Wolf Castle (Phoenix Throne Book 4): A Scottish Highlander Time Travel Romance Read online

  What did time care if she got transported centuries away from where she belonged? What did time care if Hazel Green zapped her to some crazy version of Scotland, where werewolves and vampires battled for their lives?

  She lingered there. Now, for the first time, she could separate herself from her experience. She no longer suffered the sting of losing so many patients. She did what she did. She couldn’t save them, and she no longer attached her identity to doing so. She wasn’t a doctor anymore. She was nothing more than another person fighting for survival out here.

  At that moment, two iron muscled arms snaked around her chest. They pinned her arms down and grappled her into an irresistible grip. She struggled for an instant until Lachlan’s voice whispered in her ear. “Come tae me, lassie. Come tae me now out ’ere. None need ken aboot it. Slip off wi’ me out intae the dark.”

  He mouthed her ear, and his hot words blazed a path into her brain. For an instant, she relaxed. It was only him and not some marauding monster out to devour her.

  He released his hold on her, and his hands glided up her arms. He rubbed and caressed her shoulders and around to her chest. “Aye, lassie,” he breathed. “Ye ken ye want tae come wi’ me. Come out, and I’ll make ye mine. Ye ken ye will.”

  She caught her breath. “I can’t, Lachlan. I already told you I can’t.”

  He didn’t let her go. He burrowed his ravenous mouth into her neck. “I cinnae wait a moment lainger. I mun’ ha’e ye tae meself. I mun’ take ye fer me own this very night, or I’ll no be responsible fer the consequences. Come tae me, me own sweet lassie. I mun’ ha’e ye now afore we go a step further.”

  She fought her way back to her senses. His touch set her blood on fire, but she had to keep her head. “Let me go, Lachlan.”

  “Ye want that wolf, lassie? Do ye want it? Do ye want tae belaing tae a wolf and ha’e him take ye out intae the woods? Is that what ye want?”

  He slid his hand farther down to her stomach. He shoved her back into his hips, and he pressed his hardness into her from behind. That sharp spike electrified her enough to break his grip. She sprang out of his arms and spun around to face him. “No, Lachlan! I already told you I can’t.”

  He took a step toward her. “Ye can, lassie. Ye can and ye will. Dinnae tell me ye cinnae when ye ken ye want tae as much as I. Do ye think I didnae feel ye respond tae me just now? Ye want it. Ye can tell me.”

  “Whatever I feel for you, Lachlan,” she replied, “you and I will never go there. I can’t, and I already explained why. Don’t try to touch me like that again, and don’t invite me to go out with you like that. I won’t go, and you’ll only spoil our friendship if you try.”

  He stood up straight. “Our friendship? Is that the way it is?”

  “I don’t know why I have to keep repeating it,” she replied. “I already gave you my answer. If you don’t want to be friends, then we’re going to have a problem.”

  He took a step toward her, and this time, his presence startled her out of her wits. She prepared to fight with everything she had—not against any vampire, but against him, the man she thought she could trust.

  “We’ll ne’er be friends,” he snarled. “Ne’er. Do ye hear? Ye’ll come one way or t’other. Do ye hear? Ye’ll come. I’ll see to it.”

  He stormed off, back to the fire. Her shoulders slumped, and her knees turned to rubber. She cradled her head in her hand. “Great,” she murmured. “Just great.”

  How did the greatest blessing of her life in this place turn into her greatest nightmare in the blink of an eye? What was she supposed to do now to get away from him? She had nowhere to go and no one to protect her from him.

  The instant that thought entered her mind, a twig snapped out in the forest. She whirled around. There stood Callum, just beyond the limit of her sight. Moonlight shimmered around his hair and his shoulders. She couldn’t see his eyes in the dark. “How long have you been standing there?”

  He moved into the open where she could see him in the moonlight. “I heard, and I saw.”

  “And you just stood there and watched? I guess you would have stood there and watched whatever he did. You wouldn’t do anything to stop him.”

  “I would ha’e, but ye stopped him yerself. I watched tae see. I would ha’e stepped out, but I didnae ha’e tae.”

  She wilted before him. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. I’m just on edge. That’s all.”

  He moved into her orbit. “How laing has he been like this?”

  “Like what?” she asked. “Do you mean how long has he been after me?”

  “I mean how laing has he said ye’d come and ye’d no be friends?”

  “This is the first time. He always backed down before. I guess he’s tired of waiting.”

  Callum studied her. The dark circles where his eyes should have been peered into her soul. “Ye cinnae stay ’ere. Ye mun’ get away o’ him afore he makes another move like that one. He’ll no back down again.”

  “I have nowhere to go,” she replied. “I’m stuck here. You should know that. You won’t stay here forever, and one of these times, he’ll try it without you standing by to watch. He’ll overpower me, and that’ll be it. I’ll be his property for life.”

  Callum paced a few steps away and stopped with his back to her. What was he thinking about? She cast a glance back at the fire. She didn’t want to go back there, but she couldn’t spend the night out here in the cold, either.

  Callum spun around. He walked up to her so fast he scared her. This man was capable of anything. “Ye’ll come wi’ me. I’ll take ye out o’ ’ere. I’ll take ye back tae…tae me own country. It’s the ainly way.”

  “What?” she gasped.

  “Why no?” he asked. “Ye cinnae stay ’ere. Ye come back tae me brother’s kingdom. Yer friends’re there. We’ll protect ye. These McLeans…. weel, they’ll make trouble fer us. I ha’e no doubt o’ that, but we’ll see tae’t. We’re no so helpless as all that.”

  Her mind raced. She really could get out of here. He threw her a lifeline, the way she imagined he would. Another life waited for her, somewhere far away from this. “What about Jamie? You can’t leave him here.”

  “I’ll no leave him ’ere. He’ll come home wi’ us.”

  “How?” she asked. “You can’t carry him the whole way. The McLeans would catch up to you.”

  “They’ll no catch up tae us,” he murmured.

  “What makes you so sure?”

  He opened his mouth to say something. He closed it without answering.

  “Callum,” she whispered.

  “Dinnae say naught,” he replied. “I’ll tell Jamie later. I dinnae ken when I’ll get a chance tae speak tae him withoot the McLeans o’erhearin’, but I’ll do it. As soon as he understands, we’ll go. It’s that simple, but we mun’ all three go taegether.”

  She tried to smile and burst out laughing instead. “Oh, thank you, Callum. I’ll never forget this.” Before she knew what she was doing, she threw her arms around him. She hugged him and kissed him on the cheek, she was so happy and grateful.

  To her surprise, he froze in her embrace. He jerked away. “Ye mun’ no do that. Ye mun’ ne’er do that.”

  “Why?” she asked. “You kissed me on the roof, and now you’re telling me not to touch you. What’s going on? Don’t you want me anymore?”

  He shook his head. “Ye dinnae understand, and ye’ll no understand until the time comes tae leave. Once that happens, ye’ll understand all too weel. Until then, ye mun’ no touch me like that. I cinnae stand it.”

  “But why?” she cried. “What’s so horrible about me that you would push me away like this? Why did you kiss me if I’m so repulsive to you?”

  “Ye’re no repulsive tae me. I cinnae explain it.”

  “Try. Just tell me why. That’s all I ask. Once I understand, I’ll be able to leave you alone, but I have to understand why.”

  He let out a shaky breath. His big shaggy head fell on his chest. “Oh,
lassie. Do ye ken what ye’re doin’ tae me?”

  That name pierced her soul. He never called her that before. She ached for him to call her that, but he always held himself back. Now she heard all the tortured desire and longing rasping in his voice.

  She couldn’t hold back. She wanted him too much, and now she knew for certain he wanted her to. She rushed him and threw her arms around him all over again. “Tell me what’s going on, Callum. Tell me the truth. I can’t leave with you if you don’t tell me.”

  Before she finished speaking, he was all over her. He mauled her mouth in desperate kisses. She sucked the passion off his lips. She wanted his whole big strong self, and now she had him. He gobbled at her mouth, and his tongue sizzled inside. He sparked her deepest desires, and her nectar bubbled between her legs.

  He hardened against her, and his meaty paws groped her all over. He squeezed her ass through her skirts and massaged her breasts through her shirt. She gave herself over into his hands. She reveled in the unstoppable ecstasy of finally giving herself to a man she really wanted.

  Lachlan could never excite her like this. The same kisses from a different man did nothing to ignite her passions. Now they all burst their banks to attack him with arms, legs, lips, and body.

  Chapter 14

  Explosions rocked Callum’s brain. He summoned all his strength to comprehend what was happening. He was kissing Sadie Cole in the dark somewhere on the Isle of Mull. He tried to push her away, but his hands only gripped her tighter. Her mouth intoxicated him beyond measure.

  Her delicate hands touched his most sensitive spots. She stroked his chest through his shirt. She wrapped her slender arms around his waist and pull him into herself.

  He had to get himself under control. He had to stop this before it went any further. He couldn’t stop it, though. He couldn’t control his own hands. He could order them to stay away from her leg wrapping around his hip. He could command his mouth not to gnaw down her neck or nibble her breasts through her dress.

  Nothing worked. He had to do it. He had to hoist her off her feet and position her around his waist. He had to drive up into her with his hard prick. He had to push her against a tree until she moaned and squeaked in excited passion.

  His muscles made light work of her trim body. He swept his hands under her skirts and found her ripe and inviting when he touched her flesh. He tossed his kilt aside. A few more inches, and he would have her.

  She bit his lip hard. Pain rocked his brain. He bellowed in feral rage. He would have driven into her with all his might when, out of the fog of rampant lust, he caught sight of her eyes staring up at him.

  Her desire shone out of her skin and eyes and hair. Her rosy lips pouted open in hunger for his kiss. Her pupils dilated to catch the moonlight. He never wanted her more than right now, but he froze in surprise instead.

  She tried to spur him on. She gripped him tight around the middle. She squeezed him between her milky immaculate thighs. He could crawl inside her and die happy, but something made him stop.

  He couldn’t take her under false pretenses. He couldn’t take her at all when she didn’t know what he was. He cared about her too much. He admired her and respected her. If she didn’t want him as an Urlu, he didn’t want her at all.

  He eased off and dropped her feet to the ground. He stared into her startled eyes from inches away. His breath caught in his throat. His whole body throbbed for her, but he couldn’t—not like this.

  He kissed her in long, luxurious, delicious kisses. He tasted her mouth to sear it into his memory. Then he backed off another fraction of an inch so her skirts fell around her legs to hide her secret treasure from the world.

  “What’s wrong?” she whispered. “Why don’t you want me?”

  “I want ye,” he murmured back. “Ye dinnae ken how I want ye, lass, but I dare no take ye like this. Ye wouldnae if ye kenned….”

  “If I knew what?” she asked. “How can I choose if you don’t tell me?”

  He shook his head. “This is the way it is. Ye’ll see. Ye’ll see when I take ye home, and then ye’ll understand. I cinnae leave ye ’ere, and I cinnae take ye withoot ye seein’ fer yerself. Once ye do that, we’ll ha’e no more secrets. Ye’ll ken, and then ye’ll understand why I cinnae claim ye as me own. That’s all I can say.”

  “I want you,” she blurted out. “I want you no matter what it is.”

  He let his chin fall on his chest, and he shook his head one more time. He couldn’t make her understand. “Ye’ll no want it when ye find out. Perhaps ye’ll decide tae stay ’ere wi’ Lachlan after all. I dinnae ken.”

  “I won’t. I don’t know what it is, but I’ll go with you. I won’t stay with Lachlan.”

  “Then this can ne’er be.” He kissed her one more time. “It’s impossible.”

  “Didn’t you say Elle and Carmen and Hazel married your brothers? Why is it impossible?”

  “I dinnae ken. I cinnae be one o’ ’em. I dinnae understand it, but I feel it ’ere.” He laid his hand on his chest. “I wish I had Fergus’s sight, but I dinnae ha’e naught but me own heart tae tell me.”

  Her voice cracked when she tried to speak “Don’t do this, Callum. Don’t turn me away when I want you so bad.”

  He kissed her, maybe for the last time. His heart broke when she looked at him like that. “I want ye, too, lass. I want ye more than me own life. I dinnae want tae live withoot ye, but I mun’ do what I ken tae be right. I’ll take ye out o’ ’ere. I’ll steal ye away o’ Lachlan, but no fer meself. I’ll take ye where ye’ll be safe, and that’s all I can do.”

  He stepped away and took her hand. “Come. We’ll gang back there fer the night, and I’ll wager Lachlan doesnae try naught afore mornin’ at the earliest. Ye’ll be awright until I can talk tae Jamie and arrange it.”

  He escorted her back to the fire. She selected a place for herself away from the McLean brothers and the Cameron brothers. She positioned herself with the women. As long as she stayed there, Lachlan wouldn’t come near her.

  Callum resumed his place next to Jamie. Jamie tossed in his slumber and whimpered in pain. That leg got significantly worse as the day wore on. Was the vampire’s infection taking hold right now?

  Callum had to take him back to Urlu. He needed Hazel’s magic to cure Jamie of the bite. He no longer cared about visiting Cameron lands or seeing his old friends and family. He cared about two things: Jamie and Sadie.

  What would Angus say when Callum showed up with her? For that matter, what would Sadie say when he transformed into a dragon right in front of her? Once she understood she was going to live in a country of dragons, she might change her tune in a hurry.

  Why in heaven’s name couldn’t he believe she would accept him? Elle and Carmen and Hazel accepted it, so why not Sadie, too? Carmen never knew Angus was an Urlu when they fell in love. They both found out after the fact. Robbie and Elle didn’t talk much about the way she found out, but neither of them knew ahead of time, either. It just happened to them.

  Then there was Hazel. She knew Fergus was an Urlu, but she became Urlu herself. She couldn’t exactly persist in hating Urlus when she was one of them, could she?

  Sadie represented a different case altogether. He couldn’t love her without telling her, and he couldn’t bank on her accepting it. If anything, he had to bank on her screaming and running the opposite way to get away from him.

  He cringed at the thought, but he knew what he had to do. He couldn’t leave Sadie to Lachlan’s predations. He would rather die. He would save her, even if it meant he never touched her again.

  His heart screamed for her. He wanted so much more than her body. Why couldn’t he make her his the way Angus and Robbie and Fergus made their true loves theirs? What if she accepted him and wanted him and admired him the way Carmen admired Angus? Did he dare hope for that?

  He couldn’t hope. He had to do this with pure motives, not out of some vain agenda of taking her body. He had to go ahead with his plan. Whatever t
he future held, he had to be ready for the worst.

  He crooked his elbow under his head and waited for morning. He would break the news to Jamie the first chance he got, but that might prove difficult with the day ahead. He wouldn’t carry Jamie any further. Two other men would have to carry him, and that meant Jamie would never be alone all day.

  Callum planned his day down to the minute. He would stick close to Jamie and watch for the slightest opportunity. The instant he informed Jamie, he would break the news to Sadie. She would make her choice, for good or ill. If she chose to leave, he would transform into a dragon and take her on his back. He and Jamie would launch, and they would fly home to Urlu. End of story.

  If only he could escape right now, he would transform, snatch up Sadie, and fly away with Jamie on his tail. They would race through the clouds and be home in time for supper.

  That wouldn’t happen, though. He had to do this right if he wanted to get Sadie out. He couldn’t scare her into Lachlan’s arms. Whether or not he won her in the end, he carried a responsibility to her right now. He couldn’t return to Urlu without her. The other three women would never let him live it down if he did.

  The first streaks of grey lightened the sky, and the party roused from their sleep. Children cried. Some ran around the stones and played while their mothers worked to break camp. The cook served breakfast.

  Callum sat next to Jamie and waited. Even in the hullaballoo of all these people waking up, he couldn’t break his silence. He had to pick his moment. He caught sight of Sadie in the throng. She sat to one side on a bundle of clothes, and Callum’s jaw dropped.

  She wore the same puffy-sleeved shirt, but baggy pants took the place of her dress. A leather belt cinched around her waist. Black boots came up to her knees, and she sharpened a saber across her lap in long, smooth strokes.

  Callum sat up straight and stared at her. He saw enough of fighting women to recognize one when he saw one. He never thought he would see that angel from the Tower House dressed like that, but somehow, it all made sense. He should have known she harbored that strength and determination under her dress and apron.