18 – Mungo Spouts Home Truths
Caimbeulach Keep, Scothage Highlands
They landed the spaceship on the training field, right next to the keep. Joe and Saber freed the legs of their captives and marched the Scothage men down the ramp with a dozen leopard shapeshifters as escort.
“Which way, Mungo?” Saber asked.
“Follow me.” She was hoping Adair behaved with good sense instead of encouraging the remaining clansmen to attack them as they entered the keep.
“Wait, sweetheart.” Joe grasped her arm to slow her rapid steps. “You’re my wife.” He tugged her to a stop and grinned down at her. “You never cease to surprise me.” He gently kissed her mouth and pulled away to whisper in an undertone. “I take you to be my wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part. I love you, Mungo.”
Saber stepped up beside her. “Welcome to the family.”
Then each of the leopards approached her. Each licked her hand before returning to their former positions. Warmth spread through her chest at their easy acceptance.
“I can’t wait to celebrate our wedding.” A naughty twinkle sparked in Joe’s eyes.
“Me too,” Mungo confessed.
“Mungo?”
Mungo glanced up to the battlements and spied Reilynn and Adair. Adair held a bow with a nocked arrow. “We come in peace. I am returning Father and the others and to tell ye I am married.”
Adair peered downward. “Where is the Grantlach?”
Joe stepped forward. “I am Mungo’s husband. She is married to me.”
The gates opened, and Mungo gestured for her father to march through. She, Joe, Saber and the leopards strode behind the Scothage men.
“Why are they bound and gagged?” Adair demanded. “Bitch! What have ye done?” He darted up to Mungo and struck her before she could escape the blow.
Each of the leopards snarled and several prowled toward Adair. Mungo stilled them with a slash of hand and wiped the blood off her throbbing jaw. Tears shrouded her vision, but she refused to let them fall. Instead, she curled her right hand to a fist and punched her brother, striking him as hard as she could in return. Pain radiated up her arm, the still-healing arrow wound protesting the abuse.
“Now we are even,” Mungo said, her hand aching as much as her jaw. The shock on her brother’s face was worth the pain in her fingers and knuckles. She turned her back on Adair, trusting Joe to keep her safe. “Reilynn, this is my husband Joe Mitchell.”
“Pleased to meet you,” Joe said. “Mungo speaks highly of you.”
Reilynn remained unsmiling. “Yet ye return my husband and sons trussed up like chickens.”
“They are alive.” Joe’s voice held steel.
“They fired poison arrows at Joe and I. We’re lucky to survive.” Mungo wondered at Reilynn’s unfriendliness. “Reilynn, I understand things between me and my father and brothers will never change, since we’re returning them as prisoners, but I love and respect ye. I hope that this willnae alter.”
“We hope you will visit us,” Joe said. “You and Janeet.”
Reilynn glanced at her husband and after a long pause, she shrugged. “It will depend on Aengus.”
“We can send transport for you,” Joe said.
Reilynn never blinked. “Aengus may forbid a visit.”
“We wish for peace and will need to purchase more cattle. The next step is yours,” Joe said. “Mungo, did you wish to collect your belongings before we leave?”
“I have nothing of value here.” Mungo glanced at Reilynn and bit her lip. She’d hoped her stepmother would at least welcome her back or have questions about her surprise marriage. Instead, Reilynn remained silent. Mungo waited a fraction longer but to no avail.
“Mungo, let’s go,” Joe said.
Each of the leopards waited until she, Joe and Saber retreated. Then, they backed up and fell in behind. Mungo swallowed as she strode up the ramp into the spaceship. She’d thought at least Reilynn cared for her. She’d been wrong.
“Mungo.” Joe’s arms came around her. “You might feel alone now, sweetheart, but we’re here for you. Me. Saber. The rest of my brothers and their mates. You have a new family who will care for you and treat you with love and respect. You’re stuck with us now.”
Mungo pressed her face against Joe’s chest and cried full-out, her shoulders heaving with the force of her sobs.
Numbness filled her on the quick journey from Caimbeulach to Grantlach territory.
“What happens if they shoot first and ask questions later?” Saber asked.
Joe squeezed Mungo’s hand as he replied to his brother. “I’m hoping our appearance will surprise them enough and they won’t act straight away.”
“They’ll see me,” Mungo said, her voice croaky from her crying jag. “That will make them hesitate.”
“Will they recognize you?” Joe asked. “You told me you haven’t seen the Grantlach laird for several years.”
“The Grantlach kenned my mother. He courted her before my father won her. I resemble her. He will identify me easily enough.”
Saber landed the spaceship. In the past, this trip would’ve thrilled her, but now her mind tangled, her limbs prickled with a horrid chill, and despite Joe’s warmth, shock encased her hopes.
Reilynn, too, had rejected her.
Joe stood. “Mungo, all we need do is speak to this laird, then we can go home. A fresh beginning with your handsome husband.”
Saber snorted loud enough to draw her attention, and several of the leopards made a haw-haw-haw sound deep in their throats.
Joe tsked and lifted his head, raising his gaze skyward. “That is leopard humor.”
He ushered her down the ramp of the spaceship. Saber and the leopards followed.
“This castle is tidier and has a more prosperous appearance than the Caimbeulach one,” Saber said.
“Aye,” Mungo agreed. “The Grantlach breeds steeds. They are valuable animals.”
Joe cocked a brow. “This guy owned Harriet?”
Mungo nodded while surveying the battlements. Soldiers had appeared, although they dinnae bear weapons. Yet. “Aye. I understand Harriet came from here.”
“What do ye want?” A watchful clansman peered down at them, his Grantlach tartan stretched across one broad shoulder and pinned with a glittering brooch.
“We have come to see the Grantlach,” Mungo said in a loud, clear voice.
“Who requests an audience?” the man enquired, his voice gruff, his expression impassive in his round face.
“Mungo Cam—”
“Mungo Mitchell,” Joe said. “We come to talk and have no intention of creating trouble. The laird can address us from where you stand if he wishes.”
“I’ll inquire if he desires to speak with ye.” The man disappeared.
Watchful gazes continued to bore holes in them as they waited for the Grantlach’s favor.
“Mungo?” An older man with black hair peered over the battlements at them. Surprise etched into his face to join the lines left by years and experience. “My spies told me ye were missing. I feared for yer life. Who is that with ye?”
“I am Joe Mitchell. This is my older brother Saber. We are shapeshifters.”
“Shapeshifters. Aye, I’ve heard rumors of men who transform into big cats. Thank ye for escorting Mungo here.”
“Nay,” Mungo said. “I have come to tell ye I am married. I wished to do the honorable thing and tell ye in person.”
“Mungo is my wife,” Joe said.
The laird spoke to someone over his shoulder before turning back to them. “I’ll allow ye in. The cats can stay outside. Ye understand my security concerns, I’m sure.”
Mungo turned to Joe and Saber. Both nodded.
“That is acceptable,” Mungo said.
The main gate opened with a well-oiled creak, and they waited for Laird Grantlach to appear, Joe and his brother flanking her.
Mungo wasnae certain what to expect. Anger. Fury. Scorn. Dismissal. Death by a pointy sword.
But the Grantlach strode toward them with a broad smile. “Come. Come. Let us speak in comfort inside.”
He ushered them through double wooden doors into the hall beyond. Like the outside of the castle, the hall sparkled with clean surfaces and everything in its place. Thick tapestries covered the walls while the tops of three long tables gleamed with years of hard polishing. Vases of purple flowers sat at intervals on the tabletops and perfumed the air.
“Come to the parlor,” the laird said. “More private. I’ll call on the housekeeper while ye get comfy.” He tromped out, his leather kilt swinging around his bare legs, his carriage upright and his shoulders broad. He returned, still smiling. “Sit. Sit.”
“Laird, are ye not angry at me?” Mungo asked, confused at his reaction.
“Nay. Hew Grantlach.” He stretched out his hand to Joe. “Ye are wedded to Mungo?”
“Yes.” Joe never hesitated.
Joe distracted her with his ready agreement, his utter confidence and the icy cold space in her chest melted a fraction more. This man kept showing her by deed that there were good men who treated women well, that she could trust him. Mungo smiled at the man who’d accepted her tale of marriage to him without a blink, her heart lighter.
The laird shook Saber’s hand too before turning to Mungo. “Aye, lass. I would’ve recognized ye anywhere. Ye are the image of yer mother. Ye have nothing to apologize for since I can see for myself how happy this shapeshifter man makes ye.”
The housekeeper bustled in then, carrying a silver tray bearing glasses, a carafe of uisge beatha and a platter of butter wafers.
“Thank ye, Elsa,” the laird said as she set the tray on a round wooden table. “Ye’ll try a glass of the water of life?”
“Thank you. Whisky,” Saber said to Joe.
The laird poured four glasses and handed them around. “I’m glad ye’ve come to visit. I’d heard rumors, and yer father wouldnae give me straight answers.”
Mungo puckered her brow. “I dinnae understand.”
“Reilynn sent me a message around half a rotation ago.” The Grantlach sat beside Saber and sipped his drink. He issued a contented sigh. “The way yer father and brothers treated ye concerned Reilynn. She feared they’d injure or kill ye one cycle. She requested I get ye to come to live with my clan. For yer safety.”
“Reilynn?” Joe exchanged a surprised glance with her.
“Aye,” the laird said. “The only way I could think to get yer father’s permission for ye to leave the clan was to offer marriage.”
“Ye did nay want to marry me?”
“Nay, Mungo. What need does an old goat like me have of a wife? I thought to offer ye the safety of my name. That is all.”
Mungo frowned. “Why would ye do that?”
“Ye ken I loved yer mother. I wished to wed her, but she fell in love with yer father and I married someone else. I never forgot yer mother. Her goodness and beauty. Yer father adored her too, and I hear tell he changed after her death.”
“What about the money you gave Mungo’s father?” Joe asked.
“I gave Aengus Caimbeulach half of the sum we agreed on.” He shrugged. “If it meant saving ye, it was worth it.”
“So ye’re not angry that Joe and I pre-empted ye?”
“Nay! All I want is yer happiness. That is what Reilynn wants too, although she told me in her last message she intended to pretend otherwise.”
“Reilynn loves me?” Mungo whispered.
“Aye. She loves ye as a daughter, and it’s obvious yer young man loves ye too,” the laird said. “He hasnae taken his attention off ye and he acts protective.”
Mungo peeked at Joe and witnessed his support, his sympathy. “I promise to repay the money ye gave my father.”
The laird waved away the offer. “Nay, it was a small matter.”
“Perhaps we could enter a mutual agreement to benefit my people and your clan,” Saber said entering the conversation. “Something to thank you for the favor you have done Mungo and my brother Joe.”
The laird sipped his drink. “It’s unnecessary.”
“We run a resort on Ione Island and are searching for male employees,” Saber said.
“As it happens, we have a surplus of young men with high spirits. This is an isolated area. Beautiful but lonely without a young lass to warm the heart. I’ve been pondering the future of my clan. My cousin’s oldest boy will take over as laird after me, but a new challenge might be the thing for the other lads.”
“I have one of yer steeds,” Mungo burst out.
“Do ye now? Thieves stole one of my mares around a quarter of a rotation ago.” He cocked his head. “How does the steed fare with the shapeshifter men?”
“She loves them,” Mungo said, understanding what the laird was asking. “She behaves with perfect manners and lets them handle and ride her without objection. Would ye want her back?”
“Nay, consider her a wedding gift.” The laird nodded and lifted his glass in a toast. “To the newlyweds and to our future alliance. Och, lass. Ye resemble yer ma. She was beautiful too.”
“Thank ye,” Mungo said. “I wish I’d kenned her.”
“She liked the outdoors,” the laird said. “And she had a way with animals, which I understand ye too possess.”
Joe reached for her hand and smiled at her. “Mungo does like her coos.”
“Tell me more about this resort of yers.”
“If you wanted,” Saber said, “you could return to our home with us. You’re welcome to bring two or three of your men with you and see what we do there.”
The laird tapped his chin and grinned. “My nephew could do with some added responsibility, and I believe I’d enjoy checking on my steed in her new home. Do ye have room in yer spaceship for four?”
Saber chatted with the laird while she and Joe walked over to the window. The Grantlach’s lands spread out before them, lush with pink-tinged grass. Coos dotted one paddock, grazing with contentment while paddocks to the left contained several of the laird’s prize steeds.
“Mungo,” Joe said, seizing her attention with his urgent tone. “I want you to understand something. This marriage. I want to be clear with you now.”
Mungo’s chest tightened and dismay spread through her. It made Mungo realize how much she cared for Joe. “Ye dinnae wish a marriage between us.”
“Mungo, I’ve exercised patience because of your circumstances. From the first moment I saw you and thought you were a grubby boy, I wanted you as my mate. Shapeshifters recognize their mates when they find them. You are mine.” Joe stepped closer and cupped her face with his big hands. “I respect and admire you, but most of all, I love you. If you left the resort, it would break me.”
Relief. Such relief filled her that her knees buckled. Joe caught her against him, clasping her to his bigger body. Keeping her safe. As he always would, she realized.
“Ye make my heart ache,” she confessed. “I love Reilynn and Janeet, but when I think of ye, the ache is so much worse. I dinnae think I could walk away from ye.”
Joe nuzzled her nose, and when he lifted his head, his eyes were brighter than normal. “Listen, there is more about shapeshifters and mating. You’ll notice that each of my brothers’ mates has a small scar at the base of their neck. This is the mating mark. It brings a couple closer together and offers a non-shapeshifter mate greater resistance to humanoid diseases. Once a mate wears a mark, they live longer. Some mates gain telepathic abilities while others understand what their mate wants or needs without speaking. The process works differently with each couple.”
“Ye wish to bite me?”
“More than anything,” Joe confessed. “The feline part of me is desperate to mark you.”
“Ye could’ve bitten me without permission.”
“I could, but you have suffered with your family taking away your choices. Your happiness is important to me, so I’ve tried not to push. When I think of you, I see a strong marriage between mates. I see children in our future. I see coos.” His lips twitched before he continued. “I see happiness and laughter and love. Such love.”
“What if we cannae have children?”
“Whatever happens, I see us standing strong together. Children or not. It doesn’t matter.”
“Will our children take after ye?”
“Most offspring can shift to a leopard. Does that worry you?”
“Nay, I’d want them to favor their father.”
“I’d be happy if they have your beautiful red hair,” Joe whispered. “But first we’re practicing how to make children in our big, comfortable bed, and I will show you that loving me isn’t something to fear.”
“I’m not afraid of ye.”
“No,” Joe said. “You lift that stubborn chin of yours and fire scorn with your beautiful gaze. I’m a patient man, sweetheart. You’ll grow used to life at the resort and with me.”
“And then?”
“Then we’ll hold a celebration for our real marriage in front of our friends and family. You can invite Reilynn and Janeet.”
Mungo smiled so wide it hurt. Her chest ached, but she recognized the symptoms now. She was in love with Joe. Somehow, she thought the marriage celebration would come verra soon.