Chapter 21

21

A lasdair saw movement in the bracken nearby. He halted Hans before they took another step, worried it could be more of the Vikings. Before they reached the croft through the bracken, Conall ran to join them, stopping them. He was out of breath, panicked.

“Oh, good. I hope there are more of you though!” Connall said.

At once, Alasdair feared the worst. “Where is everyone?”

“In the croft. Isobel went inside even though Leif tried to warn her no’ to enter without alerting Olafur. She was worried about us and hoped to diffuse the situation. Olafur, cousin to our chieftain, Funi, has a sword at Libby’s throat. He just came inside through the front door. None of us were aware Vigge had sent him to the croft.”

“Then he made Agnes go to the castle to tell us to turn Isobel over. How did you get free?” Alasdair asked, thinking Olafur might have released him, but he couldn’t understand it.

“Through the back window. I…I wanted to get help.”

Alasdair’s heart was pounding furiously. “Where is Olafur in relation to the window?”

“Away from it so he can watch anyone approach. He’s standing next to the west wall in the corner. I thought his men would be all over the place. I didna think I could get far.”

“Quick thinking. We’ve got to free the others. Where is everyone else in the croft?”

“Leif is tied up and sitting on the MacEachens’ bed. Isobel was standing next to the door. He made her toss her weapons. Drummond and Dawy are sitting on the floor near the table. Dawy is tied up.”

“Aye. Let’s go. Conall, you stay here.” Alasdair worried about Elene, too.

Alasdair and Hans headed into the open between the bracken and the meadow surrounding the croft when they saw five men rushing to fight them.

Gods! He figured Erik, Lorne, and the others had taken care of the remaining Vikings.

Conall suddenly joined them as a wolf. That made sense because he didn’t have any weapons, though Alasdair still didn’t want the Vikings to injure or kill him.

Then the fight was on.

Luck was against Isobel when Olafur heard the knife flying toward him, saw the reflection in a vase, and dove for the floor with Libby in his grasp. He collapsed on top of Libby, who screamed in terror.

Isobel grabbed her sword off the dirt floor, but Olafur flipped around on his back with Libby still locked in his arm, his sword at her throat. “Try that again, and she will die.”

Furious that she had missed killing Olafur, she dropped her sword when she saw a large gray wolf leap through the window. Olafur glanced at the wolf and tried to toss Libby aside so he could get to his feet and kill the wolf, but Elene leaped at his throat and ripped it out.

Then the fighting outside the croft started, and Isobel looked out the front window. “Alasdair, Hans, Conall.”

She grabbed up her sgian dubh and cut Leif’s ropes binding his wrists behind him. She was going to have him untie Dawy, but instead, he grabbed his weapons and rushed out the door. She cut the ropes on Dawy’s wrists.

“Stay here with the children.” She didn’t want him to fight the raiders while healing from his injury.

“Aye, lass.”

Libby and Drummond helped him up while Isobel ran outside after her brother, her sword, and sgian dubh at the ready. Elene was out the door after that.

Isobel hadn’t wanted Elene to fight either, but she realized she probably needed to do this for her peace of mind after they had kept her as a slave for so long.

Instantly, Isobel saw Vigge fighting Alasdair, but as soon as he saw her, he paused. Then he slashed at Alasdair with his sword. “I would have protected you from my da. Even though your traitorous uncle had tried to kill him, if you had been my mate.”

“I’m already mated.” She went after one of the Vikings who was ganging up on Alasdair.

She didn’t tell Vigge that she was mated to Alasdair because she knew he would be enraged and try even harder to kill her mate.

But Alasdair was too proud to let it go and said, “To me.”

With a clang, Vigge struck Alasdair’s sword so hard that she was surprised it hadn’t broken in two.

“You and your da set my uncle up.” Isobel was sure of it.

That’s why the other men had agreed to go against Funi but then, in the end, had killed her uncle. They just hadn’t expected her to take her family and Elene all the way across the ocean to Scotia.

As wolves, Conall and Elene tackled another who kept swinging his sword at them, but they were too swift, getting vicious bites in and dodging his sword. They would have to kill him, or he would become one of them.

Hans was engaged in combat with another Viking while her brother was fighting a fifth man.

“You disappeared,” Vigge said, falling back as Alasdair continued to strike at him.

“Aye. We knew you would kill us—kin to a traitor.”

“Nay.”

She knew then it had all been planned. Never did Vigge say that it hadn’t been. But the man she was trying to keep from attacking Alasdair further was getting the best of her. He was much bigger and stronger. Hans had killed the man he was fighting and tackled the one Elene and Conall were biting.

Then Leif cut down the Viking he was battling and hurried to help Isobel. The Viking she was fighting wasn’t holding back; ready to kill her and hit her sword so hard she fell back on her arse. Leif was right there taking up where she had left off, striking his sword against the Viking’s, forcing him back and away from Isobel.

Now Vigge was closer to her. Before she got to her feet, she sliced Vigge’s leg. And then she hurried to her feet. Vigge struck her sword so hard that she lost it. But Alasdair sliced at Vigge’s throat as Isobel stabbed him in the chest with her sgian dubh . He collapsed and fell face-first in the meadow grasses.

Alasdair took on the man fighting Leif, and then between them, Leif knocked his sword from his grasp, and Alasdair stabbed him in the chest with his sword.

Hans had killed the other man. All five men lay dead in the field.

“Come. We go now to the keep, just in case Lorne, Erik, and the other men dinna manage to kill the rest of them,” Alasdair said.

“Aye. I’ll get the children and Dawy.” Leif hurried to the croft.

“Do you want to change first?” Isobel asked Conall. Elene had arrived as a wolf, so she figured she would return to the keep as one.

Conall woofed and ran to the cottage.

“I can walk,” Dawy said. “I’m much better. Fighting the Vikings, probably no’ so much. But walking? I can manage.”

Libby and Drummond ran to Isobel, and she hugged and kissed them both. Elene joined them and licked them in greeting and affection.

“We’ll take care of the bodies later,” Alasdair said. “Dawy and Libby, you can ride Conall’s horse to the keep.”

Conall hurried into the barn and saddled his horse, then he and Leif helped Dawy onto the saddle. After that, Conall lifted his sister onto Dawy’s lap.

“Let’s go.” Alasdair started moving at a fast pace, Isobel beside him.

Conall, Drummond, Leif, and Hans were behind them, heading through the tall bracken. Elene had disappeared ahead of them.

Before they were halfway to the castle, the sound of horses’ hooves galloping toward them caught their attention. They had to be friends, not foes.

Alasdair howled. Someone from the direction of the horses howled back. Isobel didn’t recognize the howl, but Alasdair smiled. “Lorne is bringing the horses.”

It didn’t take long before Lorne had enough horses for all of them to ride.

“What about the men you were after?” Alasdair asked, going to help Isobel onto her saddle, but she beat him to it—like usual.

Leif was smiling at her. Then he climbed onto another horse.

“They are vanquished, dead. They willna come again.” Lorne glanced at Elene. “How did you manage to leave the castle?”

“She was a great wolf warrior. We left some of the dead Vikings by the croft,” Alasdair said.

“And one inside the croft,” Isobel added.

“We’ll take care of it.” Lorne motioned to some of his men to go with him. “The rest of you escort the lady and our chief back to the castle.”

“When you return, we’ll celebrate,” Alasdair said.

“For vanquishing the raiders?” Lorne said.

“And because I have taken Isobel as my mate.”

Lorne smiled. “Here, I thought as she pulled guard duty, I would eventually win her over.”

“It was too late for that the moment I saw her eliminate the Viking guard on the beach,” Alasdair said.

Then they parted ways, and Isobel and the rest of the party traveled the rest of the way to the castle. “I’m sorry for all the trouble I caused your people because of coming here.”

Alasdair raised his brows. “They came last year, and it wasna because of you. They will always have a reason to raid our villages. None of this was your fault.”

Hans said, “Bessetta will be thrilled that you, Elene, and your family are safe from harm. We have every reason to celebrate the occasion.”

“I wish I could have been more help,” Dawy said. “Agnes is all right, isna she?”

“Aye. At the castle where Elene was supposed to be, though Agnes also wanted to come and help rescue you,” Isobel said.

Dawy smiled. “Aye, she would. Maybe not this old man, but the children? Aye.”

Isobel smiled. “She wouldna forsake you for anything, Dawy.”

As they arrived at the castle, several clan members tended to the injured men, though none were major wounds and would heal in a week or less. Still, some maids fawned over them as the injured warriors basked in all the attention they were getting.

In the meantime, Elene raced into the castle to shift and dress.

The staff hurried to heat water in the kitchen to prepare a warm bath for Isobel and Alasdair, and they retired to his bedchamber. Isobel was relieved this dangerous situation with her former clan was finally over.

Once the staff left them alone in the bedchamber, Isobel began to remove her belt, but Alasdair beat her to it. She hadn’t anticipated that he would remove her weapons and then undress her, kissing her lips, cheeks, chin, and throat in a sensuous pass. Then he helped her into the bath, took a cloth, and began to wash her.

She sank into the hot water, realizing how exhausted she was after fighting so many brigands. She’d never imagined having a mate who would treat her like a queen. His touch was gentle but was already making her want him in carnally pleasurable ways. She had to remember her family and the pack, who, after they cleaned up, would be looking forward to a celebration.

He slid the cloth down her arms and then caressed her breasts with the cloth. Holding her hand in his, he washed it with an incredibly tender touch, leaning over to kiss her washed cheek. When he reached down between her legs, she couldn’t experience any more of his sexual overtures without taking this all the way.

She wrapped her wet arms around his neck, and he kissed her mouth in a long, lingering lips-to-lips kiss. Then tongues intertwined, sliding, touching, teasing. His hands cupped her breasts, and he caressed her nipples with his thumbs.

“Switch places,” she said, her voice husky with need.

His mouth curved up. Then he began yanking off his belt and his clothes. She grabbed a cloth and climbed out of the bathwater. She dried herself off in a slow, sensual way while he hurried to climb into the tub and watched her. He was going to scrub himself clean, but she dropped the cloth, picked up a clean one, and began to wash his face.

“Hmm,” he said. “After battling it out with the fiends, I’ve never had this kind of treatment.”

“Aye, me either. Next time”—she washed his chest—“we’ll do this without having to go to battle first.”

“Aye, I wholeheartedly agree.” Then he ducked under the water, came up clean and shiny, and pulled her into the water with him, bathwater splashing all over.

She cried out in surprise and then laughed, the fun-loving gesture momentarily lifting the world's weight from her shoulders. It was a nice respite from their recent troubles, which they desperately needed. They were just a mated couple enjoying each other's company for a few precious minutes, living in the present without a thought for the future.

Now, she was sitting on his lap in the bathtub and all wet again. He spread her legs and began stroking her in that sensitive spot that begged for his touch. With his free hand, he pulled her hair aside and began kissing her neck.

Shivers of delight stole up her back. She forgot all about a celebration, the pack, that they needed to hurry and join the others. He caressed her breasts with his free hand while still stroking her between her legs.

She loved the smell of his skin, a mix of soap and sweat and something distinctly him. His touch was bringing her to the top of exquisite pleasure, the sound of his heart beating as fast as hers. And then she cried out with satisfaction. She was so glad they took the time to be with each other alone.

She thought they would be climbing out of the tub, drying off, and finishing this. Instead, he sat her on his staff and began to thrust. This was just…incredible.

With one hand, Alasdair reached up to gently tuck a stray strand of Isobel’s hair behind her ear. Then he kissed her there. He knew they needed to start the celebration with the pack, but he wouldn’t give up this time with Isobel for anything.

He rocked into her, guiding her, filling her with his masculinity. She smelled of sweet wolf and their musky arousal. His hand caressed her breasts, and she moaned with pleasure, her nipples protruding against his palms. She rocked against him, making him hard with need.

Then he was coming and groaned with release. “Gods, Isobel, you are the only one for me.”

She turned her head around and kissed his mouth. “Are you ready to celebrate?”

“I’m sure they havena waited for us.”

She laughed and climbed off him and out of the tub. He followed, and they dried each other off, smiling and kissing each other. They needed this time alone together.

Then they hurried to dress and headed out of the bedchamber. As soon as they reached the stairs, they could smell wild boar cooking and heard all the excited conversations.

When they walked into the great hall, the cheers went up. Everyone was clean, and he knew most had washed up at the loch. The staff would have made baths for Erik and Baldur, but they might have bathed in the loch. Alasdair would have if he hadn’t had a mate.

“Time to celebrate my mating with Isobel, joining her family with ours, and fighting off the Viking threat.”

Everyone raised mugs of ale in salute and cheered. Isobel’s cousins and brother hugged her, and she hugged them back. But then they warmly embraced Alasdair also. That was another highlight of his day.

The meal was served. Then, there was feasting, music, and later, dancing.

Alasdair overheard Baldur saying to Erik, “If it comes to fruition, we could do this next with you and my daughter.”

Erik smiled, looking like he didn’t really believe it. He saluted Alasdair with his mug of ale, telling him well done on winning the lass over.

Alasdair saluted him back, then leaned over and kissed Isobel’s cheek.

She was snuggled up to him, and he was so glad he’d found her on the beach. He looked in the direction Isobel was watching, and he smiled. Mege and her friends weren’t happy about the news. But they seemed to be the only ones.

“They will come around eventually,” Alasdair said.

“As long as the rest of the clan is happy with our mating, it doesna matter about Mege and her friends.”

“Aye, true. All that is important is that I have you and your family is safe with our clan.”

“Our clan,” she said, and he wrapped his arms around her.

“Always and forever.”