CHARLOTTE WOKE IN stages. She dreamt she had a killer headache and willed it to stop, realized quite disappointedly that it wasn’t a dream, and then tried to force herself back to sleep. Just as she drifted, she felt like she was sucking on sandpaper. With a determination she didn’t really feel, she blinked her eyes open and glanced around an unfamiliar room, trying to determine where she was.

You’re in my hotel, lass.

She let out a quiet squeak and sat up. “Are you here? Wait. Where am I and why am I talking to you?” She let out a nervous giggle. “I’m an idiot. Now I’m answering you when I’m awake.”

I’m in the next room. Do you need assistance?

“No, I’m good. Well, crazy but alive, I guess. Am I alive? Wait, am I dead?”

No, love, you’re safe and very much among the living.

She took in her surroundings, sighing in relief to see a bottled water on the nightstand, then quickly frowning. Hotel water was expensive. Could she afford to drink a thirty-two-dollar bottle of water after her big spend last night?

I doubt it’s quite so dear, lass. I’ll take care of the cost. Drink away.

“You call water ‘dear’?”

It means expensive where I come from.

“Oh.” She unscrewed the cap and took a swig, wondering if water had ever tasted so good before. Throwing the covers back, she slid from the mattress and headed to the bathroom. She was still dressed, although her shoes and socks had been removed.

She groaned as she caught her reflection in the mirror. Mascara was caked to her face and her lips were dry and chapped. Her hair was a mass of tangles, and she had no idea where her purse was.

Your purse is at the end of the bed, love, and there are a few private things in the bag on the bathroom counter.

She really was alive... and very much awake, even if she looked like the walking dead. “You’re freaking me out here. Are you watching me?”

No. I can just read your mind.

“Oh, ’cause that’s so much better,” she grumbled.

Charlotte peered into the bag and found her favorite makeup remover and moisturizer, along with deodorant, toothpaste, and a toothbrush. There was also a brand-new brush and hair-bands. “You called Grace, didn’t you?” she grumbled.

Aye.

Charlotte started a little at the fact he answered her, but couldn’t help but smile at his thoughtfulness as she washed her face, brushed her teeth, and tamed her hair into something less rat-nesty. Once she felt human again, she stepped back into the bedroom and located her purse. She heard the buzz of her cell phone as she approached. She checked the caller ID and grimaced.

“Alec. Hi.”

“Damn it, Charlotte! I’ve been worried sick. You never called me back.”

“I know.” She sank down onto the edge of the bed. “I just realized that. I’m so sorry. I kind of passed out.”

“You kind of passed out,” he repeated... slowly, as if attempting patience.

“Look, Alec, seriously, I’m really sorry if I worried you, but I’m fine. My friends were with me and made sure I was okay.”

“What happened?”

“What do you mean?”

“Why were you drunk?” he demanded.

“Well, not that it’s any of your business, but I guess my date thought he’d try to get lucky.”

“You had a date?” he snapped.

“Yes, why?”

“Because I thought perhaps you and I were going to get to know one another. I hadn’t really planned on that involving other people.”

“Oh, hell no.” Charlotte frowned. “You haven’t called me in almost a week, then when you do, you think you own me? You’re messing with the wrong person, bub.”

Alec let out a loud sigh. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I totally didn’t mean to sound like a jealous boyfriend. I guess I was just so worried after you didn’t call me back last night. And as far as me not calling you, I had a family emergency which took me home for a bit, and then my phone ended up in the kitchen sink and last night was the first time I was able to power it up. Note to self: talking on the phone and doing dishes is a really bad combination. It took two days and two boxes of rice to dry it out.”

“Oh, no.” Charlotte bit her lip. “Is everything okay?”

“No, but it will be. Thanks for asking,” he said. “I really am sorry. Will you forgive me?”

“Of course I will. Sometimes shit happens. I get it.”

He groaned. “You have no idea. Can I start again?”

“Um, sure.”

“I have tickets to the new Portland Center Stage show. One of my buddies is a lead. I wondered if you’d like to go with me. It’s on Tuesday, which I know is not the best date night, but I thought I’d try anyway.”

Charlotte smiled. “Why is Tuesday not the best date night?”

He chuckled. “I have no idea. It’s not as sexy as the weekend, I guess.”

Charlotte giggled. “Less chance of getting into trouble.”

“Good point.”

“Is it that Lizzie rock thing?” she asked. Lizzie was a new rocked up musical based on the life of Liza Minnelli and Charlotte thought the whole concept (three actors playing Liza at different parts of her life) was a really interesting take.

“It is.”

“That sounds really cool.” She glanced at the bedroom door. “Tuesday would be great.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Why not? We’re friends, right?”

“Exactly,” he said. “Do you want to get an early dinner beforehand?”

“Sure, that would be perfect.”

“Text me your address and I’ll pick you up at five if that works.”

“That works great,” she said.

“I really am sorry, Charlotte.”

“I appreciate that, Alec. Thanks.”

“See you Tuesday,” he said.

Charlotte nodded. “I’m looking forward to it.”

He hung up and Charlotte took a second to send him her address before dropping her phone back in her purse.

When you’re done, lass, come into the living room.

“This is a suite?”

Aye.

She opened the door opposite the bathroom and found Niall standing by the window. He turned, his smile warm and open, and Charlotte’s heart stuttered. His dark hair was a perfect mess and it looked as though he hadn’t shaved in a few days. He wore dark jeans and a black T-shirt that appeared to have been painted on. Gorgeous didn’t seem adequate to describe him.

Crap.

She licked her lips. “It’s really you.”

He chuckled. “Aye. It’s really me. How do you feel?”

“Better than I probably should. Thank you for rescuing me.”

“’Twas my pleasure, lass.”

“Where’s my car?”

“It’s downstairs in the lot,” he said, and handed her her keys. “Bruce parked it close to the entrance.”

“Thank you.” Charlotte checked her watch. “Wow, it’s almost two. I can’t believe I slept this long.”

“You needed to sleep off the drink.”

She felt the heat creep up her neck. “Not my finest hour, to be sure.”

“Also not your fault.” He frowned. “Your date put a little extra something in your drinks, which is the reason you were so dizzy.”

“Really? How do you know that?”

“I had Bruce test one of your glasses. The bastard had crushed up valium and slipped it into your drink... or drinks. Not sure how much he gave you, but it was certainly more than someone your size would be able to tolerate.”

“That’s what the gritty taste was. I thought it was maybe chocolate shavings or something.”

Niall shook his head. “You could have been much worse off had you not managed to purge your system of most everything.”

“Yay for puking.” She grimaced and nodded toward the bedroom door. “Did you... ah... sleep... in there?”

“With you?” He smiled. “No. I took the couch.”

“Oh, thank you. How did you get me away from Rose?”

He smiled again. Lord, he had a nice smile.

“I had to call Grace and have her talk to her. Rose wasn’t going to let you out of her sight.”

Charlotte nodded. “She’s good that way.”

“It would seem so. Are you hungry?” Niall waved to the table laden with covered dishes. “I ordered a little bit of everything, breakfast items as well as burgers.”

Charlotte’s stomach rumbled in response. “I am hungry, actually. Thank you.”

He grinned as he led her to the food and held a chair for her. She filled her plate, her appetite back in droves, and took a bite, sighing with pleasure. “Wow. I didn’t realize just how hungry I was.”

He grinned and picked up a piece of bacon. “Me neither.”

“So, what brings you to this neck of the woods?” she asked.

“I’m here to see you.”

“What? You are?” She blushed as she lowered her head. “Why?”

“You don’t know why?”

She met his eyes, albeit briefly. “No, why would I know why?”

* * *

Niall watched Charlotte closely, attempting to get a read on her emotions. He wasn’t sure she was ready to hear the truth, but he also wasn’t willing to keep anything from her.

“It’s you, isn’t it? The one who’s been talking to me?” she whispered, drawing him from his thoughts.

He nodded.

“How is that possible?”

He studied her for several seconds. “How much do you want to know?”

“All of it,” she answered immediately. “I know there’s something going on... something I don’t understand and probably can’t grasp, but I want to know all of it anyway.”

He nodded, laying his hand over hers. “I am from an ancient race of Vikings. The Cauld Ane. I am an empath and a healer, which is why you and I can speak telepathically.”

“Is that why I saw you when I dreamed?”

Niall shook his head. “Actually, I’m not entirely certain what that gift is. I’ve never heard of it before and certainly don’t know anyone with it. The dreaming in real time, I mean. It’s something incredibly unique. When you were asking about the guitar and running your fingers over it, the strings moved. Like a ghost was playing it.”

“No way, really?”

Niall nodded. “I have asked my friend, Fiona, to do some research for me about it.”

“What does Cauld Ane mean?”

“Cold one.”

Charlotte cocked her head. “Is it because you’re always cold?”

“Quite the opposite, we run hot,” he said. “We’re unable to survive in temperatures over sixty-eight degrees Fahrenheit.”

“Really?”

“Aye.”

“What happens if you go out in the middle of summer?” she asked as she poured syrup on her pancakes.

“We typically don’t, but if we are caught unawares, each degree over sixty-eight produces different reactions... none of them pleasant... and then eventual death.”

Charlotte gasped. “Does that happen often?”

“Not in several hundred years. We’re very careful.”

“You mentioned gifts. What kinds of gifts?”

Niall ran his finger over the table. “My friend Payton, the one who was in your dream, can touch someone or something and be given a vision. Her psychometry gift has come in handy on occasion, and now that she’s bound to Brodie, she has received his telekinesis abilities.”

“Meaning, they can move things with their minds?”

“And their bodies.” Niall smiled. “With a flick of his wrist, Brodie can throw an object at someone’s head, or unlock a door.”

“Wow, that’s so cool,” she said, and took a minute to eat. “How soon can you do stuff like that? Or is it something that happens at birth?”

“At twenty-five, we reach our ár mökunar, which means, mating year, and that’s when our powers manifest. It’s also when we are able to know who our mates are.”

“Mates?”

“The person we’ll be with forever.”

Charlotte lowered her fork. “You mean, you pick someone?”

“We don’t choose in the traditional sense, no. We are destined. It’s our örlög... fate.” He smiled. “We are raised knowing that we have one person chosen for us, and that there will never be another.”

“What if you fall in love with someone else before you meet that person?”

“We don’t.”

“I don’t understand.” She raised an eyebrow. “How do you not fall in love with someone? You can’t control love.”

“You don’t think so?”

“No, I don’t. And the harder you try to stop it, the worse it is.”

“Are you speaking from personal experience?” he challenged.

“Well, no,” she admitted. “I’ve never been in love. But I saw how hard Grace worked not to fall in love with Max, and she obviously failed miserably.”

Niall chuckled. “Aye. That she did, lass.”

“Your story’s very sweet and all, but it’s not very realistic.” She smiled. “But I don’t want to rain on your parade, so to speak. If you feel there’s only one person for you, then maybe there is.”

“Oh, I know there is.”

“Good for you,” she said as she took a swig of coffee.

“You are that person for me.”

Charlotte gasped, managing to suck liquid into her lungs, and choked uncontrollably. Niall reached over, laid his hand on her chest, and her coughing subsided. She grabbed her napkin and covered her mouth.

“Better?” Niall asked, and took his seat again.

She nodded, blinking back the tears that lingered from choking. “How did you do that?”

“Because you’re my mate, I can heal you.”

“Because I’m your mate,” she repeated, in a monotone.

“Aye, love.” He could feel her irritation, so he tried for a bolstering smile. “We’re destined to be together always.”

“Seriously?”

“Aye.”

Charlotte’s mouth dropped open. “And do I have any say in this?”

“Of course you do.”

She cocked her head. “Really? Because it sounds to me like this is all a done deal.”

Niall forced himself not to react. It was a “done deal,” but she wasn’t of a mind to understand that fact, much less accept it. “I’m sorry, lass. Truly. You have every say in where our relationship goes. If I made you think otherwise, then again, I apologize.”

Charlotte groaned. “You know, you have the worst timing, ever.”

“I do? How come?”

“Never mind.” She sighed. “What happens when you meet your ‘destiny’?”

“Well, once we find our mates, we go through a ritual ceremony and binding, a little like the human wedding ceremony.”

“Wait... back up,” she said. “Are you saying you’re not human?”    

He reached over and squeezed her hand again, wanting the connection to calm her. “Yes.”

“Wow, when I said I wanted to know it all, I really asked for it, huh?” she mused.

Niall smiled. “Am I frightening you?”

“Not so much, to be honest, which probably makes me crazy.”

“Not in the least.” Niall smiled. “But it helps that we’re physically connected.”

Charlotte let out a quiet sigh. “This whole mate thing? What is it exactly? How does it work?”

“Simply put, it means we have one person we are destined to be with forever. If we make a different choice, it doesn’t really work out very well for us.”

“So, Grace is Max’s mate?”

“Aye.”

“Now I get why she’s been so... ah... monosyllabic on the whole Max subject. She couldn’t tell me everything that was going on.”

“Yes, it’s not something we typically talk openly about.”

Charlotte shook her head. “Well, I’m glad I told her to give Max a chance. I’d have looked like a complete moron had I told her to run.”

Niall chuckled. “Not a moron, love, but it would have made things much harder for Max... which may not have been a bad thing.”

She frowned. “Grace said you two aren’t speaking.”

“Not currently, no.”

“Want to fill me in?”

“I don’t know,” he admitted. “It’s not a pleasant story, and I’m not sure I want to put those images in your head.”

“Does it have something to do with your sister?”

“Yes,” he said.

“Someone killed her and took her ear, is that close?”

He grimaced as he nodded.

“I’m so sorry,” she said. “But I’m a really good listener if you want to talk about it.”

“Let’s just say that Max had information about Moira’s death that he kept from me. It has put a serious damper on my ability to trust him.”

“Moira’s such a pretty name.”

Niall smiled sadly. “She was a beautiful young woman, and even sweeter than she was beautiful.”

“When did she die?”

“A very long time ago. 1876.”

“I thought you said you were immortal.”

“We are, sort of. We will eventually die, we just aren’t easy to kill.” Niall frowned. “Moira was murdered, and my brother and I couldn’t save her.”

Charlotte bit her lip. “I’m sorry.”

Niall shrugged. “It is what it is, unfortunately. If I could change it, I would.”

“You’ll work it out with Max, though, right? ’Cause if you and I really are supposed to be together forever, then you’re going to have to get used to spending every holiday with Gracie. It’s a given, especially if she’s going to officially be my sister. Might be a bit weird if Max isn’t there too.”

Niall sighed. “I hadn’t thought that far into the future.”

“Well, you feel free to wallow for a while.” Charlotte sat back and smiled. “Grace will have to come here, anyway, which means you have a little while before we’ll have to see them.”

“I’d hoped to take you home soon, love.”

“Not gonna happen. Unless you drug me and carry me onto some form of a metal tube-like deathtrap.” She took a bite of bacon. “But I’m not so easy to trick, so...”

He smiled. “Says the woman I just rescued from a similar fate.”

She threw a piece of bacon at him with a chuckle.

“Sorry.” He laughed. “But you kind of just put it out there... I couldn’t ignore it.”

“Well, you could. But truth be told, I wouldn’t have either.” She studied him for several seconds and then shook her head. “I have a confession to make. Well, not a confession, per se, because I’m not doing anything wrong, but it’s something you should probably know.”

“Okay.”

“I’m actually kind of seeing someone.”

Niall gripped the arms of the chair in an effort to control his sudden rage. He’d heard her on the phone making the date, but didn’t realize the man was competition. “Grace didn’t mention that,” he said, trying for calm.

“She probably didn’t think I’d want you to know.”

Or she was trying to punish me.

“Punish you for what?” Charlotte asked.

“Nothing, lass.”

Charlotte pressed her lips into a thin line. “Anyway, it’s really new, but we have a date on Tuesday and, well, I don’t want to string you along. I think you and I should just be friends.” She buried her face in her hands. “I can’t believe I’m saying this.”

Niall didn’t trust himself to speak, so he bit the inside of his cheek, the pain reminding him to stay focused and stamp down his anger.

She lifted her head and bit her lip. “I’m sorry, Niall, but I think you should go home. Don’t waste your time waiting around for me to figure out what the hell I’m doing.”

“Charlotte,” he said, and took a breath. “I’m all in, love. All I’m asking is for you to give me as much of a chance as the other guy.”

“I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“Because you’re Niall MacMillan, that’s why not. Good lord, I’ve been in love with you since I was twelve years old. People like me don’t get chances with people like you.” She threw her napkin on the table and stood. “I’m sorry, but I have to go.”

Before Niall could respond, Charlotte’s purse buzzed. She pulled out her phone, and Niall took a minute to study her as she took her phone call. He resisted the urge to pull her into his arms and kiss her senseless, feeling as though it might confuse her even more. He had to admit, he was a little overwhelmed by the beauty he’d been given. Tall and curvy in all the right places, she was more than he could have dreamed of. He’d always been partial to blondes, but never wanted to focus on any one attribute, in case his mate was something entirely different.

“Vandi. Slow down, sissy. What’s going on?” Charlotte asked. “Okay, so dump his ass. Babe, he’s obviously a jerk... not to mention, way too old for you. Just walk out the door and go home. I can’t believe Mom approved this guy. Hmm-mmm. No. Wait, if she approved group dates, then why are you alone with him?” Charlotte rubbed her forehead. “Vandi. Yes, of course I’ll come and get you. Give me twenty minutes. Okay. ’Bye.” She hung up and gave Niall an apologetic smile. “Sorry. Sister drama. I need to go.”

“I’m happy to drive you wherever you need go,” Niall offered.

“I have my car.”

“Bruce will drop your car by your home later. Or I’ll bring you back here.”

“You don’t need to do that.” She bit her lip and asked hopefully, “Unless you want to? No, forget I asked. It’s okay.”

“Charlotte.” He chuckled, “I want to.”

“No.” She shook her head and wiped her palms on her jeans. “No. I can’t. It’s fine. Thank you anyway.” She grabbed her shoes and sat down to put them on.

Niall hunkered down beside her, lifting her chin, and smiling. “I will drive you wherever you want, lass. There is absolutely no reason why we can’t be friends, eh?”

She let out a quiet snort. “People like you aren’t friends with people like me.”

“People like me?”

“Very pretty, sexy, rich, Scottish... immortal... you know. Out of bounds.”

He smiled. “I happen to know lots of Scots who are friends with Americans.”

She giggled, then seemed to think better of it and went back to her shoes.

“Will you let me take you to your sister, Charlotte?”

She paused for a few seconds before nodding and rising to her feet.

“Let’s go, eh?” he said as he stood as well.

Niall sent a quick text to Bruce and then ushered Charlotte from the room.