by Jan Dockter
Aldain took her purchases and put them in the trunk of the car. He asked her if she wanted to see some historical sites. Her face lit up and she said she wanted to see as much of the city as she could. He took her to various places throughout the town that most visitors went to see, and other places off the beaten path. He had a vast knowledge of Scotland’s history and he made each story very interesting. She loved Edinburgh castle so much he practically had to drag her out of there.
As the day passed, they realized the last thing they had eaten was a bagel each for breakfast. They were so engrossed in seeing the sites they missed lunch and both of their stomachs were complaining. Aldain was surprised his dragon had been so quiet. When he got hungry he was usually impossible to quiet down until he stuffed himself.
Aldain took her to a small out of the way restaurant. He told her it mainly fixed Scottish food. He wanted her to try the Haggis, but she scrunched her nose at that suggestion when she saw one of the locals eating it. It didn’t look palatable to her. Aldain laughed at the look she gave him. “I promise Tori it tastes better than it looks. I am having that myself.” Tori settled for the Fisherman’s pie but she promised him she would take a bite of his Haggis. Years ago, Haggis was fixed in a sheep’s stomach but as time went by it was put in a sausage casing instead.
As they were waiting for their food, a young man walked over to their table. “Aldain how nice to see you. Who is this lovely lass you have with you? I don’t think I have seen her around.” Aldain got a sour look on his face. He wasn’t happy to see this man. You could tell by the way Aldain’s body stiffened as he got closer to them.
He introduced them, “Tori Robinson this is Alec Russell.” Alec looked at Tori with such intensity it made her uncomfortable.
There was something creepy about this guy. Tori held her hand out to shake hands with Alec, he grabbed her hand and brought it up to his lips. The feel of his lips against her skin made her shudder. “I am pleased to meet you Miss Robinson.” He said.
Tori quickly removed her hand from his, “Thank you, Mr. Russell. I am from the states but Aldain has shown me your beautiful country. It is a pleasure meeting you.”
Alec’s eyes twinkled, “Ah an American, and a very beautiful one at that. Where have you been hiding her Aldain? If you aren’t spoken for I would very much like to get to know you better Miss Robinson.”
Before Tori could answer Aldain stood up and standing in front of Alec said in a threatening voice. “She is very much spoken for Alec.” Tori swore she saw Aldain’s eyes flash yellow. When she looked again they were normal, it must have been a figment of her imagination.
Aldain clenched his hands. He was ready to rip Alec apart. He couldn’t help the protective streak that rushed through him. Tori quickly stood up and put her hand on Aldain’s shoulder. “I am sure he didn’t mean anything by it Dain.” She looked at Alec and as she put her hand in Aldain’s said “I appreciate the compliment Mr. Russell really. As you can see Dain and I are together. I guess you will have to find another American woman to ply your charms on but I am sure you won’t have a problem there seems to be plenty American women visiting Scotland.”
Alec looked daggers at Aldain before turning to Tori, “Ah well it is my loss and his gain Miss Robinson. It seems Aldain is a very lucky man. I wish you both well. It was good seeing you again Aldain and it was a pleasure meeting you Miss Robinson. Please enjoy your meal. I have somewhere I have to be.” With a nod of his head he left. Tori looked around and realized people were staring at them. She smiled and sat back down telling Aldain to do the same. His entire body was shaking with the control it took him to keep from throttling the life out of Alec. He took in a deep breath before taking his seat.
The waitress came shortly afterward with their food. Tori leaned over the table after she had left. “What the hell is wrong with you acting like some kind of Neanderthal. I can handle myself and I could have handled him. You don’t own me Dain. If you are going to act like that every time a man flirts with me I am not going anywhere in public with you again. That was a scene I could have done without,” she said in a low voice.
Aldain couldn’t believe he caused such a scene himself. He had no idea what had come over him. His dragon was so upset he almost shifted. Aldain had never come that close to shifting in public. Ever! The entire time Alec was flirting with Tori all his dragon kept saying is ‘mine, mine.’ This time Aldain agreed with him, he knew it was because Tori is his soul mate. The compulsion to protect her was overwhelming. Aldain knew he was going to have to give Tori an explanation that would placate her.
He looked deeply into her eyes. “I can’t begin to tell you how very sorry I am. When he grabbed your hand then stood there leering at you like you were his next meal something in me just snapped. The only thing that makes sense to me is after what your ex did to you, my protective instincts are in overdrive. Please forgive me Tori.” He looked at her with such sincerity in his eyes she knew he was telling the truth when he said he was surprised at his own reaction.
Her face softened, “Well okay but promise me you will keep a handle on that over protectiveness. I would hate to think we couldn’t go out in public together. I like spending time with you. I would like to be able to do it anywhere.” She grabbed his hand and squeezed it to let him know he was forgiven. He smiled at her, he was going to have to take a trip to visit his mother. Maybe she would be able to help him figure out what was going on with him.
As promised, Tori took a bite of Aldain’s Haggis. It wasn’t as bad as she thought. The look of it was sure deceiving; it tasted better than it looked. It was getting late and they decided to head back. When Aldain was sure Tori was buckled in he told her to stay there for a minute; there was something he had to do. Tori just gave him a questioning look. He promised her he would only be a few minutes. As he left she couldn’t help wondering why she couldn’t go with him. It could have been some last-minute business he had just remembered. She wasn’t waiting long before he returned.
They arrived back at the castle just as the sun was going down. They had been gone the entire day. Apart from meeting Alec, they had a wonderful time. Becca and Cade were just leaving for the night and told Tori they had already eaten. Aldain came in carrying her outfit. She took it from him and thanked him. To show him everything was still good with them she gave him a kiss that almost curled his toes. He would have liked to continue that kiss and see where things went, but Tori told him she was tired and would see him in the morning. He watched her go upstairs, watching her hips sway as she walked. He felt the heat start to consume him. He just couldn’t seem to get enough of her; she was like a drug to him!
The clan party was in two days. He would go see his mother tomorrow. It had been some time since he had seen her so he was looking forward to it.
Chapter Eight
While Tori was still sleeping, he told Becca that he had some business to attend to and that he would probably be back late. Neither Becca or Cade had met his mother yet, but when he talked about his childhood and mentioned her his features softened. There were times you would get a quick glimpse of how he must have looked as a little boy.
He drove to the little cottage his mother loved so much. He saw her in her garden and honked and waved as he drove into the driveway. By the time he got out of the car, his mother was standing there and gave him a tight hug. “I have missed you ma. You are looking good; the Inverness weather seems to agree with you. How have you been?”
His mother gave him a wide smile, “I have been fine my son. I always miss you but I know how busy you are.” She ran her hand down his face and looked into his eyes. “Something about you seems different. Is everything ok with you, with the clan?”
Aldain looked down at her sweet face. “Everything is fine with the clan ma. I am going through some things new to me and I came to see if you could help me understand why?” Heather Kincaid got a worried look on her face. Aldain assured her it was nothing to worry about as they walked into
her cozy kitchen.
As they sat down at the table she grabbed his hands and said, “So tell me what is going on with you. Don’t hold anything back.”
Aldain laughed. “It isn’t a dreadful thing ma but I found my soul mate.”
Heather sat back and clapped her hands. “Oh, Aldain I am so very happy for you. Why didn’t you bring the lass here so I could meet her?”
Aldain cleared his throat before he said, “Well it’s sort of complicated. She isn’t a shifter she is human. She doesn’t know our kind even exist. I am trying to go slow with her before I let her know. I don’t want her running off. The problem I am having right now is with myself. When another man gets close to her I have a tough time keeping my dragon from coming out and I want to kill him. I have never had that feeling before. When I am with her I feel like a whole man. I didn’t know I was missing a part of myself until I met her. When I am away from her I feel like a part of myself is missing. I need to know what it feels like and what to expect when you find your soul mate. I couldn’t think of anyone else to go to who I know would be totally honest with me other than you.”
Heathers face softened as she listened to Aldain. It made her heart glad that he found his soul mate. She was afraid he never would. She knew he said if he couldn’t find her he would spend the rest of his life alone. Her heart ached at the thought of him living alone. Now her prayers have been answered.
When he finished, she put her hands in her lap, sat back in her chair and told him everything he needed to know. “Well I know when I met your da he went through those exact same feelings. If a man came within a hundred feet of me he was growling and trying to keep his dragon at bay. It isn’t just the protective instinct but his dragon also felt threatened by another man. It was like he thought the other man was trying to take me away from him. After we were married that feeling lessened. As the bond got stronger, it grew daily, we could feel each other’s feelings. Sometimes it was hard to tell which ones were mine and which ones were your da’s. The love we felt for one another was deep down in our souls. Not one day went by that our love didn’t seem to grow deeper; we always knew how the other felt. Your da was on a hunting trip when I went into labor with you. He felt my pain and left everyone in the hunting party to get to me. He made it a point to be by my side while I was having you.” Her eyes teared up at that precious memory.
“I hope that I helped you understand more about some of the feelings you have been having and probably the strange way your dragon has been acting.”
Aldain walked over to his mother and hugged her tight. “Yes ma it does. Thank you. I don’t think I can feel what Tori is feeling yet but when it does happen I won’t be surprised by it. I will just know our bond is getting stronger. Will she be able to feel my feelings too? She is human so she might not have the same capabilities a dragon shifter does. Will she continue to age as a human does? I can’t imagine their short life span will have me losing her so soon.”
Heather smiled, “I know of other shifters that have had humans as mates. When Athena found the perfect first mate for Paragon, she made it so a small part of his soul intertwined with hers that allowed her to age like a dragon shifter. I am sure that part has already happened. Otherwise your dragon wouldn’t have known she was your soul mate.” Aldain was glad to know that. It meant he and Tori would have long lives to love one another.
Aldain stayed with his mother the rest of the day. He told her how Tori came into his life. How much he loved her and was just waiting for the day he could tell her what he was and hope she loved him enough that it wouldn’t matter. As the sun was starting to set, Aldain left promising his mother he would bring Tori to meet her as soon as he could.
Chapter Nine
The next morning was the day that Aldain was taking Tori to the clan festivities. She was so excited she was like a little girl at Christmas. She could barely sit still long enough to eat breakfast and she wanted to start getting ready as soon as possible. Before she headed upstairs to get ready Aldain took her aside. “I have something for you. I hope you like it.” He pulled a long black case from his pocket. When Tori opened it she gasped. In the case was a beautiful blue sapphire bracelet. It was the same color as the outfit she bought.
“Oh, my god Aldain this is gorgeous.” She reached up and gave him a kiss. “I can’t wait to see how this looks after I have my outfit on.” She practically ran up the stairs.
Aldain then went to get ready himself. He decided he would wear the Kincaid tartan to the festivities to show respect for the Clan Leader. It didn’t take him long to change. He was done before Tori so he waited for her in the kitchen. He couldn’t imagine it taking so long for her to get ready but then he never had to wait for a woman getting dressed for a party before. He finally heard her coming down the stairs. He was at the bottom waiting for her, as she appeared he lost his breath. Her beauty was all he could think of and how much he wanted to forego the party and take her in his arms, go upstairs and spend the rest of the day and night making love to her. His heart was pounding, his breathing was rapid and a sheen of sweat broke out on his forehead. His dragon was yelling at him to take her, forget the party. It took everything Aldain had to not shift in front of her, take her in his talons and fly off with her to one of the many caves he knew about and make passionate love to her.
As she arrived at the bottom of the stairs Aldain reached out a shaking hand to touch her face. He cleared his throat. “My god Tori! You are beautiful lass. You will put every woman at the party to shame.”
Tori twirled around and put her arms around his waist. “Well thank you. You are no slouch either. I am glad you approve.”
As Tori walked to the door to leave she turned around. Aldain just stood there, his feet glued to the floor. His eyes smoldering with passion. She smiled at the look on his face. “Well are you coming or am I going by myself?”
Aldain gave himself a mental shake. “Over my dead body would I let you go alone. I am right behind you.”
Tori was so excited. She was telling Aldain everything she was going to ask the clan chief. Aldain told her what the clan chief’s name was. She was so excited and she hoped she would be able to remember but if not she would wing it somehow.
They got to the party in plenty of time. There were people everywhere wearing blue tartans or dresses. They were at some beautiful park and in the middle, was a huge tent. Aldain helped Tori out of the car and they both headed straight for the tent. Sitting in the middle of it was the Clan Chief. As Aldain and Tori walked towards him he stood to greet them. “Aldain my friend I am glad you came.” He said as they both hugged each other. As they separated the Clan Chief noticed Tori. “Who is this bonnie lassie Aldain?” he said with a twinkle in his eyes.
Aldain introduced them. “Tori this is Robert McEwan Clan Chief and Robert this is Tori Robinson.”
Tori looked the Chief in his eyes and said. “I am so happy to meet you. I know I am not a member of your clan but Aldain told me that most of you would be wearing blue so I wanted to blend in as much as possible.”
Robert laughed. “And very lovely you look lass. Please feel free to call me Robert. All my friends do. Aldain is a good friend of mine and if you are with him then I put you in the same category,” Tori smiled up at him.
She charmed him with that smile of hers. “If you find you have time today, I would love to ask you some questions.” Robert told her he would find the time to answer them.
As other people arrived to show their respect for their Clan Chief, Aldain and Tori wandered out from under the tent. There were all kinds of events going on. In one spot, there was a huge pig on a spit being turned. Under a smaller tent there were men playing bag pipes and in some places people were dancing. There were tables and tables of food and drink set out. Tori and Aldain walked over to them as Tori took a plate and put a little of everything on it. She wanted to try as much as she could.
Aldain told her later in the day there would be horse races. Tori was excited
to watch the races, she loved to watch the horses. They were so sleek and beautiful as they ran. In the meantime, she was hovering near the bag pipe players. Some of the music they played had a haunting sound to it. A woman grabbed a microphone and started singing some very old Scottish songs. Tori thought they were beautiful. She was entranced with the music and lyrics. She had never heard anything so lovely. When the woman sang ‘Fhear A Bhata’ she cried.
A handkerchief appeared in front of her and she noticed it was being held by Robert. He said, “I know how you feel lass, that song always makes me want to cry myself. I have a few minutes so I thought if Aldain didn’t mind we could go to a quiet spot and you could ask me all those questions you are about to burst with.” Aldain was hard pressed to agree to let Tori out of his sight, but it would have been such an insult to the Clan Chief and he knew she would be in safe hands. He bowed his head to him, kissed Tori and put her hand in the Chiefs. He told her he would be by one of the food tables.
Tori followed Robert to a spot close to a small spring. He sat on a log and invited Tori to sit next to him. “Ok lass; ask away and I will answer what I can.” Tori plied him with questions regarding the history of his clan. After he told her the condensed version about his clan’s history, he also told her that the countries national animal was the Unicorn. Tori didn’t know that but told him she loved Unicorns. She had a Unicorn collection at her home in the States. He told her that it is believed the Unicorn was the natural enemy of the lion. The lion was the symbol the English had adopted. This belief was a tradition going as far back as the ancient Babylonians in 3,500 B.C.