by Sky Winters
“It's all right,” he said, his voice strained. “I'll wait for you outside. Just come out when you're ready, lass.”
Sadie nodded, pulling the dress on and buckling the brass buckle over the cloth on her breasts. She did her best to smooth her rebellious red locks, but had to be contented to tuck them behind her ear before meeting James outside of her tent.
“Ready?” he asked, his voice smooth and gentle. He took her by the elbow and she fought the urge to lean against his broad, muscular torso as they moved swiftly through the camp together. But he dropped his hand from her arm once they reached the scarcely populated bonfire. Most of the Highland rebels were still tucked securely in their tents, preparing for the day.
He lifted the tent flap for her and they walked in, first Sadie, then James.
“Welcome, Sadie,” the lead councilman said. She had finally discovered that his name was Ivar.
“Thank you, Ivar,” she said.
“We brought you here today to discuss the pendant that you are wearing. We have cause to believe that you came upon it in another time.”
“Another time,” she acknowledged. Even though it was clearly the truth, it still sounded startling and unbelievable coming from anybody else.
“Yes. You are from the future, aren't you, lass? It seems time to tell you the story of the necklace you are wearing.”
“All right,” Sadie said.
Ivar gave her a small smile. “You may sit down for this, lass, it's a long tale.”
Sadie sat and watched Ivar curiously.
“It began on a day much like this, nearly ten years ago,” he said. “These strange things somehow happen in plain sight. A girl, matching your description, had been sighted coming in and out of the Highlands. Not wandering or journeying as you might envision, but more like fading, in and out, in different places. Most people thought of her as a spirit, and were fearful and afraid.
“Fortunately, it soon became understood that there was a thin veil between certain points in time. And many of the spirits agreed that this was the case with the fire-haired girl who was seen walking between the realms. She was absolutely beautiful, and as time went on, she aged normally as any girl does. She was the Highlander's secret, she was, and one of the best kept.”
Sadie tried to picture this strange phenomenon and how it must have made these superstitious people nearly go insane trying to figure out what kind of omen such a woman might bring. Would she be a sorceress? A teller of evil? A bringer of good luck? Only the community could decide.
“Eventually, this woman was discovered and sought out by many clans, and Lord Lachlan heard her tale as well. He became obsessed with seeking out this woman, claiming she was a Highland witch who could give him the power to defeat the bear clan once and for all. He was convinced that she would be the most beautiful woman in the world and give him everything he had been desperately seeking – power and control over the Highland tribes.”
Sadie frowned, remembering Lord Lachlan's disgusting, pock-marked face as he had tried to force himself on her. She looked at Ivar, anxious to hear the rest of the tale.
“Lord Lachlan was part right. He went out to seek the specter, and the first Highland woman to meet her description was the fire-haired beauty, Alana. Alana met all of his fantasies, and he captured her immediately without another word.”
The whole council bowed their heads at this, their faces frowning deeply.
“She was able to help him fulfil his dark intent in a way he had not anticipated. She was the leader of the bear clan, fearless, strong, and beautiful. But Lachlan and his men had overpowered her and taken her by force. She'd been taken to his castle and thrown in the dungeon, where Lachlan enjoyed himself as he tortured and killed her. The necklace you wear belongs to Alana. She who finds it around her neck is able to carry the new spawn of the Alpha of the bear clan within her, thus continuing our clan's legacy. Without that necklace, our clan is barren and we are left with no heir to continue the Bear Clan's blood line.”
Sadie looked down at the pendant, her eyes wide, and suddenly realized that the war paint James had been wearing when they met in the dungeon was the same symbol on the pendant. Did that mean that James was the leader of the clan? Were they destined by forces stronger than fate?
“What if we just gave the necklace to somebody else?” Sadie asked, fingering it.
“I think you'll find that removing that pendant, once on, is a difficult task,” Ivar said with a soft, private laugh. “It has come to you by way of fate.”
“Oh,” Sadie said.
She tried to remove the necklace, but her body seemed to have no desire to take it off and it stayed put.
“I see what you mean,” she said, dropping her hands back in her lap.
Ivar smiled. “When Alana was killed, Lord Lachlan took the necklace and hid it away in his castle as a trophy. He considered her death a small victory against the Highlanders, as he was aware of her status among the top seniority of the clan. She was a leader. But that wasn't the impact he wanted, at least, he didn't know it. Without his knowledge though, he had left us with the inability to bear any more children to the clan by removing the source of our female leaders' power. Normal women cannot bear the bear shifter children. It takes a lot of strength and power. Normal women are not even chosen to wear the necklace. Our brides have come from far and wide, and apparently,” Ivar's eyes twinkled, “through time.”
“This doesn't make any sense,” Sadie said, exhaling. She sneaked a glance at James, who was standing dutifully, staring forward and making no notice of her.
“Well, maybe it will, my dear. Remember, Lord Lachlan wanted the specter. He had tested poor Alana and discovered that she was human after all. And with that, she had been killed and he had lost his temporary sense of victory. That being gone, he was back on the hunt for the Highland specter. He found her just a few days ago, and somehow, he was able to capture her in a special room. The spirit looked just like you, lass. You've come and gone from this place since you were a wee one, traveling in your dreams and walking through the hills of Scotland, waiting for your chance to come once and for all. Perhaps you have an old soul and missed our beloved land.”
“Wait,” Sadie said, holding her hand up. “That doesn't make any sense. How could that be me? I never left my little town. How in the world would I have ended up here?”
“As I said, lass, your dreams. Every leader of the clan has had extraordinary gifts. It takes a lot of power to find this rebel clan – we are masters at disguise. It's only through careless mistakes that we have been discovered over time. You clearly are capable of immense power, and now that the necklace found you again, no doubt in the future, right where Lord Lachlan left it, it summoned the whole of your body back to the time of your dreams, when you were the mysterious Highland specter.”
Sadie was glad he had invited her to sit for this story, because now she was feeling extremely tired. If she was standing, she was sure her legs would be shaking. She looked up at the top of the tent, unable to meet anybody's eyes, and exhaled loudly.
“It's important to tell you this now, because it marks another change for our clan,” Ivar said. “Now that the female leader has returned, allowing the bear clan's unique gene pool to thrive well into the future for generations to come, we must explain to you the role that you are expected to uphold in this clan. I do hope to help you discover a way back into your own time. It is a certain course of action. After, of course, you are mated with our leader.”
Sadie's heart lurched. Did that mean she would have an obligation to be with James? And he would be able to finally express his affection for her without worrying what the rest of the clan and the council said? She was sure that he still harbored feelings for her, secret, private feelings that he was scared and worried about for some reason. She caught his eye across the room, but for some reason he was staring at her with a hopeless, helpless expression. It almost looked, in that brief moment, as if he might cry.
“Broc will be back tonight, and you will finally meet your betrothed.”
“My be—” Sadie said in an exhale, her voice barely above a whisper. She was surprised and a sinking in her stomach suddenly overwhelmed her. She glanced over at James, who had his eyes squeezed closed and his face pointed up toward the ceiling. He was clenching his fist hard.
“I don't understand,” she said toward James, but it was Ivar who answered.
“As payment for us helping you to get back to your own time, where you so clearly belong, we would ask that you follow our customs. Once you have the child in your womb and give birth to a new heir to the clan, we will be able to open the portal. Returning to your own time should remove the necklace so that it can seek a new leader.”
“This is unbelievable,” she breathed. She could tell that James was having a hard time keeping his composure, but nobody in the council seemed to notice except her.
“Please stay in the council's tent for the rest of the day to prepare for the welcoming ceremony for our leader Broc. Gail will help to dress you in the appropriate attire.”
And with that, she was led from her chair and into the room where she had stayed during her first night in the clan.
Chapter 5
Sadie waited nervously beside the council, dressed in a fancy tartan dress, her buckle no longer brass, but silver. They were standing around the campfire, the rest of the clan seated and circled around them, quietly awaiting Broc's arrival. Gail had helped Sadie with the proper greetings and customary way to wear her hair, and sighed wistfully.
“It's such an honor, being the matriarch of the clan,” Gail said. “I used to dream of it when I was a wee cub. But of course there's no way I could have done it. It makes sense for it to be someone like you. Me, I'm too excitable.”
“Is Broc nice?” Sadie asked, ignoring Gail and cutting right to the chase. She was nervous and grew even more so when Gail danced around the subject and began brushing her long red hair with a hum.
“Broc is very handsome,” Gail finally said with a faltering smile.
Sadie sighed, considering what might happen to her if she ran away. Lord Lachlan would most likely catch her, and if he didn't she would probably catch her death in the winding hills of Scotland. That was the last thing that she wanted. The worst part would be that she would be unable to get home. Had James known all of this the whole time?
“What happens if I don't want to be with Broc?” Sadie asked. “Are there any other men in the clan I could be with?”
“Only the Alpha,” Gail said thoughtfully. “Nobody else has good enough genes to carry on the blood line.
“Oh,” Sadie said, sorely disappointed.
James had kept his word and brought her somewhere that she would be able to get back home, but from the looks of it, he had been miserable about the whole affair, from the moment before they entered the camp and right up until the crowd of Highlanders stood in anticipation of Broc's heavy foot-falls. He must have been in bear form, because everything around her vibrated with the sound of a mighty roar as he marched into the camp.
His face was bristling with negativity, and he demanded food and drink at once. He didn't seem to notice Sadie standing beside the council, and she was happy to feel invisible as he sat down and tore into food, scowling around at the clan.
“What are you all staring at?” he asked, his mouth open and food spilling out as he spat at them. Nobody answered. “Make yourselves useful and get some firewood or something.”
Several of the men rose immediately and walked into the forest. It was dawn, and the light was beginning to leave the camp, cloaking them in an inky darkness somewhat illuminated by the low fire crackling in the center of the group.
“Welcome back, Lord Broc,” Ivar said with a low bow.
Broc ignored him and kept eating, leering at one of the women across the fire from him. She looked at Sadie nervously, but pleased with the attention.
“My lord, we have something of an unexpected surprise,” Ivar said.
Broc looked up at him, still chewing, waiting for him to proceed. Sadie's stomach churned – he was almost as disgusting as Lord Lachlan. James was nowhere in sight.
“Well, what is it?” he finally asked. Ivar smiled and nudged Sadie forward. Broc's eyes roamed her greedily and her heart thudded in her chest. Why was this happening?
“The pendant has returned. You may take a mate to ensure the survival of the Bear Clan.”
Broc opened his mouth in disbelief, food being exposed and making Sadie recoil. He stood abruptly and tugged her closer to him by the arm, looking her up and down, examining her in the same way her ex-husband might have examined an antique car.
“Looking for dents in the hood?” she asked coolly so that only he could hear.
“Huh?” he grunted. His greasy black hair fell in front of his dirty face, and his brown eyes looked into hers expectantly.
“Nice to meet you, my lord,” Sadie replied begrudgingly, remembering her manners and the greeting that Gail had pushed her to remember. He was stocky, meatier and less lean than James. Overall much less refined in every way, she decided, watching him shove another piece of meat into his mouth as he stared at her as if he had just won the grand prize.
“When do we mate?” he asked.
“Well, of course there would be the ceremony, but unfortunately she cannot stay with us for the long term, so it won't be necessary. But you will be able to mate with her as many times as you wish until she has conceived a child. Then we will send her back to where she came from. That was the deal we made with her, and we must honor that deal,” Ivar replied.
Somewhere in the distance, a loud cracking sound grabbed everybody's attention. They all stared out into the distance, startled, but the sound wasn't repeated.
Ivar smiled. “We still have some lads chopping wood,” he said. “I think it's enough to meet for tonight. In a week's time, we can schedule the first mating.”
“Why not tonight?” Broc demanded, licking his lips and leering at Sadie.
She shuddered.
“There is much to discuss and preparations to be made,” Ivar said firmly. “Until then, Sadie will stay in the council's tent again.”
And with that, it was decided.
***
That night, Sadie lay in bed, wide eyed with horror. Broc was terrifying and aggressive, and there was nothing about him that she liked. What did they expect her to do? How had she gotten herself into this mess? What about this horrible place in the past made the men think they could have their way with women and give them no say in the matter? Of course she wanted to get home, it would be safer and women were a little bit more empowered, but did she want to go home at a cost that high?
A moment of panic seized her and Sadie sat up suddenly, her heart thudding rapidly in her chest. She would have to escape. There was no way she would let them mate her with Broc.
She slipped out from the tent, surprised but grateful that there was such lax surveillance. If she could just disappear into the woods, maybe she could find a better Highlander clan, one that would help her, instead of limiting herself to the thought that maybe she would suffer a fate worse than death by being forced to wed Lord Lachlan or starve to death on the ground.
She snuck behind the tent, avoiding the bright campfire light, and ran into the inky darkness of the trees. She cried out when she ran into a warm, firm body.
“Oomf,” came James' voice from the blackness.
“James?” she asked in a hushed whisper.
“What the – what are you doing out here, lass?” he asked.
His breath reeked of booze and she peered up at him, frowning.
“Are you drunk?”
“That's a silly question,” he said, cackling unkindly. “What bloody point is there in being sober?”
He lifted a glass to his lips and she saw a liquid glistening on his knuckles.
“Why is your hand bleeding?” she asked, frowning.
“Oh, I punched a tree,” he said, stumbling a little as he looked down at her. His handsome face was still contorted in pain.
“What's going on, James?” she asked. “Why haven't you been talking to me?”
“Isn't it obvious, love?” he asked. “The council would have my head if they knew I'd already been – you're supposed to be the savior of the clan.” His voice lowered to a stage whisper. “If they knew we mated, they'd have my balls for it. And I'm not keen on that. Mighty fond of the little buggers.”
He grinned at her before his face contorted back to the worried look he'd been wearing since they arrived at the camp.
“James,” she said, touching his face gently.