Wicked After Dark: 20 Steamy Paranormal Tales of Dragons, Vampires, Werewolves, Shifters, Witches, Angels, Demons, Fey, and More

by Mina Carter

  Pepper shook her head again. “No. I know you would never force me. But what if I decide I don’t want you to bind me, or if I let you… bind me… what happens if we break up?”

  “If you don’t want to be bound, sweetheart, I won’t bind you. But once we are bound, we won’t break up.”

  “How do you know?”

  “Because it would be impossible. Physically and emotionally, we will be connected on a level that defies the human realm, and there are certain things that happen within our bodies and souls to make it impossible for us to ‘break up.’ It’s a lifelong thing.”

  “What happens if you don’t love me anymore?”

  Connall took her other hand and kissed her palm. “It’ll never happen. Could never happen.”

  “Figuratively or literally?”

  He grinned. “Literally.”

  “Really?”

  He nodded.

  “How does, um, mating work?”

  “Twenty-five is the Ár mökunar, the mating year. It’s when our hearts turn to whoever our mates are, if they’re close.”

  “I just had my birthday,” she muttered.

  “I know. It’s why you were drawn to me.”

  “Pretty sure I would have been all over you anyway,” she said.

  He chuckled. “Maybe.”

  “This isn’t like a spell of some kind or a demon thing, is it?”

  “No. Iceland converted to Christianity in the tenth century. Our family and clan have been Christians for centuries. When we arrived in Scotland, we continued to practice our religion. Or at least my father’s warped version of it. Kade has made a lot of changes since my father died, and our clan has a much healthier view of our faith now.”

  “Does Cauld Ane mean something?”

  “Yes. It’s an old Scottish translation that roughly means ‘cold one.’” He stroked her palm with his thumb. “Our bodies are acclimated to the cold and the heat can harm us.”

  “Harm you, how?”

  “It can kill us.”

  She frowned. “But didn’t God make you immortal?”

  “No, as Sam said, we die eventually, just not as quickly as humans.”

  “But you can die from the heat?”

  “Yes. We have to stay out of weather that’s over twenty degrees Celsius. Sixty-eight Fahrenheit.”

  “How does the binding thing work?”

  “We have words that we speak to one another. Those words bind us spiritually and emotionally, and then we make love, which binds us physically.”

  “If you bind me, does that mean I will live for a long time, too?”

  “Yes.”

  “How will you make me like you?” Pepper asked.

  “It happens when we make love and it has to do with our Sæði… our semen.”

  “Of course it does.” Pepper rolled her eyes. “Semen seems to be responsible for a lot of big changes when it comes to women.”

  “True.” Connall chuckled. “We have a protein that human men don’t have. Kade has mentioned he’d like to do further research on exactly what it is, especially now that you and Sam have arrived. You’re the first humans in many years that a Cauld Ane has bonded with.”

  “What about sex? How do you stop the binding with every woman?”

  “Binding is more spiritual than physical, so there’s more involved than just the joining of bodies. I have never slept with a human… you’ll be the first. I don’t know what would happen if a Cauld Ane slept with a human who wasn’t their mate.”

  She swallowed. “How would I change exactly?”

  “Your body will go through a conversion of sorts. The human parts will change to work as the Cauld Ane parts do.”

  Pepper bit her lip. “Does it hurt?”

  “The change?”

  She nodded.

  Connall took a deep breath. “Yes.”

  “How bad?”

  “I don’t know, love. You’ll need to ask Sam. But she was in a bad way for several hours.”

  “Hours… not days or weeks?”

  “Aye.”

  “After I change, what happens?” Her eyes widened. “Please don’t tell me I won’t be able to go out in the sun. That’s a deal breaker for me.”

  Connall smiled. “You’ll be able to bask in the sun all day long, if you so desire, you just won’t be able to be in it if the temperature is over twenty degrees.”

  Pepper stood and paced. “How strict is that rule?”

  “Strict.”

  “So seventy’s off-limits?”

  Connall nodded. “Yes.”

  She cocked her head. “What would happen if I went outside in the summer?”

  Connall leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees. “If the weather is over sixty-eight, you won’t be going outside, Pepper.”

  “It can’t be that bad, truly.”

  “Your body will grow tired, but not like you’ve ever felt before. You’ll find it difficult to move. You’ll pass out, but not before you feel the pain of your body shutting down. Your body swells, your veins come to the surface of your skin, and you develop welts. You will become unrecognizable. If any of that takes place and you’re not in some form of a freezer or ice bath within minutes, you’ll die. And it’s a painful death.” His hands shook as he ran them through his hair.

  She sat in the chair again and took several deep breaths.

  Connall leaned forward and slid his hands up her thighs. “What are you thinking?”

  “This from the man who can read my mind?”

  “I’m making an effort not to, love. Tell me.”

  She pressed her lips into a thin line. “The Olympics.”

  “What about them?”

  “The equestrian events are in the summer.”

  He sighed. “Aye.”

  “Which means, wherever they’re located will more than likely be over sixty-eight degrees.”

  He nodded.

  She blinked back tears.

  “There’s no rush, sweetheart. We can wait as long as you need. You can go to the trials, and we can go from there.”

  “The Olympics are years away, Con.”

  “I’m aware of that.”

  “You’re saying you’re willing to wait for me to go to trials, go to the Olympics if I make the team, compete, and then bind me?” she asked, unbelieving.

  “That’s exactly what I’m saying.”

  Pepper shook her head. “Con.”

  He dropped his head onto her lap and she threaded her fingers through his hair.

  “I would do anything for you,” he said. “I’d wait forever if that’s what you needed.”

  She stroked his cheek as he sat up. “I love you.”

  He smiled and pulled her from the chair into his lap. “I love you too.”

  “What else will I have to avoid? Anything?”

  “Almonds, particularly anything that contains the concentrated extract, will slow you down.”

  “Oh! That’s why Sam couldn’t have her mother’s cookies all of a sudden. I thought that was weird.” She grinned. “Almonds aren’t really my weakness. I’m not happy about the sun thing, but if you were to add wine to the list, we’d have to part company immediately.”

  He chuckled. “If wine wasn’t allowed, I’d choose to die quickly.”

  “Anything else?”

  “Iceland has a native flower that’s extremely dangerous to the Cauld Ane. I would have said you’d never see it, but we’ve discovered it has made its way to the States and Scotland.”

  “What’s it called?”

  “Red Fang. In Iceland, we call it Villandi Fegurð.”

  “What does it do?”

  “The thorn paralyzes us. Unfortunately, keeping your distance isn’t quite enough. It can be ground into a powder and used in food and drink. The affects aren’t permanent, but they are enough to incapacitate us.”

  “Is there a cure?”

  He nodded. “There’s an antidote. We all carry it with us, but if you’re alon
e, it won’t help.”

  “When am I’m ever alone?” she grumbled.

  Connall smiled gently. “Feeling smothered?”

  “Not yet. I just happen to know myself quite well, and I need my down time. I used to take Jonesy out for hours alone and I haven’t done that in a while.” He stiffened and Pepper sighed. “And I won’t. I promise. But when all of ‘this’ wears off, I’m gonna need time alone.”

  “This?”

  “My need to be wherever you are twenty-four/seven. I’m a little disgusted with myself, to be honest.”

  “Okay, sweetheart, we’ll figure something out. If this wears off.” He kissed her. “Does this mean you’ll marry me?”

  Pepper shrugged. “I don’t know...you haven’t actually asked.”

  “When I ask, will you say yes?”

  “We’ve known each other for less than a week, Con.”

  “Yep. You’re right.” He pushed her off his lap and onto the bed. “And your point?”

  She reached up and stroked his chest. “I have no idea what my point is.”

  He laughed. “Exactly.”

  “You said Cauld Ane have abilities humans don’t have. What abilities?”

  “Right back to the point at hand, eh?” He stretched out on his side and cupped his head in his hand.

  “Absolutely.” Pepper mirrored his actions.

  “We don’t all have the same abilities. Healing is my strongest one. The same with Kade. However, I focused on animals because I can communicate with them. It’s the reason I became a vet.”

  “You can talk to animals?” she asked suspiciously. “Like Dr. Doolittle?”

  “Sort of. I can calm them, and when I want them to do something specific, I can project an image in my mind and they seem to understand.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “If I wanted Jonesy to clear a jump, for instance, I’d lay my hand on him and imagine him jumping it. Then he would jump it. With or without a rider.”

  “Seriously?”

  “Aye. It’s how I got Jonesy into the trailer. Max can do the same. It’s why he was able to keep Jonesy from jumping from the container as it was being lifted onto the plane.”

  “How can this not be some kind of voodoo, Con?”

  He shrugged. “It’s something we’ve lived with our entire lives. It’s just who we are.” He slid his arm across her stomach and pulled her closer. “I suppose it would seem strange to someone unfamiliar with Cauld Ane, though.”

  Pepper nodded. “How does the healing thing work?”

  “Touch.”

  She gasped. “Did you heal my bruise?”

  “Aye. When I ran my finger along your jaw.”

  “And my headaches,” she said. “I haven’t had to take any migraine medication since that first night.” He nodded and she sat up. “That means you can heal Rio.”

  “Not quite.” He pulled her back down, this time onto his chest. “Being able to heal you and any of our children will be a given, but it’s not always an instantaneous thing for people who are not of my blood.”

  “So, how does it work, then?”

  “I can touch a person, know exactly what’s wrong and how to help them, as can Kade. However, if they aren’t related to me, I can’t snap my fingers so to speak and heal them. A doctor would still have to do the work.”

  “We’re not related,” she pointed out.

  “Ah, but you’re my mate, which trumps that fact. And once we’re bound, I won’t have to touch you to heal you.”

  “Really?”

  He nodded. “Of course, you’ll always be close to me, so I won’t have to heal you from afar.”

  Pepper giggled. “There is that, yes.”

  Connall ran his fingers through her hair, stroking her back in the process.

  “What else?” she asked.

  “We’re stronger than humans. We also take on the abilities of our mates when we’re bound, so you’ll have the ability to heal and I’ll have whatever gifts manifest in you after the change.”

  “So does that mean Sam’s a healer now?”

  “I would imagine so.”

  “Could she have healed Dalton?” she asked.

  “No. She could have seen where the damage was, but she no longer has his blood, so she wouldn’t have been able to heal him directly. Anything human was forced out of her body during her conversion.”

  “Are there more of you?” Pepper asked.

  “You mean, are there Cauld Anes in other parts of the world?”

  She nodded.

  “Aye. In the colder climates, definitely.”

  “Do you all get together or have contact with each other?”

  “We have a council that makes some of the more difficult decisions we face.”

  “So how does this council work?”

  “We are ruled ultimately by our king—”

  She lifted her head. “Like a monarchy?”

  “Aye. Our king heads up the main council and makes the final and absolute decision on any issue brought to the group. The Cauld Ane in each country has a council of their own and for the most part, they deal with their people within it, but if it’s something major, it is brought to us.”

  “Us? So you’re part of the main council? Really? So do you know the king, then?”

  Connall cleared his throat. “Aye.”

  Pepper sat up again. “Wow. That’s so cool. Will I get to meet him? I’ve never met a king before.”

  He groaned.

  “What?”

  He sat up. “You’ve already met the king, Pepper.”

  “What?” she squeaked. “What do you mean I’ve met the king?”

  “Kade’s our king.”

  She scrambled from the bed. “Kade? Sam’s Kade?”

  Connall slid to the edge of the bed and reached for her, laying his hands on her hips. “Kade. He’s our king. Samantha will be crowned our queen in three months.”

  “Shut the front door! Seriously?”

  “Seriously.”

  “Why three months?”

  “Sam wants to wait until Payton is bound.”

  “Payton? Is she supposed to be with Brodie?”

  “Aye.”

  Pepper frowned. “Then why does she seem to hate him?”

  “It’s complicated, but obvious enough to everyone they’re mates.”

  “Obvious he’s obsessed with her, anyway,” she retorted.

  “‘Destined’ is a better description, love.”

  “Okay,” she conceded. “Does that make you like a prince or something?”

  “Aye. I am considered the ‘spare’ in the human realm.”

  “Huh?”

  “The heir and the spare. Kade was the heir, I was the spare.” He chuckled at her look of horror.

  “That’s horrible!”

  “It’s an expression, love.”

  “One that could make a child feel inadequate,” she pointed out. “What does that make Brodie then?”

  “The lucky one?”

  “You’re funny.” Pepper smacked his shoulder. “Why isn’t Brodie here?”

  “We can never travel together. The three of us. It’s a precaution.”

  “In case there’s an accident or something?” she whispered.

  “Exactly.” He smiled. “Hey. Nothing’s going to happen, love.”

  “Where are your parents?” she asked.

  “My father’s dead. My mother’s… well, that’s complicated.”

  “How so?”

  “My mother betrayed us and the Council has decided to exile her.”

  Pepper gasped. “What do you mean, exile her?”

  “She’s being shipped to Pohnpei, Micronesia, where she’ll remain imprisoned until she dies.”

  “So she’ll be exiled and in prison?”

  “Aye.”

  Pepper shook her head. “I don’t understand. How is that even legal?”

  “We work within the laws of the land, so to speak, but when it comes to
the ultimate fate of our people, Kade makes the call. My mother tried to overthrow him.”

  “Really? Why?”

  “We’re still not entirely sure,” Connall admitted. “Although, I have a feeling Kade may know more than he’s saying.”

  “So ask him.”

  “This is where the separation of king and family comes into play,” Connall explained. “He’ll tell us when and what he can.”

  “Wow. How do you feel about your mom being sent away?”

  “That’s a complicated question.” He sighed. “My father was abusive. It was easy to hate him, although I don’t anymore, but when he was alive, he was a mean son of a bitch. Mum on the other hand, was also abusive, but it was more manipulation than anything else. We’ve always been at arm’s length with her, except Brodie.”

  “How so?”

  He scowled. “She always seemed to hate him.”

  “That’s awful!”

  “I know. Kade and I did our best to shelter him, but it didn’t always work.”

  Pepper stroked his cheek. “Is that why he frowns all the time?”

  Connall chuckled. “Probably.”

  “We’ll have to fix that.”

  “It takes him a while to let people in, but once you’re in, he’ll die for you.” He ran his thumb along her lip. “A little like someone else I know.”

  “Oh, you think you know me, hmm?”

  “Absolutely.”

  She looped her hands over his shoulders. “Does everyone know you’re a prince?”

  “Only amongst the Cauld Ane. But we have titles recognized by the human Monarchy as well.”

  “Are you Sir Loin of Beef or something like that?”

  “I’m sorry?”

  “Bugs Bunny? The Sheriff of Nottingham episode? No?” He shrugged and she gasped in mock disgust. “You’re not a Bugs fan?”

  “Keep in mind, television wasn’t invented until we were a few hundred years old, love.”

  She bit her lip. “Right. I forgot you’re ancient. No wonder you think you’re the boss of me.”

  He pulled her back down on the bed and held his hand over her stomach.

  “Don’t you dare,” she threatened.

  “Or?”

  “Or we’ll get distracted and probably end up naked.”

  Connall laughed. “One can hope.”

  She tugged on his shirt and he stretched out beside her again. “So, what’s your super special title, then? I’m not going to have to bow every time you walk into a room, am I?”