A Highland Werewolf Wedding (10 page)

Baird said, “You tell Cearnach for me that if he comes near Calla ever again, he’s
a dead wolf.” He got back in the car and slammed the door.

Robert let out his breath. “Elaine Hawthorn is our cousin. I want her returned at
once, should she come here.” Then he climbed into the driver’s seat, slammed his door,
and drove into the turnaround built especially for tourists who thought they could
visit the pretty castle without invitation—not that any tourist was ever invited to
visit. Once Robert was headed toward the main road, he sped off, spitting gravel in
his wake.

“Hell, what was that all about?” Cearnach’s cousin shouted from the tower.

“Cearnach’s got to be in trouble,” Duncan said, pulling out his phone.

Once the car was out of sight, Cearnach nudged Elaine to come with him, though she
seemed a little reluctant. He was certain she was unsure about meeting his family
when she was kin to the McKinleys and Kilpatricks, and she could see none of them
liked that pack.

He licked her face, and then she took a deep breath and ran alongside him as they
headed for the gate where Duncan and the other men had turned around and had begun
to stalk in the direction of the keep.

“Cearnach!” his cousin shouted from the left tower. “Hell, he does have the Kilpatrick’s
cousin. If the little lady is her. Way to go, mon!”

Cearnach suspected his brother Ian would not be pleased.

Turning, Duncan grinned at him and then looked Elaine over. “Here I thought you’d
stolen Baird’s bride. Instead, you’ve taken a Kilpatrick cousin hostage?” Then he
grew serious and shook his head. “I knew that if you went to Calla’s wedding, you’d
start a war between wolf packs. But I am glad to see you safe.”

Start a war? He had saved a wolf—a she-wolf—to his way of thinking.

Cearnach and Elaine trotted into the inner bailey, while two of the men shut and locked
the gates as Duncan jogged to keep up with the wolves.

Barking in the kennel started up all over again. This time the wolfhounds let out
happy barks welcoming Cearnach home.

“I just didn’t think it would be over a different she-wolf.” Duncan punched in a number
and said into his phone, “Ian, we’ve got trouble. Cearnach just arrived home in his
wolf form, no sign of his vehicle, and he’s brought Robert Kilpatrick’s she-wolf cousin
home with him.” Duncan raised his brows at Cearnach.

“I know. I thought he had only male cousins. She’s definitely all female. Robert said
Cearnach took her hostage. She was with Cearnach in the woods and didn’t make a move
to go with her cousin, so I’ll let Cearnach explain what’s going on. He’s headed into
the keep now. See you in a minute.”

Duncan opened the front door to the keep and followed Cearnach inside. “Glad it’s
you and not me this time.” Then he smiled, the look pure evil.

Walking into the great hall with Elaine at his side, her body pressing lightly against
his, Cearnach wanted to protect her from his overenthusiastic kin. The heat from the
fire burning brightly at the hearth warmed the air, but with the word quickly spreading
through the pack of Cearnach’s return, his laird brother, Ian, met Cearnach, Elaine,
and Duncan in the great hall. The large room seemed to grow hotter with every new
body that appeared. Not to mention that Cearnach and Elaine were still wearing their
wolf coats, damp as they were.

Voices and footfalls added to the chaos as the aroma of lamb stew cooked in red wine
wafted in the air. He and Elaine turned their attention toward the kitchen, and he
heard her stomach rumbling. He assumed she was as hungry as he was.

She stuck close to him and seemed bothered by all the attention they were getting.
The word most likely had spread that Cearnach had trouble with the McKinley clan.
And that she was one of them.

Their financial guru of a brother, Guthrie, was running to join them, speaking on
his phone. “Yeah, Oran, bring the men in. Cearnach’s back safe. No car, though, and
he’s a wolf. He brought a she-wolf home with him.” Guthrie raised his brows at Cearnach
and grinned. “No. She’s not Calla. He’s brought a
new
she-wolf home. Talk to you later when we know more.”

A mob scene ensued, made up of his brothers’ mates, their families, his mother, his
aunt, and cousins, as well as at least half of the pack crowding around. They made
him appreciate having a family even more, and he realized just how much of a sorry
excuse Elaine’s kin were to her.

She deserved a loving, caring, decent family. Everyone did.

The men looked like they were ready to grab their swords like Duncan had done, while
the women appeared more worried about the she-wolf in their midst. They crowded in,
inspecting her, making sure she had no injuries.

Cearnach wanted to take Elaine to his room so she could shift. But Julia Wildthorn,
Ian’s mate and mistress of the manor, motioned to Elaine to go with her.

“Come, I’m sure we can find some clothes to fit you,” Julia said, waving at the stairs.

He hadn’t even considered that Elaine would need something to wear once she shifted
out of her wolf fur. He smiled at himself.

Duncan’s mate, Shelley Campbell, also American, and Cearnach’s mother and aunt went
with Elaine.
Poor
lass.
When his mother and his aunt got through with her, Elaine would want to claw her
way out of the place, unable to leave fast enough, even if it meant joining up with
that bastard Robert Kilpatrick. Cearnach wished he could have warned her before they
reached the castle what she might be in for. He should have considered it before.
All he had thought of was getting her home safely.

More than anything, he wanted to protect her from them or anyone else who might treat
her poorly because of her familial connections.

Cearnach followed them up the curving stairs and slipped off to his own bedchamber
where he quickly shifted in his bathroom, and cleaned and bandaged his bleeding arm.
The cut he’d received from his shattered car window wasn’t too bad and would heal
in the next couple of days. He yanked on a lamb’s wool sweater and a pair of well-worn
jeans.

Someone knocked at his door. Cearnach left the bathroom.

“My solar,” Ian said, looking fierce.

Cearnach bowed his head. His brother’s expression said he was ready to gather the
troops to right any wrong as soon as Cearnach gave the word. Cearnach put on his socks
and boots, then left his bedchamber. When he reached Ian’s solar, he found his brothers
were already gathered, looking anxious to hear the news. He shut the door and took
a seat on one of the leather sofas.

Observing him, Duncan stood rooted to the floor, his arms crossed. Guthrie sat down
on one of the high-backed plaid-covered chairs, his back as stiff as the chair. Knowing
him, he was pondering the financial ramifications of the matter. He was always thinking
along those lines as their financial advisor.

His arms still folded across his chest, Ian leaned against his desk, but he wasn’t
fooling anyone. He was wired and looked like he was only trying to put Cearnach at
ease and not jump to rash conclusions.

“Julia’s father and grandfather asked to sit in on the discussion, but I wanted to
know how bad this was first. They don’t know the parties who are involved so I didn’t
want to have to go into a lot of history. Shelley’s uncles were also ready to sit
in on the war council,” Ian said.

That meant they had a lot more muscle, in the form of Americans of Highland descent,
to aid them this time around if they needed it.

“We don’t need to go to war, Ian,” Cearnach said, though he was still ready to battle
Vardon for what he had done to Elaine. He wanted their properties returned, including
a minivan like the one they’d destroyed, before he would agree to anything. Giving
Elaine up wasn’t part of the bargain.

Duncan scowled at him. “You arrive without your car, running as a wolf with a lass
you must have saved from them, and you’re saying everything’s fine?”

Cearnach laughed.

His brothers frowned at him. He couldn’t help himself. The situation did sound as
if that was enough to start a fight, but they had the Kilpatricks and the McKinleys
by the balls as long as Elaine stayed with them safely inside Argent Castle.

“All right, all right. The McKinleys destroyed my car and stole the lass’s rental
vehicle.”

Duncan growled, “Sounds to me that that’s enough of a reason to want to exact revenge.”

“Oh, aye, they’ll pay,” Cearnach assured him.

Ian remained quiet and thoughtful, judging without speaking. That’s the way he ruled
the clan, learning not only what was said, but what wasn’t.

“Who is she?” Guthrie asked, brows raised, his tone of voice sounding as if he might
be interested in the new she-wolf for himself. “She doesn’t appear to be anyone we
know. Duncan told us Robert Kilpatrick said you had stolen his cousin.”

“Elaine Hawthorn. American.” Not wanting to feed his brothers’ speculation about his
own interest in Elaine, Cearnach fought telling Guthrie to stay away from her. He
gave him a fierce look instead, which would garner the same result. All his brothers
saw his reaction and could guess just where it was coming from.

Ian and Duncan exchanged knowing glances. American wolves could be a handful.

“You met this Elaine Hawthorn while she was attending Calla’s wedding?” Ian asked,
trying to sort out the situation.

“No. Elaine ran me off the road.”

Duncan laughed out loud, then smirking, offered an apology, not meaning it in the
least. He was still grinning from ear to ear. To see him that lighthearted when he
thought they were ready to battle the McKinleys and Kilpatricks was uncharacteristic
for him. Duncan poured a glass of whisky and handed it to Cearnach, as if welcoming
him to his world of dealing with an American she-wolf.

Cearnach tossed down the smooth, warm liquor. “She was in my lane. To avoid hitting
her, I ended up driving off the road and blew two tires. The lass gave me a ride to
the wedding.”

“But all did not go well at the wedding,” Ian guessed, head tilted down, his expression
severe. He looked like he would be considering battle moves as soon as he knew who
the key players were that he needed to target.

“Two of the older McKinley brothers ordered us out.” Cearnach left out the part about
Vardon striking Elaine in the face. Everyone would see the damage soon enough, and
that would stir up the pack’s ire just as much. “When we returned to where we’d left
my car, it was gone. I had the idea they might have dumped it over the cliffs near
the Senton Castle ruins. So Elaine and I found the destroyed minivan.”

Duncan swore in Gaelic.

“Robert Kilpatrick taunted us from the cliffside, threatening to leave us stranded.
We tore off to stop them, but the McKinley brothers had already stolen our clothes
and Elaine’s rental car.”

“They must have suspected she was your girlfriend and that’s why she was with you
at the wedding,” Ian said, thinking out loud.

Cearnach wasn’t about to tell them that she’d sat on the groom’s side until he moved
her to his side of the church.

“What was she doing here? Is she vacationing in Scotland? If she was visiting her
kin, why wasn’t she at the wedding already?” Ian asked.

Cearnach hated to tell his brother about her connection to the Hawthorns who had stolen
the MacNeill merchandise.

“She was supposed to meet with Robert Kilpatrick—her distant cousin—about some business
deal.”

Back to battle mode, Duncan shook his head. “I can’t believe you brought a Kilpatrick
lass under our roof.”

Ian raised his hand to silence Duncan. “What kind of business deal?”

“She didn’t say. He was making the move on her at the church, but he didn’t know who
she was, and she didn’t realize he was the one she was supposed to be meeting. I’m
sure now that they’ve got her passport and driver’s license, they realize their mistake.”

Guthrie laughed. “I should say so. They left one of their kin in your hands to protect
when they were too stupid to know any better.”

Cearnach wished he could’ve seen their reactions when they discovered their cousin
was in his care. Stunned silence? Cursing and bellowing? Any reaction would have been
worth seeing.

“I’m sure they believed she was my new girlfriend and thought my bringing her to the
wedding was an insult to Calla. But Calla wasn’t upset about my being with Elaine.
I’m sure the McKinleys and Kilpatricks intended for us both to pay for the insult,
though.”

Duncan cast one of his darker smiles and poured himself a whisky. “The joke’s on them.
She’s with us now.”

Ian frowned at Duncan. “He can’t keep her as a hostage. She’s American and
is
related to them.”

“What if she’s really a spy for them? She knew Cearnach was headed to the wedding,
and she forced him off the road. Then she offered him a lift. What if she’s behind
all of this?” Duncan asked, his wary nature suddenly kicking in.

Cearnach’s cautious temperament as a wolf had considered and dismissed the notion.
She was American and had too recently arrived. Her cool behavior toward the Kilpatrick
brothers at the church told him she hadn’t known them, nor had she appreciated that
they moved into her space. Though she also hadn’t liked Cearnach dictating where she
would sit.

The excitement she had exhibited while exploring the ruined castle was real. The terror
he had seen in her eyes when she realized her clothes and rented car had been stolen
was just as genuine.

“She’s an innocent in all this,” Cearnach said.

“Yet she’s one of them and she’s entering into some kind of business arrangement with
Robert Kilpatrick,” Duncan warned.

Two hundred years ago, the Kilpatricks had entered into a “business arrangement” with
the MacNeills that took them into a bloody battle that had lasted for months between
their clans.

So what was it all about this time? It might have nothing to do with the two clans,
but what if it did? Or what if it had something to do with the stolen merchandise
her uncles had hidden in Scotland before their untimely demise?

If it was about the MacNeills’ stolen goods, they couldn’t let her hand over the loot
to the Kilpatricks and McKinleys. It was a matter of pride. If she thought they would
allow her to keep at least half of the proceeds, she didn’t know anything about her
cutthroat cousins.

In any event, Cearnach believed that Elaine didn’t know what she was getting herself
into. Just like Calla marrying Baird McKinley.

He wanted to help Elaine in whatever way he could while leaving her kin out of the
matter.

***

In the elegantly fashioned guest bathroom where everything was brass or gold trimmed,
the walls marbled tile, the shower and separate whirlpool tub stylish, Elaine felt
like she was in a luxury hotel instead of an ancient castle as she finished dressing
in a pair of black jeans and a long-sleeved, pale blue jersey, the clothes compliments
of Julia.

Ian’s mate was a red wolf—Elaine could smell the difference—while everyone else she’d
encountered thus far were gray wolves. Julia was a natural redhead with deep red-orange
curls resting on her shoulders, translucent ivory skin, and olive-green catlike eyes
that made her appear like she had Scottish roots.

Duncan’s mate, auburn-haired Shelley, had offered Elaine a pair of black leather boots
because their shoe size was the same. Her eyes were a lovely shade of blue-green,
and from the way she gazed at Elaine, Shelley seemed sympathetic to her predicament.
She was of average height like Julia and wore a sweatshirt emblazoned with a silver
Rampant Lion, silver belt buckle, black jeans, and a pair of black cowboy boots.

Was she from Texas?

As if reading her mind, Julia said, “I was living in California, Shelley in Texas,
but we all had roots in Scotland. And you?”

“Florida,” Elaine said, thinking she was family to a bunch of pirates from Florida.
Related to the pirates of the McKinley and Kilpatrick clans. She was the enemy in
their midst.

“We’ve gathered some clothes for you to wear for tonight and the next several days,
and left them on the dresser in the guest room,” Julia said, having concluded that
Elaine was their houseguest for the long term.

Elaine had to admit she liked the way the mistress of the house, the alpha pack leader
she-wolf, had welcomed her as if she was a long-lost friend. Or already part of the
family.

The two American she-wolves remained standing. Cearnach’s Aunt Agnes was seated on
a blue brocade chair and introduced to Elaine as Cearnach’s mother’s sister-in-law,
although the two referred to each other as sister. Aunt Agnes’s silver hair was tucked
up in a bun, her gray eyes studying Elaine like a wary wolf.