Read By the Light of the Scottish Moon - Unrated (My Kilted Wolf, #1) Online
Authors: Red Phoenix
Tags: #Romance, #Highlander
By the Light of the Scottish Moon - Unrated (My Kilted Wolf, #1)
By
Red Phoenix
By the Light of the Scottish Moon (Unrated)
Copyright © 2014 by Red Phoenix
Kindle Edition
This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only.
All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the author.
Edited by Jennifer Roberts-Hall and Becki Wyer
Cover Design by Kim Killion
This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental.
Preview of the exciting Sequel
Excerpt from Keeper of the Wolf Clan
Excerpt from The Keeper Finds Her Mate
Excerpt from His Scottish Pet: Dom of the Ages
Excerpt from Varick: The Reckoning
Connect with Red on Substance B
Dear Paranormal Lovers,
I hope you enjoy
By the Light of the Scottish Moon (Unrated)
, the touching romance of Freya and Bryn. Two lost souls who find each other in the magic and enchantment of Scotland…
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If you love their romantic tale, please check out my other work:
The Keeper of the Wolf Clan
&
The Keeper Finds Her Mate
Join Layla as she navigates the alluring—but difficult—role of Keeper to four Alpha males
(contains shifter/human coupling)
His Scottish Pet: Dom of the Ages
Join Ryce Leon, an immortal, as he pleases and teases the women of Scotland with his unique skills.
(contains BDSM scenes)
Varick: The Reckoning
This dark erotic romance proves that love can save the darkest of souls
(contains some blood & violence – these aren’t sweet vamps)
He looked up at the moon and let out a long and terrible howl. It felt as if the pain would never end…
Coming Home
F
reya McKenna gazed out of the airplane window at the blue ocean below. Even from way up here, she could see the white crest of the waves. She loved that about the ocean—the fact that it was its own force but still influenced by the moon above.
The sky was a dark blue except for a few billowing clouds. It had the look of heaven to her so she turned away, sliding down the window shade in anger.
Why did life have to be so cruel?
A month ago, things were normal before she got the dreaded news: “We found something on your scan…”
That
something
turned out to be stage-four pancreatic cancer which was growing at a rapid rate. She’d been advised to start an aggressive combination of chemo and radiation, but opted out. What was the point? If she was going to die anyway, she might as well pass this life on her own terms, surrounded by the hills of her homeland—the country of her ancestors—the place that called to her soul.
Freya regretted she had no one to share her last weeks with. Her parents had died two years ago in an automobile accident, so she was pretty much alone in the world. She held onto the fact they had lived good, long lives and were spared this terrible end to their only
dochter
. Although she did have one sibling, her brother worked for one of the larger law firms in Texas and was consumed by his work, ignoring his wife and kids.
Cameron had no time to spare for her, but Freya didn’t really care. The sad truth was that they’d grown apart over the years, and she wasn’t even sure she liked the person he’d become. She felt no sorrow that he would not be there for her when she died.
Freya looked at a young family across the aisle and sighed, regretting that she’d never had kids of her own.
She’d been married once, right out of college. Unfortunately, the man morphed into a violent creep after their wedding vows. Being the sole focus of his jealousy and anger, she quickly determined never to have children with the loser. Even though she took her vows seriously, it didn’t take her long to realize that if children didn’t deserve to be abused by the
dunderhead,
then neither did she.
Freya divorced the asshole a year after they married, causing a scandal in her Catholic family, but she never once looked back.
Instead of raising a family, she went back to college to get a nursing degree and poured herself into caring for her patients. They became her dear friends, and the staff she worked with became her family; her life was complete.
How morbidly funny
, Freya thought, snorting to herself. She’d devoted her life to helping dying cancer patients, and now fate had seen fit to make her one of them.
Life sure had a perverted sense of humor—however, she could appreciate the irony of it—now that she was finally headed home.
Scotland…that green jewel of the world.
Her parents had moved from her homeland when she was just a tiny
bairn
, so she had no memories of the place. However, it remained a part of her. If she must die, then it would be on Scottish soil.
From your dust I was made, and I will return again…
Freya walked off the plane in no particular hurry. She lingered at baggage claim, listening to the pleasant Scottish lilt of her fellow passengers. It was lovely to see families reconnecting, and to watch lovers unite.
Life would move on, even if she would not, and that brought Freya comfort.
She’d rented a small house in the village of Kilchoan, a charming stone cottage that had been converted from a barn. One of the locals had transformed it into an enchanting getaway, complete with a mature garden to welcome guests and a spiral staircase beckoning them upstairs to the romantic bedroom suite.
As soon as Freya had seen the cottage online she’d felt a soul connection to the place, knowing it was where she was meant to die. As soon as she’d secured reservations, she felt a deep sense of peace. She was no longer afraid of what was to come…
The drive to Kilchoan was long, bumpy and slow, but the countryside was breathtakingly beautiful. Green, low rolling hills, pockets of water, and the crumbling remnants of castles seduced her. It was as if time had stood still here, while the rest of the world relentlessly marched on.
Freya laughed with joy, struck by the fact that one could actually believe in fairies and nymphs in this place. The magical feeling the scenery inspired was enchanting!
She didn’t hurry her drive, arriving at her destination just as the sun set. Pulling into the driveway, Freya took a sharp intake of breath. The view was beautiful—the oranges and purples of the sky reflecting their radiance on the water below.
Freya jumped out of her car and stood in humble silence, breathing in the sweet fragrance of the garden as the sun slowly disappeared behind the horizon. She mourned the fact she only had a few of these miracles left to witness.
Dragging her heavy suitcases on the ground, Freya deposited her many pieces of luggage just inside the doorway and abandoned them there, feeling far too tired to unpack. Instead, she heeded the irresistible call of the spiraling staircase and giggled in childish delight when she saw the large canopy bed.
Freya curled up on the fluffy bed, promising herself that she would only rest her eyes for a few minutes, but she didn’t wake until midnight. She was surprised to find her room lit up by the glow of a full moon. She ventured outside to admire it, shivering in the cold night air.
Truly, the moon was an extraordinary and mysterious thing.
I’m going to miss it. I’m going to miss it all…
The next day, Freya laid out her map and circled all the castles she wanted to visit. Even though time was not on her side, she decided her first day should be one of pure exploration—no agendas. She packed a simple lunch, took her allotted pills and headed out for the day.
After hours of driving through the rolling countryside, she happened on an overgrown dirt road that seemed tempting. She felt a thrill of excitement as the road slowly dwindled down to a thin, overgrown trail, indicating no one had traveled this way in a long time.
