“Miss Barton, you must be aware as someone who lives with paralysis, your system is much more delicately balanced. Any upset can become a major, life-threatening issue.”
Annabel closed her eyes. As if she needed a reminder of how unsuitable she was for someone like Cayden. She turned her head away from both men and stared sightlessly at the wall.
****
Cayden felt his anger stir at the doctor’s abrupt manner. While it might have been an honest assessment, its bluntness was more than she needed or could handle at the moment. He stepped forward, his dark eyes hostile.
“Was there really a need for that?” he asked quietly. “You just gave your fragile flower speech to a young woman who held her breath for about five minutes while she cut my father loose from a fishing net!”
The doctor raised his brows and looked once more at Annabel. “My apologies,” he said.
Cayden looked at him contemptuously. “It’s not me you need to apologize to. That girl is one of the toughest, bravest women I know.”
There was a commotion outside the sliding glass door to the treatment room and suddenly Taylor entered his blue eyes frantic. “Cayden? How is she? Did that bastard hurt her?”
The doctor glanced at the new arrival who was so obviously a blood relative of Annabel Barton that he didn’t even ask for identification.
“No, but not for want of trying. He’d left her with her hands tied behind her back, sitting on a rock that submerged with the tide!” Cayden stared at her. “I’m still not sure how she got loose.”
Taylor actually chuckled. “Loose shoulder joints. I have them too.” and he proceeded to demonstrate.
Cayden actually smiled. “I’ll be damned. She could have gotten loose that whole time she sat there!”
Taylor looked at his sister, and his face clouded with concern. “No. She had to wait for you all to arrive so your brother couldn’t catch her again.” He stepped to the side of her bed.
“Poppy?” he called quietly as he softly touched her cheek.
“Take me home, Taylor,” she murmured. “I hate hospitals. No one will listen.”
A chill went through Cayden as he listened to her slurred words. It reminded him too much of the night he had discovered she was paralyzed. She had been hysterical, but like then she had turned automatically to Taylor. As if he, too, sensed something wrong, Taylor turned to Cayden and motioned him forward.
“We’ll get you out of here just as soon as we can, Poppy. The Skerry is on its way…”
Annabel turned haunted blue eyes to Cayden. “You should go. Taylor’s here. You should go.”
Cayden looked up at Taylor. “Leave us for a little while.”
Even as Annabel said no, her brother nodded and ducked back out the door.
“Okay, Bell,” Cayden said quietly. “What have you thought through and decided without getting any input from anyone else.”
“I can’t be what you need, Cayden,” she said tonelessly. “Surely today proved that to you?”
Cayden took her chin between his thumb and forefingers and leaned over until they were mere inches apart. “What today proved to me is that you are exactly what I need, and not only did it prove it to me, you proved it to my father as well. Even as we speak, the Silkie Lords are preparing to gather on the Skerry. They will decide Ciaran’s fate, but my father has asked them to come here for another reason as well. He wants them to meet you, Bell. He wants them to put aside the ancient prohibitions against our marriage.”
“I never said I would marry you.” It was a weak, last ditch attempt to make him go away, and they both knew it.
“But you will,” he whispered with a smile before he leaned down to kiss her. The steady beeping of the cardiac monitor picked up its pace. Cayden lifted his face and grinned at it and then down at her. “What do you think it would do if I made love to you?”
The beeping speeded up to the point that a nurse stuck her head in the doorway. “Everything all right?”
Annabel smiled weakly.
They kept her overnight. Cayden stayed with her despite their best efforts to remove him.
****
Carrick and Catriona had left with Taylor to return to the house so that they could see to Ciaran and Taylor could get Annabel’s belongings packed in preparation to remove them to the Skerry.
“Don’t you think she’ll have something to say about you just up and moving her?” Catriona asked from the doorway.
Taylor grinned at her. “Yes, but if it’s already a fait accompli, what can she really do? Sometimes my dear sister is far too stubborn for her own good. I believe this is one of those instances where she will need a strong shove in the right direction.”
Catriona tilted her head. “Why?”
Taylor sighed. “She’s still convinced that Cayden could do far better than her.”
The older woman arched her delicate brows. “That’s nonsense. They are soul mates. There can never be anyone else for either of them.”
Taylor smiled grimly. “Then let us hope that you, Carrick and Cayden can convince not only the Silkie Lords of that, but also Poppy.”
Catriona stared at Taylor. “Tell me something, Taylor.”
“What?” he replied absently as he continued to pack her clothing.
“If Annabel were whole again, do you think she would question her suitability to my son?”
Taylor frowned. “You know that’s not possible, but hypothetically speaking? No. If she were the Poppy I knew seven years ago, she would never doubt it.”
Catriona looked pensive for a moment and then said, “I actually came to tell you that the Skerry is at anchor. Carrick has already taken Ciaran out there to have him confined to his cabin.”
Sympathy shown in Taylor’s steady gaze. “I’m sorry, Catriona. I know this must be hard for you.”
Her smile was sad. “I love both my sons, Taylor, not the same because they are not the same people. Yet, I have to wonder if I somehow failed Ciaran in some way.”
Taylor zipped the suitcase shut that was in front of him and stood looking down at where his hands rested on it. “I think no matter how much we love some people, there is always a part of them that we can’t touch, and it doesn’t matter what we do, or how much we do.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well my uncle…I mean my father for example. Poppy loved him and would have done anything for him, but she knew there was a part of him that would never be the same again after her mother died. There was a part of him that, no matter what she did, was always going to long for my aunt. It didn’t matter how much Poppy loved him. That part of him wouldn’t be denied and eventually it caused him to take his own life.”
“God!”
Taylor smiled at Catriona. “The rest of us have had a tougher time adjusting to that than Poppy. I think she’s known ever since she was seven that it was just a matter of time. She held him as long as she could.”
“And you think the same applies to Ciaran?” Catriona asked softly in a choked voice.
Taylor nodded. “I think there’s something inside him that tortures him, and I don’t think you or Carrick or Cayden can do anything to help him. Ciaran will either figure it out and conquer it, or he’ll give up and let it conquer him.”
She looked up at him, and he saw tears filming the deep green eyes. “I pray it will be the former.”
“So do I.”
Chapter 18
Taylor was amazed at how quickly Carrick Clifton managed to get Poppy moved out of the hospital and aboard the Skerry. There was simply an air of command about the man that people paid attention to. The only one not bowled over was his sister. She was angry that they had gone ahead and moved all of her belongings, but Taylor let her ire flow right over him. He looked at her narrowed blue gaze and grinned.
“Look, there is no way I’m going to miss what’s happening here. It took Catriona to convince Carrick to let me stay. She gave him some story about how my testimony before the Council cou
ld help you and Cayden.”
“What if I don’t want your interference, Taylor?” Annabel spat. “Everyone seems to think they know what’s best for me, but no one asks me. Well, I can tell you right now that if I get an opportunity to talk to these Silkie Lords, I’ll tell them to keep their traditions and send me away!”
Taylor’s eyes narrowed. “Why the hell would you do that? You love Cayden almost to the point of insanity. I’d give my left testicle, maybe my right one too, if I could find someone to love like that!”
Annabel looked at him, all the anger suddenly draining out of her. “Both testicles?” she laughed. “Wouldn’t that rather defeat the purpose?”
Taylor grinned. “Well maybe. At any rate, I want to see these Silkie nobles. The crew tells me the Skerry will be absolutely packed. As soon as everyone’s on board, we’re sailing to some remote bay to keep everyone from being exposed to too many humans. I guess we’re a bad influence.”
Annabel frowned. “Don’t you have to start your new job?”
Taylor looked guilty and blushed.
She sat up abruptly and brushed her long hair out of her face. “Taylor! What have you done? What’s going on?”
“Well, I sort of accepted another job offer with a bit more freedom to it.”
“And what would that be?”
“Private attorney for the Clifton’s and Chief Counsel for Carrick’s shipping business. Seems the guy who’s held the position for decades is making noises about retiring. Now, if you will just go ahead and shut up and marry Cayden, we’ll be one big happy family.”
Annabel laughed shortly. “You’ve forgotten one small thing, haven’t you? Tradition forbids Cayden to marry a human.”
“So we’ll find a loophole.”
“You are crazy, Taylor, you know that?”
“I must be. I’m encouraging my sister to marry a seal.”
“I heard that.”
Taylor and Annabel both turned to see Cayden walk into the room, but it was a Cayden they had never seen before. Gone were the jeans or even the khakis. He was dressed in a flowing green robe, worn somewhat like a kilt and plaid. His hair was loose and a gold circlet with mother of pearl inlay rested around his head.
“Cayden?” Annabel breathed. He was incredibly handsome. The clothing left his chest partially bare along with his muscular legs. She smiled as she noticed one thing had not changed; he was still barefoot and the leather anklet was back where it belonged. She couldn’t take her eyes off of him, and when he unexpectedly blushed, she smiled. “You’re beautiful.”
“Handsome, Poppy,” Taylor reminded her. “The guy’s already blushing. Don’t make it worse. What’s with the fancy clothes, Cay?”
“The Council is beginning to arrive. They’ve brought their wives and families as well. Dad decided to invite them for an extended stay once the business at hand is taken care of. So, I have to put on traditional dress. It’s a feileadh.”
Taylor coughed. “Please tell me there is an exemption for humans. My legs aren’t nearly as good looking as yours.”
Cayden’s dark eyes twinkled. “And I was just thinking how good you might look in royal blue.” At Taylor’s horrified look, he relented. “You’re fine as you are, and it’s normal evening attire for dinner. You can use Ciaran’s tux. He’s not invited. Now go away and leave me with Bell.”
****
As soon as Taylor left the stateroom, Cayden sat on the edge of Annabel’s bed.
“Hi,” he said softly, taking her hand in his own. His dark eyes had grown soft and warm, stirring a familiar heat deep in her belly. “Are you up to putting in an appearance tonight?”
Her eyes skittered away. “I have nothing to wear, Cay.”
“My mother has ordered something brought in for you,” he responded softly, gently carrying her hand up to his lips. “I would love to have you at my side, but only if you think you’re strong enough. Otherwise, you can put off meeting the Council until tomorrow.”
“So soon?”
“It’s an unpleasant business, the situation with Ciaran, and one they want to get out of the way. Once that’s done, then they’ll make a decision about us.”
“What if they say no, Cay?” Annabel asked.
His expression became cold. “Then I will live my life out as a human. I won’t leave you, Bell.”
She ducked her head. She could never allow that to happen. Seeing him as he was now only brought home to her that he had a destiny to fulfill. He was a Silkie Lord, and not only was she human, she was a limited human.
“Hey!” he slipped two fingers under her chin and tilted her face up to his. “Don’t worry. We’ll figure this out.”
He lowered his face and kissed her softly on the lips. Her hand fluttered up to touch his cheek and she gave herself over to the taste and the feel of him. When she opened her mouth to him, Cayden growled deep in his throat and immediately deepened the kiss. His hands caressed her shoulders and down her upper arms before slipping down to bracket her ribcage.
“Ow!”
His hands stopped and he looked at her apologetically. “Forgive me, love, I forgot you were bruised.”
She sighed. “I will go tonight,” she promised him. “See to your guests now, and I will see you later.”
When the door shut behind him, Annabel turned on her side and stared at the wall. She no longer had anyone left who would take her away. Carrick now supported the idea of a marriage between her and Cayden. Catriona and Taylor always had. Why could no one see how wrong it would be? She could never be a part of them.
You already are.
Annabel stiffened and rolled over to look around the room. No one was there. It had been a deep, masculine voice that spoke in her head, an older voice. She pushed herself into a sitting position and looked around once again.
Who are you?
You will know when the time is right. Dress yourself and appear tonight.
Annabel shivered. She had no idea who the voice belonged to, but she had easily communicated with him through her thoughts. She reached for her crutches and pulled up so she could stand. She had barely begun to cross the cabin to the bath when Catriona came through the door. She wore filmy robes similar to Cayden’s only longer so that the filmy bottom of it struck her around mid-calf. Below that, she saw an anklet like Cayden’s and strong, finely made feet.
“I’ve come to help you bathe and dress.”
Annabel’s chin lifted. “I can do it on my own.”
Catriona stopped and smiled at her. “I know you are capable of doing it on your own, Bell. I would like to help you. I brought along a traditional dress and wanted to fix your hair as well. All of the other women present will be dressed in traditional gowns.”
Annabel dropped her head forward, her hair shielding her face. She felt petty.
“It is okay to get help, darling,” Catriona said softly. “I have a maid, a young Silkie girl who often helps me. Now I wish to provide the same service for you. I do it because I owe my son’s and my husband’s lives to you. I do it because you are the woman Cayden loves.”
She stepped forward and stroked Annabel’s cheek. “You are not being petty, child.”
“How do you know what I’m thinking?”
Catriona smiled. “I hear you sometimes, your thoughts, and your memories.”
She tilted her head. “Have you always?”
“Not as clearly as I do now, but even when you were just a child, I had a sense of you. At the time I thought it was through Cayden. It became stronger the summer of your fourteenth year. Now I sense that you not only communicate, but you hear as well. Is that correct?”
Annabel nodded slowly. “I think I have talked to Cay this way sometimes. I know I have done so with Carrick. At least, he heard me. And then…”
“Then what?”
“Just before you came in. Someone told me I should come tonight. A man.”
Catriona’s auburn brow arched. “Really? Not so surprising, I guess. With all
of the Silkie Council coming on board, we have more than our fair share of telepaths, one or two who are exceptionally strong.”
Catriona began running a bath and then turned to help Annabel disrobe. As her green eyes took in the bruising along Annabel’s ribcage, she briefly closed her eyes. “I fear I must also apologize for the treatment you received at the hands of my other son, Bell.” She touched the bruises with gentle fingers.
Bell blushed. “It’s nothing. I will need your help getting in and out of the bath.”
“Of course.” Catriona was so smooth with her assistance; it took Annabel a moment to realize she had all but picked her up and put her in the tub. As the older woman helped her wash her hair and sponged her back for her, Annabel relaxed, even finding herself getting somewhat sleepy.
“May I ask you something?”
“Of course, child.”
“Have you always been a Silkie? I mean, your coloring is so different from the others, your family and the servants I have seen.”
Catriona smiled as she poured water over Annabel’s long honey curls to rinse the shampoo from it. “No. I was not. When Carrick and I first met, he was a Silkie and I was a Faerie.”
“I thought those were little people who lived under mushrooms.”
Catriona laughed. It was a merry, tinkling sound. Their eyes met in the mirror above the tub and both women smiled. “Some of us are. My line was not. Just as some of us are inclined to be good, and others are not only full of mischief, they are downright evil.”
“But you are a Silkie now?”
Catriona inclined her head. “I am.”
Annabel’s brow furrowed as she moved her hands through the bath water absently. “Could I…?” she shook her head. “No. It doesn’t matter.”
Catriona helped her up until she sat on the edge of the tub, then she wrapped a bath sheet around her, tucking the ends beneath her arms before handing her crutches to her. “Move over to this stool, darling, and I’ll dry your hair for you.” As Catriona began brushing through her thick hair, she continued. “Did you wonder if you might become one of us?”
“No. That wouldn’t be possible. I could never…”
Catriona smiled gently. “Never is a long time, child. In the meantime, there is some small bit of magic I can give you.”
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