“Have ye saved many Lost Ones?” she asked.
“Nay enough. I dinnae care to think on how many were lost to us forever.” He shook his head. “I ken of far too many who left Cambrun and ne’er returned, too. The saddest thing is that we need new blood; we need Outsiders. Yet too many who try to join with one end up like Arailt.”
“Why do ye need us? ’Tis odd that ye would claim a need for people ye dinnae trust.”
“Our people, the full-blooded MacNachtons, the Purebloods, cannae conceive. We have wed amongst our own for too long. The only ones born to the clan now are ones born of a mating between a MacNachton and an Outsider.” A harsh laugh escaped him. “So there is a fine choice for us, aye? We die when we stay outside of Cambrun to find a mate and we die if we dinnae. We just do it a wee bit more slowly.”
Adeline could think of nothing to say to dispute that or comfort him, so she asked, “Are ye a Pureblood?”
“Nay. There is some Outsider blood in me that came through my mother. My great-grandsire brought it into the family, I believe. Unlike too many of the old ones, he actually kept an eye out for any child he might have bred on a woman and fetched it home. The reason we have Lost Ones is that too many of our men didnae do that. Why should they have? They didnae think they could breed children. It wasnae until one of our clan began to record everything he could about the clan and we found a Lost One that we realized we could breed a child, just nay with anyone of strong MacNachton blood. The man making the records bred one himself.”
Such a sad tale, she thought as she inched a little closer to the warmth of the fire. The cave they sheltered in was surprisingly well supplied but it was still a dank, cold hole in the rocks and that cold damp had sunk into her bones. So had the sadness, that hint of hopelessness, behind Lachann’s words. Adeline did not understand why the MacNachtons were as they were, but they were God’s creatures. It did not seem right that they faced such a bleak future, that their search for a mate, for children to carry on their name, too often brought them only death. It was such a simple wish, one shared by most people.
Then again, she mused, their differences made them a threat. She did not know the full extent of those differences but life with Osgar and her brief time with Lachann gave her a good idea of many of them. The need to drink blood was, of a certainty, the most alarming. She could easily understand how that could breed fear in people. That feral look both Osgar and Lachann got, those sharp fangs, only added to that fear. It revealed the predator under the skin. So too did Lachann appear to be a lot stronger and faster than other men. Those traits alone were enough to make people antagonistic to them but she suspected there were others. The only weakness she knew of was how they needed to avoid the sun. It was one that could be used as a weapon against them.
“But ye are safe at Cambrun, aye? And Osgar will be safe?”
“As safe as anyone can be and he will be cherished as all of our children are.”
Adeline nodded. It broke her heart to even think of leaving Osgar, but she would force herself to do it. Lachann had still not said that she had to leave once they reached Cambrun but he had not invited her to stay, either. She ached to ask him if she could, but bit back the words. If Lachann’s attitude toward those who were not of his clan was any indication, she might well find herself a very unwanted guest. She had already had a bellyful of being an outcast.
Deciding she could not think of that or she might grab Osgar and try to run far away, she turned her thoughts to the need to wash before she sought her bed next to a sleeping Osgar. A glance around the cave told her there was no privacy to be had yet she desperately wanted to wash away the smell of pony. She was going to have to trust Lachann to be a gentleman. It was either that or go to her rough bed smelling like her pony and she could not abide the thought of that.
“I need to wash,” she said and looked at him. “Can I trust ye to keep your eyes on the fire?” She blushed when he quirked one dark brow at her. “There is nary a spot in this cave where I can wash in privacy but I need to rid myself of the smell of pony.”
Lachann nodded. “I will keep my gaze upon the fire.” He smiled faintly. “Mayhap ye can save some of that water ye have heated for me.”
“Aye, I will.”
She quickly grabbed the heavy pot she had set by the fire to warm the water and gathered up what she needed to wash and to don fresh linen. The guilt she felt over using so much of the little water she had brought was easily banished. Adeline was sure she would be able to refill her small water keg soon.
The back of the cave was shrouded in shadows where the light from the fire did not reach. Adeline chose that spot for her wash, sighing a little over how meager a wash it would be. After a glance over her shoulder showed her that Lachann was staring at the fire as he had promised, she began to shed her clothes.
Lachann managed to hold to his word even as he heard her clothing drop. It was when he heard the silvery rustle of the water and the soft sighs she made as she washed that his control broke. Cautiously he turned his head just enough to see her out of the corner of his eye and caught his breath so quickly and sharply he nearly coughed and gave himself away.
Adeline might be small and slender, but she was womanly enough to tempt a saint, and he was no saint. Her hips were nicely curved, her buttocks taut and round, perfect for a man to grasp hold of as he loved her. Each time she bent to dampen the cloth she washed with, he could see the curve of her breasts, plump, round breasts with the nipples taut from the faintly chill air in the cave. His mouth watered with the need to taste them. Her skin was pale, glistening faintly where it was wet, and unmarked. She was beautiful, a temptation on two long, slender legs.
He turned his gaze fully back to the fire. His whole body ached with the need to go over there and touch her, touch that skin, and trace every womanly curve. It was going to take a while for him to rid his body of all the obvious signs of that need. It had been a mistake to sneak a peek like some untried lad just starting to be fascinated with women, he decided. The sight of her naked, of her slim, womanly beauty, was going to haunt him for a very long time.
By the time she rejoined him by the fire, Lachann was once again in control of his body. He frowned a little as he saw that her hair was wet. “Ye washed your hair?”
Adeline blushed. “I but rinsed it off in the pot. It wasnae easy, but I didnae wish to use all the water, so it seemed the only way to keep my word that there would be warm water for you and my hair would be cleaned. I left the rag to wash with and the drying cloth over there. The water was still warm but I could reheat it a little if ye wish.”
“Nay. ’Tis enough that it isnae as cold as the water in a loch or stream.” He stood up and grinned down at her. “I willnae make ye promise to keep your eyes on the fire. Look your fill if ye want.” He laughed when she glared at him and then turned her head to firmly stare into the fire.
A moment later, Adeline decided that the man was making a lot of noise on purpose. He was even singing softly to himself. She was trying to forget his words but hearing him shedding his clothes, knowing he was standing there naked, made it impossible. Look your fill if ye want, he had said. Adeline was ashamed to admit that she did want to look her fill but the very last thing she wanted was for him to see her do so.
As carefully as she could, she moved her head only enough to see him out of the corner of her eye, using the brushing of her damp hair as a shield for any movement he might perceive. She drew her breath in hard, but as softly as she could when she saw him. He looked a big, strong man in his clothes; without them he looked like some ancient god the pagans worshipped.
His back was broad and unscarred, the taut, smooth muscles moving gracefully as he washed himself. If asked before this moment, Adeline would have heartily denied seeing any fascination in the sight of a man’s backside. But one look at Lachann’s well-shaped rump had her swallowing hard. His legs were long and strong yet not thick with muscle. When he turned slightly to rub the washing ra
g over his belly, she saw his manhood. It was not nestled in the thick hair at his groin as the few she had glimpsed in the past when tending to sick men, but long, rigid, and standing slightly out from his body.
Quickly returning her gaze to the fire, even though she did not really see it, Adeline prayed she had not gasped. She had certainly felt like doing so. And why, she wondered, did the sight of Lachann MacNachton naked make her so warm, so unsteady in heart and limb? She was trembling as if she had walked about naked in the snow yet not because she was cold. In fact, if she did not shake the image of him from her mind, she would not be surprised if she started sweating.
A few deep, slow breaths later, Adeline was calmer. She knew she would not be able to forget what Lachann looked like beneath his clothes but she was confident that she could hide the knowledge she had just gained. Then he strolled over to sit down beside her and her heart leapt up into her throat. He was sitting too close. The heat of his body was infecting her, seeping into her blood. She set her brush down and clenched her hands in her lap, fighting against the urge to touch the smooth skin she had just seen. She wondered if she could move away without looking like a fool.
Lachann grinned at the pale flush on Adeline’s cheeks. He had known she was looking at him. It troubled him a little that knowing she was had excited him, sent desire burning through his veins. That had never happened before. Lachann was not sure he liked it. It was a weakness and could be used against him. A small voice in his head whispered that Adeline would never play such games but he silenced it.
He leaned closer to her, inhaling the clean scent of her. “Ye peeked,” he said softly, idly wondering what she would do if he licked her delicate ear.
“Nay, I didnae,” she hastily denied and was not surprised when he laughed, the heat of his breath against her ear making her shiver.
“Aye, ye did. I could tell.”
She turned her head to try and deny his accusation again, only to find their faces so close their noses touched. “Ye are a vain mon to think that a lass couldnae stare at a fire rather than at ye. I was brushing my hair.”
“And glorious hair it is.” He reached out and ran his fingers through the thick tendrils of her hair, fascinated by how the light of the fire made the red of her hair glow. “A delight to the eye.”
“ ’Tis a witch’s hair.”
“Nay. That is naught but foolish superstition. Just because it carries all the brightness and color of fire doesnae mean ’tis hellborn.”
The gentle stroke of his hands in her hair made Adeline’s heart beat so fast she feared it could burst. He was so close to her, his golden eyes warm and intense. If she leaned just a little bit closer she could touch her mouth to his, could taste him. Just as she began to push that wild thought out of her mind, he leaned closer to her. The moment he touched his lips to hers, she was lost in a maelstrom of sensations and emotions she had never felt before, nor fully understood. Her only clear thought was dinnae stop.
The voice of caution told Lachann to pull away. He ignored it. He threaded his fingers through her thick, soft hair and held her face close to his as he kissed her. Her lips were soft and warm, and he quickly grew unsatisfied with the gentle kiss they shared. He nudged at her mouth with his tongue and after a brief hesitation she parted her lips. The soft murmur of delight that escaped her as he explored the inner heat of her mouth was sweet music to his ears.
He could hear the rapid beat of her heart, the breathlessness that made her pant softly. Lachann released her mouth and touched his lips to her throat. Adeline tilted her head back in a gesture of surrender that had him desperate to push her down, to spread her lithe body beneath him. It was not until he felt the sharp ache in his teeth, realized he was but one heartbeat away from marking her, from tasting her hot blood, that he came to his senses.
Adeline found herself released and sitting by herself so quickly she suffered a moment of dizziness. She looked up at Lachann, who stood with his arms crossed over his chest glaring at the waning fire. There were no soft words, no hint that he had even kissed her with such heat and skill that she would have given him anything he asked for. A chill went through Adeline, pushing away the last of the heat he had stirred within.
“Lachann?” Adeline was not sure what to say or how to ask what had just happened without sounding like she was begging for more. Her pride would not allow that.
“That was a mistake,” said Lachann without looking at her.
Those four coldly spoken words hurt so much she nearly gasped from the pain. Adeline stood up and brushed off her skirts. She stiffened her legs when she swayed slightly, not wanting him to see any sign of her pain or weakness. What she had believed a wondrous thing, he saw as no more than taking a kiss from an easily available woman. Obviously he had suddenly recalled his role as her protector, or Osgar, and doused the fire she had felt in him. It could not have been a very hot fire, she thought bitterly, or it would not have died so quickly.
“I see,” she murmured. “As you wish. I will get some sleep now.”
“Do so. I will wake you and Osgar when it is safe for us to journey farther.”
Adeline smothered the urge to kick him hard in his handsome backside and walked over to where Osgar slept, innocent of the turmoil around him. She settled herself beside the boy with her back toward Lachann and pulled the blanket over them both. The way Osgar immediately snuggled up against her did little to ease the pain in her heart and the shame she was determined to banish. She curled her arm around his little body, rested her cheek against his soft hair, and closed her eyes.
Lachann stared blindly at the fire until he heard Adeline’s breathing become slow and even. Only then did he chance a look at her. He smiled crookedly when he saw that she kept her back to him.
He had insulted her, even hurt her. He had heard it in her voice. Lachann decided that was for the best, as it would ensure that she stayed away from him. Only then could he be sure that he would not give in to the insane urge to mark her. MacNachtons marked only their mates and he was not going to bind himself to an Outsider.
Chapter Five
Adeline wanted to pace. The effort it took to stand still made her muscles ache. She knew they needed supplies but she did not trust even this tidy village by a loch. Villagers quickly recognized a stranger in their midst and they all distrusted strangers, watched them closely. That was wise but it could also be a threat to any strangers passing through. Lachann had a lot to hide. It was dangerous for him to go anywhere that he would be watched closely. He had shrugged off her concerns, however, with an arrogance that had made her ache to hit him over the head with something heavy.
Guilt nearly choked her. It was her fault they needed supplies. She had not planned well for her journey, the food she had brought quickly disappearing along with what Lachann had carried with him. The excuse that she had never made a journey before was not enough to pardon her for bad planning. Adeline did not know why they could not just eat rabbit or fish until they reached Cambrun, either.
She sighed, staring at the village even though the increasing darkness made it difficult for her to see much more than faint lights in a few windows. Lachann had so easily ignored her concerns that she suspected he had done this kind of thing many times before. Raiding a village in the night, however, felt too much like thievery to her, and thieves were swiftly hanged.
Just the thought of Lachann in danger caused her heart to pound so hard it was painful and her belly to cramp with fear. Adeline did not understand her feelings for the man. She had known him for only four days and he had not been particularly friendly. Lachann made his mistrust of Outsiders all too clear and clung to it tenaciously, keeping a polite distance from them.
Except for that kiss, she thought and touched her mouth. She could still feel the warmth of his lips, the searing heat of his kiss, even two days later. Lachann had coldly declared that the kiss was a mistake and made it very clear that he had no intention of giving her another. Adeline badly wanted a
nother, however, weak fool that she was. It puzzled her, for she had never been attracted to a man in all her two and twenty years. She did not trust men and yet she trusted Lachann with Osgar’s life, and her own. But all Lachann had to do was smile at her, something he had done little of since that kiss, and all the strength went out of her legs. Her wits went begging as well.
“Ye had best come back safe and hale, Lachann MacNachton,” she muttered.
“He will,” said Osgar from where he sat by her feet piling up little rocks. “He is a big, strong mon.”
Adeline looked at Osgar. “Big, strong men can still be hurt, my bonnie lad. But, aye, mayhap I worry too much.”
“Aye, ye do.” Osgar scowled. “I dinnae like villages. Bad people live there and always want to do bad things.”
“I am certain there are some good people there, too, Osgar.” Adeline sighed when Osgar looked at her as if she were completely lacking in wits. “I ken we havenae met any, sad to say, but I am certain there are some.” I just pray Lachann meets only good people if he has to meet any at all.
The sound of rustling leaves drew Adeline’s attention away from her concern for Lachann. She frowned, for there was no wind. It was also too much noise to be made by some small forest creature. She turned to look behind her and tensed. The Hunters had found them.
Three men rushed forward as she grabbed Osgar up off the ground. Adeline tried to run to the ponies but the men moved faster than she could. Cursing them, she struggled to hold fast to Osgar when one of the men tried to pull the child from her arms. She kicked the man, aiming for his groin but only catching him high on his thigh. The blow staggered him enough that for one brief heady moment, he loosened his hold on Osgar. Just as she tried again to move toward the ponies something very hard slammed into the side of her head.
Born to Bite Bundle Page 31