The Heart of a Hero

by Janet Chapman

  “You roll over and crush me in your sleep,” she muttered as they started down the hallway together, “and you’re going to get that other eye blackened.”

  * * *

  Nicholas woke up to find Julia cuddled up against his side, her riot of hair—that he’d managed to set free once she’d fallen asleep—draped over his arm and chest, her pliant body warm and inviting, and her feminine scent stirring his senses as he remembered anticipating this moment. The only problem was he hadn’t planned on being half dead when it finally happened.

  And he sure as Hades hadn’t planned on Julia’s ever seeing him covered in more blood than clothes, much less having her witness the full force of his dark side. He was still amazed she hadn’t run screaming in terror the moment she’d spotted him in the cave holding a dead man. But not only had she stayed calm, she’d agreed to nurse him back to health. And instead of panicking to find herself trapped in his house, even after he’d brutally tried to send her away, she’d come to bed with him and fallen asleep as if she hadn’t just learned there was more to Nova Mare and the Oceanuses—and him—than met the eye.

  He wasn’t surprised Mac had locked Julia in the house, considering all she’d witnessed last night. The true question, however, was how the wizard intended to proceed with her from here. Because the one thing Nicholas did know was that they couldn’t have modern mortals running around knowing their secrets.

  He felt Julia’s breath suddenly hitch. “Good morning,” he said quietly. “Did you sleep well?”

  Keeping her head down, she tentatively tried sliding away from him. “Uh-huh,” she murmured when she didn’t make it very far. “A-and you?”

  Undecided if she was embarrassed to find herself waking up plastered against a mostly naked man or if her voice was merely husky with sleep, Nicholas predicted some long stretches of silence in the upcoming days. He suddenly remembered he needed to respond when she tried sliding away and failed again—apparently unwilling to hurt him by struggling free. “I slept like a well-fed cat curled up in a sunbeam.” He actually felt a grin trying to form when she put a bit more effort into her bid for freedom before she went limp with another sigh of defeat. “We need to talk, Julia.”

  “O-okay,” she said, drawing out the word as she gently patted his chest above the bandage around his ribs. “We’ll talk right after I have a cup of coffee,” she said, once more attempting to leave only to still again. “Please tell me you have coffee.”

  “Tea.”

  “What about wine?” she growled. “Because no offense, but the last time a man said ‘we need to talk,’ I found myself divorced, living at home with a drunken father, and paying back a small mountain of credit card debt.”

  He smoothed her curls off his chin, then cupped her head against him. “I find myself concerned that you haven’t mentioned all that you witnessed last night.” He held her still when she tried to look at him. “Why aren’t you asking a thousand questions?”

  “Because I really don’t want to know the answers,” she said, a hint of fear in her voice—or maybe that was barely restrained anger?

  “You have to be curious.”

  She snorted against his chest. “Not if curiosity is what killed the cat.”

  “You have to at least be wondering what happens . . . now.”

  She scrambled back so quickly that she landed on the floor, then crab-crawled away when he lunged onto his side and tried to snag her arm. “Don’t run,” he growled, collapsing with a curse at the screaming pain that spiked through him.

  “If your windows are bulletproof glass,” she growled right back at him from the far wall, “then I’m taking an ax to the door.” He remained motionless facedown on the bed as he heard her get to her feet. “Do you hear me?” she continued, her voice moving toward the hallway. “Nothing’s happening now, because I just got a bad case of amnesia about what happened last night. Nicholas?” He heard her mutter an actual curse of her own, her hesitant footsteps moving closer. “So the only thing happening now is that I’m breaking out of this house and stealing your truck and driving as fast and as far away from here as I can get.” He heard her creep closer. “And I swear, if your guards try to stop me, I’ll run them over without even honking the horn. You got that—”

  He captured her hand on its way to giving him a nudge and, ignoring the pain spiking through him as well as her yelp of surprise, rolled onto his back while using his other hand to make sure she landed on the mattress instead of on him. He then rolled half on top of her, pinning her hands beside her head and pressing a leg over hers. “I’m tempted to invite you to our next war games,” he said with a pain-laced chuckle, using his stubble-roughened jaw to move her tangle of hair off her face. He turned serious. “Mac won’t do anything worrisome to you, Julia. And even if he wanted to, he’d have to go through me first.”

  “Um, no offense,” she said, the apprehension in her eyes reaching her voice, “but even if you weren’t a battered mess, I . . . I’m pretty sure Mac and his father get the final word.”

  “Oh, I believe I have some sway with the Oceanuses,” he drawled. “And besides, Providence forbids them from harming an innocent. Ask me anything and I will answer you honestly.”

  She shook her head. “I really don’t want to know anything. Honestly.”

  “Too late,” he said with a heavy sigh, followed by a stifled hiss as he rolled onto his back—keeping a firm grasp on her hand so she couldn’t slip away. “Like Pandora’s box, you can’t undo last night. So ask me something.”

  “Um, if I promise not to take an ax to your house, will you let me go make a cup of . . . tea?”

  He sighed again and opened his fingers, releasing her. “Are you still going to be this stubborn when you’re ninety?”

  She immediately jumped off the bed—carefully, he noticed, so as not to jostle him—then turned with a glare only to suddenly spin away with a gasp, although not quickly enough for him to miss the sudden flush in her cheeks.

  Nicholas pulled the blanket over his waist.

  “I probably won’t live to be ninety,” she muttered, walking out of the room with all the dignity of a scandalized virgin.

  He looked up at the rafters with another heavy sigh, deciding a gentleman wouldn’t point out that the town slut probably wouldn’t blush at the sight of a naked man—not that he’d ever considered himself a gentleman. Or kind, he thought with a snort. Why did Julia keep insisting he was kind? And who in Hades was the bastard she kept confusing him with?

  He heard the downstairs toilet flush and realized a good part of Julia’s urgency to get away probably had more to do with her need to use the bathroom than with her desire to avoid their little talk. Not that they had talked; and by the looks of things, not that they would anytime soon.

  But should they finally get around to discussing the magic, he did intend to tell the lovely lady she definitely was reaching the age of ninety. He might, however, hold off mentioning she’d be celebrating that birthday with him.

  Nicholas slid his feet over the side of the bed and carefully pushed himself into a sitting position. The pain quickly propelled him to his feet with a snarl, which in turn had him grabbing the bedpost to keep from falling. He stood trembling like a newborn foal and took shallow breaths, then leaned his forehead against the post with a curse.

  Sampson was about as dead as a man could get, Phantom was also probably dead, whoever had ambushed them was determined Nicholas not live to claim his birthright—despite his still not knowing what that birthright was—and this wasn’t over.

  The one glimmer of light, however, was that Julia was carrying his son.

  Chapter Twenty

  Julia stepped out of the downstairs shower, dried off, and dressed in yesterday’s clothes, then stopped in the act of fingering the tangles out of her hair when she realized she smelled coffee. She threw open the bathroom door and ran down the hall to find Olivia and Rana in the kitchen.

  “Julia,” Olivia said, giving her
a hug. “Please tell me you’re okay.” She leaned back, her eyes going to Julia’s forehead. “Mac told me you were standing in the design room when the wall exploded, and that you looked dusty and rattled but not hurt.”

  Julia touched the small bump on her forehead and smiled, looking over to include an equally concerned Rana. “Solomon knocked me to the floor just in time. I didn’t get hurt,” she assured them, stepping free only to have Rana pull her into a fierce hug.

  “Oh, honey,” Rana whispered. “You must have been . . .” She leaned away. “Not scared, certainly. Not you. Let’s go with shocked.”

  “Yeah, shock works. Is that coffee I smell?”

  Rana walked to the counter and got a mug out of the cupboard. “No, it’s tar.”

  “Even better.” Julia went to the island and peeked in the boxes, only to groan as she started pulling out food. “Oh man, thank you, guys. Wait,” she said, stepping back and eyeing the five boxes. “There’s enough food here to last two people a couple of weeks,” she said, turning to the women—who both suddenly turned away. But not quickly enough to miss their glances at each other before becoming very busy pouring coffee and stirring something in a pan on the stove.

  Julia immediately ran to the side door and tried to open it.

  “Don’t waste your energy,” Olivia muttered, walking over to take Julia’s hand and guiding her to one of the leather chairs by the fireplace. “The doors and windows won’t open . . . ah, for you.”

  “But you can open them?”

  Olivia smiled, shaking her head. “Not to let you out, I can’t.” She sat down on the hearth with a sigh. “We can’t . . . You see . . .” She looked at Rana for support.

  “Maximilian feels it’s better if you stay inside,” Rana said, handing Julia a mug of coffee. She sat down on the hearth beside Olivia. “At least until you and Nicholas have had a nice long talk.”

  “About?”

  “The magic,” Olivia said.

  Rana reached over and squeezed her daughter-in-law’s hand. “We’ve given our husbands our word to let Nicholas explain it to you,” she said with her signature serene smile. “Which is as it should be.”

  Julia shook her head. “I really don’t want to know. Really.”

  Olivia snorted. “Too late.” But then she also smiled. “You already know.”

  “I believe a lot more than you’re willing to admit,” Rana added.

  “It’s okay, Julia,” Olivia continued, touching her arm. “There’s nothing to be afraid of. In fact, you’re going to be amazed.”

  “Yeah, well, the magic killed Sampson and nearly killed Nicholas last night.”

  “No,” Rana said. “It likely saved Nicholas’s life. As for Sampson, he—”

  The door opened and Carolina Oceanus came rushing inside. “Where is he?” she asked, not slowing down as she headed for the stairs, scooping Bastet off the third step. “Oh, baby, you must be so worried,” she continued, scooping Ajax off the top step and disappearing down the upstairs hall.

  Alec MacKeage caught the closing door with his foot and walked in carrying two boxes, which he set on the island beside the others before heading to the living area as he took off his gloves. He glanced up at the balcony, then turned and shook his head with a grin. “Remind me never to let her drive if she’s been told Nicholas is hurt.” He turned serious. “How is he?”

  “Well enough to still pose a threat,” Rana said with a sigh, “but sore enough to be off his feet for a while.”

  Alec started to look back up at the balcony only to stop his gaze on Julia, his eyes widening in surprise. “You’re Nicholas’s lovely lady?” He grinned again. “Let’s not tell him that Peg kept trying to fix us up before I met Jane, okay?”

  “Jane?” Julia repeated.

  Alec gestured toward the balcony. “My nickname for the princess.”

  “Julia’s our director of special events now,” Olivia interjected.

  Alec’s smile widened as he nodded and took off his jacket and tossed it on the couch. He glanced toward the balcony again and sobered, then walked to the windows and stared out at Bottomless. “What about Phantom?” he asked quietly.

  “He’s been known to show up several days later when Nicholas was forced to leave without him before,” Rana returned just as softly. “That ornery beast is as tough as he looks and smarter than most men.”

  Sort of like his owner, Julia silently added as she blew on her coffee and finally took a sip. But then, she supposed figments of the imagination were hard to kill.

  A loud snort came from the balcony. “Make that ornerier than most men,” Carolina said, walking down the stairs now holding Solomon. “Particularly those three in there,” she added, nodding toward the bedroom. “I rush all the way from Pine Creek in a panic to see Nicholas, and they kick me out.” She stopped in front of Julia, her scowl turning into a smile. “Hi. You must be Nicholas’s lovely lady.” She set Sol down and held out her hand. “I’m Lina, his favorite princess.”

  “Julia Campbell,” Julia said, also extending her hand—which she didn’t get back as Carolina squeezed herself onto the hearth between Olivia and Julia’s chair.

  “So,” the beautiful woman continued as she darted a quick glance at her mother and Olivia before shooting Julia another smile, “I guess this means welcome to our magical little family.”

  Julia choked on the coffee she’d nervously taken a sip of and got her hand back by jumping to her feet. “Thank you. I . . . If you’ll excuse me, I have to go do something with my hair before it dries this way.”

  “What?” Carolina said, also standing up and looking at her mother.

  “I don’t believe Nicholas and Julia have had the talk yet,” Rana explained, also standing up. She walked over and picked up the small suitcase by the door and held it out when Julia set her coffee on the counter. “Here are your things Trisha packed.”

  “Thank you,” Julia said, forcing herself not to run down the hall. She softly closed and locked the bathroom door, then turned and leaned against it with a silent groan. Welcome to our magical little family? Really? That would have been scary enough without the magical part. Because if even half of what she’d read in Nicholas’s library these last three weeks was true, the Oceanuses shouldn’t . . . exist.

  Oh yeah; missing the big strong guy with every fiber of her being and wanting to feel closer to him, Julia had spent her spare time here in Nicholas’s home, sitting in his giant leather chair suspended over nothing but air and slowly working her way through his collection of veritable tomes—some of them positively ancient, she couldn’t help but notice—that filled the floor-to-ceiling bookshelves taking up an entire wall of his office. Well, she’d read the ones she could, because many of the ancient books were in Greek and Latin. But the more she’d read, the more she’d realized the college classes she’d stolen had barely brushed the surface of the various mythological deities.

  Julia jumped when the door rattled behind her. “Jules, let me in.”

  She opened the door, then staggered back when Peg rushed in and threw her arms around her. “Ohmigod, are you okay?” Peg said, hugging her fiercely. She reached up and touched the small bump on Julia’s forehead. “Tell me you’re okay.”

  “I’m fine.”

  Peg hugged her again. “Well then, welcome to the magic.”

  Julia reared away. “Ohmigod, you, too?” She narrowed her eyes. “How long have you known?”

  Peg dropped her gaze, her cheeks darkening. “Um, since I married Duncan.” She looked up with a crooked smile. “And his mountain patted me on the ass.” She hugged Julia again. “Damn, I’ve been dying to tell you. I was so excited that morning on the boat, I nearly peed my pants when you said you’d had sex with Nicholas,” she whispered, “because I knew it was only a matter of time before there wouldn’t be any secrets between us again.”

  Julia leaned her forehead against Peg’s. “Okay, then I guess I better tell you mine,” she whispered back. “I’m five we
eks pregnant.”

  Peg stepped away with a squeal—only to slap her hands over her mouth as she looked down the hall and closed the bathroom door with her hip. “Ohmigod,” she said behind her hands, her big blue eyes bright with excitement. “Oh, Jules,” she squealed, hugging her again. “Finally. Um, you want to know another secret?”

  “N-no.”

  “I’m pregnant, too.”

  Julia stepped back to gape at her.

  Peg nodded. “Five or six weeks. Our little wolf pack is growing; Carolina, you, and me.” She bobbed her eyebrows. “Now we just need to get Olivia pregnant and all our big scary men can walk around with their chests puffed out, proud of themselves for being such studs.” She snorted. “But when this one pops out, I’m having my tubes tied again, getting an IUD put in, making Duncan have a vasectomy, and buying stock in a condom company. And if I still get pregnant, I’m going to—”

  Peg stopped talking and they both looked up when they heard Nicholas very succinctly tell Mac exactly what he could do to himself.

  And near as Julia could tell, the discussion was heading downhill from there. “Excuse me,” she said, pulling open the door. “I have some housecleaning to do.”

  “Wait,” Peg said on a gasp, chasing her down the hall. “You can’t—Olivia. Rana. Carolina. Dammit, Duncan,” she continued frantically when Julia ran up the stairs. “We have to stop her.”

  Striding along the balcony, Julia saw Carolina pull Peg to a stop then beam a huge smile up at her. “Come on,” Julia told Solomon standing in the hall, his tail twitching in agitation. “If things get nasty, just think of them as dogs.” She walked into the bedroom without knocking, causing the two big scary men beside the bed to pivot around and the big scary man in the bed to snap his mouth shut in midgrowl, his eyes also widening in surprise.

  “Excuse me, gentlemen,” Julia said as Sol jumped up on the bed and straddled Nicholas’s legs. “But the next person to cuss is getting a mouthful of balsam goat soap,” she said specifically to Nicholas before sliding her gaze to the two obviously stunned Oceanuses. “I’m sorry, but you’ll have to come back when he’s feeling less combative—say, in about a week.”