A Highland Werewolf Wedding - By Terry Spear Page 0,36
at the stairs.
He hadn’t even considered that Elaine would need something to wear once she shifted out of her wolf fur. He smiled at himself.
Duncan’s mate, Shelley Campbell, also American, and Cearnach’s mother and aunt went with Elaine. Poor lass. When his mother and his aunt got through with her, Elaine would want to claw her way out of the place, unable to leave fast enough, even if it meant joining up with that bastard Robert Kilpatrick. Cearnach wished he could have warned her before they reached the castle what she might be in for. He should have considered it before. All he had thought of was getting her home safely.
More than anything, he wanted to protect her from them or anyone else who might treat her poorly because of her familial connections.
Cearnach followed them up the curving stairs and slipped off to his own bedchamber where he quickly shifted in his bathroom, and cleaned and bandaged his bleeding arm. The cut he’d received from his shattered car window wasn’t too bad and would heal in the next couple of days. He yanked on a lamb’s wool sweater and a pair of well-worn jeans.
Someone knocked at his door. Cearnach left the bathroom.
“My solar,” Ian said, looking fierce.
Cearnach bowed his head. His brother’s expression said he was ready to gather the troops to right any wrong as soon as Cearnach gave the word. Cearnach put on his socks and boots, then left his bedchamber. When he reached Ian’s solar, he found his brothers were already gathered, looking anxious to hear the news. He shut the door and took a seat on one of the leather sofas.
Observing him, Duncan stood rooted to the floor, his arms crossed. Guthrie sat down on one of the high-backed plaid-covered chairs, his back as stiff as the chair. Knowing him, he was pondering the financial ramifications of the matter. He was always thinking along those lines as their financial advisor.
His arms still folded across his chest, Ian leaned against his desk, but he wasn’t fooling anyone. He was wired and looked like he was only trying to put Cearnach at ease and not jump to rash conclusions.
“Julia’s father and grandfather asked to sit in on the discussion, but I wanted to know how bad this was first. They don’t know the parties who are involved so I didn’t want to have to go into a lot of history. Shelley’s uncles were also ready to sit in on the war council,” Ian said.
That meant they had a lot more muscle, in the form of Americans of Highland descent, to aid them this time around if they needed it.
“We don’t need to go to war, Ian,” Cearnach said, though he was still ready to battle Vardon for what he had done to Elaine. He wanted their properties returned, including a minivan like the one they’d destroyed, before he would agree to anything. Giving Elaine up wasn’t part of the bargain.
Duncan scowled at him. “You arrive without your car, running as a wolf with a lass you must have saved from them, and you’re saying everything’s fine?”
Cearnach laughed.
His brothers frowned at him. He couldn’t help himself. The situation did sound as if that was enough to start a fight, but they had the Kilpatricks and the McKinleys by the balls as long as Elaine stayed with them safely inside Argent Castle.
“All right, all right. The McKinleys destroyed my car and stole the lass’s rental vehicle.”
Duncan growled, “Sounds to me that that’s enough of a reason to want to exact revenge.”
“Oh, aye, they’ll pay,” Cearnach assured him.
Ian remained quiet and thoughtful, judging without speaking. That’s the way he ruled the clan, learning not only what was said, but what wasn’t.
“Who is she?” Guthrie asked, brows raised, his tone of voice sounding as if he might be interested in the new she-wolf for himself. “She doesn’t appear to be anyone we know. Duncan told us Robert Kilpatrick said you had stolen his cousin.”
“Elaine Hawthorn. American.” Not wanting to feed his brothers’ speculation about his own interest in Elaine, Cearnach fought telling Guthrie to stay away from her. He gave him a fierce look instead, which would garner the same result. All his brothers saw his reaction and could guess just where it was coming from.
Ian and Duncan exchanged knowing glances. American wolves could be a handful.
“You met this Elaine Hawthorn while she was attending Calla’s wedding?” Ian asked, trying to sort out the situation.