Carlton, Amber - Trinity Magic (Siren Publishing Romance)

by Amber Carlton

  Somehow he had managed to be transported—was that a real thing?—out of his safe little world and into the seventh level of Hell. He thought he might be in for a rough time. He didn’t fit here. The way the Donovan woman looked at him made that clear.

  Flynn’s inspection had proved he couldn’t walk around in what he wore. Ragtag? His clothes were conservative and practical, but ragtag? Hell, they obviously weren’t good enough in this Colonial utopia. After seeing Flynn’s elaborate outfit for a morning of island-hopping, he realized his clothes would have to go. He couldn’t continue to wear an Oxford shirt, a pair of Nikes, and jeans, even if they were good old American Levi’s. Levi’s wouldn’t be invented for another… Christ, he hadn’t majored in math. Leave that problem to someone else.

  Where would he sleep? The little beauty across the table had made it abundantly clear he wasn’t welcome and had complicated her life. Sex issues. Power issues. Commitment issues. He would figure out her major problem later. She didn’t like him and didn’t trust him. She would probably murder him in his sleep. That would severely hamper his courting ritual, but he would deal.

  And it seemed he would probably starve to death. Or, at the very least, lose a lot of pounds he couldn’t really afford to lose.

  He brought the spoonful of gruel to his mouth and took a tentative bite. He waited for his body to reject it but found it surprisingly okay. A little bland, but he doubted she could run down to the store to get spices. She probably had to grow her own. He took another bite, then another.

  “Not too bad,” he said.

  “I’m sorry if ’tis not what you’re used to eating in… Where did you say?”

  “Virginia,” he said, spooning more mash into his mouth.

  “’Tis in Virginia we are,” she said.

  “North,” he mumbled.

  “’Tis nothing north of here, except for the savages.”

  “I came on a ship. Stranded after a terrible storm. I haven’t seen Stephen in years, but hey, family’s got to take you in, right?”

  “Master Kendall, you be a most unusual—”

  “Arleigh,” he said quietly.

  She stopped talking and tilted her head in an incredibly adorable way. She made it hard. Shrew one minute, beautiful fairy princess the next. He knew he wouldn’t be able to keep his hands off her for long.

  “Call me Ryder.”

  She nodded and offered him a very small smile. He would take it. He smiled back.

  “Not to bring up a bad subject,” he said. “I don’t know exactly how long I’ll be here. I realize now I wasn’t very prepared for this.”

  “No one is e’er prepared to be…what did you say? Stranded?”

  “Right. No preparation at all. A horrible shipwreck. No survivors. I lost everything. Walked for days and days. I’m lucky to be alive.”

  Arleigh nodded. “You look amazingly fit and healthy. And very clean. After walking days and days.”

  Ryder stirred his mash. “What I’m trying to say is—”

  “You can stay in Stephen’s room. You’re his brother, and ’tis probably your property ’til Fiana comes of age. The cottage and the island belong to you. Seems I might belong to you, as well.”

  Ryder’s head snapped up. A smile spread across his face. “Hey, he barely flinched.”

  “’Tis not what I meant,” Arleigh muttered. “I appreciate your chivalry, but I meant you own me. Legally.”

  Ryder laughed. “Oh, come on, what do you mean I own you? Oh, wait I keep—”

  Arleigh tilted her head, but she peered at him with suspicion. She opened her mouth and leaned closer, poised to ask a question.

  Great, Kendall, just great. Keep up the charade. You’ve almost blown it.

  He held up his hands, shaking his head. “I meant I could never own anyone. I don’t believe in that sort of thing.”

  He thought maybe he’d pulled it off. She closed her mouth and leaned back on the bench.

  “You may want to reevaluate your value system, Master Kendall. You be in Virginia now, and people own people. ’Tis the way of it. I’m your indenture. I belong to you, whether you want me or not.”

  Oh, I want you, Arleigh. If you only knew the dirty thoughts running through my mind right now.

  He shook his head. Had he said that out loud? No, she had gone back to eating, so he couldn’t have said it out loud, not without some kind of comment from her. She had an argument for everything. She couldn’t keep her mouth shut. In fact, she still talked.

  “You have every right to ask me to leave. Perhaps I won’t fit into whatever future you see for Trinity. You could sell my indenture.” She peeked up at him, and her voice became soft, almost a whisper. “If that’s what you wanted to do.”

  “No.” His heart beat faster. She sucked all of the strength out of him. He felt like a high-school boy again. He couldn’t take his eyes off her. “That’s not what I’d want to do. Not even close.”

  Her brow furrowed, but thankfully she shrugged it off, thinking him plain odd. Better she thought him odd than know how much she affected him. A small smile touched her lips.

  “’Tis not certain how much longer I’ll be with you in either case. Cameron has other plans.”

  “Look, Arleigh, I don’t know what kind of relationship you two have, but I can keep him away from you while I’m here.”

  “’Tis not possible now. I’m an indentured woman, and though your being here might help, ’twill not solve everything. You may find Cameron’s solution the only one.”

  “I’m pretty sure Cameron and I wouldn’t see eye to eye on anything. Including you. How long will I own you?”

  “Your brother purchased my indenture for five years. ’Tis six months I’ve been on Trinity, and I’ve been happy here. Stephen was a kind man, but you know that. He treated all of us well, but ’tis raise his daughters I have and cared for his home and own self.”

  Ryder nodded. He wanted to know what kind of care she had provided for Stephen. He didn’t know where the frying pan had gone, but he didn’t want to take the chance of another beating, so he kept quiet. Curiosity also raged through him about the relationship she had with Flynn, but that wasn’t his business, at least not yet. She was a grown woman and had made some seriously bad choices.

  Arleigh shifted uncomfortably on the bench. She seemed unable to meet his eyes. When he’d left the cottage and seen her locked in another man’s arms, an insane jealousy had flooded through him. In one instant, he had wanted to pulverize the man and grab Arleigh for his own. Craziness. He’d known her only a few hours. Yet even now something about her made him feel like he’d known her and loved her forever. He thought he knew exactly how to touch her to make her come. He’d like to get her into the bedroom and check his instincts. He wanted to reach across the table and take her chin in his hand—

  “So you see, ’tis wrong I was about everything,” she said.

  He blinked stupidly and found he had half-risen from the table. Arleigh gave him one of her looks. He dropped back onto the bench and tried to focus.

  “When Stephen died, I assumed Fiana would be inheriting everything and my indenture would belong to her. But she’s still a child, and Cameron says we’ve no control o’er what is to happen.”

  “Did he threaten you?”

  Arleigh nodded and chewed at her lip. “Stephen owes him a large sum of money. Cameron has offered to cancel those debts. ’Tis his solution to extend my indenture in his service.”

  “That’s never going to happen.”

  “’Tis Cameron’s way to make things happen. He’s been to the governing council. Even before he decided to make it legal, I expected him to come to claim me. But instead, well, ’twould seem he wants to break me and punish me by taking everything I love.”

  Ryder’s gut twisted. The concussion had stolen his concentration. Or was it the girl? While he had been punching strangers and lusting after a girl he barely knew, he had forgotten his altruistic purpose for being in this p
rimitive paradise.

  “Taking everything you love,” Ryder mumbled, thinking, wondering how he could have missed it, wondering how he had allowed himself to become so enamored he’d forgotten entirely about the three little girls with broken hearts who might be in desperate trouble. “Arleigh, where are the Caindale girls?”

  “Flynn has them,” she whispered.

  Ryder jumped to his feet “God damn it! Is he dangerous? Will he hurt them?”

  “Oh, he’s very dangerous, but I don’t think he’ll hurt them. People respected Stephen and love the girls. Cameron won’t jeopardize his station here by risking the wrath of the community, and he gave me his word. Certain behaviors aren’t acceptable in his world.”

  “In any world,” Ryder said. “You said he’s taken them to punish you. Why would he want to punish you, Arleigh?”

  She hesitated only a moment. “I killed him twice.”

  Chapter 10

  Ryder paced around the room. Arleigh tried to make eye contact, but he couldn’t do it.

  “You killed him twice. If you kill someone, they’re dead.”

  “Aye, you would think so, but ’tis not always the case. This happened years and years ago.”

  “And you killed him twice? Either someone is alive, or someone isn’t. Besides, you would have been a child years and years ago and hardly accountable.”

  “No, my memories sometimes blend together and become hazy o’er the long time. But when I killed Cameron, I was something else.”

  She needed some good counseling sessions, maybe years of psychiatric evaluation. Flynn had done something to her that talking wouldn’t fix. He hoped Stephen’s door had a strong lock on it.

  “Something else, like what? Do you have multiple personality disorder?”

  Her brow furrowed. “I don’t think so.”

  “Are you obsessive-compulsive? Manic-depressive? Do you have a panic disorder?”

  “You be speaking words I don’t understand. What language do they speak in your homeland?”

  “We’re not getting anywhere. When you say you were something else, what you mean is you weren’t yourself, right?”

  “Aye, ’tis the meaning. Not myself.”

  Ryder nodded. “Temporary insanity. We use it all the time at home in defense cases. He probably drove you to this killing, or whatever we call it. He deserved what he got, and you came out of the relationship alive and intact, well, virtually intact, and he’s obviously okay now. He’s leaving a trail of misery and creating havoc, but he’s alive, and you’re off the hook. You shouldn’t feel guilty, and he shouldn’t continue to punish you.”

  Arleigh stared at him. She looked so young. What could she be? Early twenties? There were worry lines on her face, though, and a slight darkness under her eyes. The poor kid had not had an easy life.

  “He’s not really alive,” Arleigh said softly.

  He shook his head. “What do you mean by that?”

  “He does not have a life as you know it.”

  “But he’s alive enough to hurt people, to stalk, to kidnap, and God knows what he’s done to you.”

  “Aye, he does many things, and he has the power to do worse.”

  Ryder smiled. For some reason, the girl made him want to smile, delusions or not.

  “You’re talking like he’s a super villain in a comic book, Arleigh. What is he? Lex Luther? The Crow? A Klingon?”

  “’Tis a Ganconor he is. He is the Ganconor. There can be only one.”

  “Like Highlander?”

  “A highlander! Bloody saints, no! We are both from Ireland.”

  Ryder laughed. He went around the table and tugged her to her feet. She held back for a moment but allowed herself to be pulled against him. He had been right. She fit perfectly against his chest, nestled there like a soft pillow. That violet scent overwhelmed him again. He wrapped his arms around her, and she snuggled against him and sighed.

  “You’re a treasure, Arleigh Donovan. A nut case, but a treasure.”

  She leaned back in his arms, and something unfathomable flickered across her face. Her hands curled and toyed with the cotton of his shirt. He bent his face closer to hers.

  “I could kiss you now.”

  Arleigh nodded. Her hair spilled across his arm.

  “But I won’t. Not until you tell me what a Ganconor is.”

  She didn’t answer. Instead, she lifted herself higher and planted her mouth against his. Surprised, he almost pulled away, but then his arms tightened around her. Her lips moved against his, pulling and tugging until his own tingled. He stood very still, afraid she would stop if he moved. Her lips moved from his mouth, across his cheek, and against his jaw. She nipped at his skin with her teeth, setting his face on fire, and his body caught right up. His cock hardened in his jeans, an excruciating pressure that throbbed with each touch of her lips.

  When her mouth came back to his, he returned her kiss hard. She yielded, and her mouth opened under his, filling him with warmth. Her tongue sought his eagerly. His head began to spin. Her hands ran up his back and twisted in his hair, then trailed down his arms, clutching him above the elbows, clinging as she pulled him closer.

  The kiss deepened, taking his breath away, making his heart pound. He groaned.

  When her hands left his arms and reached between them, his breath caught. Her hands fluttered, unsure but determined. She yanked at his shirt, and her hands roamed the bare skin of his torso, her fingers skimming the hair on his chest. Her mouth burned hot and wet, her tongue exploring with a determination. She searched the front of his Levi’s, fumbling with buttons and zippers. He tugged the sleeve of her nightdress and bared her shoulder, dipping his head to kiss her skin and trail his lips along the side of her neck. Her sigh sent a flood of need through him. She pressed against his body, rubbing, seemingly eager, filled with the same lust that consumed him. He could barely get the words out of his mouth.

  “Where do you sleep, Arleigh? Show me.”

  He snatched at her mouth again and pulled her hard against him. Her fingers had found the zipper tab and pulled it down. Her hand slid inside and rubbed his cock. It swelled harder at her touch.

  “Oh, you feel so right,” she murmured. “And your smell…’tis making my head fuzzy.”

  “That makes two of us.”

  Ryder swept his arms under her knees and lifted her. He headed toward what he assumed was the bedroom door. Arleigh looped her arms around his neck and buried her face in his throat. Her lips roamed across his skin, inflaming the slow burn sizzling beneath his flesh. His cock struggled against the thin cotton of his boxers. Suddenly her hands slid down to his chest and she pushed hard.

  “Stop!”

  “I don’t think we can, Arleigh.”

  “We must! Stop!”

  Slowly he set her on the floor. She backed away from him with a soft cry of despair. Confusion flooded through him. Her eyes were wide, her face pale and she looked terrified.

  He reached out to touch her face, but she thrust her hands out, pushing at his chest.

  “I knew it!” she cried. “’Tis not o’er. I thought, oh, I don’t know what I thought. I hoped you would be different. You felt different.”

  “Arleigh, come here. Whatever it is, we’ll fix it.”

  “No.” Her entire body trembled. “You need to stay away from me.”

  He moved toward her, but she backed up, quickly, fearfully. She clutched her nightgown, her hands crushing the fabric in frustration to control the trembling of her body. Her glance swept over him, and he felt the heat that boiled within her, the need, the yearning, the passion. She’d started the whole damn thing. How had he frightened her?

  “Look, there’s something here, something between us. I knew it before I got here. I’ve never felt this way before. I want you. I want you more than I’ve wanted anything in my entire life.”

  Arleigh choked back a sob. “I know what you’re feeling. ’Tis not real.”

  “Of course it’s real! Come
here, baby.”

  “No, I can’t.”

  “Don’t run from me. Whatever you’re afraid of, I’ll help you. If I pushed you, I’ll stop. We have to work this out. I know you feel something, too.”

  “I feel nothing. ’Tis an illusion. A torment. Punishment. And I can’t stand it!”

  She whirled and fled toward the staircase. Her footsteps pounded up the risers. A bed creaked, then silence. He went to the bottom of the stairs and heard her crying. He wanted to go up, to talk to her, to touch her again, but he had no right. She wasn’t his. She didn’t belong to him yet.

  She does belong to you legally. Go ahead and take her. It’s been done before. She’s your property. You inherited her from your dead brother.

  “Christ, I’m starting to believe my own lies.”

  She belongs to you physically. This is the one you’ve been waiting for. Are you going to let her fear stand in your way?

  “She doesn’t want me.”

  Oh, but she does. You were brought across centuries to find her. It’s only right she becomes yours. Take her. Make her accept it.

  “Get a grip, Kendall, you can’t just take her.”

  He ran his hands through his hair and stared at the open door to the attic. He had materialized out of nowhere and surprised her. Any woman would be shell-shocked. Hell, he felt shell-shocked.

  Better not press it now. Give her time. Let her think. She’ll realize she belongs to you. She has always belonged to you.

  “I am losing it.”

  He didn’t know what to do. He knew he could locate Jamestown. He was in his own backyard. He could probably also find Flynn. If Flynn had as much power as Arleigh implied, everyone would know Mr. Perfect. But then what? If he needed allies, where would he find them? Who could he trust? Arleigh was the only person he could depend on, his only link with the girls, with Flynn, with the island. He didn’t know if he could even leave Trinity. He didn’t know how this time-travel stuff worked. He had managed to get to 1639, but someone had overlooked the details. Someone had bypassed planning entirely and barreled into action. A typical Kendall trait.