by Donna Grant
He grabbed his boots and sat in a nearby chair to put them on. The jeans were going to take some getting used to. He wasn’t sure he liked how they felt rubbing against his legs. But everywhere he looked, men, women, and even children had some form of trousers on.
Once his boots were on, he gathered his kilt and shirt and turned to find Danielle before him.
“You can set those on the counter with the other things I picked up for you. I’ll just be a moment.”
He nodded and walked to the counter to see a young brunette lift her gaze and give him a dazzling smile. Ian laid his items on the counter while the girl continued to bat her lashes at him.
“I’ll put this in a separate bag,” she said, still smiling.
Ian turned his back to the girl and kept his eyes on the curtain Danielle had disappeared behind. It was a tiny room. Too tiny for someone to get in with her.
Yet she had been in there a while.
“It takes women longer,” the girl said as if reading his thoughts.
Ian shifted so he could look at her. “Why?”
“Because we want to look good for our men. Your lady took a bundle of clothes in with her. It will take her some time to try them on. I’ve also gotten out the boots she asked to try on.”
Ian couldn’t believe how much the world had changed. Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined a place where a person could come and buy clothing already made in every size conceivable.
It boggled his mind.
Another fifteen minutes passed before Danielle came out in her same dress and boots.
“Did you no’ find anything?” Ian asked.
She laughed and set several items on the counter. “I did, but after our little adventure, I want a bath before I put anything new on.”
Before he could utter another word Danielle went to where the clerk had set aside a couple of pairs of boots for her to try on.
Ian let out a sigh and braced a hand on the counter. His finger snagged something, and he looked down to see a white bra and some panties nearly hidden beneath the clothes.
An image of Danielle’s pale skin and the dark red lace of her bra and panties in the firelight flashed in his mind. Instantly he hardened, need pounding inside him.
Danielle looked up then, their gazes locking. Ian wanted to go to her, to pull her into his arms and kiss her until nothing else existed but them.
She rose and walked to him, her eyes never leaving his. When she reached him, she put her hand over his on the counter.
“You two are so hot for each other,” the clerk blurted.
Danielle smiled shyly and looked away. Ian turned his head to the girl to find her giggling at him. He paid her no more attention as she began to tally their items.
It wasn’t until Danielle pulled something out of her purse that Ian leaned close to her ear and said, “I doona like you paying.”
“Get used to it,” she whispered back. “Until you have money, I’ll be buying.”
He frowned and looked down at her. “You’re enjoying this, are you no’?”
“Actually, I am,” she said, surprise on her face. “I need you to take me to the castle. You need me for this. It only seems fair we need each other.”
But Ian needed her for so much more. The hunger, the yearning was unbearable, and he didn’t know how much longer he could go without touching her.
“Then touch her, brother,” Duncan said. “Take her. You’ve seen the desire in her eyes.”
Ian had seen the desire, but did he dare to touch her? Could he?
“Ready?” Danielle said as she reached for the packages.
Ian hurried to take them before Danielle did and headed to the door. He shouldered it open and waited for her to walk through.
She smiled up at him. They walked in silence back to the hotel. Once inside the room, Ian set their packages on the bed and watched as Danielle shed her high-heeled boots and coat. Her two silver bracelets came next.
Just when her fingers landed on the top button of her dress, her gaze lifted to his. “Would you rather take a shower first?”
Since Ian had no idea what a shower was, and he knew how much Danielle wanted one, he shook his head. “You go.”
“Thank you.” She grabbed some items out of the bag and disappeared into a small room.
The door shut and a moment later the sound of running water reached him. Ian paced the small chamber while Danielle took her shower.
Ian gathered she was bathing. He was curious to see how the water ran, but more than that, he was interested to see Danielle in the shower.
His already hard rod swelled even more.
Ian gritted his teeth and laid his head against the cool pane of glass on the window. It was going to take a great amount of effort to keep his hands off Danielle.
If he could.
He didn’t want to. He desired her, all of her. He wanted to touch her, taste her, feel her. And the longer he was with her, the more he craved her.
Ian had no idea how much time passed before the door opened and Danielle stepped out of the room. Her hair was wet and she wore a sleeveless white cotton nightgown that reached her knees.
“The shower is all yours. Oh,” she said and bit her lip. “I need to show you.”
For the next five minutes Ian listened as she explained the shower, the sink, and the toilet. He was about to dismiss her when she held up what she called a razor. He’d always used his claws to shave, but the more he looked at the razor, the more intrigued he became.
Ian was in for another surprise when she showed him the soap and shampoo to wash his hair. He was stripping out of his clothes before she left the bathroom.
He heard her soft laugh as he turned on the water and felt the warm spray hit his hand. Ian stepped into the shower and closed his eyes as the hot water rushed over him.
He washed his body four times and his hair six. Reluctantly, Ian shut off the water and stepped out of the shower to the feel of a soft towel.
It took him a few tries, but he got the hang of the razor and quickly shed his beard. A look in the mirror at his long hair had him considering trimming it.
Never again would he cut it to his scalp. He would leave it long in honor of Duncan.
Ian pulled his jeans back on and walked out of the bathroom. Danielle was looking at the key in her palm when she raised her eyes to him.
Her gaze widened and her lips fell open.
Ian couldn’t remember a time when he’d been nervous around woman, but he was now. He cleared his throat and rubbed his face. “No’ what you expected.”
“No. Exactly what I expected and more,” she said. “You’re a very handsome man, Ian.”
Ian tugged his shirt back on and buttoned it up. He sat down on the lone chair in the room and began to put on his boots.
“Going somewhere?” Danielle asked.
“I want to have a look around. I doona know this town.” He finished and stood. “I willna be long. Doona leave this room.”
“You think Deirdre could find me here?”
“Without a doubt.”
Ian was loath to leave Danielle, but he had to make a few rounds of the village. He had to find the nearest exits, the places that would trap them, and more importantly the places where an attack might come.
His first step would be to have a look around the inn.
Imagine his surprise when he walked out of the inn to find himself face-to-face with Charon, a Warrior who had been imprisoned with him in Deirdre’s mountain.
“Well, well. What brings you to my village?” Charon asked slyly.
CHAPTER
THIRTEEN
Ian wanted to punch the smirk on Charon’s face. After Charon had helped them kill Deirdre and escape Cairn Toul, Ian had thought he would return with them to MacLeod Castle.
Instead, Charon had disappeared. No one had heard from him again. Though Ian hadn’t particularly liked the Warrior, Charon was a strong fighter, and the more of them against Deirdre the
better.
“What, no response?” Charon said with a chuckle. Then his dark eyes narrowed. “You are no’ Duncan.”
Ian inwardly winced at the reminder that he and Duncan had looked exactly alike.
“Nay,” Charon continued. “You are no’ Duncan. But Ian always kept his hair shorn.”
Ian clenched his fists, eager to get away from Charon and back to his task at hand and Danielle.
The smile gradually fell from Charon’s lips. His gaze was sharp, knowing, as he said, “Ian.”
Ian gave a nod of acknowledgment. “Charon.”
“You look … different. You look…” His voice trailed off as realization dawned. “Duncan is gone, is he no’?”
“Aye.”
“When?”
Ian shrugged. “I doona know.”
“How could you no’ know?”
“I was somehow transported from the seventeenth century to this one.”
Charon’s nostrils flared as he looked away. “I’m sorry. I know how close you were to Duncan. I saw the link myself when Deirdre was torturing you and Duncan experienced every pain you were put through. I take it Deirdre is to blame for Duncan’s death?”
“She is.”
“And bringing you to this time?”
Ian gave a single nod. “Before you ask, I doona know the reason. I’ve been hiding from her and everyone for countless weeks.”
“You doona have full control of your god, do you?” Charon asked, his knowing eyes hard and demanding.
“I do no’.” Ian swallowed and looked around him. “I take it this is your village?”
“In a way. The laird was old and dying when I came here four hundred years ago. I’ve made it my home, leaving when I needed to and reinventing myself.”
“So you control everything?”
Charon grinned. “I grew up here, Ian. My father walked into that tavern every night for a drink. This village used to thrive, but so much had changed by the time I returned. I brought order back to them as well as ensuring that if the wyrran do attack, they willna do much damage.”
Ian had never dreamed of returning to his clan, and the mere idea that Charon had not only done it but had made it his home once more left Ian in awe. “Are you sure all of this is wise?”
“With Deirdre? Most certainly. For centuries there was no sign of her or the wyrran. Then, three months ago wyrran were spotted again.”
“Aye, they’ve returned. And so has Deirdre. I believe she came forward in time with me.”
“Interesting.”
Ian kept his attention from the inn in the hopes Charon wouldn’t know of Danielle. “Now, if you will excuse me I need to return to the inn.”
“To the Druid, you mean,” Charon said. He crossed his arms over his chest and lifted a brow when Ian glared. “My men alerted me of two visitors. It was no’ until I was on my way here that I felt the Druid’s magic.”
“I’m helping her,” Ian said. “She was being attacked by wyrran when I came upon her.”
Charon frowned. “You’re bringing her to MacLeod Castle?”
“It’s where she belongs, as well as where she wants to go.”
Charon motioned with his hand and six men walked past them to the inn. “My guards will watch over her while we talk. They know of the wyrran and Deirdre. If any wyrran are spotted they’ll sound the alarm.”
“Do they know what you are?” Ian asked in a low voice as he watched the men set up guard at the inn. “Do they know of the other Druids?”
“I’ve told them of the Druids, aye. As for what we are? Nay. They sense there is something different about me. They sensed the same about you. These men are intelligent, Ian.”
Ian wiped a hand down his face. “You play a dangerous game.”
“Nay,” Charon ground out. “I’m merely balancing the odds. It’s time the mortals knew what Deirdre is about, time they understood how perilously they hang in the scheme of things. They may no’ have any magic, but the more that stands against Deirdre the better.”
“If you felt that way, why didn’t you come to MacLeod Castle?” Ian asked.
Charon turned his head away and shrugged. “I’ve always been a loner even before my god was unbound. Once Deirdre had me and blackmailed me to spy for her, it ruined any chance I had at finding a place with the MacLeods.”
“You’d have had a place.”
Charon’s dark eyes swung to him. “I think you believe that, but I know the truth. I sense the battle within you, Ian. Your god is winning.”
“He is. Slowly, but he is.”
“Is that why you have no’ gone to the MacLeods sooner?”
Ian let out a long breath. “I would no’ be going now except for Danielle.”
“And the Druid at the inn? Are you sure you willna be harming her?”
Ian looked at the inn and the window to Danielle’s chamber. “When I’m with her, I’m able to gain more control over my god. It’s something about her magic.”
“You and your Druid will be safe here,” Charon said after a moment. “My men and I will patrol the village and surrounding mountain. If there are wyrran or any Warriors who attack, I’ll sound the alarm so you can get the Druid out.”
Ian looked at Charon and saw the same loneliness within himself. “You are a good man.”
Charon snorted. “No’ hardly. Now, return to your Druid. Oh,” Charon said before Ian could walk away. “Just so you know, Deirdre has begun to gather more Warriors.”
The same rage Ian always felt when he thought of Deirdre began to surface, and with it, Farmire’s voice demanding battle.
Ian struggled to gain control, but Farmire wouldn’t be denied. Ian felt his claws extend from his fingers and his fangs fill his mouth.
“Ian,” Charon ground out. “Control yourself.”
Ian squeezed his eyes shut and desperately thought of anything that could hold back Farmire. Ian thought of Danielle and her easy smile, her emerald eyes, and her silvery blonde hair.
As if his thoughts had called her up, he felt her magic pulse and grow stronger as she neared. Ian’s eyes snapped open when she came running out of the inn in nothing but her white nightgown to stand between him and Charon.
“Get away from him,” Danielle ordered Charon. “I won’t allow you to harm him.”
Charon lifted a brow. “Harm him? He’s a Warrior, Druid. There are only two ways he can die. Beheading and by drough blood. If I had wanted to harm him, I wouldna be standing here talking with him.”
“Danielle,” Ian said on a gasp as he laid his hands on her shoulders. Instantly Farmire’s rage backed away so Ian could gain control once more. “Charon is a…”
“Friend?” she supplied.
“Acquaintance,” Ian finished. “He was locked in Cairn Toul with me.”
Danielle looked over her shoulder at Ian then at Charon. “So you’re a Warrior?” she asked Charon.
Charon bowed his head. “I am.”
“Do you fight Deirdre?”
“I do.”
She frowned. “Then why aren’t you at MacLeod Castle?”
Ian pulled her back so that she stood beside him, his arm around her shoulder. “Charon has his own way of doing things. This is his town.”
“And I have promised your safety while you are here. My men and I will keep guard so that no wyrran or Deirdre gets near either of you.”
Danielle let her shoulders droop. “Thank you. But what of yourself? Will the wyrran not attack you?”
“They can certainly try,” Charon said with a wicked gleam in his eyes. “I’d relish the battle.”
Ian knew exactly how the Warrior felt. “How up to date are you on the MacLeods?”
“No’ very,” Charon said with a shrug. “There has no’ been a need.”
“Then let me tell you what I know. Fallon married a female Warrior.”
Charon’s eyes widened. “A female Warrior? Is that who I saw in the battle? Her color was iridescent?”
�
�That’s her. She had a cousin helping her hide from Deirdre. Deirdre had Malcolm attacked, but Broc managed to save him before the Warriors could finish him. Malcolm was to be laird of his clan, but he was maimed and scarred.”
Charon blew out a harsh breath. “There’s more, is there no’?”
“Malcolm left MacLeod Castle. Deirdre caught him and unbound his god.”
“He’s a Warrior?” Charon asked in shock.
“Apparently Larena and the MacLeods knew he could be carrying a god inside him. Now, he is Deirdre’s. He leads her Warriors. And he is the one who killed Duncan.”
Charon dropped his arms to his side as a muscle in his jaw ticked. “I’ve felt other magic besides Deirdre’s, Ian. Strong drough magic. I doona know who it belongs to, but I suspect we’ll find out soon enough.”
“Because of us.” Charon might not have aligned with the MacLeods, but he hadn’t returned to Deirdre. That in itself told Ian all he needed to know about Charon’s intentions. “There are artifacts, Charon. Artifacts that the MacLeods are gathering to find a powerful tool that can end Deirdre once and for all.”
Charon’s dark eyes searched Ian’s. “Are the MacLeods finding the artifacts?”
“They are. Duncan and Logan were in search of one when Duncan was killed. I was pulled here right after my brother was murdered so I doona know if they’ve found more.”
“You should return to the MacLeods,” Charon said. “They’ve need of you.”
Ian looked at his hands and the claws that had begun to lengthen as he thought of Deirdre. Danielle placed her hand on his, and he instantly calmed. “Until I have control of my god, I’m a liability.”
“So you’ll deliver the Druid to them and leave?”
“No,” Danielle said before he could respond. “He’s going to learn to control his god, because as you said, Charon, the MacLeods will have need of him.”
Charon smiled and shook his head. “I like her, Ian.”
Ian narrowed his eyes at him.
Charon clapped him on the shoulder. “If you find you can no’ stay at the MacLeods’, return here. There’s no reason for you to battle your god alone, Ian. I could use another Warrior at my side, and I’ll do all I can to help you fight your god.”