A Highland Werewolf Wedding (30 page)

Elaine let out her breath and thought to continue with the ceremony, but then she
remembered what Cearnach had told her. One of the goods her uncles had stolen from
them was silk.

She rushed to join Logan. “Where did the dogs get it?”

Cearnach was close behind her.

His mother said, “What… what are they doing?”

Aunt Agnes said, “I told you we should have had the wedding in the chapel at Argent
Castle. Nothing would have interrupted the ceremony there.”

Logan led the way across the bailey to the cellar in the southeast tower and pointed
to a place where the dogs had been digging. Two of the pups were deep in the hole,
yipping and running around. “They smelled something in there. They were digging and…
well, they opened up a wee passage.”

“Let me see.” Cearnach crouched down to get a better look. “It’s too dark.”

Ian leaned down with a flashlight, and Cearnach used it to peer into the hole. “Flynn,
what are you doing in there?” He studied the silk, the shimmering gold, the pearls,
the emeralds. His eyes widened at the sight of his sword poking out of the crate of
green jewels—with the first carved handle he’d made, the one he had used in the fight
against Elaine’s Uncle Tobias and had lost to the older male. He shook his head. “Figures
you put the dogs up to locating the hidden room, Flynn.”

Cearnach smiled and looked up at Elaine, who was waiting to hear what they’d found.

“It appears your treasure…”

“Your stolen merchandise,” Elaine corrected Cearnach.

“Was hidden in a secret room, buried for centuries. It’s all there. Well, the pearls
and gold and silk. The sugar I’m certain your kin used long ago. The loch surrounds
the castle on three sides. During a downpour, water runs off the cliffs, making it
appear like a waterfall. Here is where your uncle said the treasure was all along.
And my sword,” he said quietly, remembering when he’d fought so hard, determined not
to give up while his
da
and clansmen and the pirate crew watched.

Her uncles had brought them together—the sword, their niece, and the Highlander who
would one day steal her heart.

She touched his arm and stared up at him, her eyes wide with disbelief. “The one my
uncle took away from you during a sword fight aboard your ship?”

“Aye.”

“My uncles would be happy for me. Your sword will have a special place in our bedchamber,”
she said, taking a deep breath, her eyes misty with tears.

He loved her with all his heart, the she-wolf who would protect him. If she’d been
with her uncles at that time, he knew she would have defended Cearnach even then and
probably made her uncle return Cearnach’s sword to him.

He handed the flashlight back to Ian, who returned it to Logan. Cearnach’s gaze shifted
again to the treasure before him. In her McKinley plaid wedding gown, she looked every
bit the Highland lass, her hair pinned up in curls around her head, the bottom of
her gown showing off lace-trimmed petticoats underneath. He wanted nothing more than
to remove the McKinley plaid from her sweet body and the pins from her hair, and return
her to their chambers at Argent.

“I thought to remove all weapons from our bedchamber and turn the room into a garden-like
setting. The treasure is yours to do with what you will.”

“No,” she said, wrapping her arm around Cearnach’s and tugging him out of the cellar
and across the inner bailey to the chapel. Everyone hurried inside to take their places
again. “I found my treasure, and it isn’t merchandise but one hot-blooded Highland
wolf in a kilt.”

Smiling, he leaned down to kiss her, and his mother said, “There’s time enough for
that
after
the wedding, Cearnach.”

He ignored her and kissed Elaine like there would be no tomorrow. She wrapped her
arms around his neck and kissed him right back, deeply, passionately, with all her
heart. She had evaded him all those years ago to finally find her way into his arms,
into his life again, this time to stay.

Cearnach breathed in the scent of Elaine, the wind and wet breeze, the she-wolf’s
sweet fragrance. He tasted her wine-flavored mouth, felt her heated soft body pressed
against his, and wanted nothing more than to take her home now and mate with her again.

He turned to address the minister. “Finish with all haste.” He vowed they’d have the
feasting done in the inner bailey in record time, and then he and his bonny lass would
return to Argent Castle alone.

He loved her with every fiber of his being and realized as he saw Calla beaming at
them near the front of the chapel that his plan to attend her wedding and change her
mind about marrying Baird McKinley had brought him to this.

His own wedding—with the wolf of his dreams.

Thanks so much to my readers who made me a
USA
Today
bestselling author! I can’t thank everyone enough! To my editor, Deb Werksman, who
continues to show me the way; to Danielle Jackson, who always keeps me straight on
all the events I’m scheduled for; to the Sourcebooks cover art department that makes
cover art, not just book covers; and to my Rebel Romance Writers, who keep me sane.
And again to my fans. You are my inspiration!

Bestselling Author

USA Today
Bestselling Author

Savage Hunger

by Terry Spear

He saved her once…

When Kathleen McKnight was caught in the crossfire during a mission deep in the Amazon
rain forest, a mysterious man saved her life then disappeared. Kathleen returns a
year later in hopes of finding her mysterious savior…

Now he wants to claim her…

Jaguar shape-shifter Connor Anderson is instantly intrigued by Kathleen’s beauty and
courage and thinks about her constantly. When she comes back to the Amazon to seek
him out, he knows he has to act fast if he’s to keep her for his own…

Praise for Terry Spear:

“Terry Spear knows exactly how to extract emotions from her readers… and keep them
riveted.”—“Time after time Spear delivers, giving paranormal fans plenty of action,
plenty of mystery, and, of course, love and romance aplenty.” —
For more Terry Spear, visit:

www.sourcebooks.com

USA Today
Bestselling Author

Jaguar Fever

by Terry Spear

She’s a material girl…

Being the only jaguar shape-shifter in town was getting tiresome for Maya Anderson.
She’s finally found a hangout in a nearby city where she can g
o on the prowl with her own kind—and she intends to make the most of it.

In a feline world…

Wade Patterson knew he could love her the moment he looked into Maya’s piercing eyes,
but he thinks she’s in over her head with the big city cats. Wade’s playing a deadly
game of cat and mouse with a different sort of predator, and if Maya gets in the middle,
they’re all going to find out just how wild a jungle cat can be.

Praise for
Savage Hunger
:

“Spear paints a colorful, vivid portrait of the lush jungle and deadly beauty… of
jaguars.”—“A sizzling page turner.”—
Reviewer Top Pick, 5 Stars

For more Terry Spear, visit:

www.sourcebooks.com

A
USA
Today
bestselling and award-winning author of urban fantasy romance and historical romance,
Terry Spear pens fantasy and reality and historical works that are full of adventure,
romance, mystery, and intrigue. She’s a retired lieutenant colonel from the U.S. Army
Reserves and has an MBA from Monmouth University. When she’s not writing, she teaches
online writing classes, gardens, plays around with photography, and creates award-winning
teddy bears that have found homes as far away as Australia.