Highlander's Shifter: Time Travel Romance (The Matheson Warriors Book 1) Page 2

  Damn it. He should have held that one in place too.

  Sparks flared from her beautiful golden shifter eyes as she rounded the table and two metal-backed chairs. In dark jeans and a black cotton tank top that molded her breasts and slim waist, she halted before him and flicked the two-way intercom on. “Is there a reason you’re hiding out from me again?”

  “I’m not hiding from you.”

  “Then why bar me from entry, as well as to cease”—she plucked her cell phone from her pocket and waved it—“answering my calls?”

  “There’s a full moon tonight.”

  “I’m well aware there’s a full moon, but I’ve still got one more month left until my bear comes into full maturity. That means you’re safe from me tonight.”

  “I disagree.”

  “You are so frustrating.” She arched one challenging brow. “You need a partner for your coming mission, and Murdock told me that partner is going to be me. We have a job to do today, so get yourself ready for it.”

  “The chief hasn’t mentioned any coming mission to me.” He’d need to speak to the chief after this interrogation was done. “The room you’re in is needed. Leave now.”

  “You can’t dismiss me that easily.” She stuffed her cell phone back in her pocket and paced back and forth in front of the reflective glass, her long blond hair brushing her gloriously tight backside in those denim-hugging jeans, which truly should be outlawed on her. The denim even hugged her all the way to her cute ankles, her bare toes poking out from underneath the hem.

  “You like my ankles?” Surprised, she stopped and stared right at him, not that she should have been able to make out exactly where he stood beyond the glass, or have even caught that particular emotional thought, not when his fae-skilled barriers were—damn, his guards weren’t tight enough. He fixed that fast, strapped his shields fully into place and made certain she’d catch no more.

  “Don’t. You’re blocking me and I hate it when you do that, or at least that completely. I’m an empath. We thrive on others’ emotions and thoughts.” She pressed her palm gently to the reflective glass, and he couldn’t help but do the same.

  “Bella, you truly do need to leave. I require the interrogation room and the chief will be here shortly to join me.”

  “I heard you the first time, and when he arrives, he’ll update you on our coming mission. I want to leave within the hour, so don’t be late.”

  “There isn’t a chance I’m teaming up with you today.” He shoved both his hands behind his back and clasped them there. His bear certainly wasn’t happy about the glass standing between them, not when his beast clawed at his middle and tried to fight to get to the surface. “You’re like fresh meat,” he growled rough and low. “My bear likes fresh meat.”

  “I get that, but we have work to do, both of us, so let’s keep it professional right now. I can manage a couple of days away in your company. Surely you can manage that in mine too.”

  “Where’s Hunter?” Her brother always remained close to her on the night of a full moon, ensuring none of the unmated men fought over her.

  “The chief sent him across the country on another mission. He’s due back tomorrow morning and since you’re the only man either Murdock or my brother truly trusts in the keeping-your-hands-to-yourself department, then you’re honestly stuck with me tonight.”

  She nibbled on her lower lip and all he wanted to do was shatter the glass between them and let his bear have a go at her. Unfortunately, she was right about him being the only one currently able to keep his hands off her, no matter how much he struggled to. Aye, all the unmated males in their clan wanted the mated bond with her, but only one lucky man would be able to lay claim to her in another month’s time. “And what is our upcoming mission all about?”

  “Murdock will update you.” She winked at him, and far too mischievously for his liking. “I’ll meet you upstairs, my bossy bear, right after my appointment with Liam. I’m awaiting some test results and want to check and see if they’re in.” With a wave and a sensual sway of her hips, she walked out and closed the door of the interrogation room behind her.

  What test results? He flung open the side door and yelled, “Bella, wait.”

  “Later.” She waved from the end of the panel-lined hallway and dashed upstairs.

  “Bella!” He wasn’t waiting until later to discover what test results she awaited from their resident doctor. He sprinted along the blue and green runner then skidded into Murdock as he rounded the corner. “Excuse me, Chief.”

  Blocking his path, his commander remained firmly in place. “Jamie, it’s not right that one of my senior officers appears ready to flay an innocent lass.”

  “Bella is hardly an innocent lass, and I’ve no wish to flay her, just discover what might be ailing her. She’s gone to see Liam to get some tests results. Is she ill?”

  “She passed her medical last week, so no. It must be something of a personal nature that doesn’t pertain to her ability to be one of our specialized team members.” The chief ushered him back into the side room and shut the door behind him. In a navy button-down shirt and tan pants, his chief perched on the corner table and narrowed his gaze. “A new case has come in from our government operative. There’s been a disturbance at the MacDonald’s B&B along the Old Forest Road which weaves through the mountains. Forty-five minutes to the north of us. Gordon and Greer, the owners, were marking out a new forest trail for their guests when two bears came out of nowhere and charged them. They scrambled up the closest tree, then managed to remain there until nightfall when the bears finally wandered off. Clearly this kind of threat can’t remain so close to their bed and breakfast.”

  “Bears, as in shifters like us?” No actual wild bears roamed their countryside any longer, although the odd one had been known to get loose from the safari park and other such wildlife sanctuaries, although they were quickly corralled and returned to their parks.

  “Aye, shifters. Certainly no other bears have been reported missing, which is why this case has been passed directly onto us. Gordon and Greer are expecting both you and Bella at midday.”

  “I have an interrogation to soon oversee.” He motioned through the glass.

  “I’ll take over here for you and have the interrogation interview taped. You can catch it on your return.” Rising, Murdock pulled three vials from his shirt pocket and handed them to him. “A sedative, for the rogue bears.”

  “And the third vial?” He gave the deep orange concoction a swirl then slid the vials into the pocket of his black cargo pants.

  “For you, if needed. A full moon rises tonight and with Bella’s bear so close to full maturity, she’s emitting some healthy and strong come-and-get-me pheromones.”

  “She’s emitting far more than that.”

  “You’ll survive, and Hunter and I both agreed you’re the only one able to be around her tonight.”

  “I appreciate yours and Hunter’s trust in me, but honestly, Hunter should be here himself if he wishes to keep any unwanted claws at bay. She’s the only female so close to full maturity, one in amongst thirty-seven unmated males.”

  “Which is why I’m asking you to take her away from here tonight. This will give the other men a break. They all need it.” Murdock opened the door and gestured him out. “Go and catch those rogues causing havoc and ensure they’re contained. That’s an order.”

  “Will do, Chief.” He never disobeyed a direct order, never would either. Gritting his teeth, he left the room and took the side stairs leading to the third floor of Matheson Castle, his booted feet echoing on the stone stairs. Along the passageway, heavily paneled doors led off each side and a touch of the mid-morning sunshine streamed in through the far window overlooking the forest beyond their keep. At the last door on the right, he halted. Bella’s chamber. His own rooms sat directly across from hers.

  Resting one hand on the polished wood of her door, he leaned in and attuned his shifter hearing. No noise filtered through, alt
hough her sweet lily fragrance wafted all about. Memories stirred as he dragged her luscious scent deep into his lungs. He’d never forget the day she’d become an adult and left her family’s quarters downstairs to take her own rooms across from his. A couple of years ago that had been now, and having her so close had both eased his bear’s frustration and increased it. The frustration of course came from the fact she’d barrel in at any hour of the night, plop down on the end of his bed, wake him up and ask him how his day had gone. She fed off her loved ones’ emotions just as those empaths within their clan always did. She needed personal contact, and lots of it.

  He clenched his fists at his sides, his skin itching with the need to shift. His bear wanted out, to pin her down and claim her, no matter she was still a month shy of her soul bond forming with one of their unmated males.

  With a heavy sigh, he pushed away from her door and opened his own.

  With so few females born to them, the odds weren’t in his favor that Bella would be his, which meant he needed to keep his claws to himself until the truth became apparent. No matter who she might be bound to, it was his duty to ensure her protection, even from himself if needed.

  Inside his chamber, he opened his desk drawer and slid his gun free. Their work was dangerous no matter the skills they held, and everyone within their specialized teams carried sufficient protection. It also appeared he’d soon be up against a couple of rogues, and they could get damn dangerous to deal with if they went wild as these two had quite possibly done.

  At least they’d had no bears going wild like that within their own clan, not when they watched over each other so closely, although over the centuries a number of offshoot branches had separated away from theirs and contact had been lost, which meant rogues unfortunately existed, and in a number far greater than any of them liked.

  Swiftly, he strapped on his holster over his honey-colored t-shirt and after ensuring the safety was set, slid his weapon into place and shrugged on his favorite battered denim jacket. On one knee at the end of his four-poster bed, he tugged out a slim wooden case from under the bed holding his most prized pieces and flipped the lid. He removed a jewel-encrusted dagger, one that had been passed down through the generations within his direct line—Nessa, the seer of ancient times’ line. He traced one finger over the sapphire embedded into the hilt, the fine silver surrounding the large stone always gleaming bright.

  He turned the blade over and stroked the matching sapphire on the other side. In his teenage years, when his father had bestowed this weapon to him, he’d said Nessa had first gifted it to her beloved grandson, who’d unfortunately passed away too soon from a terrible head and neck wound during a battle against their enemy. His father had even named him Jamie after that grandson, an honor for certain, and one he’d always tried to live up to.

  Rising to his feet, he leaned over and lifted one cargo pant leg up and strapped the blade to his ankle. With another couple of weapons hidden on his body in his most favored places, he nabbed his duffel bag and tossed in some spare clothes in case this mission took longer than expected. He was always prepared for any eventuality, as all their highly skilled clansmen were.

  Done and ready to leave, he opened his door and halted at the sight of Bella resting back against her own door, her tan leather jacket donned and her satchel propped on the floor. She’d pulled on footwear and now wore knee-high leather boots which hid those cute ankles of hers. “Did you do that on purpose?” He motioned to her boots.

  “Aye, I couldn’t have you getting all distracted during our mission with my cute ankles on display.” She giggled, the tinkle of her laughter settling in his chest and warming it through.

  “Tell me about the test results.”

  “What test results?” She winked. The damn tease. Whichever man would soon be mated to her was in for a hell of a ride.

  Stepping up to the one woman his gut twisted for, he bit out, “Don’t push me, Annabella Matheson. Are you ill?”

  “I wouldn’t be joining you on this coming mission if I was.” She curled one hand into the cotton of his t-shirt and tugged him even closer. “And in case you’ve forgotten, don’t call me Annabella in that angry way either. It hurts me when you do.”

  “I’m sorry.” Empaths. They could be difficult to navigate around at times, so susceptible to any and every emotion, their own and everyone else’s too.

  “You’ve been avoiding me these past two weeks and keeping your distance. It hurts.”

  “You know I’d never intentionally set out to hurt you.” He could kick himself for making her feel such pain. That had never been his intention. Only ensuring her safety from him had.

  “Then cease keeping your distance and that hurt will stop.”

  “I’ll try, but all the unmated males are on edge at the moment. You’ve got to give me a bit of a break.” He snagged her satchel and slung it over his shoulder with his own. “We’ve got two rogue bears to corral, and not a lot of spare time to be chatting about these other issues. Let’s go.”

  * * * *

  Bella marched after Jamie, his second snub of the day hurting painfully. “Apart from the obvious reason, why else are you so angry at me? You smell just like Liam.”

  He released a low growl, but kept stomping on.

  No one messed with Jamie when his bear got all snarly and ropeable as he currently was, only the empath in her couldn’t stand his current foul mood, wanted only to soothe and calm him. Likely she was going about that in the wrong way, but today she just couldn’t help herself. Something within her wanted to provoke him, to push him into this confrontation they both needed in order to get their issues resolved. She picked up her pace, darted past him then turned around at the top of the stairs and blocked his path. “Talk to me.”

  “Why is Liam angry at you? Did you go and wave your raging come-and-get-me pheromones around him as well?” He halted in front of her, leaned menacingly in and baring his teeth, snapped them together. “I can smell him all over you, which means you let him get too close.”

  “Are you jealous or something?” Their clan doctor was one of their unmated males and kept an office right here in the keep, his door always open for his kinsmen, although like all the other unmated males of late, he’d gotten territorial about her too, which meant aye, he’d gotten too close. All the single men wanted her covered in their scent and most pulled her into bone-crushingly tight hugs at every possible opportunity. Taking a shower was the only way to remove their scent, and she hadn’t taken one since leaving Liam.

  “What tests did you have done? Tell me, then I might not get quite so territorial.”

  “I’d rather not say and since they’re in no way related to my ability to work on the mission field, I’m going to keep them to myself.” Talk about an obstinate man. When he wanted to know something about her, he usually didn’t cease harassing her until he’d uncovered that knowledge. It had always been that way with him. Even her brother, Hunter, would back off when she stuck to her guns, but never Jamie. “You’ve locked your chamber door each night these past two weeks and not allowed me in, so if I don’t wish to let you in, you can’t argue against that.”

  “If I’d allowed you into my chamber these past two weeks, then I wouldn’t have let you back out again.” He pushed forward with his body, corralled her right into the corner. With his hands planted either side of her head, he caged her in. “Does that scare you?”

  “You’d never force me to do anything against my will, would cut off both your hands before you ever did that.” She lifted her knee, went to stab her boot down on his foot, but he moved quick and breathing hard, pinned her knee to the wall.

  “I might cut off my hands, but my bear wouldn’t. He’s so damn tired of remaining unmated, just as I honestly am.” He lowered his voice to a deeply rough hue, a husky tone that made her inner bear claw to get closer to him. “Tell me what’s wrong? If you’re sick, I need to know.”

  “I’m not sick, but Liam needs to run more blo
od tests since he doesn’t know quite what’s wrong with me.” Since it would help to calm him down, she might as well just tell him the truth even though it was a sensitive subject for her. “It’s been four months since I had my last flow.”

  “And what will those blood tests show?”

  “Liam needs to know if there’s an imbalance in my hormone levels. He’s wondering if my testosterone levels are too high, which means my body is getting mixed signals. Thus the lack of a flow.”

  “And what might cure those mixed signals?”

  “In a normal human woman, one without fae-shifter blood, setting those levels back into line with the appropriate meds. With me, he’s unsure. I’ve always been rather intolerant of regular meds.”

  “As we all are.”

  “We’re different.”

  “Agreed, but in a good way.” He nuzzled her neck, his voice dropping to an even huskier purr. “You smell ripe to me, Bella, as if you’re ready to conceive. If you haven’t had your flow, then it can’t be far away. I’d all but guarantee it.”

  “That’s what Liam said, that I smelt ripe for the taking too. He certainly can’t scent my non-ovulating issues.”

  “Tell me exactly how close he got to you to scent that.” He stroked one finger under her chin, tipped her gaze more fully to his and arched a brow. “Do you sense a bond forming with him?”

  “I won’t know who I’m soul bound to until the next full month.” She pressed one hand flat against his rock hard chest and pushed him back. Thankfully, he relented and eased back a step.

  “Just checking.” He motioned for her to proceed him downstairs. “Let’s move out. We honestly should get going. Two rogues to capture and all that.”

  Aye, they needed to get away, and she was kind of glad he appeared ready to drop this conversation. As he waited for her to go first, she walked past him and trotted downstairs.

  Into the great hall, she strode then wandered around the perimeter toward the front door. Across the far side of the large vaulted room, the welcoming heat from the fire breezed through. Several of her clansmen sat lounging before the fire on a group of four comfy blue swede couches, Liam amongst them. He’d tossed his white lab coat onto the armrest and in his kilt and white shirt, waved out with the cheekiest grin.