by Unknown
It had been six months since Callen first spotted Heather at the cemetery, and they spent as much time together as possible. As his “sister”, I played chaperone for those matronly women who looked down on Heather’s wild ways. I didn’t like how they spoke about her, and I could only imagine what they would have said about me when Bran and I were meeting in secret.
I was tending to the vegetable garden one day when I looked up to see Heather and Callen holding hands as they walked towards me. They could barely tear their eyes away from each other and while I was mostly happy for them, it also reminded me of what I missed with Bran.
“Mother,” Callen said, surprising me.
“Excuse me?” I said.
“I’ve told Heather everything. I even showed her the wolf.”
My eyes widened. Callen had a habit for telling me everything, but he kept this from me. I knew it was because he thought I would convince him not to. I wasn’t upset though, I knew how hard it was to keep a secret from the one you loved.
“And?” I asked, looking at Heather but not seeing any judgment, only love for my son.
“And we want to get married,” he said. “But we want a Scottish hand-fasting. Neither of us has family. Heather’s aunt can barely tell if it’s day or night. We want to be hand-fasted because all that matters is our love for each other, and we want you to do it.”
I threw my arms about them and hugged them tight. My one regret with Bran was that we had never been hand-fasted. I gave Callen his last name because in my heart we were married, but I kept my last name out of respect for my father.
It gave me so much joy that my son was going to be happy and live his life with the woman he loved. Gracelin’s words of unhappiness briefly rang in my head, but I ignored them. There was nothing that could tear Callen and Heather apart.
Present Day
I couldn’t continue. I looked at Callen. His face had fallen and it brought tears to my eyes. Taking a deep breath, I held in my tears and turned to Pinky and Rafael. If I looked at Bran, I knew I would be too upset to speak.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I can’t continue the story. It is not my story, but it’s too heartbreaking anyway. If Callen wishes, he will tell it to you.”
Pinky bit her lip and turned away.
“Go on, human,” I said. “What is it?”
“You said her name was Heather Mather,” Pinky said. “I’ve been doing a lot of research lately, and there were a lot of ties between Salem and Leeds Point. I was looking at the list of names affected by the witch trials when I was trying to piece together why I had three MacCullochs from different time periods.”
I knew what she found out, and I figured it was easier for her to say it than me. She didn’t have any connection to Heather or Callen. The words meant nothing to her, it was just history.
“Heather’s aunt died and left her a large piece of property,” Pinky said. “That’s when they accused Heather of witchcraft. They used her status as unmarried against her, but I read that Callen MacCulloch refuted that claim and said they were married. No one listened though. They wanted her property. Heather died during her trial.”
Pinky was quiet, and I could see the weight of the news hitting her as she looked at Callen.
“I’m sorry, my son,” Bran said. “I know how it is to lose the woman you love.”
“And I keep losing her,” Callen said. “That’s the difference between you and me. Mother never died. You caught her scent and here she is, still remembering you, still loving you. Heather comes back to me. We’ve been married several times, but something always cuts short our time together.”
“What do you mean she comes back?” Rafael asked.
“Gracelin explained that not every soul moves on to the Otherworld,” I said. “Some return if they feel they haven’t finished what they came to Earth to do, especially if they had a tragic end.”
Callen stood from the table and turned to look out the window as I continued.
“But each soul has its match, and when we’re here, we look for it to become whole. With humans it’s trickier, they don’t recognize that counterpoint to themselves as easily because they don’t listen to their instincts. But with shifters, we know from touch, smell, everything. We can feel that other part of us calling to make us whole. That is what I call the one love.”
“Heather dies and after a certain time, she is born again,” Callen said. “Once she is of age, I can find her scent and trace where she is. This is the third time she’s come to Leeds Point. The problem is she never knows who I am. Each time I find her, I have to make her fall in love with me again.” Callen smiled softly. “There are worse things in the world, I suppose. And having her die is up there, but knowing she comes back and I can hold her and feel the love we have for each other makes it all better.”
“I’ll help you find her,” Pinky said.
“I know you will,” I said. “There is no such thing as coincidence.”
Chapter Thirteen
Ainsley
The house was empty and it was finally just Bran and I alone. Callen went with Rafael and Pinky to see if she had any additional news about Heather. He would be gone for hours.
Bran and I entered the small living room. I wanted to take him directly to my bed, but I reminded myself that we had plenty of time ahead of us.
As he started a fire in the fireplace, it brought me back to so long ago and how we would sneak around to spend time together. We didn’t need to do that anymore, but I didn’t want him any less.
He slid the coffee table over to the side, close to the couch, clearing the center of the room. As he stood on the thick white rug, he held his hand out to me and smiled softly with his head tilted to the side a little, silently asking me to join him.
Come with me.
The words filled my mind as I remembered our first time so long ago. Just the thought of his whisper, the warmth of his breath on my neck, was enough to make my breath catch in my throat.
I put my hand in his and his fingers snapped shut around my hand as he yanked me against him. With my body pressed against his, he swayed softly as he looked into my eyes.
“I remember when I first saw you,” he said. “You were this strange little girl climbing up a sea stack in Handa. I don’t know if I would have loved you as much if you were just picking flowers.”
I laughed and moved my hands over his shoulders. “You were always jealous of me. Of how fast I was and how well I hunted,” I said. “There was even that time you scared away my deer. I bet you did that on purpose.”
“If I did, it was only because I wanted to meet you. I thought I had spent an eternity looking for you back then, but it was only ten years. Now here we are together again, over four hundred years later and it’s like no time has passed.”
“It’s strange, isn’t it?” I said. “But curse or no curse, what happened let us get back together.”
“And nothing will come between us again,” he said as his fingers closed around my chin.
His lips touched mine gently at first, and then harder. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders, never wanting to let go as his kiss whisked me away. But I wanted more, I needed more. And I wanted it now.
Sliding my hands down his chest, I reached the end of his t-shirt and lifted it up and off him before tossing it aside. He didn’t look any different than he did our first time together. He was just as handsome and strong.
I playfully poked his chest like I had that time in the forest, and he laughed then took my hand and kissed it. As we looked into each other’s eyes again, I couldn’t believe I almost forgot how light his eyes were.
He moved his hand to my lower back and pulled me close against him. His arms wrapped around me and he crushed my body against his as I clung tightly to him.
“I’m so afraid of losing you again,” I said.
“I’m not going anywhere. You’ll have to kill me to get rid of me,” he said with a grin.
As he kissed my forehead,
all my worries drifted away. The only thing left was my love for him. He stroked my hair and then kissed my neck, causing goose bumps to rise along my arms like he always did.
“I’ve found something about this time that I don’t like,” he whispered.
“What is it?”
“You’re wearing a lot more clothes,” he said with a smirk.
He pulled my top off me, then took my hand as he lowered himself down on the rug. As I sat on the floor facing him, he moved closer and kissed my shoulder. My fingers moved down his chest and over his soft chest hair. It was strange to see him in front of me after centuries of thinking I never would again, but I had never been happier.
The firelight flickered against his skin and I reached down to unbutton his pants, but he pushed my hands away. I looked up at him to ask why, but he only shook his head.
He moved closer to the fireplace and picked up my bare foot. As he kneaded the arch of my foot, I leaned back against the armchair behind me. His hand reached for my other foot and then he slowly pulled me down until I was lying on the soft rug.
Moving up, he kissed my belly button, which made me giggle. I didn’t even realize he had unsnapped my jeans until he started sliding them down my hips. I lifted my hips up and tried to grab my panties, which were sliding down too, but he shook his head again.
He slipped out of his jeans, finally letting me see him naked. Bran was a real man, strong and muscular. His hands were still a little rough like they had been long ago from life on the Highlands. But as he came close to me again, his large hand tracing the curves of my body, I realized I wouldn’t have it any other way.
His fingers wrapped around the shoulder strap of my bra and as his mouth closed over mine, the strap came down. I was so dizzy from his kiss as his tongue dove into my mouth that I didn’t even feel him unhook my bra.
As he slid the bra off my arms, he looked down at me. I noticed his eyes taking in my rounded hips, my soft stomach, and my full breasts. He smiled as his eyes met mine.
“You’re just as beautiful as I remembered,” he said before kissing my lips. “Every single day, even though I thought you were gone, I dreamt about you. I couldn’t even look at other women, you always have been and always will be the only one for me. I love you in the past, in the present, and in the future.”
“I love you too, Bran. Forever and always.”
My arms moved around his broad shoulders and pulled him to me. We laid on our sides holding each other as the fire continued its dance.
His lips moved up the side of my neck and I tilted my body towards his. As we kissed again, his hand moved over my breasts and squeezed my hard nipple. Lowering his head, his mouth closed around it and I sighed as his tongue flicked over it.
I moved my leg up over his, feeling his hardness pressed against me. I wanted him. I pushed my hips towards his, and his hand slid down and clutched my butt and pulled me harder against him.
His hand followed the curve of my leg and pulled it up along his side. I felt him pressed against my entrance, then he moved onto his back and pulled me on top of him.
I lowered myself onto his shaft, slowly holding my breath as I bit my lip. It had been so long that I had forgotten the electricity that ran through my veins and how it felt like to have him inside me.
He grasped my hips and we moved together. Each thrust sent bolts of excitement through my body, and my core began to pulse insistently.
His hands moved up to my breasts and he cupped and stroked them then gently rubbed my nipples between his fingers. One of his hands slid down my belly, and I shifted my hips back a bit, already knowing where his hand was going.
As his fingers ran over my bud, my hips jerked softly. It had been so long that already my breathing was beginning to quicken.
He rubbed his fingers over my clit, and my hips took on a life of their own. The pulsing in my core came faster, causing my entire body to vibrate. I couldn’t hold on for much longer.
Bran reached up and pulled me down to him, our lips locking as our tongues met and rolled against each other. Then his hands moved back to my hips and he gripped me tightly before he plunged deeply into me over and over again.
My body had taken all it could. I panted as he thrusted faster. And as the pressure in my core reached its point, I felt the release consume my body.
I cried out just before my lips met his once again. He wrapped his arms around me and pressed me against him as he came. My body shook from the energy that ran through me, and I took deep breaths as I melted into him.
Bran carried me to the bedroom and laid me gently on the bed before he settled himself beside me. I rested my head against his shoulder, letting my body form against his as he held me. The warmth of his body, the touch of his skin was just as I always remembered it.
“I love you,” he said. “And I promise we will never be apart again. I don’t think I could live if I lost you again.”
“I love you too, Bran. And I’m going to keep you to that promise. I don’t want to live without you anymore.”
As I laid in his arms, listening to the steady rhythm of his breathing, I couldn’t believe how lucky I was. To have lived for so many years and have the man of my dreams, my one love, come back was something I never thought possible.
I lived through so many things both magical and mundane, but I never believed I would see Bran again. Yet there he was lying beside me, his flesh pressed against mine.
As I thought about how fate worked in such strange ways, both good and bad, I couldn’t help but think back to Gracelin’s words and her warning about the curse on Clan MacCulloch.
When a MacCulloch finds his mate in another clan, they will be torn apart.
I hoped it wasn’t true. I had to believe that four hundred years without my mate was long enough to satisfy the curse, but I didn’t know. All I was sure of was that I was finally back in the arms of my one love. I would never leave him again, and I knew he was finally mine forever. I just hoped that one day our son would have that same happiness with his love.
Thank you for reading The Highlander’s Mate! I hope you enjoyed it. The novel Wolf at Her Door is Callen and Heather’s story and takes place right after The Highlander’s Mate. Wolf at Her Door is available for purchase at your favorite ebook retailer. Sign up for my newsletter for updates and new releases!
Links for the novel Wolf at Her Door
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NGWY5J6
Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/wolf-at-her-door/id917661147?at=1l3vq4p
About Liliana Rhodes
Liliana Rhodes is a New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author who writes contemporary and paranormal romance with relatable characters. Blessed with an over active imagination, she is always writing and plotting her next stories. She enjoys movies, reading, photography, and listening to music. After growing up on the east coast, Liliana now lives in California with her husband, son, two dogs who are treated better than some people, and two parrots who plan to take over the world.
Visit her website at www.LilianaRhodes.com for news, updates, and to subscribe to her newsletter!
Highland Moon Rising
Cry Wolf
Sarah Mäkelä
A kitten in a werewolves’ lair…
A Highland reunion...
After months of trying to rescue her werewolf half-brother Colin who was abducted by evil research scientists, wereleopard Caitlyn has come home to Scotland to console her sibling. But her problems are far from over...
Red in tooth and claw...
Still heady and wanton from the power of last night’s full moon, Caitlyn is in mortal danger. Werewolves have little respect for other shifters, and she’s trapped and caged at the Scottish Pack's HQ and at the mercy of Alistair—the vicious wolf who fathered Colin and abused her mother, and who’s capable of murder…
The sweet smell of arousal...
Her scent can save her, or kill her. Dougal, the Pack’s new Alpha, hungers to strip her n
aked and satiate his fiery lunar lust. But he also senses this beautiful feline with clover-green eyes that shine through the bars of her prison with burning desire is nearing the end of her strength. Will he deny his dominance, and the moon’s lingering power, to be the protector she needs?
CHAPTER ONE
Caitlyn
Hinges squeaked on a door that hadn’t seen use in several months. Months I’d spent struggling to rescue my younger brother. My attempts had been in vain. Not only had the scientists who’d captured him discovered my existence and fervently chased me, but no matter what I’d tried, their research facility had been nearly impenetrable for a lone wereleopard. The tall fences and heavy-duty searchlights would have been challenge enough, but the plentiful armed guards that crisscrossed the compound had made it impossible to proceed.
Fortunately, the werewolf Pack he’d transferred to had broken him—and the other shifters—free with their numbers and brute strength. However, I could only wonder how Colin had fared after all he’d been through. From the brief phone call we’d shared yesterday, I barely recognized him. He didn’t sound at all like the easygoing guy I’d known. He was weary and solemn.
But that was understandable. Whatever had been done had changed him and his beast.
With each minute, hour, day, I neared the brink of complete exhaustion. Sooner than later, I needed to rest up. The scientists had stayed so close on my tail for so long that I remained vigilant at all times. It was so hard to let my guard down.
While I was in Scotland to support Colin, I craved the comfort of home and the ability to run in my feline form without having to keep constant watch over my shoulder. Och, to feel the lush grass and dried leaves beneath my padded feet and to smell the forest air mixing and lingering with the soft undertones of early morning rain. My beast stretched lazily inside my chest, eager to unsheathe her claws and return to nature. But there was no luxury for that yet.