“That’s right,” Jessie said as her eyes met Bryce’s. “As I told you, I’ll know more once the last warlock is defeated. Until then, you need to focus on the fact that Fraser is still alive.”
“Aye,” Bryce murmured as his brows drew together. “Yet he seemed changed...different.”
“Just like Kenna warned us,” Christina said into their minds.
Bryce and Adlin scowled at that. Kenna, who once loved Fraser, claimed that where he went changed him. That he was hardened in ways he had not been before. Kenna, sadly, had lost her life on Christina and Graham’s adventure.
“I sensed something else from him too,” Adlin murmured. “Something even more out of character.”
“Aye,” Conall replied. “’Twas a bit of roguishness, aye?”
“Aye,” Graham agreed, the frown obvious in his inner voice.
It was hard imagining any man with MacLomain blood being unprincipled, but Jessie had caught the same thing in Fraser’s hard icy blue eyes. Or so it appeared.
“I wouldn’t trust anything you see just yet,” she said to them all. “Right now, he’s still under the influence of the warlock, and that could very well be messing everything up. Not just how he’s acting but how we perceive him.”
Adlin nodded, his eyes grateful as they met hers. She knew the struggles he had experienced coming into his powers this lifetime. The man he had to measure up to. His previous self. On rare occasion he still battled to get back to that person. Especially at times such as this when sound, reassuring words weren’t coming from him but her. Still, he was a reasonable man who was wise enough to be thankful when the moment warranted it.
Adlin might have been part of creating the rings, but she had all but created the warlocks. Or at least that’s how she looked at it. She might not have been the evil behind them, but she had helped direct them and knew them better than anyone. More than that, what each and every one was capable of.
“Come,” Angus said in passing, totally unaware of what had just transpired. “I invite ye all to dine with me.”
They nodded, more than ready for a drink.
Angus raised his mug of ale in salute a while later. “Here’s to me and my men navigating the most dangerous storm in history yesterday!” He grinned broadly. “’Twas one hell of a ride!”
She didn’t miss it when Bryce winked at Lindsay.
Jessie was so much a part of his mind now she followed nearly every thought. How impressed he was with Lindsay’s magical abilities of enchantment. She had done a stellar job with Angus and his crew.
Though she tried to repress a twinge of jealousy, Bryce didn’t miss her reaction to the brief connection between him and Lindsay. The truth was he and her friend had shared several connections since the curse began unraveling. Most importantly, when Lindsay saved his life in Stirling. Thanks to her, though he had been beaten within an inch of his life in the English encampment, they didn’t end him altogether.
It had been a horrible thing that Jessie imagined would always haunt her. How helpless she had felt at the time. How pleased the warlocks had been at his suffering. Soon enough she would use that memory against this last warlock. She would keep it firmly in mind and have her retribution.
Yet despite how grateful she was to Lindsay, she still had the nerve to feel jealousy. Shame on her. Even if she understood the root of her response, there was no excuse. She should be better than this. If for no other reason than she knew Lindsay was no longer a threat.
When Bryce rested his arm on the back of Jessie’s chair and stroked her shoulder in reassurance, she knew he realized her reaction wasn’t just remorse over his poor treatment. It was jealousy too.
“I’m sorry...for all my emotions right now...” she murmured into his mind. “You can’t imagine how difficult it was knowing you were hurt so bad...”
When she trailed off, he prompted her to continue.
She said nothing at first as everyone chatted yet eventually she came clean with him in a way she had not intended to. She wanted to better explain why she had felt jealous, to begin with.
“Though we all have one true love, sometimes there’s a second person out there whose soul is compatible enough that deep love can form.” Her eyes remained on the others in avoidance as she sipped ale. “It doesn’t happen all the time. It didn’t with Milly and Adlin or with Graham and Christina.”
Bryce waited patiently for her to continue when she paused, considering how to phrase things.
“Had Lindsay not reconnected and found Conall, the two of you would have been compatible...you might have found love.” Her eyes finally turned to his. “Hence her attraction to you before she came together with Conall.”
Though she knew he was tempted to deny it, he had been aware Lindsay was drawn to him at one time. Men knew such things. Especially men with MacLeod and MacLomain blood.
“Yet I wasnae drawn to her,” he replied, absolutely truthful. “Shamefully enough, as soon as I knew she was meant for Conall and couldn’t possibly be the one to free me from a loveless marriage, I focused on the next Broun lass.”
“I know,” she replied. “But had things gone differently, namely her and Conall not coming together, then us, you would’ve been drawn to her eventually. It was inevitable.”
“’Tis a bloody odd thing to consider,” he replied frankly as he dusted his fingers along the side of her neck. Based on the flare of his pupils, he clearly enjoyed when she shivered with awareness.
“No offense to Lindsay because she’s a kind and bonny person,” he went on, “but I think ‘tis safe to say she and I are glad that you and Conall exist.”
She offered a small smile. “Me too.”
“And ‘tis perfectly normal to feel jealousy.” His inner voice remained gentle. “Dinnae forget that you’re human before anything else, lass.”
She sensed that some small part of him actually liked her response. Her possessiveness. How strongly she felt. Which told her where his mind was when it came to her. His love. Which in turn made her hope that the conversation would end here because there was more. Something now irrelevant to their situation, but information she might want to know if she were in his shoes.
Not surprisingly, he sensed the thoughts she was trying to repress and narrowed his eyes. “What is it? What aren’t you telling me?”
“Nothing that much matters now.”
“Och.” He leaned closer and murmured in her ear, “When it comes to you, everything matters, lass.”
Another shiver of awareness went through her as their eyes met. Though hesitant at first, she finally gave in and told him.
Almost as if he knew what was coming, Adlin’s eyes suddenly turned their way. It seemed, perhaps, their private conversation had become too important for an arch-wizard to ignore.
“Weren’t any of you ever curious why there were only four rings,” she asked Bryce, “when there are five MacLomain men?”
“Adlin and Grant were curious but had no way of changing the fact their magic was only determined to make four rings,” he replied, frowning. “Then when Fraser and Kenna fell in love they assumed he was the one who wasn’t meant to make a MacLomain, Broun connection.”
“That’s always a possibility.” Her eyes stayed level with his. “Though I strongly suspect that’s not the case based on how thoroughly Fraser has been removed from the picture by this last warlock.”
As their eyes held it suddenly occurred to him what she was trying to say.
“You cannae mean Fraser...” His brows slammed together in a look of incredulousness. “And you...”
When he trailed off in shock, she nodded. “My guess is though he’s clearly not my true love, we would have been compatible...we would have found love.”
“Bloody hell, why didn’t we see that one coming?” Adlin muttered aloud as he shook his head and took a swig of ale.
Bryce frowned and took a swig as well, his every thought coming through loud and clear. To his mind, it all made perfect
sense now. The warlock contained a piece of Bryce’s essence and as Jessie surmised, was jealous enough to try to kill Bryce during every time shift. Along those lines, would he not have removed anyone else he considered a threat? His eyes slid back to her. And—though he tried not to think it, but focus on being grateful his cousin lived—was Jessie not Fraser's type physically? After all, Kenna had also been petite and brunette.
“Ye didnae see what coming?” Angus responded to what Adlin had said.
On the ball, Adlin shook his head, raised his mug and offered a wide smile. “Enjoying myself so bloody much aboard yer bonny ship!”
“Aye!” Angus roared as everyone held up their mugs and did the same before taking another swig.
Thankfully, with her affectionate assurances that he was the only one she wanted, Bryce set aside his jealousy, and they enjoyed several more hours in Angus' company. Most of that time the captain made eyes at Lindsay, Conall be damned. But then what sort of pirate in their right mind cared a lick if her man was sitting right there? Because if nothing else could be said about Laird MacDonald, it was that the historical rumors about him being a pirate were absolutely true. So said the tales his men told of their thieving ways. On behalf of the Scottish crown, of course.
Later, when Bryce and Jessie finally made it to their quarters, she was still chuckling at that fact.
“Oh, he’s a pirate all right!” She shook her head, grinning. “Heck if Conall doesn’t have his hands full with Lindsay though. She’s always been a diva, that one. How could Angus not fall head over heels in love with her?”
“Aye, but she doesnae return her admirers’ affections.” He grinned and shrugged. “And we are dealing with a ship full of men at sea for days.” He shook his head. “So she was bound to stir things up.” He gave her a pointed look. “And she’s not the only one. You and Milly have been turning plenty of heads on this ship.”
She didn’t comment on that as she pulled off her boots. “Either way, we’re lucky to have you MacLomains,” the corner of her mouth hitched, “or should I say a MacLeod watching over us.”
“Aye,” Bryce agreed as he backed her up against the door before she could undress any further. “And we’re just as lucky to have you Brouns to watch over.” He pinned her wrists by her head and came close. “Verra lucky.” His voice lowered. “I’m grateful you’re mine, lass.”
They both knew he was referring to the remote possibility she might have ended up with Fraser.
“But I didn’t,” she whispered, her heart racing as their eyes held. She was so turned on she could barely think straight. “Nor would I have wanted to.”
He brushed his lips across hers, then pulled up her skirts and hoisted her so she could wrap her legs around his waist. Again, his thoughts came through loud and clear, and she could only be grateful for his reasonable mind.
Though some small part of him wondered if he should feel guilty about the warlock’s part in Fraser’s fate, he knew better. Evil had been at the root of what happened, not Bryce. He was just a victim too. And the gods knew Fraser was just as much a victim. Not just because of where he was and what he had become, but because he hadn’t ended up with Jessie.
When she wrapped her arms around Bryce's shoulders, and their lips met again, thoughts of his cousin faded. Instead, he became as lost as before not just by the feel of her lips but by the confident way she moved against him.
Though she should probably try to block their mental connection a little, she found following his thoughts and emotions enthralling.
His arousal and need screamed up so fast inside him that he thrust against her instinctually. When she groaned her approval, he only grew more desperate. So desperate that he took immediate action.
Rather than waste a few precious seconds falling to the bunk, he yanked off his plaid, shoved her dress higher and took her right there. She released a ragged cry then bit down near the nape of his neck. Fueled by her animalistic response and the exquisite feeling of being inside her, he began thrusting.
It didn’t matter if the ship was swaying, he had never felt more steady and driven. He wanted to feel her over and over and push her to peak again and again. He wanted to hear her cries of pleasure as she found her fulfillment.
Which, as it turned out, happened rather fast.
She bit harder when her body began to shudder then she let go with a strangled moan. He paused, enjoying not just the pinch of her passionate bite, but the feel of her climax. As soon as she began to relax and her teeth let go, he resumed kissing her.
Then, still inside her, he lowered her to the bunk and started moving again. This time, he seemed determined to draw out her experience as he took it slow at first. But that only lasted so long. They were too eager. Greedy. Desperate.
Sweat slicked them as their passion increased. He particularly liked when she rode him, so she spent ample time doing just that. Not tentative in the least, it took her no time to move her hips just the way he liked. She felt emboldened and pleased as he imagined he would like anything she did and any way she moved.
She offered a womanly smile at those thoughts. The sort of smile that promised she would offer him far more. That she had no doubt of the pleasure she could give.
In fact, she did such a good job of it that she never made it beneath him again before he gave into her feminine powers and released hard. Soon after, she followed, digging her nails into his chest as she locked up and then melted down against him.
Neither said anything for a while as he stroked her back languidly.
Eventually, she murmured, “I think I’m making up for a lot of lost time.”
“Aye,” he rumbled, smiling. “’Tis verra good for me that ye are. I particularly like the feel of ye in my mind so thoroughly too. ‘Tis even more arousing somehow.”
In agreement, she chuckled as she remained focused on making up for lost time. “I hope you still feel that way a year from now because I have a feeling it might only get worse.”
“Worse?” He shook his head. “It could never get worse but only better.”
She smiled as she whispered, “I have a feeling you’re right.”
They talked for a while after that and continued getting to know each other better.
“You’re a verra dynamic person considering you’ve lived such a lonely, sheltered existence,” he said softly, flattering her not just with words but with his thoughts. He appreciated her intelligence and her zest to always learn more.
“Thank you. I read a lot,” she explained. “The warlocks thought it was all in preparation for destroying Scotland and learning about herbs and such but it wasn’t.” She remained on top of him, her chin propped on her hands as she looked at him. “While I certainly loved learning things, especially history, I enjoyed fiction too.”
He continued running his fingers here and there over her back, renewing her arousal all over again as he murmured, “Aye?”
“Sure. Just about every genre too.” Though she smiled, she knew a touch of sadness reflected in her eyes. “Even romance.”
“’Tis good,” he murmured, well aware her sadness came from the loneliness she had felt. The love she never thought would be hers. “Romance is good, aye?”
“Yes it is,” she whispered as their eyes held and fire flared. “Better than any book portrays it actually.”
As to be expected from that point one thing led to another, and they made love again before they drifted off to sleep. Then dreams came and went, but she always seemed to return to the same one.
A memory from her past.
She stood in a small clearing in the Maine forest of her youth wishing it could stay summer forever. She wished she could stay in this spot. But winter would come, and with it, the trees would go to sleep. When they did, though their barren branches would allow more sunlight through, it wouldn’t matter. The warlocks always moved around more when the trees rested. When their Earthly protection waned. That’s when they got even closer to her.
More so, the one that wanted her in a different way than the others.
“Do you not like when I can come closer?” he said softly from the shadows. “Does it no longer please you like it once did?”
A strange mix of chills and longing rippled through her as their eyes met. This was always when she lost perspective. When he looked at her the way she imagined his other half would. The man whose shadow he seemed to have stolen.
“I do want you to come closer,” she whispered. “Just not them.” She shook her head. “Not the others.”
“But they love you,” he responded, his dark eyes narrowed against the sunlight. “Just like I do.”
Though it might seem it to them, she knew love was the furthest thing from what they felt. She wasn’t about to say as much though.
“Come, be with me,” he urged, using the voice that tempted her. That made her imagine he was someone else. That normal desires were possible. “Why stand alone in the sun when we can be together in the shade?”
The way he said it, the genuine need he felt, called to her.
He was her other half.
Her soul mate.
“Yes,” he whispered. He seemed to follow her thoughts as he held out his hand. “I am he. I always have been. Come to me, lass.”
He did that sometimes. Spoke with a particular brogue she knew belonged to another. Lured her into a trance as she envisioned the man he could never be. Yet, at that moment, in that memory, he was him. He wasn’t dark and foreboding but tall and muscled and handsome.
Bryce...
She never said his name out loud, but she went to him, leaving the sunlight behind. Suddenly, just like the memory itself, she fell into nothingness, the dream ended abruptly, and her eyes shot open. Bryce’s did as well, and his arms tightened around her momentarily as if he was catching her. As though he had just experienced the same dream or memory.
“You were there, weren’t you?” she whispered. “Back at the clearing in the woods in Maine.”
“Aye,” he replied as they sat up. “I was part of the warlock again. Part of...”
When he trailed off with a frown, she looked at him in question. “What happened when I came to you?” She shook her head. “Because though that actually happened, I have no memory after the moment I headed for the warlock and entered the shadows.”
The MacLomain Series: A New Beginning Boxed Set (Books 1-4) Page 98