Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

S peal sent Mace to gather driftwood for a fire, and then regarded Fiacail, her ire swelling by the moment. Perhaps she had always been easy to deceive, but this seemed like some deliberate attempt to mock her and their sisters. Something in Fia's eyes seemed to silently taunt her as well. When had the one Cait Sith she truly loved turned into this hateful creature?

"So, now you surprise me yet again." She gestured at Fiacail's altered companions. "'Twas some reason you forgot mention you'd handed our dead over for your master's use?"

"My master took and changed them without consulting me, I fear. 'Twas quite the shock when he presented them to me." She eyed the other two transformed Cait Sith, who turned and retreated back into the water. "Lord Duxor shall do the same for all of our sisters, and provide them with new and comfortable lives."

If Fiacail had ordered Dearg and Teine back into the water by thought, Speal had not heard her. That meant she could hide her true intentions from her and the rest of the Cait Sith. The meek fashion with which the other transformed shifters had obeyed her also boded nothing good. Fia had changed more than just in form. Something had altered her Therion blood, and all the boons it provided her.

"You reckon the Cait Sith shall find comfort living in the sea?" She wanted to slap some sense into her, but she no longer knew this creature. "We're half-Fae, lest you forget, with Therion blood. Water, 'tis our weakness. Aye, and we hate it more than anything in the mortal realm." Something occurred to her. "Why call you this merrow your lord? He's no Cait Sith."

"Such fawning pleases him, for he's a vain arse. I wish him trust me until I'm done using him." Fiacail glanced at Mace walking along the shore. "If my master transforms us all, we shall shed our weakness forever, and live in the sea, where no mortal may find or hunt us. Indeed, his kingdom and his people await us. They've never ken the likes of the Cait Sith."

The problem was greater than a change brought on by the transformation, Speal thought. This Duxor had done something to befuddle Fiacail's thinking. Or perhaps being made half-shark had driven her out of her mind. She couldn't imagine how her sister must have suffered, and it made her sick to think she might have prevented it.

"I expected you'd reckon I've gone mad, and blame yourself again," Fia said softly. "'Tisnae any such thing, Sister. I'm as I ever was. Mayhap better."

"You still hear our thoughts, but we may no longer share yours." When she nodded Speal rubbed her eyes. "Then you ken why I cannae trust you."

"You'd put your faith instead in Derdrui." She made a pitying sound. "I well ken how the enchantress shall treat you and our sisters when you fail deliver the location of the MacMar. She shall cut through you as that Pritani butcher did, and feed you to the sharks. Then I reckon she'll wander the realm forever tormenting and murdering mortals for her own amusement while she continues the search on her own. Why no' save yourselves and deliver unto her that facking clan?"

"You reckon your master, he's better than our sovereign?" she countered. "He's forced a shark inside you. He's made you his spy and procurer. Now you expect me welcome his meddling with our sisters when they're injured and weary, all for a life we dinnae desire, in a world we despise? Truly, you dinnae see the madness in your reckoning?"

Fiacail sighed. "Do you no' despise the life you live now?"

"You shut your mouth," Mace said and dropped an armload of driftwood in between them. She crouched down to tuck some dried grass in the center. "Derdrui's done naught for us but demand we serve. Aye, long ago she taught us of our powers, and how we might steal the lives of mortals, yet never more. For that paltry offering we sold ourselves into eternal servitude." She jerked a thumb at Speal. "And this one, she's kept your wretched promise so we might yet live. You might have returned and given us aid, but you didnae. You're useless and spiteful."

"'Tis true I forced that oath on you and the sisterhood," Fiacail said before Speal could reply. "Blame me for such, only permit me provide recompense."

"Ever you speak so grand." The shifter spat on the ground. "You wish use us for your own purpose, just as the enchantress does. You may wrap such in pretty words and promises as you wish, only dinnae reckon me deceived. Nor Speal. She sees the madness in you."

Speal said nothing as she watched Mace light the dried grass with her fire steel, and then noticed Fiacail drawing back as flames quickly engulfed the dried wood.

"You've a new weakness, dinnae you?" As their former leader glared at her she grinned with pleasure at having fathomed that. "First water, now fire. Why dinnae you use such and destroy this merrow master of yours, then? Do such and I may believe you've our best interests at heart."

"I cannae transform our sisters to live in the sea," Fiacail snapped. "Once he changes all of you so you may breathe water, and we conquer his people, then we may end him." Her lips curved. "Indeed, I relish the notion of tasting his cold blood."

"Imagine you the merrow people shall welcome us to rule over them?" Speal chuckled. "You ken naught of them, do you? Look at your master, and ken they shall prove the same."

For the first time Fiacail looked uneasy. "We neednae remain in his kingdom once it falls. Indeed, we may found our own. 'Tis no end to what we may do in the water or on the land–"

"Mortals whose kin we slew, they've hunted us for generations. Now the druids shall never cease pursuing us for Dearg's butchering their Aberdeen tribe," Speal reminded her. "You truly believe the merrow folk shall forgive us murdering their king, and installing this traitor on his throne? And what of Derdrui? She's immortal, and the most vicious Fae to ever roam the mortal realm. Reckon you she'd no' mind the Cait Sith breaking their oath of loyalty?"

"Then what shall we do?" the altered shifter demanded. "I must appease Duxor, and you Derdrui. He shall accept no less than every Cait Sith joining his army."

"You hold the power over this merrow," Speal countered. "Once he's changed us he shallnae need you. We dinnae ken how our sisters shall react to becoming halfling merrows. They may all turn on us." When Fiacail said nothing Speal finally lost her temper. "We're your kin, loyal and true. 'Tisnae one of us who wouldnae trade places with you that day Derdrui set Dearg on you. When you died, a part of us did as well."

Fiacail rose and walked a short distance away, standing for so long Speal wondered if she meant to abandon her. Then slowly she trudged back, kneeling before her and bowing her head like some young, errant shifter ready for punishment—a humbling position Speal had herself taken too many times in the past.

"What wish you me do, then?" she said, not looking at her.

"Promise Duxor whatever he wishes, as long as he first meets with Derdrui to parlay with her. You shall remain at his side, as if his willing servant. Say naught of what you ken, and permit them meet." Speal grinned. "Once the enchantress learns he comes from Caladh, she shallnae rest until he tells her where she may find the MacMar."

Fiacail lifted her head. "You reckon they'll end each other?"

"Aye." Suddenly everything seemed promising again. "I shall pray they do."

Julianne followed Shaw into his quarters, and watched him light a fire with his blow-torch touch. Being alone with him in a room with a bed was probably not a lit idea, especially with his ink and her boobs wanting to molest each other. Even so she wasn't afraid of the chieftain. She just hated herself for wanting him while she wasn't actually free to do that.

She would never look at Mitch again without wanting to hurl—especially with all that cologne he wore lately—but she was still married to him. That meant something, at least, to her, and to the judge who would decide if she could have a divorce, definitely. Julianne had been fighting for her marriage from almost the beginning, so it hurt to lose so badly. Why couldn't Mitch have been more like Shaw?

The minute we got married he changed.

Her thoughts drifted back to their wedding day. She'd worn the pretty white dress and let Mitch ring her and made all those promises to him in front of his friends. Of course she'd messed up a little, too. She'd had to tell the minister who married them to slow down with the vows, and use just a few words at a time so she could remember them all long enough to repeat them. Eva had shown up right in the middle of the ceremony, too, which had made Mitch nervous. When Julianne had finally kissed him he had been sweating so much he'd made her face wet.

Why hadn't Eva stayed for the reception? Julianne wondered now. In a way she was glad she hadn't, because what her new husband had done would have made her ex-bestie furious.

Mitch had already known that Julianne couldn't memorize things well, but he'd joked about her flubbing the vows during the reception. You do remember the name of the guy you just married, right, honeybuns? Starts with M. She had tried to be a good sport and laugh along with everyone else. She shouldn't have done that, she realized now. She should have socked Mitch in the nose for making fun of her at their wedding. Shaw would never do anything like that to her.

Not like I still love Jerk-face, and he won't be born for hundreds of years yet. That gives me a time pass, doesn't it?

"What do you want to try?" she asked as she went over to join the chieftain by the fire.

He turned and pulled his tunic up over his head, baring his broad chest. "The beast desires your touch. Mayhap we may convince the thing speak with you."

Seeing all that hard, muscular tattooed skin in her face made her take a step back. The hot, dark scent of him seemed to follow and curl around her like a lonely stray kitty. She should be afraid of this man, but she wasn't. "What kind of touching do you have in mind?"

Shaw caught her wrist and brought her palm to his marked shoulder. "What shall work, as before."

"So you're just curious about what will happen," she said. Why was she hesitating now? Every part of her wanted to jump on this man, and he…did he want that, too? "You're not thinking of like, other kinds of touching and kissing and getting naked together and stuff."

"I've thought of little else since you said you'd wed me," he said, almost as if he were ashamed of it.

"We were about to die, so I probably would have said yes to anything, like tattooing your name and whatever the dark thing is called on my butt." When he stiffened she stroked her hand down to his inked forearm. "Don't be mad. I'm only joking."

"'Tis the deadliest of the Pritani spirits," he told her as he tried to push her fingers away. "Jests and laughter prod the thing's temper."

"Come on. I think it likes me. Watch." She brushed her fingertips over the enigmatic markings again, and they began to move on his skin. "Did the people who inked you ever tell you its name?"

"The tribe believed speaking such aloud would end them." Shaw gripped her wrist as she slid her palm past his elbow. "Dinnae trifle with death, woman." His mouth curved. "Trifle with me."

In that moment Julianne became dazzled by how he looked when he smiled. With his gorgeous face and amazing bod he could have been a male supermodel, but his charm and warmth were even more attractive to her. Every part of him seemed to glow a little now, even the tats on his arm. The Big Bad didn't scare her, and she was ready to dump her Mitch baggage. Maybe it was time to see just how much Shaw and his beast liked her. If she could help him stop acting like Satan, maybe everyone would treat him nicer, too.

That made this okay, Julianne decided. Happy Shaw seemed way better than Satan Shaw.

"In my time we call this sex." She walked toward him, making him step backward until his legs collided with the edge of his boxy bed. "I'm kind of built for it, and I like to do everything too. Well, not like hanging from the ceiling upside down and in handcuffs while you stick a…are you even listening to me?"

Shaw nodded and sat down on the bed, his gaze fixed on her lips, but his expression looked a little scared. Crap, was she scaring him now?

"You know, maybe not. You're medieval, and I don't even know what's okay in this time. I don't want to traumatize you for like your entire immortal life." She backed up, only to be jerked forward which made her topple over onto his chest as he stretched out on his back. "You don't have to do anything you don't want to, Chieftain."

It didn't help that her boobs were about to explode, but she could leave. Maybe. If she crawled a lot.

"Kiss me before you go, Julianne." When she frowned he wrapped his arms around her and pouted like a little boy. "'Twill soothe me."

Yeah, but I left my vibrator in the twenty-first century.

"That's a lie, too. Let's be straight with each other, okay?" The way her heart had started doing the bust down and the ginormous wet spot forming on her panties made it crystal clear what the rest of her wanted to do. Before she could get naked with him, however, she needed to make sure he was okay with that. "We can try one kiss first, and then we'll see how much more you want to do with me."

Shaw moved her hips and legs over his. "Aye, my lady."

"Julianne. I like how my name sounds when you say it." She sat up, hugging his torso with her knees, and pulled his arms from around her and pressed them up until she had him pinned. "Close your eyes. All the way." Once he'd obeyed her, Julianne stretched up and pressed her lips to his brow. "It's okay. I really want to do everything with you, Shaw."

His hands caught her wrists as he flipped over with her, tucking her long body under his so swiftly and naturally she hardly realized what he was doing. That was when the heat and weight of him poured over her, making her heart and her boobs start doing the samba together. On his arm the tattoos began to move restlessly.

"I think your Big Bad just woke up," she whispered, transfixed by the shapes and patterns his ink was making on his flesh. "Does it hurt when it starts moving around like that?"

Shaw released her as if she'd punched him below the waist.

"Forgive me, my lady. I've no right inflict such on you." He started to rise, halting only when she pressed her hand against his marked arm.

"Stop. You're not inflicting anything. I like it." She ran her hand down to his wrist, lightly scratching him with the tips of her fingernails, and then stroked back up to his shoulder. The caress made his ink writhe under her touch. "See? I can shake up your tats, my man."

She knew she was also making Shaw nervous, but she had been watching his tattoos every time he came close to her over the last few days. His dark magical thing reacted to her, and yet it didn't fill the chieftain with rage or despair. On the contrary, every time his ink moved in her presence, he became intensely focused on her.

That thing is definitely into me. Maybe as much as Shaw.

"As soon as I can I'm going back to my time, remember," she said, wanting to remind him of that before they went past the point of no return. "You seriously okay having fun with me, and then letting me leave your time?"

"You wed me." His voice had dropped so low he basically growled the words.

"You know that wasn't the real deal." Julianne rested her hand over his heart, and watched as his ink poured down from his shoulder and danced around her fingertips. "For now we need to figure out the thing inside you, and get it under your control. I'm thinking sex might actually work. Any thoughts?"

"Duncan claims a mate may appease a Pritani spirit, only every female I've bedded hasnae tamed the beast—and I've bedded near every unpromised wench on Caladh." His throat moved as he swallowed, and watched her hand move down to the front of his pants. "Julianne."

"You don't have to be a virgin. I'm not. Say sex will work." She bent down and pressed her mouth to his chest, and the cold heat of his ink moved under her lips. "Say yes, Julianne, you can do whatever you like to me and the Big Bad."

She could almost taste the darkness of the enchantment, and had a sense now of how it had spread to every part of Shaw. It might have been a separate thing once, but over time she suspected it had become part of the chieftain's insides. He might not want to admit it, but he had become almost equal parts MacMar and beast.

He shifted his hands to her back, almost caressing her. "I cannae promise you what the spirit may do."

"It's part of you, Shaw, so I'm not afraid of it. Besides, it seems to like me kissing it." Julianne stroked her fingers up over his shoulder and down his marked arm to his wrist again, where the ink had formed a strangely pulsing web over his skin. When she touched it, the reshaped tattoo moved under her fingers, and when she pulled back the edge seemed to lift from Shaw's skin, as if trying to stay in contact with her. "Hey, look at that. I think it likes me a lot ."

He slapped his other hand over the floating tat. "Dinnae tempt the beast possess you."

She suspected his ink had only been flirting with her, if such a thing were possible, although he didn't want to hear that. He hated the dark magic inside him, which was probably why the two were locked in this nasty arm-wrestling match that was never going to end.

"Don't get upset now," she said as she glided her lips along the side of his throat, and then nipped his jaw. "Forget about your ink. I'm here, and I'm much prettier. Have some fun with me." She drew his hands under her shirt, pushing them up until his palms covered her bare breasts. "Meet your two biggest fans." Her nipples instantly pebbled, making her groan a little. "Maybe you could like rub them a little."

Shaw's eyes darkened, but not with magic. "You're certain 'tis what you desire?"

"I want you." Julianne had never been aggressive like this. She was more the happily riding shotgun while someone else steered type. But the words poured out of her on a sigh of longing. She ached for the man, and she could see how much he wanted her, too. Whatever his ink did, she and Shaw were meant to be together. "Why do you think I let you follow me everywhere since I got here, Chief?"

He made a sound as if he were being torn apart from the inside out, and then he kissed her and rolled with her, his hungry mouth capturing and doing terribly wonderful things to hers as he put her on her back again. All kinds of wicked thoughts poured out of her imagination, thanks to his kissing. His big body nearly squished her before he lifted up and grabbed the front of her leine. His hands pulled up the shirt, and then he was feeling her up and using his mouth on her breasts. The hungry greed of his lips and liquid fire of his tongue made her burn with so much heat that sweat popped up and beaded all over her.

"Time out." She shouldn't have shouted it like that, because he nearly jumped off the bed. "Sorry, sorry. I just remembered we don't have any protection." As he frowned she almost cursed. "I don't want to have a little beast or chief whatever." She patted her bare belly. "This has to stay a baby-free zone."

Shaw sat back on his haunches. "I cannae sire any bairns. No immortal may."

"Right, except for the Selseus, who according to their king guy would all be happy to jump on me and make babies. Oh, and your dad, who had had like super siring powers." She frowned. "Although that would explain why none of you have kids. You're like mules, right?"

Now he climbed off the bed. "You should go, my lady. We'll attempt seduce the beast another night."

Julianne sat up and saw how rigidly he held his shoulders, and knew what she'd said had hurt him. Of course it had; he probably never even thought about pregnancy or STDs, especially when he was about to get busy. Still, she needed him to understand why.

"It's not about you or the Big Bad, Shaw." She tapped her temple. "I don't want to have kids because they might end up like me."

"Tall, golden and lovely?" he muttered as he picked up a chunk of wood, setting fire to it before he tossed it onto the pile burning in the hearth.

"Stupid." As he swung around to scowl at her she nodded. "It's okay. I'm used to always being the dumbest person in the room. I've been that way ever since I was adopted." She thought of Mitch smirking and picking food out of his teeth. "Believe me, stupid is not the worst thing you can be."

Shaw strode over to the bed, cradling her face between his hands. "Dinnae speak thus of yourself."

"I know what I am, and what I'm not." Julianne wound her arms around his waist. "I can't read very well, I suck at math, and I mix up words. I say things that I think aren't funny and everyone laughs. I'm not a child, but I'll never be like V and Lark and Caroline. I know stupid isn't a nice word, and I'm supposed to say limited, but it's true and it's okay with me. Being smart isn't everything."

He pressed his brow to hers as he stared into her eyes. "You're bright and beautiful, and you saved me."

She wrinkled her nose. "Oh, sure. I found out that you can't drown, remember? Caroline said–"

"'Twasnae from the sea you saved me, my merrow lady." He bent down and pressed his mouth to hers in a soft, luscious kiss that ended way too soon for her. "'Twas from despair, and loneliness, and the growing certainty I shouldnae breathe." He kissed her again, catching her bottom lip between his teeth and nipping her as he came over the top of her, and eased her back onto the mattress. "You give me true hope. Aye, mayhap for the first time since the Pritani took me."

"Hey." She wrapped her arms around his neck and squeezed her eyes shut. "Now you're going to make me cry."

"Look at me, woman." When she did he shifted, pressing his erection against her pussy. "If you cry, 'twill come from pleasure."

Seeing the fierce desire in his eyes made her melt inside; all Julianne wanted was to tear off his clothes and hers and get down to it. She pulled up her leine and his gaze went instantly to her flushed, swollen mounds.

"Not yet," she warned as he moved to put his hand on her. "I need to be naked first. Take off my clothes."

Shaw took hold of her pants, and with one jerk of his hand ripped them open and stripped them off. The ragged remains went sailing through the air as he did the same thing with her leine, and then straddled her hips as he stared at her bare body.

"Now your pants," she said, brushing her fingertips along the ridge his hard cock had made in his trousers. "Whoa. You really are glad I'm staying the night."

"I shall come inside you the moment I free myself," Shaw warned.

"That works. We can do it as many times as you want. I love sex." She stretched as he rolled off her, stroking her hands over her throbbing breasts and moving them down to her hips. "You're going to want to do it a lot tonight, right?"

When he started to come back over her, his big body completely naked for her, something made her turn away and present him with her back. He'll like this, she thought, although she wasn't sure why. She moaned a little as he caressed her bottom, and then shivered as he slipped his fingers between her thighs.

"You're so soft and wet, my merrow lass," Shaw muttered. "You've all but soaked my hand."

"That's where I need you." A strange shudder ran through her, and she glanced over her shoulder and smiled blindly at him. "You remember, don't you?"

"Aye." Something flickered through his dark gray eyes, shadowing them black for a moment, and Julianne knew it was his beast, which didn't remember anything. It had come after, long after, the two of them.

We've done this before now.

He grunted as he dragged her up onto her knees, and clamped an arm around her waist as he lifted her over his cock. Before he could do more Julianne came down over him, sliding his shaft into her body as if he had always been part of her there. Something flashed inside her, bright and hot and yet black and white, a memory of something she had never done with him, and yet had always done.

"Co-chèilidh," he whispered against her ear.

The old endearment made Julianne laugh out loud. "Bràmair."

Maybe he understood the words, or she did, but none of that mattered now. Shaw had impaled her with his big, deliciously hard cock, and things she'd never before experienced began flooding through her, as if he were pumping her full of magic. He started thrusting, softly and slowly at first as he murmured wicked words against her ear. He told her how he loved being inside her, and what more he wanted to do to her. He had the sweetest, hottest, most wonderful sex ideas she'd ever heard. They were never going to sleep again, she thought, her breasts bouncing as he shafted her harder and faster. When he brought up his hands to cup her breasts she nearly screamed with delight.

"Why call me thus?" Shaw muttered, rubbing his face in her damp hair.

"I didn't," Julianne said, panting as she helped him go deeper by thrusting down as he pumped up into her. His sweat dripped on to her and streaked down over his hands on her breasts, and smelled so good on her skin she wanted to rub her face against herself. "I don't even know what that word means."

"'Tis an old word for lover." He pressed her forward, covering her with his body and plunging into her so deeply he sent a shockwave of sensation through her belly and into her breasts.

Against her back something like cold and hot writhed, and poured under her arm to encircle her left breast. She thought it was just her own nerves, and then it sank into her skin like ice on fire. That flung her into so much dark delight Julianne clenched around Shaw's cock, squeezing him until he jetted into her core.

Beauty. Such beauty.

The voice that said that inside her head sounded impossibly deep and rasped the words with a faint metallic edge. It ran through her body, pouring into her wet pussy and sending her into a mind-melting second orgasm.

Suddenly there were stars and shadows and moonlight whirling around them as they danced together in a place without sound or form. Julianne clung to Shaw for dear life, so turned on she could hardly breathe. He was inside her, and so was the other, and it was like nothing she'd ever experienced. He put his mouth to hers, kissing her with reverence this time, as if she'd worn the pretty dress for him and he'd ringed her.

‘Til death do us part, Julianne thought, completely dazzled.

Shaw drew back and looked into her eyes, his own a swirl of gray and black. Never shall we die, my golden beauty.

All around them something like mirrors appeared, dozens and then hundreds of them, arranged like dominoes about to fall. Each one reflected her and Shaw entwined, but there was something wrong with each image. The clothes they wore ranged from furs and rags to glittering silks crusted with jewels. In the one closest to them she had black hair piled high atop her head behind a crown, and Shaw was a golden blonde man painted all over and on a chained leash like a pet. In the mirror beside that one they both had red-gold hair and tattooed faces, and wore furs like cave people. A third showed them both as silver-haired old women in dark robes; the one next to it displayed how they would both look as pale-eyed, brown-skinned boys who only wore skirts woven from leaves .

They're all us. She could see something of herself and Shaw in the people in each mirror. Why are they all so different?

She then fell back to earth, hearing the sounds he made blended with her own keening gasps, and then they collapsed together, their bodies slick with sweat and trembling badly.

"Shaw." She could only get out that much, and wondered if one or both of her lungs had collapsed. They didn't seem to be working right.

"Aye." His chest heaved against her shoulders, telling her he had the same problem. "I ken." He took hold of her hands with his, and pressed a damp kiss on the curve of her neck.

Julianne's body responded with another deep, warm glow that washed over every inch of her except one spot under her left breast. That hurt a little, almost like she'd bruised a rib. When she gingerly touched the place the same icy-hot sensation as before flared up, but now it seemed to be coming from underneath her skin.

What the heck had happened to her? she thought, her eyes so heavy now she could barely keep them open.

Sleep, my beauty, the beast purred inside her head. On the morrow shall you ken you belong to us.