KADE DREW A nipple into his mouth and sucked gently as he pushed her nightgown from her body. He wasn’t as gentle with her panties, ripping them down the center and throwing the shredded lace across the room.
Kissing his way down her body, he knelt between her legs, and ran his tongue over her already slick folds. Samantha shuddered as he ran his tongue over her clit, adding pressure with each pass, then sliding a finger inside of her.
Her fingers weaved into his hair and she tugged gently as she ground her core against his mouth. “Kade,” she breathed out.
Unable to wait, he sat up, sliding his cock against her wetness, before slipping inside of her, stopping at her barrier. Samantha whimpered, but their connection assured him it was with need, not pain.
“It’s going to sting a bit, love,” he warned.
She nodded, and before she could change her mind, he surged into her, catching her cry with his mouth as he kissed her.
I’m okay, Kade.
The ecstasy he felt couldn’t be qualified, but he paused for a few minutes, rolling her nipple between his fingers and waiting for her body to get used to his size. When her hips began to move, he took the cue and buried himself inside of her over and over again. He was overwhelmed with all of it, and he knew he was partly taking on her emotions. As her nipples tightened and her body took him deeper, her feelings swamped him, urging his burning hunger to find assuagement.
When he felt her walls contract around him, it nearly sent him over the edge, but he wasn’t ready to stop just yet. He wanted more…needed more.
Samantha seemed to understand this, and despite the fact she’d cried out as she came, she wrapped her legs around his waist and took him even deeper, dragging her nails down his back as another climax built. The feeling of hers building as his was about to crest, was heady and he wasn’t sure if he’d be able to stop.
She cried out as they came together and Kade rolled them onto their sides, keeping their connection, but taking the burden of his weight off of her.
Samantha stroked his face. “Wow.”
“Wow indeed.”
As the fire started to die in the room, he pulled the covers around them and settled her firmly over his body. She kissed his chest then grinned up at him. “Are we done?”
“With the binding process, yes. With making love, only if you want to be. Tomorrow would typically be the day we meet with the parson and sign the paperwork, but we’ll do that after we have our human wedding with your family and friends.”
“Thank you.” She laid her hand on his chest and settled her chin on top. “I thought I might have ruined it.”
“Ruined what, love?” he asked.
“The binding. All my talking. I was afraid I talked us out of being connected. But it was so fun to know I could understand you.”
Kade chuckled. “The only things required are the ceremonial words and the physical consummation. Outside of that, it can be as fun as we make it.”
“Are you happy?”
“Och, love. Ég hef aldrei verið hamingjusamari.” (I’ve never been happier.) He kissed her again and ran his hands along her back.
He’d slid his hand between her legs, gently pressing his thumb against her clit as he kissed when she suddenly broke the kiss with a whimper. “Sweetheart? What’s wrong?”
“My stomach hurts a bit.” She took a few deep breaths and smiled. “It passed. I’m okay.”
He pulled her closer.
“But I am really hot. Will you please douse the fire?”
He glanced at the hearth. “It’s dead, love.”
“Really?” She whimpered again. “Ow.”
“Your stomach?”
“No.” She took several deep breaths and started to pant. “My legs.”
“You’re burning up.” He pulled the covers from her body.
She slid across the sheet. “I feel like I’m on fire.”
He turned the lamp on and let out a curse. Her skin was a blotchy, unhealthy red, looking much like a sunburn.
“Kade!” she screamed. “It hurts! I’m burning.”
“Hold on, sweetheart.” He scrambled from the bed and rushed into his bathroom. He turned the cold water on and put the plug in the bath. He grabbed his medical bag and ran back to Sam, setting it next to her. Looping his stethoscope around his neck, he leaned over her. “I’m going to listen to your heart.”
“No. Don’t touch…” She grasped the stethoscope and yanked it from his neck. “Make it stop. Kade! Please!” she screamed.
“Shite.” He lifted her from the bed, grabbing the stethoscope and trying not to react to another agonizing yelp of pain. He carried her to the bathroom and settled her into the cold water. She squealed in shock, but then she took a deep breath and relaxed against the cool porcelain of the tub.
“Better?”
She licked her lips and nodded. “Hmm-mmm.”
“Can I check your heart now?”
“Hmm-mmm.”
He laid the stethoscope diaphragm over her chest and frowned. Her heart was racing. He checked her pulse and sighed. “Sweetheart, your pulse is dangerously high. I need to find out what’s going on. I’m going to call my mother. Are you all right with that?”
“Huh?” She closed her eyes and shook her head. “You don’t need to call your mom. I’m okay now.”
Kade warred with her desire for privacy and his need for answers.
Within minutes, though, her eyes flew open and she whimpered. “Maybe not. I’m hot,” she rasped.
Kade felt the water and frowned. “I think your body may actually be heating the water.” He pulled the plug and turned the cold water back on. Switching it to the shower setting, he adjusted the nozzle directly over her.
She licked her lips and sighed. “Thirsty.”
Kade grabbed a glass from the counter and filled it with cold water. Holding her head gently, he tipped the water into her mouth. She drank greedily and then slumped against the back of the tub.
“I’ll be right back, love.” He stepped into the bedroom, pulled on pj bottoms and a T-shirt, and unplugged his phone from the charger. He scrolled down to his mother’s number as he rushed back into the bathroom.
“You’re bound,” his mother said.
“Aye.”
“I’ll contact the parson.”
“Sam’s sick, mum. We should wait. Do you know what’s going on?”
“Oh, aye. It’s the change. It’s going to get worse before it gets better. I’ll get the book and come to you.”
“The book? What book?” he asked as he knelt beside Sam and felt her forehead. Still too warm.
“Our family history. It’s filled with information, including ways to ease the suffering for humans when they make the change.”
“I don’t recall seeing anything in the books I have.”
“I have the book I refer to in my private apartments.”
Kade took a deep breath. If his mother had been standing in front of him, he might have been tempted to commit matricide. “You don’t think this knowledge would have been good to have before I put her through this?”
“If you’d known she’d go through this, Kade, would you have still bound her?”
He glanced at Sam, her body red and her face pinched in agony. “Absolutely not.”
“I’ll be right there,” his mother said, and hung up.
“Sam?” Kade felt Sam’s pulse. It was racing. “Sweetheart?”
“Can’t talk. Pain.” She licked her lips again and grimaced. He grasped her hand, but she pulled it away. “Don’t touch.”
“If I touch you, love, I can ease the pain. You’re going through the change—let me help you through it.”
She blinked and turned glassy eyes on him. “It hurts.”
“Ég veit, elskan. vilt þú að leyfa mér að reyna?” (I know, baby. Will you let me try?)
She pressed her lips together and nodded. He took her hand again and laid it against his, palm to palm. She took a deep breath and squeezed her eyes shut. Her face relaxed, and he realized his body had been on alert as he felt the air fill his lungs again. His phone rang and he would have ignored it, had it not been Connall.
“Bad time, Con.”
“I can feel it. What’s wrong with Sam?” he asked.
“She’s sick,” Kade snapped.
“I’m hanging up now,” Connall said.
Kade set the phone on the floor and focused back on Sam. She was smiling at him. “Better?” he asked.
“A little. Connall’s worried about you, honey.”
“I know,” he said. “But I don’t have time for his worry right now. I have my own to deal with.” He felt her pulse again. It was beginning to slow down. “I’m so sorry, Sam. If I’d known this was going to happen, I would have never put you through it.”
Sam’s eyes widened. “Yes, you would have. I would have made you.”
He shook his head.
“I love you, Kade. I’ll take this if it means being with you. It’s just a little pain. If women couldn’t handle pain, there’d never be children.”
He stroked her cheek. “Och, Sam, I don’t deserve you.”
“Kade?” his mother’s voice floated through the door. “May I come in?”
“No,” Sam squeaked. “I’m naked.”
“I wasn’t going to let her in, love.” He smiled gently. “Mum, you’re going to need to wait a bit.”
“You need to check for something,” she called through the door.
“What?”
“The birthmark below your right buttock, has it appeared on Samantha’s body?”
Kade frowned. “Where should I look?”
“Why is your mother talking about your butt?” Sam rasped.
“She did give birth to me,” Kade whispered.
“It will more than likely mirror yours, so check her left side,” his mother said.
“I’m going to shift you, love, okay?”
Sam nodded.
“Don’t let go of my hand,” he directed and lifted her hip. “Aye, mum, it’s the direct opposite of mine, but it’s faint.”
“All right. It will darken and then turn blood red. When that happens, be prepared. Samantha is going to be in excruciating pain and some physical changes are going to happen that may be frightening to her.”
“What’s going to happen?” Sam rasped and gripped his hand. “Kade, don’t leave me.”
“I’m not going anywhere, love. I promise.”
“I have the ice sheets in here, Kade,” his mother said. “Sam is going to need to be out of that tub before the next phase.”
Kade let out a frustrated breath. He glanced at Sam and his heart broke. She stared at him with a mixture of fear and trust. He shut off the water and reached for the towel closest to him. “I’m going to lift you out of here, Sam. I need you to keep contact with me. Slide your hand up to my neck.” She shook her head. “I know it’s hard, love. Just try.”
She did as he asked, but her weakness alarmed him as she slid a shaky hand to his neck. He wrapped the towel around her, ignoring her protests, and carried her from the bathroom into the bedroom. Either his mother or one of the maids had brought the king-sized ice sheets and prepared his bed.
“Lay her here, Kade.” His mother pointed to the bed.
Kade nodded and settled Sam in the middle of the mattress. She sighed as her body connected with the cold.
“You’ll need to remove the towel so that the top sheet cools her,” his mother instructed.
Kade nodded, grateful his mother turned her back for the sake of Sam’s dignity. He pulled the towel away and slid the top ice sheet over Sam.
She sighed again and smiled. “This is heavenly.”
He gave her a wary smile. “I’d have to agree.”
“I feel like… like when you’re freezing and you take a really hot bath, only in reverse.” Sam turned her head toward him. “Now, if I could just stay awake enough to enjoy it.”
“Don’t fight it. Sleep, sweetheart.” Kade sat next to her and stroked her cheek. “Mum’s here and we’re going to do a little research, okay?”
Sam nodded. Kade joined his mother at the fireplace.
* * *
His mother handed Kade the large antique book and he started reading. A sigh from Sam brought him back to his surroundings.
“You need to check her mark, Kade,” his mother said.
Glancing at the clock on the mantel, he realized he’d been reading for almost two hours. He handed the book back to his mother and made his way to the bed. Sam still slept, her face looking much more relaxed, easing his worry immensely. He pulled the sheet back and lifted her hip gently. “It’s dark brown,” he whispered.
His mother nodded. “Good. She’s strong, Kade. It usually happens much faster than this.”
“What do I do now?” he asked.
“We have to wait, love. The staff has the tea and other herbal remedies ready. They will help ease the discomfort, and we have plenty of ice sheets. You should try to get some sleep. This is a long process, and you’ll need all your strength.”
Kade touched Sam’s hair gently. “I can’t sleep, Mum.”
He sat in the chair next to the bed and took Sam’s hand. The clock moved painstakingly slowly, but he still wasn’t ready for the next phase that occurred almost an hour later.
Sam whimpered and her eyes flew open, horror covering her face. Her scream was like a dagger to Kade’s heart, and his body froze.
“Check her mark, Kade,” his mother said. She had to repeat herself.
Kade went into motion. “It’s red.”
“I’ll get the staff.” Alice rose to her feet, setting the book on the chair. “Don’t panic. I’ll be back as soon as I can, but you need to not panic. She won’t die, even if it looks like she might.”
“Aye,” Kade said.
Sam screamed again, then her body began to thrash violently. He understood now why his mother said she needed to be out of the tub. He wrapped his fingers around her wrist and waited for her to calm, but it took several minutes.
“I’m going to be sick.”
He grabbed a bowl and held it under her chin. Once her retching calmed, he laid a cool cloth over her forehead.
“Help me, please.” Her eyes searched for him.
Kade laid his palm on hers. “I’m going to do everything I can, love. I’m here. Shhh.”
“It hurts, baby.”
“Are you still hot?”
“No. Just pain.” Sam shifted and squeezed his hand. “My skin feels too tight. And I feel like I’m being crushed. Tell me what’s happening. Please.”
Kade moved the sheet aside and bit back a curse as he studied her stomach. Her skin was red again. The book said that once the mark turned red, the human would experience horrific pain. “You’re changing, becoming Cauld Ane.”
“Kade Úlfur Gunnach,” she ground out. “Tell me something I haven’t already figured out.”
Kade covered her again. “I don’t know much more. I haven’t read the entire book.”
“Can you please find me someone who does know? Preferably a female?”
“My mother will be back shortly.” A knock sounded and Kade pulled the sheet back up to cover her. “Come in.”
Fiona peeked inside.
“Fi? What are you doing here?”
“Con called. I’m here to help,” she said, and stepped inside. “Everyone’s downstairs, and I’ve been speaking with a few of the elders about the change.”
“Fiona,” Sam rasped. “Do you know what’s happening?”
“In layman’s terms, yes.” She made her way to the bed. “The best analogy is that your body’s acting a bit like a self-cleaning oven. It’s burning up the human parts of your body that don’t work with the Cauld Ane parts. It’s really clinical and complicated. I’m sorry I don’t have the correct medical terminology.”
Sam groaned and fisted her hands in the sheets. “No, that’s perfect.”
“Fi, I’ll come down when this is done,” Kade said.
“No problem. Call us if you need us.”
Fiona left the room and Sam screamed again. Kade held her wrist again, but this time he wasn’t able to calm her. His mother arrived with two of the housemaids. Bearnas and Iona were mother and daughter and had been with his family since their arrival from Iceland. The women had been caught in the middle of a bloody clan war at the time and both of their husbands had been killed. Kade’s father offered them refuge and they’d stayed with the family, assisting with their acclimation to the Highlands.
“As soon as she calms we’ll give her the herbs,” Bearnas said.
“How long will that take?” Kade asked.
“Your mother says she’s strong, my lord,” Iona said. “It won’t take long.”
Kade sat on the edge of the bed and held Sam’s hand.
Several hours later, Sam’s fever broke and her skin returned to normal, although he noticed it was softer and younger looking than before. Her steady breathing was a relief, and Bearnas declared she was over the worst. “Let’s sit her up so she can take some tea. It will boost her strength.”
Kade stroked Sam’s cheek. “Sweetheart, I need to sit you up. You need to drink some tea.” She nodded, but kept her eyes closed. Kade lifted her and settled her against the pillows, making sure the sheet still covered her chest. “Can you open your eyes, love?”
She shook her head.
“I’m going to put the cup to your lips. I want you to drink, okay?”
She nodded. Kade fed her the tea, grateful that she drank almost the entire cup.
“My lord, we need to change the sheets,” Iona said. “She’s past the change now. She’ll be very tired for the next day or two, but she’s going to be fine.”
Kade nodded and wrapped a robe around Sam before lifting her from the bed and settling her on his lap in one of the large chairs by the fireplace. He kissed her neck, breathing in her familiar vanilla scent. She sighed and snuggled closer to him. Once the bed was changed, the women left him and his mother reached to take the book with her.
He laid his hand on hers. “No, Mum. That stays with me.”
She frowned, but nodded and then left as well. Kade took Sam back to bed and climbed in beside her. He hadn’t realized how exhausted he was until he had her safely in his arms again. He pulled her close and closed his eyes.
* * *
Samantha woke to the sound of quiet crying. She forced her eyes open, still heavy with exhaustion, although the pain of the night before was gone. Kade wasn’t in their bed, and at some point, someone had dressed her in a light nightgown.
She turned her head to the sound of sadness and frowned. Fiona sat in the chair in the corner with a handkerchief pressed to her nose.
“Fiona?”
“Oh, Sam. Did I wake you? I’m so sorry,” she said as she stood and made her way to the bed.
“What’s wrong? Where’s Kade? Is he okay?” Sam’s heart started to race.
Sweetheart? Are you all right? he asked.
“Kade’s fine.” Fiona rushed to assure her. “Sorry if I scared you. He’s meeting with my brothers and the Council. Are you all right?”
I’m fine, honey, Sam thought. She took a deep breath. “A little tired, but feeling much better.”
“Can I get you anything?” Fiona asked.
“No. I’m fine. How long have I been asleep?”
Fiona checked her watch. “About twenty-six hours.”
“Really?”
“Aye.”
Sam stretched and then patted the mattress. “Tell me why you’re so upset.”
Fiona sat on the edge of the bed and sighed. “It’s nothing. Really. I’m just glad you’re okay.”
“Fiona,” Sam admonished. “Tell me.”
“I’ll not burden you with my insignificant disappointments when you went through all of that pain for me.”
“Aw, honey, who told you your disappointments were insignificant?”
Fiona shook her head and pressed her lips into a thin line.
Sam laid her hand over Fiona’s. “Let’s forget for the moment that I’m your chieftain’s mate.”
“You mean, my queen?”
“Yeah, that too.” She smiled. “He’s also your big brother, and I’m pretty sure he can be a pain in the ass, right? Mine sure as hell can. I’m sure Kade gave you a myriad of well-intentioned instructions on everything you’re not supposed to say or do, just in case you might upset me, but I’m a big girl and you and I have a relationship outside of your brother that’s, quite frankly, none of his business.”
Fiona let out a quiet gasp and then giggled.
Sam smiled. “Tell me.”
“I’m not a Gunnach.”
“Oh, Fi. Of course you are.”
“Not technically. I’m the result of my mother’s infidelity.” She squeezed her eyes shut. “My father hated me. I never understood why. Now I do. I always thought it was because I was a girl. But it’s because I wasn’t legitimate. I thought my life was… I don’t know… set, I guess.”
“It’s hard to change tack when you think your life’s going one way but it’s really going another. It doesn’t always mean the change is a bad thing. And if you look at the situation for what it is, nothing’s really changing. Your family’s still your family and Angus is still your mate.”
Fiona stood and paced the floor. “But I’m not the woman he thought he was getting.”
Sam frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You wouldn’t understand, Sam. You’re American.”
“Try me,” she ground out, her irritation with Fiona’s condescension rising.
You’re supposed to be resting, Kade reprimanded.
I’m fine, honey. Go back to your meeting.
“Kade is king and my brothers are nobility. I always believed I was as well, but with my mother’s confession, I’m now not only half-human, I’m also a nobody. Angus was to bind Lady Fiona Gunnach, but now he’s stuck with the bastard daughter of Einar Jónsson.”
Sam pushed herself to a more upright position and stifled a snort. “Fiona, Angus loves you, and you’re still Lady Fiona Gunnach. Nothing has changed.”
Samantha, love, you need to sleep.
I will when I’m tired, Kade. I’m fine. Just go back to your meeting.
“I’ve changed. Everything my mother told me is a lie. How can I trust that everything else isn’t as well?” Fiona’s cell phone pealed and she made her way to her phone. “Just a second, Sam.” Fiona answered the call. “Hi. Fyrirgefðu. (I’m sorry).” She sighed. “Yes. Yes. I’ll tell her. Okay. ’Bye.” She hung up and dropped her phone on the chair. “You’re supposed to rest.”
Sam rolled her eyes. “He’s not the boss of me.”
Fiona chuckled. “Well, he’s the boss of me, so I should probably quit whining.”
Sam smiled. “We can talk whenever you need to. But keep in mind that unless I have this all wrong, we only have one mate and we mate for life, right?”
Fiona nodded.
“Well, then it wouldn’t matter if you were Fiona, the Queen of England, or Fiona the janitor, Angus would still be your mate, right?”
She raised an eyebrow. “Yes, but—”
Sam held up her hand. “No buts. He loves you. Don’t start putting words in his mouth about what he might be thinking or feeling. I’m pretty sure you’d be wrong.”
Sam’s door flew open, causing her to jump.