“What is this?”
“I thought about what you said earlier. That it was good to get out of your room. I want you to stay in your room for your own safety, but during the day you may walk around the castle and into the courtyard. But you must not leave the castle gates. This key is to your room so that you can lock it from the inside,” Cameron said.
Though she was a bit disappointed that he wasn’t going to kiss her, she was excited for her new freedom. “Really? That's great. Thank you so much, Cameron.”
“But I must have your word that you will not leave this room at night. Only at sunlight with the exception of eating dinner, but I will come get you or Heigl will. Then I will walk you to your door afterward. This key is only for you to leave your room during the day time, is that understood?”
“Yes, I understand. Thank you again.”
Cameron opened her door and walked into her room. She was confused and wondering what he was going to do. Maybe he was going to kiss her after all? But that was not the case. He simply walked around the room, making sure there was no one else in there waiting for her.
“The room is safe. Lock the door behind me, lass. Sleep well,” he said. For a moment Cameron looked at her.
Maria hoped that he would kiss her, pull her close and maybe stay the night with her, but then the look on his face went from lustful to soft, almost caring, like he didn’t want to take advantage of her since she’d been drinking. He gave her one more heated look and then he turned away from her and closed the door behind him.
Maria pushed the skeleton key into the lock and struggled with it for a moment. She had never used such a key in her life. Finally she got the door locked and pulled on it several times to make sure she had done it right. Then she took the key and set it on the table. She popped herself back on the bed, remembering just how stupid she felt that she thought he was going to kiss her. She had closed her eyes and everything, tilting her head back in anticipation only to be disappointed. “That was so stupid, Maria.”
But before she could feel any more embarrassed, she drifted off to sleep, wearing the layers and layers of clothes.
The next day, Maria woke with quite the headache and drank as much water as she could. After a visit from Heigl, who helped her get dressed in a new dress, Maria took advantage of her newfound freedom. The very first place she wanted to go was outside.
She made her way into the courtyard and found a few steps to sit on. There she stayed for quite some time simply observing the residents of the castle go about their daily chores. How fulfilling it must feel to labor all day and have that end with good results like putting dinner on the table or having clean laundry. It was all so simple, and she could see how it would bring great joy. It seemed so much simpler than life in New York. She couldn’t recall a time when she’d been happy to just have food on the table, or clean clothes after a day of chores. Sure, her days had been satisfying working as a NYPD officer, at least she’d thought they were at the time, but now? Now she wasn’t so sure about anything anymore.
Shaking off those thoughts, Maria spent the other half of the day walking around inside the castle, trying to get her bearings and walking out onto the turrets to get a view of the ocean. It was very beautiful all around.
That evening, once again she had dinner sitting at Cameron’s side, and afterward he walked her to her door once more.
By the next day, Maria was starting to fall into a routine with Cameron making sure that her basic needs were met. He visited with her often throughout the day and always made sure that she would join him for dinner at his side, but she could not be sure if his interest in her was merely because she was a time traveler, or something else. She didn't dare consider it.
Chapter 13
Cameron MacLeod, was enjoying the company of the strange woman who had appeared in his castle. There was something unusual about her and the fact that he could not figure that out made her very intriguing to him. It was possible that she was magic, or a witch, but would that be so bad?
He knew the dangers, that his tanist continued to tell him was possible about this young woman. Bran considered her to be a spy or a dangerous woman. But the more time that Cameron spent taking Maria into the hall to enjoy the evening feast, the more that the people seemed to accept her. She was kind and curious and his people seemed to pick up on that, just as he had.
The past two nights he had enjoyed those evenings because he was able to walk her back to her room, where temptation continued to plague him. He wanted to kiss her, but he knew that he could not. It would not be right. She was a guest and a stranger in his lands. He did not want to seem as though he was taking advantage of the young lass.
But one thing was for certain, he was thoroughly enjoying her company and having her living at his castle.
The next morning, Hugh's mother Erin arrived. He was very glad that she had come to the castle so that she could advise Maria on what had happened to her. He also wanted to know some answers.
“Did you find any information about what could possibly be going on here?” he asked Erin as he walked her up the stairs toward Maria's room.
“I did indeed. I read some old books, and there are a few mentions of sightings of the Scathach. So I need to hear first-hand what the young lass has to say. Then I will know how it relates to what I have read and found,” she said.
“Yes, of course. Right this way. I am so glad that you have come.”
Cameron stopped in front of Maria’s door, it was just before the noon meal, and he did not know if she was walking the castle grounds or not. He knocked on the door.
“It’s Cameron. I have brought my cousin to see you, she might have some information for you,” he said loudly.
Within a moment the door opened. Looking upon her beautiful face, he almost forgot that Erin stood behind him. He found that this was happening more often every time he looked at Maria after he had not seen her for a few hours. It was as though her beauty captivated him all over again.
“Hello. Yes I remember you said something about a visitor. Please, won't you come in?” Maria invited.
“Thank you,” Erin said.
“Maria Saunders, may I introduce you to my cousin, and the mother of Hugh. She lives nearby a few miles away from the castle and is a very wise woman. I trust her and therefore I hope that you would trust her,” Cameron said as he walked into her room behind Erin and close the door.
“It is nice to meet you, Erin. I am so glad that you have come,” Maria said.
“Of course. When my Laird calls for my help I answer, as any good Scot would,” Erin said as she walked in a circle around Maria.
Maria started to grow nervous as the woman seemed to be sizing her up and judging her. Because Maria was wearing the traditional Scottish clothing, she wondered if Erin would see anything unusual about her or did she just look like a woman playing a trick from this very time?
“Now, I want to hear everything that you have to say. Start from the beginning,” Erin said standing in front of Maria with her hands on her hips.
Maria looked at Cameron, he nodded his head encouraging her.
“You can trust her. Tell her you are from the future,” Cameron said.
“Alright then. I shall start at the beginning. I was in my own time, and I came to this Castle only it is in ruins in my time. Hundreds of years into the future, I went through a door down in the catacombs and entered this time.”
“Tell her the details of the door. She can show you on her device,” Cameron said.
“Yes, the camera. I will show you,” Maria said. She moved to the table and opened the drawer to pull out what she called the GoPro camera. After explaining to Erin what the camera was, she showed her exactly what she had showed Cameron.
Erin appeared quite stunned, and Cameron understood this reaction to the GoPro device, he had been quite startled by it himself. Then of course watching the device and seeing her transfer through the door, it was a great deal to take in.
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br /> “I believe I need to sit down a moment,” Erin said pulling the chair from under the table and sitting down.
“Aye, and a stiff drink too, I’d imagine,” Cameron said pulling out a flask of whisky. He gave it to Erin, and she took a long swig and then another. The room was silent for a few moments as Erin took the time to get her bearings.
In this moment, Maria looked at Cameron. He looked just as attractive as ever. He was looking at Erin with concern and a gentleness that made Maria care for him more than she already did. Though he was a strong and brawny man, he had a good heart and she could see that. His blue gray eyes showed his gentle demeanor, but his strong arms and hard body showed his strength physically.
“Very well. I will tell you what I have found in my readings and looking at your moving paintings, I think that there is some truth to it. Lass, have you ever heard of the Scathach?” Erin finally said.
Maria searched her mind remembering where she had heard that term before. Then it hit. “Yes, I remember hearing of the Scathach from one of the people I was with on the tour. But they did not have much to say other than it was possibly a witch who lived here long ago and used the castle…even possibly built the castle. That is as much as I know,” Maria said.
“Aye, that is true and that is what I found in my readings. MacLeod, this very Castle it is said was built by the Scathach, long ago. She used it to train other warriors not only in the ways of fighting, but in the ways of witchcraft and magic. I have always thought of them as legend.”
“Yes, legends and ghost stories. I have heard the story since I was a wee lad, of a ghost woman walking around this Castle. But it is just stories,” Cameron said.
“Yes, just stories to us all. But now this woman is here, Maria, having gone through a magical portal. That portal must have been put there by the Scathach. It is possible that she still uses it to this day to go back and forth at different time and places,” Erin said.
“But why now? Why has no one found it before? This portal?” Cameron asked.
“That, I cannot answer. Perhaps the Scathach is the only one who can pass through it, unless a human is there at the right place and the right time? It is possible that Maria came upon it just after the Scathach had used it and it was still active? Or perhaps the Scathach wished to bring her through for some unknown reason? I want to see it for myself, and then maybe I will have some answers for you,” Erin said.
“Yes, of course let us all go,” Cameron said.
Maria nodded and grabbed her plaid wrap, draping it around her shoulders.
Together the group walked down into the dungeons, a path that was starting to become very familiar to Maria, she no longer felt lost in the castle. Finally they arrived in the catacombs, and Maria showed Erin the door. But just as before, Erin wasn’t able to open it. Maria and Cameron also tried, and it did not budge. There did not seem to be anything magical about it.
“Well lass, I am sorry to say that no one knows if the Scathach is still around and alive. Perhaps she is lost in some time, we will never know. So there is no true way for me to know if there is a way back for you. I am sorry that I cannot be more help. I will continue looking through the old text to see if I can find anything.”
“So that is it? I’m stuck here?” she asked.
“For now, lass, Yes,” Erin said.
Chapter 14
Maria sat on the bed in her room. Cameron had said his goodbyes to his cousin Erin, but that had all gone by in a flash as he took a shocked Maria back to her room. Everything that happened after Erin said that there was no way back through the portal for Maria, had been a blur. Maria, it appeared was stuck in his time with no way back to her own. .
“Maria? Maria?” Cameron moved in front of her. He had not seen the strong woman look in this way since he’d known her. She looked quite despondent as her gaze stared at the wall across the room. He knew that it was Erin's words that had frightened her and left her in this state. He sat down beside her on the bed.
Putting his hand on her shoulder, she finally turned her gaze to him. Her eyes were glazed as though she were trying to fight back tears.
“What did you say?” Her voice was soft and weak.
“I simply said your name. Are you feeling ill?” he asked, hoping that the shock had not left her feeling sick, for he did not have a bucket handy and he did not wish to leave her at just that moment.
“I feel... I feel...”
“Confused?” he suggested.
“Yes, precisely. Can you blame me?” She looked up at him, her lips trembling. “I’ve just been told by the only person who seems to know what’s going on here that I’m stuck here. I want to go home,” she said. Tears began to flow down her cheeks.
Cameron felt bad to see her in such a way. He put his arm across her back and pulled her side against his side. “I understand. I cannot imagine what you feel at this moment. To know you cannot return home. I couldn’t bear not returning to my home here,” he said.
“You do understand.” Maria turned to him, looking into his blue-grey eyes.
“I do.”
For a moment, she was locked by those eyes and held their prisoner. His strong hand moved from her shoulder down her arm, rubbing and consoling her. Maria was strong, but she needed to be held. She allowed her body to lean against his side.
“I understand your sorrow, lass, I do,” he whispered.
Maria tucked her head into his brawny neck and cried. Her body shook with tremors as she did so, finally letting go. She was finally giving in to the facts, that she was stuck in this time period and there was nothing to be done about it. She would never see her family again. New York City was in the future and she would never live there again. Her hard work to make detective in her own life had all been for nothing. This was all overwhelming, so much so, that all she could do was cry.
“Shh… I am here for you, lass. Let it go. Your tears are necessary,” Cameron said pulling her closer against him.
He wanted to take her pain away, but there was nothing he could do. Cameron MacLeod, the Laird of the land was not used to being powerless. He could always order for something to be done to fix things. But this time, there was nothing. He had sought the advice of Erin, hoping that the wise woman would have a solution, however she did not have a way to fix the door.
Guilt, set in. He was glad that Erin could not solve the door, because although he wanted to make Maria happy, he also wanted to keep her. It was a selfish thing for him to think, he knew that much. But he also knew this woman had stirred him like no other. Even now as she cried in his arms, he wanted nothing more than to take her and make her truly his.
“Lass…” he said putting his massive hand on her chin to lift her head and tearful eyes to his.
“Cameron…” she whispered.
Her pink full lips trembled, and he could not bear it any longer. Cameron pressed his lips to hers. A soft moan escaped her mouth, making him hungrier. He had longed to taste her lips and he was not disappointed. He moved his hands up and down her back and he pressed her against his body. Relief swept through him when she raised her arms and placed her hands behind his neck. She twisted her fingers into his hair as she kissed him back. Was she just as hungry for him as he was for her?
Maria felt heat rush through her body as he kissed her. She was losing herself to the lustful feelings overcoming her. She adored feeling his strong hands rubbing up and down her back. For the first time since she arrived she felt happy to have to stay in this time. His strong manly presence next to her did things to her that she’d never felt before. He kissed her harder, and suddenly she found herself slowly reclining backward, onto the mattress. Cameron's heavy body pressed on top of her, and she let out a soft moan.
She had longed to run her fingers through his thick blond hair, and she was finally able to scratch that itch. She gripped it, as she kissed him. And then her hand moved down his neck and over his broad shoulder down to his bicep. It was very large and strong and hard.
She wanted to explore every inch of his body, and there was nothing that would stop her from doing so. She was completely lost in the moment of heavy petting. Cameron's strong hand move down the side of her body and then back up, and she wanted more. He was being quite the gentleman, but she wanted him to cup her breasts and feel his large hands touching her intimately.
Suddenly there was a loud pounding at the door. Cameron sat up abruptly, and Maria felt quite annoyed that they were being disturbed in this moment. She needed him and his consoling her with kisses had calmed her greatly. Only moments before she was worried about being stuck in this ancient time forever, but now that anxiety had been replaced with sensual exhilaration and she wanted to hold on to it for as long as she could before her anxiety returned.
“Who is there?” Cameron's deep voice boomed across the room as he stood up and walked to the door.
Maria stood up from the bed and pushed her hair back, trying to make herself presentable.
Cameron was extremely frustrated, in more ways than one, when the banging at the door stopped him from getting his fill of this sensual woman. He had ached to kiss her since her arrival, and yet he was only able to indulge in that fantasy for a few minutes before being interrupted. Such was the life of the Laird of the castle, all decisions were made by him and needed his attention at all times. But why did it have to be this time, his lips were still hot from her kiss and his member was gorging.
He angrily yanked the door open. Hugh stood on the other side.
Love A Highlander: A Scottish Time Travel Romance (A Highlander Across Time Book 1) Page 9