Highland Shift (Highland Destiny: 1)

by LAURA HARNER

  If Elena tried to argue with them, they would only become more convinced they were correct. She had to think of a way to get them to tell her the truth about Faolan, about all of them. She drank a second glass and poured a third. “Faolan,” she said, looking directly at him. His back stiffened slightly, but he didn’t turn. “Faolan, tell me about the wolves.”

  When Elena was practicing to be a lawyer, she’d taken a lot of sworn statements. Unsurprisingly, there would often come a time during the questioning when she’d known she’d caught the witness in the lie. She would go on the hunt then, change her questions slightly, a little bit at a time, hemming him in, leaving no way out but the truth. Once the witness finally realized he was trapped, he would sigh.

  A sigh swept around the room now, and Elena knew she had them. Faolan turned slowly and locked gazes, first with Lilly and Red, and then finally, with Elena.

  Faolan said, “Och, lass, you shouldna be involved in this.” Then he changed tactics mid-sentence. “Why do you ask about wolves?”

  “Oh, please,” Elena said, as if insulted. It was a technique. When no response was forthcoming, she took a giant mental leap from the high dive and gave them her most outlandish theory. Because if she was wrong about the secret they were sharing, then she was wrong about all of it, and all hope for love was lost.

  “Okay, I’ll go first,” Elena said, in her most detached voice. “I’ve seen three different wolves since I’ve been here.” She looked at Lilly first. “The first one I saw was out on the hill, howling in the night. She made me think of the coyotes back home. It was comforting.”

  Elena shifted her gaze to Red. “A different wolf saved me from the men who tried to rape me, and last night stood outside the window guarding me.”

  Then Elena turned to look directly at Faolan and waited until he raised his tawny gaze. “The third wolf has looked me in the eyes from only a few feet away. And I do know those eyes. The funny thing is, according to all government sources, wolves are extinct in Scotland.”

  Faolan smiled a sad smile and looked at Red and Lilly. “I will tell her,” he said with a sigh. "‘Tis a long story, lass. Why doona’ you sit down.”

  Elena returned to her chair and sat, waiting for the shock to hit when she finally realized that her wild theory was somehow true. “Go ahead. I’m ready.”

  “I told you what Worthington did to my family. When my father broke his sacred vow, everyone in our clan was damned. The only blood relative left living was me, but apparently Red and Lilly are either some kind of distant relatives or so close to us the curse affected them too.

  “Aye, you are right, lass. We are the wolves, but we are human. We are shape shifters. There are other shape shifters out there, but few like us. We have been changing…a long time and have learned to protect others from our curse. We can turn to wolves when we want to, but there are still times we are forced to our wolf form against our will. ‘Tis only those times that we are dangerous, true to the nature of wolves. I told you there were things not of your world, and you shouldna’ know of them. We are some of those things.”

  Lilly looked as though she was about to add something, looked at Faolan, and then forged ahead. “This doesn’t change anything, Faolan. She needs to go to Beauly. We must protect you, and she makes you vulnerable. Once we figure out how to break the curse, you can see her again.”

  Elena answered, even though Lilly was addressing Faolan. “I won’t go, Lilly. This is my house. You may all stay here or you may leave, but I won’t be put out of the first home I’ve ever owned.” She’d always been a fighter, a scrapper, and she wasn’t going to run now, but neither would she bury her head in the sand. She stood and looked at Faolan, put on her best business face, and continued in her professional attorney manner, “I’ll ask Mr. Burns to draw up my will tomorrow leaving the entire estate to you should something happen to me. That should tie Worthington up in court long enough for you to prove the estate was yours to begin with. If nothing happens to me, we can work out the ownership after the provisional period has passed.

  “And I believe Lilly when she says she must keep you safe. If you leave, you’ll be safe. Go stay in Beauly. I’ll do everything in my power to help you bring down Worthington. Whether through natural or more…supernatural means. Meanwhile, if the resources you need to break the curse are here, they are at your disposal. I am an excellent researcher. Let me help.”

  The room was silent for a long time. Red, Lilly, and Faolan exchanged looks, and again, Elena sensed that something more passed between them before Faolan finally spoke.

  “Nay, lass, I won’t be leavin’ either.” He looked at Red and Lilly. “We can talk more about this on the morrow, but I’ll not be changin’ my mind.”

  Red and Lilly stood to go, clearly recognizing the determination and dismissal in his voice. Lilly paused to hug Faolan before they left. Her face was creased with worry. “We’ll be out there,” she said as they walked to the door.

  “I know,” he answered.

  When they were finally alone, Elena turned to look at Faolan, “There’s still more, isn’t there?”

  “Aye, lass.”

  “Will you tell me what it is?”

  “’Tis nothing to be worrying yourself about. I’ll not hurt you, you know. Are you afraid?”

  “Will you make love to me, Faolan?”

  “Nay, lass. I told you I wouldna be takin’ your maidenhead. That you must save for the now.”

  Elena felt the tears well in her eyes, but she wouldn’t let them fall. She sat back down, feeling defeated. “Then yes, Faolan, I’m afraid of you, because you have the power to hurt me. It was all an act the other night, wasn’t it? You meant for me to pass out!”

  Faolan crossed the floor in two quick strides and knelt between her knees. He reached his arms around her waist and looked deep into her eyes. “Elena, if it were only a matter of desire, know that I would be yours. If it was only my soul in question, I would forsake it, just to have one night with you.” His hands slid up her arms to her shoulders as if to shake her. “Elena, doona’ ask for what is not mine to give.”

  Coming to her feet, Elena yelled, “I never asked for your heart. I never asked for promises! All I wanted was sex! A lousy stupid night in your bed. My first time and it could have been with someone I cared about and who I thought cared for me. Instead, you used me!” Her voice dropped to a whisper, “You let me do things to you… you did things to me, but you knew you were never going to make love to me.” Her face twisted into a mask of pain and bitterness. “No, you wouldn’t make love to me, but you made me love you.”

  Elena turned and walked to the fireplace. This was more than she could handle. She wasn’t even freaking out that he was a shape shifter. She was having a much harder time accepting that he had gotten her drunk so he wouldn’t have to have sex with her. I will not crumble; people’s lives are at stake here. Worthington will try to kill me and maybe Red and Lilly, too. I don’t want to think what he’ll do to Faolan.

  Faolan grabbed Elena from behind and turned her roughly around. His face was fierce, and the eyes of the wolf looked out at her. He clamped her face between his hands and kissed her, hard. His lips pressed against her unyielding mouth, crushing her with the force of his kiss. Bruising her, punishing her.

  Elena jerked her head back. “I will not be used,” she said through clenched teeth.

  The fight went out of him as quickly as it had come, “Nay, Elena. I would not use you. ‘Tis why I won’t take your maidenhead. I am promised to another.”

  Elena’s head snapped back, the pain as intense as if he actually had struck her. Her stomach roiled and she thought her knees would buckle. She forced back the sob that wanted to escape. “You’re engaged? You said your heart belonged to no one.”

  “I doona’ know what it is I am supposed to do,” he yelled. “My father died too soon, he didna pass on the knowledge, and I am left to search for answers, forced by the full moon to hunt like a wolf, forsaki
ng my true love to find another with the true heart!

  “I am cursed, Elena, and I must break it,” he said in a choked voice. “The spell is somewhere, maybe in these books.” He waved his hand toward the stacks of books. “We also know from legend I must mate the one with the true heart. I doona even know how I am supposed to find her, but that answer may also be in here.”

  His confession stunned her to silence. Compassion filled her heart, for the boy who’d lost his family, for the man who’d lost his way. It wasn’t fair. She wanted to raise her fist to the fates, to throttle those long-dead ancestors. Instead, she fought to push away every selfish feeling she had. “I’ll help you, Faolan; we’ll find the answers,” Elena said, softly.

  Faolan looked at Elena, an expression on his face that she didn’t recognize. “I willna have sex with you, Elena, but believe this, if you believe naught else. I did make love to you. I made love with you.”

  A wolf howled in the distance. They stared at each other for another long minute, and then Faolan turned and left the house.

  Chapter Twelve

  Elena was alone at breakfast the next morning. The coffee and teakettle were both hot, and there was fresh bread on the table, but the house was deserted. She steeped a cup of green tea and cut a thick slice of bread, contemplating her plan for the day. She was dressed for industry, not romance, in jeans and a blue sweater, her hair hanging down her back in a long plait.

  Faolan needed to find information that would help him break the curse, so she planned to try to organize the books in the library to make it easier for him to look through them. She could also do research on the Internet, if she could only figure out what to look for. That would be her first avenue of attack: identifying search terms, either digital or paper-based.

  She carried her breakfast into the library and started to Google. She would need to ask Faolan if his father was a Druid, since much of his story seemed to coincide with what little she knew about the ancient practice. As long as she was online, she ordered a couple of Gaelic, Celtic, and Scots reference books to help with the search.

  She took all the English language books to one wall of shelves and began the slow process of sorting them according to topic. There were hundreds of books to sort through. She picked up one book after the other, trying to give it a one or two word subject and then placed it in the corresponding stack. She had loosely arranged all of the books by lunchtime. After lunch, she would see what she could do with the ones she couldn’t read.

  When she turned from the shelves, she was surprised to find Faolan standing in the doorway watching her. Her focus had been so intense that she had no idea how long he had been there.

  “Good morning,” she smiled.

  He seemed surprised by her pleasant tone but smiled and returned her greeting. “Good morrow, lass.”

  “I was just going to have some lunch. Will you join me?” she asked.

  “May I take you to lunch instead?” he replied rather formally.

  That surprised her. “Why? Shouldn’t we be looking for answers?”

  “Aye, lass, we will be looking for different answers.”

  Elena agreed to go, curious as to what they might be seeking outside these walls. She begged a few minutes to change her clothes, but Faolan again surprised her.

  “Nay, lass, wear what you have on. ‘Tis how I first saw you.”

  He remembered this blue sweater? She didn’t know he’d paid such close attention. The thought pleased her more than it should have. She realized her days with Faolan were numbered. Unlike most budding relationships, this one had a definite expiration date and strict parameters. She knew his code of honor would not allow him to commit to her. And without a commitment, he was unwilling to take their relationship any further.

  With a heavy heart, she acknowledged, if only to herself, that he was her one true love. She couldn’t say which exact moment she became sure of her feelings, but she was. She could choose to protect her heart and leave today, but she would stay for the six months. If all he had to give was friendship, then she would be his friend.

  Elena had thought a lot about the situation last night and again this morning while she was sorting books. Sometimes in practicing law, you faced impossible situations with two divergent solutions. Following one path would lead to a legal solution, and it was the solution that almost always applied. Unfortunately, though, the legal solution didn’t always equate to an ethical solution. An ethical solution required the courage to do what was morally right. At the conclusion of the six-month provision, Worthington would no longer have any claim to this land; it would legally belong to Elena.

  There was only one moral solution to her dilemma. In six months, she would return the land to Faolan. She’d already called Mr. Burns and given instructions to draw up her will. Mr. Burns was also researching the best ways to protect this land under Scottish land laws and restore the rights to Faolan and his future family.

  ****

  They had lunch at a small café in Fairth where they drew many speculative glances and became the subject of much gossip, no doubt. There was nothing to indicate they were a couple, just a man and a woman sharing a meal. Yet, she was sure anyone who knew human nature would take one look at her face and know she was in love.

  Elena had a large salad, and Faolan opted for a bowl of thick chowder. They kept the talk casual since anything they said might be overheard. They spoke of repairs to the house and plans for a garden. Faolan asked if she would raise farm animals, but Elena demurred. She was hesitant to agree to anything that would require a long-term commitment. She asked about places to purchase drapes and rugs, and he promised to take her there after their errand. Overall, a completely normal and casual lunch between friends, and Elena treasured every minute of it.

  It turned out their errand was just on the outskirts of Fairth, or rather around Fairth. Faolan believed he had located and removed another tracking device on her Rover and wanted to take a ride to see if anyone followed them. As they drove around, he told her stories of the area, how it had changed over time, and more importantly how it had stayed the same.

  Their last stop was at a small sandstone building near the town square. There were no signs, save a small note taped to the door that invited them to enter. They did, and a little bell announced their arrival. The shop’s watchdog raced out, barking ferociously, letting them know this store was hers.

  “Ooh, hi, beautiful,” Elena said as she squatted down to pay homage to the Yorkshire Terrier, who was not much bigger than a tea pot. The little dog sniffed regally and was mollified since Elena obviously recognized who was in charge. She then pranced over to Faolan, clearly swooning and rolled over onto her back, paws in the air, baring her chest for him to pet. I know how she feels, Elena thought.

  “Hello, Hussy,” Faolan said, laughing.

  “Faolan—” Elena gasped “—that’s not nice!”

  “Aye, lass, that’s her nature, and that’s her name,” said a soft burr from the doorway leading to the back of the shop. Elena smiled at the tiny, wizened woman who continued, “Faolan knows her nature, just as she knows his.”

  Faolan picked the old woman up in a bear hug. “Brigid, it’s good to see you! Still as ornery as the divil, I see!”

  “Aye, and I see you finally found your light,” she replied completely apropos of nothing.

  She looked like a child’s toy in his arms, and Elena was afraid Faolan might break her.

  Setting the old woman carefully on her feet, Faolan bowed grandly, and said, “Let me introduce you to your new neighbor. This is Miss Elena MacFarland, recently of America, and now Mistress of the Gailtry Farm.

  “Elena, this is Brigid. She will provide you with the rugs you need and window coverings too, if you still desire.”

  “Come, dear. We will have tea,” Brigid declared, grabbing Elena’s wrist in a surprisingly strong grip and ushering them into a sitting room filled with wool rugs. She seated them in large wing backed chairs covered in
tweed and set about making tea. Hussy followed and splayed herself across Faolan’s foot, content to be touching him. Lucky dog.

  When the tea was ready, Brigid handed Elena the cup and directed her to twirl the contents three times in a clockwise direction before drinking, “And mind you drink it all, lass,” she admonished.

  Faolan started to say something, but Brigid cut across him, using words Elena couldn’t understand. Whatever it was, it caused him to look at Elena thoughtfully, before shaking his head and answering Brigid in the same language. They argued back and forth for a while, switching interchangeably between what she assumed was Scots and Gaelic. She could understand neither.

  Elena diligently drank her tea while she looked around the overcrowded shop. The assortment of rugs displayed around the room was impressive. There were hundreds from which to choose. Some were simple throw rugs while others were enormous and suitable for an entire room. Tapestries hung from the walls and rafters, in case your castle was drafty. Since she didn’t own a castle, Elena narrowed her choices to the smaller rugs and hurried to finish her tea so she could start looking through the shop.

  Faolan was listening intently to whatever it was Brigid was telling him, but he didn’t seem to share her opinion; his scowl deepened. As Elena took her final swallow, Brigid snatched the cup from her hands before she even lowered it from her lips. She stared into it, moving her lips, tilting her head like a bird, contemplating her worm.

  Then Brigid’s nimble face stretched into a grin. She stood, thanked them for coming, and walked briskly toward the front door. Belatedly, Faolan and Elena jumped to their feet and followed. Elena looked a question at Faolan, but he just shrugged and hurried to catch up.

  At the open door, Brigid grabbed Faolan’s arm and whispered something Elena couldn’t understand. Then speaking slowly, and with far less of a brogue than she’d previously used, said to him, “You will pick me up two mornings hence. Bring Lilly’s truck. Faolan, hear me now, and do not stray from my direction. Follow your light.” Then she stepped back and closed the door on their startled faces.