LA Shifters: Shifter Romance

by Sky Winters

  She watched in amazement as Lysander waded into the river. His hand flashed into the water at lightning speed and when he withdrew it, a plump silver fish was struggling in his palm. He walked back out and speared the fish with the spit before laying it over the dried logs and tree bark. He grabbed two sharp stones and struck them together, igniting a spark of fire almost immediately. Kareena lowered herself down as Lysander joined her.

  She examined the fish on the fire, but every few seconds she stole glances in Lysander’s direction. He was a handsome lad, well built and strong. He instantly intrigued her but she was also intensely aware of the strange intimacy that sat between them. Her own emotions confused her. She had just met this man, and yet, sitting opposite him in the cold morning air, opposite a gently burning fire, she felt as though she had known him for years.

  “Did I thank you?” Kareena asked.

  “You did,” Lysander smiled. “But I haven’t yet thanked you. You saved my life. If it hadn’t been for you, I would have been mounted on a wall.”

  Kareena nodded in acknowledgement.

  “Can I ask you a question?” Lysander asked.

  “Aye.”

  “Why did you do it? You obviously needed to keep your identity hidden. Saving me cost you your cover.”

  “Aye,” Kareena nodded. “But I couldn’t just let them kill you.”

  “But why?” Lysander persisted. “As far as you knew, I was just an animal in the wood.”

  “There was something different about you,” Kareena tried to explain. “Something that made me want to protect you.”

  Lysander smiled. “Curious.”

  “What is?” Kareena asked.

  Lysander shook his head. “Nothing,” he said as he checked the fish roasting on the spit. “Are you going to tell me why you were in disguise?”

  Kareena sighed. “I was leaving Kinross, and I wasn’t going to be able to leave without covering up my identity.”

  Lysander’s eyes rose in a question. Kareena hesitated for a moment but she answered his unspoken question. “My last name is McNeil of clan McNeil.”

  “Why would Lord McNeil’s daughter wish to leave her home and family?” Lysander asked curiously.

  “Because I am not really apart of the family,” Kareena replied. “I am illegitimate.” The words tasted bitter as they came out of her mouth but Lysander’s expression did not change and that gave her some measure of comfort. “I was tired of being an outsider in my own home. It was only then that I realized Kinross was never going to be my home. That was when I decided to leave. The night I first met you was the night I made the decision.”

  “Do you regret leaving?” Lysander asked.

  “No.”

  “Then ‘twas the right decision.”

  Kareena smiled. “Are you going to tell me…?”

  “About my condition?” Lysander finished for her.

  “Aye.”

  “It is a tale fit for legend,” Lysander said making light of the story before his face fell into seriousness. “Before my mother, my father was betrothed to another. She was a lady from a noble family and she was said to possess great powers. My father believed none of this however, which was perhaps the reason he allowed himself to fall in love with another.”

  “Your mother?” Kareena guessed.

  “Aye,” Lysander nodded. “He cast aside his betrothed because of the love he held for my mother and they were married instead.”

  Kareena was beginning to understand. “She cursed you?”

  “She cursed my mother,” Lysander replied. “Not only would her first born transform into a monster each night, but she would never have any more children. She wanted to make sure that Clan Maclver would die after my father. She knew that I could never lead the clan in my condition.”

  “Clan Maclver?” Kareena breathed. “You are…”

  “Lysander Maclver,” he replied. “Of clan Maclver.”

  Kareena nodded as she processed that, realizing just how much was at stake for Lysander. In one sense she felt a kinship sit between them. She might be illegitimate where he was not, but they were both outsiders who had no control over their fates.

  “That must be a great weight on your shoulders,” Kareena breathed. “Can nothing be done?”

  “They took me to see a healer on the other side of Scotland when I was a boy, and my transformations had just begun. She took my father’s money and gave me potions that changed nothing. Then she turned up at the castle threatening to tell the clan of my plight if we did not give her money and land. After that, my parents were so terrified that people would find out that they kept my condition a secret.”

  “What happened to the false healer?” Kareena asked.

  Lysander turned his head down. “I have a fairly good idea, because she disappeared for good after that.”

  “And now?”

  “And now my father is ailing badly,” Lysander said his eyes growing distance, weighted down by sadness and worry. “I don’t know how long he will linger… but it won’t be for long. And then…. I don’t know what will become of us. Clan Maclver will perish and another will rise in its place.”

  Kareena saw the look on his face when he said the words and she knew that the loss of his clan was a knife in his chest. She wondered how he felt, knowing where he belonged and yet being barred from the future that was rightfully his. She watched as he leaned forward and gingerly removed the fish from atop the fire. It was obvious he had years of practice.

  “Do you know who you are?” Kareena asked. “Even when you’re a dragon?”

  “I do,” Lysander nodded. “It is part of my curse. I can never forget who I am.”

  Kareena had never been given many choices in life. She was born as the daughter of a great lord and though he had not been unkind to her, he had never treated her as he did his other children. No matter what she did, she could not change that. Looking at Lysander now, she wondered if she had the power to help him.

  “Lysander?”

  “Aye?”

  “Do you want to be clan chief after your father?” she asked seriously as their eyes locked onto one another.

  He nodded. “Aye, I do.”

  Kareena nodded. “Then I will try to help you,” she said with determination.

  He wrinkled his brows, surprised at her bold claim. “How can you help?”

  “I have a book that might help me,” Kareena admitted. The moment the words were out of mouth she realized that her bag was strapped to Frasier’s side and she had left both behind when she had raced after the men on the hunt.

  “What’s wrong?” Lysander asked immediately.

  “I left my things back at the campsite,” Kareena said shaking her head in frustration. “The book among them.”

  “Don’t worry lass,” he said. “I’ll make sure you get that book back.”

  His smile was wide and uninhibited, Kareena found it hard to turn her eyes away from him. She kept trying to make sense of the charged atmosphere that surrounded the both of them but she was scared of what she might discover.

  “What’s on your mind lass?” Lysander’s voice cut through her thoughts.

  “Just dreams I’ve been having of late,” Kareena replied honestly.

  “Dreams of a dragon?”

  Kareena looked up fast. “How did you know that?”

  He smiled. “I’ve been having dreams myself of late.”

  “What are they about?”

  “A beautiful lass with flaming red hair,” he answered.

  Kareena felt a blush creeping up her cheeks. She accepted the piece of fish he passed to her without meeting his eye. “Have you really been dreaming of me?”

  “Aye,” Lysander replied in all seriousness. “I thought they were just dreams… and then I saw you in the forests that day and I knew it was you I had been dreaming of.”

  “How is that possible?” Kareena asked. “We’ve never met before.”

  “Aye,” Lysander nodded. “But perha
ps we were always meant to.”

  “I never believed in fate,” Kareena said as she chewed on her fish. It was salty and warm and smelled of home.

  “I would reconsider lass.” Lysander asked. “Fate is sitting at this campfire between us. How else could you explain our strange meeting?”

  Kareena smiled absentmindedly as her thoughts flitted over the last few days. “Perhaps you’re right,” she conceded.

  “I am right,” Lysander said as he rose. “And I’ll prove it to you in time. For now, we should get moving.”

  “Where are we going?” Kareena asked.

  “To Elsick castle,” Lysander replied as he held out his hand for Kareena.

  Chapter Seven

  Elsick castle was similar to Northwick castle. It had high walls, towers, crenelated battlements and walls that were made of grey stone. The keep was considerably larger however and its construction was slightly more sophisticated. Kareena could tell immediately that Lysander was intensely proud of it.

  They walked through the castle’s wide, airy corridors until they reached the apothecary. It was larger than the one that Kareena was used to but it was significantly more disorganized. Kareena walked around the tables and store cupboards realizing that they had been severely neglected.

  “We haven’t had luck with our healers,” Lysander explained. “They stay but a moon’s turn and then they’re gone.”

  “You’ve got a wealth of ingredients here,” Kareena pointed out. “More than we had at Northwick Castle.”

  “It means nothing if there’s no healer here to make use of them,” Lysander said looking around. “Sometimes I wonder if that wasn’t a part of the curse too.”

  Kareena turned to him. “I can’t promise to get rid of this curse completely, but I can at least give it my best try.”

  Lysander smiled. “Thank you Kareena.”

  Kareena dipped her head down in response.

  “What do you need?” Lysander asked as he moved closer.

  Kareena felt her nerves creep up on her and she wondered momentarily what had given her the courage to offer to come up with a cure for Lysander’s condition. Her own resolve surprised her and she wondered if her infatuation with Lysander’s wild features did not have something to do with it. She shook the thought from her head and focused her attention on Lysander’s warm, brown eyes.

  “I’ll need garlic and oxgall,” Kareena replied. “The oxgall will need to be fresh.”

  Lysander nodded as he took in her instructions. “What else?”

  “Rosemary leaves and anise seeds,” Kareena said after some thought. “I don’t know if I’ll use them… but I’ll need them here if I decide to.”

  Lysander shuffled around the space. “I think we have everything but the oxgall.”

  “Good,” Kareena said as he handed her a jar filled with anise seeds. “I will have to work blind. I’m going to use ingredients based on the remedies I’ve worked with before. Rosemary to ease pain, anise seeds for resilience and oxgall for physical strength.”

  “That sounds… like a difficult job,” Lysander said as he eyed the ingredients Kareena had laid out in front of her.

  “Aye,” she nodded. “But there is no other way.”

  Kareena spent the rest of the day sorting through the apothecary and arranging everything into their respective store cupboards. Lysander stayed with her, acting as her helper as he spoke about his life and all the complications that came from living with his condition.

  “I could never get close to anyone,” Lysander said. “I knew I could never share my secret with them and that meant I spent most of my life alone.”

  “I know what that feels like,” Kareena said. “Loneliness is the worst feeling in the world.”

  “Aye,” Lysander nodded. “It can easily turn you bitter if you let it. It might have nearly consumed me if…”

  He trailed off making Kareena curious.

  “If...?” she nudged.

  “If I hadn’t started dreaming of you,” he finished, a shyness creeping into his tone.

  Kareena wrinkled her brows together. “How long have you been having those dreams Lysander?”

  “Nigh on two years now,” he replied.

  Kareena could only stare at him in shock. “That long?”

  “Aye,” he nodded. “They kept me sane.”

  “Is that why…” Kareena said mostly to herself.

  “What?”

  Kareena looked up. “I feel as though I have known you for years.”

  Lysander smiled. “Tis exactly how I feel as well.”

  Kareena didn’t bother asking how that was possible. Her belief had expanded greatly in the last day or so. It was amazing how much more mysterious and intricate the world seemed to her now. Around midday, Lysander excused himself and disappeared into his large castle. Kareena tried to ignore the creeping feeling of emptiness that snuck up on her the moment he left the room, as though all the light had been sucked from her world.

  Kareena shook her head and chastised herself harshly. Lysander was a Maclver; he was heir to his clan and son of a great Lord. She was just the bastard daughter of one and that difference could not be overlooked. She threw herself into her work, repeating to herself that their dreams meant nothing. It was just wishful thinking on the part of two young people whose loneliness had all but consumed them.

  When Lysander came back that evening, Kareena noticed a tired old bag hanging from his shoulder. She darted to him in amazement. “How –

  “The delivery party from Kinross just arrived,” Lysander, replied.

  “Of course,” Kareena said having completely forgotten about the supplies and horses they were bringing down for Lord Maclver. “How did you manage to get it away from them?”

  “I made sure the men had plenty of ale after their long journey,” Lysander replied with a smirk. “They didn’t notice a thing.”

  Kareena removed the book from her underskirt and flipped through its pages. She happened upon a remedy that would prevent a foreign illness from taking hold. “I didn’t understand this when I first saw this remedy,” she said to Lysander. “But I’m hoping this is exactly what you need.”

  She moved to the table where she had set out all her ingredients and examined everything. “I should be able to make a batch of the remedy in a few days.”

  “You’re a Godsend,” he said with a smile. “And I wish I could stay –

  “You’re not staying?” Kareena asked in surprise.

  His smile grew sad. “The sun will set soon Kareena,” he reminded her.

  The reality of his situation settled over Kareena. “I’m going to save you,” she said suddenly, filled with renewed determination.

  Lysander came closer. “You don’t understand lass… you already have.”

  Then he leaned down and kissed her.

  Chapter Eight

  Being with Lysander was the single most intoxicating thing that Kareena had ever experienced. It was a frustrating contrast of thrilling passion and choking disappointment. When he touched her, she felt waves of pleasure scale up her body, but it did not last long, for dusk settled over them soon enough and he was forced to leave her side.

  The remedy took Kareena longer than a few days. She stayed in the apothecary, mostly hidden from the eyes of the castle, struggling to find the perfect balance between the book’s instructions and her own experience and instinct. Lysander spent as much time with her as possible and though she loved his company, he tended to distract her from her task.

  It amazed Kareena how familiar being with Lysander was to her. From the way he liked to play with her hair while she worked or the way he kissed the nape of her neck in the mornings when he first saw her, everything was new but there was a familiarity there born of a relationship far older than theirs. Kareena was not sure if that was because of their shared dreams or their shared isolation, but the intimacy she experienced with Lysander made her believe in both fate and magic.

  The euphoria s
he felt when Lysander was around, dissipated immediately after he left her side. It was only then that Kareena could think rationally and it was in those moments when she realized that while Lysander’s situation may change, hers never would. If she was successful, Lysander would be the next clan chief but she would always be a Lord’s bastard and that was no fit match for Lysander Maclver of Clan Maclver. Kareena kept her thoughts to herself. She said nothing to Lysander, resigning herself to the inevitable doom of their relationship. She kept her word and continued to attempt to find a cure, but as the days flew by her heart grew heavier.

  Chapter Nine

  “What?” Lysander asked again.

  “It’s done,” Kareena replied. “I think I’ve got the right combinations at last.”

  “Kareena…”

  “Don’t thank me yet,” she replied gruffly. “First we must see if it works.”

  They walked outside into the fading light of the sun. Open meadow and lush green fields surrounded Elsick castle. Lysander and Kareena entered the thick range of trees where they knew they would not be spotted. Slowly Lysander turned to face her and Kareena handed him the vial she had filled earlier that day with the thick grey potion that had taken her almost three weeks to construct.

  He took the potion but his eyes were fixed on Kareena.

  “Drink it Lysander,” Kareena said softly, hating herself for wishing that it would not work.

  He looked like he was about to say something, but then he pulled out the stopper and drank the contents of the vial in one large gulp. Kareena held her breath struggling with competing emotions as the last rays of sunlight disappeared from the Highlands.

  Lysander’s eyes lost focus for a moment as he swayed on the spot. Kareena took a step forward but he held up a hand to stop her. “Wait,” he said, his voice sounded different.