The Highlander's Curse (16 page)

Something
had happened between the two of us last night. Before I’d gone to sleep or
after, I didn’t know. In a way, it’d been unexpected, even though we’d shared
moments over our last few days together. It had been intimate. Familiar. He’d
held me, protected me, and soothed me. And not just until I’d fallen asleep,
but long after, until I’d woken this morning. And then there’d been a playful
side to him that I’d never seen before. He’d seemed almost excited that I’d
seen him partially naked, and relished in the fact that I’d liked it.

And I
really liked it.

But could
he really fall someone like me? I’d seen a few other women in our travels—women
from his own time—and they all had a certain look about them. One being that
they were all really thin. I was sure I’d lost some weight the last few days, with
smaller meals and a crap ton of walking, but there was no way I could compete
with the way those girls looked. They
fit
in this time.

“Did ye
hae any luck wi’a boat, Uilleam?” Cailen asked, drawing my attention to him.

“I did.
Two o’ ma lads were already at the distillery, and I told’em that I’d
commissioned someone tae deliver two hogsheads for me.”

“Oh?
And where are we tae deliver them tae?”

“Anywhere’ll
dae,” Uilleam replied after shoving a spoonful into his mouth. “Ye won them
last night, so they’re yers.”

“I canna
thank ye enough. Really, the two o’ ye hae done much for us.”

I
nodded, keeping my mouth shut as I swished the porridge around.

“It’s
our pleasure. Ye ken we enjoy havin’ ye here tae visit.” Mary smiled at Cailen,
patting him on the shoulder the way she did the night before. I flicked my gaze
at her, but didn’t notice any of the shock she’d displayed last time.

“When
will ye be on yer way then?” Uilleam asked.

“As
soon as may be. I’d like tae get a good start before anyone sees us.”

“Ye
might want tae get ready then. The men that came last night aren’ae camped far
from here, and they’ll still be searchin’ for yer lass.”

I
choked and coughed, barely keeping my porridge from spray everyone at the table.
“They’re looking for
me
?” Not us, just me? Had I really missed that when
I’d been spacing out last night?

“Aye.
Their leader seems tae believe ye belong tae him.” Uilleam slid his gaze to
Cailen. “Is that so, lad?”

His jaw
tightened. “Nae, it isn’ae.”

“He
spoke o’ a stramash inside his home. Claimed ye threatened his life and took Elizabeth
out from under his roof.”

Cailen
leaned against the back of his chair. “Aye, I did. Because he kept her there
against her will.”

“And ye
saved her?” Mary said, her voice taking on a dreamy quality. “Och, so romantic,
dinna ye think, dear?”

I
shoveled more food into my mouth as Uilleam laughed and shook his head. I’d
caught him giving me that curious glance again.

“The
rest o’ the MacDougall clan isn’ae so bad, it’s mostly just the chieftain’s
brither. The man’s no’ quite right, so I’d stay awa from him if ye can.”

“I’ll
try. Both of us will.” I’d stay as far from Donnan as I could, and I didn’t
want Cailen anywhere near him either.

My
Highlander’s gaze went from me to Uilleam. “I think yer right. We should be on
our way while the haar is thick.”

“Aye.
The lads hae prepared ye a boat straight west from here.”

Cailen
finished eating and eyed me. “Are ye done, lass?”

I
nodded and swallowed the little bit that was in my mouth. “Want me to get my
stuff?”

“Aye,
we should get our things.”

I
followed him down into the crawl space, a little surprised that he didn’t say
anything more about what happened this morning. That playful air about him had
completely vanished, replaced by the calm and serious Highlander I was used to.

We returned
upstairs to say goodbye to the Patersons.

I gave
Mary a hug, and we smiled at each other.

“Take
care o’ the lass,” I heard Uilleam say to Cailen. “She’s fair special, that
one.”

The way
he’d said it had me gaping at Mary. “You told him?”

“I did.
I wasn’ae sure what Cailen kent o’ yer…circumstances, but Uilleam kens well
enough what this means.” She showed me her palm.

There
was a white scar, barely visible, but it was the same design as my own. “You…You’re…”

“Aye. I’ve
been in yer shoes. And I wouldn’ae’ve found ma Uilleam wi’out it.”

“Are
you a—”

“Legion?
Aye. Or, I was. I suppose I was lucky in that regard. I kent what was happenin’
when I was brought here. No’ many get any explanation.”

Holy.
Freakin’. Stunned.

Mary
Paterson was just full of surprises.

After
being forced into a quick goodbye without the time to ask my who, what, where,
when, and why’s, Cailen and I waded through the heavy fog, heading west as
Uilleam had instructed. We reached a row of small wooden boats lined on the
shore, with one barely visible farther in the distance. That one had two kegs
in it and was out in the water, tied to a wooden post.

Cailen
stepped out into the water, and pulled the boat as close to the shore as
possible. I got into it with his help, trying my best not to flip the thing
over as I balanced on my butt. My Highlander hopped in carefully after he
pushed us farther into the water, and we were on our way.

It was
silent and uncomfortable. We glanced at each other, and then quickly away. I
didn’t know what to say to him, and he seemed perfectly fine with not saying a
word to me. It was hours into our trip before I spotted land in front of our
boat. Cailen rowed expertly, turning us so that we floated parallel to the
land, far enough away that I couldn’t make out any details of the island we
were going to.

“Why
aren’t we going straight for the Isle?”

He
peered over, probably studying the island he knew like the back of his hand. “That
there is MacLean land. We’ll need tae go a bit farther before we’re safe tae
travel on foot.”

“Can’t
we just take the boat directly to where we’re going?”

“We
could, but we risk bein’ seen by other clans or ships while we’re out in the
open water. We’ll stay on this so long as the haar doesn’ae clear up. But if it
does, we should continue on foot.”

I
relaxed against the whiskey barrel behind me, and let the sights and sounds
around me clear my thoughts. I’d stayed that way for quite a while, our only
breaks in silence being when Cailen stopped rowing for a quick bite to eat.
Mary had packed a few bottles of whiskey and two loafs of bread for our
journey, and we’d gratefully snarfed it down while talking about Scotland
weather and how long the fog was sticking around.

My
Highlander had returned to rowing, whatever comfort we’d shared the night
before having clearly diminished in our silence. And that was okay, I could
handle the quiet. It let me think about the people I’d loved my entire life.

“Why
didnae ye tell me ye lost yer mither?”

I met
his bright blue eyes. “I don’t know. I guess I just didn’t really think it was
something you needed to know before.”

“What
made ye tell me last night?”

Well,
wasn’t that a loaded question? We stared at each other as he rowed our boat,
and I thought about to respond. “Can I ask you a question?”

He
nodded.

“When
you said I needed to find a husband, did you have someone in mind?”
Like
you, maybe?

My
question seemed to shock him, and he hastily schooled his expression. “Nae, I
didnae. It was just the first thought that came tae mind tae protect ye.”

“Is that
how it works in this time? A woman has to be married or she’ll starve to death?”

“Many
times, aye. Normally a lass has her own family tae keep her warm and fed. But
when one doesn’ae hae family, her best chance o’ survival is tae take a
husband, or become a whore.”

I
shuddered. I couldn’t believe those were the only two choices for a woman. I
mean, I could. I remembered some of what I’d learned in History, but to actually
experience it for myself… “Did you ever think of taking me as your wife?”

Again,
I’d surprised him. He rowed the boat more before answering. “I’d be lyin’ if I
said I haven’ae considered it. I’ve thought a good deal about many things o’er
the last few days.”

“And
what do you think now?” I didn’t even want to think about how hard my heart was
pounding.

Silence
stretched as the oars broke the water over and over. And soon, it wasn’t only
those splashing into the water. It had started to rain.

“
Ugh
,”
I groaned, cupping my hands over my eyes and peering up into the foggy sky. “
Really?
”

“We should
get tae land. This rain will clear out the haar and we could be seen.”

And if
we were seen, it could lead the MacDougalls right to us.

He
turned the boat and rowed fast and hard as we became soaked from millions of
raindrops. My hair was soaking wet, and my dress was so drenched that it was
growing heavier by the second. Even Cailen’s hair was plastered to his face,
and his shirt clung to his chest. As soon as I felt and heard the boat scrape
against dirt and rocks, I jumped out of the boat, and we both pushed it as far
as we could onto shore.

“Now
what?” I yelled over the loud drumming of the rain.

He
pointed. “We head for those.”

I
glanced in the direction he pointed and shook my head. There weren’t nearly as
many trees on the Isle as there had been on the main land. Those bushes weren’t
going to keep any rain off us. I didn’t say anything though, I just followed
him up the grassy hill until we were able to sit under our small shelter.

I’d
been right. They didn’t keep nearly the amount of rain from hitting us as the
forest did, but they did at least lessen the onslaught.

“How
long are we going to hang out here?” I asked, pulling my purse off over my head
and setting it next to me.

“Just
until the storm ebbs.”

“And if
it doesn’t?” Yeah, I was getting to know Scottish weather pretty well now.

“Then
we’ll move on until we find dry ground.”

I
pulled my knees up to my chest and rubbed at the goose bumps on my arms. “Kinda
cramped in here, huh?”

Cailen
looked sideways at me and cocked a half grin. “Aye. Dae ye mind much?”

“No. At
least we can keep each other warm.”

“Aye.
We can.” My Highlander’s arm wound around me, and I felt the heat of him along
both my shoulders and back. Somehow even a small movement like that could send
my heart into hysterics. My eyes met his, and he gently pushed a lock of wet
hair from my face, his hand lingering before it dropped slowly to my shoulder.

“What
exactly have you been thinking of the last few days?” I sputtered, recalling
what he’d said on the boat.

Cailen’s
gaze dropped to my mouth, a small smile curling his lips. “I’ve thought a lot
about ye, lass. There are a fair many things I’ve longed tae dae tae ye.”

Gulp.
Heart pounding.  
“Oh? Like what?”

“This.”
His eyes focused on my mouth, and he dipped slowly, barely touching his lips to
mine.

Pound.
Pound. Pound. Pound.

I
opened up to him and deepened the kiss, feeling the effects from head to toe as
he tugged me closer to him. His lips were soft and warm, and he tasted of
whiskey. I moaned against him as we explored each other. He was like a drug I
never wanted to get off of.

My
hands roamed down his wet shoulders and back before I pulled his shirt up and
over his head, only breaking our kiss long enough to rid him of it. Our mouths
collided once more, greedily taking each other’s mouths forcefully. His hands
were all over me, cupping my ass as he lifted me onto his lap. I yanked my
dress up so I could wrap my legs around him, and a fresh wave of excitement
coursed through me at feeling the heat of his body against my legs. He felt so
good, so strong, so powerful. I needed him to take me. Needed it more than I
needed to breathe. Needed him more than I’d needed or wanted anything my entire
life. Cailen had said earlier that he’d thought of a lot of things over the
last few days, and I’d had my fair share of imagining all the wicked things my
Highlander and I could do to each other. I’d dreamed of this very moment, and
the real deal was so much better than anything I’d even hoped for.

“Cailen,”
I moaned between kisses. “Undo my dress.” I rocked my hips against him, feeling
the very long, very hard proof of his excitement just under his kilt.

“I
canna. It’s no’ right.” He set to kissing me again.

“
Please
,
just do it. I want to feel you against me.” I smiled against his mouth as it met
mine again. “They say that’s the best way to get warm.”