SAMANTHA PUSHED KADE away and jumped from the back of the couch. She needed distance. If she didn’t get it, she’d rip off her clothes then and there and give him anything he asked for. He started toward her, but she held her hands up and shook her head. “No way, buddy. Do not move another inch.”
He stalled, but his smile indicated he wouldn’t stay away long. “Can we talk now?”
She bit her lip. “Um, sure. But you stay there.”
Kade chuckled and ignored her demand. He strode toward her and pulled her onto the loveseat with him. Sam shifted so her back was up against one of the arms.
He draped his arm around the back of the sofa and smiled. “Do you want to ask questions now or later?”
“I don’t know.” She wrapped her arms around her knees. “I don’t know what to ask.”
“How do you like information delivered?”
She studied him for several seconds as she processed that question. He seemed to know her better than herself, and for some unknown reason, that didn’t scare her. Nothing about him scared her… when she was with him. “I think in this case, you should just talk and I’ll ask questions as they come up.”
“Fair enough.”
“One thing first,” she said.
He grinned. “You’re a fine kisser, lass.”
She nudged his thigh with her foot. “You’re not funny. What exactly am I hearing in my head?”
He raised an eyebrow.
“Oh, stop,” she retorted. “I can’t tell if it’s Icelandic or Gaelic.”
“You’re asking about the language… not the fact that you’re hearing voices?”
“I’m compartmentalizing. Besides, it’s your voice, not multiple ones.”
He ran his hand across the sofa pillow. “It’s Icelandic.”
“Why… how… am I hearing it?”
Kade set his head in the palm of his hand, but didn’t answer.
“Kade?” she pressed.
Before anymore could be said, the peal of her cell phone broke the silence. Kade rose to his feet and retrieved it for her. She noticed his scowl as he handed it to her.
She shook her head as she answered the call. “Hi, Cole.”
“Hey you. How are you feeling?”
“Much better, thank you.”
“I’d kind of like to see that for myself.”
Sam grinned. “I could take a picture and send it to you, if you like.”
“Not exactly what I had in mind.”
A gentle but firm squeeze of her ankle had her glancing into Kade’s scowling face. “What?” she whispered, but he just shook his head.
“Sam?” Cole said.
“Sorry. I’m here with my boss and he was asking me a question.” She gave Kade a challenging glare. “I’m all yours, Cole.”
Kade stood and strode out of the room. Sam sighed. He was the most confusing human being she’d ever encountered.
“Can I swing by and see you?” Cole asked.
“Ugh. Not right now. I just want to veg in front of the boob tube and potentially sleep.” Sam rubbed her forehead; a headache was fast approaching. “What about Thursday?”
“Thursday’s good. Are you sure you’re okay?”
She turned when she heard Kade returning. “Yes. I have a bit of a headache from the concussion. No biggie.”
He had a glass of water and held his hand open. Two white tablets sat in the middle of his palm.
“For your head,” he whispered.
Sam widened her eyes and then focused back on Cole.
“Okay. Well, call me if you need me,” Cole said.
“I will. ’Bye.” She hung up and stared up at Kade. “How did you know?”
“I can feel it.” He handed her the glass of water and took her cell phone from her. “Take them.”
“What do you mean, you can feel it?”
He narrowed his eyes. “Take the pills, Samantha.”
“Why are you mad?”
He sighed. “I’m not mad, sweetheart. I just want you to take the painkillers.”
He sat next to her, forcing her body into the back of the sofa.
“And if I don’t want to?”
He pulled the glass from her hand and leaned down, covering her mouth with his.
Gràdhach, take the pills.
She pushed him away. “Was that Icelandic too?”
He chuckled as he wrapped his arm around her knees. “No. That was Gaelic.” He picked up the water and handed it to her. “Now, take the medicine.”
“But my headache’s gone.” He broke contact with her and she gasped. “Ow… ow… ow!”
He laid his hand on her ankle and grimaced. “I’m sorry.”
She popped the pills even though she no longer felt pain. “How are you doing that?”
“It’s complicated, and something I’m not sure you’re ready to hear just yet.”
Samantha rolled her eyes. “Even if I’m not ready to hear why, I’d still like you to tell me.”
“I want to set up a ground rule first.”
“Like?” she asked.
“Would you please stop referring to me as your boss?”
“But you are,” she argued.
“That fact is irrelevant, Samantha.”
Sam smiled. “What do you want me to refer to you as?”
“Fiancé?” he asked hopefully.
She snorted. “One, you haven’t asked; two, I’m not there yet.”
“Okay. Let’s figure out my label after I fill you in on a few things.”
“Start talkin’ ‘not boss.’” Kade leaned back and she grasped his arm. “But keep touching me. I like being pain-free.”
He grinned. “Keep that in the forefront of your mind for me.”
“I will. Now tell me.”
“You and I will be bound.”
Sam laughed. “With rope?” she asked. “’Cause I don’t really do kinky.”
He grinned. “No. We are meant to be together, forever.”
Samantha let out a quiet snort. “Okay, crazy stalker dude, you are out of your ever-blessed mind.”
He shrugged. “I said you weren’t ready to hear it.”
She pulled her leg away from his hand and stood. “We just met!” she argued. “You can’t honestly expect me to believe that we’re going to fall in love, marry, and live happily ever after just because you make some inane declaration that we’re going to be tied together—”
“Bound.”
“Bound, whatever!” Pain slammed against her temples and she tried to rub it away.
“Shhh… you need to calm yourself.” Kade took her hand.
Sam let out a sigh of relief as her headache disappeared again. “What is this?”
“When we met, the connection began, but the moment I touched you, our örlög… fate, was sealed.” He ran his thumb across her palm. “The reason our kiss today was different is because of the words spoken in the process.”
“Which words?”
“Þú verður að vera minn að eilífu. They mean, you will be mine forever. They are some of the first words we speak to our mates.”
“Mates?”
“Aye. Up till now, I’ve been attempting to take things slow. And when we make love, we will be bound.”
Samantha pulled her hand away. “So this is a weird way to get me to sleep with you?”
“No. You misunderstand. We won’t make love until I bind you… you have nothing to fear from me, Samantha.”
“Until you bind me? You mean to tell me you hold control over my choice?”
“Sam, no. You have control over everything… you have all the power, in fact,” he assured her.
Samantha was so confused, she couldn’t think straight. The craziest part was that she knew he was telling her the truth. When she touched him, she saw his heart, felt his conviction, and knew that honor and integrity were things he valued.
Kade pulled her against himself. “I know this is a lot to process.”
She tucked her feet under her bottom and nodded into his chest. The calm permeated her soul and she closed her eyes, allowing his strength to seep in. “I feel so… so…”
“I know. It’s what happens between two mates. I can take your pain away. Whether it’s physical or emotional. You can do the same for me.”
“That sounds a lot like you’re likening me to a chimpanzee or something.”
Kade chuckled. “We can choose another word. It doesn’t have to be ‘mate.’”
She glanced up at him. “What was the word you said before? The Gaelic one?”
“Gràdhach?”
“Yes. What does it mean?”
“It means ‘beloved.’”
“Why are the other words significant? Can you say them again, please?”
Kade gave her a gentle squeeze. “Þú verður að vera minn að eilífu.”
“Wow.” Her body tingled as he said the words slowly.
“They solidify the bond between us.”
“This is all a little much. I will admit I’m attracted to you… I mean, who wouldn’t be? But I don’t know you well enough to know if I love you.”
He kissed her cheek. “You’re lying now, love.”
She smacked his leg. “Could I get some semblance of privacy, please?”
“Probably not.” He chuckled.
“At least you’re being honest, I suppose.”
“I just happen to know how I feel, so I’m hopeful you feel the same.”
“Charming to the core, hmm?”
He stroked her cheek. “I love you, Samantha. Whether it defies logic or you don’t feel the same way, it’s the truth.”
She sighed and grumbled. “Bolt of lightning wrapped in a rainbow.”
“Hmm?”
“Pepper. She’s got a knack for coming up with slogans, and she used to always say that love is like being hit by a bolt of lightning wrapped in a rainbow.”
He kissed her, and Samantha’s mind became a puddle of mush… no, goo. It was still goo. She broke the kiss. “I don’t know what to say. I don’t know if I can process this.”
“There’s no pressure. We’ll get to know each other. You don’t have to make any decisions right now.”
“No, not that. Well, yes, that, but no… I don’t know. I can’t think straight right now. I can’t function when you kiss me like that.”
“I’ll keep that in mind. Might help tilt the balance.”
Sam couldn’t help but smile. “You can find the humor in anything.”
“I try.”
She fiddled with a button on his dress shirt. “What did you mean by I have all the power?”
“Pretty much that I don’t have any. Particularly when you’re around.”
“Oh.” She wrinkled her nose. “I still don’t understand how all of this is happening… physically or otherwise. You’re not going to tell me you’re a vampire or something weird like that, are you?”
Kade laughed. “Aren’t they typically Transylvanian?”
“Depends on who you ask, I suppose.”
“No, I’m not a vampire… at least, I don’t think I am. My body doesn’t sparkle in the sunlight, so I think I’m safe.”
“Oh, funny.”
“When you were first attacked, I felt your panic. That’s why I arrived when I did. I knew where you were. My heart was able to find you… a bit like a GPS signal.”
“Fiona said Angus did the same for her. Is he Icelandic as well?
“No. He’s Scottish, but we’re from the same clan,” Kade explained. Sam shifted back to her favorite position, but this time when she backed up against the arm, he pulled her legs over his thighs, keeping them connected. “Why don’t I start at the middle? It’s really the beginning of my clan’s story, so that might help.”
“Okay.”
“We arrived on Scottish soil and found unoccupied land in the Highlands. It’s where we built our homes and incorporated the rest of the village.”
“You say ‘we.’ You mean your ancestors, right?”
“That’s an interesting question.”
She frowned. He was right. Why would she ask something so rhetorical?
“Sam?”
She focused on him again and realized he was trying to get something across. She just couldn’t grasp what. “Okay. What are you trying to say? The truth. All of it.”
“When I say ‘we,’ I mean ‘we.’ Me included.”
“You’re what, thirty-something? Is there still unoccupied land in the Highlands of Scotland?”
“Not much of it anymore.”
“And you couldn’t just take it, right? You’d have to go through official channels and such.”
Kade nodded. “Nowadays, aye.”
Sam bit her lip. “So, did you buy land?”
“No, Samantha. We took it.”
She jumped from the couch and nearly tripped over the coffee table.
“Careful,” he warned and reached for her when she grasped her head.
She waved him away. “Are you a criminal?” she asked.
“No.”
“Like you’d tell me if you were,” she grumbled.
“You’d know if I were lying.”
She let out a squeal of frustration and stomped her foot. “You’re playing word games with me. Stop it. Just spit it out.”
Kade leaned forward and settled his arms on his knees. “I arrived here with my family from Iceland in 1420.”
“Riiiiight.”
He stood and made his way toward her. Samantha backed away.
“Sweetheart, listen to my heart rather than worry about the words. I’m going to tell you everything, but I need you not to run.”
“I won’t, but don’t touch me. I need all of my emotions. Crazy or not.”
He stalled and nodded.
“Are you trying to tell me you’re close to six-hundred years old?”
“No.”
“Okay, then what are you telling me?”
“I’m telling you I’m over six-hundred years old,” he said. “I was born in 1410.”
Sam started to pace. “No. No. No, no, no, no.” She rubbed her head. “It’s the head injury, isn’t it? I’m hallucinating.”
“I’m having a difficult time seeing you in distress, love. Will you let me help?” he asked.
“You won’t try to do something to my mind, will you?”
Kade’s eyes widened. “I can’t, Sam. All I can do is ease your pain and worry. I don’t have the power to manipulate you. And even if I did, I wouldn’t.”
She slipped into his arms and laid her head against his chest. Her pain and panic eased immediately and she took a deep breath as the calm covered her.
He ran his hands through her hair. “I think we should pause the information dump for a bit. I don’t want you to overtax yourself.”
“Let me decide what’s overtaxing.” She looked up at him. “Is this some kind of druid thing?”
“No. Iceland converted to Christianity in the tenth century. Our family and clan have been Christians for centuries, even before I was born, so when we arrived in Scotland, we continued to practice our faith. We are known as Cauld Ane.”
“What does Cauld Ane mean?”
“Roughly translated, it means cold one.”
“That doesn’t sound pleasant.”
He smiled. “We prefer the cold.”
“So, is that another clan name?”
He shook his head. “No. It’s more of our race.”
“Race? What do you mean?”
“We are not entirely human,” he said.
“Are you trying to tell me that you’re immortal?”
“No, we do die eventually, just not as quickly as humans.”
“This doesn’t make sense.”
“I know it doesn’t.” He pulled her back onto the couch and wrapped an arm around her waist.
She mulled the information over for a few minutes. “Do you have proof of all of this?”
Kade chuckled. “Ever the scientist, I see. Yes, I have proof. At home.”
“What do you mean at home? You are home.”
“No, this is where I live, but it’s not my home. My home is in the Highlands.”
Sam’s eyes felt heavy and she couldn’t stop a yawn. “How can you talk to me in my head?”
“It’s because we are fated to be bound. I can talk to you when I’m touching you, sort of. Warnings mostly or our ancient mating words. At least until we’re bound. Then we’ll have more of a connection.”
She shook her head. “That’s not true. I heard you say something to Alex when he was helping with the computer. You sounded angry.”
Shock covered his face. “Really?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t know how that’s possible.” His eyebrows puckered in confusion. “It doesn’t make sense.”
Sam snorted. “You question that, but not the fact you’re pretty much immortal?”
“I’ve had six hundred years or so to get used to that.”
“True.” She yawned again.
“You need to rest.”
“But I want to know everything.”
“I know you do, and I promise I’ll tell you everything in time,” he said. “However, right now you’re exhausted and should rest.”
“You’re probably right.” She swung her legs over the side of the sofa. “I’ll get out of your hair.”
He rose to his feet and pulled her up. “You’re not going anywhere. You’ll nap here where I can keep an eye on you.”
“I’ve kept you from work all morning, Kade. You must be slammed.”
“The beauty of technology, sweetheart, is that I can work here while you sleep.” He raised an eyebrow. “The question is, do you want to sleep on the couch or in the guest room?”
“Seriously, Kade.” She picked up her cell phone. “Don’t go to any trouble. I’ll just go home and crash.”
“Nice try.” He shook his head. “You’re going to sleep here. Come with me.”
“Are all of you this bossy, or is it just you?” she grumbled.
“All of whom?”
“Your family.”
He grinned at her over his shoulder. “According to my family, it’s just me, although, Fiona’s pretty good at it as well.”
“Fine. I’ll sleep here.”
“Excellent choice.”
Kade led her to a spacious guest room and pulled the covers back on the large bed. Samantha removed her shoes and slid into the soft sheets. The room was quite cool, so she pulled the covers to her neck and snuggled into the mattress.
“I’ll be right back,” Kade said.
He returned with a large woolen blanket and laid it over her. She ran her hands over the rough fabric. “Is this your tartan?”
“Aye.”
Dark blues interwoven with greens incorporated all of her favorite colors. “It’s beautiful.”
“Thank you.” He sat beside her and stroked her cheek. “Close your eyes.”
“I don’t want to.”
He grinned. “I know you don’t. Do it anyway.”
“Kade?”
“Hmm?”
“I love you.”
“I know.” He leaned down and kissed her. “I love you too.”
Sam closed her eyes as he whispered to her in either Icelandic or Gaelic… she wasn’t sure, but she didn’t care. It was beautiful.
Fara að sofa, elskan.