CONNALL SLIPPED FROM the bed, trying his best not to disturb Pepper, and took a quick shower. Once dressed, he texted Sam and let her know that she could return anytime and then climbed back into bed with Pepper. He settled her across his chest and she sighed, snuggling closer to him. He smiled and kissed the top of her head.
A quiet knock brought Samantha and two of Kade’s 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. Connall’s father offered them refuge and they’d stayed with the family, assisting with their acclimation to the Highlands.
The maids went about quietly preparing the herbs and tea Pepper would need during the conversion, while Sam stepped over to the bed and gently took Pepper’s wrist to check her pulse. She smiled. “She looks calm.”
“Aye,” Connall whispered.
“Her pulse is normal.” Sam felt her forehead. “How’s her mark?”
He lifted the sheet and glanced at her stomach. “Still red.”
“Not long now,” Sam said, and squeezed Connall’s arm.
She made a notation in her iPad and Connall assumed it was Pepper’s vitals. Ever the researcher, Sam wanted to document every moment of the conversion process. She had taken both Connall and Pepper’s blood before the binding and would take it after in order to compare her findings.
Pepper stirred, drawing his focus. Without warning, she sat straight up and screamed. Connall wrapped his arm around her waist, and she screamed again and twisted, her fist flying toward him.
He managed to catch her hand and pull her arm behind her back. “Pepper. Sweetheart. It’s me. Wake up, love.” He was finding it difficult to keep the sheet high enough for modesty as she attempted to fight him. “Pepper. Wake up.”
It took several tries to calm her, but she finally opened her eyes, blinking as though to bring him into focus. “Con?”
“Hi,” he said he released his hold.
“What happened?”
“Are you in pain?” he asked.
She shook her head. “No. Why?”
“Did you have a bad dream?” Sam asked.
Pepper frowned in confusion. “I don’t know. What are you doing here?”
Sam glanced at Connall and then back at Pepper. “I’m here to help.”
“I thought you weren’t coming until after.”
Sam’s eyes widened.
Pepper buried her head in Connall’s neck and whispered, “Who are those other people. Þú sagðir mér ekki að yrði fleira fólk.” (You didn’t tell me there would be other people.)
Connall sent the staff a nod and they quickly scurried from the room. “It is after, love.”
“What?” Pepper sat up on her knees, yanking at the sheet as she wrapped it tighter around her body. “We’re bound?”
“Aye, love. You don’t remember?”
Pepper shook her head, her hair falling across her shoulders. Connall noticed the ends of her hair were darkening, but he was pulled from his confusion by Sam’s question.
“What’s the last thing you remember?” she asked.
“Um…” Pepper pressed her lips together. “Ég var að fá tilbúinn.” (I was getting ready.)
“Do you remember anything after?” Connall asked.
“Eiginlega ekki...alveg...ég er ekki viss,” (Not really… sort of… I’m not sure), she said.
Sam leaned forward and narrowed her eyes.
“What?” Pepper asked.
“Do you even realize you’re speaking Icelandic?”
Pepper snorted. “I don’t know how that’s possible. Ég tala ekki íslensku.” (I don’t speak Icelandic.)
“Fascinating,” Sam mused, and noted something in her tablet.
“Are you studying me?” Pepper snapped.
Sam shook her head and set the iPad down. “I would never.”
Pepper rolled her eyes. “Þú hefur aldrei verið góður lygari, Sam.” (You’ve never been a good liar, Sam.)
Sam stared at Connall. “How does she speak it with a perfect accent? I still sound like an idiot when I speak it.”
“I’m not speaking Icelandic,” Pepper insisted.
“I don’t know,” Connall said. “Is Fi at the house? She might be able to find out how Pepper’s doing this.”
“Yes. Everyone is.”
“Oh, please,” Pepper droned. “Let’s all talk about me like I’m not in the room.”
“Sorry, love.” Connall smiled and then focused back on Sam. “Ask Kade to have her look through the book.”
Sam nodded. “Good idea.” Sam closed her eyes to “speak” with her mate.
Pepper slid the sheet to the side, still keeping herself covered, but exposing her new birthmark. It was redder than it had been. She turned fear-filled eyes to Connall. “Þetta þýðir að sársaukinn kemur, ekki satt?” (This means the pain’s coming, right?)
“Aye.”
“How bad?”
“Pepper, you’ve already gone through some of it,” Sam said. “You did great.”
“I have? I did?”
Connall sat back on the bed. “Can’t you remember anything?”
She shook her head.
“At all?”
“No.” Pepper’s eyes filled with tears. “What does that mean?”
“I don’t know, sweetheart.” He pulled her close and kissed her temple. “But we’ll figure it out.”
Pepper whimpered and Connall loosened his hold on her.
“I’m going to be sick,” she rasped and headed for the bathroom. She didn’t quite make it, as she got tangled in the sheet and would have fallen if Connall hadn’t caught her. She groaned as she went to all fours on the floor.
Connall grabbed a bowl and held it under her chin. He was frustrated that his ability to ease her pain only went so far. He wanted to take all of her discomfort away.
When her stomach calmed, she grasped his hand, her eyes filling with tears. “It hurts. I feel like I’m being stabbed.”
“This is the worst part,” Sam said. “She’ll be fine, Con. I promise. I’ll be back in a bit.”
Sam slipped out of the room and Connall guided Pepper back onto the bed. She rolled onto her side and clutched her stomach. She was eerily quiet, her soft shallow breathing the only noise coming from her.
Connall slid his body against hers and she started.
Stop, she hissed in her mind as he laid his hand on her thigh.
“Sorry, love. I want to help with the pain.”
She slowly relaxed against him as he felt her pain ebb.
“Better?” he whispered.
Yes. Sorry. I know you can help me, but your touch feels like a hot poker.
Only at first. Trust me, love.
He closed his eyes and concentrated on her. Having only a basic knowledge of the human body, he was afraid he wouldn’t be able to solve everything, but he did hope he could ease her pain. Fiona had described the conversion as being similar to a self-cleaning oven, burning anything that shouldn’t be in her new Cauld Ane body.
For the first time in his life, he wished he’d gone to medical school.
He felt her pain, felt the burning sensation in her stomach and tried not to react. He didn’t know how she could possibly endure this without passing out or screaming.
Don’t, Con. Please. I can’t worry about you and deal with this pain at the same time, baby. I’ll be okay.
“Sorry,” he whispered, and focused on her stomach, willing the pain to die down.
He felt her relax in degrees, finally stretching out of her fetal position with a sigh.
“How’s the pain now?” he asked.
“It’s at about a five,” she said and shifted onto her back.
He scooted back to give her room, but took her hand so they wouldn’t break contact. “Can I get you anything?”
“I’m really thirsty,” she said.
“I’ll get you some water.”
He rolled off the bed and made his way to the bathroom, only to be stilled by her sudden pain and rising panic. “Damn it.” He rushed back into the bedroom and took her hand. “I’m so sorry, sweetheart. I shouldn’t have broken contact.”
She bit her lip and squeezed her eyes shut. Connall grabbed his phone and scrolled down to Sam’s number, but she appeared in the doorway before he could call her.
“Okay, that’s so weird,” Sam said.
“What?” Connall asked.
“I could feel her in trouble. Like a warning vibration in my body.”
“That’s normal.” Connall smiled. “You’re sisters now.”
Sam stepped inside and set her iPad down. “What can I do?”
“She’s thirsty.”
“Okay. I’ll get some water.” Sam stepped into the bathroom.
Connall climbed back on the bed and pulled Pepper to him again. “Shhh, sweetheart. I’ve got you.” Again, her body began to relax and she was able to stretch out on her back. “Still thirsty?”
She nodded and he helped her sit up while Sam handed her the water. “What’s your pain level, Pepper?”
“About a six,” Pepper said.
Sam nodded. “Okay. That’s good. You’re doing great.” She took the glass from Pepper and set it on the nightstand. “You should be able to sleep soon. Try not to fight it. When you wake up, we’ll fill you with a surprisingly disgusting herb tea.”
“Joy,” Pepper rasped.
* * *
Pepper came awake as a beam of sunlight shone on her face, and she wondered at the glorious sensations moving through her body. Soft sheets touched her skin and her back was against a hard chest. She smiled and snuggled closer to Connall, and then quickly realized she was naked. She opened her eyes and frowned. They were in the bedroom. The one he said was just for them.
Connall stirred next to her, and Pepper rolled to face him. His eyes flew open and he smiled, although his expression was one of concern. “Hi,” he whispered. “Whoa, your hair is dark, love.”
She shook her head. He was speaking gibberish. “Hvað?” (What?”)
“How do you feel?”
“Hvað?”
“Pepper?”
“Já?”
He gave her a strange look. “Hvernig líður þér?” (How do you feel?)
“Mér líður frábærlega, en ég er ráðvillt,” (I feel great, but I’m confused), she said, and tucked the sheet tighter around her body.
“Af hverju ertu ráðvillt?” (Why are you confused?)
“Ég geri ráð fyrir því þar sem ég er nakin, að við séum bundin.” (I can only assume that if I’m naked, we are bound.)
He frowned. “Aye… já”
“Hvers vegna man ég ekki eftir því??” (Why don’t I remember?)
He sighed and rolled onto his back, his hands covering his face. “I don’t know.” He faced her again. “Do you remember anything?”
She sighed in frustration. “Ég skil ekki hvað þú ert að segja.” (I don’t understand what you’re saying.)
“Manstu nokkuð?” (Do you remember anything?)
“Ég man að ég var að undirbúa mig...og að ég vildi ekki kampavín.” (I remember getting ready...and not wanting champagne.)
“Manstu eftir heitunum okkar?” (Do you remember the vows?)
She bit her lip, tears pricking her eyes. “Nei.”
“Gerir þú þér grein fyrir því að þú ert að tala íslensku núna?” (Do you realize you’re speaking Icelandic now?)
“Er ég að því? En ég tala ekki íslensku.” (I am? But I don’t speak Icelandic.)
“Gefðu mér eina mínútu.” (Give me a minute.) Connall climbed from the bed and grabbed his phone.
* * *
Connall scrolled down to Kade’s number and pressed the call button. His brother answered after one ring. “Hi, Con.”
“Something’s wrong.”
“What’s going on?” Kade asked.
“Pepper doesn’t remember anything, including how to speak English.”
“What do you mean?”
Connall glanced at Pepper, who was staring at him in confusion. “She doesn’t remember anything about being bound, and now she only seems to understand Icelandic.”
“Um hvað ertu að tala?” (What are you talking about?)
“Ég er að spyrja Kade hvort hann geti hjálpað.” (I am asking Kade if he can help.)
“We’re here, Connall,” Kade said. “Sam didn’t want to leave, so we slept in the south guest suite. Angus and Fiona arrived around midnight. I’ll tell her to bring the book up, yes?”
Pepper pointed to the bathroom. “Ég ætla að fara í sturtu.” (I’m going to shower.)
“Bíddu. Leyfðu mér að hjálpa þér.” (Wait. Let me help you.) She nodded and Connall focused back on his conversation with Kade. “Pepper vill fara í sturtu og klæða sig, við hittumst svo niðri í aðalstofunni.” (Pepper wants to take a shower and get dressed, then we'll see you in the great room.)
Pepper was quite weak, so Connall helped her from the bed and into the shower. Despite his worry for her, he couldn’t block out the sexiness of his naked mate. He just wished he could enjoy their shower in a different way. He sat her on the shower bench and stripped down, stepping inside with her.
Their conversation was quite surreal, considering it was all in Icelandic. He felt like he had to switch on a different part of his brain to communicate with her. He rarely spoke in his native tongue anymore, as they’d lived in Scotland for so long. Outside of council meetings, it was rarely used.
Once she was dry and dressed, Pepper sat on the vanity stool, wearing a black pair of yoga pants and a soft blue shirt, smoothing lotion onto her face while Connall pulled on jeans and a T-shirt.
Pepper’s quiet gasp echoed in the room.
“What’s wrong?” Connall asked in Icelandic.
“My hair! It’s red,” Pepper said as she studied her image in the mirror.
Connall nodded. “I noticed that.”
“Will I change back to normal?” Tears slid down her face. “I don’t even know why I’m crying! I like red hair, I just don’t think it’s me.”
Connall knelt in front of her and took her hands, gently kissing her knuckles. “I don’t know if you’ll go back to blonde, sweetheart, but it doesn’t matter. You’re the most beautiful woman in the world. I quite like the dark… your eyes are even brighter now.”
She bit her lip.
“We’re going to figure this out, sweetheart.”
She stared at him. “What if nothing changes? What if I never remember?”
“You will.”
“What if I don’t?”
“Then we’ll do the ceremony again,” he said, and rose to his feet. “We’ll create a new memory.”
“I do feel different,” she said.
“Physically?” he asked as he secured his watch to his wrist.
“Yes, but…” She shook her head. “I know you… my soul… it knows you. I understand what you mean by us not breaking up.”
He sighed in relief and knelt in front of her again. “Oh, sweetheart, that’s all I care about. You recognize me as your mate, the rest will work itself out.”
“But I want to remember everything, Con. I want to remember the words and our first time making love.” She cupped his face. “I want to remember what I felt when you bound me.”
He grinned. “Ahh, so you’re also turning into a romantic, I see.”
“Don’t get too excited, buddy,” she retorted as she braided her hair.
“Come on. Everyone’s waiting downstairs. Fiona has been researching like crazy. There might be something in the book about why your memory has been affected.”
“What book?”
“Our family ancestral book. Generations have written down information about our clan over the years.”
Pepper secured her braid with a band, pulling it forward and letting it fall over her shoulder, and then stood slowly, gripping Connall’s arm for stability. He shifted so he could wrap his arm around her waist and anchor her to his side.
“Why am I so weak?” she asked in frustration. “I felt so good earlier and now I’m exhausted.”
“Your body’s been through a huge change, love. It’ll take a little time to come right.”
He helped her down the stairs and into the great room. Kade, Sam, Angus, and Fiona were pouring over the book and discussing potential answers, all in English. Pepper stalled and glanced up at Connall, fear and confusion written in her features.
“Íslenska allir.” Connall demanded everyone speak Icelandic and then led Pepper to one of the chairs. “Vilt þú að ég sitji hjá þér?” (Do you want me to sit with you?)
She nodded.
He sat in the chair and pulled her down onto his lap. She shifted so her bottom was more on the cushion, but she kept her legs over him.
“You look amazing,” Sam said, and kissed Pepper’s cheek. Pepper frowned in confusion and Sam shook her head. “Sorry. Þú lítur ótrúlega vel út.”
“En hárið á mér er svo dökkt.” (But my hair is so dark.)
“Yes, but it doesn’t matter, you’re gorgeous,” Sam continued in Icelandic.
“You’re a crazy liar,” Pepper said. “But I love you for it.”
Connall was very surprised by how fluent Pepper was. Sam was still having difficulty with the accent, although she understood everything perfectly.
“So what did you find out?” Connall asked in Icelandic.
“We found out Pepper is one of a kind,” Fiona said with a grin.
“I already knew that,” Connall said, and squeezed Pepper’s knee.
Pepper smiled. “What do you mean, Fi?”
“First of all, your memory will come back. Well, it should, anyway. According to the book, as soon as your body is completely healed, you’ll remember everything.”
Pepper sagged against Connall. “Are you sure?”
Fiona pointed to the book. “That’s what it says.”
“How long will it take?” Pepper asked.
“I was fine in a couple of days,” Sam said.
“Okay.” Pepper took Connall’s hand and he gave hers a gentle squeeze. “So how am I one of a kind?”
“You’re a firestarter,” Fiona said.
Connall gasped. “What? Are you sure?”
“Oh no.” Pepper panicked. “What does that mean?”
“It’s a good thing, sweetheart,” Connall rushed to assure her. “It’s just very, very rare.”
“It simply means you can start a fire with your mind,” Fiona explained, and handed the book to Pepper. “The biggest clue is the fact your hair has changed color. There are references to hair changes in the passages, but the reddening is an indication of your fire ability. Another clue is that you have no memory of the conversion and bonding. Only firestarters experience this.”
Pepper laid the book on her lap and read, glancing up at Connall. “Will you take that on? Sam said mates sometimes take on their abilities after they’re bound.”
Connall shook his head. “No. It’s not a gift passed on from one mate to another. This one is all yours; however, one of our children may inherit the ability.”
“You’re the first in almost a thousand years,” Kade said.
“Seriously?” she asked.
“It’s why you were able to block Connall,” Sam explained. “You had the ability to shut him out, because your gift trumps his empathetic gift.”
Pepper sighed. “I’m sorry, baby.”
“I know.” He kissed her temple.
Kade sent Connall a look of concern.
Connall held his hand up. “I know, Kade. We won’t tell anyone.”
“Why not?” Pepper asked.
Connall cocked his head. “If it got out that you had the ability to kill a person with a simple thought, it’s possible someone may want to exploit that.”
“I can do it with a thought? How?” Pepper read a little more. “What if I start a fire accidentally?”
“We’ll work on it,” Connall promised.
Pepper nodded, stifling a yawn.
“If there’s nothing else that’s pressing, I’m taking Pepper back to bed,” he said, and handed the book to Fiona. “Do you mind if we keep the book for a few days?”
“Not at all,” she said.
“Thanks.” Connall smiled. “How about we do dinner here tomorrow evening after the parson recognizes the union?
“Works for us,” Kade said. “We’re not going back to the city until Sunday.”
Angus nodded and Fiona smiled. “It works for us as well.”
“You and Angus are welcome to stay here, Fi,” Connall said.
She shook her head. “Thanks, but I think we’ll head back to the castle.”
“Sounds good.” Connall stood and lifted Pepper off the chair. He turned to Angus and said in English, “Thanks for being here Angus.”
Angus grinned. “I should really take language lessons.”
“Might be a good idea.” Connall chuckled. “Við munum sjá ykkur öll á morgun.” (We’ll see you tomorrow.)
He carried Pepper from the room and headed toward the stairs.
“Angus sagði nánast ekkert á meðan þau voru hér. Er í lagi með hann?” she asked. (Angus said virtually nothing while they were here. Is he okay?)
“Já. Hann talar ekki íslensku.” (Yeah. He doesn’t speak Icelandic.)
She frowned. “En ég hélt að við gætum talað sama tungumál þegar við værum bundin.” (But I thought we can talk the same language when we are bound.)
He shook his head. “Kona getur talað tungumál manns síns en það virkar ekki á hinn veginn. Svo er Angus skoskur en ekki íslenskur.” (The female is able to speak the language of the male, but not the other way around. And Angus is Scottish, not Icelandic.)
“Það virðist mjög óréttlátt.” (It seems very unfair.)
“Kannski bókin geti varpað einhverju ljósi.” (Maybe the book can shed some light.)
She nodded as she yawned and laid her head on his shoulder.
“Farðu að sofa Dairy Queen.” (Go to sleep Dairy Queen.)
“Ég held að mér lítist betur á Lady Loin Nautasteik.” (I think I like Lady Loin of Beef better.)
He chuckled and kissed her temple. She was asleep before he walked into the bedroom, so he settled her in bed and climbed in beside her. He ran his hands through her hair, marveling at the softness of it, but also wondering if it would return to normal.
His last coherent thought before succumbing to his exhaustion was how appropriate it was that his feisty mate was a firestarter.