Highland Pull (Highland Destiny 2) (11 page)

When Marie woke, she and Liam were back inside the shack, side-by-side on the bed and covered lightly with a sheet. Someone had started the generator and the air conditioning hummed. Their bodies had been washed and were free from blood, and the cuts covered with the healing oil. She looked to the corner and saw the ancient healer sitting there watching her.

“Meemaw,” she whispered to the old crone, who smiled her gummy smile.

“The healing spells have been cast, you both must drink of the elixir. Your scars will fade; your wounds were not as nearly deep as his. I saw him press himself against your blade. He has been marked forever in some places. He is a man of deep magick. How are you feeling,
cher?”

“Strong, humble. It was far more powerful than I expected. Do you think that was because of Liam’s power?”

“I think you and he together are very powerful. You were successful in calling the spirits back to this place, the magick is strong here again. Your great grandmother is pleased, no doubt. She was here this night, I saw her. Your magick has grown, I believe you are nearly as powerful as she.”

The old woman searched Marie’s face. “The final potion you asked for is in your bag, you know how to use it. Are you sure about this,
mon cher? There is a great passion between the two of you.”

“Mind your business, old woman,” Marie said, but both women were smiling.

“I found your mark. I know you,” replied the old woman, as she got up to leave. She kissed Marie on the forehead and let herself out of the shack.

Marie got to her feet and took her elixir with a glass of water, then brought Liam’s elixir to the bedside table. She had him for a few more hours, no more, and then it would be time for the final vial.

She pulled the sheet back and looked at his magnificent body, the henna tattoos still clearly visible between his wounds. She had intended to lightly trace the blade along the symbols, but he changed it all. She’d felt his ancient and powerful magick come alive during the ceremony. He’d been filled with a wild darkness that took him to the edge and kept him there. Kept them both there. What they created together was more powerful than either of them alone. She felt honored that the spirits had entered them in such a fashion and worked so much magick.

She took cotton gauze and began to wipe at his cuts with more of the healing oil. She chanted softly, knowing once he took the elixir, his cuts would heal in a few more hours. As she dabbed, she became aware of a change in his breathing, he was waking. His shaft was hard, and she longed to stroke him. She glanced up at his face and saw his dark eyes watching hers.

“Ah, you’re awake.”

****

Every part of his body was sore. The woman was a witch. He smiled to himself. He knew she wasn’t a real witch, but she would make a fine sorcerer. Had he not already set his mind to Elena, he would spend more time here with Marie. It was possible to pass the day with her, but he was in New Orleans for a reason, he needed to get back to pushing Gabhran to the dark.

Why had MacLachlan come to the fishing shack earlier? There had been a woman with him, was she the same one from the bar? Had he somehow fought back the darkness that had been threatening him earlier? Liam would take care of that pesky little problem before the next day was through. He needed to see to business, his flight back to Edinburgh was scheduled for this weekend.

Earlier, he’d opened his eyes to watch Marie as she spoke quietly with an old woman before he drifted off again. When next he woke, Marie was wiping him with a cloth that soothed and cooled his cuts, cuts they had put there together. She was gentle, and loving, wanton and reckless. Yes, she was fierce, determined, a warrior in another century. She would do whatever it took to save her people. He admired that about her.

He would not underestimate her, or her network. She had organized his capture and restraint neatly and he had never known one minute of suspicion. Tonight she had opened an ancient portal and for a time they had both been possessed by ethereal spirits, and he felt their continued presence in this place. If he tried to kill her, would they intervene? Could they?

He knew his magick was more powerful than Marie’s, but what of her potions and curses? Could he trust her? He hid a smile at the thought of what she had done to him yesterday afternoon, when he was tied to her bed. She deserved to suffer a little at his hands for all she had put him through. Then he would decide whether or not to kill her.

Och
, he was getting hard, thinking about it, feeling her touch his wounds. Suddenly, as if she felt his gaze on her, she met his eyes. There was a hunger shown in their depths he hadn’t expected.

“You must drink this elixir for your wounds, I have already taken mine.” She held a small vial to his lips. He hesitated,
then probed her mind, trying to rip her intentions from it, to sense if this was another trick to incapacitate him. She was well protected, her mind as impassive as a stone fortress.

“If I wanted you dead, I would simply have cut your throat once we were finished with the ceremony and thrown you to the alligator that lives under my house. Take this, then we can talk.”

Liam drank the contents of the vial in one quick swallow, and felt a rush of heat hit his stomach and then spread like a wildfire, coursing through his veins.

“Hot,” he grunted.

“Yes, but now you’ll heal rapidly.” But she looked away from him when she’d said it.

Quick as lightening, Liam’s hand reached out and grabbed her by the neck, then she was on her back and he was on top of her. The violence in him was palpable.

“Tell me, lass,” he said quietly, his voice low and dangerous.

Marie told him about the scars he would have, because he’d pressed so hard against the knife. Then she told him the ceremony had been a
success, the level of magick had been restored.

He tasted the air, and even though she had blocked his thoughts, he realized she was telling the truth. Even more interesting, he could tell that she wasn’t feeling any fear right now. He admired that about her, not many still lived after he had moved that swiftly against them,
and none had been without fear.

“Your turn,” she whispered silkily, as she slid under him, extending her arms and legs until she was spread eagle across the bed, imitating the position she had kept him in much of the previous day. He covered her body with his and went to work, intent on seeking his pleasure at her expense.

****

Marie smiled to herself as she slid from the bed hours later. She was deliciously sated, even if she was a bit sore. She retrieved the last vial from her bag and added the contents to Liam’s water bottle. It really was a shame, but there was no other way.

Returning to the bed, she placed the bottle on the table and slid back between the sheets. Liam woke and pulled her tight, spooning her against him. Marie reached for her own water and encouraged Liam to drink, their cuts would heal even faster if they stayed hydrated. He finished his bottle in one long pull and threw it across the room, before flipping her over onto her stomach. She practically purred when he grabbed her hair in one hand and pulled her roughly against his erection.

*

When she was truly convinced he was incapacitated, she called Andre at the hotel. The process they had put in place now worked in reverse. While she waited, she laid the cards on the table. Time to read again. Something had changed. The signs were unclear, there were unseen players she had failed to recognize previously, and she would need to keep watch now that she had a stake in this game. The two men she’d seen the first time were no longer on intersecting paths and there was very little room left in either man for light.

She looked once more upon the sleeping highlander and thought to give him a small measure of protection, one that could not be removed as easily as a
gris gris. She pulled out her needles and ink. Although she’d already marked him once, it was not a place he would notice. This time she planned to make her mark unmistakable.

****

The ringing phone woke him from a deep sleep, and left him momentarily confused.

Liam sat up and answered quickly. “Where have you been? I’ve been trying to reach you. Has it happened yet?” His father’s voice was like a splash of cold water.

“No, but he’s very close to the darkness, now. It’s inevitable that he will turn.”

“Well, we can’t waste any more of your time. The pull is undeniable, and he’ll return to Edinburgh eventually. We’ll know, even if we can’t get close to his house. I need you back here now. There are…complications on that other issue, and it’s a far more important matter to me.”

“I can fly out today.” Liam began to pack one-handed, while he listened to further instructions on the phone. “I will see you tonight, Father.”

Liam thought of the whore that had visited him, and wondered when she had left. He knew they had sex, he could smell it on himself as he stripped and stepped into the shower. Christ, had she drugged him? The last thing he remembered clearly was her coming to the door with the champagne. After that, it was a blur of images, leather and boots, restraints and snakes, a dark fantasy come true. He looked at his wrists and saw the telltale signs that he'd been restrained.
Hmm, too bad I don’t remember that
, he thought with a slow smile.

When he stepped out of the shower, he caught sight of his reflection in the foggy mirror. It
couldn’t be right. He used his towel to wipe away the moisture, the sight unbelievable. Rage burned within him.

He turned slowly, examining his reflection. Scars, pink with the freshness of the wounds, marked his chest and back. And there, just below his navel was a fresh tattoo of a sun. The fucking bitch! He would return to New Orleans some day and track down the whore who had come to his room and dared mark him. When he found her again, he would kill her.

He stopped by the concierge desk on his way out of the hotel; Andre was there, watching him carefully.

Liam growled so Andre would have to struggle to hear him. “The fucking whore you sent drugged me, cut me, and marked me. I will return one day to kill you both and you will never see it coming.”

*

Only when Andre was sure the mad Scot was truly gone did he permit the smile that had been tugging at his lips to emerge fully.

Miranda placed her hands on top of Gabhran’s as he cupped her face in his hands, and she looked searchingly into his eyes. Was it true, could he really feel something like love for her? Did she feel love for him or was she caught up in the moment? He smiled, and her heart fluttered at the way his golden skin crinkled into tiny lines around his steel-blue eyes. His teeth were straight and white, his lips swollen from their kisses, and his black hair curtained their faces.

How had she failed to fully appreciate his handsome face, with its strong features? Could it have been that her preoccupation with other parts of his anatomy had blinded her? She’d realized he was good-looking, but right now, in the after-glow of their lovemaking, he was breathtaking.

“Gabhran, I—”

He interrupted her when he rolled them over onto their sides and put a finger to her lips.

“Nay, lass, there is plenty of time for talking later, unless you were planning on telling me how good I made you feel.” he waggled his eyebrows outrageously, making Randi laugh.

“Oh,” she gasped, stopping mid-laugh. “You’re still inside me, and you’re still hard.”

“Aye, lass.” He rolled her again and suddenly she found herself on top. “Now use those same muscles you felt when you laughed, to squeeze me deep inside of you.”

Randi did, and was rewarded by Gabhran’s moan, deep in his throat.

“Ah yes, that feels good. Tell me, are you ready to keep going or do you need to rest? I didna hurt you overmuch did I, Miranda, love?

Randi ground her hips against him, pushing his cock deeper, and it felt so good, she caused herself to gasp. Which caused Gabhran to laugh, spreading his joy.

“With you on top, you can control the pace, stop if you need to.” He wound his fingers into her hair and pulled her face closer,
then his kiss was on her lips, tender. A lover’s caress.

Randi pressed herself against him and gloried in his kisses, she felt treasured and revered. She lay against his chest and deepened the kiss, running her tongue over his lips, his teeth, everywhere she could reach.

“Sit up, love, let me see you,” he said.

As Randi sat up, his cock slid even deeper, and she moaned as he filled her, stretched her,
buried himself deep within her. She began to slide up and down his cock, pulling nearly off of him before pushing hard and impaling herself once more. He was so deep, she thought he must be touching the entry to her womb.

****

Gabhran kept his hands on her hips, driving upwards when she slid down on his shaft, meeting her with intense thrusts. He looked between them and watched as she took his cock again and again, spreading streaks of blood on both of them. He was filled with wonder that this beautiful woman had waited so long, and had chosen to share her first time with him. Whatever he could do to make it special he vowed he would.

Looking up into her face he saw the small beads of moisture on her upper lip and brow. She was working hard, and from the sounds she was making low in her throat, she was enjoying every minute. Her lips were parted and she panted softly. Gabhran put his finger on her lush lower lip, and she pulled it into her mouth. She licked and sucked while watching his face.

He took his wet finger from her mouth and touched it to her clitoris, rubbing gentle circles around her nub. She cried out with the intensity of the sudden orgasm that shook her body. His cock was squeezed tight and he used every bit of his restraint to ride it out, to not be carried away, lost in the waves of her pleasure.

Miranda collapsed against his chest, and he stroked her back lightly, tracing her spine with the lightest brush of the tips of his fingers. She continued to shudder and shiver around him. She was an incredibly sensual lover, every touch elicited a response, and she returned his touches with pleasure.

Miranda began to run her fingers through the silky black hair that lightly covered his chest. She scraped her nails across his chest, tracing his muscles, finding his nipples. Her mouth followed the trail of her hands. She licked, kissed, and bit every plane of his chest, and finally drew his nipple into her mouth and sucked. He moaned when she stopped him from moving inside her by climbing off. She took the sheet in her hand, obviously intending to wipe him clean.

“Leave it for the now, lass. It reminds me of the gift you gave
me.” he smiled. “How can I pleasure you next, what do you desire? Or do you need to rest for a bit? Is that why you stopped?”   

“Gabhran MacLachlan, I might have been a virgin when we started tonight, but I’m not exactly innocent. You don’t grow up sheltered in New Orleans.”

He laughed. “Then tell me your fantasies, love.”

“
Mmmm…I’d like to know what you want, Gav. I want to see you lose a little of that control,” she murmured.

He shivered, knowing she wanted him to ask for her anything. He could feel the truth of her words; she wanted to fulfill his every fantasy. He picked something he was sure she would enjoy.

“On your hands and knees, love.”

She smiled, raised herself, and looked over her shoulder at him. She licked her lips. “Come on, Gabhran, fill me.”

He popped off his back quickly and placed himself between her knees. He showered her back and ass in kisses and nips, before pushing her knees farther apart. He reached his fingers between her thighs and he groaned when he felt how wet she was. He rubbed his cock in the moisture between her legs then spread her womanly folds and slipped his tip inside.

“Hard and fast, Gabhran, hard and fast, now,” she gasped. With a growl, he buried his shaft to the hilt in one smooth stroke. All of his restraint slipped away with her words; again and again he drove himself deep inside her. One hand gripped her hip while the other pinched and kneaded her ass, his heavy sac slapping against her with each thrust.

Gabhran had never been so aroused. Just when he thought he couldna hold back any longer she leaned down on her elbows and presented her luscious ass. He licked his fingers and slipped them between Miranda’s thighs. He found her nub and began to rub and pinch. Her head arched back and moans and whispers began to escape her lips. Again and again he drove himself into her, his fingers working frantically against her clit.

“I canna hold on, lass. Christ, I am
gonna explode.”

Miranda bucked hard against him, and he was unsure she would be able to walk after they were finished.

“Come with me now, Gav, ah, ah-”

“Miranda, I
ca—”

“Don’t stop.”

“So goooood.” The words came out on a long moan, as every muscle in his body contracted with the force of his orgasm. His back arched as his hips thrust forward in one long last trembling shudder. His sweet Miranda made a noise halfway between a grunt and a moan, as her body spasmed around him.

Gabhran collapsed against her, then rolled them both to the side so he wouldn’t crush her. He reached around and placed his hand over her
mons and gently slipped his finger between her folds, and then up once again to her hard nub. Another series of tremors shook her, the contractions caused his shaft to jump and jerk within her, as they both had residual orgasms.

At last they grew still and Gabhran withdrew his shaft but not his arms. With a shaking hand, he gathered her long blonde hair from her neck, and held it aside while he planted open mouth kisses against her fever-flushed skin, then blew gently, raising goose bumps.

“Miranda, my love,” he murmured.

She turned over so she was facing him. “Is it true?” she asked quietly.

He knew what she meant, and he understood her need to hear it; he needed the same from her. He took her hands in his and gathered his thoughts. She had gone to bed with him, without any promises, without declarations of love, knowing he was destined leave her.

“Aye, lass, I will say what you want to hear. I have been alone as long as I can remember. No one has ever touched my heart. You shake me, woman. Make me question everything I thought I knew. You make me want to stay in this one place and this one time with you forever. I want to know you, what makes you laugh, what makes you cry.” He smiled. “I want to know your favorite ice cream flavor, every silly little thing about you, lass.

“Och, lass, you hold the dark at bay, and bring in the light, you make my verra soul sing. I doona know how or why, but aye, lass, I do love you. Is it possible that the feelings I felt from you are also true, could you love me too?” 

“Aye, Gabhran MacLachlan, I don’t know how either, but yes, I love you, too.”

They sealed their words with a gentle kiss, then Miranda snuggled against him, and sighed contentedly. After a few minutes, Gabhran tried to move her gently over so he could get a damp washcloth. He wanted to wash the blood from her thighs, but Miranda was already asleep. She was cradled in his arms, her hair splayed across his chest, and he felt more at peace than he could ever remember.

His own eyes began to feel heavy, but he was not yet willing to sleep. He wanted to hold Miranda, to gaze upon her sleeping face, to savor this night forever. If he fell asleep, he might miss something, he wanted to stay here with her cradled in his arms, stay in this moment, and
feel her heart beat next to his for all of eternity.

****

Randi stretched lazily the next morning when she woke. She pushed her arms over her head, and felt the pull of her stomach muscles. Pushing her legs out straight, she almost whimpered they were so stiff.
I’m going to need to get in better shape if we have many more nights like that. Heck, I will be in better shape if we keep working out like that.

The room was chilly; the air conditioning must really be set to cool. Knowing it was time to face the day, she reluctantly opened her eyes. And lost her breath. She didn’t recognize one thing about the room. Not the
stone walls. Not the massive hanging tapestries. Not the enormous four-poster bed. Not the sword carrying, kilt clad warrior with long black hair spilling down his back. She sucked in a breath, and he turned and looked at her possessively.

“Good morrow, lass,” he said quietly.

Randi threw her head back and screamed.