Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

O livia sat with her hands hugging her mug not knowing how to respond or what to do. Of course, her body had no trouble responding to the way he nuzzled her neck. A rash of gooseflesh raced over her, prickling her skin and spiking her passion. She had to be as nuts as he was feeling a rush of desire toward a supposed werewolf, though more likely a man who spent so much time with wolves that he believed himself one.

But if he wasn’t a werewolf, how did that black wolf find its way into the castle and her bedroom last night? And how did Tiernan know Laird was there?

Unless…

No. It couldn’t be. Werewolves weren’t real.

He stepped back away from her and walked around the table to return to his seat. “I know this is a lot to comprehend and I cannae help but think you believe me crazy right now. But trust me, I speak the truth.”

“Prove it,” Olivia challenged. “I assume you don’t need a full moon since there wasn’t one last night and you—supposedly—shape-shifted.”

“Nay, werewolves dinnae need full moons to change. We can shift when we please, but trust me, when I tell you that it is not a pleasant sight to witness.”

Olivia didn’t intend to back down. She needed to know what she was dealing with being stranded in a castle with a man claiming to be a werewolf. There was no telling what the consequences might be. And yet, she felt no fear, only confusion.

“Shift in another room and return as the black wolf,” she said.

“Are you sure you want me to do that, Olivia? Wouldn’t you prefer to get to know me better, gain each other’s trust as you do with the wolves before you judge me?”

She sat straighter in her chair, her shoulders drawn back. “And what would you do if I told you I was a vampire?”

Tiernan laughed. “I can smell a vampire miles away.”

Olivia’s mouth dropped open for a second before he could catch her shocked reaction. “Okay, now I know you’re nuts. First, werewolves are real and now vampires are as well. This has gone far enough. If this is some kind of joke because you find the assignment that brought me here ridiculous, I don’t find it amusing.”

“I can assure you it is no joke. Let’s assume for a moment that I am telling the truth. Would you not prefer to speak with me in length and gather all the information on the sex life of werewolves you need to write your piece?”

Olivia’s eyes narrowed. “Are you pretending to be a werewolf to help me with my assignment?”

“Nay,” Tiernan said, shaking his head. “I am a lycanthrope, and I will eventually prove it to you. But you would never fully know and understand the wolf in me before getting to know and understand the man. Even if you think me crazy, think of what insight you would get on werewolves if I were speaking the truth.”

“And what am I to do with this news when I leave here? Tell the world that werewolves exist?” she asked, thinking how her career would be over, and no one would ever hire her to work with wolves again.

“I would hope that your love of wolves would keep you from revealing our secret. and I also hoped that you would accept a position here at the MacMadadh Preserve and remain here and help me care for the werewolves.”

“I won’t deny that I had high hopes of acquiring a position here with the renowned expert on wolves, not werewolves, so you can see my dilemma,” she said, upset that her dream of working here had come crashing down around her and annoyed that no matter how nuts he sounded, she still found him appealing. Did that make her just as nuts as him?

“There are wolves here, along with the werewolves, that need care, and it is a substantial position I offer you.”

Curiosity had her asking, “And what position would that be?”

“Second in command to me.”

Her eyes spread wide, shocked by the prestigious offer. She assumed, though more hoped, that it would take years before, if ever, she attained such an important and highly regarded position. Not everyone in her field achieved such success. It would be her dream come true, if only it hadn’t been offered to her by a man with a few loose marbles or a werewolf, either one wasn’t promising.

She decided to ask questions that might help her get to the truth of what was going on here and, if necessary, see what might need to be done to protect the wolves. “Wouldn’t someone who has been with you for years expect to be offered the position?”

“All my year-round workers are werewolves, and they dinnae question the pack leader. I have provided well for them, some for hundreds of years. They are loyal to me.”

“Hundreds of years?” she asked, thinking if she had any doubts that he was nuts that he had just confirmed it for her.

“Aye, hundreds of years. Some werewolves live longer than others. I continue to research and do what I can to help the lycanthrope protect and sustain themselves. When the snow calms, I’ll take you to the preserve’s laboratory so you can see what we’ve achieved so far.” Tiernan smiled. “I know I may sound crazy, but you really have nothing to lose by believing me long enough for me to prove it to you. Besides, think of all the accurate information you will get for the piece you’re writing. That should be worth it alone.”

She didn’t know if she would agree with that, but she had little choice in her present situation, so maybe it was best to make the most of it and sort the rest out later.

Olivia didn’t believe what she was about to ask. “You don’t intend to make me a werewolf, do you?”

His smile was cunning and a tad seductive. “I like you as you are. Do you like me, Olivia?”

“I can say that Laird stole my heart. He is an impressive wolf. As for Laird Tiernan, I believe that most women find you appealing, so I can’t deny that I feel the same way. Whether I can say I like you or not has yet to be determined.”

“So, if the wolf in me has your heart, then that means the human part of me will soon have your heart as well. You and I will work well together.”

“So confident,” she said.

“I always get what I want, and I want you, Olivia.”

He sounded as if it was already done. That she would accept the position he offered and remain there with him. Part of her thought seriously about it since it was a position of a lifetime, while the sensible part of her warned herself to slow down and learn more, before she committed herself to a situation that could prove more a nightmare than a dream come true.

“I’m just as stubborn, Tiernan, in getting what I want,” she cautioned.

“That’s good, for soon you are going to realize that you want me.”

She almost laughed at the absurdity of the strange situation. “I must say, so far this visit has proven interesting.”

“The interesting part has yet to begin, Olivia.” He stood and grabbed his plate and hers and took them to the sink. “How about a tour of the castle?” He turned. “At least part of it since it is rather large.”

Olivia contemplated the alternative to his offer, spend the day in the library reading about werewolves or go on a tour of the castle with one. How crazy did that sound?

A thought struck her, and she said, “I’d love to see the claw marks on the wood floor that a werewolf supposedly made.”

“That was in the oldest section of the castle. It deteriorated through the years, and I had to have part of it taken down. But I couldn’t bear to see a piece of my clan’s history destroyed so I kept that piece of wood floor and the door that led to the laird’s bedchamber.” He walked over to her and took hold of her hand. “I wouldn’t want you to get lost.”

“Even if I did get lost, you would find me,” —she grinned— “by scent.”

He brought his head down and faintly brushed his cheek across hers as he said, “You’re right. Your scent is strong, familiar. I could find you anywhere, and I would.”

Damn, if his faint touch and remark didn’t excite her. Tender yet powerful. A dangerous combination that could capture the heart. If she wasn’t sensible, she was going to get herself in trouble.

She was surprised when he made his way back to her room, though walked past it to the end of the hall and stopped in front of the double doors and released her hand to throw a wall switch, then he opened both doors. She didn’t expect to see a small room, lit softly, and another set of double doors. He threw another wall switch and swung both doors open.

Olivia stood stunned. She had thought she had stepped back in time at the train station, but what greeted her made her feel as though she had been catapulted back hundreds of years. It took her a moment to realize that while she thought she was in the original part of the castle it was more a modern-day replica of it. The flickering torches in the wall sconces were electric, though the stone walls truly were stone and the wood door only a few steps away, various symbols crudely carved into it, had to be original to the castle.

“When it comes to my lair, I favor the old with a mixture of modern amenities,” Tiernan said.

Olivia stood speechless for a moment, not sure what to make of what she was seeing. Her curiosity helped her regain her voice, and to confirm what she assumed, she asked, “The door is original to the castle?”

“Aye, an ancestor had it made, and the symbols carved into it for protection. They’re rune symbols.”

“Viking.”

He nodded. “Aye, my ancestors’ origin.”

She turned a puzzled look at him. “But they didn’t protect the laird who killed the female wolf if I recall the tale correctly.”

“The rune protection is meant for wolves, and as I mentioned the laird at the time was not an ancestor of mine.”

“Meaning he wasn’t a werewolf,” she said.

“Aye, he laid false claim to Clan MacMadadh, and it was being disputed. He was soon to be sent on his way, one way or the other when he killed the female wolf. Her mate killed him and left his mark for all to see.” He pointed to the floor.

Olivia glanced down. “The wolf who made them had to have been enraged to leave such deep marks. He must have loved his mate very much.”

“Aye, he was young, and they had just mated. He howled for nights afterward in pain and anger, and it frightened the few people who had arrived with the false laird so badly that they left, leaving the clan to the werewolves.”

“You speak about it as if you were there. According to lore, werewolves can live exceptionally long lives. My research shows this took place in the thirteenth century and that would make you?—”

“Too old for you?” he asked with a laugh.

She shook her head, not knowing what she should take seriously and what she should laugh at herself.

“Let me show you my lair,” he said and went to open the symbol-carved door.

“No,” Olivia said more firmly than she intended and turned and hurried out the two sets of double doors to the hallway. She waited until he closed the last set behind him to speak. “A wolf’s lair is far too personal, too intimate between him and his mate. If by some strange quirk of fate you are a werewolf, I cannot intrude on your lair.”

“I am impressed that you would consider that, but I invited you, so you wouldn’t be intruding.”

“The more important question is… why would you invite me in there?” Her hand went up and she shook her head. “I don’t want to know. Show me another part of the castle.”

“Aye, but first?—”

In the blink of an eye, he was in front of her and his hands cupped her face as his lips came down on hers. It wasn’t as if it was her first kiss, but it felt like it since it felt so different. She had suffered through kisses that left her speechless, and not in a good way. His lips were strong against hers and very much in command, leaving her eager to respond, and she did.

His kiss swept her away, fanning her passion, sparking parts of her body that hadn’t flamed in far too long. She felt a hunger for him she had never felt for a man before now, and it excited and frightened her at the same time. She didn’t know what to make of it.

Once you accept him, you’re his mate.

Her thought shocked her, and she pulled away from him, and he let her go with a reluctance she could feel. She turned away from him, needing to catch her breath, to think. Her thought had reminded her of when wolves searched for mates. Once a female wolf accepted a male wolf’s attention that was it. They were a couple. They would mate and have a litter of pups. But she was no wolf, and neither was he, but what of a werewolf? Was it like the book said, sex with a human female was just that sex?

She had to be out of her mind even considering his outlandish claim, and she had to be out of her mind if she had sex with him.

“I have wanted to kiss you since I first met you at the train station.”

She turned around surprised he had felt the same as she did when meeting.

“I could sense you felt the same, and I welcome this blizzard that keeps us secluded and allows us to get to know each other.” He took hold of her hand. “And allows you to learn firsthand about the sexual appetites of a werewolf. Now come.” He tugged her along with him. “You must see the castle’s Christmas tree. We have a few of them throughout but the one in the foyer cannot be missed.”

She found herself speechless, unable to make sense of her day so far and it wasn’t even noon. She continued to remain speechless when they stood in front of the giant Christmas tree that stood between two staircases. She had to tilt her head back to see the star on the top where it reached the landing between the two staircases. It was generously and beautifully decorated, as was the foyer itself with wreaths and swags and floral Christmas arrangements.

“It’s magnificent,” Olivia said, speechless no more. “A woman I met on the train, Annie MacDougal, told me all about your Christmas gala fundraiser and the Christmas Eve event you host for the children of Dumford.”

“Two events I always look forward to, for I enjoy both, and it also signals the beginning of winter and freedom for the wolves.”

A howl interrupted Olivia’s response and another followed, then another. Tiernan shut his eyes for a moment and when he opened them Olivia could see his sorrow.

Working with wolves, she had a sense of what it might be. “The wolves mourn a loss.”

He looked at her with a hint of surprise. “Aye, but not an unexpected one. I must go to them.”

“Go,” she urged. “Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine.”

“You may get lost,” he said with concern.

She smiled softly. “I’m not worried. You’ll eventually find me.”

“Aye, that I will, Olivia.” He kissed her lips softly and brushed his cheek along hers, then rushed out of the room.

She couldn’t deny it and didn’t want to. She liked it when he kissed her and when he faintly ran his cheek over hers. There was an intimacy about it that she was just beginning to realize.

A howl startled her, its strong, sorrowful tone sounding as if it came from within the castle.

“Tiernan,” she whispered and shivered.

Could it be true? Could he be a werewolf?