Highland Protector (MacCoinnich Time Travels Book Five) (21 page)

He was about to ask about what, when
he heard her.

For the loss of a childhood.

He shook his head. “My father knew I
was a powerful Druid early on.”

“How? You were a child, how did he
know?”

The memory of his father out of
control swam in his head. Kincaid wasn’t sure what his father’s drug of choice
was… he just knew good ole’ dad wasn’t often lucid and logic and loyalty to his
family wasn’t there. “I got into a fight at school. The other kid tossed his
fists, but they never landed where he intended them. My dad…he knew, said
something about my mom being un-human. He mentioned the word Druid…I thought it
was a joke.”

“Druids are human.”

“Not to my dad.”

Amber’s eyes turned cold. “He treated
you differently.”

“He treated me indifferently. Like a
dog that needed to be fed and housed.”

Amber reached across the table, took
his hand in hers. Warmth and the feeling of home settled over him. He’d never,
ever, said any of this to anyone in his life. Hell, he hadn’t thought of the
man who fathered him in years. “I’m sorry,” his wife said in a soft whisper.

Kincaid offered her a smile. “He had
a hard time keeping a job, and when he had a chance, he pushed me off his to do
list. I found the manor and those like me, and I made myself useful. It wasn’t
long before my new family understood my worth.” He shielded her from his
thoughts, the memories of those early years and how painful they were.

“Your ability to shield others?”

“Yeah.” He removed his hand from hers,
patted his leg where one of his weapons was concealed. “I’m not a bad shot,
either.”

“I’m sure you’re a valiant warrior,”
she told him.

“Even in a kilt.”

She laughed then, and he felt the
need to make her do that again. He liked her innocent laugh, and she didn’t let
it out often enough.

“I have a hard time picturing you in
a kilt.”

The waiter arrived with their wine
and left a helping of bread. Remembering the time she was from, he removed a
chunk of bread and placed it on her plate.

“My kilt is modified, but I do own
one, or two, actually.”

“The plaid of my family?” she asked.

“Is there another?”

His question pleased her and brought
the smile he loved to her lips.

He told her about his travels in time—how
he’d always battled alongside her ancestors and probably even some of his own
at some point.

Their dinner arrived and for the
first time since Kincaid had landed in this century he felt like himself again.
When the emotions of those around them started to leak in, he’d bring up his
shield stronger and force them out.

It was just him and Amber.

“My father would like you,” she said
between dinner and dessert.

He sat back, drank his coffee. “Your
father would question every move I made.”

“Aye, he would. But in time, he would
approve.”

Kincaid leaned forward and laid his
hand across the table. She hesitated for a moment before laying her hand in
his. Their connection sparked and a sense of peace filled his blood. “Your
father’s approval is important to you?”

“Aye.”

“Then we should return to your time.
Inform your family what has happened.” If he ever had a daughter, he’d want to
know if she was safe. Ian MacCoinnich might be the patriarch of damn near his
entire race, but he was still a
man
…a father.

“You’d do that for me?”

“Amber,” he uttered her name in a
whisper. “My life is in as much turmoil as yours. We have both leapt into this
bond, but I’d like to think there was something there before the leap. Your
portrait on the wall drew my attention, and you’ve captured something deeper
than just an attraction.”

The edges of her embarrassment
developed in her blushing cheeks.

“I find you attractive, too,” she
said in a whisper.

He wanted to laugh, but held it in.
“That’s a start.”

“Is it enough? We’re bonded…married.”

The thought chilled him. Her worry?
Or maybe it was his. “We’ll figure it out. Families arranged marriages for
years, especially in your time.”

“That was never a concern of mine. My
father didn’t follow that tradition.”

Her father was obviously the obstacle
to help her past her fears. The thought of meeting Ian face to face didn’t sit
well in his gut. Once again, Kincaid shielded his thoughts as best he could
from his wife. They would need to visit her family as soon as time permitted. She
needed their strength and their approval to move forward.

And moving forward, in order to find
their place in life, was essential for him to return to his world.

He paused and realized he wasn’t sure
where that was anymore.

Past, present or future? He didn’t
know.

****

Giles huddled over the book that had
fallen off the shelf and ran a frustrated hand through his hair.

Why was this information coming to
him now? To confuse him or to make him question all he knew? Did he dare look for
answers?

Grainna, the evil one the MacCoinnich’s
removed from all time, had bore one child. A product of a union, a ritual that
gave her immortality that only the MacCoinnich’s could remove. She discarded
her child as if it were garbage.

Giles cross-referenced his books—found
other information on the lineage of that child, of their children. The story
was always the same…a child was born and discarded. In early times, the legends
said the adult child understood the power they held, and attempted to exploit
it and others. In some generation’s accounts, the child did not know of their
bloodline.

Then, in the last pages of the book
Giles held, he read the most cryptic and disturbing prophecy of them all.

Only when the powerful one bonds and
complete their union with one of equal gift, will the cycle be broken…and then
the gifts of the forefathers and mothers will come together. This bond will
come from two opposing families…enemies.

A crossroad will follow where the
path of good or evil will be chosen. Power, in this time, will mean everything,
and the path of right will have been nearly forgotten.

From this day forward, the path will
not be recorded to protect and preserve the future.

May God be with us all.

Giles slammed the book closed,
crossed his arms on the desk, and laid his head down.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Raine knew the moment Mouse returned
to their time. The shiver up her spine was a physical sign of pleasure, much
like a cat purring or a dog rolling on his back for a rub to its stomach.

Mouse arrived with enough information
to dent the armor of the MacCoinnich lineage—possibly even change history. What
good was time travel if one could not alter the outcome in favor of oneself,
anyway?

She sensed him at the door of her
chamber and bid him enter.

The man had circles under his eyes,
the effect of lack of sleep and too many trips through time without rest.

“Well?” she asked, skipping all
pleasantries.

He held onto the back of a chair as
he spoke. “The librarian has the book.”

“And?”

Mouse shook his head and closed his
eyes. “Is Kincaid really a descendent of Grainna herself?”

“You’re not here to ask questions,
Mouse. Just tell me what you know.”

“There isn’t much to tell. Selma
Mayfair moved into the manor.” Mouse pressed a button on the timepiece on his
wrist and accessed the holo projection in Raine’s room. A picture of a law
enforcement officer of the twenty first century played on screen. “This man is
not Druid.” The images shifted and two identical children appeared next to a
woman. “These are his children and his former wife.”

Raine smirked. “So many broken
marriages in this time. Who are they to Amber and Kincaid?”

“No one directly. However this man,”
the image flipped back to the officer. “He was a close colleague to the second
sister’s husband.”

“The second sister?”

“Amber’s sister.”

Raine pushed from where she was
perched and started to pace.
Now the pieces fall into place.

The pieces and the path.

“Tell me of the manor. And then tell
me the routine of these children.”

Because nothing created chaos quite
like a child in need.

****

Amber exited the car with Gavin’s
hand in hers. He paused under the moon and stroked a stand of hair that had
fallen in her face. “We’re going to be okay, Mrs. Kincaid.”

“I want to think so.” They’d talked
all night of their lives before he entered hers. Just under the surface lay worry.
The fact she had trouble hearing all his thoughts and that he had managed to
keep her out of his head as much as she had kept him out of hers, troubled her.
She wanted to mask her insecurities, her worry of being inadequate as a wife
and companion. What did she know of anything other than being a child? The
opportunity of living her life hadn’t presented itself until Gavin entered her
world.

Adding to her unease was the strong
desire to see her family, to speak with her mother, and seek her father’s
approval. They would want to see her well and alive, but would they approve of
her rash decision to bond with a stranger? And why did it matter so very much?

She knew the answer to that.

She’d lived under the protection of
her family her entire life. Never once had she been in a position to make a
decision for herself.

When she had made a decision, it was
the ultimate one.

“Hey?” Gavin ran a finger along her
face. “What’s going on inside this beautiful head?”

Instead of answering him, she opened
her mind to him and let everything flow between their link. His palm paused
alongside her face as a play of emotions…hers, passed over him.

“Wow.”

“I feel more like a child than a
woman sometimes. I know I have the body and the age of a woman older, but
inside…”

Gavin stepped closer and folded her
in his arms. “Shh. You’re not a child, Amber. Quite the opposite. Seems you’ve
had to take on the persona of someone much older at a very young age. Somewhere
you were lost in all of that.”

She buried her head in his shoulder
and sucked in the masculine scent of his skin. “Is it wrong to want the council
of my parents…my sister?”

Before Gavin could shield his
thoughts, she heard him admit he had no desire for that in his life. Yet his
words encouraged her. “Women have always asked their mother’s and sister’s
advice. You’re not unique there.”

“Mine are harder to reach.”

He pulled back and sought her eyes.
“They are a thought and a chant away, Amber. Closer than most people need to
reach across town.”

“I suppose you’re right.”

Of course, I’m right.

His thought made her smile.

Humble, too?
she asked in her head.

He looked away and she couldn’t read
him. “Your life…your family…the entirety of them is something we both need to
be prepared for. Before we visit them.”

Maybe she wasn’t the only one feeling
a wee bit insecure in their union.

“Should we go inside?” he asked as he
stepped away and held her hand.

She nodded, but didn’t move.

“What is it?”

“Why are you sleeping away from me?”

He shook his head and laughed. “It’s
not easy.”

“Then why? Before our bond, we shared
everything. Now it seems as if we are strangers in the same mind.”

Gavin moved into her personal space
again. “Believe me. I want nothing more than to return to your bed. But the
pull to be with you, in every way, is stronger than I’ve ever felt.”

“Then why stay away?”

He ran a thumb along her lower lip,
licked his own. “Are you inviting me into your bed, Amber?” She pictured the
two of them in an intimate embrace and realized the thought came from him.

Oh!
How naive of her. Where she was looking for
acceptance and security, he was looking for complete intimacy.

Gavin laid his lips to hers for a
brief kiss and pulled away. “I’ll come to your bed when you don’t flinch at my
thoughts.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t. Don’t be sorry for what you
don’t know. When you’re ready, we’ll both know and neither of us will flinch or
question.”

She tilted her head. “You’re a
patient man, Gavin Kincaid.”

He draped his arm around her
shoulders and walked her toward the manor. “Do you see that stream in my head?”
he asked.

“Aye.”

“It’s there so you don’t realize just
how impatient I am to have you.”

She stumbled, but he kept her
upright. “Why tell me that?”

“So you never doubt how much I desire
you.”

Oh!

For such a cool night, she certainly
felt as if she had a fever.

****

“Kincaid, can I have a word with
you?” Giles asked the question from the Library door the next morning.

The previous night with Amber had
left him strangely comfortable and confident in his decision to bond with her.
It might take some time to get used to the fact he had a life mate, but for the
first time since he woke from their bonding, he was ready for the next step.

The dark circles under his friend’s eyes
shadowed Kincaid’s good mood. “You really should try and sleep, Giles.”

He hid a yawn behind the book in his
hand and nodded toward the empty room. “I can sleep later.”

“I’m not sure why you’re avoiding
sleep now. Amber and I are bonded, and she’s out of danger.”

Giles closed the door behind them,
something he seldom did, and didn’t make eye contact as he strode in front of
Kincaid.

“She
is
out of danger, right?”

“What? Yes. I mean, I think so.”
Giles rubbed his eyes under his glasses. “I think so.”

Not the answer Kincaid was looking
for. He crossed his arms over his chest. “Explain.”

“I’m not sure I can.”

“Try.”

Giles lifted his arms to the walls of
books surrounding them. “In all these books, the ones handwritten or those that
have writing added to them, is the most significant source of knowledge of our
past. In the past few days, I felt it was my duty to record what has occurred
between you and Amber.”

So far, Kincaid wasn’t alarmed by his
friend’s actions. “Librarians have always added their input to these tomes.”

As if to emphasize his point, Giles
moved to the ladder, pushed it along the wall, and stepped to a higher shelf.
He removed a dusty book, stepped down, and laid it on the table in the center
of the room. He opened up to a spot that must have been familiar to him and
noted writing in the margins. “Some notes are connected to occurrences of the
day. Others are there to help future keepers of the books cross reference the
information to provide clarity.”

“You’re not telling me anything new.”

Giles nodded repeatedly. “I know. Bear
with me.”

Kincaid leaned against a shelf and
watched Giles pace.

“I considered writing in a book I’ve
seen many times in our future so we would know what you were sent here to
accomplish. Then thought better of it. Although it might have been a painful
bonding for the both of you, you both did so of your own free will. Better to
not alter what has happened thus far.”

Kincaid nodded in agreement. Time
travel and the affect it has on one’s future suggested they tread carefully
always.

“I removed this book,” Giles waved
the book in the air when he called Kincaid in the room. “I’ve never opened it,
but I know it sits on these shelves in our time. I wrote your and Amber’s names
in the back of the book, with the date and time of your bonding.”

“Seems reasonable.” Those things were
written in many books. “You chose this book because you know you’ve never
opened it.”

“Yes. Imagine if I’d told you I had
once read you moved forward in time and bonded with Amber MacCoinnich.”

Kincaid couldn’t imagine taking each
journey in time wondering if that was the one where he’d meet his bonded mate. Distraction
might have killed him.

Giles thrust the book into Kincaid’s
chest. He uncrossed his hands and took it.

“The last page is where I placed the
note.”

“Okay.”

“Open it,” Giles told him.

Kincaid flipped to the last page and
found it blank. He flipped a few pages more, found nothing written in Giles’s
hand.

“Are you sure this is the book you
used?”

“Positive.”

The room grew cooler. “What does this
mean?” Kincaid tossed the book on the table and looked at the others gathered.

“Don’t you find it strange there is
no mention of Amber coming to this time? Of her surviving?”

“There are hundreds of books here.
I’m sure the information is somewhere.”

“Perhaps. Or there is some reason why
her history…or future as it is, isn’t recorded for a purpose. Like my writing
your bonding date on the page of that book, it is not meant to be recorded.”

“Why? Why keep that information only
to us?”

“With that question in mind I found
this book. There’s a passage in here I’ve never heard of. In fact, I don’t
think any of us have heard of it.”

“Which is?”

Giles hesitated, and then said, “Grainna
had a child.”

Kincaid blinked once. “Go on.”

“She bore one child, a product of a
ritual that gave her the immortality that kept her alive for centuries. She discarded
the child shortly after birth.”

Kincaid understood that all too well.
“I don’t think she was a maternal woman.”

Giles offered a half smile. “This
book tells of that child and the others that followed. They all bore one child.
Man or woman, they abandoned the infant to others to raise. Some of these
decedents knew of their power, but none knew where it originated. Their family
tree had missing limbs and no clear path back to identify who their family
was.”

Kincaid huffed out a laugh. “There
are many of us who share similar stories.”

Giles caught Kincaid’s eyes and
stared. “Yes. But those who are most powerful know their kin.”

“I’m powerful and have no knowledge
of the mother who gave it to me. Or any of her family.”

“I know.” Giles stared directly at
him and didn’t let his gaze stray.

A chill, so powerful it shook
Kincaid’s entire body, rolled over him. “You don’t think… No! I’m not.”

Giles pushed another book across the
table. “Read this.”

Kincaid clenched his fist to keep it
from shaking. With his back rod-straight, he pulled to look closer and read the
passage.

Only when the powerful one bonds and
complete their union with one of equal gift, will the cycle be broken…and then
the gifts of the forefathers and mothers will come together. This bond will
come from two opposing families…enemies.