Bound by Blood (Cauld Ane Series)

by Tracey Jane Jackson

  She straightened and nodded. “Yes. But now I’m just more confused.”

  “How so?”

  She sighed. “The blood doesn’t match.”

  “What do you mean?” he asked, intrigued.

  “Just a second.” She pulled the slide from the microscope, and after notating something in a file, she placed the glass in a box. Once she finished, she pulled off her gloves and hair covering.

  Kade fisted his hands behind his back in an effort not to run his fingers through the glorious tresses now cascading down her back.

  She waved him over to the computer terminal in the corner of the lab. “Let me show you what I found.” She tapped her fingers over the keyboard and then stepped back. A split screen showed two blood samples. “When I looked at the fresh sample, that’s the one on the left, the platelets aren’t doing what they’re supposed to. So that would lead me to believe the patient’s blood doesn’t clot correctly.”

  “Right.”

  She pointed to the one on the right. “But the one that was refrigerated looks perfect. Except for the faint blue sheen.”

  “Blue sheen?”

  “It’s strange.” She sighed. “I probably just need to recalibrate the microscope.”

  Kade stared at her and couldn’t stop his smile. She was staring at the screen, her mouth puckering into an adorable “O” that made him want to kiss her until she couldn’t breathe.

  “But I do think we’ll need a few more samples,” she said. “I’m sorry.”

  “That won’t be a problem. We can do that over the next week or two.”

  She nodded. “Good. I’d like to take the samples myself, if you don’t object. I don’t want the chance of anything going wrong.”

  That posed a potential problem. Until she knew and accepted the truth about him and his people, he wouldn’t be able to trust she’d keep the differences in the blood secret, but Kade nodded anyway. He’d talk with his brothers and they’d come up with a solution.

  “Are you ready for lunch?”

  Sam wrinkled her nose. “I feel like I just ate, to be honest.”

  “We try to adhere to a strict meal schedule here. You’ll get used to it.”

  Sam hung her lab coat on a hook. “At this rate, I’m going to need to run an extra six miles to work off the calories.”

  Kade thought she could stand to gain a few pounds, but didn’t voice his opinion. He held the lab door open for her and followed her to her office.

  “Do I need to bring anything with me?” she asked.

  “No. We’ll be eating in the executive dining room.”

  She chuckled. “You have an executive dining room?”

  Before he could comment, her cell phone buzzed. “Excuse me.” She pressed the answer button. “Pepper? Everything okay?”

  What kind of a name is Pepper?

  “It’s good,” Samantha continued. “I’m actually headed to lunch, can I call you later? I know I don’t. Long story. Yep. Yep, exactly. Okay. Bye.” She smiled up at Kade. “Sorry. That was my friend, Pepper. I don’t usually take personal calls at work, but we’ve been having a difficult time connecting since I arrived.”

  “Pepper?” Kade raised an eyebrow. “That sounds like such an American name.”

  Samantha laughed, a musical sound that caused a physical reaction within Kade. “I know. Her real name is Persephone.” She gasped and slapped her hand over her mouth.

  “What’s wrong?”

  She shook her head and groaned. “I can’t believe I just told you that. I have never ever told another soul, not even my brother.”

  Kade’s heart stuttered and he took a deep breath. “It’ll be our secret.”

  Sam grinned. “Thank you. You may have just saved my life.”

  He laughed.

  “No, really. Pepper would kill me if she knew I told anyone!” she said.

  “I’ll keep that in mind.”

  * * *

  After locking her office, Samantha followed Dr. Gunnach to the top floor. She wondered when the white coats would arrive to take her away. I mean, really. Aliens must have invaded her body, because she just didn’t act like this! She didn’t tell long-kept secrets to strange men, and she certainly didn’t turn into a puddle of goo every time one of them smiled at her.

  “Does your friend like pomegranates?” Kade asked.

  Sam’s eyes widened. “You know your ancient mythology, I see.”

  He smiled. “You could say that.”

  “She used to. But I’ve ruined that for her, I’m afraid.”

  “How?”

  “Whenever I find anything pomegranate related, I buy it for her. We’ve been friends since second grade, so I’ve given her a lot of pomegranate candles, pictures, mugs, jewelry. You name it, I’ve given it to her. When people see her collection, they assume she must love them, and they buy her the fresh fruit when it’s in season. She actually hates the taste.”

  “I suppose if she were to admit her distaste, people would ask her why in the world she collects them, and that would mean she’d have to tell them her real name, eh?”

  “You’re quite intuitive, Dr. Gunnach.”

  He sighed. “Kade, please.”

  She lowered her head. “I couldn’t.”

  “Yes. You absolutely could.” The gentlest touch on her arm caused a jolt of energy to run through her and she looked up at him. He smiled and she bit the inside of her cheek in an effort not to sigh like a star-struck teenager.

  Sam wondered how she could possibly call the sexiest man she’d ever met by the sexiest name she’d ever heard and not be a blithering idiot whenever she said it out loud. “I’ll tell you what. When there’s no one around, I’ll call you Kade, but since I haven’t heard anyone else do it, I just don’t feel comfortable doing that publicly.”

  “Several people call me Kade. My brothers work here on occasion, along with Angus, and a few others.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Well, obviously your family would, but so far, I haven’t heard anyone else in the office call you anything other than Dr. Gunnach, so I won’t either. As for me, you have free rein to call me Samantha or Sam…as does Angus…and anyone else in the office.”

  Samantha felt his response, and didn’t need to look at his face to know what he would look like. It was as if a jungle cat were holding back the need to strike.

  She glanced up at him and he smiled, so she smiled back. Maybe she was wrong. The elevator doors opened and she stepped into a lobby of sorts. She felt the soft touch of his hand on her lower back and the words “ástin mín” floated in her mind.

  “Did you say something?”

  Kade shook his head, but his expression was one of mild surprise as he dropped his hand and nodded toward a set of double doors. “This way.”

  Sam followed Kade to the large doors and he used his keycard to gain entry. He pulled open a door and waited for her to precede him inside. A small group of people mingled around the room, including Payton, who smiled and made her way toward her. “Hello, Saman—Dr. Moore, how has your first day been so far?”

  “Quite good.” Sam smiled. “Thank you for asking.”

  “Why don’t I introduce you to everyone?” Kade suggested.

  Payton lowered her eyes and stepped away from Sam. Sam couldn’t help but reach out and give her arm a squeeze. Payton caught her eye, her expression one of shock. Sam smiled and waited for her to smile back before following Kade to the rest of the group.

  Sam couldn’t figure out why everyone was so afraid of Kade. As she took in the people in the room, they all had the same reaction to him. First they lowered their eyes and then they lowered their heads. It wasn’t until Kade was speaking directly to them that they’d engage with him. They didn’t have any issues interacting with each other, but there was something different about Kade.

  Then Sam caught sight of one of the most stunning women she’d ever seen. Tall, with long blonde hair, she didn’t seem at all intimidated by Kade. She wore an obscenel
y tight mini-skirt that showed off perfectly shaped legs, and four-inch heels that bordered on hooker shoes.

  The woman smiled, her eyes lingering on Kade for several seconds, and then she focused on Samantha and stepped forward. “You must be our new researcher,” she said. “Kade’s told me a bit about you. Welcome. I’m Shannon Fraser. I understand you’re American. I have always wanted to visit. It seems so…I don’t know, what’s the word? Unrefined? As though it’s waiting to be discovered.”

  Sam tried not to smirk. “I believe Columbus beat you to it.”

  “I suppose he did.” Shannon let out a forced laughed as she held her hand out to Samantha. “It’s nice to meet you. That’s what you Americans say, isn’t it?”

  Condescending much?

  Sam shook her hand and tried to appear genuinely happy to meet her. Her nervousness came back in droves. “It’s nice to meet you too.”

  Kade’s hand fluttered across her lower back and Sam felt instantly at ease again.

  “Dr. Moore, this is Brodie, Connall, and Fiona. Unfortunately, we’re related,” Kade said.

  Brodie scoffed. “Only when we choose to acknowledge you.”

  Fiona wrinkled her nose. “Speak for yeself.”

  Connall laughed as he held his hand out. “Ignore them, Dr. Moore, they might go on all day.”

  This one must be the charmer of the family.

  Connall’s hair was lighter than Kade’s and swept away from his face. He reminded her of Dalton. Tall and lanky, fit but not too buff. She figured he had no problem finding women. His smile was one of practiced ease.

  Samantha shook his hand. “It’s nice to meet you. Please, call me Samantha.”

  Connall glanced at Kade and then smiled down at her. “Samantha.”

  The brothers were all similar in looks—blondish hair, blue eyes, and chiseled jaws, although Kade and Connall looked the most alike. And they all looked young. Much younger than any of the men she knew who ran successful companies.

  Brodie, whose hair was short, military style, looked like someone who wouldn’t back down from a fight. He also looked like he spent hours in the gym. His shoulders were so wide, she imagined he’d have to turn sideways to get through a door.

  Okay, maybe that was a little over-exaggeration, but still, he was huge.

  Once Connall and Brodie were finished with their greetings, Angus laid his hand on Fiona’s back and guided her forward. “Fiona is my ma—”

  Kade cleared his throat. “Please, excuse me.”

  Angus raised an eyebrow and then focused back on Samantha. “Fiona is my fiancée.”

  Sam smiled. “It’s nice to meet you.”

  “It’s nice to meet you too,” Fiona said. She had dark hair and was close to Sam’s height. She was stunning, with her light complexion and flawless skin.

  “Don’t be intimidated by the Gunnach clan,” Shannon said. “Their bark’s worse than their bite.”

  Sam nodded, feeling like she was being sized up by the competition.

  Did Shannon have some kind of a relationship with Kade?

  Kade stayed glued to Sam most of the hour. And Sam made sure she stayed close to Payton, mostly because she felt comfortable with her. Also present were a few of the lab technicians she’d met earlier that morning, and Anna joined them, along with Duncan.

  Overall the group was friendly, but she felt their reserve as well. Even Payton, whom she’d had easy conversation with earlier, seemed to hold back and watch what she said to Samantha. Sam noticed that the majority of the group was careful about what they said to her and it put her more on edge…if that was possible.

  Lunch wrapped up at exactly one. The group moved out of the room en masse and Sam followed. Kade wasn’t far behind her and asked that she meet with him in his office instead of going straight back to the lab.

  As the group waited for the elevators, Sam shook everyone’s hands again. “Thanks for making me feel so welcome. I look forward to working with all of you.”

  “Will you follow me, please?” Kade asked.

  “Of course,” Sam said.

  Kade guided her to his office and Anna stood with her head bowed behind her desk until they had passed. Kade stepped aside and let Sam enter his office first before closing the door.

  “May I ask you a personal question?” she asked.

  Kade raised an eyebrow. “You can ask me anything you like.”

  “Are you some kind of royalty?”

  “Excuse me?”

  She shook her head. “Sorry. Stupid question. Just ignore me.”

  Kade smiled. “It’s not a stupid question, Samantha. It just caught me by surprise.”

  Okay, if a heart could stop beating and a person could still live, Sam figured it would feel a bit like how she was feeling at the moment. His lips saying her name just about had her sinking to her knees in a puddle of…well…goo. Goo was the only way to explain it. She felt gooey.

  Sam smiled, or tried to anyway. “Never mind, don’t pay any attention.”

  “How about I promise to answer the question, but a little later? When we know each other better.”

  That held promise.

  Sam nodded. “So what did you want to see me about?”

  “Honestly?” He grinned. “I just thought you might like a little time to decompress after being bombarded by all those people.”

  She let out the breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding. “Oh, thank you.”

  Kade removed his jacket and laid it over one of the chairs. “I also thought you might like to know where the best jogging trail in Edinburgh is.”

  Okay, now she was a bit disconcerted by how little he missed.

  She grinned. “I’d love it. I think I may need to start as early as tomorrow morning at the rate I’m going.”

  He led her to the bank of windows and pointed to the west. “That block of buildings there is where your flat will be. Just past that purview, you should see a trail in between a group of trees.”

  As she watched Kade point out various parts of the university campus and outbuildings, Sam couldn’t help but notice his muscles ripple beneath his crisp white shirt. She suddenly wondered if her ridiculousness knew no bounds. She was noticing the man’s physique, obsessing over it, really. She waited for a break in his information and made her escape. She needed to remember she was there to do a job, not fawn over the hot doctor.

  CHAPTER SIX

  SAM HEADED BACK to her office and hit Pepper’s number as she closed the door.

  “Sammi?”

  Sam sighed in relief. “Thank God.”

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Pepper, I’m in trouble.”

  “Why, what happened?” she squeaked.

  “I think I might be falling in lust,” Sam admitted.

  There was a brief pause and then the sound of guffawing laughter and the whinny of horses in the background.

  Sam dropped her head back against the door. “Pepper?”

  “You totally freaked me out! I thought you were really in trouble!”

  “I’m sorry. I just don’t know what to do. I’ve never ever felt this way before.”

  “I know you haven’t.” Pepper was still laughing. “Who are you lusting over?”

  “My boss!”

  “Not the hottie on the plane?”

  “Who? Oh, no. He’s cute, but nothing compared to my boss. Pepper, he looks like he stepped off the cover of a romance novel, and on top of that, he has this incredible voice. He’s Scottish, but there’s something else there. If Alexander Skarsgård and Craig Ferguson had a baby, he’d sound like him. He has long hair and his name’s Kade, for freak’s sake. Kade! Did his parents do that to ensure every woman on the planet would want to procreate with him?”

  “Long hair ala Brad Pitt in Legends?” Pepper asked, a hopeful sound in her voice.

  “Think Keith Urban.”

  “Ooh…even better,” she said breathlessly. “Holy cow. I might need to push my flight up.”
/>
  “I’m losing it, Pep. Seriously, I think this might have been a mistake.” Sam pushed away from the door and sat down at her desk. “I think I should come home.”

  “Don’t you dare!” Pepper snapped. “You might be shy, Samantha Christene Moore, but you are no coward. Plus, this is your dream job.”

  Sam sighed. “I know, I know. I just don’t know what to do. You know my rule.”

  “No mixing business with pleasure, yeah, yeah,” Pepper droned. “Maybe throw that rule in the air and shoot the hell out of it.”

  “That’s not a good idea.”

  “How do you know? Take a chance for once, Sam. What’s the worst that could happen?”

  “I could lose my job.”

  “One you don’t actually need, right now, anyway. You have money saved, so if you had to come home and look for another job, you could.”

  Sam sighed. “True. I just don’t know if I feel that brave.”

  “Brave, schmave.”

  Sam snorted.

  “Does this fall into the category of being hit by a bolt of lightning wrapped in a rainbow?”

  Sam couldn’t stop a giggle. “Oh, Pep. Yes. Really, you should have been an ad-man.”

  “Let me tell you what you’re going to do. You’re going to throw caution to the wind and embrace whatever comes your way. Especially, if it’s some hot Scottish guy.”

  “Pepper, he’s not interested in me.”

  “How do you know? He could be feeling the same thing you are.”

  Sam let out a snort of derision. “Ever the romantic, I see.”

  “Do me a favor.”

  “What?”

  “Just go with it. If it’s meant to happen, then let it happen. Fall in love if you can.”

  “No! Falling in love with your boss is about as useful as a screen door on a submarine.”

  “Well, shut my mouth,” Pepper retorted in a mock southern accent. “I mean, even a blind squirrel bumps into an acorn now and then.”

  “Pepper, stop. I just need to know what to do until you get here.”

  Pepper chuckled. “I just told you.”

  “You’re no help.”

  “Okay, how about this?” The clank of a gate latching sounded in the background. “Try to get a glimpse of him naked. Maybe he’s a troll under his clothing.”