Alasdair drank some more of his ale and then waved his tankard at Bessetta as she came to the table as a blond wolf, her belly and chin white, and woofed at him. “Go and be vigilant. Hans will go with you just to make sure no one has already climbed the cliffs unbeknownst to us.” Not that he thought anyone would have, or that anyone was down below the cliffs, or he would have seen a longboat on the beach or heard it wrecked on the rocks, but just to be certain, he wouldn’t risk his sister’s life.

  Then she licked Hans’s hand and the two of them took off for the cliffs.

  “You sent Hans with her but no’ me,” Rory said, sounding a bit miffed, as if Alasdair hadn’t trusted his younger brother to keep her safe.

  But Alasdair did. “Aye, but only to make sure everything’s fine, not to stay with her.”

  Appearing to understand Alasdair’s reasoning, Rory nodded. “I want to go as a man when I serve on guard duty.”

  Alasdair shook his head. “As a wolf.” Then he said louder for everyone to hear, “Everyone will go as wolves who serve on guard duty. You can howl and warn us of trouble and outrun an arrow if you’re quick enough. On your own against a bunch of Vikings if you’re armed only with your sword and shield, you would no’ be able to stand against them.”

  A chorus of “ayes” by the men and women in the great hall filled the air.

  Alasdair hoped he was wrong about spying a longboat in the ocean—that he had only imagined it. He’d had the strangest dreams of late, though he hadn’t shared them with his brethren, afraid they might see them as a bad omen.

  He’d been fighting with a beautiful, golden-haired, Viking shieldmaiden. Swords clashed and she was damn good at it too. A worthy foe. He’d seen wolves that were not his own in attendance, ready to protect her and he was all alone. Maybe that’s why he thought he’d seen a Viking longboat.

  It was all just a manifestation of his dreams.

  “I want to get out of the longboat,” Isobel’s young niece, Libby, said.

  Isobel didn’t blame her. She was ready to get out of the longboat too. Because of how long they’d been rocking in the boat, it would take some getting use to when they stood on stationary land again.

  Elene said, “If anyone saw us from the top of the cliffs while we were coming into shore, they could be watching from up there. What are we going to do?”

  “I’ll climb up and see if it’s safe for us to go up that way.” Isobel was worried about getting her younger niece and nephew up the cliffs. She wasn’t sure about Elene either. She knew Conall could manage.

  “I should go,” Conall said.

  She shook her head. “I brought you here. If something happens to me, then you have to take care of your brother and sister and you will be making the decisions from then on.”

  Conall looked at Elene. “What are you going to do?”

  Isobel hadn’t asked the question of Elene, hoping she’d stay with them, but she could understand if she wanted to try and make her way home to see if she could find any of her family that might still be alive. And Isobel felt it was her obligation to make sure she got there safely. Even though Isobel and her family would be at risk for doing so, Elene wouldn’t be safe traveling alone either. Not as a single woman.

  “If you allow me too, I’ll stay with you for the time being.” Elene felt like part of Isobel’s family because she was a wolf like them. And she’d taught them her language whenever they were beyond the clan’s hearing.

  “I’m glad you will.” Isobel was sincere about it. She really liked the woman who was always quiet, though that might have been because she’d been a slave.

  Now that Elene was home, Isobel wondered if she would act differently. So far, she hadn’t. But if she found some of her family, would she then feel surer of herself? Isobel suspected it would be so.

  Elene sighed. “You were the only ones who were kind to me when the others in your clan weren’t.”

  “That’s because we weren’t really members of the clan,” Conall said, sounding angry. “And you are a wolf like us. That makes us family, dinna you think?” He ran his hands through his tangled blond hair. “I should have helped our da when he fought the chieftain.”

  “We would have been dead,” Isobel said. “He never told us his plans. And it all happened so quickly. Whoever was supposed to help him overthrow the chieftain didn’t side with him like they had pledged.” That had angered her. Not that they would have been successful if they hadn’t turned on him, but she hated them for backing out on her uncle.

  Conall lit a lantern and they looked at the cave more closely. It was getting dark, and they found the cave went back a long ways and they could use loose rocks to pile up on the towline so that when the tide went out, they wouldn’t lose their longboat out to sea. Though it would probably smash up on the rocks first if it got loose from its mooring.

  Conall got out of the longboat and secured it, and then Isobel handed up some of their furs and food and he carried them deeper into the cave. “Just be careful,” he said. “It’s slippery in here.”

  “And damp and chilly.” But their furs would keep them warm. Isobel climbed out of the longboat and helped Libby out, and then Drummond. She grabbed Elene’s hand and assisted her onto the cave floor. Then they made a bed out of the furs. “Before first morning’s light, I’ll start the climb.” At least as wolves, they could see in the dark, so they had the advantage. She just had to go early enough so that she could make it to the top of the cliff without being seen. And then, if it was clear and there were no settlements nearby, she could howl to her kin and Elene, and they’d know it was safe to come up.

  She figured for now, they’d leave their belongings in the cave and only take what they needed to eat and weapons also to protect themselves, of course.

  “We need to wear the clothes of my people,” Elene said.

  Isobel and her kin had been speaking Gaelic the whole time they’d been on the ocean to improve their use of it, but they still had accents that set them apart from the Scots.

  “Ja,” Isobel said. “Aye.”

  “We could steal them, if we find a croft,” Conall said.

  Isobel hated to steal from people who probably couldn’t afford to have many clothes. But they needed to disguise themselves the best they could. Elene was right. It could mean the difference between life and death.

  “Are you sure you don’t want me to climb the cliffs first?” Elene asked. “My Gaelic is much better than yours.”

  “It is, but, nay, you’re still dressed like us.”

  “I…I canna say enough of how grateful I am to you that you freed me.” Elene sighed. “I didna think I would ever get out of there, or even that I would meet you and your family and that we would have so much in common.”

  “Aye. I wanted in the worst way to free you from that first meeting. It killed me to see the way they treated you,” Isobel said.

  “The chieftain didn’t like that all of you were kind to me. It would have been worse if you had left me behind.”

  “We would never have left you behind,” Isobel said. Even though sneaking her out had put them more at risk, because she was a wolf like them, they’d had to free her no matter what.

  Libby snuggled up next to Isobel and she wrapped her arms around her niece. For now, they were safe. But how long would that last? She was afraid they would soon find out they weren’t safe at all.

  Early the next morning before the sun rose, Isobel and the rest of her companions took turns stripping and shifting and doing their business near the cliffs as wolves. If anyone saw them, they wouldn’t believe wolves could be on the shore when they wouldn’t have any way to climb down the cliffs to get there in the first place. But they wouldn’t suspect they were anything other than wolves or maybe even wild dogs. Not Vikings.

  Then they returned to the cave and once Isobel had shifted and dressed, she said, “Conall, you’re in charge of your sister and brother. Stay in the cave until I return and let you know it’s safe. Elene, you’re a free woman. I hope you stay with them, but it’s your choice.”

  Elene smiled. “I’ll stay with them.”

  It was a balancing act for Isobel. Conall was responsible for his siblings, and Isobel was responsible for all of them. She hoped Elene stayed with them because Isobel wanted to keep her safe also, but she understood if at some point Elene wanted to be on her own since she wasn’t related to them by blood. Though what if all wolves at some point had been?

  “I’ll stay with them,” Elene said again.

  “Thank you.” Isobel gave her a hug, and then hugged her younger nephew and niece.

  Conall always acted like he was too old or too much of a warrior for hugs, but she pulled him into her arms and embraced him. “Keep them safe.”

  “I will.”

  Then she left the cave and hurried to the cliffs, praying she wouldn’t be seen by anyone who might be up on top, though she couldn’t imagine why anyone would be. As soon as she reached the cliffs, she looked for the best hand and footholds and began the climb, praying she didn’t fall and leave her kin and Elene alone to fend for themselves in a hostile world.

  3

  Early that morning before first light, Alasdair was taking the last watch as a wolf at the cliffs. Others would come throughout the day, but if they didn’t see anyone on the beach by midday, he figured it would mean he’d only thought he’d seen a longboat and there had been nothing to it.

  When he drew close to the edge of the cliff, he heard a rock falling down the rockface close to the top. He couldn’t imagine rocks falling for no reason. If they had been experiencing a landlash, strong winds, or punishing rain—mayhap. The other possibility? Someone was climbing to the top.

  He peered over then and saw a golden-haired woman climbing up the rockface and his heart nearly gave out. She bewitched him, her hair partly loose, and some of it in braids. She fascinated him not only because of her blond locks, but for the garments she wore—deer hides fashioned into trewes and a tunic, and leather belts that showed off her slim figure and leather boots trimmed with fur. She was a Norsewoman, he was certain, and he wondered if her longboat had broken up on the rocks and she had swum to shore, dried out, and was now trying to reach the top of the cliffs so she could find food and shelter.

  She appeared to be alone and wouldn’t pose any threat to him or his pack members unless others of her kind came to rescue her. Though he could see she was armed with a sword, and probably a dagger hidden in her boot.

  She suddenly looked up as if she realized someone was watching her. He ducked away from the edge. He didn’t want to scare her if she should see a wolf watching her and she worried he would attack her. Though he wouldn’t. He wanted to watch her progress, help her should she have trouble, but he couldn’t as a wolf. And if he shifted, how would that look? A naked Scotsman coming to pull her up on top of the cliffs? She wouldn’t understand.

  He tore off into the nearby woods so when she crested the cliff he wouldn’t be seen as a threat. He strained to listen for any sounds that said she was still climbing the cliff. He was dying to know if she was nearly to the top. He wasn’t sure what he was going to do after she reached the top. He guessed he would follow her wherever she went and stay out of her line of sight. He wouldn’t howl to alert the others. Not since there was only one of them.

  She finally reached the top but didn’t climb the rest of the way. She just peered around at the scenery, the mountains in the distance, the woods, the loch while he watched her and waited. He assumed she was afraid to reveal herself, but no one was about and still, she didn’t climb on top of the cliffs. What was she waiting for?

  Then to his surprise, she disappeared below the edge of the cliffs. No way could she be climbing back down to the beach below. What if she had been the scout? And there were others hiding down below and he hadn’t seen them?

  He ran toward the cliffs until he reached them and slowly peered over the edge. He saw the top of her head as she continued to make her way down the cliffs. Others had to be hiding down below somewhere, though he couldn’t imagine where. Unless…there were caves down there? None of his people had ever climbed down there. There hadn’t been any reason to.

  Still, he didn’t howl, wanting to see just where she was going once she reached the bottom of the cliffs. He was amazed at how agile and strong she was. That was a long climb to make.

  He was lying down, keeping a low profile, peering over the edge. She didn’t look up while she was descending, too busy keeping her footing. Once she was down, he backed off, afraid she’d look up. Then he heard her running across the rocky shore and he moved to the edge again, staying low, peering down.

  He expected to see a whole bunch of Viking men coming to greet her, though he wondered why they wouldn’t send one of them to climb up the cliffs instead of one of their women. Though Alasdair knew their women fought as ferociously as the men.

  She paused near the water’s edge, and he anticipated she’d glance back at the cliff to make sure no one was watching her, which she did. He ducked out of sight, hoping she hadn’t seen his head. She might have thought he was a villager’s dog and would warn the villagers she was here.

  He finally chanced looking over the cliff again, but she was gone.

  “Well?” Conall asked. “What did you see, Isobel?”

  “Forests, a loch off in the distance. It’s a strenuous climb and I think that just you and I should go, if Elene is all right with it and she can stay with the younger ones,” Isobel said.

  Conall was all for it, but Elene was quiet.

  “I want to go,” Drummond said.

  “Nay. You stay with your little sister. You’ll both come with us once we scout around and learn what we can,” Isobel said. She glanced at Elene. “What do you think?” She had to remember that Elene was from this land, and she would know the people and their customs better than Isobel and her kin would.

  “I believe I should go with you, or with Conall, should you choose to stay with the wee ones. I’m a Scot and they’ll know it. I can do all the speaking for us. But we could also run into danger. Like with your people, mine also have clan fights and so we won’t know which clans are in this area and if they were friend or foe of my own people.”

  Conall looked ready to object, but then he said, “I’ll stay behind. As much as I dinna want to, my brother and my sister are my responsibility, and two women may no’ be seen as much of a threat. They would be wrong, but they wouldna know it.”

  “You saw no one up there?” Elene asked Isobel.

  “No one. I heard the birds in the trees singing away, no voices, saw no movement other than birds flitting about the woods. We take our bows and see if we can bring back something to eat and we’ll fill our waterskins at the loch. While we’re gone, you three gather wood and take it into the cave. We’ll try to start a fire behind the rocks there, that jut out from the cave’s entrance. It would hide our fire from anyone on the water,” Isobel said.

  “What about from the cliffs?” Conall asked.

  “They could see the smoke. If the wind is blowing in the right direction, we could have a fire near the entrance of the cave so that it willna smoke us out, but we can warm up, dry out, and cook a meal. Or we could use the brazier, if we didn’t smoke ourselves out. Just gather the driftwood and we’ll decide after we return. Are you ready, Elene?” Isobel asked.

  “Aye, let’s go.”

  Then the two women ran across the beach and to the cliffs as fast as they could go. Elene was wearing trewes also, instead of a kirtle that the women wore. They had taken Isobel’s parents’ and her aunt and uncle’s clothing to use for additional warmth and to change into when they were too wet.

  At one point, Isobel swore she saw a wolf peering over the cliff at them, but it was gone so quickly, she had to have been mistaken. The first time up the cliffs had been wearying, but the second time, she was getting winded. Elene was doing well, and Isobel was glad for that. They worked hard in the clan, so they were in good shape, not to mention all the rowing that they had done for weeks at sea whenever they were becalmed.

  When they finally reached the top, Isobel peered over first, and seeing the way was clear, she climbed up on top. Then she helped Elene the rest of the way and the two raced across the meadow grasses to the safety of the forest, but she was surprised to smell a wolf had been there. A male wolf. Watching them. At the cliff’s edge.

  “Did you smell a male wolf?” she asked Elene, whispering the words.

  “Aye. One of our kind? Or a real wolf though?”

  “I dinna know.” Wolves could be territorial, either kind. Isobel was surprised. If their kind lived in the area—Scots’ wolf shifters, not Norse wolf shifters—would they be more receptive to taking them in? Or would they want to eliminate them, fearing they were here to fight them for their land? Or steal from them?

  As soon as they reached the woods, Isobel felt they were being watched. She looked around but didn’t see anyone. Her skin prickled with unease.

  “Do you sense it too?” Elene asked. “That we are being watched.”

  “Aye.” That’s when Isobel saw a wolf and then another. They were suddenly surrounded by wolves. They didn’t dare ready their bows. There were too many of them. All Isobel thought about was poor Conall and her little niece and nephew and how they had led them into a trap.

  One of the wolves suddenly shifted into a tall man—with glorious dark brown hair, a beard, dark brown eyes and the rest of him was well-muscled. He appeared to be a warrior and he was truly beautiful to look at. She should have been alarmed to see him naked before her, but she was—impressed. He was looking at Elene and Isobel chanced to look at his remarkable staff, but when her gaze returned to his face, she saw he was looking her straight in the eye, a small smile settling on his lips. She was definitely blushing.

  “I am Alasdair, these are my pack members, and you are wolves trespassing on our land. Who are you and what do you want?”