Tall, Dark and Wolfish (14 page)

Then suddenly she sat up. "Oh, I've got ta get back."

"Tel me you don't have somewhere else to be." He groaned.

Elspeth tapped his chest. "Wal ace Ferguson has been keepin' watch over my grandfather. I told him I wouldna be gone long."

She scrambled to her feet and Ben tried to tug her skirts, but she was too quick for him. "Wait," he cal ed.

She looked back over her shoulder. "I'm sorry. I've been gone too long."

Ben leapt from his spot and chased after her. He always seemed to be chasing her, he realized, which was never the case with most women. Of course,

no other woman could make him climax by licking her wrist either. If there was a woman worth catching, it was Elspeth Campbel .

He caught up to her at the base of the hil and wrapped his arms around her waist, pul ing her against his chest. "One more moment won't hurt, Elspeth."

She sighed and leaned her head against his shoulder. "Ben, I have ta go."

He nuzzled against her neck. "I just wanted to apologize for earlier. I shouldn't have barked at you."

Elspeth turned in his arms, her emerald eyes glistening under the crescent moon. "Ye did nothin' wrong. I should have told ye about my mark, but it's hard

for me. I doona ken anythin' about my father except that he gave me that."

He brushed his lips across her cheek. "You can tel me anything, El ie."

She wrapped her arms around his neck, and Ben tightened his hold on her. "Do ye mind waitin', then? Let me dispatch with Wal ace. Then ye can come

in for tea."

"Of course."

Elspeth stepped away from him and hurried along the path to her cottage. Ben watched her go, the delicate sway of her hips, quiet as a wolf. He'd been

a fool not to see it earlier.

Elspeth rushed in through the door to find Wal ace sitting vigil by her grandfather. He barely looked up when she entered, as he seemed lost in thought.

She cleared her throat and he nearly leapt from his seat. "Oh, El, I dinna see ye there."

"No worries, Wal ace. I'm sorry I was gone so long. I hate ta keep ye waitin'."

He shook his head as he started for the door. "Doona worry yerself, lass. Tomorrow it wil al be over with."

She walked him toward the door. "I canna thank ye enough for everythin', Wal ace."

He reached for the handle and then stopped and looked at her. "Are ye goin' ta be al right? Ye ken ye can always come and stay with us. I hate for ye ta

be al alone."

Elspeth sighed. "I'm no' al alone, Wal ace. I have al of ye. Thank ye again, for everythin'."

Wal ace nodded, then opened the door and disappeared into the night.

Elspeth went to the stove in the middle of the room and put some water on to boil. Chamomile with a hint of blueberry ought to do nicely. Then she went

to her grandfather's doorway. If she didn't know better, she'd think he was sleeping peaceful y. She quietly shut the door and returned to the stove to pour

the water for tea.

Just as she finished, she heard a light rap at the front door. Her heart sped up at the thought of Ben on the other side, and she rushed to answer it.

Instead she found Caitrin with the Macleod plaid covering her hair. She resisted the urge to groan. Al she needed was for her friend to see Ben.

"It's late, Caitrin."

Cait pul ed the plaid from her head and gestured to the settee in the smal room. "I ken. I wil na stay long, I promise."

Elspeth opened the door wide. As Caitrin stepped over the threshold, she looked past her in the darkness. But she couldn't see Ben anywhere. She

closed the door a little harder than was necessary.

Caitrin flopped down onto the settee and wiped a tear from her eye. Elspeth rushed toward her friend, awash in guilt. She should have realized the girl

was upset. "What is it, Cait?"

Her friend clasped Elspeth's hands in her own. "I hate this, El. I hate al of it. Ye're my dearest friend, and I hate bein' on opposite sides."

So did Elspeth. She smiled sadly. "Then stop."

Caitrin shook her head. "I canna stop. I doona want ta lose ye. None of us do."

"Cait, I'm no' goin' anywhere. I doona ken how many times I have ta tel ye."

"But I've seen it, El. And if ye go off with him, back ta England, the
Còig
wil fal apart. We have ta have al of us."

Elspeth sighed. "I think ye're puttin' the cart before the horse. He hasna asked me ta go ta England with him. He's just lookin' ta be healed. After that,

he'l go back ta where he's from." She glanced down at her mark. She was connected to him, though. Would distance matter? A year from now if he

touched his mark, would she feel it?

"He wil ask ye, El."

Even if he did, she couldn't go. She wouldn't fit into his world. "Cait, this is my home. It's al I ken. Ye've known me my whole life. Do ye honestly think I'd

run off ta London?"

Caitrin looked over El's shoulder toward the window. "Aye. I've seen it." Then she focused her eyes on Elspeth. "Ye ken I love ye and I want the best for

ye?"

"Aye."

Her friend smiled wistful y. "Good. Because I'm no' givin' up on ye. If yer mother stayed with the coven despite mama's vision, I'l fight 'til the end of time

for ye."

"Cait—"

She waved her hand as she rose from her seat. "Doona even think ta stop me. Ye're the closest thing I have ta a sister."

The others would probably have been offended if they'd heard that, but Elspeth knew the words were true. From their youngest of years, the two of them

had been closer than the others. Caitrin threw her arms around Elspeth's neck. Then she stepped away. "He's been outside ever since I arrived. I suppose

I should leave ye."

Elspeth gaped at her friend. She was just going to leave her with Ben after al this? "What happened ta fightin' for me 'til the end of time?"

"Oh, if he tries anythin', I'l ken it. Then I'l ask Alec MacQuarrie ta toss him out on his ear." With that Caitrin walked across the room, opened the door,

and strode out into the night. "I ken ye're out here, Westfield," she cal ed. "No need to hide like a dog."

Ben stepped out of the shadows, a look of boredom pasted on his face. "Ah, Miss Macleod, what a pleasure it is to see you again."

"Just so we're clear, Westfield, if ye do anythin' ta hurt Elspeth, I'l see ye boiled in a cauldron of oil."

"With your scintil ating personality, Miss Macleod, it is easy to see how you've charmed so many admirers," he responded drol y.

She tipped her nose high in the air with a wicked smile. "Just remember what I said."

Ben didn't even watch the haughty chit disappear into the darkness, as his eyes were focused on Elspeth. Her hair hung wildly about her shoulders, and

the fire from the hearth inside gave her a radiant glow. She stepped toward him, a pretty blush staining her cheeks.

"I'm sorry about that."

Ben smiled in return. "Not to worry, love. Miss Macleod doesn't bother me." Then he ushered her back inside the cottage.

She gestured for him to sit on the worn settee, then vanished into the kitchen area. "Good, the tea is stil warm," she cal ed.

Ben looked around the smal room. Again it struck him that she deserved more. Before he could expound on that thought, Elspeth turned the corner with

two mugs of tea, offering him the unchipped one. "Chamomile and blueberry," she said.

"Blueberry?" Ben echoed. It smel ed delicious.

"Aye, blueberries encompass the aura of the moon. Ye should eat some the night it's ful ."

Ben chuckled. "You think blueberries can heal me?"

Elspeth took a sip of hers. "I doona think it can hurt."

She did have a point. He took a swal ow and closed his eyes, savoring the flavor in his mouth. He'd never had more delicious tea. "So," he final y said,

"are you going to tel me why Miss Macleod despises me?"

Elspeth shrugged and dropped her eyes to her lap. "Cait thinks ye're goin' ta whisk me off ta London and they'l never see me again."

The wind rushed out of him. That's exactly what he should do. Why hadn't he thought of it himself? The moon did cal to him when he was with Elspeth.

He should have her with him always. Then there was the little matter that he
liked
having her around. He could just imagine her waking up in his arms every

morning. "And what do you think about that?" he asked.

He could offer her much more than this cottage. Her grandfather was gone. No one needed her like Ben did. This was perfect.

"I think I hardly ken ye."

Ben smiled. "Ah, you know me better than most women, Elspeth. No one else knows what I am. No one else can touch me the way you do." No one else

made him burn for her the way she did either.

She shook her head. "I'l tel ye what I told Caitrin. This is my home. I wil na leave it."

He blinked at her. Didn't she know who he was? What he could offer her? If he could get her away from the other four, maybe he could convince her to

stay with him. "Not even to find your father?" he suggested.

Her emerald eyes grew round with surprise. "That's impossible."

"Not necessarily," he informed her. "I've been thinking about it, wondering who he is. I should take you to see Major Forster—"

"Major
Forster
? He's Scottish?"

Ben frowned. "I suppose he is." He'd never thought much about that before. He sounded nearly as English as the next fel ow after his many years in the

army. "He runs the Lycanian Society in London—"

"The Lycanian Society?"

"Hmm. It's an organization for my kind. Most of us are registered. About ninety, ninety-five percent. The Society knows about each of us. Who we are.

Where we've been. That sort of thing. And we take care of our own. Orphaned boys, those who need medical care. With a little research, we can probably

find the Lycan who—"

"—is my father," she finished. "I never thought ta find him. It never seemed a possibility."

Perhaps it was a bad idea. She looked so sad, Ben wanted to envelop her in his arms and make her forget he mentioned it. "If you don't want to look for

him, that's understandable, too."

Elspeth placed her tea on the smal table in front of them and looked down at the mark on her wrist. "If he's stil alive, I would like ta find him. I have many

questions. A lifetime's worth."

Ben brushed his knuckles across her cheek. "Then I'l help you find him, El ie."

Her smile lit up the smal room. "Like ye found my hair combs?"

Her hair combs. They had to have been a gift from the girl's sire to her mother. "Exactly."

They could leave tomorrow after the funeral. The sooner he got her away from the others, the better.

"But no' until I heal ye."

"Can't you do that in London?"

She giggled. "Everythin' I need is here, Ben. Ye came ta me ta be healed. I canna let ye leave until then."

Eighteen

Elspeth watched Ben over the rim of her teacup. He'd settled into the settee and looked more than comfortable with himself, his light hair hanging rakishly

across his brow. She could watch him forever and never tire of it.

After a moment, Ben sat forward. "I should probably go. I would hate for anyone to find out you were alone with me after dark." His hazel eyes twinkled at

her.

But she didn't want him to leave. Not yet.
"It's rare ta have visitors this late at night. I'm sure we're safe for at least a while." His head tipped to the side.

"So doona go," she mumbled.

"We have excel ent hearing, you know?" The corners of his mouth tilted into a grin.

Elspeth bit back a curse. "Of course ye can hear me. Ye can probably hear my thoughts as wel ."

"No. Your thoughts are safe. But I do have fun trying to read your mind."

"How successful are ye at that?"

"Not very, actual y." He scratched his chin. "Why don't you make it easy for me and tel me what you're thinking?"

"Because then there would be no chal enge and you would lose interest completely." And she did
so
want to chal enge him.