ROMANCE: BIKER ROMANCE: Werewolf Rider (MC Shifter Pregnancy Romance) (New Adult Paranormal Romance Short Stories) (154 page)

“Aye,” Shona nodded. “But I couldn’t just let them kill you.”

“But why?” Kian persisted. “As far as you knew, I was just an animal in the wood.”

“There was something different about you,” Shona tried to explain. “Something that made me want to protect you.”

Kian smiled. “Curious.”

“What is?” Shona asked.

Kian shook his head. “Nothing,” he said as he checked the fish roasting on the spit. “Are you going to tell me
why
you were in disguise?”

Shona sighed. “I was leaving Kinross, and I wasn’t going to be able to leave without covering up my identity.”

              Kian’s eyes rose in a question. Shona hesitated for a moment but she answered his unspoken question. “My last name is Macfie of clan Macfie.”

“Why would Lord Macfie’s daughter wish to leave her home and family?” Kian asked curiously.

              “Because I am not really apart of the family,” Shona replied. “I am illegitimate.” The words tasted bitter as they came out of her mouth but Kian’s expression did not change and that gave her some measure of comfort. “I was tired of being an outsider in my own home. It was only then that I realized Kinross was never going to be my home. That was when I decided to leave. The night I first met you was the night I made the decision.”

“Do you regret leaving?” Kian asked.

“No.”

“Then ‘twas the right decision.”

Shona smiled. “Are you going to tell me…?”

“About my condition?” Kian finished for her.

“Aye.”

              “It is a tale fit for legend,” Kian said making light of the story before his face fell into seriousness. “Before my mother, my father was betrothed to another. She was a lady from a noble family and she was said to possess great powers. My father believed none of this however, which was perhaps the reason he allowed himself to fall in love with another.”

“Your mother?” Shona guessed.

“Aye,” Kian nodded. “He cast aside his betrothed because of the love he held for my mother and they were married instead.”

Shona was beginning to understand. “She cursed you?”

              “She cursed my mother,” Kian replied. “Not only would her first born transform into an animal each night, but she would never have any more children. She wanted to make sure that Clan Maclver would die after my father. She knew that I could never lead the clan in my condition.”

“Clan Maclver?” Shona breathed. “You are…”

“Kian Maclver,” he replied. “Of clan Maclver.”

              Shona nodded as she processed that, realizing just how much was at stake for Kian. In one sense she felt a kinship sit between them. She might be illegitimate where he was not, but they were both outsiders who had no control over their fates.

“That must be a great weight on your shoulders,” Shona breathed. “Can nothing be done?”

              “They took me to see a healer on the other side of Scotland when I was a boy and my transformations had just begun. She took my father’s money and gave me potions that changed nothing. Then she turned up at the castle threatening to tell the clan of my plight if we did not give her money and land. After that, my parents were so terrified that people would find out that they kept my condition a secret.”

“What happened to the false healer?” Shona asked.

Kian turned his head down. “I have a fairly good idea, because she disappeared for good after that.”

“And now?”

              “And now my father is ailing badly,” Kian said his eyes growing distance, weighted down by sadness and worry. “I don’t know how long he will linger… but it won’t be for long. And then…. I don’t know what will become of us. Clan Maclver will perish and another will rise in its place.”

              Shona saw the look on his face when he said the words and she knew that the loss of his clan was a knife in his chest. She wondered how he felt, knowing where he belonged and yet being barred from the future that was rightfully his. She watched as he leaned forward and gingerly removed the fish from atop the fire. It was obvious he had years of practice.

“Do you know who you are?” Shona asked. “Even when you’re a stag?”

“I do,” Kian nodded. “It is part of my curse. I can never forget who I am.”

              Shona had never been given many choices in life. She was born as the daughter of a great lord and though he had not been unkind to her, he had never treated her as he did his other children. No matter what she did, she could not change that. Looking at Kian now, she wondered if she had the power to help him.

“Kian?”

“Aye?”

“Do you want to be clan chief after your father?” she asked seriously as their eyes locked onto one another.

He nodded. “Aye, I do.”

Shona nodded. “Then I will try to help you,” she said with determination.

He wrinkled his brows, surprised at her bold claim. “How can you help?”

              “I have a book that might help me,” Shona admitted. The moment the words were out of mouth she realized that her bag was strapped to Frasier’s side and she had left both behind when she had raced after the men on the hunt.

“What’s wrong?” Kian asked immediately.

“I left my things back at the campsite,” Shona said shaking her head in frustration. “The book among them.”

“Don’t worry lass,” he said. “I’ll make sure you get that book back.”

              His smile was wide and uninhibited, Shona found it hard to turn her eyes away from him. She kept trying to make sense of the charged atmosphere that surrounded the both of them but she was scared of what she might discover.

“What’s on your mind lass?” Kian’s voice cut through her thoughts.

“Just dreams I’ve been having of late,” Shona replied honestly.

“Dreams of a stag?”

Shona looked up fast. “How did you know that?”

He smiled. “I’ve been having dreams myself of late.”

“What are they about?”

“A beautiful lass with flaming red hair,” he answered.

              Shona felt a blush creeping up her cheeks. She accepted the piece of fish he passed to her without meeting his eye. “Have you really been dreaming of me?”

“Aye,” Kian replied in all seriousness. “I thought they were just dreams… and then I saw you in the forests that day and I knew it was you I had been dreaming of.”

“How is that possible?” Shona asked. “We’ve never met before.”

“Aye,” Kian nodded. “But perhaps we were always meant to.”

“I never believed in fate,” Shona said as she chewed on her fish. It was salty and warm and smelled of home.

“I would reconsider lass.” Kian asked. “Fate is sitting at this campfire between us. How else could you explain our strange meeting?”

Shona smiled absentmindedly as her thoughts flitted over the last few days. “Perhaps you’re right,” she conceded.

“I am right,” Kian said as he rose. “And I’ll prove it to you in time. For now, we should get moving.”

“Where are we going?” Shona asked.

“To Elsick castle,” Kian replied as he held out his hand for Shona.

Chapter Seven

              Elsick castle was similar to Northwick castle. It had high walls, towers, crenelated battlements and walls that were made of grey stone. The keep was considerably larger however and its construction was slightly more sophisticated. Shona could tell immediately that Kian was intensely proud of it.

              They walked through the castle’s wide, airy corridors until they reached the apothecary. It was larger than the one that Shona was used to but it was significantly more disorganized. Shona walked around the tables and store cupboards realizing that they had been severely neglected.

“We haven’t had luck with our healers,” Kian explained. “They stay but a moon’s turn and then they’re gone.”

“You’ve got a wealth of ingredients here,” Shona pointed out. “More than we had at Northwick Castle.”

“It means nothing if there’s no healer here to make use of them,” Kian said looking around. “Sometimes I wonder if that wasn’t a part of the curse too.”

Shona turned to him. “I can’t promise to get rid of this curse completely, but I can at least give it my best try.”

Kian smiled. “Thank you Shona.”

Shona dipped her head down in response.

“What do you need?” Kian asked as he moved closer.

              Shona felt her nerves creep up on her and she wondered momentarily what had given her the courage to offer to come up with a cure for Kian’s condition. Her own resolve surprised her and she wondered if her infatuation with Kian’s wild Highland features did not have something to do with it. She shook the thought from her head and focused her attention on Kian’s warm, brown eyes.

“I’ll need garlic and oxgall,” Shona replied. “The oxgall will need to be fresh.”

Kian nodded as he took in her instructions. “What else?”

“Rosemary leaves and anise seeds,” Shona said after some thought. “I don’t know if I’ll use them… but I’ll need them here if I decide to.”

Kian shuffled around the space. “I think we have everything but the oxgall.”

              “Good,” Shona said as he handed her a jar filled with anise seeds. “I will have to work blind. I’m going to use ingredients based on the remedies I’ve worked with before. Rosemary to ease pain, anise seeds for resilience and oxgall for physical strength.”

“That sounds… like a difficult job,” Kian said as he eyed the ingredients Shona had laid out in front of her.

“Aye,” she nodded. “But there is no other way.”

              Shona spent the rest of the day sorting through the apothecary and arranging everything into their respective store cupboards. Kian stayed with her, acting as her helper as he spoke about his life and all the complications that came from living with his condition.

“I could never get close to anyone,” Kian said. “I knew I could never share my secret with them and that meant I spent most of my life alone.”

“I know what that feels like,” Shona said. “Loneliness is the worst feeling in the world.”

“Aye,” Kian nodded. “It can easily turn you bitter if you let it. It might have nearly consumed me if…”

He trailed off making Shona curious.

“If...?” she nudged.

“If I hadn’t started dreaming of you,” he finished, a shyness creeping into his tone.

Shona wrinkled her brows together. “How long have you been having those dreams Kian?”

“Nigh on two years now,” he replied.

Shona could only stare at him in shock. “That long?”

“Aye,” he nodded. “They kept me sane.”

“Is that why…” Shona said mostly to herself.

“What?”

Shona looked up. “I feel as though I have known you for years.”

Kian smiled. “Tis exactly how I feel as well.”

              Shona didn’t bother asking how that was possible. Her belief had expanded greatly in the last day or so. It was amazing how much more mysterious and intricate the world seemed to her now. Around midday, Kian excused himself and disappeared into his large castle. Shona tried to ignore the creeping feeling of emptiness that snuck up on her the moment he left the room, as though all the light had been sucked from her world.

              Shona shook her head and chastised herself harshly. Kian was a Maclver; he was heir to his clan and son of a great Lord. She was just the bastard daughter of one and that difference could not be overlooked. She threw herself into her work, repeating to herself that their dreams meant nothing. It was just wishful thinking on the part of two young people whose loneliness had all but consumed them.

              When Kian came back that evening, Shona noticed a tired old bag hanging from his shoulder. She darted to him in amazement. “How –

“The delivery party from Kinross just arrived,” Kian, replied.

“Of course,” Shona said having completely forgotten about the supplies and horses they were bringing down for Lord Maclver. “How did you manage to get it away from them?”

“I made sure the men had plenty of ale after their long journey,” Kian replied with a smirk. “They didn’t notice a thing.”

              Shona removed the book from her underskirt and flipped through its pages. She happened upon a remedy that would prevent a foreign illness from taking hold. “I didn’t understand this when I first saw this remedy,” she said to Kian. “But I’m hoping this is exactly what you need.”

She moved to the table where she had set out all her ingredients and examined everything. “I should be able to make a batch of the remedy in a few days.”

“You’re a Godsend,” he said with a smile. “And I wish I could stay –

“You’re not staying?” Shona asked in surprise.

His smile grew sad. “The sun will set soon Shona,” he reminded her.

The reality of his situation settled over Shona. “I’m going to save you,” she said suddenly, filled with renewed determination.