“I won’t need anything.”
His claws pricked at his fingers. “Even so. Promise me you’ll call them. You shouldn’t walk on that leg.”
“Okay,” she whispered.
He jerked his chin and strode out of his quarters.
Chapter 12
The minute she spoke, Cassidy wanted to take the words back. But it was the truth, and Nic needed to hear it.
His chin jerked back as if she’d struck him, and then his face smoothed out. “I see,” he said in a cool tone that rasped against her skin. “I’ll leave you alone then. No more touching.”
And then he was gone.
Her hands balled into fists. She’d felt his hurt through the bond—and then worse, she’d felt him slam the connection shut. He’d been opening up to her, and the temptation to reciprocate was strong. But she’d changed in the last four years. She wasn’t so easy to win over.
Nic had denied the bond between them for too long. She might have come to him for help, but she hadn’t forgiven him.
But he was wrong about one thing. She wasn’t punishing him. She was protecting her heart.
She scooted down on the bed and curled herself around her daughter. Rianna murmured and snuggled closer, and Cassidy kissed the top of her head. “You’re safe, baby.” Because in the end, that was all that mattered.
She must have fallen asleep then, because when she opened her eyes, her internal clock told her it was around two a.m., but Nic still wasn’t back. And yet, she felt him somewhere nearby. Relief washed over her. She told herself that was only because they needed his protection.
Rianna had sprawled across the mattress so that Cassidy was hugging an edge. Now she whimpered in her sleep, her head moving restlessly against the sheets.
“It’s okay.” Cassidy scooped her back to the middle of the bed and drew her into the curve of her body. “Just a bad dream.”
Rianna’s eyes popped open, glowing gold in the dark. Her breath sobbed in. “I don’t want…the bad fae to get me.”
Cassidy’s heart constricted. “They won’t, alanna.”
“Are you sure?”
Light shimmered in the black pool. So that’s where Nic was. The surface rippled and he walked out of the pool. He shook himself off and padded across the stone floor. “What’s the matter?”
“She had a nightmare.”
“Come here, garotinha.” He gathered Rianna in his arms. Cassidy expected her to object, but she burrowed into him like he was her last hope.
“Please don’t let the bad fae get me, Mister Nic.”
His lip curled in a snarl, but no trace of anger leaked into his voice as he sat on the mattress with her. “I won’t, little one. You’re mine, and no one harms what’s mine. I’m a dragon, remember?”
She gave a tearful sniff and nodded against his chest. “Mam, too?”
“Yeah.” Nic’s eyes met Cassidy’s in the dark, his irises the same gold as his daughter’s. “She’s mine, too. No one’s going to hurt either one of you.”
Cassidy swallowed over the lump in her throat. She’d thought resisting Nic would be easy, but it wasn’t; he was doing all the right things, saying all the right words.
Then she remembered how she’d ached for him and hardened her heart.
“Promise?” asked Rianna.
“Promise.” Nic smoothed a big hand down her narrow back.
Cassidy leaned closer and kissed her tear-stained cheek. “It was just a bad dream.”
Rianna gave another hiccupping sob, and then put her thumb in her mouth and subsided, Nic rubbing her back. She twisted in his arms so she could see Cassidy.
“I’m thirsty.”
“Here.” She reached out her arms. “You probably need to go to the loo, too.”
“I’ll carry her,” Nic said. “You need to stay off that leg.”
Cassidy ran a hand over her calf. “It’s much better—I can barely feel the scab. And the damn itching is gone.”
“It’s no trouble.” Nic rose and carried Rianna to the loo, with Cassidy limping behind.
“I’d better take over,” she said. “She doesn’t know you.”
He went stiff. But if he didn’t know his own daughter, that was his fault, wasn’t it?
“Of course,” he said flatly and set Rianna down.
After the little girl finished, Cassidy gave her a cup of water and sent her back to Nic while she took care of her own needs. Back in the bedroom, she found Nic in the bed with Rianna cuddled up next to him.
“She insisted I sleep with you two.” He made a helpless grimace at Cassidy, but she could tell he was pleased.
“Please, Mam?” Rianna begged.
Cassidy massaged her forehead. But she was too tired to argue, and if having Nic nearby was what Rianna needed to feel safe, then Cassidy could deal with it.
“Fine. But she stays between us.”
“As you wish.” He gathered the little girl closer.
Cassidy burrowed under the covers and turned on her side, facing away from them. But even with Rianna between them, she felt Nic along her back, his lean, powerful body giving off heat and comfort.
She lay tense and unhappy. She was not going there.
His voice was a low vibration in the dark. “The leg’s better?”
“Yes.” She waited a beat and then reluctantly added, “Thank you.”
“I’d do anything for you, Cassidy. Just ask.”
“I don’t—”
“Hush,” he murmured. “You don’t have to answer. I just want you to know.”
Rianna yawned, and she heard him shift their daughter to the crook of his arm. He started singing in Portuguese, low and off-key.
In spite of herself, Cassidy’s lips quirked up. But something about that tuneless croon was soothing. It reminded her of her own dad, a fisherman and musician who was rarely without his fiddle. She’d often fallen asleep to his soft playing while her mam hummed along.
She felt a rush of longing for her parents. Sometimes it seemed like they’d died only yesterday, even though they’d been gone for close to two decades. She missed them both so much.
She turned over and placed an arm around Rianna. Nic moved his hand so that her hand lay on Rianna’s waist above his. Cassidy’s breath sighed out and she relaxed.
The next thing she knew it was morning, and Rianna was standing next to the bed shaking her shoulder. “Wake up, Mam! It’s time for breakfast.”
Cassidy opened an eye. The storm had passed, and sunlight streamed through slits in the cavern’s ceiling. Nic stood behind Rianna, dressed in a pair of loose cotton shorts, his chest bare and his hard jaw covered with black stubble.
Desire curled through her belly. She smiled sleepily up at him before she remembered how they’d left things last night, but he gave her an easy smile in return.
“Guess what, Mam?” Rianna hopped up and down. “Mister Nic helped me get dressed all by myself.”
Cassidy smothered a grin. “Did he now?”
Rianna’s hair had been pulled into a pigtail on the side of her head, and she wore a pink polka-dotted T-shirt and her favorite orange-and-blue striped leggings. The crowning touch was Joe’s felt horns. She looked like a tiny, demented jester.
“You look beautiful,” Cassidy said. “Very…colorful.”
“Thank you!” Rianna gave a happy bounce that set the pigtail waving wildly. “Mister Nic said not to wake you up, but I knew you’d want to see me.”
“Of course I would.” She held out her arms, and Rianna scrambled onto the bed to give her a sloppy kiss, while Nic looked on, a fond curve to his mouth.
Their eyes met over Rianna’s head. The hunger on his face made Cassidy’s breath catch.
He wanted them—both of them. She could see it in his eyes, feel it in the tension vibrating between them. The mate bond quivered—and this time, it was Cassidy who slammed it shut.
She moistened her lips and said the first thing that popped into her mind. “Thanks for getting her dressed.”
“You don’t have to thank me. I’m her—” He halted with a glance at Rianna.
Oblivious to the undercurrents, the little girl hopped to the floor. “Mister Nic’s going to take me to see the goats after breakfast!”
“That’s nice, baby.” Cassidy threw off the covers and sat on the edge of the futon. “Come here, Rianna. I have something to tell you.”
She tilted her head. “Is something wrong, Mam?”
“No. Nothing’s wrong.” Cassidy took her hands. “I just want you to know something. Something important.”
She took a deep breath. When she’d fled Ireland, things had seemed so simple—reach Nic, and save Rianna from the fae. She’d been too panic-stricken to think things through. But it felt wrong, hearing Rianna call her own father Mister—and she deserved to know the truth. Cassidy had never meant to raise her without a father.
“Mister Nic—he’s your daddy.”
Rianna’s brow creased. “A real daddy? Like Seamus’s daddy?” She named her best friend’s father.
Behind her, Nic had gone as still as a statue.
Cassidy looked at him over the top of their daughter’s head. “Yeah. A real daddy. Like Seamus has.”
Rianna pumped her fist. “All right!” Then she twisted to peer shyly up at Nic. “So I can call you Daddy?”
His strong throat worked. “You can.” He ruffled her ponytail. “I’d like that—very much.”
“Okay.” Rianna grabbed his hand and reached for Cassidy with her other hand. “Let’s go to breakfast, Mam and Daddy.”
“You go ahead,” Cassidy said. “I have to go to the loo.”
“We’ll wait,” Rianna decided.
And so Cassidy and Nic entered the dining hall with Rianna between them. The other three men were already assembled.
“Hey, men!” Rianna said. “Mister Nic is my daddy.”
They all grinned at her, even Joe.
“Good for you,” Marlin said from where he was presiding over a griddle balanced on metal stakes over the firepit.
The mouthwatering scent of sizzling batter filled the air. Cassidy’s stomach growled. Suddenly she was starving. “You have drop scones?”
“We call them pancakes,” Marlin said, “but yeah.”
“We even have butter,” Ben added, “thanks to the goats.”
Rianna gave Nic’s hand a tug. “Come on, Daddy. Let’s eat the pannacakes.”
The look Nic gave her could only be described as besotted. “Sounds good, garotinha.”
“What’s that mean?”
“Little girl.”
“’Cause I’m your little girl?”
“That’s right.”
Cassidy’s heart tugged as he let their daughter lead him to the plastic table. She hadn’t expected him to be a good father. Even when she’d been falling in love with him, she’d recognized that he was a hard, reserved man.
But Nic was gentle and attentive with Rianna, and their daughter was eating it up. Cassidy watched as he helped her onto the black lava stool and got her a plate of drop scones from Marlin. Nic even cut them into bite-size pieces for her as Cassidy took a seat across from them.
“Do you want some butter?” he asked.
Rianna dimpled up at him. “Yes, please.”
The goat’s milk butter was almost pure white. Rianna narrowed her eyes at it, but when Nic dribbled some honey over top of the hot buttered scones, she eagerly dug in.
“Yours will be right up,” Marlin said.
She nodded while Ben asked, “Do you drink coffee?”
“Yes, but you don’t have to wait on me.” She made to stand up, but he set a big hand on her shoulder.
“Sit. We don’t have guests—ever. Especially female ones. You don’t know how nice it is to have you and Rianna. Besides, you need to rest that leg.”
“All right.” She slanted him a smile as he filled a thick ceramic mug and set it in front of her. “And thank you.” At home, Cassidy drank tea, but she’d developed a fondness for the dark, bitter brew on her way across the States.
“Milk?” Ben asked.
“No, thanks.” She wrapped her hands around the warm mug and inhaled deeply. “This is perfect.”
He sat next to her. “I can see your leg is better. You’re barely limping.”
“Thanks to you and Nic.” She grimaced. “I can’t believe that feckin’ thing was in me for three weeks.”
“It’s in a spiny lobster now.”
“What?” Cassidy and Ben said at the same time.
Nic’s mouth took on a wicked curve. “I took it to the other side of the island and fed it to the poor bastard. He was hiding in the rocks about two hundred feet down. They’ll have a devil of a time retrieving it.”
Marlin snorted from where he was presiding over the firepit, and despite herself, she burst out laughing.
“Smart,” said Joe. “They’ll think Cassidy is hiding in the ocean.”
“It should buy us some time,” said Nic. “Meanwhile, we’ll set a trap for them.”
“A trap?” Cassidy’s fingers tightened on the mug. She should’ve guessed Nic would do something like this. They couldn’t hide on this island forever, and Nic wasn’t the type to wait for the fae to come to him. But he intended to take on four fae? “I thought you intended to take it out to sea.”
“I did, but this is better. Sooner or later they’ll find you. This way it will be on our territory—on our terms.”
The other men murmured agreement, but Nic’s eyes were on her. “It’s the only way, Cassidy. But”—he glanced at Rianna—“we’ll talk about it after breakfast.”
She forced herself to take a sip of coffee. “All right.”
“Here you are, love.” Marlin set a plate in front of her.
“Thank you.” She wasn’t so hungry anymore, but she knew she needed to eat.
The dreadlocked shifter squeezed her shoulder in silent sympathy and sat down on her other side.
Chapter 13
Nic watched with satisfaction as Cassidy and Rianna downed the pancakes. This much he could do: keep them safe and well-fed.
When he’d left the caverns last night, his heart had been heavy. He’d shifted to his dragon and disposed of the tracking device, then swum far out into the ocean, chest tight and his tail dragging.
His dragon didn’t understand the problem. She’s the mate, it hissed. Take her.
She has to choose us, Nic had shot back. According to tradição—the fada system of law—the female had the right to accept or reject the bond.
The dragon had snarled. She did. And you left her behind.
I fucked up. You think I don’t know that?
The dragon huffed, but subsided. Nic had appeased it by chasing a school of fish. If they couldn’t have sex, at least they could fill their bellies.
But the long, hard swim gave him time to think. By the time he returned, he’d known Cassidy was right. The problem was deeper than her forgiving him for leaving four years ago. He’d rejected the bond between them and he had no idea how to fix things.
He’d entered the caverns through his secret entrance, so many fathoms deep that only a marine animal could bear the pressure, and followed the tunnel through the center of the island to the pool in his quarters. There he’d sought out his treasure, a teak chest filled with precious jewels and coins salvaged from shipwrecks. Over the years, a fortune had been lost off the coast of California and Mexico.
If Nic wanted, he could live like a king, but things meant nothing to him. It was the beauty of the gold and jewels that his dragon’s soul craved. He’d curled his body around the chest and nudged it open, sifting a claw through the glittering contents—rubies, emeralds, diamonds…semi-precious stones…heavy Spanish doubloons.
But for once, he took no joy from his hoard. He was too aware of Cassidy and Rianna, sleeping in the room above him. For them, he’d trade the entire contents of the chest in a heartbeat.
He amused himself by selecting jewelr
y for them. For Cassidy, a delicate gold anklet. For Rianna, a showy tiara.
He let the jewelry drop. Someday, he would adorn them with his treasure, but right now he suspected Cassidy would merely sear him with a scornful look and ask if he was trying to buy her love.
Then Rianna had whimpered and he’d had an excuse to go to them both. Sleeping beside Cassidy without touching her was a special kind of torment, but he’d gritted his teeth and born it.
And then, this morning, she’d stunned him by telling Rianna to call him Daddy.
Joy had flooded him. She trusted him with Rianna, her most precious possession. That was huge, something he could build on.
Now he watched the pair of them, trying not to hover while they ate.
Cassidy finished her pancakes, and he picked up the platter in the center of the table and urged her to have some more.
She held up a hand, laughing. “I’m good, thanks. You’ll be making me fat.”
He shrugged and set down the platter. In his opinion, she could use a few pounds, but he wasn’t stupid enough to tell a woman that.
“I’m done!” Rianna hopped off her stool, leaving half her food untouched.
Nic frowned. “Did she eat enough?” he asked Cassidy.
Cassidy nodded. “She has a tiny stomach. That was a lot for her.”
Rianna raced to the cavern’s edge and stared into the ocean water surging in and out of the exit tunnel. The sun had come out, and a sliver of blue sky was visible at the tunnel’s other end.
Nic rose to his feet and strode after her. She was a good swimmer, but the tunnel had a dangerous current at times. A small pup like her could be sucked into the Pacific before they knew it.
“Don’t go into the water without an adult,” he told her. “The ocean is too strong for you.”
“Okay,” she replied with a sunny smile. She pointed at the gold kelp strands that the storm had pushed through the tunnel. “I see something pretty.”
His mouth quirked. The little girl was a dragon through and through, with their animal’s love of bright, shiny objects. “That’s kelp. It’s gold here in the islands. Lots of animals live in it—fish, shellfish, even otters.”
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