Bound by Tears (Cauld Ane Book 6)

by Tracey Jane Jackson

  Payton relaxed and licked her lips. “I’m okay, love.”

  “I’m going to check you, Payton,” Samantha said, and leaned across the bed. “Aw, honey, you’re ready. Next contraction, let’s get ready to push.”

  “Is that too fast?” Brodie asked.

  “No, she’s doing great,” Samantha assured him.

  Payton giggled. “Baby, do I need to kick you out so us women can do the hard work?”

  Brodie couldn’t answer because another contraction hit.

  “Okay, Payton, it’s time to have this baby.” Samantha smiled. “I need you to scoot to the edge of the bed. Can you do that?”

  Payton shook her head.

  “I’ll help, love,” Brodie said, and climbed onto the bed behind her, pushing her down the bed and settling her between his legs. He wrapped his arms around her and helped her sit up, bracing so that she could push against him.

  “I can’t,” she rasped.

  “Aye, you can, love. Come on. I’ve got you,” he crooned.

  The contraction hit and Payton cried out, but Brodie took the pain from her as she pushed.

  “Good girl,” Brodie said. “You’re beautiful, sweetheart. Again.”

  “Head’s crowning,” Samantha said. “Push, Payton.”

  Three more pushes and Brodie and Payton’s baby boy was born. Samantha settled him on Payton’s chest and Payton leaned back against Brodie.

  “Well done, beautiful girl,” he said, his eyes filled with tears as he stroked his son’s cheek. “I’m so amazed by you.”

  She smiled and kissed his chin.

  “I’m going to check him really quick and clean him up,” Samantha said, and took the baby from Payton. Once done, she handed him back, and grinned. “He’s perfect. You’re already healing, so I’ll get some scales and we’ll see what your baby weighs. We’ll give you some time, okay?”

  “Thanks Sam,” Payton said. “And you too, Pepper. I appreciate everything.”

  “Pepper leaned down and kissed her cheek. “Love you, sis.”

  “Love you too.”

  Samantha and Pepper left the couple to get to know their son.

  * * *

  Jesska pulled glasses from the cupboard and then opened the fridge and gathered various drinks.

  You okay?

  Jesska smiled. Yes. Some excitement here with Payton’s water breaking.

  Can’t wait until it’s you.

  Me too, baby. Everything okay with you?

  Right now I’m waiting for Kade to finish. Lots of questions.

  Jesska bit her lip. Yeah, I bet.

  Plus, I need to beat the shit out of Erik for grabbing you.

  She paused at the refrigerator. Kaz. You don’t. I’m fine.

  He put his hands on you, baby. No excuse for that.

  Jesska sighed. Okay, baby. Just don’t kill him.

  No promises. Where’s Gunnar?

  Somewhere on the phone, I think. He’s been there most of the time you’ve been gone.

  He’s sorting a few things out.

  Jesska smiled. Well, hopefully, he’ll join us for dinner.

  He will. I have to go. I love you.

  Love you too.

  “Everything okay?” Grace asked.

  Jesska rolled her eyes. “Yes. My hubby just seems to think that defending my honor is of the utmost importance.”

  Grace giggled. “Oh, yeah. They do. But that man did put his hands on you, so I don’t blame Kaspar.”

  “I see you’ve drunk the Kool-Aid too, huh?”

  Grace nodded. “Definitely.”

  Samantha and Pepper breezed into the kitchen, as did the group that had been waiting in the living room. “Well?” Grace prompted.

  “Baby boy!” Pepper said, and clapped her hands.

  “Aw, so sweet,” Charlotte said, running her hands over her belly. “Perhaps I should start a marriage contract now.”

  “It’s what royalty used to do, right?” Samantha said with a giggle.

  “I get dibs on your first daughter, Grace,” Pepper said.

  “You got it,” Grace said.

  Charlotte grinned. “Well, the beauty of all of this is that we don’t really have a say, huh? They will be with whoever is perfect for them.”

  “That’s the most incredible part,” Megan said. “With how much Ari and I lost, I’m amazed how quickly we have gotten back on track.”

  “What about me, Mom?” Sophia asked. “Will I have a forever mate?”

  Jesska gasped. “Ooh, I wonder.”

  “I say yes,” Charlotte said. “You’re half Kalt Einn, sissy. I think it’s likely.”

  Sophia blushed. “I love it when you call me sissy.”

  “Really? Vandi hates it! Which only makes me want to do it more.” Charlotte giggled. “Gimme a hug, sissy.”

  Sophia laughed and wrapped her arms around Charlotte’s waist.

  “Let’s eat,” Grace said.

  “I’ll take something up to Brodie and Payton,” Pepper said. “Sam, can you please check on Cody?”

  “Of course.”

  Before anyone could move, Jesska saw two women walk by the back window.

  “It’s Kenna,” Grace said. She set down the knife she was using to slice fruit and opened the back door.

  Kenna McFadden was gorgeous, with a head full of glorious red curls, porcelain skin, and a smattering of freckles across her nose. She reminded Jesska of a live-action version of Merida from Brave.

  Gillian resembled Kenna, but her hair was straight and cut into a bob that skimmed her jawline. She smiled, but Jesska got the impression that Gillian wasn’t quite as easygoing as Kenna.

  As the ladies walked from the kitchen into the front room, Gunnar emerged from a side door. Jesska watched his expression go from tight and irritated, to confused within a manner of seconds. “You okay?” Jesska asked.

  “My mate is close.”

  “Seriously?”

  He nodded and headed out of the kitchen. Jesska followed.

  When Kenna saw Gunnar, her face went pink, and she gasped.

  Grace turned to Jesska and Gunnar. “Gunnar, this is Kenna and Gillian. Payton’s sisters.”

  Jesska shook their hands, as did Gunnar, however, he kept hold of Kenna’s and she gave him a shy smile. “Hold that thought, love. I have to see my sister, but then you and I can talk.”

  Gunnar stared at her and nodded, releasing her hand.

  Kenna followed Gillian upstairs, and Gunnar paced the foyer. Jesska watched him, fascinated by the change in his demeanor. He was settled somehow. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and appeared to text something, but then he slid it away and didn’t reach for it again. Strange, considering it had been fused to his ear for the past three hours.

  I feel your confusion. You okay?

  Jesska smiled. Fine. Just fascinated with watching your brother.

  Yes, he texted me. His mate has arrived.

  That’s what he said. This is so weird, Kaz. He’s totally focused on her. Nothing else seems to matter.

  Kaspar’s chuckle sounded in her mind. Nothing else does matter, elskan. Our mates are everything to us, baby.

  I’m beginning to see that. Jesska bit her lip. I love you, Kaspar. In case I don’t tell you enough.

  I love you too, baby. I’ll show you how much later.

  A shiver stole down her spine. Can’t wait.

  Kenna walked back down the stairs, pausing on the last step as Gunnar closed the distance between them. Jesska was transfixed by their interaction, but when he pulled Kenna in for a kiss, she had to turn away, voyeur not really her style.

  She scurried back to the kitchen and helped Grace and the rest of the group finish up with food prep, making enough to feed a football team.

  The group sat at the large dining table and spent the next hour getting to know one another. Jesska loved this new tribe of family. Gillian declared that Payton and the baby, Killian James, were perfectly healthy and would see everyone the next d
ay. He’d weighed in at eleven pounds eleven ounces and was twenty-four inches long. In Payton’s words, a moose. Jesska shuddered at the thought of giving birth to a baby so big, especially when she was informed that this was typical for the Kalt Einn.

  Kenna and Gunnar had disappeared, and since the men had not returned, the rest of the group played a heated game of charades.

  Jesska had never felt so connected and accepted and was a little saddened to think she’d be leaving them all in a few days for a whole new country. At least she’d have her sister and Sophia…that was a wonderful thought.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  JESSKA AWOKE TO warm, soft lips on her shoulder. “Channing, I told you my husband would be back soon and you were to disappear.”

  Kaspar chuckled, pulling her against him. She had fallen asleep in one of Pepper’s many guest rooms because she didn’t want to return to the hotel without Kaspar, and Pepper had offered a place for the night.

  Jesska rolled to face him, checking for injuries.

  “I’m fine, elskan,” he said, leaning down to kiss her with a smile. “Do you want to know the details now, or can I sleep?”

  “Neither.”

  “Oh?”

  She smiled, pushing him onto his back and straddling him. “I will wait for details, but you’re not going to sleep.”

  “We’re in Connall’s home.”

  “So?” she challenged.

  Kaspar ran his hands along her thighs. “They will hear.”

  She leaned down and kissed his chest. “We’ll be very quiet,” she whispered.

  “When are you ever quiet?”

  Jesska lifted her head and raised an eyebrow. “Excuse me?”

  He grinned. “I’m not complaining, baby. I’m simply pointing out that you’re very vocal about what you enjoy.”

  “Well then you need to take care of me and figure out a way to keep me quiet.”

  “Challenge accepted,” he quipped, and kissed her.

  Once Kaspar succeeded in making love to his wife and keeping her from shouting the house down, he pulled her into his arms and ran his fingers along her naked hip.

  “How did everything go?” she asked.

  “Very tense, but I got several of the answers I wanted. Not so sure the brothers Gunnach did, however.”

  “What does their father want?”

  “He wants to take down his wife.”

  “Why?”

  “This whole mess started back in Iceland before Erik’s clan was exiled. Erik and Alice, although married in the traditional human sense, were not mates. Before he was sent to Scotland, Erik found his true mate, a human. He bound her, and she gave birth to Brodie. Instead of telling anyone about his mate, he hid her because she was human, but took Brodie to be raised by their clan.”

  Jesska gasped. “How did he explain that?”

  “He said Brodie was an orphan, but Alice knew the truth. Her response to his betrayal was to have an affair with a human man, and this produced Fiona.”

  “Oh, my word, it’s like a soap opera.”

  Kaspar chuckled. “Very much so.”

  She settled her chin on his chest. “Is that why they were exiled?”

  “Partly. Erik broke our laws by binding a human—”

  “Which you have as well, may I point out—”

  Kaspar grinned as he gave her bottom a gentle smack. “Let me finish.”

  Jesska giggled. “Sorry. Carry on.”

  “Erik had been planning a coup for a long time. He’d been watching and waiting and preparing, but what he didn’t realize was that our people were far more loyal to my father than Erik knew. Even folks who told Erik they were with him continued to report back to my father about Erik’s movements. In the end, my father had had enough, and Erik and anyone loyal to him were sent here. Erik arrived and claimed himself king, changed his name, and the Cauld Ane were born.”

  She scooted further up his body, kissing his neck. “Didn’t Kade say something about his father being dead?”

  Kaspar nodded. “Alice had him ‘killed,’ however, she didn’t realize how loyal the people were to him. The ones she hired to commit the murder concocted this plan to fake his death until he could put an alternative plan into action. It took a little longer than he expected.”

  “How long?” she asked.

  “Erik Gunnach’s death certificate was issued in 1847.”

  Jesska sat up. “Shut up. Seriously?”

  He pulled her back down. “Yes.”

  “Why did she want him dead?”

  “Payback. From what I understand, Alice is a nasty, bitter woman, driven by her desire for revenge against the man who cheated on her.”

  “Well, I can kind of understand that,” Jesska countered, her irritation rising. “I mean, not the actual going through with murder part, but wanting to, for sure. Can’t you?”

  “I’m not excusing him, baby. Personally, I’ve never understood someone marrying for any reason other than forever love, and joining with someone who isn’t your mate is idiotic, but from all accounts, he was forced to marry.”

  “How could that happen with a race of people who know they’re expected to mate to someone specifically?”

  “Different time, sweetheart,” he said. “I don’t understand it either, and I don’t think the order came from my father. Kade implied that his father may have been repaying a debt, but I’m not privy to exactly what happened.”

  “So many lies,” she mused.

  “Yes. He is not a good man.” He kissed her forehead.

  “So, what does he want with Sophia?”

  “Erik’s plan was to use the girls to take out Alice and her cohorts, believing Kade would have his back.”

  “And Kade didn’t,” she deduced.

  “No. He didn’t. Kade rules by honor, and he’s been king for a long time. He’s his own man and not someone to be manipulated.”

  Jesska raised her head. “Don’t tell me you’re growing fond of Kade Gunnach, Kaz.”

  He chuckled. “I have come to respect him, despite our beginning.”

  She kissed his chest. “I won’t tell a soul.”

  “Thank you.” He smiled.

  “Was he the one who kidnapped Charlotte and Pepper?”

  “No. But he knows who did.”

  “Who?”

  “He won’t tell us. His plan came together after he discovered their gifts. But he has a wide reach and managed to find enough people who were sympathetic to his cause, so someone within Erik’s sphere of influence knows something. We just aren’t sure what.”

  Jesska wrinkled her nose. “That’s a little disconcerting.”

  “Yes,” he agreed.

  “How did you know to look for Megan and Sophia?” she asked.

  “A woman came to warn me that they were in danger. I have since discovered she is Alice’s sister, but they are estranged.”

  “Not so estranged that she didn’t know what Alice did, it would appear.”

  Kaspar shook his head. “Edith only found out when Alice called for assistance after the Council had made the decision to incarcerate her. Apparently, Alice confessed part of the plan, which is why Edith felt the need to warn me. I am, after all, her king. She stayed in Iceland when Alice was exiled with Erik.”

  “And where’s Edith now?”

  “Safe.”

  “Safe where?”

  “I have no idea. Austri took care of it so that I would have plausible deniability.”

  “It’s that serious?” Jesska pressed. “That you can’t know where she is?”

  “It’s that serious,” he said. “But enough of this, baby. Home tomorrow.”

  Jesska bit her lip. “So soon?”

  “We need to get back and deal with those who partnered with Erik,” he said. “But we can return to Edinburgh as soon as these issues are taken care of.”

  “You just said you didn’t know who partnered with Erik.”

  “I don’t know.”

  “B
ut you suspect,” she said. “Kaz, what aren’t you telling me?”

  Kaspar shook his head.

  “You’re really not going to tell me?”

  “I’m really not going to tell you,” he confirmed. “I’m done with this touching you. I want to take you home. Ari and Megan will join us and stay until this is sorted, and then we are free to do whatever we like.”

  She sat up on her knees again and crossed her arms. “Are you getting all kingy on me?”

  He sighed. “Jesska, this has nothing to do with my status as king. Outside of the fact you wouldn’t know these people even if I told you who they were, I want you protected, and that includes protecting you from knowing things that might concern you or cause you worry.”

  “Kaz, I’m not a child. You don’t have to protect me from worrying. You don’t have too much control over that anyway.”

  “I know you’re not a child, baby.”

  “Code for: I’m still not going to tell you anything.”

  He smiled.

  “Will you tell me the story when it’s done?”

  Kaspar tugged on her arms, pulling her forward and on top of him. “I will tell you when it’s done.”

  “This doesn’t get you off the hook.”

  He rolled her onto her back, kissing her neck and running his hand over her hip. “It doesn’t?”

  “No, it doesn’t.”

  He cupped her breast and she sucked in a deep breath.

  “But maybe that does,” she whispered.

  Kaspar chuckled and distracted her from feeling slighted by keeping her extremely satisfied in other areas.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  JESSKA’S FOCUS WAS on the view out the window of the family jet as they started their descent into Bíldudalur. For the most part, it looked like a dinky little town next to water. Very pretty, but quite sparse.

  Kaspar’s hand squeezing her thigh had her turning to face him. He smiled and linked his fingers with hers. “You wait.”

  “Hmm?”

  “Our home is hidden, sweetheart. Just wait.”

  “I said nothing,” she argued.

  “I can read your thoughts.”

  “Dang it!” she ground out. “I forgot. I’m sorry, honey. I don’t want to sound negative about your home. I’m sure it’s lovely. I just don’t see much in the way of…well…people. Lots of water and beautiful fjord-type water, but no people.”