It somehow felt right. Like I belonged there.
Which was insane, wasn’t it? I must be in shock. Suffering from some sort of trauma from the spell.
The sound of hoofbeats approached. I glanced over my shoulder and found the most magnificent black horse galloping toward us. He halted two feet away. Then rising up on his hind legs he neighed, before dropping back down to paw at the ground.
The Highlander released me long enough to remove his plaid from the saddle. He shook it out and draped it around me to fashion a dress of sorts, his head bent close to mine as he pinned it together. Then his hands slid around my neck, grabbing the extra material, he pulled it over my head like a hood.
My heart thudded against my ribs, my chest rising and falling as I leaned into him. His lips were so close, mere inches away. My Highlander glanced up, his eyes locking with mine.
Hot air blew on my neck, snapping me out of my lustful haze.
I stumbled, my eyes wide at what I’d almost done. The Highlander reached out to steady me, then dropped his hand, his lips pressed into a thin line. I should have been relieved his horse interrupted, instead I felt a growing ache in my chest. Why had I called him my Highlander? I didn’t even know his name.
Afraid to analyze the strong connection I felt with this man, I turned my attention to his horse and held my hand out, waiting for it to sniff my fingers. When he nudged my hand, I began to stroke his muzzle. The horse appeared to be well cared for, it’s mane smooth and its coat shiny. That had to say something about his owner didn’t it?
When I composed myself enough to speak I asked, “What’s his name?”
“Storm.” The Highlander smoothed his hand over Storm’s side then glanced up at the sky, just as a rumble sounded in the distance. “And we are about to be caught in one too, if we stay here any longer.”
I yelped when he scooped me up in his arms and set me on the horse, then vaulted up behind me. He adjusted the plaid until it covered most of my legs. Then his arms encircled me as he grabbed the reins and nudged the horse into a gallop.
We began to ride toward what I assumed was the village. I didn’t see any sign of cars or roads, but this was Scotland and I knew nothing about the countryside here. For all I know, they could have dirt roads here and the cars could be parked in garages. Right?
It looked like I wasn’t going to get the chance to find out either. Instead of travelling straight through the village, he steered his horse around it.
I breathed a sigh of relief, thankful I wouldn’t be paraded through town in nothing but a plaid, but anxious since I still needed an answer to the question I had been avoiding.
How did I ask without sounding like a complete lunatic? Then again, I had appeared in front of him naked and singing, he probably already thought I was crazy.
“What year is it?” I finally blurted.
His body tensed behind me and I instantly regretted asking the question. A painful silence stretched between us until he finally spoke. “The year of our lord one thousand seven hundred and fifty-one.”
Seventeen fifty-one.
I sagged against him, my back pressed to his firm chest. Somehow I knew I was in the past. Common sense had screamed at me that it was true, but actually hearing him say it slapped me with reality.
What if I was trapped here?
My stomach churned and the sound of the horse’s hoofbeats began to fade. The Highlander’s grip tightened around my waist, his concerned voice sounded far away like it was in a tunnel. I opened my mouth to ask for help, but everything went black.
6
Callum
I studied the beautiful lass in my arms, as I carried her up the stairs to my chambers and wondered if she really was a gift from the gods. Thick dark lashes rested against porcelain skin, her long golden hair obscured by a layer of soap.
Entering my chambers, I gently set her down in a chair by the hearth. Since she had asked what year we were in, she had become distant. Not uttering a single word during the remainder of our journey. As I stared into her eyes, there was no recognition or fear. Just a vacant stare, unblinking. Why had knowing what year it was affected her so? Had she taken a blow to the head and been asleep for years only to have awoken just now? That would explain her confusion and state of undress.
When she first appeared in front of me gloriously naked, her crystal blue eyes wide with surprise, I had wondered if she was some creature sent to seduce me. Not a baobhan sith, like I had accused her of being. I had come across my fair share of those kinds of wenches, disposing of each and every one, and knew she was not one of them.
I had trusted my instincts. They were what had kept me alive for centuries and my instincts told me she was not evil and meant me no harm. I had no explanation for the sudden appearance of the angel who had stood before me. Fierce and determined even when confronted by a man such as myself.
It wasn’t until my body came into contact with hers, that I knew something more powerful was at play. Fire raged through my veins, setting each nerve ending ablaze with desire. A sudden need to both protect and claim her had consumed me.
Only there would never be anything long term between us. No matter how much I might want it. That wasn’t the path my life was meant to take. I was a hunter, tasked with slaying the monsters who plagued my country. Extinguishing their lives and sending them straight to the underworld was my duty, my destiny.
I would take the time to guide her in finding her way back home and my obligation to her would end there.
Footsteps echoed in the corridor and the doorway was suddenly filled with my cousin Alec’s massive frame. He entered and placed a bottle of whiskey along with a pitcher of ale on the table beside me.
Alec didn’t say a word, just glanced at the woman in the chair, then cocked a brow at me. I glared at him and gave a slight shake of my head, indicating we would discuss it later. To my annoyance I caught his knowing smirk before he turned and exited my chamber.
I understood Alec’s confusion. No woman, other than the servants, had ever stepped foot into my chambers. I preferred to keep my conquests impersonal and made it perfectly clear to them there would never be anything more.
A horse stall, a field, even a deserted hallway was adequate enough. Anywhere but my chambers. I refused to watch another woman fade away before my eyes. I had outlived all of my family members, too numerous to count. I would not allow another to slip into my heart only to crush it when they were gone.
So why had I brought this lass here? I could have left her with the healer and been done with her. But it was that damn connection pulsing inside of me. Perhaps once I sent her back to wherever she belonged, the bond would be severed.
Before I could do anything though, I needed to bring her back with me to figure out how she came to be here. Hopefully the whiskey would help. I lifted the bottle to her lips. “Drink, lass.”
She didn’t so much as blink. I tipped her head back, coaxing her lips apart, pouring the amber liquid into her mouth. I thanked the gods when she instinctively swallowed and color began to return to her cheeks.
Her hair was now dry and hung in limp strands clumped together with soap still coating it. I did not want her to be uncomfortable when she finally awoke. I lifted her in my arms and sat on a stool by the tub. The water was already warmed by one of the lasses that worked in the kitchen for when I arrived home from hunting.