NIALL WENT THROUGH the kitchen cupboards and fridge and found several ingredient options to choose from. He decided on a basic chicken in Alfredo sauce with rigatoni. He’d just put the water on to boil when the doorbell pealed. He opened it to find Max and Grace. He waved them inside and back to the kitchen.

“How’s Charlotte?” Grace asked.

“Exhausted,” Niall said. “I sent her upstairs to take a shower. I’m hoping I can convince her to sleep for a while.”

“Good luck with that. She hates sleep.” Grace set her purse down on the sofa. “Are you cooking?”

“I am. I hope you’re hungry, because there will be a lot of food.”

Grace laughed. “I do love food. I had no idea you cooked.”

“He’s more of a chef, really,” Max said.

Niall glanced at him, but didn’t respond.

“Are we really going to keep doing this, brother?” Max asked.

Niall sighed. “You have lied to me for a long time, Max. It’s going to take me a while to work through that.”

“It’s been weeks,” Max countered.

“How long have you been lying to me? Hmm?”

“Bloody hell, Niall. Get over it already.”

* * *

Grace slipped out of the room, guessing the brothers didn’t even notice her leaving, and made her way upstairs. She knocked on Charlotte’s door, but didn’t get an answer, so she let herself in. She heard the water running in the bathroom... and then heard the crying.

“Charlie?” she called through the door of the Jack and Jill bathroom. “Are you okay?”

More sobbing.

“I’m coming in if you don’t answer me.”

Still no response, so Grace pushed the door open. Charlotte was on the floor of the shower, her knees pulled up to her chest, crying inconsolably.

“Oh, sweetie,” Grace said, grabbing a towel and pulling open the glass door. “Charlie, the water’s freezing!” Grace turned off the water, toed her shoes off, and stepped inside, her feet cold from the wet tile. The temperature felt wonderful to her, but she knew for Charlotte’s still human body, it couldn’t possibly be comfortable. She pulled Charlotte forward so she could wrap the towel around her. “Come on, buddy, let’s get you dressed.”

Charlotte wouldn’t budge. Grace wasn’t entirely certain she was fully lucid.

Max, tell Niall I need him.

“What’s wrong?” Niall asked from the door of the bathroom, arriving before Max could respond. He stepped inside and switched places with Grace. Lifting Charlotte in his arms, he cradled her to his chest and followed Grace into the bedroom. “Bloody hell, love, you’re shaking.”

Grace grabbed Charlotte’s big, fluffy robe from the hook in her closet and helped Niall put it on her. Once the robe was in place, Grace pulled the wet towel from underneath it. Niall took it from her and began to dry Charlotte’s hair.

Grace slipped from the bedroom into the welcoming arms of her mate and headed downstairs to finish dinner.

* * *

“Let’s get your hair dry, eh?” Niall said gently as he ran the towel over Charlotte’s head. He massaged her scalp, whispering to her as he worked to calm her spirit and warm her body.

“He raped my sister,” she rasped.

“I know, baby.”

She swatted his hands away from her and stood. “The bastard raped my sister!”

He nodded, watching her eyes turn from blue to red.

“I’m going to kill him, Niall. I’m going to cut him and then I’m going to kill him.”

Niall stood and pulled her against his chest. “He’s in custody, sweetheart. He’ll pay for what he did.”

She stood rigid, unable or unwilling to let him comfort her. “No! It’s not enough. He should be castrated.”

“Baby, he’ll be listed as a sex offender.” Niall raised her chin. “Do you know what they do to child rapists in prison?”

“But I want to hurt him.” She slapped her chest. “I want him to hurt like Vandi hurts!”

“I know you do, sweetheart,” he said, memories of his own sister flooding his heart and his mind.

Charlotte sagged against him. “I hate him, Niall. I hate him so much.”

“I know you do.”

She fisted her hands in his shirt and stared up at him. “Does it ever go away?”

“The hating?”

She nodded.

“Aye, lass. It does, once you forgive.”

“I’ll never forgive him.”

“You will, love.” He smiled. “But you can have a little time to hate him. Just don’t let it overtake your heart.”

“It already has.”

“No, it hasn’t,” he countered, stroking her cheek. “Hating him won’t change anything. Believe me. It only poisons you.”

“I really don’t want you to be all preachy right now, Niall,” she ground out.

“Sorry, love.” He gave her a gentle squeeze. “I’m making pasta. Are you hungry?”

She nodded. “Very.”

“Shall I bring it to you or do you want to eat with us?”

“I’ll eat with everyone, but then you need to do something for me.”

“Anything, baby.”

“I need you to use your resources to nail this creep to the wall.”

He smiled. “Why do you think I got Dalton involved?”

“He can do that all the way from Scotland?”

“Like I said, we have resources you can’t even imagine.” He kissed her palm. “He will make sure Nikolai gets what’s coming to him, I promise.”

“What about the binding?” She bit her lip. “I guess we should wait, huh?”

He nodded. “I think it’s best, love. But I promise I’ll bind you soon. I’ll even bind you here, if you so desire. But let’s get through this mess and wait for things to settle a bit. I’d like our mating night to be special, unhindered by sadness.”

“Thank you for being so sensitive.”

“Get dressed, eh? I’ll be right outside,” Niall said. She nodded and he slipped outside so she could dress, staying in the hallway in case she needed him.

She opened the door a few minutes later in a pair of sweats and a long-sleeved T-shirt. She’d pulled her hair into a messy bun, and Niall didn’t think she could get any cuter.

Charlotte smiled. “You always make me feel beautiful, even looking like this.”

“You are beautiful.” He leaned down and kissed her cheek. “Are you feeling better?”

Charlotte nodded. “Yes.”

“Good,” Niall said, and led her downstairs.

Grace rushed to Charlotte and pulled her in for a hug. “Well, you look a bit better.”

“I think I feel better.” Charlotte smiled. “Until I think about the piece of shit who hurt Vandi.”

“That’ll take a little more time,” Max said. “The anger lingers.”

Charlotte nodded.

Grace wiped her hands and grabbed her phone, looked at the screen. “Uh-oh.”

“What’s wrong?” Max asked.

“Nothing’s wrong.” Grace set her phone back on the counter. “It can wait. It’s not really appropriate conversation right now.”

“Spill,” Charlotte said. “Especially if it’s a distraction from all of this.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“Okay.” Grace smiled. “Guess who met Dalton tonight?”

Charlotte groaned. “Maggie.”

“Yep.” Grace glanced at her phone again. “She’s grilling me about him right now.”

“He’s exactly her type,” Charlotte pointed out.

“Hot and totally unavailable?” Grace retorted.

“Hey,” Max warned.

Grace giggled. “Don’t worry, baby, no one in the world’s hotter than you.”

“Better,” he said, and kissed her cheek as he grabbed silverware to set the table.

“Is he unavailable?” Charlotte asked, sitting on one of the stools at the island.

“I’d say with the nature and location of his job, that’s a pretty good assumption. Although, Pepper mentioned there was a girl...the one who got away, so to speak. But I don’t know if he’s in touch with her,” Grace said, pouring wine as Niall took over the meal.

“Is he planning on staying in Scotland forever?”

Grace shrugged. “I don’t know, but even if he moved back here, he’s from Georgia, so I can’t imagine he’d move to the ’Couve for Maggie.”

Niall chuckled. “If a man wants a woman, it doesn’t matter where she is, he’ll move mountains to be with her.”

“There is that,” Grace agreed. “But even if location isn’t the hurdle, I doubt Dalton Moore would be interested in Maggie. She’s entirely too innocent and naïve for the likes of him.”

“I don’t think you give your sister enough credit,” Charlotte said.

“I agree,” Niall piped in.

“Maybe not, but she’s not the greatest judge when it comes to men and the ‘badder’ they are, the harder she falls.”

Charlotte groaned. “But she cuts them loose if they’re dicks.”

“I guess that’s true,” Grace said. “But it just seems to take her a long time to dump them.”

“That’s because bad boys are fun,” Charlotte said.

Grace grinned at her husband. “Yes, yes, they are.”

Max gave her a gentle smack on her bottom and then kissed her.

Charlotte shook her head with a smile and glanced at Niall. He held his hand out to her and she slid into his embrace with a sigh.

The rest of the evening was spent discussing Maggie and her infatuation, and watching a Sylvester Stallone movie. A little levity in such a sad time.

* * *

Two days later, Vandi was home, safe, and healing... at least physically. Her mother had made private therapy appointments for her, along with group sessions, and their parents had agreed to family counseling as well, so they could aid in the healing together.

Niall and Charlotte’s engagement had been discovered and met with bittersweet happiness. Charlotte hesitated to make any immediate changes, but Vandi insisted she move on with her life, starting with exploring Scotland. Charlotte knew her sister would forever see Niall as her hero and would do anything for him. Since Niall wanted to marry Charlotte and head home, at least for a period of time, Vandi insisted they not wait around for her to feel better.

After a quickie marriage at the Vancouver courthouse and arrangements for private security to watch the house and Vandi should there be blowback from Nikolai’s crew, Charlotte and Niall headed to the Portland airport.

Arriving at the private airstrip with Max and Grace, Charlotte took a deep breath and climbed from the limo, linking her fingers with Niall’s. “I can do this.”

Niall grinned. “Yes, you can, love.”

She stared up at the plane. “It’s perfectly designed to defy gravity and fly in the air. Nothing’s going to happen. The engine will not blow up and kill us all in a fiery fireball from hell.”

Grace giggled. “I’ve flown in this plane multiple times, Chuck. I promise, it’s going to be perfect.”

“Okay. I’m ready,” Charlotte said, with a quick nod of her head.

Max grabbed Grace’s hand and led her to the plane. Charlotte watched the couple board and smiled up at Niall.

“Mr. MacMillan.” One of the airport staff came jogging toward them. “I’m sorry, sir, I just need a signature on this form and then we’re all set.”

Niall released Charlotte to sign the paperwork and within seconds, Charlotte panicked. She turned on her heel and rushed back toward the car.

“Charlotte!” Niall called.

She waved her hand. “Sorry. Can’t do it. We’re all going to die in a horrible, fiery, horrible, deathly way if I get on that plane.”

He laughed as he jogged to close the distance between them. “We are not going to die, baby. Come on.”

“Nope, it’s all good. I’ll walk to Scotland.”

Niall pulled off his gloves and shoved them in his pocket, then cupped her cheeks. “We are going to be perfectly fine, sweetheart. I promise.”

Her heart calmed and she started to feel like an idiot for panicking. “You’re right. Okay, I’m ready now.” He took her hand and held it tightly. “Bet you’re regretting waiting to bind me now, huh?” she retorted. “If you had, you could calm me with your mind.”

“But then I wouldn’t have an excuse to hold you for the whole flight.”

“Not true,” she countered. “You could hold me naked.”

“I can hold you naked, now that we’re technically married.”

“Oh, really? And you can trust that I won’t rip apart the plane, causing us to die in a fiery ball of fire death?”

“What is your obsession with fire?”

“Well, when has there ever been a plane crash where at least one thing hasn’t caught on fire?” she said. “Think about it. They always send the fire trucks out first.”

“Shite. You have a point.”

She gave a snide smile. “Just tell me I’m right and get used to saying it. It’s gonna happen a lot over the next however many years we have together.”

Niall laughed. “You’re right, baby. I should have bound you earlier.”

“Thank you,” she said, and suddenly realized they were on the plane. “Oh, wow.”

“See?” he said. “Easy.”

“This doesn’t look like a plane,” she murmured as she took in the space. There was an overstuffed sofa facing a flat-screen television which sat on the wall above a bar area. Three captain-style chairs ran along the back wall, and four chairs that could face each other or away sat along the left wall next to two portal windows.

“There are four bedrooms, each with their own private bathroom, and an additional bathroom at the back of the plane. When it’s time to sleep, we’ll take the room on the right,” Niall said.

“Okay,” Charlotte agreed, and smiled. “This really is amazing.”

Niall grinned, leaning down to kiss her before they were interrupted by the pilot on the loudspeaker, informing them it was time to prepare for takeoff.

They took the chairs at the back of the plane so that Charlotte didn’t have to look out a window during takeoff. Niall held her hand as they ascended and didn’t let go until the fasten seatbelts sign was turned off.

“Who wants to watch a movie?” Grace asked, heading to the sofa.

“Depends,” Charlotte said. “What are the choices?”

“RomCom or action?” Niall said.

“Action,” Grace and Charlotte said in unison.

“Wow,” Niall said. “I would have pegged you for a romantic.”

“No you wouldn’t,” Charlotte retorted.

Niall laughed. “No, you’re right, I wouldn’t. You’re definitely a shoot ’em up kind of girl.”

“Aren’t you lucky?” Grace said.

Niall kissed Charlotte. “Very much so. But, I have another option.”

“You do?” Charlotte asked.

Niall rifled through his backpack and pulled out a DVD.

“What’s that?” Charlotte narrowed her eyes.

“Only a little movie starring the most beautiful woman on earth.”

“Shut up!” she exclaimed.

“You got an early cut?” Grace asked.

Niall nodded and Charlotte sighed. “Thank you, Captain Obvious.”

Grace stuck her tongue out at Charlotte as she plucked the DVD out of Niall’s hand. “Max, baby, will you please make popcorn?”

“Where did you get it?” Charlotte demanded.

“I have my ways, love. You should know that by now.”

Are you and your brother going to kiss and make up?

I don’t know.

Charlotte crossed her arms. Well, I’m not going to let you watch that unless you do.

Charlotte.

“Excuse us for a bit.” Charlotte pulled Niall back to the bedroom he indicated earlier and pushed him inside, closing the door behind her. “You need to sort this out, Nye. You have to forgive your brother and move on. The tension between you two is stupid thick.”

“I know.” He rubbed his forehead. “I just can’t seem to get past it.”

“Well, then break it down for me. What did he really do to you that would make you willing to walk away from not just your brother, but your friendship? From everything that Grace has told me, and everything I’ve picked up from you personally, you used to be so close.”

“We were.” He sighed. “Max knew that Abbott had raped and killed Moira, long before he told me. I guess what hurts me the most is that he told Connall before he told me.”

“Did he say why?”

Niall dragged his hands through his hair. “He was angry that I forgave and moved on so quickly.”

“Really? That was his reason?”

“That’s the reason he gave.”

Charlotte frowned. “I highly doubt that’s the reason, baby.”

“I do too,” he admitted.

“Then why are you torturing him?”

“Because I want him to tell me,” he said. “He’s always so bloody closed off.”

“So, tell him that,” Charlotte suggested. “Why don’t you two talk while I figure out how to destroy the DVD?”

“Don’t you dare,” he warned. “I want to see you in all your glory.”

She bit her lip. “What if I suck?”

“Baby, you wouldn’t have gotten the part if you sucked.”

“I hate watching myself.”

“Then close your eyes.”

Charlotte rolled her eyes. “Should I get Max now?”

He held up their linked fingers. “I don’t want you to panic.”

“I’m fine, babe. Really. Totally Zen.” She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him. “I’ll get your brother.”

“Don’t break our plane, Charlotte. We’re pretty invincible, but I don’t know that we could survive a plane crash.”

Charlotte giggled. “If I start to get nervous, I’ll yell for you.”

* * *

Charlotte left the room and Max entered a few minutes later. “Charlotte said you wanted to talk to me?”

Niall nodded. “Why didn’t you tell me about Moira? The real reason, not the one you gave me, blaming my forgiving nature.”

Max dragged his hands down his face with a sigh. He didn’t say anything for several minutes and just when Niall thought he’d give up, Max sat on the edge of the mattress. “I didn’t want you to know.”

“Know what?”

“Everything, I guess. She was a mess when I got to the stables. She’d been raped and beaten, her ear was missing, and I didn’t want that vision in your mind. I cleaned her up as best I could and would have done more, but Alasdair wanted to preserve the scene. He’s surprisingly bloody strong, so I didn’t have much of a choice.”

Niall grimaced. “Probably why he’s the king’s ‘muscle.’”

“Aye,” Max agreed. “I don’t know why I didn’t tell you about Abbott. I don’t really have an excuse. I think I’d been keeping so much of the horror to myself, I got used to not sharing it. All this mess with Vandi, though, brought it up for me.”

“Aye, brother. Me too. I just kept seeing Moira’s face when I looked at Vandi.”

Max stood. “I’m sorry, Nye. Truly. If I could go back and tell you, I would.”

“I appreciate that.” Niall hugged him. “But if you keep something like that from me again, I’ll bloody well kill you.”

“Fair enough.”

“Shite!” Niall felt Charlotte’s panic and was out the door before Grace screamed.