A Highland Werewolf Wedding - By Terry Spear Page 0,110

to say. Vardon and Baird had long ago limped off, knowing the fight would be in the MacNeills’ favor. Whatever Rafferty had promised them, they wouldn’t get the payment now.

Rafferty coughed, closed his eyes, and then slowly opened them and looked up at her with longing. He took a shallow, shuddering breath.

“You couldn’t have suitors.” He reached out to touch her. “You were always mine.”

Never again.

His hand suddenly clutched his chest, his eyes wide, then he dropped his hand to the ground, his eyes staring at her, mouth parted on one last breath.

She listened for his heartbeat, for his breath, and hearing none, she knew he was finally truly dead. She wanted to collapse with relief but looked up at Cearnach, feeling horrible about all of this.

Cearnach came forward, nudged her face, and licked it, giving her comfort. She nosed his face, then rubbed her face along his cheek. They were mates. No one would undo what had been done.

Kelly Rafferty was dead. He would never hurt her again.

Her cousins were long gone.

Cearnach licked her cheek again, then shifted. He crouched down and wrapped his arms around her neck, and she couldn’t tell him how much his embracing her made her feel loved, though she couldn’t stop her tail from wagging. He smiled as her tail swishing so wildly caught his eye.

“Kelly Rafferty is dead, Elaine. You have nothing to fear.”

She nuzzled his face and licked his cheek.

“You’re coming home with us now.”

She glanced back in the direction of Senton Castle.

“Seems that’s our home also. If you’re worried about them taking your car again, your kin have a surprise waiting for them.”

She looked up at him inquiringly.

“We’ll go to my car. It’s closer,” he said, standing, then lifting Rafferty over his shoulder. He stalked toward the woods and Elaine ran beside him. “Then we’ll drop Guthrie off at his vehicle to avoid Oglivie’s farm.”

Duncan and Guthrie raced ahead until they disappeared. She couldn’t figure out why until quite a while later when she saw Duncan returning at a dead run in human form, fully dressed. He took Rafferty’s body, and Cearnach shifted into wolf form. Then he and Elaine ran at their faster wolf pace to reach the car so no one would catch them running as wolves. She couldn’t help worrying about Duncan if he was caught carrying a naked dead man.

When she and Cearnach reached the car, he shifted and opened the door where Guthrie was sitting, panting in the back seat. Then she joined him while Cearnach quickly dressed and popped the trunk. She was afraid Ian would be angry with her for bringing this fight to Argent Castle. That Cearnach and his brothers would be upset with her for running off. That the whole pack would be. What of Duncan’s mate, Shelley? She had to be worried that he might not return in one piece. Then there were Cearnach’s mother and aunt: she was certain they’d judge her harshly.

When Duncan joined them at the car, he put Rafferty’s body into the trunk, slammed it closed, then got into the passenger’s seat.

Cearnach drove to where Guthrie’s vehicle was parked. Duncan got the door for Guthrie so he could change, dress, and then take over the wheel of his own vehicle.

Elaine thought that Duncan would stay with Guthrie and was about to jump over the seat to sit up front with Cearnach when Duncan returned to Cearnach’s car. He climbed in and cast a smile over his shoulder at Elaine. She closed her panting mouth.

“I’m staying with the two of you. Ian’s orders. He doesn’t want anything further to happen to either of you, should some of the McKinley or Kilpatrick kin decide to attempt to waylay us.” Duncan called Ian. “We’re on our way home, Ian.”

“Elaine’s coming home… for good,” Cearnach said.

Ian didn’t say anything.

Cearnach glanced back at Elaine. She was watching him.

“Is Rafferty dead?” Ian asked Duncan.

“Aye, he is for good this time,” Duncan said.

“Good,” Ian said. “Because if he wasn’t, he would be. Our mother’s already planning the wedding without Elaine so if the lass wants to have any say at all in it, she needs to hurry home.”

Elaine smiled and sat down on the seat. She really didn’t care anything about the wedding… except that she had loved Calla’s ceremony before Vardon ruined it. She was truly mated to Cearnach. That’s all that really mattered. And she was relieved beyond measure that Calla was at Argent and had been safe all this time from