freshen up. Is there a chamber available where we could?”

  “Aye, my ladies, right here on the lower floor. Come with me.” She set her broom in the corner, tucked one errant brown lock under her white frilly cap and led the way along the lower corridor. At the end of the hallway, the lass opened the paneled door and motioned them inside. “This is Mama and Papa’s best chamber and has a view right across the loch as well as a side door and a private garden. ’Tis all yours for as long as ye need it.”

  “You have our most heartfelt thanks.” She smiled at the lass and walked inside. A large bed covered in a patchwork quilt of bright blues and greens stood against one wall and a posy of wildflowers sat in fluted holder on the bedside table next to it. The window faced the loch, offering a perfect view of the sea entrance and the MacKenzie’s stronghold sitting on the jutting point only a short distance away. She opened the door to the outside garden and gasped. Lavender bushes and scattered wildflowers surrounded a pathway leading down to the loch. “I would dearly love to stay here for a day or two, to enjoy the countryside, that’s if this inn were no’ on MacKenzie land.”

  “This is a lovely spot, although a sure shame to be located right here.” Cherub joined her underneath the covered doorway and motioned toward the castle where guardsmen patrolled the barbican. “Do you sense any hum?” Cherub kept her tone low so as not to be overheard by the maid as she lit the fire across the other side of the chamber.

  Eyes closed, she focused on the castle and her parents possibly imprisoned within. Once she heard the gentle hum of their aura then she’d know for certain that they lived. She touched her chest, right over her rapidly beating heart, but not a trace of a hum resonated toward her. “There’s naught.” She opened her eyes and blinked the hot burn of tears away. “I need to get closer, Cherub. I’m still too far away.”

  “I’ll take you straight into the castle myself, the moment I’ve restored my strength.” Cherub had expended such a great deal. “Soon, very soon.”

  Julia faced the castle once more. Several warriors heaved slabs of stone from the rear of a cart and handed them to a stonemason and his team who disappeared around the other side of the keep. Another cart rumbled past the inn and down the bumpy trail toward the castle, the rear stacked with the same stone blocks. “They are at work on constructing the outbuildings.”

  “Aye, I’d say ’tis a relatively new keep.”

  “Is there aught more you need, my ladies?” The maid rose from the blazing fire and dusted her hands against her aproned skirts.

  “Nay, thank you for your aid. We’ll be fine now.” Julia smiled at the lass.

  The girl dipped her head and closed the door behind her as she left.

  Cherub pushed her hood back and picked up a drying cloth from the side table and dabbed her wet cheeks.

  Julia pulled the garden door shut, slid her sapphire jeweled hairpins from her tangled hair and set them on the side table.

  “Here, let me aid you with your hair.” Cherub patted the chair before the looking glass. “We’ll need to get rid of the spots of blood at the back if you wish to keep Tavish calm.”

  “I cannae believe I hit my head again. ’Tis just as well I didnae hurt myself too badly.” She sat and Cherub carefully cleaned the blood away. Sighing, she sank even deeper into Tavish’s mind and rolled around within the exquisite space. “The chamber is lovely and looks right out over the loch toward the castle. There’s a door leading to a private garden.”

  “I’d rather you be right here with me in this main room. Hurry it up, love.”

  Cherub set the washcloth aside then gently worked the comb through her hair and detangled the knots.

  “I’m not quite sure what I did afore this merged link took form.” She smiled at Cherub over her shoulder. “Although now I’m mated to Tavish, I hate to think of only living in the future and completely leaving my kin here behind.”

  “You’ll never have to leave them behind. I’ll gladly bring you and Tavish back and forth through time as needed. My duty is to my people and I will never forsake any of you, no matter what time or place you reside in.” Cherub finished tidying her hair then brushed her own and set the comb down. “All done.”

  “Thank you.” She hugged Cherub, squeezed her extra tight. “Never have our people been so lucky as to have you as our princess.”

  “’Tis my pleasure to aid my people, however and wherever I can.” Cherub squeezed her back. “You are my sister, just as Arabel is.”

  “Julia, how much longer will you be? I can’t stand this separation.”

  “I’m coming.” She walked to the door with a grin. “Tavish is getting anxious.”

  “So is Kirk. Mated men are quite the handful at times.” Grinning and with her hood back in place, Cherub swished past her and led the way along the corridor to the main room.

  Julia followed, weaved past a score of patrons seated at small tables then alongside a fire roaring within the wide hearth. Each table was separated from the other by wooden screens, and farmers and travelers all partook of the stew and tankards of ale while they chatted. In the far darkened corner, the men sat with a clear view of everyone within the room and the front door. She joined Tavish as he stood, his gaze sweeping over her.

  “Do you feel better?”

  “I do.” She sat down and Tavish slid in next to her, securing her safely between him and Tor. Leaning against him, she pressed her cheek to his shoulder and allowed the peace of the moment to roll through her. Being this close to him soothed her very soul. “My mate,” she whispered in his ear. “Always mine.”

  “Aye, always yours.” He slid one arm around her back, and stroked his thumb in a slow circle over her hip.

  Mmm, she wriggled even closer, almost purring under his delicious touch. She’d missed him terribly while they’d been parted. Thankfully she’d been out of it for most of that time, would never have wanted to experience the endless hours of fear as he unfortunately had. “Thank you for saving Matthew’s life. I cannae wait to see him.”

  “He’ll make a full recovery, and I don’t doubt he can’t wait to see you either. As soon as he woke up from surgery, he told me what had happened to you. Until then, I’d had no idea.”

  “I never want to lose our link again.”

  “Agreed.”

  “Here we go, my lovelies.” A barmaid flounced in, a tray of tankards in hand and her bountiful breasts almost spilling from her blue kirtle’s low neckline. “My apologies for the wait.”

  “Thank you.” Tor accepted a tankard from her.

  “One of the lasses will be out shortly with your meals.” Raising an appreciative eyebrow at Tor, she leaned in and gave him a rather stunning eyeful of her wares. “Be sure to holler out if ye need aught more. I have a willing hand, no matter what ye might need it for.”

  “Cheeky, lass. Go on with you.” Tor swatted her bottom, which sent the lass giggling as she sashayed away.

  The serving lass who’d shown them to their chamber hurried through the kitchen door and across to them with a platter of breads and cheeses. She set it on the scratched wooden tabletop while another lass with an apron tied around her waist brought out a tray holding bowls of stew. She passed one to each of them, laid out spoons then whisked back to the kitchens.

  Kirk slid his dirk from its sheath
, sliced the bread and handed them each a piece.

  Julia dunked hers in her stew and bit into the end. Delicious. The richly flavored beef juices danced on her tongue and the hot meal warmed her belly.

  “Where are your hairpins?” Tavish tucked an errant lock of her hair behind her ear. “You had them in before you left for the chamber.”

  “Oh dear.” She patted her head. “I left them on the table when Cherub combed my hair. They were a gift from my parents and I cannae lose them.” She slipped off the bench. “I’ll be back in a moment.”

  “I can retrieve them for you if you wish.” He rose.

  “Nay, I’ll be quick.” With one hand on his shoulder, she pushed him back down then snuck around the room and down the darkened corridor. In the chamber assigned to them, she picked up her hairpins and pinned them back in place. These had been the very last gift Mother and Father had given her. These sapphires match your eyes, her mother had said then slid a matching set into Arabel’s hair as well. Mother had hugged them both, held them tight. That moment was embedded in her mind, her precious hairpins a most treasured keepsake. Soon, she’d hold Mother again. She had to. For if they truly were dead, then her grief would rise as sharply and as painfully as it had the first time. Mourning them all over again, would break her heart.

  Outside the window, the rain eased and the clouds broke apart. A glimpse of blue sky dotted through. She thrust open the garden door. At the castle, a guard shouted and the portcullis rose from within the arched front gate, its clunky sound reverberating along the shore and across the grassy field toward her.

  Horses’ hooves pounded and a dozen armed warriors rode out of the bailey. In single file, the warriors galloped along the trail leading farther around the craggy tip then disappeared.

  Another warrior rode out of the keep in leather pants and a thick fur vest over a dark shirt. He galloped along the grassy verge of the inner channel of the loch and on a direct path toward her. His fiery red hair brushed his shoulders and his dirty blood-red aura swirled all about.

  ’Twas Jeremiah.