Page 36 of Shaw

The diver gave her a long look before she said, “You think Shaw’s losing the battle.”

“If he keeps going it alone, I think he will.” She reached over and touched her friend’s arm. “Ladies, it’s time to jump in and help the guy before he goes down for the full count. If that happens, he’s not getting back up ever again.”

Valerie held her gaze for a long moment before she slowly nodded. “What can we do?”

“If he left I’ll go after him,” she said, thinking quickly. “He and the Big Bad totally like me. I need a place I can bring him to where we won’t have like guards and maids or anyone watching us. Close to the stronghold in case I need to grab Duncan. We will probably be having sex again, too, so a bed would be nice.”

“There are some shepherd shelters up in the ridges” the laird’s wife said. “I can draw you a map to the ones closest to Dun Ard. They have quite comfortable beds.” She blushed. “I stayed in one for a night with Connal when we were getting to know one another.”

“V, you sly thing.” Julianne grinned. “Good for you.”

“Pick one, and Fletcher and I will stock it with food and water, wood for the fire and clean clothes,” Lark offered. “I’ll also make sure the bed has fresh ticking and decent linens.”

“Thanks, L.” She blew the seamstress a kiss.

Caroline pulled a long dagger from a sheath on her belt and offered it hilt-first to her. “Take it,” she said when she hesitated. “You’re going to be alone, and Shaw isn’t the only dangerous thing on this island.”

“Whoa, no, I don’t think so.” She held up a hand. “I’m such a dingbat my mom wouldn’t even let me chop greens for salad. I’d probably just stab myself.”

A gloved hand placed an etched green-brown stone in Julianne’s hand, and she looked up at the clan’s healer with a frown. “Are you eavesdropping again, Doc? What’s the rock for?”

“Aye, for whenever I see you ladies gather, I grow nervous.” He tapped the stone. “That, ’tis a Fae slumber charm. Should Shaw grow aggressive, touch it against his bare flesh.”

“So he’ll go to sleep?” When Duncan nodded she tossed the stone up and down with her hand. “Why doesn’t it do that to me?”

“’Tis enchanted to bespell only those with Fae blood in their veins,” he assured her.

Caroline gave Valerie a strange look. “Yeah, that also answers another question Lark brought up.”

The seamstress sighed. “I’m sorry, Julianne, but I thought it was a possibility that you might be one of the shape shifters. They’re half-Fae like the MacMar, and they can be very convincing.”

“Well, it’s obvious I’m not, or I would change into someone a lot smarter. Thanks, Doc.” After Duncan bowed and left she regarded Valerie. “I have one more question, and it’s going to embarrass you, V, so you should like go and ask Brochan for some more of that awesome apple butter stuff. Bring extra back, I really like it.”

Valerie chuckled. “I will pull on my big girl pants now. Go ahead.”

“So I’ve got this thing from last night while Shaw and I were getting busy. Something happened, only I’m not sure what. He might have hurt me without realizing it, or maybe I hurt myself. I can’t remember exactly. We were kind of out of control crazy, you know?” She glanced at Caroline.

“My favorite kind of sex,” the diver told her.

“Anyway, it’s sore like a bruise, but it stings like a bite, only I swear he didn’t pinch or bite me there. I can’t even look at it because it’s under my boob and there are no mirrors in the twelfth century.” She pointed to the spot under her left breast. “It’s still hurting a little, too, when I move. I’m worried, but I don’t want to show Duncan first, because I think he would tell Shaw and my man would freak.”

Caroline’s lips had thinned, and Lark had paled, but the laird’s wife looked calm as she got to her feet.

“We need to see the injury,” Valerie told Julianne. “Let’s go to the laird’s chamber. I can bar that door and assure we have some privacy.”

Once they had walked up to Connal’s big room and locked themselves inside, Julianne pulled off her leine and chemise, and then walked into a patch of sunlight before turning toward the other women.

“Sorry for flashing my girls. So glad I never got the nipples pierced.” She put her left arm over her head and used her other hand to lift her breast. “Can you see anything?”

Valerie went to her, peering as she bent over.

“Yes, it’s there. May I touch you?” When Julianne nodded she reached out and rubbed her fingertip over the spot. “It appears to be a tattoo like those Shaw has. A reverse of a crescent moon, I think.”

“I have a tattoo now?” Julianne glanced at Caroline, who nodded. “Man. I promised Mom I wouldn’t get one because of all the diseases if they don’t clean the needles. Doesn’t count if someone else tats you without you knowing, right?”

“Oh, dear.” The laird’s wife dropped her hand and quickly backed away, colliding with Lark.

“What is it? Did it burn you, or make you go ice-cold?” Julianne asked.