Page 34 of Shaw

“That would be the same maid who tells everyone I’ll be struck down by the Gods because I sleep with two men,” Caroline told her.

“Okay, the maids aren’t that reliable, but have you noticed how Julianne hardly ever looks anyone in the eye?” the seamstress put in. “Just like Kai did when he was working in the kitchens.”

“Her speech is all wrong for a shifter. How could one know the millennial slang Julianne uses?” As she said that, a memory of a boy in high school came back to her. Jamie had always been happy and open in the same way Julianne was. Before dropping out Caroline had done her best to shield him from the hateful kids.

That’s why she seemed so familiar to me.

“I agree about the slang usage,” Valerie said, “but Cait Sith can absorb the memories of those they kill. What if one of them intercepted a woman from our time before we could get to her?”

“Maybe that’s why Kai left so suddenly,” Lark said, nodding. “So we wouldn’t know when he impersonated her–”

“–or maybe Julianne is on the high-functioning end of the autism spectrum,” Caroline countered, silencing her. She regarded the laird’s wife. “Valerie, you were a teacher. Please tell me you’ve seen kids like her before now.”

“Of course, I have.” Looking stunned, the laird’s wife pressed a hand to her brow. “I never once thought of that.”

“Why would the ring bring back an autistic adult?” Lark asked.

“You might as well ask why bring back a teacher with a masters, a trade school grad and a high school drop-out who never bothered to get a GED. Regardless of our brains or education, we were all in danger of drowning. We all have emotional connections to our guys through the rotten experiences we’ve shared.” Caroline sighed. “I don’t know. Maybe Julianne is the only type of woman who can handle Shaw’s big bad ink thing. She’s quite smart, too, you know.”

Valerie looked mystified now. “Why would you think that?”

“She may not use a lot of three-syllable words, Teach, but the girl already mentioned some solutions for Shaw’s problem as well as the Selseus and their need for women.” She related what Jamaran had overheard the lifeguard tell Merrick, and what Shaw had told Nyall about Julianne’s suggestion that he parlay with his beast. “If she seems limited to you, it’s because she’s probably not well-educated. Jamie, an autistic boy I knew in school, passed every year because he worked hard and didn’t cause any trouble in class. I bet Julianne’s teachers did the same thing with her.”

The laird’s wife sighed. “Some think it’s a kindness to keep them out of special ed.”

“Someone with a unique perspective is all it takes to fix a problem that no one else can,” Caroline told her.

“I want to believe you’re right, but I have a responsibility to the mortals who serve the clan,” the laird’s wife said. “Somehow we have to make sure that Julianne is not Cait Sith.”

“Duncan,” Lark said suddenly. “He has that cabinet of Fae curiosities that nulls the enchantments of the objects he places inside.”

“I don’t think we’ll be able to fit our lifeguard on one of those little shelves,” Caroline said, growing more annoyed.

“If Julianne is Cait Sith, then she’s wearing a fake shape, right?” As Valerie nodded, the seamstress grinned. “If she reached inside the cabinet for something, the nulling effect would show her hand as it genuinely appears, which would be covered in black fur with long, sharp claws. Someone just needs to stand behind her and watch.”

“Are you going to tell her you’re testing her?” Caroline demanded. “If she turns out to be just a human being who is wired a little differently?”

Lark cringed a little. “Since it’s my idea, I’ll tell her.”

Chapter Nine

Julianne woke up in Shaw’s bed, and for the first time since jumping to the twelfth century was exactly where she wanted to be. The scent of him and her rose from her skin like a custom body spray; they smelled so good together she wanted to wear them forever. Her boobs had also finally stopped acting up; they just glowed with happiness. She propped herself on her elbow, hoping to kiss awake the man who had done so much to delight her, but saw she was alone. A set of clean clothes from her own room sat on the table by his wash basin.

After the weirdness during sex with her last night she imagined he probably needed some space, but it still hurt a little. He could have woken me up and kissed me good-bye before he took off.

She stared up at the rafters as she wondered if she’d made the right choice. Had she been too slutty with him? She had been with a few guys before getting married, and none of them had been put off by her eagerness. Sex had been fun from the first time for Julianne, which is why she liked it so much, and at least until Mitch made it scary, her favorite thing to do besides swimming. Some men didn’t like girls who were really into it, Eva had once warned her; maybe the chieftain was that type.

I didn’t do anything wrong. If I did, he should have said something last night.

As soon as she got on her feet Julianne grimaced, as a sore spot under her left breast ached like a bad bruise. That seemed to ease as soon as she touched it, but she wondered if she should go and have Duncan look at it. A cracked rib was not going to be fun, or maybe it was just a pulled muscle. She’d gotten the latter a few times while restraining thrashing victims. Then again if she went to the healer she’d have to explain how she’d gotten hurt. Shaw might want to keep everything that had happened between them last night private.

“Be a lot easier to know what to do if someone had stuck around long enough to talk to me about it,” she grumbled as she washed up and dressed.

As she picked up the clothes she’d worn yesterday, something fell from her pocket. She thought for a moment it was the stone leaf she’d taken from the willow, but it looked redder and shinier now. Hooking the curled stem over the chain she wore with her locket, she decided to go to breakfast first, and see if the chieftain was there. As she walked down the passage she noticed the guards giving her odd looks, and stopped to peer back at one of them.

“What’s wrong?” She ran a hand over her tousled hair. “I look scary, right? I forgot my comb this morning.”

“’Tis naught amiss, Mistress.” The guard gave her an uneasy smile. “Enjoy the day.”