“What the bloody hell do you mean?”
“That you four haven’t dealt with the pain and the guilt you felt over the attack. So, the way you dealt with it was to keep her from being vulnerable again. Anice probably was happy to let you do that for a time, but she’s ready to find her own happiness, and all four of you need to—how is it Meghan says it—grow a set.”
He opened his mouth, then snapped it shut. As usual, she was probably right. They had all been hurt and, yes, for him the guilt and been painful. Fletcher had been hardest hit since they were twins.
“How did you get so smart, love?”
“My superior English genes.”
He threw back his head and laughed.
“Now, go get washed up. I feel the need to snuggle tonight.”
“Anything for you love.”
He kissed her nose, then rose from the bed and went into the bathroom. As he washed his face, he thought about his worries. One thing he had learned over the last several years was that things were going to happen no matter what he or his cousins did. And maybe after over two centuries, they would be able to find a way to live with that fact.
Chapter Four
Dinner started out splendid. It was the only word that Anice could use to describe it. Brody had reserved one of the purple booths that usually sat four people, allowing them to sit together and look out the windows.
“I’m very impressed,” she said as the waiter delivered their wine and salads.
Brody nodded the waiter away. “I thought we should celebrate.”
“Indeed?”
“It’s been four weeks since you asked me out.”
She blinked. She knew it had been a month, but she didn’t realize that it was the actually four-week mark. She lost track of the days and weeks. Again. She seemed to have lost the ability to keep track of the things going on outside of the family.
“You didn’t realize it, did you?” he asked, a self-depreciating smile curving his lips.
“I’m sorry.”
“No, doona be. You’ve had a lot going on with your family.”
“What do you mean?”
“I would think any sibling would have a lot on their minds when the other is getting married, but a twin has to be even more so.”
She sighed. “I love Rena like she’s my sister. It’s nice now that I finally have a better advantage against my brother and cousins after all these years.”
“What do you mean?”
She dug into her salad. “Being the youngest, even by a few minutes, and female is a pain in a family of men like my cousins and brother. I respect them, but they are a bit overprotective, considering I’ve been taking care of myself for…years.”
Damn. She almost let it slip that she had been taking care of herself for decades…centuries. Brody made it easy to forget herself, and she wanted to tell him the truth about her family. Every one of her cousins and her brother had found someone they could trust after years of being alone. Now, she wanted to find that person, and she thought it might be Brody. Still, something held her back. Revealing their secret could end in disaster, although she had no idea why.
“Understandable. You are not only beautiful and intelligent, you have a lot of money. It’s hard to trust people.”
She swallowed her bite of food and studied him. “You sound like you speak from experience.”
“My family doesn’t have the kind of money or power the Lennons do, but there are some…I guess you would call them artifacts that we hold dear. That along with the family lands, but we lost them years ago.”
She saw the sadness in his gaze and felt it down to her soul. She knew what it was like not to have a home. They had a huge mansion, but it was not on McLennan land. In fact, none of them had stepped foot on McLennan land since they’d run to safety all those years earlier. They were so close to being able to do that if they could find the last stone.
“I understand that. In today’s world, people doona take the family land seriously, but for many Scots, it is sacred. It seems that the remnants of the Clearances still linger today.”
He smiled. “You sound like you would prefer Scottish independence.”
“Yes. I see no reason not to be our own country.”
He nodded and held up his wine glass. “I completely agree,” he said, touching his glass to hers when she raised it.
Anice took a sip of wine and enjoyed the dark cherry and blackberry taste of the cabernet Brody had ordered. She sighed in pleasure.
“I take it you like the wine selection,” Brody said.
“Yes.” She glanced around at the people in the restaurant. It was still hard to get accustomed to having money, being able to go places like this. A century earlier, they had just decided to start working on their business, but they all had to sacrifice, especially through the world wars. Now, they had more money than they could ever hope for. “I’ve only been here once before, and it was for a work thing.”
“I was told that this is a very impressive date place.”
She focused on him again. She had thought it before and she would always think it. He was a pretty man. She didn’t think she had ever seen a man with eye lashes as long as his. “Is that a fact?”
He offered her a quick smile, and she felt her heart do the little uptick as usual. She had it bad when just his smile was making her dizzy. Bloody hell, she knew that. She’d had it bad for him for the last few months.
“But my cousin, Esme. She feels that my brother and I are not very good at dating.”
“I would say you are pretty good at it.”
He leaned closer and brushed his mouth over hers. She felt the small gesture all the way to her toes. She was ready to say bugger all to the meal--which wasn’t a common thing for her--and beg him to take her back to his bed. When she opened her eyes, she didn’t find Brody looking at her. Instead, he was looking at something over her shoulder.
Brody pulled back slightly, but he stayed close by. Anice wasn’t sure why.
She turned to see what caught his attention. Gavin McWalton stood only few feet away. Her first instinct was to run. Every laird of the McWaltons made her feel that way. It was as if some primal instinct told her that she was in danger. Fear wound through her even as she tried her best not to show it. She thought she heard a growl from beside her. She glanced at Brody, who was glaring at Gavin.
She looked back to Gavin. He didn’t look as put together as he had when she ran into him last year. In fact, while anyone would say he was still attractive, there seemed to be something beneath the surface. She was sure other people probably didn’t pick up on it, but she certainly had.
Gavin was a man who always dressed perfectly. His hair trimmed short, his clothes would be from the best shops and tailored.
That was not the man standing before them.
He looked a bit disheveled, as if he’d worn his clothes to bed. His hair was longer than normal, and, well, looked a little dirty and unkempt. He hadn’t shaven in at least a couple days. This wasn’t the growing of a beard. It was just not keeping himself up. In other words, he was a bloody mess.
“Anice.”
She nodded but didn’t address him. She was still trying to work out that he was there, standing in front of them, scaring the hell out of her. Their run-in before had been...pleasant. She hadn’t been scared of him until she realized who he was. It was different this time. The way he stared at her sent a sliver of cold fear curling in her belly. It took all of her control not to get up and run out of the restaurant. That and Brody had moved closer to her and had taken her hand. It wasn’t that he was trying to trap her there. In fact, it felt as if he was trying to protect her.
“I didn’t know that you knew each other,” Gavin said, leaning against the table. The smell of whisky permeated the air. He was beyond pissed, and he didn’t appear to be leaving any time soon.
“Brody works for Lennon.”
He barely glanced at Brody, then focused back on her again. Sic
k amusement seemed to dance in his eyes. “Interesting.”
“I doona know why it would be interesting to you.”
An evil smile played about his mouth. “Because, who would have thought you would hire a McWalton to work for your company?”
The room around her shrunk away as her head started to spin.
She turned to face Brody, hoping that he would deny it. The anger and guilt were easy to see in his expression.
“Oh, I guess you didna know.” He sighed. “I seem to have stepped in it, so I’ll leave you two alone. Please, doona hold it against him. I’m sure he is completely devoted to his job.”
The warmth that had surrounded them evaporated with each word the bastard McWalton uttered. The waiter showed up with their meals and Gavin tipped his head in their direction.
“Have a wonderful evening.”
With that he left, taking what joy she had been experiencing with him. She was sure that was his plan from the beginning, and she really hated that she allowed him to accomplish his task. As the waiter set their meals on the table, Anice took the time to pull herself together.
“So, you’re related to that monster.”
She didn’t need him to say anything. She saw the guilt in his expression. Her heart sunk to her stomach, as a sense of hollowness filled her. Once more.
“I should have told you.”
She cocked her head to one side. “You know of the issues we have with the McWaltons, but you still pursued me.”
“I didn’t exactly know.”
Anger and pain twisted inside of her.
“You did, or you wouldn’t have said what you just said.” She closed her eyes trying her best not to cry. She had been duped once again by another McWalton. “I’m so bloody stupid,” she whispered.
“You’re not stupid,” Brody said, his voice harder than she’d heard before. She opened her eyes and studied him for a long moment. He looked angry. At her? At being caught? Who cared? Not her. Well, she did, but at least she could still pretend not to.
“I call this date over.”
She threw her napkin down. While she wanted to scream at him, along with kicking him under the table with her very pointy pumps, she couldn’t. People knew she was the face of Lennon Industries.
“We’ll get this boxed up, then we can go somewhere and talk.”
“Nope. Not ever,” she said, slipping on her coat, then sliding across the booth and rising.
“How do you plan on getting home?”
“I’m a big girl. I’ve been finding my way home for, well, a long time, as you know.”
He opened his mouth to argue with her. Fear that he would convince her to stay, to make her see that he wasn’t all that bad—even though she knew he was—had her backing away from him.
“Anice, love—”
She leaned down and grabbed the knife by his plate. She held it there on the table with the pointy end near him. He looked down at the knife and swallowed as his gaze rose to hers. Anice took sick satisfaction that she had scared him, if only a little.
“Doona tempt me, you bastard. You have no right to call me love, ever.”
She dropped the knife and turned to leave the restaurant. She saw Gavin out of the corner of her eye. He was laughing at her...or both of them. She wasn’t sure. Either way, she was done with this.
She clicked on her phone as she stepped out of the restaurant. Before she could make a call, she saw Belvidore parked across the street. Dammit, she didn’t need her entire family knowing what went on. At least not tonight. She would have to tell them before dinner tomorrow night, but she didn’t want to deal with the humiliation tonight. She slipped into the passenger seat of the sedan.
“How did you know?”
“Master Jack.”
She nodded. The old family retainer and Jack had a special bond. “Who knows?”
“Jack. And, of course, me.”
She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye as he took off from the curb. “You didna tell anyone else?”
“No. Jack swore me to secrecy. They will find out though, my lady.”
She sighed and looked out the window. “At least for tonight, I want to pretend that nothing happened.”
“It is a lady’s prerogative.”
“Indeed. What all did he tell you?”
“Only that you would need a ride home tonight. He was worried for your safety. He also said to prepare for a visitor tonight.”
Anice turned from the window and looked at him. “What?”
“He said that your mate would follow. Something about he has no choice in the matter.”
“Jack has no choice?”
“No. Mr. Stewart.”
She frowned. “If he does, I might just use that bloody sword and whittle away his favorite bits and pieces.”
“Again, that would be your prerogative.”
She chuckled at first, then a sob caught her unaware.
“My lady,” Belvidore said, his voice filled with embarrassment.
She pulled herself back from the edge—barely. When she had her emotions under control, she said, “Doona worry, Belvidore. Just drive me home. I’ll try to keep it together until I get to my room.”
He drove along in silence for a few minutes, then said, “He doesna deserve you, my lady.”
She nodded but said nothing else as Edinburgh disappeared from view and the darkness of the night filled her vision. She would eat chocolate and possibly drink an entire bottle of wine by herself. As Belvidore said, it was her prerogative.
* * *
Once Brody paid the check, he grabbed the two containers of food and started toward the door. Why he got the food, he had no idea. It felt a little silly, but the waiter had boxed up the food, and Brody couldn’t just leave it there on the table.
He felt the study of just about everyone in the restaurant. A few people who were just curious, but he knew many of them knew who Anice was. Her family spent a fortune in the town and employed a lot of people. Add in that she was the PR person for the company, well, that made it worse.
He saw his cousin from the corner of his eye, and turned to face him in the reception area of the restaurant.
“What the bloody hell do you want?”
Kill him now. He needs to be gone.
His wolf was right. Gavin needed to die, but Brody couldn’t risk a fight in public. His wolf clawed at his control, trying to come out. That would be disastrous for not only him, but every shifter in Scotland.
“So sorry, cousin,” he said, the sick amusement he had heard earlier in his voice was still there.
A growl vibrated through his entire body. His wolf wasn’t happy.
“This was your plan all along, wasn’t it? You tried to get her interested in you, and she rebuffed you. Yeah, I see it now. So, you decided to humiliate her.”
“And you. Doona forget that. Of course, your kind always should be humiliated.”
Now. Maim him now.
No. Not yet.
An angry snarl was the only response he got from his wolf. Dammit. His brother had been right. Hell, Brody had been worried about the situation and why Gavin had wanted Brody involved.
“Right. Understand that if you come close to Anice ever again, you will regret it.”
“Oh, Beta Boy, I would never be afraid of you.”
He stepped closer and allowed his wolf to come closer to the surface. He shivered with the need to hurt his cousin. Gavin’s smile faded.
“What about Cayden?”
“What?” he said, his face blanching.
“Or maybe you’d like to go up against Esme?” When Gavin didn’t respond, Brody nodded. “I doona come on my own, but your kind would never understand that. We stand together. Always. Remember that next time you think to fuck with one of us.”
Brody didn’t wait for an answer. The moment he stepped out of the restaurant, his brother and Esme were there. Anger permeated the air. Most of it was from his brother. Brody could feel it cours
e through Cayden. As Alpha, he would want to exact revenge. It was part of not only his character, but his chemistry. The Alpha of every pack wanted to protect, to be the one who ensured the safety of everyone.
His cousin Esme was furious. Her dark hair was uncovered; although, she wore one of her favorite robes. Anger darkened her blue eyes. When Esme got mad, people tended to end up bloody. He wanted to sic her on Gavin, but getting to Anice was most important. She was probably already home.
“Thanks for coming.”
He had called them the moment Anice had walked out of the restaurant. He knew he would need backup, just in case Gavin went completely nutters and attacked him.
“Of course. Can I turn him into a toad?” Esme asked, looking over his shoulder. Brody glanced back to see Gavin standing inside, like the coward that he was.
“Not just yet. I have to get to Anice.”
While Brody was angry, he was in pain also. Every emotion she felt coursed through him. Her pain was starting to become his, and they had not as yet mated. Damn.
“I think you should give her a day or two,” Esme said.
“No,” Cayden said, answering for him. “Now that Gavin has shown his hand, she’s definitely in danger. Let’s go to their place.”
Tell our Alpha to shove it.
“I can handle this on my own.”
“No. You can’t. You connected to her more than you admitted to me.” He opened his mouth to argue with his brother, but Cayden held up a hand. “Doona lie to me. We doona have time.”
“I can handle it.”
“No. You can’t. Your mind is going to be on Anice. Right now, at least, they doona know about us, and it would be best if we kept it that way. You need backup. Hopefully, her brother doesn’t castrate you.”
He nodded. “Let’s go.”
He followed his brother and Esme to Cayden’s SUV. As they drove through the streets, rain started to fall. He knew Anice was angry with him and he didn’t blame her. That didn’t bother him. It was the pain he had seen in her eyes that had hit him hardest. When she had whispered about her stupidity, he had felt her pain, her despair...and he had lashed out. It was his fault that this happened, and he would fix it.
Anice: The Cursed Clan Page 4