Kahleena MacCarthy ~ To Meet a Highlander (6 page)

             
“I dinnae ken about the two of ye, but I cannae wait to get back. I need to settle myself between a lass’ thighs.” Torradan wasn’t shy in his needing effects that came over him after a battle. Seemingly enough, he never searched out love, only the comforts any random woman could bring. For his softer personality, this always had shocked Zarik.

             
Drostan and Zarik groaned. Drostan’s wife was heavy with child; there’d be no relief for him unless it was by his own hand or his leman which he’d sworn he’d stopped seeing after they married. “I’ll just be having some mead.” Drostan smiled at the thought of being able to lose himself in his cups for a while. His wife was driving him mad with her constant complaining. No more children. This one had better be a boy. “Zarik will be joining me as well, I'm sure.” He looked over to his friend and knew Zarik rarely sought physical relief after battle. Zarik felt he was more dangerous when pent up with need.

             
“Will we have to listen to yer lust all the way back? If so, mayhap ye’ll leave now and get a head start. Aye?” Zarik was in no mood. He’d not been with a lass in a long time and seemed to have no desire to. His need for battle kept him going, seeking the pleasures of a woman made you weak – something he could not afford to ever be. He did, however, seek his pleasure more than his friends believed. He was discreet. As the Laird's son, he didn't want the reputation of a whore son. Or to gain the reputation of taking advantage of his status.

             
In any case, he couldn’t explain why he´d not been wanting women, so he assumed it would pass in time. Argus, of course, had his own notions that he shared with Niall regularly. It was the belief, of everyone other than him, that he knew in his heart that a woman was coming to him. This was causing him not to seek comfort in the form of any soft body beneath him. To Zarik, it was simple. He’d been tired and working hard. It made sense. Zarik had been dragging himself into bed each night and forcing himself up each morning. Training was taking its toll on him. Though he’d never trained so hard, it felt necessary for some reason.

             
Torradan didn’t get a chance to answer as they heard a battle cry. It was right behind the other side of the stones and they were surrounded by a second MacLean force. They had been set up. It appeared Lachlann MacLean was a might bit smarter than they’d given him credit for. It was a low handed sneak attack. Cowardly. But it was a smart attack none the less. Perhaps it was Gregor that had planned it rather than his son.

             
Zarik let out a cry like none Torradan had heard before as he flung his dagger into the MacLean that would have struck Drostan from behind with his sword. Zarik’s perfect aim, landing its mark right in the man’s neck, killing him instantly. He´d not see his best friend´s wife without her husband.

             
Drostan stared in disbelief for just a moment before sending Zarik an appreciative nod and jumping up with his sword to render his own battle cry.

             
“Cumnich Bas Alpin!” Zarik raged. “Audentes fortuna juvat.” The battle resumed with fate not on their side. If the MacKinnon’s thought the first part of the battle was a bloody mess, this one was a bloody hell…and just the type of thing Zarik lived for.

Chapter Three

             
“Show her my feelings?” Galen choked on the words. “Tsarina, let’s go.”

             
“Wait. You’re going to send us back in time? To where? To what?” Tsarina laughed out loud. She couldn’t help herself. The old woman was crazy and she was buying right into it.

             
“We just need to go. Now!” Galen was pulling her along as he spoke. It was clear he wanted to be anywhere but here.

             
“No, you cannot take her. You’ll change the course of history. The choice belongs to her and Zarik alone. No one can decide for them. But we must get her there.” The old woman looked very serious now and seemed to stand up straighter. Taller. “He cannot determine his fate without the choices to be had before him. Without the girl in this time, he holds no chance at all. This is bad for all of us.”

             
“I’ll change history. Aren’t you making a choice for her by trying to send her away? I thought you meddling pretend Druids couldn’t mess with free will or history. You say he needs a choice, but what about her choice?” Galen stated in disbelief at the same time Tsarina spoke.

             
“Determine history. Our choice. Wait. I could go back in time and he could reject me and things could still go wrong. Could I get back?” Tsarina shivered at the thought of time travel. Did it really exist? But the thought of going to the Scotland she only gets to research was too much for her to ignore, no matter how crazy it all sounded.

             
“You believe that you can go in time?” Galen asked cautiously.

             
“I’m not sure. But I would love to see Scotland the way it was meant to be. Hey, hold on. Feelings? You have feelings for me?”

             
Galen shrugged. “She’s a crazy old woman that thinks she can send you to the past. Would she know?”

             
“She just might. Why wouldn’t you say something? And how can you have them? We’ve only known one another for a few weeks. Is it feelings or a need for sex?”

             
“I wouldn’t say in love, Tsarina. But you are beautiful and you know it. Any guy would feel something for you.”

             
“So, you want to get me into bed.” Tsarina cast a knowing smile over his way. Perhaps she should have saved her romp for Galen rather than wasting it on Kaeden.

             
“Well, now that just makes it sound…well, it sounds so…”

             
“Honest?”

             
“Yea, all right. Honest. But in a bad way. Let’s just say I wouldn’t tell you no.”

             
Tsarina looked over to the old woman. “Then why did you wait all these weeks to say something? We could have been having some fun.” Tsarina felt herself blush slightly. She was obviously turning into a slut. Looking back at the druids, she changed her focus. “Why does he need to show me his feelings? Especially if he doesn’t love me.”

             
“Love. Desire. Lust. All work well with the stones. You need the power of the emotion to send you through. The only thing it need be is a feeling that is strong enough. His is. I can feel it. On the matter of free will and changing history, I’m not changing history if she’s supposed to be there. It’s just my job to be sure she is there so that history isn’t altered. Once there, winning over Zarik is up to her. Will you do it?”

             
“I honestly don’t know that I believe you can send me, or anyone for that matter, to a different time. Galen’s right, I’m just going to get a few pictures for research and we’re going to go ahead and head back.”

             
“If you don’t believe, what’s the harm in humoring a little old woman? You said yourself it's a time you would love to do more than research.”

             
“If it works, how does she get back?” Galen asked.

             
“She doesn’t. At least not with our help. She’d have to find someone on that side with the knowledge of time travel. Once she’s there, we, in this time period, don’t exist yet. There were druids then as well. She'd just have to find some willing to help her.” The older woman shrugged as if it were no big issue that she’d be stuck in a time she knew nothing about.

             
“Am I able to go with her?” He knew he couldn’t let her go there with no man to defend her. The earlier times were brutal and women needed men.

             
“No. You’d ruin that path that was chosen for her since you have feelings for her. The competition isn’t good. Zarik needs her, though he’ll fight her and his feelings every step of the way. And he needs her to be his with no chance of an alternate ending.”

             
Galen and Tsarina looked at one another. Galen fearing it too dangerous, Tsarina expecting the old woman was on one too many painkillers.

             
“What the hell. Let’s try it. Look at it this way, if nothing happens; at least you got to make out with me. And from that, I'll decide if you get anything else later tonight at Castle Campbell.” She shrugged, smiled and picked up her backpack. Walking over to the Standing Stones, she stopped and felt them. She could feel some sort of motion or rumbling or…what was that? “Galen, come on.”

             
“Tsarina, come back over here. Don’t do it. You may not ever be able to come back. What of your family?”

             
“Family? I have one brother. And it may be a relief to not always be bailing me out of situations I manage to get myself into. I think he'll understand. Maybe if I go back, the me that’s here now won’t ever exist. Who’s to say? Maybe he'd just never have a sister. Will Galen remember what happened here? Will I? You really think this will work. Don’t you?” Tsarina looked stunned and she knew it. He honest to God believed they could send her back. She simply agreed with the old lady. Why not make her happy and try it. Appease her. She was elderly and clearly didn’t have a lot of time left. And, from the sound of it, was already slightly addled.

             
“So many questions. It’s why I dislike the youth of today. It was easier when people accepted their fate, nodded and went on with it. Yes, Galen will remember. Yes, you should remember your previous life. Your memories are still yours, no matter the year you are living in. And you'll need to be clear on the reason you're there. If we erase your memories, your path could be altered from finding Zarik.” The old woman gave a knowing smile that Tsarina found slightly creepy.

             
Having enough, Tsarina walked back over, grabbed Galen by the hand and pulled him over to the stones with her.

             
“We’re ready.”

             
“He’s got to want you. We need his desire right now. Not yours. Galen, start making out with her. Something.” The old lady crooned while stepping back. She began her chant and waving her candles while the others joined in with her.

             
Tsarina giggled. “Come on, Galen, I’m not that offending. Am I?”

             
Galen shook his head. “May God be with you, lass. I hope you find whatever it is you seek.”

             
Tsarina heard the sadness in his voice. It was as though he thought he’d never see her again. A final goodbye. She smiled and tugged him closer.

             
“If we’re going to do this, let’s do it right at least.” With his words, he curled one hand into her long hair, pulling her head over so he could drop his lips on them. It was a searing kiss. One like he’d never felt before. As he coaxed her lips open, Tsarina didn’t fight him. When his tongue swept into her mouth, they both let out a groan of pleasure.

             
Cupping his other hand to her bottom, he pulled her full against him so that she could feel his hardness. Grinding against her, he kept his mouth locked with hers. He kissed down her neck and to the neckline that barely covered her breasts. Breasts he wished he had more time to enjoy – preferably without an audience. A body he wished he had more time to explore. This was not how he expected his first make out session with Tsarina to be.

             
Tsarina felt like she was spinning. She’d never been so into a kiss or dry humping in her life. Not even as a teenager.

             
Suddenly she was alone. Galen’s arms were gone. She was freezing…and falling. Tsarina screamed as she fell on top of something. Grass?

****

              Zarik found himself and Drostan surrounded by at least sixteen MacLean warriors. “Are ye ready, friend?” With a grin, Drostan nodded that he was. Taking on two and three at a time, the two made their way through those surrounding them. When four were left, they heard a shrill scream. An odd scream.

             
“What the hell? Was that a woman?” Drostan shook his head as he figured he was likely addled from all the fighting. Perhaps he'd been hit in the head and not stopped to realize it. No doubt he and Zarik were beyond tired at this point. “Where the hell is everyone else?”

             
As Zarik killed the last two, he finally stopped to look around. About ten feet from them, surrounded by the dead bodies, he and Drostan had produced, was a female. She was dressed oddly and screaming, splattered with blood. And, something she had not likely noticed yet, she was half-laying across a dead body.

             
“By the Saints, dinnae move lass. Are ye injured?” Zarik quickly made his way over, Drostan right on his heels. Luckily, it seemed the battle had died down again. “Where did ye come from? It’s a battle. Ye shouldnae be here.” Looking down to her
chair
again, he shrugged at Drostan. “Mayhap I should help ye over to a stone.”

             
The woman looked at him, continuing to scream. She then looked at Drostan and kept screaming. At that moment, Torradan walked over and she screamed more.

             
Realizing how they must look, battle raging through their veins, blood soaked through their clothing, clotting in their hair – it’d be a fright to most any lass.

             
Torradan looked amused. “Well, ye’ve right got a voice there, lass. Do ye think mayhap ye could turn it down long enough to tell us who ye are?” He looked at Zarik, questions evident in his eyes. “Is she a MacLean? But even they wouldnae bring a lass. Would they?” All the clans protected their women and most never used them in any form during a war or battle. It was the lowest cowardice anyone could have.

             
Zarik was done with the screaming. “Damn woman, now look at what ye be sitting on.” As she jumped up and screamed even louder, he leaned in and grabbed her shoulders before she could try to run off. With a couple of good shakes, he finally managed to silence her. “Now, that’s better. Who are you?”

             
“I’m…where am I?” Tsarina looked around her. All she could smell was blood and death. The air tasted like iron. Who would have thought it had a smell? Her stomach curled. “I think I’m going to be sick.”

             
She felt hands slip from her as she quickly turned and vomited behind her.

             
“She has no stomach for battle it would seem.” Drostan laughed. “What are ye wearing woman? Your legs show.”

             
“So does her arse.” Tor pointed out.

             
“They’re shorts.” Tsarina had regained herself and was no longer enjoying being stared at. By God, the crazy old woman had sent her back in time. “What year is this? Where am I?”

             
“I think ye’ve been hurt. Hit your head? Did someone bump into ye? You’re in Scotland. It’s 1310. Now, answer my question, I dislike being ignored. Who are ye?” Zarik didn’t have time for this lass. He needed to find out who she was and get her back where she belonged.

             
“I’m Tsarina Fraser. Who are you?” She crossed her arms over her chest and looked the three very large brutes over. So, this was a real Highlander. They were all covered in blood, it matted their hair, stained their clothes and they were in good moods. Men! They may have been just as savage as history portrayed them, at least from the looks of this display.

             
Tsarina continued to peer up at them. All of them were well over her height. It was nice actually. She wasn’t overly tall, but they seemed to make the men a lot shorter and thinner in 2013. These men were broad and...thick.

             
“I’m Zarik MacKinnon. This is my brother, Torradan. Drostan, over here, is me best friend. Where are yer clothes?”

             
“You…you’re…damn.” Tsarina watched all three shake their heads as she said damn. Not very lady like in their eyes. Well, they’d just have to adjust. “You’re Zarik. I’m here for you. Well, I was sent for you. Or, that doesn’t quite sound right either. And my clothes are on.”

             
“For me? We have no current quarrel with the Frasers. Why would they send a woman to do a man’s job? And no respectable lass would be seen out in such clothing. Where did ye even find such rags?” Zarik spoke the word clothing as though it were terrible.