Shifter’s Baby (Alpha Fantasy Paranormal Billionaire Shifter BBW Romance) (115 page)

Chapter Three

It felt as if she hadn’t slept at all when things started to come into clarity and a woman woke her up. There wasn’t as much scorn in her eyes as the woman before her. It took her a moment to realize where she was, but when Lauren did, she got up without saying anything. The woman put a refilled water skin in her hands, and she went to thank her, but was silenced. It didn’t seem that the woman wanted to talk, and she was an outsider that had just been kidnapped. She didn’t have to think of why, but her thoughts in the silence did wonder back to Dugal Ansley, wondering what would become of her.

“It’s too early for words.” The woman said in a thick accent. Lauren was surprised she could understand her at all. Dugal Ansley was waiting for her outside as she gathered the water skin and the piece of dried meat that was handed to her.

“I do not believe you can ride on your own?” He said, and she shook her head. He seemed to be watching her, trying to understand what she was thinking, but he couldn’t get the read he wanted. She sighed after a moment, and she knew that she wanted to be on a horse all on her own. She didn’t want to ride with anyone.

“I can ride.” She said, and he raised an eyebrow at her. It was obvious that he was surprised, but Lauren didn’t care. When a horse was offered to her, she got up before trying to swing her leg over. He looked at her with a small smile before shaking his head. She couldn’t sit properly with the dress, and he knew that she wouldn’t be able to ride quick enough.

“Get down.” He said gruffly, and even though Lauren didn’t want to get down, she knew that she had to.

He came back with a pair of tights for her. She groaned, but she went into the tent to put them on under her dress and hiked it up so that she could have something similar to a riding skirt as she mounted the horse once more. Lauren started to get an idea as they rode along, looking at Dugal as she did.

People seemed to have a mixed look every time that they looked at her, but she didn’t care. All she cared about was that she had a horse, and they weren’t holding onto it. As they got back on an open road, she decided to take a chance like she normally wouldn’t. With that, she broke free, galloping alongside of her.

I can’t believe I’m doing this.
Lauren thought to herself before she started to hear the shouting. She knew that they were shouting at her, and she knew that the galloping of hooves behind her was them chasing, but she didn’t dare to turn back. She tried to push the horse further, but it didn’t want to seem to go nearly as fast as she wanted.

It’ll have to be fast enough. She thought to herself as the wind whipped in her hair, and she was thankful for one thing. The way that Dugal had made her put on the tights was the only reason that she was able to do this in the first place. It was like freedom was calling her name. She had never found the hillside so beautiful or as dangerous as when she was galloping through it. She knew that she had already gotten further than they had hoped. She groaned as she heard people catching up. The shouting had become quiet, and Lauren dared to look back.

She saw Dugal Ansley coming after her. He had a determined and quite fearful look on his face that made her heart pound. He caught her gaze, and for a second she almost stopped the horse, but she pushed onward. She knew that there was no turning back. She didn’t dare, but soon enough he caught up with her. He forced her horse to halt, and she was nearly thrown off in the process.

Dugal jumped down to calm her horse. His own stayed where he had left it, perfectly trained and not daring to do anything else. As Dugal calmed her horse down, her heart started to drop. She knew that she had been caught, and she wasn’t sure if that was worse than being alone in a foreign land. She could feel the anger radiating from him as his strong arms wrapped around her, pulling her off.

“You’re a very stupid lass.” He whispered in her ear, making her shudder.

“What do you think would have happened to a girl like you out here? Do you think I’m the worse thing for you?” He said, and she groaned a little, trying not to think too much about what he was saying. Lauren knew that she had messed up. She wasn’t sure if getting away was the answer, but she knew that she had to try, so that’s exactly what she did.

“I’ll go back.” She said, sighing as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. His arm didn’t let her go as he held her to his chest.

“You could have gotten hurt. You embarrassed me.” He told her, and the last part was a growl. Dugal seemed to let it go as his grip on her relaxed. She went to mount the horse again, but he stopped her.

“Do you think I’m letting you get on that beast again? You couldn’t even get him to run properly, and you could run again.” Dugal said. His voice said it all. He no longer trusted her, and before she could manage to retort, he was already dragging her over to his horse and grabbing the reigns on hers. She was put up on it first before he saddled behind her and started back towards the rest of them. His anger was still easily felt in his tense muscles. He didn’t waste any time getting back to the group. They looked at her with disgust, and some of the women were shaking their heads. That’s when Lauren noticed that there were only two women in the group, and they rode separate from the men. The other were all men, leering at her. She shrunk back against Dugal who seemed to reassure her some.

“We won’t be having any more problems.” Was all that Dugal said before he turned the horses and started down the path again.

“We’ll make it back by nightfall. We won’t have time for a break yet.” He told the rest of them without having to turn around.

His voice seemed to carry, and she tried not to look back at the scary, surely hateful stares that she was getting. All of them wanted to get back to wherever they had come from by the nightfall, and she was sure that they were not happy with the set back. She still didn’t quite understand why he had not raised a hand against her when his anger was so clear. Her mind was spinning, but Lauren tried to push the thoughts aside. She didn’t want to look back. The day from that point onward was relatively quiet. They traveled quickly, and her muscles ached from the galloping of the horse, and even the trotting seemed to make her want to lay down in a soft bed. She worried that they’d be camping on the hard ground once more, but Lauren didn’t need to worry for long. Instead, she soon saw that they were coming up on a town. Houses were in the distance, and some of the men seemed to be happier. Even Dugal seemed to relax some. As they got onto the cobblestone streets, a young boy rushed out to meet them. She stiffened immediately. She didn’t know why, but seeing the child shocked her out of her state of shock and internal thought.

“Lord Ansley, Aden needs your attention, sir.” The boy said, but that one word continued to echo through her head.

Lord
. She thought. It didn’t seem right.
How could he be a lord? What’s going on? Lord Ansley. He can’t be talking to Dugal. A Lord wouldn’t abduct me. A lord wouldn’t do this. Act like this
. She thought. Her head was spinning, and she no longer paid attention to anything that was being said around her. It didn’t matter what the boy said. An argument commenced in her head before she realized that they were moving again and the boy was nowhere to be seen.

The group was splitting up, and escape briefly crossed her mind again.
Wouldn’t a Lord be as respectful as he has to you, though? Do you think a Scottish scoundrel would?
It echoed in her head, and she bit her bottom lip before they started to reach a building that was much larger than the rest. Her eyes widened, and everything that was happening finally sunk in.

“You’ll be staying with me, Miss.” He told her, and she nodded dumbly. Her heart started to pound a little harder, and he saw her eyes go wide but said nothing. Another woman met them both at the door as soon as they were down. It was an older woman with a kind face, and she didn’t seem to have the desire to scowl at Lauren at all.

“Should I show her to the room, my Lord?” She asked, and he nodded.

“Please, Martha. I seem to have some business to take care of. She followed Martha down one corridor and then the next. Dugal said nothing to her, but soon she found herself in a room. It wasn’t anything like she had imagined. There were no bars on the window. There was no guard at the door. None of the men were threatening her. It was just what it seemed. It was a room, with nice blankets and a chair to sit at. It even had a window that she knew she could sneak out of if she ever tried.
Where would you go?
That voice nagged, but it didn’t matter. A window meant freedom, but she wasn’t sure if she should take that chance. She had no idea where to go, and decided to sit down where Martha asked her to as she straightened the bed one more time.

“I’m sure he’ll want me to send you up dinner soon, so you just sit tight diary.” Martha said, and she nodded.

“You mean Lord Ansley? Are you sure?” Lauren asked, finally finding her voice. Martha gave her an odd look, as if she was completely unaware that she had been kidnapped.

“Why of course I’m sure Miss. Why wouldn’t he wanted you to eat? That wouldn’t make no sense. No it wouldn’t.” The woman said as she shook her head before scurrying out of the room.

Sure enough, food came, and Lauren was baffled. She ate a quiet dinner in what seemed to be guest quarters until she was too tired to stay up any longer. The day caught up with her, and she could feel the exhaustion welling over her. There was nothing that she could do about it, and with a sigh she looked at the door again. Still nothing came. No scolding. Nothing. The sun set, and Martha brought her water. She didn’t seem to know anything was happening at all.

It was as if Martha didn’t know that she had been kidnapped. After too long she decided to go to bed. Maybe I’ll wake up to realize it’s a dream. She thought as she pulled the covers over her. She tried not to think of the thrill of the wind whipping her hair as the horse galloped underneath her. She tried not to think about his eyes, burning with anger and determination that took her breath away when her horse finally stopped. Lauren just tried to sleep, but sleep didn’t come easy.

Chapter Four

When Lauren woke up, her first thought was that it must had been a dream, but then she realized she was not in her summer home. No one was around her that she knew, and the bed was unfamiliar. That’s when everything came rushing back with the stiffness in her muscles and a groan from an erratic night of sleep. She bit her bottom lip as she thought about Dugal Ansley once more. Lauren had no idea what to expect, and her mind was empty. She didn’t even know what she’d wear. She couldn’t imagine wearing the same clothes for a third day, but much to her surprise, Martha scurried in.

“Oh good, you’re up Miss. I’ll draw you a bath.” She said, as if nothing happened at all. She just put down a new pitcher of water, and Lauren sat up to pour herself a cup nervously.

“Don’t worry, don’t worry. Your clothes were brought into the manor as well. Lord Ansley will be out for a little while, so he advised that you could sleep in. I do hope that you had a good sleep, Miss.” She rambled, but Lauren could barely concentrate on it all.

“Thank you.” She said, as her etiquette took over. Martha drew her a bath.

“I’ll bring up your trunk now, Miss Lauren.” She said before disappearing.

The soap that she had left smelled like lavender, and she couldn’t help but to smile as she slipped under the hot water. Her mind went back to Lord Ansley.
Dugal.
She thought, but she shook it away. She didn’t want to think about anything except for how good the water felt on her skin. Washing through her hair was difficult without a brush, but she managed.

She wanted to look like a proper lady again, hoping that it’d bring some clarity in the strange world she seemed to have stumbled into. Where an Englishwoman served under a Highlander. She never thought she’d see the day. Back home, she was taught that the Scottish were a backwards people, but she didn’t know how she felt now. Everything after her kidnapping had seemed so much more civilized, and yet the kidnapping threw her off. He threw her off.

The water started to get cold, and so she hurried, picking up the towel that was laid out for her as she looked at the bed. She didn’t know when Martha had brought back her trunk, but there it was. When she opened it up, much to her surprise, it was untouched. She had expected them to loot everything, but as Martha came in again, she wasn’t able to think much about it.

“Will you help me with my corset?” She asked, and Martha nodded, smiling when she was asked the question.

It only took a few minutes for her to be dressed and putting on a thin layer of makeup while Martha finished off her hair. It made her feel better to be in clean clothing. Looking at herself in the vanity mirror, she smiled for the first time. There was something about looking put together that gave her confidence, and yet when a knock came at the door it was like that confidence just slipped away. Martha went to answer it before curtsying. Nodding his head, Dugal pushed past her to see Lauren sitting there.

“I see you look stunning. I’m glad I told them not to touch your trunk. You look lovely. Will you take a walk with me?” He asked, and she was taken back by the request but nodded despite it.

She got up as if on instinct, walking with him. Dugal offered her his arm. When they got to the gardens, it was beautiful, but she walked stiffly beside him. It wasn’t until he smiled at her, shaking his head that they stopped under a large tree. She didn’t bother to look around. Everything on her mind was about him. About what to expect. She never expected what came next.

“I think you need to relax. You’re my guest here.” He said, and Lauren looked at him, completely baffled.

“I’m you’re what?” She asked.

“My guest. No, you can’t leave, but I plan to treat you like my guest. It’s not even safe out there for you, but you’re safe here.” He said, and Lauren nodded a little as she thought it over. It did make sense. She could feel something changing between them, but she didn’t want to think about it too long. She didn’t feel like there should be a reason that she wasn’t feeling as hostile towards him.

“I’ve sent out the letter, but I’d rather this be the end of it between you and me. I would like us to talk about other things. The English seem to have a very bad impression of us.” Lord Ansley said.

“Yes, but it doesn’t seem like kidnapping would give us a better impression.” She retorted, trying to keep her hand off her hip. She didn’t want to anger him, but she couldn’t stand that he had said such a thing.

“Perhaps the English should not invade our land, but I wouldn’t really expect you to understand any of that.” He said.

“Because I’m a woman?” She retorted, but she kept her voice cool. There was that voice inside of her head that really did want to know the answer above all else. He just chuckled.

“No, because you’re quite a young woman. You don’t know much about the world yet, lass, but you can learn a little about this one if you like.” He said, and he seemed to stare at her with tender eyes. She looked away as she felt a blush creep up her cheeks.

“Now, I will have a few articles of clothing delivered to you, but I trust that you have enough for now.” He said, and she just nodded in agreement.

“Thank you.” She said, barely above a whisper.

She didn’t know when they had started moving again, but somehow they did. They were already walking, and she was once again caught up in the beauty of everything that was around her. They were cresting a hill on a small beaten path. When she stood on top of it, Lauren couldn’t catch her breath. It had nothing to do with fatigue, as she looked over the landscape it was simply taken away.

She could feel him standing close to her, watching her. It was as if he wanted to see her reaction to the beautiful sight of green, rolling hills sprawling out ahead of her. There were wild flowers and trees scattered here and there, and to Lauren, it looked as if it was meant to be a sort of paradise. It was nothing like London back home, and she ached thinking about how much she’d miss the beauty of it all.

“You can explore the lands if you like. I know that you seemed to know your way around a horse. Would you like to go riding?” Lord Ansley asked her, and she looked at him. Her eyes went wide for a moment as she was taken back, and she nodded.

“Tomorrow then.” He said before they soon headed back into the manor.

She was back in her room, unsure of what she should do. She tried to get her thoughts into order, but she couldn’t seem to figure out what she should be thinking. Martha was there, smiling at her, and she realized even after just a day that smile seemed to have disarmed her. She already didn’t mind her presence, and when she was told that Lord Ansley would be too busy to see her, Lauren’s heart dropped for a reason she just couldn’t explain.