Finally, the door creaked open. If the professor was old, the housekeeper was ancient. His old nurse’s face creased into a smile of greeting, but before she had a chance to speak, the professor interrupted.
“Shoo. Stop hovering, woman. I might be old, but I can still answer the damned door.” The crotchety old man waved her off. With a harrumph, she obeyed and tottered toward the back of the house. Professor’s scowl lifted when he spotted his guest, and he threw the door wide in welcome. “Gabriel, it’s good to see you.”
Gabriel stifled his laugh at their antics, leaning forward to engulf his friend in a quick hug. “Samuel.”
The old man shuffled backward with a smile. “Please, come in. Come in! I was just in the study.”
Gabriel followed Samuel’s uneven gait into the tiny, musty room. Books were crammed on every surface, stacks heaped on the floor ten high, the shelves piled lackadaisically, not a clear surface in sight. The sun appeared smoky as it streamed through the dirt-crusted windows, as if Samuel couldn’t be bothered to clean them and refused to allow anyone else access to do the job properly for fear they would destroy his precious books.
“Sit. Sit.” Samuel waved a distracted hand as he circled his desk.
Gabriel raised a brow and gave a dubious look around the room. He edged toward the chair with the smallest pile of books—it only took two trips to set them aside—and gingerly lowered his large frame onto the spindly chair. Wood creaked in protest but held his weight.
Samuel groaned as he settled his portly shape behind an equally littered desk. An abundance of wispy white hair covered his head. His hunched shoulders and bent back showed his devotion to years of study. A pair of wire-rimmed glasses never left his face, but they did not dull the bright, inquisitive eyes staring at Gabriel.
“Don’t ever get old. It’s the very devil on your body.”
He slapped a book shut, setting dust flying, and he coughed until his chest rattled.
Gabriel rose, poured a glass of water, and handed it to him in concern.
After a few sips, Samuel cleared his throat as he set aside the water. “What can I do for you?”
Gabriel ignored the question, worry tightening his gut. “How are you?”
“Fine. Fine. And you?”
He rubbed his jaw, debating whether to push the matter, but didn’t want to bruise Samuel’s pride, so reluctantly let it drop.
“I am getting married.” He blurted it out, and couldn’t help grinning, still dazed at the news.
“Congratulations! We must celebrate. Grab yourself a glass.” Samuel picked up his water, twisting about as he glanced around the room, then headed for a back corner, dumping the contents in a dead houseplant without missing a beat. He tipped his head back and studied the shelves before grabbing a box and setting it on the desk. He scurried toward the door, peering into the hall, then firmly closed the latch. He quickly flipped open the lid to the box, and reverently lifted out a dusty brown bottle, which he wiped off and gave an affectionate kiss. “I’ve been saving this for a special occasion.”
Gabriel rubbed his mouth to smother his smile and dutifully retrieved another glass and wiped out the dust.
Samuel popped the cork and poured a healthy dose in each glass. “Cheers.”
Samuel swallowed it in a single gulp and smacked his lips. “Ahhh, that hit the spot. Did you come just to celebrate, or do you have something else to share?”
Shrewd eyes studied him, and Gabriel sipped the aged whisky, sighing in pleasure. “What do you know about Druids?”
“Druidism?” Samuel smoothed his hair, his eyes unfocused as he dug around in his head for information. “Not much.”
Gabriel resumed his seat, deflated by the answer. “Tell me what you know.”
“While they had no true written language, a few symbols have been recovered, but little is actually known about them.” He turned to survey his heavy-laden shelves. His fingers hovered over the spines as he moved from one book to another like a hummingbird, but never quite landing. “It is said they can divine the future. Some have even counselled kings. Ah, here it is.” Samuel lifted down a heavy tome, grunting under the weight, and placed it on the desk. “Anything about old religions can be found in here. It has a few passages that might be helpful.” He sat and flipped through the book, taking care not to crack the brittle pages.
The whisky soured in Gabriel’s gut, and he set aside his glass, suddenly ill at the thought the pastor could actually be after Diana for her skills as a Druid.
“So Druids are real?” Gabriel scowled, not sure what to believe. It would have been easier if Samuel had told him they were just a myth.
“Not anymore. No true Druids, anyway. Oh, we have our secret societies, but most are a mockery of what they once were. The true religion, I fear, has been lost.”
“So it’s not possible for the old Druid ways to have survived?” Gabriel leaned forward, then grunted in frustration when he was unable to read the language displayed in the book. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to hear the answer. If Diana was a real Druid, that meant the threat was much bigger than he could ever have imagined.
He could almost believe she was a part of the ancient religion who had stepped out of time.
“Well,” Samuel waved a hand, waffling as he said the word, “very slim. They would have had to hide themselves very well.”
Gabriel raised a brow in inquiry, sensing that he was missing something important, something key to freeing Diana. “Why hide?”
“Because Druids, true Druids, were hunted for their abilities—whether they were good swindlers, or had true talent, didn’t matter. If you captured a Druid alive, you could compel them to do your bidding, literally ruling your small part of the world.” His eyes brightened. “Imagine controlling the weather or crops, or having power to read a man’s thoughts. The possibilities could be limitless.”
Gabriel wanted to call bullshit, but something niggled at the back of his mind, the way Diana and her dog almost seemed to communicate. Her confidence. Her beauty. There was something ethereal about her. Otherworldly. His stomach gave a queer lurch, wishing he could dismiss his suspicions. “Then why do we not have any written proof?”
“Why would we? Think, boy. If a power-hungry man wanted to rule, why would he tell others his secret? Take the risk of having it stolen or being exposed? Druids would not want it to get out, either. They would always be hunted. Their purpose in life was to help people, kind of like the knights of valor in the old tales.” He flipped a few more pages, his finger hovering over the words as he searched. “Here we go. The Druids would choose death over injustice. They could not risk any threat to an innocent, it was how they were raised.”
Gabriel’s heart sank with a sudden realization.
The description fit Diana perfectly.
Her mention of fulfilling her vow chilled him.
He broke into her house, threatened her, and she offered to help him. If her story was true, she had put herself at risk to stop a blackmailer when there was nothing for her to gain.
His pulse skipped a beat at the danger.
His hands tightened around his glass. Druid or not, he was determined that nothing would happen to her. While she might be a knight, she also needed a protector of her own.
Samuel took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I wish I had more.”
“It was enough.” Gabriel set aside his glass and rose to leave, eager to get back to Diana. If Pastor Williams truly believed she was a Druid, she could be in far more danger than he previously believed. The man would stop at nothing to get his hands on her. “I did not mean to keep you so late. I should be going.”
“No trouble. Why did you want to know?” Inquisitive bright green eyes met his.
Gabriel debated the wisdom of telling the truth. If there was a chance he could learn more, he couldn’t pass it up. “My bride claims to be a Druid. And I’m beginning to believe her.”
Samuel’s brows snapped up,
his face dropping ten years in his eagerness. “I would like to meet the lovely woman who’s finally captured you.”
Gabriel waited for the overwhelming panic at the thought of being trapped in marriage again, waited for the urge to flee. Instead, his chest warmed at the thought of waking every morning to find Diana at his side. There was something about her that drew him, and he refused to let her slip through his grasp. It was more than just attraction. She needed him, whether she knew it or not, and he had no intention of letting her down.
“We’ll be departing for London shortly.” Gabriel would not be budged. He needed to secure Diana’s safety. He refused to put Samuel in danger by involving him more. “I’ll be sure we stop on the way back.”
The chair creaked as Samuel leaned back, a satisfied smile curling his lips. “I look forward to it.”
Gabriel left, his mind sorting through the pitiful few facts he’d learned. He wanted to ask Diana more questions, but she was so skittish, he feared she would cut him out of her life completely.
He hadn’t cared when his first wife ran off to London.
The thought of Diana leaving gutted him.
Diana played with Emilie, determined to keep her mind off Gabriel and their disturbing conversation. It didn’t work. Time and again her concentration wandered. How could she have so foolishly disclosed her past?
She jerked when the door opened, startled when Gabriel’s large form filled the entryway. It was easy to forget how big and imposing he was when he wasn’t near, his sheer size a bit overwhelming. His eyes landed on her and lingered, as if he’d found something he liked, then he winked, every trace of the pensive, remote lord gone, and Dana blushed, thrown for a loop at his uncharacteristic action, practically squirming under his regard.
“Emilie, did Diana tell you the news?”
“What, Papa?”
Diana frantically shook her head, desperate to stop Gabriel. Despite how much she wanted the future he offered, she needed to keep him from making the biggest mistake of his life.
Tendrils of sadness wound through her.
She had to tell him she couldn’t accept his generous offer.
Gabriel knelt in front of his daughter, blatantly ignoring her not-so-discreet attempts to gain his attention. “Diana has agreed to be your new mama.”
Emilie cheered with pure joy and threw her arms around Gabriel. Warmth spread through her the way he so carefully hugged his daughter, but she couldn’t dismiss the misgivings crowding her mind.
Gabriel met her gaze, and she narrowed her eyes—he appeared as pleased as a cat with a mouse caught under its paw.
A slow realization crept over her—she’d been conned by both of them from the beginning. Since the moment she entered the house, they’ve been scheming against her.
Emilie broke into her thoughts. “…and you can stay here.”
“Only for a little while sweetheart, and then we have to go to town.” Gabriel laid a tentative hand on his daughter’s shoulder, his eyes glowing as she snuggled closer.
“London?” Her eyes grew wide, her voice an exaggerated whisper. “All of us?”
Gabriel nodded.
“Yippee!” Emilie threw herself at Diana. “You are the best. I will be the perfect daughter. You’ll see.” She wiggled with excitement.
“Emilie, why not pack your bags?” Gabriel prodded his daughter out the door.
Diana watched Emilie skip out of the room, and it was all she could do not to call her back. Cowardly, maybe, but the child was the perfect shield.
“You did that on purpose.” Diana practically growled as she threw the accusation at him.
“Of course.”
His cheerful response stopped her cold, leaving her flustered. To avoid staring at him, Diana stooped and began collecting the toys scattered around the floor. “Why?”
“Life is about risk. You’re worth the risk.”
He sounded so smug, she became annoyed all over again. “You don’t even know me or the dangers you’re inviting in your life.”
“I believe I do.”
His sincerity sent a shiver of unease down her spine.
He couldn’t know…could he?
Once they were married, he would have law on his side. She would be forced to obey him. She struggled not to panic, but something about the rigid way he held himself, as if waiting for her reaction, kept her from speaking without weighing all the consequences.
Her response mattered to him.
She let out a defeated sigh. She was tired of running, and something about those broad shoulders made her want to lean on him.
Diana shook off her distracting thoughts. “What do you know?”
“What you told me of your past was no more than a few obscure facts, hardly what most people would consider believable.”
“I didn’t lie.” She lifted her chin, stupidly offended at being called a fraud. It didn’t matter that it would be wiser for him to think her a lunatic.
Taken aback by her fierce denial, Gabriel carefully thought over everything he’d learned. Despite her precarious situation, he readily forgot the chit had already stood up to him once, not to mention evading the more sinister Pastor Williams for months. His stare was famous for making grown men quake in their boots. He couldn’t help but admire her when she didn’t even fidget. “Nor did you tell me the complete truth, but that can easily be remedied after we’re wed.”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
She paled but stuck to her story. Gabriel ignored her stubbornness, determined not to let her get away. He reverently took out the special license, satisfaction settling in his gut to see her name next to his. “Our names are already printed. I will not be bullied by Pastor Williams.”
She stared at the page and just blinked.
Gabriel repressed a smile, enjoying that he could completely flummox her.
Emotions meant she cared at least a little.
“I have already sent a servant to collect your belongings. The carriage has been ordered. Our train leaves tonight.” He would not let her back out, even if he had to kidnap her himself. Not trusting the way she was eyeing the license, he reverently refolded the paper and tucked it back in his pocket before she had a chance to snatch it away.
“Gabriel—”
“The journey will seem relatively short if we ride through the night. Come.” He stood and held out his hand, letting his eyes roam over her slim form, his brows furrowing when he noticed her dress appeared loose, almost as though it had been created for a larger woman…or she’d recently lost weight. “Let’s go down for a light lunch before the ceremony. You’re nothing more than skin and bones.”
Gabriel instantly realized his misstep when those icy-blue eyes of hers snapped fire, and he was masochistic enough that his cock hardened.
“I am fine, thank you very much.” She spoke through gritted teeth, and he resisted the urge to lean over and kiss her senseless.
Gabriel coughed to hide his obvious reaction, sending one last volley over his shoulder, lust thickening his voice. “Yes, very fine.”
“Insufferable man.” He heard her mutter the words under her breath, but there was no heat in them, and Gabriel smiled. She might be mad at him, but she wasn’t thinking about leaving.
She would go through with the ceremony.
Then she would be his.
For the first time in years, contentment settled in his bones, and he gave a deep, satisfied sigh.
Diana trailed after Gabriel, fingering the knife sheathed at her waist. She was tempted to force a vision to help her decide if she was making the right choice.
A small cut was all that was needed.
Something about the magic in her blood could trigger a vision when it hit air, the tangy-sweet smell would suck her into a different world. She would no longer be in her own body, but a ghost watching the future unfold.
Most visions were portents of danger, something her gift felt she needed to know.
And while a
vision could leave her vulnerable, that wasn’t what made her hesitate.
She was terrified to actually know the future.
Foretelling was fraught with danger.
Trying to change the future could actually make it happen…or worse—not happen at all.
The meal passed quickly and all too soon, a knock on the door let them know the pastor Gabriel had summoned from the neighboring town had arrived. Unsure how it happened, Diana found herself standing next to Gabriel while the pastor intoned about the sanctity of marriage.
The ceremony happened in a blur.
She waited for her power to register danger, warn her away from tying herself to this man.
To her shock, her gift remained stubbornly silent.
Almost as if it believed Gabriel would keep her safe.
He kissed her forehead, and Diana tingled from head to toe, barely resisting the need to lean into him and demand more. Diana blinked repeatedly, trying to separate fantasy from reality. A tiny flame of hope kindled in her chest that they might actually have a future together.
The pastor smiled at her and, for better or worse, the matter was done. Gabriel seemed to know how unsteady she felt and kept her close. While they accepted the well-wishes of the staff, he shielded her from their touches, protecting her without conscious thought.
She marveled the way his casual touches on her arm or hand made her feel like she mattered. Heat radiated from him like a furnace, seeping past the walls she built around herself, and she shivered, unconsciously moving closer to temptation.
A mistake.
His spicy masculine scent invaded her senses. Her body came alive with the need to touch him back. She could not yet think of him as her husband, that she was allowed to touch him any time she wanted. Confused and uncertain at the possessive thought, she tried to pull back, only to have him trail after her relentlessly. He tucked her hand into the crook of his elbow, the movement so new and unexpected she didn’t immediately pull away. Muscles flexed under her touch, as if inviting her to explore him further.
He glanced down, his normal blue eyes dark with some emotions she couldn’t name. Her stomach fluttered when his head lowered, his mouth parted as if to speak—or the goddess help her—actually kiss her.
Druid Temptation (A Druid Quest Novel Book 2) Page 7