“NO WAY, DALT,” Samantha admonished. “That’s an illegal move if I ever saw one!”
“How do you figure?” Dalton asked, innocence personified.
“Um, hello, we’re playing chess, not checkers.”
Dalton chuckled. “I said, ‘king me.’”
“Dork,” Pepper retorted. “I don’t know why you even bother, Sam. He’s been like that since birth.”
“How would you know?” Dalton asked. “You haven’t known me since birth.”
“Well, I figure it has to have been since then, because I know your parents, and your issues can’t possibly be related to nurture, so they must be because of nature.”
Payton observed the exchange between the lifelong friends and smiled. Watching them interact was better than watching a sitcom. They were all quick-witted and enjoyed taking the piss out of each other.
She glanced at her phone… again. Probably for the sixth time in the last five minutes. Not that she expected to hear anything from Brodie. The prison didn’t have what you could call ‘reliable’ cell service. She couldn’t wait for them to be bound so they could talk telepathically. The waiting was killing her.
“They’re gonna be fine,” Cole said, setting a cup of tea on the coffee table in front of her.
“Thank you.” Payton forced a smile. “I hope you’re right.”
Cole gave her an adorable sideways smile. “I’m always right.”
Payton picked up her cup and sipped her tea. “Men of all races seem to use that line, eh?”
He chuckled and sat next to her on the sofa. “I found an assortment of cookies in Kade’s pantry, but nothin’ with nuts. Is it all nuts you’re allergic to?”
Payton shook her head. “No, it’s just almonds, but Kade stays away from everything nut-related in general.”
Pepper giggled. “If you keep talking about ‘nuts,’ I may pee.”
“That’s because you have the mind of a thirteen-year-old boy,” Samantha retorted without missing a beat.
Pepper sighed. “It’s true.”
“How long have you and Brodie been dating?” Cole asked, focusing back on Payton.
Payton smiled. “That’s complicated. We’ve had a bit of an on-again, off-again thing going for a very long time. But we got engaged a few days ago.”
“I did hear about that. Congratulations.”
“Thanks.” She fingered her engagement ring. “What about you? Anyone special in your life?”
He shook his head, glancing at Sam and then back at Payton. “No. I haven’t had time to meet anyone, really.”
Cole had fallen for Samantha before she’d met Kade, but once she caught sight of Kade, Cole never had a chance.
“I suppose that’s one of the downsides of your job, eh?” Payton said.
“True.” Cole smiled. “I can’t meet some beautiful girl and admit I’m an ex-FBI agent heading a security company for an immortal race of people. Either turns them off completely or gives me attention I’m not really interested in.”
“Fan girls?”
Cole rolled his eyes. “Like you have never seen. I liken them to women who troll for prisoners. They like the danger, I guess.”
Payton raised an eyebrow. “Yes, your job is so dangerous right now.”
He raised his hands in surrender. “I didn’t say it didn’t have its perks as well.”
She giggled. “I suppose that’s true.”
“Excuse me.” Cole laid a hand over his ear and glanced at Dalton. “We got a visitor, Dalt.”
“Probably the pizza,” Dalton said.
The men stood and headed toward the front of the flat, guns drawn, but down by their sides. The doorbell pealed and Dalton nodded for Cole to open the door. Gunter stood holding three large pizzas, having obviously paid the delivery boy downstairs. Cole retrieved the pizzas, and Dalton closed and locked the door securely.
“Grub’s here,” Dalton said, and headed for the kitchen. “Who wants pizza?”
“Me,” Sam and Pepper chimed in.
“Payton?” Cole asked as he walked past her.
“No thanks. I’m good.”
“Payton’s a pizza snob,” Sam said.
Payton giggled and sipped her tea. “I’m quite happy to make something much more appetizing later. Right now, I’m enjoying my tea. You go ahead and eat that disgusting excuse for food. Don’t mind me.”
“Whatever do you mean?” Dalton said in mock horror. “Pizza’s the perfect food! You have your grains, your meat, your dairy, and your veggies all in one meal. It follows the food pyramid to the letter.”
Sam accepted a plate with two large pieces of combination from Dalton and sat down at the table. “You’d think after working at Domino’s the summer of senior year, he’d be sick of pizza, but he could still eat it daily.”
“Pepper worked there too,” Dalton said. “Why aren’t you busting her chops?”
“Because I like her better.”
Pepper nodded. “Remember when Jerry brought in that lobster tail. Now that was a pizza.” She turned to Payton. “We used to do ‘exotic pizza Fridays,’ and we’d all come up with new types of pizzas. I tried to combine anchovies and bacon, and it didn’t go well.”
“Gross.” Samantha shuddered. “Anchovies on anything is disgusting.”
“Don’t knock it till you try it, sis,” Dalton said.
“I don’t trust people who don’t eat pizza,” Pepper retorted.
“Or those who don’t drink coffee or wine,” Dalton added.
“Oh, yeah. Wine,” Sam said. “People who don’t drink wine are absolutely not to be trusted.”
Samantha took a bite of pizza, grinning as she chased it down with some water, and then her body went rigid and she fell out of her chair.
“Damn it!” Dalton snapped. “What the fuck?”
Payton reacted with lightning speed, knocking Pepper’s hand away from her plate, not sure if she’d touched the food, and dragging her to the kitchen, sliding her hands under the tap. “Wash.”
Pepper nodded and Payton went to Samantha’s side. Dalton had her head cradled in his lap. “Tell me what the hell is going on?”
Payton didn’t answer as she grabbed the syringe of antidote from her purse and drove it into Samantha’s thigh. “Roll her onto her side, Dalton.”
Dalton did as Payton instructed and Sam let out a guttural scream of pain, vomiting whatever was in her stomach.
“Shhh,” Payton whispered. “Let it out. Kade will help in a second, I’m sure.”
“What the hell is going on?” Dalton demanded.
“Someone laced the pizza with Red Fang,” Payton explained as she rubbed Samantha’s back. “I can only assume Pepper didn’t touch it, or she’d be on the floor as well.”
* * *
Brodie watched in horror as Kade’s face went ashen. “Kade?”
Kade held a hand up. “Sam’s in trouble.” He closed his eyes, forcing himself to take slow, deep breaths. “Get me out of here.”
That was easier said than done, as it would take several minutes to go through the exit protocol.
“Let me find out what’s going on,” Connall said, and closed his eyes as well and then scowled.
Brodie noticed Alice’s expression then. Too much Cheshire for his liking. Kade must have noticed it as well, since he bellowed, “What the fuck did you do, Alice?”
“You have my demands, Kade. All of this could have been avoided, you know.” She crossed her arms. “Was it so hard to give your mother one thing, Kade? One. I just wanted to live the life your father promised.”
“You’re a real minge, Alice,” Brodie snapped, and she hissed in disgust.
“You were always a disgusting little boy… looks like you haven’t changed.”
“Samantha’s okay,” Connall said. “All of them are fine.”
“Is Payton all right?” Brodie asked, his cell phone rendered useless inside the concrete building.
Connall nodded. “Payton’s fine. They’re all fine.”
Kade scowled. “I just want to get the hell out of here so I can see for myself.”
“Damn it,” Alice snapped. “If Anita had done what she was supposed to, we would have been one step closer.”
“Is Anita the one you set after Payton?” Brodie asked. “You didn’t expect that Payton could take care of herself, did you?”
“I will never tell you that. Demon spawn,” she spat.
In an effort not to murder her with his bare hands, Brodie took a deep breath.
“Who’s helping you, Alice?” Kade demanded.
“I will never tell you. But they’ll keep coming, even long after I’m gone.” Alice crossed her arms and raised her nose in the air.
Kade focused on his mother. “I am truly sorry if my father lied to you, Alice, and I’m sorry if your life didn’t work out the way you planned it. But we are your children! We had no control over the fate of your life. After Father died, you believed that you could manipulate me into becoming the man who would do your bidding. You attacked my mate, Alice! And she tried to defend you. I’m done. I’m not hashing this out any further.” He turned to the warden. “Find out everything about Anita and anything she might know about all of this.”
“Já, herra,” Björn said.
“When you do, take care of the rest as we discussed. No more waiting on the Council’s decision.”
Kade closed his eyes briefly and then glanced at his brothers. “Við getum farið núna. Engin miskunn, engar umræður. Þetta er búið og gert. Fyrir þau öll. Við finnum Jet og sjáum um hann, og höldum áfram, ég verð ekki svo væginn.” (We can go now. No more mercy, no more discussion. It is done. For all of them. We’ll find Jet and take care of him, and moving forward, I will not be so lenient.)
Brodie shared a surprised look with Connall and then they followed Kade from the prison. Kade rarely spoke Icelandic unless he was conversing with the Council or working in an official capacity as the king. It would appear Kade was much more “king” at present, and quite a bit less “brother.”
Once they took the necessary precautions to exit the building, they rushed outside. As they approached the car, Connall pressed against his abdomen. “Shite. Pepper’s sick. Give me a sec.”
As Connall took a few minutes to assist Pepper, and in doing so, ease his own discomfort, Brodie saw a light in the upper right window of the prison flicker and then go out. He sighed. The heat would begin to be pumped in, and Red Fang administered through the vents. Enough to keep them weak until deportation. They were as good as dead. They would be delivered to the tropical weather of Pohnpei, where it was guaranteed the rest of their lives would be shortened considerably.
* * *
The group arrived back at the flat to find Pepper feeling much better, having showered and changed into something more comfortable. Samantha had done an extensive exam and ensured that both Pepper and the baby were fine. Samantha was also fine, although her muscles still ached from the antidote… a common side effect.
Connall insisted on some alone time with Pepper and took her back to the bedroom they were staying in at Kade’s flat.
Brodie used Connall and Pepper’s departure to say their goodnights and take Payton back to their borrowed apartment across the hall. Once inside, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her temple. “I’m so glad you hate pizza.”
Payton sighed. “I know, right? You can’t tease me ever again because of it.”
“Deal.” He slid his phone from his pocket and checked the time.
“Do you need to be somewhere?”
He nodded. “There’s someone I want to introduce you to. I’d hoped it would be this evening, but we might need to postpone.”
“Who?” Payton asked.
“Heather.”
“Like hell.” Payton scowled and shoved him away. “You can’t be serious.”
“Payton, you don’t understand the situation.”
“Oh, I understand it just fine, Brodie Ingimar Gunnach,” she snapped. “I stupidly thought you might have stopped your relationship with her. I should have known! No, Brodie, I’ll not meet your whore.”
“Haud yer wheesht!” Brodie hissed.
Payton jumped, unused to his anger being directed toward her.
“You don’t know anything about her.” He took a deep breath. “Which is why I’d like you to meet her.”
“For what purpose?” She forced back tears. “So you can show me what you intend to give up?”
“Payton.” He grabbed her hands and shook his head. Payton was unprepared for the vision that assaulted her and then blackness.
She swam through the dark, forcing herself to follow the sound of Brodie’s voice. She didn’t know where she was or how long she’d been there, although, the memory of her vision began to come back to her.
Strong arms held her tightly and then she was settled onto something soft. “Payton, love. Wake up.”
She blinked and Brodie came into focus.
“Hey,” he said. “I’m going to get Kade, okay?”
She shook her head and burst into tears.
“Baby, what’s wrong?” he asked, gathering her close again.
She couldn’t speak, her emotions far too raw.
“Pay. Love, you’re scaring me.”
“Heather,” she sobbed.
Brodie stiffened. “What about her?”
“She’s your sister?”
“Aye.” His body seemed to deflate and then she was being kissed in desperation.
“Brodie.” She broke the kiss and gripped his face. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because I’m an idiot. But I wanted to change that.” He kissed her palm, pulling her hands from his face. “I wanted the two of you to meet tonight. I should have told you when I first found out about her, love. I’m sorry about that.”
His phone pealed in the quiet of the room and he shook his head as he took the call. “Hi, Kade.”
Within seconds, Payton’s phone rang as well. Her brother’s name popped up on the screen. “Hi, Angus.”
“You okay?” her brother asked.
“Yes. I just had a particularly intense vision.”
Payton glanced at Brodie and grimaced. He was arguing with his brother, trying to keep Kade from checking on her. He must have felt Brodie’s fear and, knowing Kade, once he found out Payton was ill, would want to make sure she was all right.
“Hey, is Fi with you?” Payton asked her brother and then added, “Oh, sorry, dumb question. I mean, is she there right next to you on the sofa.”
“Aye,” Angus said, exasperated. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Fine,” Payton insisted. “Honestly.”
“All right. Here’s Fi.”
“Hi, Payton,” Fiona said.
“Hi, Fi. Do you have the Book with you?”
The Book was the elders of the Cauld Ane’s ancestral record that had information from generations before them, dating back over a thousand years. Many of the records had been lost years before, and they were learning more about the royal family and their own race than they could have imagined.
“I do,” Fiona said. “What do you need?”
“Don’t tell Angus anything.”
“I can’t promise that,” Fiona said. “He can read my mind now, Pay.”
“Oh, right. Okay. Well, make sure he doesn’t freak out then.”
Fiona sighed. “Payton, are you sure you’re okay?”
“Yes. I am. I just blacked out from this vision, and I don’t know if that’s normal.”
“When has blacking out ever been ‘normal’?”
“She blacked out?” She heard her brother bellow in the background.
Payton rolled her eyes. “Will you just look in the book, please?”
“Give me a second to calm Angus down and do a little research. I’ll ring you back, okay?”
“Sure. Thanks.”
Payton hung up and focused on Brodie. He stood next to the bed, arms crossed and watching her intently. “Should I get Kade?” he asked.
“I don’t think so. Fiona’s going to check the book and call me back.”
He shook his head. “I don’t like this, Payton. You look pale. I should get my brother.”
She felt an intense urge of rage rise up inside. “Then get Kade,” she snapped in frustration, her head pounding suddenly. “I never have any control over anything when you’re around. Just go and do whatever the hell you want.”
Brodie raised his hands in surrender. “Whoa, where’s that coming from?”
“You just have to push everything to the limit,” she accused, grabbing her head and trying to ward off the pain. “I told you I don’t need Kade. I don’t know why you never believe anything I say. I know my own bod—”
* * *
Brodie watched in horror as Payton’s face went an unhealthy shade of white. He managed to catch her as she passed out again, but his heart was in his throat as he carried her out of the apartment and down the hall. Her skin was like ice.
Kade pulled his door open before Brodie could knock and stepped aside. “What’s happened?”
“I don’t know.” Brodie laid Payton on the sofa. “She’s freezing.”
Samantha hovered, concern written across her face. Connall and Pepper came rushing into the room as Kade closed the door.
“What’s wrong?” Pepper asked.
“Not sure,” Brodie said.
“I’ll get your bag, honey,” Sam said to Kade and left the room.
Kade located a blanket and Brodie removed Payton’s glasses before wrapping the blanket around her, his fear escalating as she began to tremble. “Kade, what the fuck? We don’t get cold enough to shiver!”
Sam returned with Kade’s medical bag and gently pushed Brodie away from Payton so Kade could examine her. He checked her heart and then her temperature, frowning as he read the results. He stood and rushed to the kitchen. “She’s at thirty degrees.”
Sam gasped. “That’s eighty-six degrees. She’ll go into shock if we can’t raise that.”
“We need to get her warm,” Kade said.
Brodie swore. “How?” He couldn’t think straight.
Sam laid her hand on his arm. “Why don’t you start a bath? Use our bathroom.”
He shook his head. “I can’t leave her.”
“Okay, I’ll start the bath. Until then, she needs body heat.” Sam snapped her fingers. “Brodie! I know you’re scared, but listen to me. Shirts off. Both of you. Chest to chest, yes?”
Brodie gave a quick nod. “Aye. Chest to chest.”
“Don’t worry about her modesty,” Sam called as she walked down the hall. “She’ll forgive you.”
“I’ll help,” Pepper said, and followed Sam. Connall hovered briefly, but then followed his mate.
Brodie rushed into action, stripping his shirt off as he sat next to Payton on the sofa. Unbuttoning her top, he pulled it off, picked her up, and lay down on the couch, settling her firmly against his chest and wrapping the blanket tight across her back. Kade returned to the room with a hot water bottle, which he placed on the blanket.
“Is this warm enough?” Brodie asked.
“We still have to keep the temperature below our threshold, Brodie. But it’s warm enough to help.”
Brodie held Payton tightly, pressing the hot water bottle in place. He vaguely registered the sound of pounding on Kade’s door and then Fiona flew into the room with a frantic Angus following.
“What the hell happened?” Angus demanded as he headed toward Payton. “And why the devil is no one picking up their damn cell phones?”
“Payton’s had a drop in temperature,” Kade explained as calmly as possible. “We’re trying to get it back to normal.”
Fiona stepped around Angus, sat on the floor in front of the coffee table, and laid the family ancestry book out flat. Frantically turning pages, she smoothed her hand over one and began to read the ancient script.
Angus laid his hand on Payton’s forehead and swore. “Give me a light,” he demanded. Kade handed him his pen light. Angus pried her eyes open and flicked the light over them. “Her pupils are dilated.”
“Aye,” Kade said.
“What does that mean?” Brodie asked.
“We don’t know just yet, Brod,” Kade said gently.
“Bath’s ready,” Sam said, her eyes widening as she returned to the living room. “Hi guys. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised you’re here, huh?”
“Hi, Sam. Hi Pepper. Where’s Con?” Fiona asked.
“In our room. He’s trying to give Payton some privacy,” Pepper explained.
Fiona nodded and went back to her reading.
Payton whimpered.
“Payton,” Brodie whispered. “Wake up, love.”
“My head hurts,” she rasped.
“Bring her into the bedroom,” Sam said.
“Sam? Pepper?” Payton’s speech was slurred. “Why you here?”
“Baby, we’re at Kade’s. Angus and Fi are here as well,” Brodie explained as he stood with her in his arms and followed Sam down the hall.
“Where’s my shirt?” Payton asked.
Before Brodie could answer, her head fell back and she was out again.
“Damn it.” Brodie set her on Kade’s bed, careful to keep the blanket over her chest for modesty.
“I’ll remove the rest of her clothes and then you can carry her to the tub, okay?” Sam said.
“Leave her underwear on,” he demanded.
“Brodie.” Sam sighed. “You do realize I’m a doctor, right?”
“Please, Sam. I know her. She’ll be more inclined to cooperate if she’s not worried about being naked.”
Sam gave a reluctant nod and Brodie turned his back. As difficult as it was not to take care of her clothing himself, he wanted to honor his mate, even if it was extenuating circumstances, and even if they didn’t have much time before their binding.
“Ready,” Sam said.
Brodie lifted Payton’s unresponsive body and carried her into the bathroom, settling her gently into the tub and then turning away.
“She’s already warming up, Brodie,” Sam said. He heard a quiet beep and then Sam set the thermometer on the counter. “Ninety-three degrees. Three more and she’ll be at our normal.”
Brodie squeezed his eyes shut in an effort to stay calm. Three degrees was still significant. If they couldn’t get her body temperature back up, hypothermia would set in.
Payton groaned and Brodie faced her, only to hear her quiet squeak. “Turn around, Brodie Gunnach,” she demanded.
He did as she asked, but wasn’t happy about it.
“How do you feel?” Sam asked.
“Better,” Payton said.
“How’s your head?” Brodie asked. “Are you still mad?”
“My head’s better, and no, I’m not still mad. That was really strange. I’m sorry I snapped.”
“It’s all right, love.” He heard the water slosh behind him.
“Brodie, can I please have some privacy?” Payton asked.
“Of course.” He hated talking to the wall. “As soon as I know you’re not going to pass out again.”
“Sam can stay,” Payton said.
“I’ll call you if we need you,” Sam said. “She looks much better, if that helps.”
It didn’t really, but he stepped out of the room anyway, staying close to the door.