Highlander's Seduction (The Matheson Brothers #3)

“My place is at your side, just as yours is at mine. What will it take for me to convince you of that?” He squeezed her, the length of his warm body pressed against hers, so sweetly precious. She longed to remain right here with him, but that was a dream she couldn’t harbor. “I will never leave you, Cherub.” He nipped her ear, turned her around to face him then nibbled along her jaw in a slow and leisurely trail toward her lips. “Or ever give up on you.”


“I cannae accept the bond as Amelia did.” She brought them both down onto the forest trail just out of view of the gate where Gilleoin’s warriors patrolled the battlements.

“You’re not Amelia and I’m not Olaf. Choosing the bond doesn’t mean you have to give up your duty. I thrive on a challenge. Aiding you in bringing soul bound mates together would become as much as my calling as it is yours.”

“I’m sorry, but I cannae take the risk and possibly...” She needed to go, and before he actually managed to sway her mind. Swiftly, she became as one with the air and slipped out of his arms.

“Damn it, Cherub. I speak the truth.” Swinging his arms wide, he searched for her. “Don’t leave me. There isn’t anything we can’t overcome if we do so together.”

“Thank you for an unforgettable night.” Tears blurred her vision as she drifted higher. Leaving him hurt, bad. “Stay safe, Kirk.”

“Come back here now.” He thumped his chest, anguish slashing his face. “Your leaving, it cuts my very soul in two.”

“As it does for me, but I cannae promise you anymore than I already have.” The farther she moved away from him, the deeper her chest throbbed. Mated pairs should never be separated, that she knew to the depths of her heart, and here she was allowing that to happen. “Just know that I detest this, just as much as you do.”

“Then don’t leave me, because if you do, I will hunt you down, that I promise you.” He growled under his breath. “My chase has only just begun. You’re mine, the other half of my soul and I’m not giving you up.”

“You must. Farewell, Kirk.” She’d taken one night for herself and now she needed to forge ahead. Over the curtain wall, she streamed then through the bailey and up to her open window on the third floor. She fluttered inside, her heart a heaving mess as she materialized in her chamber. Remaining cloaked, she gripped the windowsill.

Outside, a fierce roar echoed and Kirk stormed through the postern gate into the inner courtyard. He marched toward the training warriors, on a direct course toward his brothers. Iain and Finlay were both identical to Kirk in every way, from their shoulder-length locks of midnight-black hair to their wide chests and towering height.

At the sight of Kirk’s clear frustration, his brothers left the warriors and steered Kirk toward a quiet corner of the yard, right underneath her window.

“What’s happened?” Iain, the eldest of the three, gripped Kirk’s shoulder as he eyed him. “I got a blast of contentment along our brotherly bond last night, and I still sensed only satisfaction from you until a mere minute ago.”

“I was far beyond content until my mate disappeared, right into thin air.” Hands clenching and unclenching at his sides, Kirk blew out a long breath. “I found her as soon as I reached the village, although I’ve yet to actually see her. Cherub is the faerie king’s eldest child. She’s also known as the Fae Angel of Love and is one of only three time-walkers born to the fae. She can cloak herself and remain unseen, or if she wishes, move into mist form and become as one with the very air itself. So too her duty to her people is strong and she ensures those who are soul bound and separated across time, are brought together.”

“I’ve heard of her.” Iain nodded.

“As have I. Dad’s spoken the tale of the Fae Angel of Love from time to time.” Finlay sheathed his sword in his side scabbard, his blue tunic fluttering free over his belted plaid. Sheathed wrist daggers glinted from under his cuffs, just as they did from under Iain’s.

All three of these men were warriors of great strength, although what made them the most powerful was the depth and devotion of their brotherly bond. They would do anything for each other, even lay down their life. That she’d learnt during a small number of secret visits to Kirk’s home over the past few years. She’d had a need to take one of her wounded people to Dr. Tavish, their clan physician, for his highly skilled aid, which she’d been unable to procure for her clansman here in the past. Twice, in her cloaked form, she’d snuck out of Tavish’s medical room to watch the brothers since Nessa had told her that one day they’d be known as the ‘power of three.’ Her curiosity in them had been strong, and now would always remain so because of her bond with Kirk.

“I’ll need a plan of attack, and I need it now.” Kirk ground one booted foot into the stony yard. “I won’t lose her.”