“You’re not so tame yourself,” I said smiling, remembering the things he did to me through the night. He leaned up to kiss me again, when muffled voices sounded on the other side of the door. The door shook. At that moment, I was grateful for remembering to slide the lock when we had first come inside the room. “We should probably get out of here. It sounds like the servants are trying to get breakfast started.”
“I ken what I want to help break my fast,” Merrick said as a lazy smile crossed his mouth.
“Is someone in there?” an angry voice shouted from behind the door. “Open up!”
Merrick let out a growl and stood up. He walked over to our pile of clothes. I watched him, admiring his lithe, powerful nude body. Loud bangs pounded on the door. “All right!” Merrick roared. “Give us a wee moment.”
We hastily dressed and opened the door. I cringed at the thought of who would see me. A couple of angry servants stood in the hallway until Merrick glared at them causing them to hastily divert their gazes. We quickly walked to the end of the corridor to the stone stairwell leading to the second floor. Merrick stopped abruptly spinning me around to his front. “I’m going ta clean up outside,” he said running his knuckles along my face. “I’ll see ye in a little while.” He quickly kissed me and disappeared out the side exit. A smile spread across my face and remained there…until I came down for breakfast.
“He did it! ‘Tis the same as with Lorna. Hanna stayed with Merrick last night and now she’s dead!” I quickly walked over to the huge stone hearth were Merrick stood with Cameron, Elise, Grant, and the other Immortals. As I came up to stand next to Merrick I couldn’t help to notice the cold glare from Alexander. Spotting me, Merrick stopped leaning against the hearth and stood up, placing his one hand at the small of my back. Grant’s eyes narrowed at us.
“Maybe she deserved it,” Cain said as he dusted off an invisible piece of lint from his red silk sleeve.
Cameron glared over at Cain. “You’re not helping,” he said through clenched teeth. “Grant,” Cameron said turning toward the very man, “just like before, we have no proof.”
I looked up at Merrick. “I have proof,” I said quietly as Merrick slowly turned to me. I smiled up at him while he drew me closer to his side. “Merrick was with me through the entire night. I saw Hanna at the celebration dancing seconds before I ran into Merrick. There’s no way Merrick could have been involved.”
“Well, there’s your proof,” Cameron said. “Alexander, Gideon, come with me. I want to question the guards who found Hanna in the woods. And Jilly, Elise…stay close to the castle until we catch the culprit. Don’t take any chances.” Briskly, they left the great hall, leaving Grant and Cain behind. A slow smile curved Merrick’s lips when he bent down and kissed me soundly. I heard Cain laugh and walk away.
Grant stomped away as he spat, “Ye better be careful, lass. Merrick willna think twice ta break ye’re neck next!”
“Mmmm, and what a lovely neck ye have, lass,” Merrick whispered into my ear.
* * * * *
Merrick took Dante’ for a run while I worked in the garden. There was a large corner filled with the last of the fall vegetables. It felt good sinking my hands into the dirt and taking my mind off the here and now. I still didn’t know what I expected from Merrick, or what he expected from me, but I knew I couldn’t stop thinking of him, his hands on my body, his mouth…. I pulled a few weeds and yanked the ripe butternut squashes out, setting them aside in a basket I brought along.
“I see now why Merrick is interested in ye.” I glanced over my shoulder finding Cain standing behind me staring at me with a feral grin, while I posed bent over on all fours from gardening. Quickly, I sat back on my heels brushing my hands on my apron. Cain squatted down and held out his hand to my face. As he caressed the side of my cheek with his fingers, his sleeve slid down his forearm exposing black Celtic looking tattoos covering his arm from wrist on-up. I glanced down at his arm slowly leaning back just out of his reach as his fingers paused in mid air.
“’Tis a shame ye were no made for me. I can tell ye’re verra…’energetic’.” A slow smile curved his lips. “I’ve yet ta find a woman who can keep up ta me. ‘Tis a shame aboot Lorna and Hanna…they had potential.” I scooted back in the dirt on my behind feeling uneasy being so close to Cain.
“Merrick should be back any minute,” I said in a shaky voice.
“Not soon enough.” Cain smiled.
“D-did you kill Lorna and Hanna?” I blurted out.
A wicked laugh escaped his mouth. “And tell me, is it such a shame two whores are dead, no longer able ta spread their filth and disease around?” I swallowed standing up and taking a step back from Cain. “Ah, so naïve, Jillian. That will be ye’re downfall if ye let it.” Cain stopped in mid-turn and peered back at me. “And if I were ye, I wouldna be so careless with this dagger. It just might save ye’re life one day.” He smiled wickedly holding his hand out with my ruby eyed dagger lying in his palm.
My hand flew to the side of my leg where that very same dagger was tied just moments ago. “How did you get that?” I yelled. I grabbed it out of his hand.
A smiled curved his mouth. “Ye must ha’ dropped it.” Cain spun on his heel as his red velvet cape swirled ominously around him and he disappeared behind a row of tall hedges. As I stared after him, I knew he wasn’t like the other Immortals. What did those tattoos stand for? He spoke of Lorna and Hanna. Was he the killer?
That night as I came down for dinner entering the great hall, there was no sign of Merrick. I began to walk over to my chair as Grant stood up from his with a big smile on his face scooting out my chair for me. Suddenly, a scowl fell across his face as he focused past my shoulder.
“Jillian,” Merrick said coming up behind me, “I believe I’ll ha’ ta carry ye off ta the storeroom again if ye dinna join me at my end o’ the table for dinner.” I smiled as Merrick grinned down at me. I nodded and he took my hand leading me to his end of the table. I didn’t miss the gloating look he gave to Grant over his shoulder.
Gideon, Alexander, and Cain already sat at the table in a deeply involved conversation. Merrick pulled out his chair for me and grabbed an empty chair plunking it down next to mine. Abruptly, Alexander glared at me as a muscle ticked at the side of his jaw. “What’s the meaning o’ this Merrick?” Alexander demanded calmly.
“The meaning o’ what?” Merrick asked tersely.
“Ha’ ye forgotten so quickly? She stabbed ye in the back only two days ago! She canna be trusted!”
“She can and will be trusted,” Merrick gritted out through clenched teeth. “Show her respect.”
I jumped as Alexander pounded his fist on the table creating a small crack in the wood top. “Ye’ve seen what they can do ta us,” Alexander sneered as he glanced over at me, “and yet ye act like a foolish, lovesick lad! Respect for her? Ha, I willna respect any woman…ever!”
I flinched as Alexander shoved his chair away from the table and stormed out the great hall. Merrick sat back down in his chair and squeezed my hand. “Dinna worry aboot him, lass,” he said softly. As Merrick drank from his goblet, I noticed the hall was silent and most bystanders diverted their gazes. I glanced down to the other end of the quiet table. Grant’s chair was empty. I caught Elise’s gaze and couldn’t help but to feel the tears in her eyes were for her brother’s feelings I had hurt.
“Merrick,” I said pushing away from the table, “I think I’m going to go upstairs and take a bath. I’m not hungry.”
Merrick stood up. “I’ll escort ye ta ye’re room.”
“No…please, I want to be by myself.” Merrick’s forehead creased and he stepped out of the way to let me by.
* * * * *
My aching muscles began to relax and my mind cleared as I soaked in the hot bathwater. The fireplace’s hot flickering fire kept the crisp night air from chilling my room. I covered my eyes with a small linen cloth imagining I soaked in my own bathtub back in New York. Ah, New Yo
rk…. How did Cassie spend her night? And Walter, did he miss me? The aroma from the sprinkled rose hips in the water drifted in the steamy air around me making my eyelids grow heavy.
I woke up to lukewarm water and glowing embers in the fireplace. Suddenly, a low throaty growl emerged from the corner of my room. My gaze darted over to the corner spotting Merrick. He leaned casually against the doorway of the dressing room while his slow, hungry stare slid over my body. Muscle hardened arms folded across his wide chest and one foot nonchalantly crossed over the other. It was one thing to see Merrick out and around the castle, but here in my small bedchamber, he dominated every inch of space. I hastily brought my knees up hugging my arms around them.
“Och, dinna hide yerself from me my sweet lass. I’ve already seen everything, or ha’ ye forgotten,” he said with a smirk. I made a shy smile. “What’s faschen ye, lass?”
I shrugged my shoulders. No way could I tell this man I didn’t know what I wanted. “I’m sorry about dinner, it’s just….”
“Dinna think on it no more, lass. Alexander, I believe, is worse than a lassie with his mood swings,” he said grinning. A smile crossed my face as I playfully splashed water toward him.
Grinning, Merrick walked the rest of the way to the tub and knelt down on his knees. He placed one elbow on the rim, resting it there as his fingers began toying with the water. “So,” I asked, “what is Alexander’s problem with me? Why does he hate me so much? Was it because I used the belt with Cameron?”
“Trust me, Jillian,” Merrick said as his finger lightly caressed my arm up and down, “Alexander doesna hate ye.” A doubtful look crossed my face. “Okay,” Merrick said quickly, “he dislikes ye verra strongly.” He grinned. “But ‘tis not just ye. He doesna trust any lass.”
“Why? What happened?”
Merrick let out a sigh and rubbed his hand through his hair. He glanced at me ruefully. “Alexander will try ta kill me if he ever finds out I told ye this.” I made the motion of locking my lips and throwing out the key. Merrick rubbed his eyes before continuing with the explanation. “’Twas back in 1153 when Alexander found his soul mate, or so he thought. Deirdre, the daughter of the chieftain of the Clan MacRae, her skin resembled smooth cream and her hair appeared black as night. She was a rare beauty and she kenned it. Alexander was smitten from first glance, pursuing her from that moment on. She was thrilled ta ha’ an Immortal want her, after all, we are legends,” he said smiling down at me.
I grinned, splashing more water at him. “So what happened, did she die before he could turn mortal?”
Merrick’s lips turned into tight thin lines. “Nay, she acted as if she truly loved him. She fooled us all,” he said softly, more to himself. His gaze stared into the dying embers of the fire. “We were all there at the castle MacCrae, for Alexander’s Ceremony o’ Beginnings. Alexander was a different man back then.” A smile hinted at Merrick’s lips. “He was happy, lighthearted, joked around. All the lasses were after him.” Merrick paused and I didn’t think he’d finish.
“Alexander stood in the center of the field. I stuck the Sword o’ Divinity into my best friend’s chest, piercing his heart, kenning he’d grow old from that moment on. I was losing my best friend,” he said glancing out at me through the corner of his eyes. I placed my hand over his that gripped the edge of the tub. “Deirdre walked out onto the field with tears streaming down her face. Alexander’s face lit up as she knelt down next ta him. Instead of kissing him, Deirdre whispered something into Alexander’s ear. His face instantly changed ta the hard cold one ye’re familiar with. Deirdre ran off the field leaving Alexander immortal for eternity.”
“I’m sure his real soul mate’s out there,” I said as Alexander’s actions made so much sense to me now.
“Nay lass,” Merrick said sadly. “We only get one chance, one Ceremony o’ Beginnings. Because Deirdre wasn’t Alexander’s soul mate, he lost his only possibility o’ becoming mortal.”
“That’s terrible. Can’t he talk to the Guardians? It wasn’t his fault Deirdre lied to him.”
“Jillian, the Guardians are no friends ta us. They dinna want ta lose us. Every time one o’ us finds our soul mate and turns mortal, they lose another warrior. There are only four o’ us left. They’ll make it as hard as possible for us ta find our soul mates. There’s no dealing with the Guardians.”
“So, Alexander is immortal forever? There’s absolutely no chance for him?” I asked sadly.
Merrick nodded tightly. “’Tis why the Guardians send him on missions through time by himself. They ken he’ll ne’er find his soul mate. They ha’ nothing ta worry aboot.” He stared down into the water swirling around my legs in the bath. He suddenly looked up at me with a wicked grin. “Enough about the past. Those are Alexander’s demons he has ta work out. I’d rather think aboot two perfect naked legs wrapped around me,” Merrick said as he gently slid a finger down the side of my neck creating goose bumps in its wake. I let out a sigh as he glided the sinful finger across my collarbone and down, stopping at the valley in-between my breasts. I shivered when he lightly swirled that wicked finger in a circle between my cleavage, as his other hand slid up and down the outside of my thigh creating an intense throbbing deep in the pit of my stomach.
Merrick’s face crept closer and closer. His mouth stopped a hairbreadth away from mine as I licked my dry lips. In an instant, he cradled my head bringing his mouth down on mine. The kiss felt like a whisper of a touch. He slanted his satiny lips over mine creating a soft, intimate kiss.
I brought my arms up wrapping them around his neck making him respond with a rough growl. Suddenly, he thrust his hot velvety tongue inside my mouth, crushing my lips to his. The kiss turned dominating, consuming…raw. His hands left my head only to rove over my body taking and claiming, leaving nothing untouched. Merrick brought his dripping wet hands back up to the sides of my head. Reluctantly, he pulled his mouth away and leaned his forehead against mine. Through heavy breathing he half-growled, half-whispered, “Och, Jillian lass…if ye dinna want…this ta go any further…tell me now, otherwise…ye’ll be mine for the keepin’…and I willna let ye go.”
I whimpered in response. Without delay, Merrick wrapped me in his slick arms and carried me over to the bed. After dropping me in the center of the mattress, he began untying his tunic. He kept his penetrating gaze moving over my body as his tunic went up and over his head. He threw it carelessly behind him.
The glow from the fireplace made his taut muscles take on a golden hue. Merrick reached for the stays on his breeches with a grin. I stared at his busy hands working at his stays, my stomach swirling in anticipation. I knew what he kept hidden. His smile grew wider when he pulled his breeches down and off in one quick tug, throwing them over his shoulder where they joined his tunic on the floor.
My breath grew short as Merrick crept onto the bed slowly gliding his hands up my calves, across my thighs, only to spread my legs. He placed sensual kisses from my toes up to my inner thighs. As he bent down, gently kissing my mouth, he placed himself in-between my legs. He placed intoxicating kisses across my jaw, down my neck, and back up to my ear where he whispered, “Lass, ye ha’ no idea what ye do ta me.” He let out a low growl capturing my mouth with hungry urgency. His growing arousal rubbed against my stomach, while I arched and writhed against him. He cupped my breasts and suckled earnestly. I felt his vermilion tip searching for my tender flesh, when suddenly, with one hard thrust, he buried himself deep inside me.
“Mine”, I heard him growl right before he made another assault on my mouth while he thrust and plunged, claiming the depths of my soul. In a burst of ecstasy, I cried out, as a thousand stars exploded in front of my eyes. I fell into oblivion with Merrick following releasing a savage roar and a shuddering release.
I lay in bed shortly after with Merrick laying his head across my chest as I ran my hands through his hair. “Merrick?” I asked quietly.
“Hmmm?” he said sounding half-asleep.
“What did you mean when you said I was ‘worth it’ the other night?”
Merrick picked his head up and looked up at me with stormy blue eyes. Studying my face for a moment, he finally said softly, “Ye’re worth becoming mortal for.” He slowly leaned down placing a long, drugging kiss on my lips. When my eyes could hardly open, he ran his knuckles across the side of my face and whispered, “Now, sleep lass.” I rolled to my side as he wrapped his arm around my middle. Did he think I was his soul mate? If he was mine, would I be able to turn him human? It would be so much easier and worry free if he stayed Immortal. He’d never be taken away from me like my loved ones I missed so painfully.
* * * * *
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
“Are you all right?” I asked, waking up finding Merrick leaning against the window sill staring out into the black silence. The fire burned brightly highlighting his naked form. He must have been up for some time. “How long have you been awake?”
He turned with a rueful smile across his face. “We immortals dinna need as much sleep as ye might think.”
“Oh.”
He returned his gaze back out the window. “The Guardians are calling us. I will ha’ ta leave for Caithness after I break my fast. A battle is brewing. It needs ta be stopped.”
“Do they send you a letter or something?” I asked moving to my side. “How do you know when you’re needed?”
He turned and pointed to his head. “’Tis in here. All thirteen Guardians echo the same message over and over until we leave for the mission they require. Their chanting gives us a verra bad headache.”
“So you’ll be gone in the morning? When will you be back?”
“It will be at least a month…or two, depending on the amount of trouble we find. Dinna worry,” he said seeing my anguished face. “I canna get hurt. Ye need ta promise me ye willna worry o’er me.” I nodded, holding back tears. I wouldn’t let him see how much pain it caused me knowing he planned on leaving. I could barely believe how much Merrick already meant to me. Merrick came over and climbed back into bed pulling me close to his side, wrapping an arm tightly around me. “Go ta sleep, lass. It will be dawn before ye ken it.”
Immortal of My Dreams Page 15
