Highland Shift (Highland Destiny: 1) (21 page)

He started to walk toward the kitchen, but stopped when he caught sight of the small table in the lounge. Grinning, he said, “You went all out, lass!” Laughing softly, he went to the wine buckets and examined the contents. “Champagne or wine?”

“How about we have the wine with dinner. We can save the champagne for later,” she suggested.

“We’ll not be celebrating any big events tonight,” he said, putting on a stern look.

“I’m sure you’re right, Faolan,” she smiled innocently, causing Faolan to roar with laughter.

The evening went much better after that; they were both able to relax. They got their plates from the kitchen and poured the wine. The lobster tails were cooked to perfection, and Elena enjoyed watching him watching her, as she used her fingers to dip a morsel into the melted butter before slipping it into her mouth. She licked her fingers, looking deep in his eyes, making promises she intended to keep. When she dipped her last piece of lobster in butter, she leaned across to feed it to Faolan. He grasped her wrist and guided her hand to his mouth, his tongue savoring the butter on her fingertips. She nearly purred with pleasure.

He poured another glass of wine, and they worked together to clear the table and wash the dishes. They were laughing and having a good time together, which was exactly the evening Elena had in mind. Of course, it wasn’t the only thing she had in mind, but the night was young.

****

Och, Elena was so beautiful, she took his breath away. She had orchestrated this entire evening, clearly with the idea of giving her maidenhead to him. He didn’t think he could convince her to drink enough to pass out this time, he thought wryly. When she had first walked into the room, and he had seen the intention in her eyes, his heart swelled with love for her. For one so wee to have faced so much in the last month and yet keep fighting for what she believed was right.

She had the heart of a lion, nay, of a Highlander. He knew it would hurt her when he bade her good night before consummating their love, but he had no choice. How
could he make love to her until he knew how to break this curse and what would happen once it was broken?

He had lost control of himself at the enormity of her love and the trust plain on her face. His rage knew no bounds when he thought of how he had almost lost her twice this past week. He had been holding himself tightly, reining his emotions back, lest they consume him.
Yet when Elena called his name, touched him, the beast within him was loosed, and he wanted to claim her for all time. 

Elena was his true heart, his light. Consummating their love would bind their hearts together forever. It was all he had ever wanted, to know this eternal love. Yet, he couldn’t bind her to him if he would be dragged back to another time or die once his curse was lifted.

Faolan would love her with his heart and soul for this evening but not his body. In the morning, he must send her away for her safety and his sanity. He felt he on the verge of finding the spell, and Worthington must sense the mirror was closer than ever. Brigid said the time was at hand, and he must be especially careful this moon.

The full moon was on the morrow, and Elena must be far away. He must know she was safe. He would make her understand. Once he knew the outcome of the spell, he could better prepare both of them to accept what the fates would bring. Above all else, he must keep Elena safe. If that meant this evening would end on a bittersweet note, so be it.

****

Elena was thrilled with the way the evening was going. At first, when Faolan had been so fierce, she was afraid she had screwed things up somehow. Had she not stopped him, they would be in bed right now. However, it would have been a union born of fear and desperation. Elena wanted him to know that her heart was at peace with his decision. Tonight she wanted to be with him in celebration. Tomorrow, she would gift him with the mirror and the spell and then she would leave so that he would be free to find his true heart.

Faolan took the champagne, glasses, and strawberries into the library, and she felt her heart in her throat. This was it; the seduction would begin in earnest. He popped the cork and poured them each a glass. They clinked glasses, and drank. The bubbles tickled her nose and danced on her tongue. She watched his lips on the rim of his glass.

Mesmerized by his mouth, Elena imagined the two of them naked on the rug in front of the fire. He knelt between her thighs, took his champagne, and slowly drizzled it over her white-hot womanhood, the bubbles tickling and teasing, and then Faolan’s clever tongue began to lick, to lap up the champagne slowly, lovingly…

“Elena, what are you thinking of? You look so far away.”

She dragged her eyes from his mouth to meet his gaze. In her mind, she still held the image of Faolan buried between her legs, lapping champagne. His eyes widened
and he inhaled sharply. Suddenly she knew he could see the image, too.
Holy show! Did I do that?

They both swallowed hard.
Wow
.

Without speaking, Faolan refilled their glasses of champagne, took Elena’s hand, and led her to the couch. Neither of them was quite ready to talk about what had just happened. After a few minutes, he sighed deeply, put his arm around her, and pulled her against his side. Elena leaned her head on his shoulder, feeling content for the moment just to be close to him.

Elena woke with a blinding headache, but none of the nausea she experienced the last time she passed out.
Damndamndamn! How could I have fallen asleep again?
She tried to sit up, but couldn’t move. Faolan was draped across her, sprawled sideways, and dead weight. Something was wrong. Very wrong. She squinted her eyes open, trying to make sense of what she was seeing.

She was on the hard ground in a stone room.
Oh, please no, God no!
She felt the panic start to rise and began to struggle under Faolan’s weight. He moaned, and started to move.

“Faolan, Faolan, wake up. Faolan, are you all right? Wake up, please, Faolan, wake up.”

Faolan came awake in one smooth motion, jumping to his feet, his stance ready to fight. His eyes glowed and his nostrils flared, as though his wolf senses were at work in his human body. “Elena? Are you all right? Where are we? What happened?”

“I don’t know what happened or where we are. I have a terrible headache, but I don’t think I’m hurt anywhere else. Are you okay?”

“Aye, I also have a headache. We were drugged. Where has he put us?” He spoke to himself and started pacing the room, examining it from every angle.

It was more cell than room. It was a circular, stone structure, and unlike like the one in which Elena had been trapped, this one had a small, barred window at the top of the wall near the ceiling that let in light. There was a tapestry hanging on the wall, and a threadbare rug on the floor. The door was heavy oak, the same as the other underground rooms. It wasn’t going to yield to force, no matter how strong the shoulder.

“Faolan, lift me up. Let me look out the window.” Elena stood a bit shakily, and he lifted her high enough to peer outside. She’d thought they were in a tower of some sort; instead Elena saw the ground at eye level. The cell was sunk into the ground. There was not a single building in sight. She was looking into a small clearing, surrounded by trees. It looked familiar, yet she knew she’d never been there before. Elena could hear the sound of water nearby, maybe a brook or stream. She described everything to Faolan.

“Worthington. The bastard. He drugged us and has us somewhere. It must have been in the champagne. He wants that damned mirror or something else.
Och, Elena,” he cried, his voice pure anguish. “I should have protected you better. I was prepared for a fight. I never considered such a cowardly attack as poison. This is all my fault!”

“Faolan, stop it. You didn’t do this. If this was Worthington, it’s his fault, not yours or mine. He is the one we need to blame, the one we need to fight.”

“Aye, lass, fight him we will.” He smiled. “There is more to you than meets the eye, Elena MacFarland.” They shared a smile, each willing to give anything to save the other one’s life. They held each other, taking comfort.

“Isn’t that just too sweet?” The voice came from outside the small window, and Elena jumped and started to pull away, but Faolan’s arms were steel bands. “I see it didn’t take the little slut very long to move on, did it? From one Laird to another, whatever pays the
most. Whore.”

His voice struck Elena with the force of a slap. Worthington!
What the hell was he talking about?
She opened her mouth to respond, but Faolan gave a little squeeze and shook his head.

“Worthington, the girl is nothing, leave her out of this. It’s me you want. Let her go.” This time, Faolan put his hand over Elena’s mouth as she fought to protest.

Worthington laughed. “What are you willing to deal for her life, wolf? Does she know who you are?
What
you are? What will you give me if I let her go?”

So, Worthington knew who Faolan was. “What do you want?” Faolan ground out through clenched teeth.

“The mirror. It’s the price for her life. Give me the mirror and I will let her go.” Then Worthington squatted down in front of the window to look at Faolan. Faolan growled. “Careful, wolf, you wouldn’t want that nasty habit to get out of control. Give me the mirror, and this can all be over. I’ll even let your servants go free.”

Elena gasped. He had Lilly and Red somewhere, too.

Faolan’s gaze was fierce, and he spit out, “You stupid fool. Do you think if I had the mirror I would still be here? Do you think this little girl has enough charm to hold the likes of me? I doona’ take Worthington hand-me-downs.” Faolan squeezed Elena’s hand behind her back, giving lie to the words he spoke. “I was using her to find out what you knew. It appears my time was wasted, you never told her your interest or business. Let her go, and we will get to business. I doona’ want her knowing any more about this.”

“Tell me where the mirror is,” Worthington said flatly. He was watching Faolan and had a gun pointed at Elena. Faolan started toward the window, and then stopped in his tracks, trying to keep her behind him. “I’ll shoot her right through you. I can keep you alive and still kill her. Where is the mirror?”

“I doona’ know where the mirror is, damnit, Worthington!” shouted Faolan. “Let her go, and I will swear an oath to give you the mirror when I find it.”

Worthington said in a quiet, deadly voice. “I am not wrong! I know the mirror has surfaced. I can feel it. Now where is it?”

Elena was standing there listening to them, and a picture of the mirror hidden in her room flashed in her mind.
That must be the same mirror Worthington is looking for
.

Both men whipped their gazes to look at her, both wearing nearly identical faces of disbelief. She had an instant to realize that they both had seen the mirror she’d pictured.  Somehow the things she pictured in her mind were being transmitted.

Quick as a flash, Faolan jumped in front of her, and Worthington fired. Faolan crashed to the floor. One moment he was tall and strong, trying to save her; the next his body slapped hard against the stone floor, blood leaking from his chest.

Elena didn’t know if he was unconscious or dead. She screamed, and tried to turn Faolan, to find the source of bleeding and stop it. “You bastard, you killed him!”

“He’s not dead yet, Miss MacFarland. I must say, your cunning surprises even me. It is clear the wolf had no idea you knew where the mirror was. So tell me, were you planning to keep it for yourself, to find all your desires? Tell me now, where is my mirror?” His voice was black silk, sliding over her, raising gooseflesh.

“Save him. Save Faolan and I’ll tell you.” Elena was still struggling to turn him over, with her hand pressed against his chest, trying to stop the bleeding.

“Tsk, tsk, Miss MacFarland. Deals with you seem to have a way of working in your favor. Not this time. You tell me where it is. I’ll let you both go if I find it, and you can get him help. If you don’t tell me, I’ll leave you locked in this cell with his dead body, until you give up your secret. You will tell me now or tell me later, you won’t be able to defy me for long.”

Elena’s bones chilled at his tone. She knew she couldn’t trust him, but it was the only chance Faolan had. Faolan was still breathing, but how bad was his wound?

“You bastard. If I tell you, I want your oath you will come to let us go. Faolan must be saved.”

“My word as a gentleman?” he mocked her. “Very well, you have it. Is it at the farm?” Elena nodded. Worthington continued, “Then you have my word I will have you released, providing I find the mirror.”

Elena gritted her teeth. “Not good enough. If the mirror is where I say it is, you will return within an hour from right now to let us go.”

“Agreed, my oath. Now where is my mirror?” he shouted.

Worthington left as soon as she told him how to find the mirror. She knew Faolan would be devastated. She might be condemning him to an eternity cursed as a wolf, but he could not die. They would find a way to get the mirror back from Worthington. First, Faolan had to live.

When she finally got him turned over, she was relieved to see the wound looked much closer to his collarbone than his heart. She removed his shirt and tore it in half, folded one part into a bandage and pressed it tightly. She rolled the other half into a rope and tied it awkwardly against his shoulder. It would have to do for now.