Page 6 of Shaw

“Forgive me.” He’d shocked her too much. “I shall tell you more once you’ve calmed.”

“Sure, okay.” She tilted her head to one side, squinting, and then her jaw dropped for a moment. “Whoa, is that castle up there for real?”

He looked to where she pointed, and bit back a curse. The stronghold’s massive gold-stone presence atop the cliffs would likely send her into hysterics.

“’Tis Dun Ard, my home.” Now he would have to explain the time and place to her, a task he did not relish.

A blur of white light whirled around them, and Shaw hauled her up against him, astounded a moment later when the light faded and they stood just outside the stronghold’s gates.

Julianne staggered a little as she twisted free of him, her face pale now. “Hey, what the heck did you do?”

“I didnae do thus, my lady.” Shaw saw how the guards were watching them, and stepped in front of her before he glowered at them. “Open the gates, eejits.”

“We cannae, Chieftain,” one of the men said after glancing at the others. “Captain Nyall ordered you to be kept outside the curtain walls, should you return to Caladh.”

Nyall feared him enough to issue such orders, which meant he had probably seen him let loose the beast in the battle with the Cait Sith a week past. It made Shaw sick to think he had exposed his secret to the captain, who had been his one true ally in the plans he’d made to ultimately deal with his monstrous affliction.

Mayhap ’tis why Julianne came back with me. My sire bestowed on her some boon so through her he might heal me.

“You sure you live here, Shaw?” Julianne asked, palming some sweat from her brow.

“Aye.” He could rip out the portcullis with one hand if he chose, but that would only terrify the woman of his dreams. To one of the guards he said, “Give me a tartan, and we shall wait at the cove.”

“You’ll do naught.” Duncan, the clan’s healer, appeared on the other side of the grate. “The chieftain’s rescued a lady from the bay. Raise the gate and permit them entry so I may examine them both.” As the men hesitated, he added, “In matters regarding the ill and injured, I may bring anyone into the stronghold so I may doctor their wounds. No’ even the laird may refuse me.”

“Honestly, I rescued him, and we don’t… Oh, okay.” Julianne gave the guards a sympathetic smile. “It would be nice for us to get checked out. I think my pal Shaw here hit his head when we slammed into some rocks. Since then he’s been talking weird, and my brains might be a little scrambled, too.”

The gate went up, and Duncan led them into the stronghold’s great hall, where he sent several maids to gather what he needed before removing his tartan and offering it to Julianne.

“Thanks.” She wrapped the plaid around her hips, tucking it here and there until it became a skirt of sorts. “Gorgeous place you have here, Doc. I’ve never seen people decorate with axes and spears and stuff. Totally Age of Empires. Ah, where are we, anyway?”

“Caladh, ’tis an island off the coast.” Duncan walked around her as he looked all over her body. “Ken you pain anywhere, Mistress?”

“Not really. Just banged myself a little.” She pulled back a fold of the tartan to reveal her leg, and patted the side of her thigh. “The currents kind of slammed me into some rocks, but it doesn’t hurt much now. I’ll have a ginormous bruise for sure tomorrow. So, why did you build a castle here? Wait, is this that Hearst place? I thought that was further down the coast.”

As the healer reached out to her Shaw stepped between them. “Dinnae.”

“Why?” Duncan straightened and frowned at him. “Attending the lady, ’tis my duty.”

Shaw couldn’t fathom why he’d prevented the other man from touching Julianne, only that he had to. “I shall care for her however she needs.”

“You’d appoint yourself the clan’s new healer?” He met his gaze, and then rubbed his hand over the back of his neck. “Very well. She doesnae appear badly hurt, but I wish hear if she begins favoring that leg.”

“Yo, she’s standing right here, Doc,” Julianne said, looking peevish now as she pointed to herself. “You can talk to her.”

“Forgive me, Mistress. The chieftain and I oft dinnae agree, which makes me forget my manners.” Duncan bowed to her, and then his expression changed to relief as the laird and his wife came in through one of the arches. “Here, our lord and lady shall aid you.”

Shaw saw dozens of guards filing into the passages outside the hall, each brandishing a sword or spears. Their tall, red-haired captain then came to stand in front of Connal and Valerie, and for a moment lightning crackled in his dark eyes.

“Uh, Shaw,” Julianne murmured. “Who’s the sparky-eyed grim dude?”

He’s afraid I’ll hurt them. Good. Shaw had been trying for weeks to convince Nyall of just how dangerous he was to everyone on the island. At the same time a contrary pang of hurt jabbed his heart. I dinnae wish them fear me.

To his lady, he said, “They shallnae harm you.”

His lovely merrow went over to the laird and his wife, and introduced herself before she said, “Sorry to drop in on you like this, but my friend Shaw here and I got caught in a very strange rip current. I don’t know how else to explain how we went from the bay to an island, but we’re here, so I’m going to blame the ocean.”

“That’s probably best,” Valerie said, tilting her head back. “Wow, you’re, uh…”