Page 64 of Loched in Love

“I did it! We’re through!” I yell, letting out a manic laugh as the road straightens out ahead of us, my heart hammering harder than a hummingbird in my chest.

My hands are shaking, but I’ve never felt more alive.

“You did so good, my flower. I knew you could do it!” Lachlan praises me, but his grip is still tight on the overhead handle bar of the car.

After a bit of driving, the road becomes two lanes, and there are no other cars here. It’s just us, the towering pine trees, and a thick blanket of Scottish fog rolling off the hills.

A little further up ahead the scenery turns hauntingly beautiful. Giant ancient ferns carpet the forest floor, and the dense canopy of pines weave together overhead, working as a filter for the afternoon sun and turning it into fractured beams of emerald light.

Purple heather clings to the rocky banks alongside the road as the wind pushes its pretty scent through the dashboard vents. Outside smells intensely of damp earth, sweet pine, needle juice and wood smoke, and the calming effect is wonderful.

I finally began to breathe again, easing the car into third gear, and allow myself to relax a bit in the seat for the first time since getting into the vehicle.

Lachlan shifts his massive frame as much as the tiny passenger seat allows, leaning his head closer into my space. The rigid territorial guard dog lines completely melt from his face, and he reaches out, his huge warm hand gently cupping the back of my neck. His thumb traces a slow, soothing circle right at the base of my skull, sending a delicious wave of goosebumps cascading down my spine.

“The traffic is much easier here, aye? The closer we get the loch, the less people I reckon,” he murmurs, his voice dropping into that private rich purr that seems to belong only to me. He leans in and presses a soft, lingering kiss right against my temple, his breath warm against my skin. “The hard part is over, my flower. How about we have a bit of music to celebrate? Help you relax the rest of the way?”

“Oh, music sounds perfect,” I breathe, my heart finally slowing to a normal rhythm under his touch.

That’s when I remember my phone. It’s tucked safely away inside my luggage in the back. But I also recall that I definitely need to message Natalie. I need to let her know that I’m okay, if a little bit more informed about the world and the creatures in it now.

I reach blindly over my shoulder toward the back seat, trying to remember which pocket of my bag I zipped it into, hoping to get it plugged into the car’s Bluetooth system once I grab it.

A loud, sudden electronic beep echoes through the car’s dash, cutting off my thoughts.

The dashboard unit has automatically connected to my device somehow even through the fabric of my zip suitcase.

Suddenly, the car speakers explode with sound, and it’s not a mix of my favorite music at all.

Instead, a deep, incredibly smooth, overly dramatic British baritone voice pours over the speakers at maximum volume, picking up exactly where my audio book left off the last time I listened to it.

“Oh, my god, no,” I breathe, afire licking up at the back of my neck as embarrassment sweeps across my body.

“…The beast uncoiled his massive shadow, his scaled tail pinning her gently against the forest floor,” the narrator purrs, his voice dripping with intensity. “He towered over her, his luminous eyes glowing in the dark as his claws lightly traced her jaw. ‘You think you can run from a predator, little human?’ he growled, the sound a vibration that shook her down to her bones. ‘You are mine to claim now…”

My jaw drops and my soul leaves my body on a whoosh. Mortification slams into me, hotter than any panic. “Turn it off, turn it off!”

“What is that?” Lachlan blinks, his green gaze widening as the narrator lets out a low and husky growl over the stereo system. “Is that…is that someone talking about a scaled tail claiming you?”

“… he parted his jaws, a low rumble echoing from his chest as his dark wings caged her in,” the voice continues, vibrating the speakers of the tiny coupe. ‘You belong in my lair forever…”

“It’s my book. It’s my monster romance book!” I scream, completely losing my mind.

I take my left hand off the steering wheel to smack frantically at the dashboard buttons, trying to find a volume knob or a power button to cut off the wireless connection. My right hand jerks the wheel by accident, distracted by the spicy monster audio and completely disoriented at being on the wrong side of the road, I don’t notice how sharp the next bend is.

I withhold a quick gasp as the blood rushes from my face and slam on the brakes, but it’s too late. The small coupe skids straight off the dark winding road and plunges into a ditch, clipping a low stone wall running along the edge of the woods.

Crunch.

The entire car jolts forward, throwing us hard against our seat belts as the engine lets out a pathetic hiss of sound before dying completely. A thin wisp of white steam begins to curl out from under the dented hood, while my heart thunders in my chest.

Silence fills the car save for the speakers, which are still cheerfully blasting away.

“… And as she wrapped her small hands around his thick scales, the ancient cryptid claimed everything and possessed her with his impressive…”

I slap at the power button, finally killing the Bluetooth, and the level of silence that follows is deafening.

The adrenaline completely crashes out of my system. The stress of the train, the hot cramped bus, the invisible selkie magic, and the terror of the roundabout only to now ruin our only escape vehicle on the side of a deserted road hits me all at once.