Andi
THE NEXT MORNING, Dalton and I met outside our rooms to walk to breakfast together.
“Are you nervous about today?” Dalton asked.
“Meeting what was believed to be the last living Oracle… who, in fact, was actually believed to be dead?” I shivered. “Not in the slightest,” I lied.
“Don’t be nervous,” he said. “I’ve got you.”
“He could kill you just by looking at you,” I pointed out.
“I’ll make sure he doesn’t look at me, then.”
“Smartass.”
“That’s Mr. Smartass to you, ma’am.”
I giggled and kissed him quickly. Just after breakfast, we gathered in the great room because Kaspar said he had invited the last living Oracle. The man of the hour arrived a few minutes after the dishes had been cleared away.
“Haddi Agnarsson,” the butler announced.
I heard Kade’s audible gasp and then a tall man walked in and both Kade and Kaspar bowed before him. I glanced at Dalton, then Jesska, both of whom also bowed, so I did what they did, totally out of my comfort-zone.
Haddi was tall and lanky, with salt and pepper hair, deep blue eyes and a kind look about him. He looked to be in his sixties, but Pierce Brosnan type good-looks… the kind that didn’t age.
“Kade,” Haddi said, pulling him in for a hug. “You have done well.”
“I can’t believe you’re here,” Kade said, a bit like a kid meeting his hero.
Haddi chuckled. “Some days, neither can I.”
I was frozen to the spot as he greeted Kaspar and Jesska, then turned his gaze to me. “Andrea.”
I gasped. “You know my name?”
“I know all of you.”
“All of us?”
He smiled. “I have ordered all the Oracles to awaken.”
“There are more?” I asked.
“Já.”
“I don’t understand,” I whispered.
He smiled and waved to the sofas. “Shall we sit and I will explain?”
I swallowed and searched for Dalton who was standing beside Kade. I needed him near me. Luckily, he seemed to read my mind and closed the distance between us.
“You’re okay,” he whispered, kissing my temple.
I gripped his hand like it was a lifeline and let him pull me onto the sofa beside me.
“We are no longer in danger,” Haddi began, and nodded to Kade. “Your father is controlled, yes?”
“Aye,” Kade confirmed. “I’d ask how you know he’s alive, but that would be a stupid question.”
Haddi chuckled. “Since your father is no longer a threat, and your mother never was, I felt it well past time to bring the Oracles together, so to speak.”
“For what purpose?” I asked.
“We are needed,” he said.
“We are?”
“Já. One of the reasons the Cauld Ane have been dealing with so much conflict over the centuries, is because they’ve not had the guidance of the Oracles. However, it was never safe for them, so they had to stay hidden… even to themselves. I have been available to the Kalt Einn, but now I need help. I can’t be in all places at all times.”
“But I’m a nobody,” I pointed out. “Just a divorced registered nurse who can’t figure out what I’m doing for dinner, let alone help guide someone else’s life.”
“That’s entirely untrue.”
I snorted. “Nope, it’s sadly accurate.”
“You were placed in a family of degenerates because it was your job to stop a monster. You did that.”
“Not soon enough.”
Haddi smiled. “Exactly soon enough, Andrea. Pepper had to go through that because it’s what her path called for.”
“Her path called for her to be attacked?” Dalton snapped.
Haddi raised his hand and shook his head. “I know you don’t understand. It’s not for you to understand, but if Pepper had not gone through what she did, and had you not been there to stop it, she wouldn’t have been able to see Connall.”
I felt Dalton stiffen and squeezed his knee. “You stopped Jet, honey.”
He relaxed, and I focused back on Haddi again. “So, you’re saying I was supposed to go through hell?”
“You were protected.”
“How exactly was I protected?” I snapped. “He attacked me as well.”
“Did he succeed?”
He didn’t… not really. Any time Jet had put his hands on me, it was for brief seconds before something or someone stopped him. I always chalked it up to coincidence, even divine interference; I just always believed the divine interference was God.
I shook my head. “He didn’t,” I conceded.
“You stopped him.”
“How?”
“Think.”
I frowned. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I won’t give this to you, Andrea. You must figure it out yourself. You will, just give it time.”
I took a deep, frustrated breath.
“I have something for you,” Haddi said, and pulled a charred piece of paper from his pocket. “Before I give this to you—”
“Ohmigod,” I rasped, interrupting him. “Where did you get that?”
“You tried to burn it. I work with ashes,” he said, and handed me the letter I’d thrown in the fire so many years ago.
I blinked at the list written on Gran’s paper in my hands. “No, this can’t be.”
“What is it?” Dalton asked.
I felt heat rush my face and glanced at Haddi who grinned. “Oh, stop,” I said, avoiding looking at Dalton.
“I haven’t said a word,” Haddi said, a goofy grin still on his face.
“Andi?” Dalton pressed.
“I’ll explain later,” I said, still unable to look at Dalton. Meeting Haddi’s eyes again, I asked, “What does this mean?”
“It means your soul mate is whoever you were thinking of when you wrote that.”
“Shut up,” I hissed. “How would you know that?”
“I didn’t have to know. You knew. But when you discarded it, it was put into my care until you were ready to believe.”
I bit my lip. My mind was on Dalton the entire time I was writing the stupid thing. “So, are you saying I sabotaged my own life?”
“In a sense,” Haddi confirmed. “You allowed insecurity to overtake you and you settled. If you’d waited, you would have had your soul mate sooner. You see, he was forced to take another path because you did.”
“I couldn’t possibly have had the power to change the destiny of Dalton’s life.” As soon as I said it, Dalton stiffened again.
“Excuse me?” he asked.
I groaned and dropped my face into my hands.
“Did you just say Andi and I are soul mates?” Dalton asked. I kept my face buried.
“Já,” Haddi confirmed.
“Well, whaddya know?” Dalton droned, sarcastically. “Can I see what you wrote?”
“No,” I said, and frowned at him.
“Why not?”
“Because.” Dalton chuckled, and I turned back to Haddi. “So where do I fall in all of this? Am I Cauld Ane… or Kalt Einn?”
Haddi shook his head. “You are… more.”
“More?”
“Já. You’re, in a word, both. You will live longer than either and you have powers they don’t.”
“I have powers? What kind of powers?” I raised an eyebrow. “Can I make Dalton bend to my will?”
“You don’t need special powers to do that, sugar,” he retorted.
Haddi chuckled. “The majority of your powers will manifest once you’re bound, but others will show when they are most needed. Your Oracle way is dreams, which I’m sure you’ve already figured out.”
I nodded.
“Has bonding been explained?”
I blushed again. “Dalton gave me a fly-by description.”
“As an Oracle, you will bind your mate.”
Jesska gasped. “Wait… I thought only the men could bind their women.”
“That’s true for Kaspar and Kade,” Haddi confirmed. “But Andrea is an Oracle. Not only will she bind her soul mate, she doesn’t have the restrictions you do.”
“Heat and Red Fang?” Dalton deduced.
Haddi nodded. “Já.”
“So will Dalton go through what Samantha did?” Kade asked. “The change.”
“Já,” Haddi confirmed.
Kade grinned. “This makes me happy.”
“What did she go through?” I asked.
Kade shook his head. “If Samantha wants to fill her brother in, she can.”
Dalton glared at Kade.
“Payback, brother,” Kade said.
“For what?” I demanded.
“I’ll fill you in later, sugar,” Dalton promised.
“I don’t know that I want to know.”
“So if Andi has powers, what’s her kryptonite?” Dalton asked. “Every super hero has to have one.”
I rolled my eyes. I was far from a super hero.
“We don’t succumb to the pitfalls of Cauld Ane or Kalt Einn. You can be affected by Red Fang… a bit like an allergy, but nothing as severe,” Haddi said. “And if you want to visit somewhere like Hawaii, you can.”
“Well, that sucks,” Jesska said. “I want to go to Hawaii.”
Kaspar chuckled. “Liar.”
“Well, I’d like the option to go to Hawaii if I wanted to.”
“Your mate won’t be able to, however,” Haddi warned. “Neither will your children.”
“So I won’t get Andi’s Oracle powers when she binds me?” Dalton asked.
“Rushing things a bit, don’t you think?” I warned.
Dalton grinned.
“No, you’ll not have her powers,” Haddi confirmed. “But you’ll probably have others.”
“Will we be able to communicate…?”
“Telepathically?” Haddi provided, and Dalton nodded. “Yes.”
“I’m sorry?” I squeaked. “You’ll be able to read my mind?”
“Yep,” Dalton said, and grinned.
“No. No way. I’m out.”
Dalton pulled me closer. “Too late now, sugar.”
Liberty and Skúli arrived, and Liberty squealed, “Frændi!” before throwing herself against Haddi.
The man pulled her on his lap and hugged her. “Halló litla,” he crooned.
“Are we riding, uncle?” she asked.
“Já, elskan. Of course we’re going to ride.”
She clapped her hands and jumped off his lap. “Now?”
“Libby,” Jesska said. “Let’s give Uncle Haddi time to relax, hm?”
She wrinkled her button nose. “Oh, sorry.”
“It’s okay, little one,” he assured.
“Let’s get you some lunch and then we’ll ride,” Jesska offered.
“Okay, Mama.”
Jesska led the kids out of the room and I settled myself against Dalton, taking the comfort his big body offered.
Once the kids had been fed, we headed out of the house and towards the only open lawn area. As we walked down to the stables, Jesska slowed me down, out of earshot of the group in from of us and looped her arm in mine.
“So, tell me what you saw,” she said.
I glanced at her. “I’m sorry?”
“When you arrived. When I hugged you.”
“What makes you think I saw something?”
“Because we can’t touch an Oracle without them knowing something. You might not see everything in a human’s life, but you will in the Kalt Einn’s. I know that much about the lore.”
I sighed. “You’re pregnant.”
“What?” she squeaked, and laid her hands over her belly. “Seriously?”
I nodded. “It’s very early.”
“It would have to be,” she confirmed. “I literally took a pregnancy test five weeks ago and it was negative. I got my period two weeks ago, so… oh… never mind.” Her cheeks pinkened.
I smiled. “I’m excited for you.”
“Me too.”
Dalton stopped ahead and turned to face us… waiting for me.
“I’m going to tell Kaz,” Jesska said. “If he’s the last to know, he’ll be annoyed.”
“Don’t blame him.”
Jesska rushed off and I took Dalton’s hand as we continued toward the stables. “Did you tell her?” he asked.
I nodded. “She asked me.”
“It’s weird how intuitive they are.”
I giggled. “Maybe a better word is disconcerting. But it’s nice to be among people who find it impossible to lie to one another.”
“There is that,” Dalton agreed. “You okay?”
I shrugged. “Not sure yet. I kind of want to just forget I’m “special” and be just Andi for another day.”
“Process time. Got it.”
“Thanks, honey.”
“Anytime, baby.”
He didn’t ask me anymore questions and I appreciated the time alone with my thoughts.
* * *
Dalton
Liberty pulled Andi over to the stall that held her pony, so I took the distraction time to pull Kaspar aside.
“Let me guess,” Kaspar said. “You want to know about the change.”
I nodded. “Level with me. On a scale from: shit, I didn’t wear flip flops in the gym shower and now have an uncomfortable rash, to the transformation of the Wolfman, how bad is it?”
“Were you Claude Rains or Lon Cheney, Jr. fan?”
“I was always partial to American Werewolf in London,” I admitted.
“Já,” Kaspar said. “It’s like that.”
“Shit,” I whispered.
“But you’re in good shape.” Kaspar clapped me on the back. “You’ll do fine.”
I rubbed my forehead. “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”
Kaspar grinned. “So very, very much.”
I couldn’t help but smile. Kaspar and I were tight, but we’d had a rough beginning. In the end, we’d worked things out and formed a friendship that didn’t really work on paper, but it worked well in real life.
“You okay?” Andi asked as she joined me again, wrapping her arms around my waist.
“I’m good, sugar.” I smiled pulling her close. “You gonna ride?”
“Hell, no. Scared to death of horses.”
“Why are you scared of horses?”
“Do I need a reason?” she challenged. “They’re huge and could throw me off, then trample me.”
“Fair enough.”
Instead of riding, Andi and I walked the surprisingly large garden. For a home built into the side of a mountain, there was a generous amount of open space.
* * *
Andi
I was pulled out of a confusing dream by strong arms wrapping around my waist. “Dalt?”
“No. It’s your other man.”
I giggled and turned to face him. “What are you doing in here?”
“Bloodcurdling screams tend to make me come running.”
I wrinkled my nose. “It was bad, huh?”
“Yeah, sugar.”
“Did I wake the house?”
He chuckled. “We’re on the opposite side of the mountain, so, no.”
I sighed. “I’m sorry, honey.”
Dalton pulled me onto his chest. “Don’t be sorry, baby. I’m not complainin’.”
“You gonna sleep with me every night now?”
“Hell, yeah I am.”
I grinned up at him. “Works for me.”
“I’m your soul mate… of course it does.”
“You’re so sure about that, huh?”
“Not a doubt in my mind.” He kissed me gently. “I get that you need a little more time, Andi, and I’ll give it to you, but when you figure it out, you owe me.”
“Oh, really?”
“Oh, yeah.”
“What do I owe you?”
“Don’t know yet. But I plan to figure it out.”
“And when exactly will you inform me of this debt?”
“When I figure it out,” he retorted.
I snuggled closer. “You’re ridiculous.”
“I’m right.”
“Yeah, you probably are,” I admitted.
“When do I get to read the letter?”
I sighed. “It’s not a letter. It’s more of a list.”
“Oh, really?” He shifted and stretched out on his side. “What was on this list?”
I rolled and snagged the paper out of the nightstand drawer, handing it to Dalton. He grinned and flattened it with his free hand. “You really tried to burn this?”
“I did. I felt like it was a pipe dream.”
He grinned. “I was your pipe dream.”
“Don’t let it go to your head.”
“I wish you’d talked to me back then,” he said.
“Me too,” I admitted. “I could have avoided Jeremy all together.”
He stroked my cheek. “I don’t mean to make you feel bad, sugar.”
I blinked back tears. “I know. I just wish I’d listened to myself and not people like Erin.”
“Don’t cry, baby.” He leaned forward and kissed me gently. “We’re making it right now.”
“It’s just so much wasted time.”
“No, it’s not.”
“You don’t think?”
He shook his head. “I needed time to get my head outta my ass.”
“And it’s out now?” I challenged.
“You tell me.”
I grinned. “Close.”
“Nice,” he retorted, and went back to the list. “Dark hair, check. Blue eyes, check. No cheesy used car salesman… um, that’s a problem.”
“Used cars, honey.” I giggled. “You sell high class models, so you’re good.”
“Well, that’s a relief.”
“Plus, the dealerships were used as cover, right?”
Dalton nodded. “Yeah, but I got them as part of my separation from the FBI.”
“How does that work?”
“Very carefully.”
I grinned. “I bet.”
“You gonna marry me?”
“Before or after I bind you?”
“Whichever comes first.”
I laughed. “You don’t want to get to know me a little more?”
“I know you enough, Andi. And something I definitely know about bonding is that you are connected on a deep level forever, so I’m not worried about any of this being too fast.”
“Have you talked to Samantha about what happens?”
“I don’t have to.” He scrubbed a hand down his face. “Kaspar told me.”
“And?”
“You don’t want to know.”
I sat up slightly. “It’s that bad?”
“It’s pretty bad, sugar.”
I flopped back down. “Forget it, then.”
“Don’t you think that’s my decision?” he challenged.
“It’s our decision, really.”
“Which means we each get to weigh in here.”
“I guess.”
He reached over and slid my hair behind my shoulder. “You’re not going to make us wait because you’re afraid of hurting me, are you?”
“No?”
“I can take it.”
“I don’t want you to have to take it, though.”
“But it’s something that has to happen… and the pain’s temporary.”
I sighed. “How temporary?”
“A few hours.”
“That’s a long time.”
“Are you going to give birth?” he asked.
“Hopefully.”
“Are you going to go through pain during childbirth?”
“Only until they shove that epidural needle into my back.”
Dalton chuckled. “Fair enough.”
I squeezed his hand. “Are you sure you want to do this?”
“More than sure, Andi. I love you.”
I blinked back tears. “I love you too.”
“Okay, so no more discussion. We do what we need to do and then you can nurse me while I’m writhing in agony.”
I smacked his chest. “I will burn this idea down to the ground if you writhe in agony. You’ll stay strong for your woman.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Thank you.”
“My pleasure,” he retorted. “For now, I think we should get out of this bed, or I’m gonna get you naked and you’ll have to bind me here and now.”
I giggled. “I should probably learn what I need to do first, huh? Otherwise, you could turn into a frog.”
“I’d still be a really sexy frog.”
“I’m not letting a frog lick me… even if it’s you.”
“Don’t knock it ’til you try it.” He waggled his eyebrows. “Frogs’ tongues are long.”
“Gross.” I groaned and rolled out of bed.
“I could turn into a toad and you’ll get high if you lick me.”
“Ohmigod, cease and desist with the sexy amphibian talk,” I ordered, and walked into the bathroom.
“Speaking of sexy amphibian time… have you ever thought about how Kermit and Miss Piggy—”
“Silencio!” I called out.
I heard him laugh and forced back my own as I brushed my teeth.