by Leigh Morgan
“I needed to find out what you knew.”
“What I knew about what?”
“What you knew about this.” Lauren answered, shucking out of his sport coat with a grace Taryn envied. He took his time unbuttoning his pressed linen dress shirt, and lord help her, Taryn enjoyed the view and the low menacing sound Lauren’s performance elicited from Jesse.
Lauren’s eyes flashed as he stared into hers and Taryn’s gut reaction was primal. Lauren MacBain was a fine male specimen and here he was undressing before her. She could taste his power. Attracted as she was, she wanted, needed, only one man. Lauren MacBain wasn’t that man. The saddened look in Lauren’s eyes said he knew it, accepted it, but didn’t bow to it, even as he had the grace to honor her feelings on the matter. His look, his manner, the very palpable energy rippling from him in waves, told her that. If she ever changed her mind, he’d be there waiting.
Taryn wasn’t sure how she felt about that so she let it go and concentrated on Lauren’s chest. Looking at his bare torso in the bright light of the day, her breath caught in her chest. Now she knew why he wore a full body suit when they swam together.
Amid the numerous and varied scars gracing Lauren MacBain’s chest from a myriad of weapons, some of which Taryn recognized and some of which she didn’t, there was a brand burned into his flesh, just above his heart. Taryn took a step closer. And then another. She couldn’t help herself, some invisible force was drawing her nearer to him.
Lauren held still for her scrutiny. White shirt still partially tucked into his tailored pants, but hanging loose, his muscles rippled as if she were touching him with more than just her eyes. Taryn took another step closer and reached out her hand.
“Don’t touch him.” Jesse’s tone lacked all emotion. Taryn didn’t stop to look at his face to see if that too was as unmoved as his tone. She was too transfixed by the seared and healed scar she now recognized.
Taryn’s eyes flashed to Lauren. “It’s the spiral and the green man from the standing stone.” She cocked her head and narrowed her eyes, squinting to get a better look. “I don’t recognize the curved pattern. That wasn’t on the stone.”
Lauren didn’t smile. It was as if he was willing her to understand. “Look again. Tell me what you see.”
Taryn looked, really looked. It was a symbol she’d seen before. One her father had burned into his left forearm. “It’s the symbol of the Goddess.”
Lauren said nothing. He simply stood and waited for her conscious mind to figure it out.
“The green man, the god in his most potent form, is watching over the Goddess, guarding her secrets.”
“He watches. She reigns. He protects. Although ultimately she is the stronger vessel from whom all creativity flows.”
“My father bore that mark, but I never saw the green man or the spiral.” Taryn looked from Lauren’s burned skin to his face, questioningly.
“Your father was a follower of the Goddess, not one of the Silent Ones.”
“Silent Ones?”
Lauren ran his hand over the ring of ruined skin that surrounded the green man, the spiral and the Goddess symbol, drawing her attention to it. “The ring of oak leaves and holly represents the warriors of the Goddess known as The Silent Ones. I am part of their Order. Not even the Druidic Ovates know of our existence. We protect and keep relics of the Goddess safe from those who would exploit them.”
Lauren looked into her eyes and something warmed his expression, tingeing it with a reverence she hadn’t seen before. “Our second sacred duty is to protect those who carry the truth to the world. We protect and serve the Bringers of the Light. I have sworn to protect and help you. My aunt was assigned to your father.”
This time Taryn did touch him. She ran her hand over the tiny, but discernable oak leaves in reverent wonder. Jesse didn’t try to stop her and she pulled her hand away almost as quickly as the heat of Lauren’s skin registered on her overworked brain.
“You were the one who drugged me.” It wasn’t a question. Lauren MacBain’s almost imperceptible nod confirmed her suspicions.
“Why?”
“I needed to know if you were the one.”
“The one what?”
“The one chosen to be the Keeper of the Light. I needed to know if you would prove worthy and if the Goddess would accept what fate your father set in motion. Now I know you are a Bringer of the Light, like your father, an educator, a purveyor of information.” His tone turned certain. “But you are more than that, Taryn. You are also a Keeper of the Light, a warrior and a scholar. To accept that is to accept a lifetime commitment. Now it’s up to you to accept that fate or fight it.”
Taryn didn’t understand. Truly she wasn’t sure she wanted to understand what Lauren was telling her. She didn’t want to believe in fate. In fact, she didn’t. She was pretty sure she made her own fate every moment of every day with every breath she chose to breathe.
Lauren shrugged back into his shirt. Apparently show and tell was over. He took his time buttoning and straightening his clothing and by the time he had his jacket back on, he looked as impeccable as ever. His tailored exterior stood in stark contrast to the raw, branded warrior skin hidden underneath. Did she ever really know Lauren MacBain? Taryn didn’t think so, and she doubted she ever would.
“I don’t believe in fate.”
“Your father did. He groomed you to follow the Goddess. He led you to the well. You drank from it.” His eyes bored into hers.
“That wasn’t fate. That was my choice. Made out of necessity.”
“Exactly. And here you are, the recipient of a great gift. What are you going to do with it? Honor it, or deny it and run?”
Taryn didn’t have a clue what Lauren was talking about. Her uncertainty must have been clearly written on her face because his expression changed from serious to disappointed. Serious she could deal with. Disappointed made her stomach turn and twist until she felt like a raw human pretzel dipped in salt.
She didn’t have the chance to ask what gift Lauren was referring to. Lauren nodded toward Jesse and what passed between them, unspoken, spoke volumes about life, love, and warrior intent. He walked past Taryn and stopped, not turning to look at her when he spoke.
“So long as you hide from yourself you’ll never be free, Taryn Campbell. And you’ll never be worthy of the Goddess. Keep her safe, Jesse. She won’t be able to defend herself until she has the courage to face the truth of who she is.”
That stung more than it should have considering Taryn didn’t have a flipping clue what Lauren MacBain was talking about. She wasn’t about to get any answers either, because he was out the door before she could form a coherent question.
Taryn turned to see if Jesse could explain, but he too was gone and she was left alone with her thoughts. Never a good place to be.
…
Taryn found Jesse in the flower garden he tended for the residents of Potter’s Woods. The lilies had long since bloomed and Jesse was cutting the stalks in preparation for next year. He didn’t look up as she approached.
“How did you know MacBain wasn’t one of the bad guys at the grove?” Jesse asked as if it didn’t matter, his tone nonchalant.
“He told the man with the limp that I couldn’t swim and was afraid of the water. I think Lauren was trying to keep me from something in the well.” Taryn paused. She hadn’t told anyone, not even Merlin, about what she swallowed. She didn’t know why she didn’t, but until she figured out what she wanted from her life, Taryn planned on keeping her secrets to herself.
“I think he didn’t want me to consume any more of the water than I already had.” Or find anything he didn’t deem me worthy of finding.
“MacBain thinks you can’t swim.”
“No, he doesn’t. That’s the point. We race every Thursday morning at the campus pool. We do the Individual Medley for the first two hundred meters and then we finish it up with another hundred meters of just freestyle. Lauren blows me away in the I.M. He outd
istances me by close to twenty meters with his butterfly alone, but most of the time I pour it on in the last hundred meters and I beat him, not by much, but most of the time I beat him, if only by a stroke.” She shrugged, wondering why it was important to her that Jesse knew she did something, anything, well. She was so angry with him she shouldn’t care what he thought.
“Suffice it to say, the man knows I can swim. And I now understand why Lauren always showed up at the pool dressed like Michael Phelps, rather than in a skimpy Speedo. He wanted, needed to keep his scars a secret.”
Jesse said nothing, just seemed to absorb the information.
“Are you going to stay mad at me forever?”
Jesse looked up. “What gave you the impression I’m mad at you?” The man had the audacity to look puzzled by her question.
Taryn had had enough. Looking down she saw a stick. It wasn’t a big stick, only about a foot and a half long, but it was there for the taking. She picked it up and threw it at Jesse’s head, mildly disappointed when he managed to duck out of the way.
Before she could arm herself again, Taryn turned and walked away. Oblivious to their audience, she continued. “You are the closest thing I have to a true friend here besides Merlin. Now, he’d rather be doted on than spend time with me, and you’ve become be a complete ass. There are times, Jesse Mohr, when I truly dislike you.”
“Well that’s too damn bad for you, because I love you. All the time.”
Her back stiffened at his quietly uttered words, momentarily stopping her retreat. Then she kept on moving away, unsure what kind of havoc she would wreak if she stayed, especially since she still wanted to smuck him upside his head. For someone who professed to love her, he sure had a funny way of showing it. She was sick of him being a surly, snapping, brooding black knight.
If Jesse couldn’t find his inner popcorn-making, sunshine-smiling-self he could just spend his time plotting mayhem while polishing his armor in the dark. This damsel in Jesse-inflicted-distress was leaving the damned dungeon.
…
Jordon stepped out of the woods a few feet from where Jesse was supposed to be weeding, but managed to only be mangling, Henry’s petunias. A sin Henry wouldn’t be forgiving anytime soon. “Well, that went well.”
Jesse looked up at him, didn’t smile, and continued throwing clumps of greenery to the periphery of the garden. Jordon took one step and was in the flower garden, trying to re-root what Jesse managed to unearth.
Jordon stayed there silently, keeping company with Jesse for a moment until his son slowed his pace and sat back on his knees, running filthy hands through sweat damp hair that was too long and looked surprisingly a lot like his. His adoptive son was a lot like him. If Jesse didn’t snap out of it, like Jordon had to all those years ago, he’d lose a magnificent woman who was worthy of him. Jordon shuddered. If he had lost Reed, he’d have lost everything he’d truly wanted or needed. And, he’d still be trying to woo her back and regain his soul.
“What am I going to do?” The look of despair on Jesse’s face tore through Jordon’s heart like a knight’s lance from a galloping horse. Reed would probably have a different answer, but she wasn’t here, a fact for which Jordon was grateful. She’d have his hide for what he was about to say, and while he found sparring with his wife invigorating, when it had to do with their children she was ruthless. Jordon found out long ago he loved making love with his elf a whole lot more than making war.
“You are going to overwhelm your new bride with patience and kindness-”
Jesse made a rude nose that sounded like a snort a three hundred pound pig would envy. Jordon grinned and continued. He too had found that part of the plan difficult to swallow when it was directed at him.
“- then you’re going to stop sneering and scowling and brooding.”
“I don’t brood.” Jesse said, forcibly lessening the scowl that had become his default facial expression since he’d brought Taryn home. Jordon missed his son’s ready laugh and perpetual smile. He wanted both back almost as much as the rest of his family. Forcing him to admit his feelings for Taryn, and getting Jesse to do something productive about it, was the first step to fixing the hash his son was making of his love life.
“You didn’t used to, but you’ve taken to it like a true savant since you brought Taryn home.”
His son looked surprised by the information. Jordon smiled. He wasn’t much of a brooder either, but his wife and her aunt accused him of it often enough. Jordon felt the scowl that thinking of Finn’s displeasure brought and he stopped it in its tracks. No sense showing his son what not to do. Jesse was being a big enough ass all on his own. He didn’t need help from his father.
Jesse raised an eyebrow and managed a ghost of his former smile. “And then?”
Jordon grinned full-out, dancing inside with barely concealed merriment. This is the part of the plan his elf would hate him sharing. “Then you smile and swagger and woo her with gentle touches and your charming wit.”
Jesse laughed. “And when that fails?”
Jordon laughed with him. “Then you make love to her every chance you get. Every where you can. You wear down her defenses brick by brick. You drown her in kindness and sensuality until you win her body.”
“Assuming I’m capable of all that what do I do then?”
Jordon sobered. “You pray she gives you a glimpse of her heart so you stand a fighting chance of winning that too.”
“I am so screwed.”
Jordon got back his good cheer and cupped his son’s cheek. “Probably, but when has that ever stopped you from going forth and conquering?”
Jordon shook his head at his folly using that word. In all the years he’d known his elf, she’d never once been conquered. He seriously doubted it would be any different for either of her daughters, but Jordon kept his mouth shut on that account. Some things a man had to learn on his own.
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
Taryn was throwing what meager belongings she had into the distressed leather satchel she packed to go to England. Keeping her word didn’t mean she had to stay in Jesse’s house. As she recalled he was the one who originally wanted her to stay at Potter’s Woods. Now she was the one who thought that was a grand idea.
Pig-headed-black-hearted-bone-crushing-soul-stealing-black-knight…
Taryn would have gone on, but she ran out of adjectives. She’d work on it and add to the list later.
“You’re talking about my brother.”
Taryn whipped around, managing to knock her satchel off Jesse’s ridiculously large bed, and came face to face with a young girl with dark auburn hair and kind, but assessing, sherry gold eyes. She looked to be about ten, but the intelligence in her eyes and her calm demeanor made her seem years older.
Taryn still couldn’t lie worth a damn, so she didn’t try when she answered. “If you’re Daisy and Jesse’s your brother, then yes I was talking about him. I would have said more but I ran out of nasty words.” She should’ve probably stopped talking, but apparently her mouth didn’t know how. “I also think it’s his fault I’ve started talking to myself.”
Daisy came into the room and started to help Taryn repack. They were done in less than a minute.
“I could help you. We could make a list. For future reference, I mean. I find lists incredibly helpful. We can write down the ones you already have and add new ones as they come.” Daisy smiled encouragingly. “And I think you’re probably right. I get so mad at Jesse sometimes I talk to myself about it too. That’s definitely his fault.” Daisy nodded forcefully as she pulled her eyebrows together, emphasizing her certainty on the subject of brothers and fault and the two going hand-in-hand.
Well at least that was something positive about this day, Taryn thought.
Daisy grabbed Taryn’s hand in one of her small ones, and Taryn’s overstuffed satchel in the other. The kid might be tiny, but she was strong. “Come on. I’ll show you where to stay.” She turned those big brown-gold eyes up at Taryn a
nd continued. “You’re coming to stay at the big house with me and mom and dad and Aunt Finn and Uncle Henry, right?”
Boy, this kid had her spinning in almost as many circles as Jesse did. Crazy must run in the family, Taryn thought. “Is Potter’s Woods the big house?”
“Technically Potter’s Woods is everything, but the big house is on it. Which is kinda funny ‘cause Jesse’s house is bigger than the big house.” Daisy pulled her down the stairs and out the door and then down the path to Taryn’s new home for the next month.
“After I show you to the room mom set up for you, she thought you may want to spend some time with us. Then we can start on the list.”
“What list?”
“The list of everything that’s wrong with Jesse, of course. That way you’ll never forget and all you’ll have to do is add to it. It’ll be fun. I bet mom and Aunt Finn will help too. Dad doesn’t like the list ‘cause one time we made one for him. So, he won’t help. But I bet we could get Uncle Shay to add a word or two.”
Taryn thought about the absurdity of that for about a tenth of a second, then smiled at her half sister whom she had no trouble loving immediately, crazy and all. “I like it. I’ll title it: The Never-Ending List of Things I Hate About Black Knights, May Their Armor Rust and Their Loyal Steeds Throw Them Then Step on Their Feet so They Have to Walk With a Limp and It’s Easier For Their Victims to Run Away.”
Daisy cocked her head up at Taryn, the splattering of light freckles across her nose and cheeks as she frowned made Taryn want to hug her. The sincerity in her words made Taryn want to kiss her.
“That’s kinda long for a title. Maybe you should just use something like: The Why Jesse Stinks List.” Daisy giggled.
Taryn laughed with Daisy giving her a quick hug and a kiss on the top of the head. “Stinky Black Knight List, it is.”
…
Mari wasn’t sure what she thought of the fact that Shay lived with Jesse. It was an incredibly large home and there was more than enough room for two families, but why didn’t Shay have his own place? It was weird enough staying in a home where she had to worry about Shay stepping out of one of six bathrooms wearing nothing but a towel slung low over his hips. She didn’t want to encounter Jesse like that. Mari swallowed hard, trying to will the heat of her ever-changing body away. One thought of her Sham naked and she was eighteen again and ready for action.