Highlander's Shifter: Time Travel Romance (The Matheson Warriors Book 1) Read online

  “Aye, the son of Matthew we are.” He motioned to the bags. “Keep going.”

  She set the wallet on the grass, turned the first duffle upside-down and jiggled it, then the second. A tumble of clothes fell into a heap, along with an assortment of knives and an envelope with a medical center’s emblem printed on one corner. “Should I take a look inside?”

  “Go for it.” He shuffled closer, curled his body more fully around hers to ward off the chilly breeze blowing through.

  She opened the envelope, the sticky flap loose from being opened before. Papers unfolded, she scanned the words by the dimming daylight and he did so as well. They were test results from a doctor’s office in Inverness, pertaining to Logan and Heylin Matthews, age twenty-seven, twin brothers, both being treated for stage four—

  “Oh, they have prostate cancer.” Bella lowered the papers and eyed him over her shoulder.

  “Keep reading.”

  “Sure.” Papers lifted again, she traced one finger along the first paragraph and read the words embedded there, “As discussed, unfortunately this is the last stage of prostate cancer. The tumors have spread to other parts of your bodies, including the lungs, liver, bones, and lymph nodes. I realize this information is bleak, although keep in mind every case is different and with the advancements in prostate cancer treatment, there is still more we can do. I need to see you both in my offices as soon as possible. Call and make a time immediately. We’ll begin treatment as soon as a plan is laid out for you both.” She eased back a little on her knees, her back sliding right up against his chest as she half-turned into him. “They’re both so very ill.”

  “We’ll need to hand this letter on to both Manning and the chief, ensure they’re made aware of this news.” At least Logan and Heylin hadn’t in truth harmed Gordon and Greer. Sure, they’d kept them stuck in a tree for hours on end, but they hadn’t actually drawn blood. Neither had they gotten their teeth into him or Bella. Sinking his hand even deeper into her glorious blond locks, he muttered, “When a shifter is unwell, fresh and healthy shifter blood is needed to be infused with ours to increase our natural ability to heal. Liam will be able to aid them better than any human doctor could.”

  “Liam would be up for it too. What they did to Gordon and Greer was wrong, but they didn’t go beyond the point of no return. There’s still hope for them.”

  “Liam’s also perfected shifter blood transfusions of late. He has a good amount of blood from the two strongest shifter lines in stock, both from Ivanson Castle and our own keep.” He stroked down her back. “Our resident doctor needs to see this letter. Take a picture of this and the license and send it all through to both him and the chief.”

  “Will do.” She snapped the pictures needed and fired them away.

  He lifted his nose and caught the distinct musk of human males, three separate notes belonging to three separate men. Rising, he stood firmly in front of Bella and waited for the coming men to arrive.

  “Try and relax.” From behind him, she slid her hand under his t-shirt and hooked it around his waist, her forearm firm against his belly and her nose pressed to his back. Quietly, she murmured, “The full moon is now rising and escalating your emotions. Your barriers are down by the way, all the way down.”

  “I need to get you out of here.” He wasn’t going to haul his shields back up, not when she’d moved so quickly to touch him after sensing his riled emotions. That he needed, to the depths of his very soul.

  “They’re not bears, only you are. You shouldn’t be this worried.” She slid her fingers just under the front fastening of his pants, his shirt thankfully hiding sight of what she did and her extremely possessive touch calming him as nothing else could.

  “I’m not wearing any underwear, Bella, so lower your hand any further and you’re going to encounter hard flesh.”

  “Is that right?” A teasing answer as she lifted her hand back out and spread her fingers wide across his abs. She petted him, each of her slow and satisfying strokes keeping the snarl he wished to release from bursting free of his lips.

  “You better damn well be mine.” Soft words that went no further than her, the stillness of the night broken only by the footsteps of the men as they closed in. So close now.

  “I hope you’re mine as well.” She scraped her fingers gently along his skin, her warm breath fanning his back through his shirt. “Have I ever told you I want lots of cubs?”

  “I’m not surprised you do.”

  “Do you want lots of cubs too?” Such husky words, like a siren’s call to both him and his bear.

  “Aye, as many as my mate is willing to give me.”

  “Does half a dozen sound a little overwhelming?” She scraped her fingers up his chest and across his flat nipples, which for some reason stiffened them, and who the hell knew they’d be that sensitive to a woman’s touch. “I’m going to want my mate to bed me often, and keep me satisfied in the most elemental way. A lot of cubs are going to come from that kind of love.”

  “That doesn’t sound overwhelming at all, and rein in all the sexy talk. I’m getting as hard as a damn spike.” She was going to send him insane for sure, then he’d be bringing out the claws when the operatives arrived and tearing into them. They’d only have to look at her the wrong way and he’d bare their blood.

  “It’s the full moon’s fault. I’m never this chatty, frisky and needy all at once.” She rubbed against his back, her breasts poking into his shirt and her own nipples just as stiff as his since they scraped so sensually against him.

  “Back up a little, Bella.” Only the men broke free of the trees with torches in hand, and he snagged her arms wrapped around him and kept her firmly at his back. Overhead, the skies had gone completely black, and attired in camouflage pants and black muscle tees with their weapons slung over their shoulders, the men strode directly toward him.

  The man at the head, clearly the leader, nodded at him. “Manning informed us you’d be here. I’m Guy MacDonald. Find anything of interest during your search?”

  “We certainly did.” Bella snuck her arms out of his tight hold and eased out from behind him. She handed the evidence they’d collected across to MacDonald. “I’ve already sent pictures of this license and the letter to my chief, as well as to our clan doctor. The two men in question are Logan and Heylin Matthews, twin brothers aged twenty-seven, and both being treated for stage four prostate cancer.”

  “We’ll liaise with your chief and share any new information directly with him if and when it comes to hand.” MacDonald motioned for the other two operatives with him to search the vehicle. “You have our thanks for capturing the rogues.”

  “It’s all part of a day’s work,” he answered for both him and Bella, and with his bear fairly tearing him up inside—his need to get Bella away from these men riding him hard—he steered her swiftly away from the operatives and back along the trail. Hell, he really shouldn’t be in this much of a mess, his emotions so on edge, but kissing her earlier and smothering her in his scent had heightened his feral need for her all the more.

  “I can sense you’re riding the edge, so whatever you need simply state it.” She ducked under a low branch, a strand of her hair snagging on it and fluttering free.

  He snatched the strand out of the air before it could wisp away on the breeze and tucked it into his pocket without her thankfully noticing. “Keeping you away from any men I consider a threat is all that’s needed.”

  “Well, you’re doing a fine job of that already.” She strode ahead and the moon’s golden light bathed her in its ethereal glow and made his heart clench in on itself.

  One in thirty-seven, he mumbled to himself. There’s only the minutest chance she’s yours.

  “How about we both shift together later tonight? You can have me all to yourself in the woods.” She glanced at him over her shoulder, her lips lifting in a mischievousness smile. “I haven’t had the chance to let my bear out for a proper play yet, and she desperately wishes to have some fun, and preferably with you.”

  “Since the rogues have been caught”—he patted the last vial of sedative secured in his pocket—“I’m going to stick to my earlier plan and have an early night. You’ll have to shift alone.” There wasn’t a chance he’d take the risk of shifting with her in his current mood. He’d also—since she’d moved into the room across from his chamber—taken his fair share of sedatives over the years and tonight a sedative was definitely needed.

  “Scaredy-cat.”

  “I’m a bear, not a cat, and my beast toppled you to the ground earlier. If it weren’t for the rogues turning up, he might very well have tried to have his wicked way with you.” They broke free of the tree line and he escorted her to the passenger’s side, closed the door after she’d seated herself then came around and slid behind the wheel.

  The short drive back took no time at all and once he’d parked in the lot and turned the ignition off, he faced her. “I apologize for being rough earlier.” Possessive was more like it. “Do you forgive me?”

  “I honestly didn’t mind you being a little rough.” She wriggled around and faced him, the richness of the black leather interior surrounding her. “In all truth, I may have even liked it.”

  “We clearly need to step back from each other for a bit, insert some space so to speak.” He couldn’t push her about like that again. She was a woman and deserved to be treated with respect and reverence.

  “We’re kin, pack, and the best of friends.” She reached out a hand and cupped his jaw. Gently, she stroked her fingers back and forth along his cheek then trailed one fingertip along his lower lip.

  “Your touch is so incredibly mesmerizing.” He desperately wanted more of it.

  “Touching as we’ve done today is necessary for shifters.”

  “Kissing isn’t.”

  “It is between mates, and you never know, you might be mine.” Smiling, she unzipped his jacket and shrugged it off. Passing it to him, she murmured, “Thanks for the loan of this. Let’s go eat. I’m famished.”

  “You forgive far too quickly.”

  “Like I already said, I truly didn’t mind your roughness.” She pushed her door open, closed it with a clunk then sauntered toward the front door of the B&B.

  He locked the SUV and marched after her. Sliding his jacket on, he got immersed in her heavenly lily scent and his bear rolled around within him at the decadent pleasure. Absolutely perfect, yet also absolutely intolerable. His heart twisted painfully inside his chest.

  What he wouldn’t give to ensure she was his.

  One in an agonizing thirty-seven weren’t the best of odds.

  Those he could never forget.

  Chapter 4

  Sailing along Loch Alsh, 1211.

  As Annabella and Jamie sailed along Loch Alsh toward the underground caves near the headland, Annabella stood plastered against him, her lips a mere breath from his as she awaited his answer. “Please kiss me, Jamie. Dinnae deny me any longer.”

  “I wish to kiss you, but should I start, I willnae wish to stop.” His arms banded tighter around her, his hold so deliciously firm.

  Never had another warrior from their fae village ever instilled this kind of desire within her, and even before they’d discovered their mated bond had taken form on the last full moon, she’d still known without a doubt that he was hers. Looking deep into his eyes, she wanted only to drown in the dark shimmering depths. “I have no issue if you dinnae wish to stop.”

  “We arena anticipating our wedding night, if that’s what you’re asking. One more fortnight. That’s all we must wait.”

  “You are far too stubborn for your own good.”

  “One of must—hold on.” A large wave loomed and he held onto both her and the ropes as they sailed over the foamy white crest then came down hard on the other side.

  Spray washed over the sides and she barely kept her feet under her. She surely would’ve fallen overboard if she hadn’t been holding onto her chosen one and he holding onto her. “Dinnae let go of me.”

  “I’ll never let go of you, and we’re almost at the beach which leads to the inland caves you wish to visit.”

  Up ahead, a white sand beach curved around a bay surrounded by a jagged rock wall and a river gushing into the swirling incoming tide to one side. “Have you explored the caves afore?”

  “Aye, the main cavern holds a pool of hot water.”

  “Oh, I’d dearly love a swim.”

  “If you wish, you may.” Jamie adjusted the angle of the sail and sent them cruising toward land. As his skiff skirted the waves rolling into shore, he dropped the sail then bounded into the knee-deep water and heaved the boat half up onto the sand. He held out his arms to her where the surf crashed in. “Jump. There’s no need for you to get wet.”

  “As you wish.” She’d adored having his arms around her as they’d sailed, detested it when he’d let her go. She jumped and he caught her with a chuckle and swung her onto the dry sand before securing his skiff to a boulder with the mooring rope.

  With the wind plastering his billowy white shirt to his wide chest, his muscles bunching and his dark hair breezing about, he joined her and caught her hands, and for the first time in a very long time, his natural fae shields within his mind fully lowered. His emotions pulsed free and she couldn’t help but grab ahold of them and dissect each one.

  He wanted her, and with a depth of need he’d never allowed her to see before.

  It was a need which reverberated just as strongly within her.

  She wanted to complete their bond this very night, when the full moon rose, not to wait until they spoke vows in a fortnight’s time, and for some strange reason she feared if she allowed either of them to wait that length of time, it might very well be the worst mistake they ever made.

  She needed to seduce him this day, by whatever means she could.

  Aye, she wanted her mate, for them to be as one, from this day forth.

  Chapter 5

  Bella thanked Greer for the delicious dinner meal. The roast beef had been cooked to perfection, the sautéed potatoes and buttered carrots mouthwatering. Still, she had so much she wished to do this night, including relaxing in the bath before shifting in order to appease her inner bear.

  She pushed her chair back from the dining table, the meal having been a celebration of sorts now the rogue bears had been taken away. “Thank you for the meal, Greer. It was delicious as usual.”

  “You’re most welcome.” Smiling, Greer sipped her tea, while Gordon stirred sugar in his coffee, the bay window overlooking the clearing beyond the dining room bathed in golden moonlight.

  She moved in behind Jamie and squeezed his shoulders. “Sleep well. Don’t let the bed bugs bite.”

  “There’ll be no bed bugs biting me, or for that matter any other animals.” He covered one of her hands on his shoulder, his guilt at his sheer dominance of earlier rolling off him.

  “Then you’d best keep your door locked if you want the other animals to remain out.” Teasing words she murmured in his ear, and since she couldn’t help herself, she popped a kiss on the top of his head, the affectionate touch one he needed and the soft rumble he emitted, clear proof as well. Aye, he might feel bad about what had happened earlier between them, but Jamie had always intrigued her, made her heart beat faster and even though she’d never truly acted upon those desires until now, she couldn’t help but want more with him. One in thirty-seven. Surely the odds were better than that considering the intense feelings she’d always had for him. Whether he was near or not, he’d always consumed her mind.

  With another quick squeeze of his shoulder, she left him behind and trod upstairs, opened his bedroom door instead of hers and snuck one of his t-shirts from his duffel—the marbled gray cotton one. It was his favorite, slightly worn along the cuffs and hem, but it held his scent even though it had been washed before he’d packed it. Certainly after wearing his jacket and having to hand it back, she’d missed being wrapped up in his scent. His heavenly aroma was like a drug. Once taken in, quickly desired again, and the best remedy to keep that addiction at bay was to have his scent on her since the man had no intention of providing that himself.

  She wandered into the bathroom joining their rooms, flicked the lock on the door on his side then stuffed his shirt under her nose and breathed in his mind-shattering scent a second time. So warm and spicy, the sweetest allure she wanted more of.

  We clearly need to step back from each other for a bit, insert some space so to speak.

  Not happening. She wouldn’t allow it, only now she needed to figure out a way to ensure he understood that too. She wanted more with him, no matter she was still a month shy of her bear’s full maturity.

  In the bathroom, she set his t-shirt on the vanity, plugged the bath and dribbled lily bubble bath under the steady stream of hot water pouring from the spout. Boots kicked off and jeans and tank top stripped away, she sank into the luxurious water, the bubbles a decadent foam around her neck.

  How was she to make certain he couldn’t step away from her, and insert that space he wanted to? Seduce him perhaps? Hmm, she was totally up for that, and she did have her current location to her advantage. He certainly couldn’t run away from her here, or at least not as easily as he could once they returned to Matheson Castle.

  Through the window above the vanity, moonlight beamed in and she raised her bubbly hands and played them through the air, the light reflecting off in sparkly bursts. There was nothing more beautiful than a full moon and its heady draw. Aye, she most definitely had her current location and this one magical night in which to lure him to her.

  “Bella?” Jamie’s grumpy voice rasped through the door. “You’ve been in my room. Why?”

  “I pinched one of your shirts.” She cleared her throat. “I missed having your scent on me.”

  “I see.” He cleared his own throat, then went strangely quiet.

  With a deep fortifying breath, she focused her skill on the man standing on the other side of the door. “Do you want to join me in the bath? It’s plenty big enough for two and I know you can pick that lock in a second. I’m also fairly decent since I’m covered in a mound of bubbles.”