Highland Protector (MacCoinnich Time Travels Book Five) (17 page)

“Oh, please, how can Amber knock
anyone—”

“With Kincaid’s power. The shield he
uses shot up and launched him. We were all so stunned. And Amber… her
expression was so…”

“So what?”

“I don’t know…fierce? Yeah… close to
violent. I didn’t recognize her.”

Selma rubbed her eyes, trying to
picture the Amber Helen was describing. “Violent?”

“Yeah…”

“How is she now?”

“It’s hard to describe. Not harsh…just
assertive.”

“Is that bad?”

“No, just…not her.”

Selma couldn’t help but wonder if any
of them knew who Amber really was. “She’s been stuck in her own head, her own
world for a long time. She’s bound to have some growing pains. And didn’t you
say she and Kincaid were naked when you guys found Amber in the attic?”

“Yeah. Do you think that they—”

“They might have,” Selma interrupted
Helen. “And I don’t know about you, but that’s a big deal, and it’s not like
Amber has had an opportunity for a private conversation with another woman
since Kincaid showed up. I hate to think she bonded with him because she had
her first man-induced orgasm.”

“You think that’s why she did it?”

“Might be. The only way we will know
anything is if we chat with her. Not that it matters, I guess. What’s done is
done. You can’t undo a bonding.”

“You’re scaring me.”

“Yeah? Well, none of us really knows
Kincaid. Will he want her to go to his time? Will she want to return to hers?
Who are Kincaid’s parents…his gene pool?” One thing was certain. Selma had more
questions than answers. “Tell you what, I have to drop something off at Jake’s
house, and then I’ll come over. Maybe we can finally have some girl time with
Amber. See where her head is.”

“That would be great. I don’t want to
ask sex questions without some back up. And I don’t think Simon wants to know,
and he’d make lousy back up if he was trying to pummel Kincaid.”

Selma swung her legs off the coffee
table and walked into her office to gather her purse. “Not sure why he’d punch
the guy. If he did take advantage of her, he married her.” Selma paused. “Wow.
Amber and Kincaid are married, and they hardly know each other. That has to be
freaking her out.”

“I’ll chill some wine for you and
Amber. Just get here.”

Selma laughed. “You had me at wine.”

Chapter Eighteen

Raine stood with her arms crossed
over her chest, her dark hair pulled back in a slick rope down her back.

Mouse spread images on the digital
screen, one at a time, and told her his observations.

The image of a blonde woman standing within
the embrace of a man worthy of the Highlands. “Her name is Helen. From what I
can tell, she and this man are married,”

“Bonded?”

“I can’t say. They spoke aloud to
each other without skipping sentences, so I don’t think they’re bonded. They’re
both Druid. Of that, I have no doubt.”

“What’s his name?”

“She didn’t say it, but he did have a
Scottish accent.” Another picture made it on the screen, this time an old
woman.

“Mrs. Dawson, I assume.”

“I would have to assume that as well.
She didn’t leave the house.”

Mouse scrolled the picture in closer
until the image of another man came into view behind her. “I don’t have a name
for this one. I think he is someone who knew Kincaid before he arrived in this
century.”

Raine didn’t want Mouse to think…just
to relay the facts. “What did the man say to make you assume this?”

“While the others were watching
Amber, he was most concerned with Kincaid.”

She amassed the players in her head,
attempted to place them in the manor. “Who else?”

“Only one other woman visited the
house.” He placed an image of a woman with unruly red curls and pale skin on the
display. “Her name is Selma Mayfair.”

Now
that
name Raine knew. “Of
course.” The descendent of Liz and Fin. “She doesn’t live in the manor?”

“No.”

Raine paced the room while Mouse
continued. “I managed to enter the house without detection.”

“How?”

“They were distracted, all of them.
By the time I could hear the conversations, I learned Kincaid had bonded to
Amber.”

Raine turned toward Mouse. “Only him
to her?”

Mouse shook his head. “I don’t know
the details, only that he bonded to her and they both fell into a deep sleep.
Seems Kincaid was close to death when Amber woke and she bonded to him. It was
in that moment I penetrated the manor. She wielded Kincaid’s power as if it
were her own. That’s when I left to report here to you.”

Laughter sat on the tip of Raine’s
tongue. “Kincaid bonded to Amber MacCoinnich? Oh, how unexpectedly delightful
is that?”

Confusion marred Mouse’s face.

“I think it’s time for Amber to find
out who she has bound herself to.” Raine ran her hand over the screen, found
the image she wanted and pulled it on screen. “This book is in Dawson’s
library. Probably high, unreachable. Make sure it’s seen.”

Mouse swallowed with a nod.

“And follow Selma. If she is out of
the house, she’s the link inside. I need to know her weakness…those around her.
Think chaos, Mouse. When needed, we need to have mass confusion.” That way no
one from the future or the past would find their way to her. Not until she
could fight them all. “If anyone shifts in time, return immediately so I can
trace them.”

When Raine turned, Mouse was still
standing there. “What are you waiting for?”

“Sorry.”

She blinked, and he disappeared.

“Amber MacCoinnich and Kincaid.” She
laughed now, deep, rich and thought of how easy it was going to be to eliminate
them both.

****

Jake wasn’t home so Selma let herself
in, in the way only she could. She placed two small gift bags on his kitchen
counter for the girls. The small card she left for the twins told them that in
order for her to tell them apart, she gave them different colored necklaces. Hopefully,
that would be all she needed to say to have them wear the protection crystals
and keep them from harm.

She was walking out of the kitchen
when she heard the front door open and one of Jake’s girls call out, “Daddy?”

Kelsey, or maybe it was Sophie, ran
around the corner and into the kitchen. “Oh, hi, Selma.”

“Hey, sweetie. Your…a…dad’s not
home.”

The girl threw her arms around
Selma’s waist in a hug, and she heard the front door shut.

“He’s always late on Wednesdays.”

Oh, that’s right. He has the girls
every Wednesday night.
“I’m sure he’ll be home soon.”

The other twin walked into the
kitchen, smiled, and hugged her as well. Selma was about to quiz them on coming
alone when a tall, stunning brunette walked in behind them.
Must be Jake’s
ex.

“Kelsey,” the woman scolded. “Let her
breathe.”

“It’s okay, Mom.”

Kelsey peeled off Selma’s side
anyway.

“You must be Lindsey,” Selma said as
she extended her hand.

“And you must be the woman the girls
have been talking about all week.”

The woman?
And was that a bite in Lindsey’s
voice? Could she be jealous? Lindsey shook Selma’s hand with the wimpiest shake
anyone had every placed in her palm and then stepped back.

“This is Selma, Mom. Dad’s new
girlfriend.”

Lindsey ran her eyes over Selma’s
frame and pressed her lips together. Her expression wasn’t toxic, but it wasn’t
all that happy either.

“I understand congratulations are in
order.”

Lindsey glanced at the ring on her
left hand and gave a half a smile. “Yes, ah, thanks.” Lindsey set her purse on
the counter next to Selma’s and looked around the kitchen. “Where’s Jake?”

“Running a little late,” Selma told
her…which obviously wasn’t a lie since he wasn’t there and was clearly expected
to be.

Lindsey glanced at her watch with a
sigh. “Figures. The man can never do anything on time.”

Selma wasn’t sure she liked Lindsey’s
tone in front of the girls. Yeah, maybe Jake couldn’t punch off the clock like
her paper-pushing fiancé, but that didn’t make him a bad guy. “The nature of
his job isn’t always predictable.”

Lindsey dismissed Selma’s comment
with a wave of her hand. “I was married to the man. You don’t have to make
excuses for him. He should have called me.”

Ah, the you-don’t-know-him-like-I-do
comment from the ex. “He didn’t think he needed to. I told him I’d be here in
case he got hung up again.”

“He expects me to just leave the
girls with a stranger?” Oh, yeah…there was definitely some vinegar in her
voice.

“She’s not a stranger, Mom,” Sophie
corrected her.

“It’s okay, hon. Your Mom doesn’t
know me. But I’m sure that will change.”

Kelsey noticed the gift bags on the
counter and her name attached to one. “Are these for us?”

Thankful for the distraction, Selma
said, “Yeah. So I can tell the two of you apart.”

Sophie pushed in and took the bag
from her sister’s hand. They both removed the necklaces at the same time with
tiny squeals.

“I love it,” Kelsey said first as she
fiddled with the clasp and placed the pendent around her neck.

Sophie put hers down to help her
sister. “Did Daddy tell you our favorite colors?”

“He must have, honey.” Lindsey
watched her daughters and then shifted her gaze back to Selma.

“My room is green and Sophie’s is
purple,” Kelsey told her.

“That was very nice of you,” Lindsey
managed.

“Completely selfish, I’m afraid. The
girls look so much alike. I’m sure the better I know them, the more their
personalities will shine, but until then these will help.”

The sound of a car door shutting
caught all their attention.

“Guess Jake’s not too late after
all.” Selma pushed around them to head Jake off at the door.

He walked in voicing an apology before
he realized she was there. “It’s okay, darling, I told Lindsey you had me here
in case you were late again.”

Jake assessed the situation quickly
as Selma walked up and slid an arm around his waist. She whispered in his ear.
“Smile, buddy, I’m saving your ass… again.”

His hand squeezed her close, and he
flashed a smile at his ex. “I see you two have met.”

“Seems we have, Jake. But you should
have known I wouldn’t leave the girls with a stranger.”

“Of course not. Kelsey and Sophie
will vouch for Selma.”

Kelsey ran forward, her hand around
the necklace. “We did. Mom didn’t listen. Look what Selma gave us.”

Sophie moved beside her sister and
offered her dad the same sweet smile.

“Your favorite colors.”

“So I can tell the two of them
apart,” Selma told him.

He narrowed his eyes, but didn’t
comment.

“Jake?” Lindsey caught his attention.
“I’d like to talk to you about…” she paused, glanced at Selma. “something.”

That’s my queue to leave.
“Right.” Selma offered Lindsey a fake
smile before turning toward Jake. “I have to go—”

“You don’t have to.”

I don’t? Since when?

“Whatever you have to say, you can
say in front of Selma.”

As much as she’d like to stick around
for the
ex
fight… “Remember, hon, I have a girl’s night with Helen and
Amber.”

“Oh, ah, right. Is Amber feeling
better?”

“Much. But I should go.” Selma smiled
at the ex. “Lindsey, a pleasure.”

“Do you have to go?” Sophie asked.

“Yeah. Maybe we can hang next
Wednesday?”

Selma noted Lindsey rolling her eyes
as she turned away.

The girls hugged her again and Jake
walked her out the front door. Once they were out of hearing range, he
whispered, “Thanks. Lindsey’s been crapping on me about coming late on
Wednesdays.”

“You could have told me. It’s not a
big deal for me to come by.”

Jake let a rare smile through his
stoic exterior. When she started to smile back at him, and her stomach did a
weird-ass flip, Selma paused and took a tiny step back.

“Why are you here anyway? Not that
I’m complaining.”

“I was dropping off the necklaces for
the girls.”

“So you can tell them apart?”

She blinked. “Right.”

His eyes narrowed.

She looked down, toward the inside of
the house, and noticed Lindsey watching out of the corner of her eye.

“You need to work on your lying,
Matilda. You suck at it.”

Her eyes snapped to his. “Who’s
lying? Sophie loves purple. Kelsey loves green. You have cute kids, Mr.
Personality, and I have a hard time remembering who is who. That happens
sometimes with twins.”

He was silent for a moment, and she
fidgeted.

The brat saw through her.

“So you let yourself in.”

She grinned. “No need for an extra
set of keys for your
girlfriend.”

“Did you know your cheeks turn pink
when you’re flustered?” He tapped her nose. “And the freckles on your nose
stand out even more.”

Her hand touched her warm cheek.
“Since when do you notice my freckles?”

Jake actually laughed. “I don’t
know.”

“Well don’t. Okay? It’s weird!” And
her stomach was flipping around and making her uneasy. “I’ve got to go.” She
turned away and he caught her arm. “What?”

“Is that the way to say goodbye to
your
boyfriend
?”

Before she could process his
question, he pulled her closer and lowered his lips to hers.

Shock registered first, then the
strange and completely unwelcome feeling of peace when she realized he wasn’t
giving her a peck of a kiss, but seemed to be moving into her so there was no
doubt of whose lips were touching hers. She offered only a small protest before
his hand moved to the side of her face and held her closer.

The wet quest of his tongue against
her lips brought her back to earth. She ended what he began and opened her eyes
to see him staring at her with the same look of awe she felt deep inside her
bones.

She touched her swollen lip and
sucked it between her teeth.

Jake watched the movement with a
strange look of hunger.

For her?

Oh, no. Not Jake.

Water and oil had more in common.

Inside the house, she heard Lindsey
clear her throat.

Funny, the noise reminded her of
their ploy of boyfriend and girlfriend. Of course! Jake kissed her because
Lindsey was watching.

“Very convincing, Jake. I’m sure she
gets the picture now,” she whispered.

His brows drew together as she pulled
away and jumped in her car.