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toward the keep, Jamie’s large feet padding over the newly fallen snow. The men at the gates gaped as they walked through. They must have made quite a sight, Jamie in his animal form with what appeared to be an injured Duncan riding on his back.
    “What happened tae ye, Duncan?” His mother raced from the keep, worry in her eyes. A wounded man was the only reason any of them changed outside of the safety of the keep. No one would risk discovery otherwise.
    “I’m fine, Mother.” He sat up, revealing their precious cargo and his mother gasped, her eyes wide.
    “What are ye doing?” She studied the girl for a bit before she whispered. “She’s a human, Duncan. Have ye both lost your minds?” She waved her arm toward the girl. “The lass could leave here. She could tell others of Jamie now.” She crossed her arms and frowned.
    “Dinnae fash yourself, Mother.” Duncan sighed as he slid from Jamie’s back and gathered the lass in his arms. “She was freezing tae death in the woods. Would ye hae had us leave her there tae die?”
    His mother sighed. “Now, ye know I wouldnae.” She turned to Jamie who still had not shifted back to his human form. “Change yourself back, man, afore the lass awakens. Perhaps we can salvage the situation and make her believe she dreamed the whole thing.”
    “It’s too late for that, Mother. We’ve shown her what we are. We dinnae want her tae believe it was a dream. We want her tae know what we are, tae choose tae stay here with us.”
    “With who, Duncan, you or Jamie?” his mother asked, her arms still crossed.
    “The both of us, if she’ll hae us.” Duncan met his mother’s gaze without flinching. He wasn’t a boy any longer. If his mother didn’t approve, it was just too damned bad. They needed mates, all of them, and if she couldn’t understand that they intended to grab onto this girl and hold on tight, she would just have to go on not understanding.
    His mother raised a brow, her blue eyes gleaming. “It’s a wonder ye finally found a lass that interested ye, Duncan.” She grinned, slapped Jamie on the ass and laughed. “Change tae your human form, Jamie, before I give ye a real lashing for scaring half my life from me when ye carried Duncan through the gates.”
    In a flare of blue-white energy, Jamie flashed back into his human form and grinned sheepishly at Duncan’s mother. “I’m sorry, Mam. It was Duncan’s idea after all. Besides,” he paused to wink at Duncan, “as your son says, the girl was dying in the cold. We couldnae just leave her there.”
    “As ye both say.” She sighed and shook her head. “Bring her inside. She needs some hot soup and a warm bed.” Turning, she scowled at the two men. “A warm bed that doesn’t include two randy men waiting tae make her theirs.” She lifted her skirts a bit, revealing her bare feet and led them into the castle.
    Duncan followed his mother up two flights of stairs and into Jamie’s room. It seemed his mother was behind his decision to keep the girl after all. The chamber was connected to his by a shared bathroom. A few girls followed them in, changed the sheets and placed a thick velvet mantle on the bed. Gently, he rested her on the bed after Moira, his mother’s dressing maid, pulled the thick mantle back.
    “Now leave us,” his mother said as she pushed them both from the room. “We hae tae undress her and while ye wish tae lay claim upon her, the lass has a right tae refuse and it’s not fair tae her tae hae ye kenning all of her secrets this early in your relationship.”
    That his mother alluded they may have a relationship in the future was a good thing. Along with being the caretaker of the castle, she was also a seer. She foretold his father’s death three hundred years ago. Any sign of their future success was a good thing. Smiling, they both left the room.
    * * * *
    Blessed warmth seeped into Lara’s bones. She stretched, reveling in the heavy warmth that surrounded her. On