The Highlander’s Witch (3 page)

Heading home, she curled up into a ball on the seat and ignored any attempts made to get her to talk, crawling into bed when they got home.

When Skye finally came out of her room on the third day and entered the kitchen, there was silence as Sarah and Aunt Gladys sat around the counter, watching her.

Calmly explaining what happened as she made toast, she finished by saying she didn’t ever wish to discuss that night again.

That was eight months ago and Skye hadn’t gone out again.

At least, not until her family began their recent crusade to set her up with someone.

Gritting her teeth, she stepped out of the shower not feeling a whole lot better.

All she wanted was incredible sex with someone who wouldn’t make her feel cheap afterwards.

Snorting, Skye admitting it didn’t even have to be incredible. All she wanted was one time.

One time to be able have sex before learning something that would turn her off.

Because of her family’s meddling, Skye had remained a virgin.

A very knowledgeable virgin because of all the books she read, but a virgin nevertheless.

At twenty-three, it had become embarrassing.

Pulling on flannel pajamas, Skye sighed as she wondered what to do.

*     *     *

Gladys peeked around the corner after Skye left, chuckling as she slipped into the vacated seat.

“Well, that didn’t work out as planned.”

Sarah looked at her aunt with a raised eyebrow.

“Ya think?” She arranged the brownies onto a plate. “I’ve never seen her so pissed.”

“Who?”

Gladys and Sarah looked up guiltily as Doug sauntered in.

He stopped and looked from one to the other. “Uh oh.”

“Nothing.” Gladys said, not looking at him.

“Then why do you both look like you’ve just been caught doing something illegal?” He asked as he went behind the counter and grabbed one of the sweets, placing an arm around his wife’s swollen belly.

Sarah laughed as she leaned into her husband’s embrace and kissed him. “Not illegal.”

Doug gave her that look that said he wasn’t buying it before he took a bite of the brownie.

“Aunt Gladys set Skye up—”

“With your wife’s knowledge.” Gladys chimed in.

“On a speed dating . . . thing.” Sarah finished.

Doug stopped the sweet in midflight of his next bite.

“Speed dating?” He stared between the two of them. “Speed dating?”

“Now Doug—”

He looked at his wife incredulously.

“You knowingly let your sister go to one of those? And didn’t try to stop this plan of hers?” He said as he pointed to her aunt.

“Hey.” Gladys said in affront.

“I just thought that if she had choices . . .” Sarah blushed and let the sentence die.

Popping the rest of the brownie into his mouth, he wiped his hands.

“Bet she loves the two of you lots now, huh?” He threw over his shoulder as he made his exit.

“Pffft.” Gladys made a face. “What does he know?”

“Enough. More than us.” Sarah pushed the list towards her aunt. “The kind of men she met caused her to write this.”

“‘Speak English’. ‘Be financially secure.’” Gladys muttered through the rest of them. “What is this?”

“That is her list of common sense things she looks for in a man.”

Gladys looked from the list to Sarah and back again, getting that look in her eyes.

Sarah shook her head and protected her belly. “No. Whatever it is that you are thinking, I say no.”

“You say Skye wrote this, right?”

Not even waiting for a reply, Gladys held the paper in her hand and walked away, talking to herself.

Sarah rushed around the counter and stepped in front of her aunt, blocking her exit.

“No.” she repeated to her aunt.

The older woman looked up, confused. “No what, m’dear?”

Sarah tried to grab the list from her hand, but Gladys was faster.

“I don’t know, but I do know that look in your eyes and you can’t do whatever
it
is. Give Skye a chance to get over this latest disaster before trying something else. Please.” Sarah begged.

Gladys’ look of determination melted under her niece’s pleading look.

Shoulders drooping, she sighed. “Alright, we’ll give her some time.”

“Thank you.” Sarah sighed in relief.

Gladys’ determined look resurfaced. “But this piece of paper is going to give me a clue as to what to do next. When I come up with something, I will let you know and this time we’ll work out
all
the kinks.”

Sarah reluctantly agreed. “As long as we both agree on when the time is right.”

“I will let you know.” Gladys replied with a thoughtful expression on her face.

Sarah watched her aunt nod emphatically then huff and walk off, not seeing the gleam in the woman’s eye.

Shaking her head, she sighed, knowing the knot in her stomach wasn’t from the child lying sleepily inside.

*     *     *

Skye looked up from the erotic novel she was reading when she heard a meowing from outside and groaned.

Getting up, she muttered the same litany she always did when this happened.

“I don’t understand why Miss Kitty has to howl at my door so she can come in instead of going upstairs.”

Opening the sliding glass door, she waited for the cat to race in from the cold.

When Miss Kitty didn’t do as expected, she looked outside and saw her sitting a couple yards away in the snow.

Skye slid the door closed and muttered louder. “Stupid cat.”

Stomping away only to sit down just as the meowing resumed, she growled in annoyance. “Damn pest.”

Trying to ignore the cat was impossible with the beast’s persistent meowing, so she went back to the door and slid it open, once again without the appearance of Miss Kitty.

She looked outside and saw her in the same spot.

“Come on, Miss Kitty. It’s a damn basement, yanno? Heated, but still a basement.” She growled. “Get in here before I freeze to death.”

The cat meowed.

“Don’t just sit out there—move it!”

The cat stood and took a hesitant step forward, glanced towards the second story, looked back at Skye, then sat down to continue to howl.

“What the hell?”

When Skye stepped outside, the cat turned, took a few more steps, peeked over its shoulder, and waited.

“You have
got
to be kidding me.”

Thankful for thick wool socks, she wiggled her feet into her slippers as she tucked her still damp hair into the ugly knit hat her aunt had made from the peg next to the door then went after Miss Kitty.

Tightening her robe and swearing in Gaelic so it didn’t sound as bad, Skye cautiously approached the cat, following the path she’d dug out early to get from her room to the hot house her herbs were stored in.

Half way there, she stumbled as her vision suddenly went blurry.

“
Faigh
muin
, it’s cold out here. Too cold to even see!”

Snatching Miss Kitty up, Skye stumbled, her ears ringing.

Shaking her head to clear it, she hurried back to the house.

Before she got to the opened door there was a strange sound in the distance, like something crashing through the brush. Miss Kitty jumped out of her arms and into her room as Skye swung around, but her peripheral vision blackened and the noise mixed with the ringing.

Her eyes wouldn’t stay focused and her stomach heaved as she started falling, reality hitting her.

Chapter Two
 

“A
unt Gladys!” Skye gasped as she fell to her hands and knees, the wind knocked out of her.

Remaining still until the nausea and ringing in her ears faded away, Skye began devising ways on how she was going to get even with her aunt for utilizing whatever spell she’d cast.

Carefully glancing up after the queasiness eased, she abruptly sat up in shock as she looked at the surrounding trees and brush lightly covered with frost.

This looked more like a forest than her backyard.

Skye slowly eased onto her haunches to stand, biting back the bile the motion caused as she turned slowly, taking in the tree as well as the circle of flowers and mushrooms that surrounded her. Easing her back against the trunk, she waited for her equilibrium to return fully and took stock of her surroundings, as difficult as that was in the dim lighting.

“I k-know you have some-something to do with this Aunt Glad-d-dys.” She stuttered through her chattering teeth as the cold seeped into her bones.

Clenching her teeth, Skye focused on a familiar sound of something running through the forest, only this time it sounded closer.

Too close.

Trying to see through the dimness in front of her as she clutched the robe tighter, she tried to breathe through her growing fear. She furtively glanced around and up, trying to find a place to hide.

The sound grew increasingly louder. Something was running through the forest and heading rapidly towards her.

Shit.
Shit.
Shit.

Racking her brain for a spell, even though that was just as terrifying, but not nearly as much as whatever it was that headed her way—and fast.

Too late.

Crashing through the brush in front of her was a large cat with foam dripping from its mouth.

A cougar!

Not
Miss
Kitty,
not
Miss
Kitty!

“Leave, leave, leave!” She screamed as it ran right for her.

Leaves tumbled from above and Skye whimpered. “Leave, not leafs!”

She did what she scorned every girl for doing in a horror movie; she froze.

Eyes wide with horror, Skye watched it gather momentum, its gaze fixed on her.

A scream lodged in her throat as it jumped in the air, claws extended.

Stumbling back, Skye fell against the tree, fear clogging her throat and denying her room for thought.

A blur came from her right, slamming into the cougar.

The cold forgotten, Skye looked as the two animals rolled, snarls and sickening crunching sounds filling her ears.

“Oh, God. Oh, God. Oh, God.” She whispered repeatedly as she watched in horrified fascination.

It was over almost as fast as it began. The cat lay lifeless on its back, the jaws of a massive dog clamped around its bloodied throat.

Disgusted by the sight, Skye still couldn’t tear her eyes away. She gasped for air as soon as she realized she had been holding her breath, one hand clutching the tree she was leaning against, the other at her throat.

Another growl had her head snapping around and pressing back against the trunk.

There, crouched to spring, was another huge dog with a man on horseback behind it.

Then her peripheral vision caught more movement to her right and she slowly looked, terrified to take her eyes off the beast and man in front of her.

Skye whimpered as another man on horseback stood where the animal that saved her from death had come from.

Her mind was trying hard to sort through her fear and comprehend what she was seeing.

They looked like they had come from a medieval movie about berserkers as hair streamed in tangles past their shoulders, matted beards covered their faces, and grime coated their clothes and skin.

“Co
thusa?”

Swinging her head around when she heard the first man speak, Skye was too afraid to comprehend what was going on so she just stared; her eyes riveted on the dog as it growled menacingly.