Enemy MacKenzie land, Scotland, 1210.

 

Restrained and tied high in the bow of a tree in the dark of night, Annella Matheson stopped sawing her bound hands together as the forest went eerily quiet all around. ’Twas as if even the small creatures of the night had sought refuge from the warring about to unfold. Certainly, her kin would never allow the enemy to take her.

At the base of the tree she was wedged within, a shadow passed. Duncan MacKenzie. The Chief of MacKenzie’s second-born son was every inch a fierce Highland warrior. If only she’d never left her clan’s warrior encampment. She wouldn’t have done so except for the fearful cry of a child which had drawn her across their border and onto their enemy’s land, a child’s cry that had come not from a distraught bairn but instead one of Duncan’s men. Such trickery and deceit. She should have known better, that the MacKenzies would try such a ploy.

“Captain.” A warrior burst into the clearing wearing black breeches and a steel-studded coat, his sword strapped at his side. “Niall Matheson approaches, along with his son. They’re moving through the undergrowth, one closely following the other.”

“Good. They’ve come for the lass, just as Muirin’s brother saw that they would. The fae sorceress is strong, just as her brother is, their knowledge vast.” Hunkered down, Duncan scooped dirt and smothered the flames, his short black hair blazing blue on the ends in the eerie moonlight. Smoke curled into the air, thick and acrid as he glanced at her up high. “Neither your father or brother will escape their capture this night, although sorry I am that I’ve had to use you in this way, lass. Mayhap in time, you’ll come to understand why.”

Sorry? He’d just apologized to her? Huh. More trickery. Would he never cease with it?

“What will you do with the lass once we’ve captured her kin?” The warrior strode to her tree, pressed one palm against the trunk.

“The lass isnae needed, apart from luring her father and brother to me.” Duncan pulled a rawhide pouch from his pocket and opened the drawstring, tipped a glittering gold dust into his palm then clenched his fist around it. To the warrior, he muttered. “I’ll see to the lass afterward, either ensure her freedom, or mayhap even convince her to come with me. She is a spitfire, a worthy woman to stand at my side, and I’m in need of a wife. She would do rather well, particularly with her spirit-walker skill. Return to your position and make certain the other men are made aware that Niall and Ronan are mine. Neither will escape Muirin’s fae magic this night. Both are about to embrace their destiny, something which even their fae princess will likely understand by now. Their coming capture is meant to be, their journey to come one none of us can halt. ’Tis the way of the fae.”

How dare he speak as if he knew her fae kind so intimately. She’d certainly never stand willingly at his side, not in any capacity, particularly that of a wife.

“Aye, Captain, then I’ll inform the men.” The warrior disappeared into the dark, the breeze whispering through the high canopy and rustling the leaves.

“How do you fare up there, lass?”

If she could do more than release a mere mumble through the foul-tasting gag he’d stuffed in her mouth, she’d tell him exactly how she fared. This was madness, all of it. Duncan was her enemy, and if she could, she’d drop down from this tree and slice his head from his shoulders. ’Twould be the best way to ensure his mad ramblings ceased. He certainly needed to be taught a lesson, that no one imprisoned one of the fae.

Argh, if only she could get down. She’d been taught the arts of warfare at Father’s hand and should have been better prepared for this attack and containment.

Duncan lifted his massive two-handed claymore free of the baldric across his back and swung it in a wide arc as he limbered up and prepared for the battle to come, for there surely would be one. Father and Ronan held the fae battle skill and would fight for her freedom.

She narrowed her gaze on Duncan’s blade, the MacKenzie clan motto blazing upon it. Luceo non uro, “I shine not burn.” All their enemy ever did was burn, destroying lives as they so shamelessly stole in their ferocious battle to take it all. Clan Matheson had never raised arms against the MacKenzies, unless they’d been forced to defend themselves first.

No more burning for Duncan. Even though restrained, she’d find a way to warn her kin of exactly what awaited them on this forested hilltop. With her eyes closed, she calmed her mind and allowed her thoughts to settle until slowly, the dark finally encroached and she glided toward the dream realm. With her spiritual body separating itself from her physical body, she gladly soared free, her true form slumping within the bow and her head drooping to one side. She’d need to hurry. Danger always lurked when she left her physical form unattended.

No more than a wisp of white, she swept away on the breeze then dipped down toward the forest trail and weaved through the undergrowth, her senses on full alert as she searched for the two men who’d always come for her, always stand by her side.

A rustle tinkered to her left, and she breezed in underneath a thick scrub and swirled to a halt. Father lay on his belly under the bush, Ronan beside him. Father moved first, crawled through to the other side and crouched in his belted kilt and leather jerkin. Chin lifted, he breathed deep, his fae battle skill gifting him with added sleuth and strength during any mission.

Gently, she wound her misty form around him and tried to solidify some part of her ethereal form. How frustrating. Still naught came forth. Surely her skill would evolve soon and she could be far more present at her kin’s side. In Father’s ear, she whispered, “I’m so sorry. Duncan MacKenzie set a trap and I fell for the ploy. He intends to use me to draw you and Ronan to him then contain you both. He insists your coming capture is meant to be, that your journey to come is one that none of us can halt.”

“Duncan and his twin brother have never gotten involved in the fighting between our clans afore, not like their father and younger brother, Jeremiah, have. Although now, he’s clearly taken you and declared exactly where he stands, which is firmly on his father’s side.” He swept his hand out, his fingers lightly and affectionately grazing her misty form. “How many men await us?”

“Close to a dozen warriors, and one of his men has already reported your arrival. They’re everywhere, Duncan’s trap now set. He also holds a fae sorceress’s magic, a glittering golden dust in one hand.”

“I know of no fae sorceress. Certainly there is none within our village.”

“He called her Muirin.”

“Then I’ll take additional care, although no one holds my daughter against her will, or uses her as bait to capture either me or Ronan. If Duncan wishes a battle, then he’ll have one.” Firm determination slashed Father’s face, the silver flare on one side of his blond-haired head catching the moonlight as he bent and motioned to Ronan with a flick of his hand.

Ronan snuck in beside Father, both men an imposing sight. They held their position and scanned each direction, the canopy thick overhead and the bitter scent of smoke from the doused fire drifting toward them.

Slowly, succinctly, Father palmed his dirk, his gaze narrowed on the trail leading to the rise. Keeping to the shadows, they both crept and she breezed in beside them, all wispy-white as she kissed her brother’s cheek. “You’ll find me bound and gagged in the bow of the tree at the top of the hill.”

“I’ll be there soon, little sister. Wait for me.”

“I shall.” Her brother had stood at her side her entire life and she didn’t doubt he would as well this night, and even though she detested leaving them both, she swept upward toward the treetops and whisked back before taking a deep breath and settling inside her physical body. Her heart continued to beat with or without her present, her breath moving slowly but surely through her, and now returned, she lifted her head, her fingertips tingling and her worry pounding strong.

Father stepped fully into the clearing and withdrew his sword. “’Tis about time we met, Duncan. You and your twin brother have never raised arms against any of our Matheson warriors afore, although clearly that has now changed.”

“This isnae about me raising arms against you, but ensuring a future only a few can foresee.” Duncan’s voice rumbled low and smoothly through the clearing, his words holding her captive.

“Cease speaking in riddles.” Father snorted and stole closer, his blade at the ready.

At the base of her tree, Ronan clamped onto the lower branch and with swift and precise ease, snuck his way upward. Hunkered down next to her, he sliced her bindings free and plucked the gag from her mouth then with one finger to his lips, gestured for her to remain quiet as he motioned for her to follow him back down.

In her green tunic and black breeches, lad’s clothing she always wore, she swung nimbly down after Ronan then landed on the ground with nary a noise.

“Your daughter is far too impulsive, yet glad I am that she is. Her capture came with ease.” Brow cocked, Duncan opened one hand and the glittery dust in his palm sparkled. “She led you directly to me, exactly as foreseen by Muirin’s brother. I’ll take you to Muirin soon, allow her to answer any questions you might have.”

“You’ll take me nowhere. Certainly anyone who raises their blade against me or my kin has just ensured their death.” Father edged around the clearing, keeping to the darkest corners as he drew Duncan farther away from her and Ronan’s hidden position against the tree.

She remained perfectly still, not wanting to divert Father’s attention from the one man who would clearly take every advantage of it if she did.

Ronan gripped her shoulders and lips to her ear, murmured, “You need to swing wide of Duncan’s men as you return to the camp. Alert our guard and ensure you find Cherub and Kirk. Cherub can come to our aid far quicker than anyone else can since she can soar directly through the skies.”

“I cannae leave you and Father behind.”

“Never forget our battle skill, little sister, and consider my request a direct order, as if Father himself issued it.” He dropped a kiss on her forehead, slid his sword free of its scabbard. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” And direct orders couldn’t be disobeyed. She waited no longer and took off to secure their aid. Aye, the Fae Angel of Love commanded the air element, could halt the wind or send it churning if she so desired. She could also cloak her form and become unseen to others. Cherub could whip up a storm and unleash it on whoever she wished, which right now needed to be Duncan and his men. She wouldn’t lose Father and Ronan this night, not as Duncan had boasted.

Sprinting, she bounded along the forested trail and once certain she’d gone wide enough to divert Duncan’s men, veered back on course toward their warrior encampment a mere mile distant.

The ground blurred, the trees whizzing by. Branches scraped her arms and cheeks but slowed her down not one bit, not when Father and Ronan’s fierce battle cry rang out.

Their fight for freedom had begun.

* * * *

Over eight-hundred years in the future and standing at the edge of a forested meadow under the misty moonlight near Ivanson Castle, Alec Matheson swiped another massive log from the pile and thumped it on top of the chopping block. His inner bear raged at him, clawing under his skin, his insistent demand to fight flaring strongly through him. Never had his beast been this on edge, as if something were happening of great import.

“Calm down,” he snarled at his other half. “There’ll be no freedom for you when you’re in this kind of a mood.”

Teeth gritted, he swung his axe high and slammed it down on the round head of wood. The thumping thwack boomed all around as he drove his axe into the block over and over, until he’d near shredded the wood into a mass of splintered pieces.

One shoulder lifted, he wiped his sweaty brow with his cotton-ribbed blue t-shirt then tossed the slivers of wood into the wheelbarrow. Another massive log in hand, he slung it onto the block, gripped his axe and sliced the wood clear in two, the chopping block underneath it as well.

Grrr. He hadn’t meant to do that.

Hell, he really needed to shake off this foul mood, this frustration and anxiety too.

Eyes closed, he tried desperately hard to find some form of control.

Slow breath in. Slow breath out.

Memories surged, of his mysteriously annoying sprite who’d visited him each night this past month in his dreams. Huh. Thoughts of her right now wouldn’t calm either him or his beast in the least.

“You believe I’m a ghost, Alec? No more than a spiritual apparition?”

Her question had echoed hauntingly around him as he’d slept, and as usual his bear had thrashed to get closer to her in his dreams, even though impossible. Dreams were dreams, not a reality. “Of course you’re an apparition, made up within my own mind in my desperate need for some company, someone both me and my bear can’t harm. That’s what you are. A desire for me to feel normal.”

“I can sense your other half who you continually try to keep tamped down.” Her spirit had warmed him deep within, as it always did each time he dreamed of her. “His soul too reaches out to mine, his need for company clear to see.”

“Again, you’re just a dream, a figment of my imagination. You should leave. I’ve certainly had enough of this annoying conversation tonight.” He’d thumped his pillow, burrowed his head deeper into it. “Maybe tomorrow I’ll be in a better mood, although that wasn’t a request for you to return.”

“You’re rarely in a better mood, no matter how many times I return.” A giggle escaped her, wound its way around his heart and made him ache for her to take some kind of form and be real.

“Go away, pest. Isn’t there someone else you can annoy this night?”

“Well, you arena the only one who I visit within the dream realm. Father and Ronan are fun to annoy when they slumber.”

“Then go and pester them. I’m sure they’d appreciate your company more than me right now.”

“You really are in a terrible mood, far more than usual.” Her presence began to fade, her voice drifting away. “I wish you sweet dreams, Alec. Rest well, my mighty bear. I shall grant you the uninterrupted sleep you seek this night.”

“Damn it, wait.” He’d demanded her return, yet she hadn’t come back. She’d wisped away and a dark cloud of loneliness had saturated him. His mysteriously annoying sprite had gone and he’d never been more frustrated. What was it about her that so intrigued him?

With a shake of his head, he cleared his thoughts, propped his axe against the trunk of the closest pine tree and checked his wristwatch. Two-thirty in the morning. He’d have to be up in three and a half hours for training with his fellow warriors. He tapped the hilt of his ever-present claymore belted at his side. The mighty two-handed sword had been passed down throughout the generations, from father to son until it had reached his hands, although never would he hand it down to his own son, not when he had no desire for a soul bound mate as his fellow kinsmen did. Shackling a woman to him in such an intimate way would only ever end in her death. His beast was too fierce, unruly, and completely unapproachable.

With a roll of his shoulders, he heaved the wheelbarrow up by the handles and weaved through the trees. He left the gritty, pine-needle covered trail behind and emerged next to the woodshed, stacked the wood and tipped the barrow against the side then strode through the postern gate and into the bailey. From the center well, he lifted the swinging pail and flipped the water inside over his head. It sluiced down his chest and back. So invigorating. He jogged to the front door, bounded inside and upstairs, opened his chamber door at the end of the passageway on the third floor and walked inside. Soggy shirt stripped off, he tossed it into the corner wicker basket as he made his private bathroom then flicked on the overhead light.

Boots toed off and faded jeans unzipped, he shoved the worn denim down his legs and opened the glass shower door before flicking the lever on. Water sprayed and once it had heated and steam swirled, he stepped inside the cubicle and soaped himself clean. So often he wondered what his ghostly apparition looked like, what her name was. He’d never ask her though. That would only feed into her insistence she was real. Real, his ass. Although since it didn’t hurt trying to imagine her, he’d have her all curvy with golden tresses that swayed beguilingly to her pert backside. Aye, and her eyes, they’d be a mesmerizing blue. Her breasts. Full and heavy in his hands with succulent nipples he could lave attention on. Now, that would be a dream.

He scrubbed his hair, rinsed the shampoo out and shut the water off. From the vanity cupboard, he nabbed a thick white towel, dried himself then shaved his jaw and combed his hair. Done, he tossed his towel over the heated rail and stomped to his king-size bed, slipped between the crisp white bedsheets and head on his pillow, counted the wooden slats in the ceiling above as moonlight slivered through his window and flickered over each slat. The third plank across held a knot and he followed each of the ring marks around it as he tried to clear his mind and focus only on sleep.

Slowly, he drifted, sheer exhaustion taking him under.

“I cannae stay long this night, Alec.” Her voice floated within his mind, filled with pain, her sudden arrival and clear anguish gripping his heart and fisting it tight. “Father and Ronan have been taken by our clan’s enemy and I needed to speak to you afore I no longer could.”

“What’s happened?” Hell. Nothing had happened. She wasn’t real and he shouldn’t be encouraging her in this clearly impossible conversation. He shouldn’t be encouraging himself either. Dreaming about what she’d looked like as he’d showered had clearly set the stage for him thinking of her the moment he’d fallen asleep.

“’Tis all my fault. I allowed myself to get caught by our enemy and Father and Ronan came to my rescue. Ronan sent me back to camp for aid and when I reached my fellow warriors, we returned to where I’d been held but all we found was a pool of blood and glittering golden dust smeared through it. Duncan MacKenzie has stolen them away from me and if I lose them, then I’ll lose a piece of myself. I must find them.”

“Where are you? I’ll come and—” Wait, still a figment of his imagination. There was no woman. No trouble. No father and brother now captured by the enemy. “Go away.”

“I’m sorry. I didnae mean to disturb you this night and lay all my problems at your feet.” Her tears fell, dripped through the insubstantial white of her essence and splashed his face. He swiped one thumb across his cheek and touched the tip to his tongue. The taste of salt and sorrow gripped him hard. How the hell could he now taste her tears?

“Don’t cry. Please don’t cry.” He fumbled to grasp ahold of her then nabbed her hand as it appeared like an ethereal vision from within his dreams. She had such small, tiny fingers, swallowed almost whole within his tight hold. “Show me the rest of you.”

“I am of fae blood, Alec, and hold the spirit-walker skill, one that is right now evolving. That is how I’ve come to you in your dreams this past month. I am no’ an apparition as you believe. I truly am real and always have been. While you rest, so do I, then I travel to you. I seek you out because there is something about you that draws me toward you, night after night, and this night I needed to be with you more than I ever have afore. The loss of my kin engulfs me.”

His own pain intensified as hers swirled in and around him.

Another tear fell, one that trickled over his lower lip and then her face emerged and he touched his fingers to her wet cheeks and her eyes squeezed so tightly shut. “If you’re truly real then show all of yourself to me.”

“One moment.” She blinked her eyes open. Incredible. She had stunning blue eyes with sparks of gold glittering at the edges, an otherworldly gaze he got lost in.

Gently, he cupped her cheeks in his hands, traced over dimples showing either side of her pouty pink lips then swept one thumb along the smattering of freckles on her nose. Her long golden tresses swept forward over her shoulder and brushed his bare chest as she floated above him. “Are you truly real?”

She touched her nose to his, then the rest of her body took form, her upper body clothed in a green tunic, her lower limbs encased in black breeches. She lowered herself onto him, her weight slight but most definitely there. “Now I’m really here.”

Her voice no longer echoed within his mind but all around. How the hell had his ghostly apparition just taken actual form? He pulled back, tried to shove his eyes open only they were already open and he no longer dreamed.

“I can see your confusion, Alec. I’m one of the fae, can travel through the dream realm due to my spirit-walker skill and as I said my skill has now fully evolved. I am right here with you, have crossed centuries to be by your side.”

“This is impossible.” He had to be going nuts.

“I’ve heard you speak of Cherub and Kirk afore. Cherub travels through time within portals she opens. I can travel through the dream realm in a similar way, although only with my spiritual form.”

“How do you know Cherub and Kirk?” The Fae Angel of Love was mated to Kirk, one of his own clansmen, and even though he didn’t know Cherub all that well, he knew Kirk as if he were his own brother.

“Cherub is my princess, a guardian of our people and is of fae blood, just as I am. She and Kirk have offered me their aid in finding my kin, but first I thought to do so through the dream realm, only I’ve found naught other than you at rest.”

He stroked up and down her arms, reveled in her warmth. Right now, his apparition was a flesh and blood woman and he could no longer deny it. “Tell me your name.”

“You’ve never asked me for my name afore.”

“I never thought you were real until this very moment. Tell me your name, woman.”

“It isnae ‘woman.’” She glanced over her shoulder into nothingness then back at him, a regretful frown on her face. “I’m so sorry, but I must go. Cherub calls to me, hastens me from my sleep. She promised to watch over my body while I was gone. I am Annella.” She smiled, so enchantingly, then she dissolved and was gone in the blink of an eye, and just as swiftly as she’d come.

“Annella!” He jolted upright in bed, fisted his fur bedcover, his breath heaving from him as he searched his chamber. All remained eerily dark, the moon now hidden behind a thick layer of cloud and no longer spreading its misty glow through his window.