Bound by Secrets (Cauld Ane Series)

by Tracey Jane Jackson

  Kade pulled his door open before Brodie could knock and stepped aside. “What’s happened?”

  “I don’t know.” Brodie laid Payton on the sofa. “She’s freezing.”

  Samantha hovered, concern written across her face. Connall and Pepper came rushing into the room as Kade closed the door.

  “What’s wrong?” Pepper asked.

  “Not sure,” Brodie said.

  “I’ll get your bag, honey,” Sam said to Kade and left the room.

  Kade located a blanket and Brodie removed Payton’s glasses before wrapping the blanket around her, his fear escalating as she began to tremble. “Kade, what the hell? We don’t get cold enough to shiver!”

  Sam returned with Kade’s medical bag and gently pushed Brodie away from Payton so Kade could examine her. He checked her heart and then her temperature, frowning as he read the results. He stood and rushed to the kitchen. “She’s at thirty degrees.”

  Sam gasped. “That’s eighty-six degrees. She’ll go into shock if we can’t raise that.”

  “We need to get her warm,” Kade said.

  Brodie swore. “How?” He couldn’t think straight.

  Sam laid her hand on his arm. “Why don’t you start a bath? Use our bathroom.”

  He shook his head. “I can’t leave her.”

  “Okay, I’ll start the bath. Until then, she needs body heat.” Sam snapped her fingers. “Brodie! I know you’re scared, but listen to me. Shirts off. Both of you. Chest to chest, yes?”

  Brodie gave a quick nod. “Aye. Chest to chest.”

  “Don’t worry about her modesty,” Sam called as she walked down the hall. “She’ll forgive you.”

  “I’ll help,” Pepper said, and followed Sam. Connall hovered briefly, but then followed his mate.

  Brodie rushed into action, stripping his shirt off as he sat next to Payton on the sofa. Unbuttoning her top, he pulled it off, picked her up, and lay down on the couch, settling her firmly against his chest and wrapping the blanket tight across her back. Kade returned to the room with a hot water bottle, which he placed on the blanket.

  “Is this warm enough?” Brodie asked.

  “We still have to keep the temperature below our threshold, Brodie. But it’s warm enough to help.”

  Brodie held Payton tightly, pressing the hot water bottle in place. He vaguely registered the sound of pounding on Kade’s door and then Fiona flew into the room with a frantic Angus following.

  “What the hell happened?” Angus demanded as he headed toward Payton. “And why the devil is no one picking up their damn cell phones?”

  “Payton’s had a drop in temperature,” Kade explained as calmly as possible. “We’re trying to get it back to normal.”

  Fiona stepped around Angus, sat on the floor in front of the coffee table, and laid the family ancestry book out flat. Frantically turning pages, she smoothed her hand over one and began to read the ancient script.

  Angus laid his hand on Payton’s forehead and swore. “Give me a light,” he demanded. Kade handed him his pen light. Angus pried her eyes open and flicked the light over them. “Her pupils are dilated.”

  “Aye,” Kade said.

  “What does that mean?” Brodie asked.

  “We don’t know just yet, Brod,” Kade said gently.

  “Bath’s ready,” Sam said, her eyes widening as she returned to the living room. “Hi guys. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised you’re here, huh?”

  “Hi, Sam. Hi Pepper. Where’s Con?” Fiona asked.

  “In our room. He’s trying to give Payton some privacy,” Pepper explained.

  Fiona nodded and went back to her reading.

  Payton whimpered.

  “Payton,” Brodie whispered. “Wake up, love.”

  “My head hurts,” she rasped.

  “Bring her into the bedroom,” Sam said.

  “Sam? Pepper?” Payton’s speech was slurred. “Why you here?”

  “Baby, we’re at Kade’s. Angus and Fi are here as well,” Brodie explained as he stood with her in his arms and followed Sam down the hall.

  “Where’s my shirt?” Payton asked.

  Before Brodie could answer, her head fell back and she was out again.

  “Damn it.” Brodie set her on Kade’s bed, careful to keep the blanket over her chest for modesty.

  “I’ll remove the rest of her clothes and then you can carry her to the tub, okay?” Sam said.

  “Leave her underwear on,” he demanded.

  “Brodie.” Sam sighed. “You do realize I’m a doctor, right?”

  “Please, Sam. I know her. She’ll be more inclined to cooperate if she’s not worried about being naked.”

  Sam gave a reluctant nod and Brodie turned his back. As difficult as it was not to take care of her clothing himself, he wanted to honor his mate, even if it was extenuating circumstances, and even if they didn’t have much time before their binding.

  “Ready,” Sam said.

  Brodie lifted Payton’s unresponsive body and carried her into the bathroom, settling her gently into the tub and then turning away.

  “She’s already warming up, Brodie,” Sam said. He heard a quiet beep and then Sam set the thermometer on the counter. “Ninety-three degrees. Three more and she’ll be at our normal.”

  Brodie squeezed his eyes shut in an effort to stay calm. Three degrees was still significant. If they couldn’t get her body temperature back up, hypothermia would set in.

  Payton groaned and Brodie faced her, only to hear her quiet squeak. “Turn around, Brodie Gunnach,” she demanded.

  He did as she asked, but wasn’t happy about it.

  “How do you feel?” Sam asked.

  “Better,” Payton said.

  “How’s your head?” Brodie asked. “Are you still mad?”

  “My head’s better, and no, I’m not still mad. That was really strange. I’m sorry I snapped.”

  “It’s all right, love.” He heard the water slosh behind him.

  “Brodie, can I please have some privacy?” Payton asked.

  “Of course.” He hated talking to the wall. “As soon as I know you’re not going to pass out again.”

  “Sam can stay,” Payton said.

  “I’ll call you if we need you,” Sam said. “She looks much better, if that helps.”

  It didn’t really, but he stepped out of the room anyway, staying close to the door.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Payton felt her face heat as Brodie left the room. Her bra and underwear were soaked, leaving nothing to the imagination. “I can’t believe he saw me like this.”

  “You shouldn’t worry, Payton. He was the perfect gentleman. He kept you covered the whole time.”

  Although she was glad for his concern, the water still caused the thin material to become see-through. “Not that this gives me much cover, Sam.”

  “Don’t sweat it,” Sam said. “I doubt he was looking overly close. He was too worried about you to notice your state of undress.”

  “I didn’t want him to see me this way!”

  “Honestly, Pay. This has all been rather technical.”

  “No. You don’t understand,” Payton corrected. Her thoughts were a little jumbled and she was having a difficult time getting her words out correctly.

  Sam cocked her head. “I think I do. You don’t want him to see you before your mating night, right?”

  “No…not right.” Payton focused on her thoughts. “I’m in my ungies!”

  “Ungies?”

  “Ugly undies.”

  “Oh, Payton.” Sam laughed. “They’re not that bad. They’re utilitarian. Think of them as a bikini.”

  “Oh, yeah, that makes it so much better. I’m wearing a “bikini” that’s totally see-through and doesn’t match.” Payton groaned again. “I want him to find me sexy, not useful!”

  “He does, silly rabbit.”

  “Silly rabbit?”

  “Sorry. It’s from an American cereal commercial. ‘Silly rabbi
t, Trix is for kids.’ Something Pepper and I say all the time. Anyway, my point is, it doesn’t matter what you’re wearing, Payton. He loves you. You never have to worry about that.” Sam knelt beside the tub and held her wrist. “Why were you mad at Brodie?”

  “I have no idea. I’m not sure what brought it on. I wasn’t just mad, I was enraged. It didn’t feel like me.” Payton shook her head. “No, that’s not quite right. Um, I felt angry, but he hadn’t really done anything to warrant me being angry, does that make sense?”

  “Sort of.” Sam smiled. “Was it like hallucinations or something?”

  “Could have been part of it. It was right after I had a really intense vision.” Payton sighed. “I don’t know. It’s possible I’ll never understand this part of my abilities.”

  Sam patted her hand. “Your pulse is back to normal. How do you feel?”

  Payton squinted, trying to bring her into focus. “Other than the lingering headache, fine.”

  “Do you feel well enough to stand?”

  “Yes.”

  “Okay.” Sam handed her a towel. “I’ll get you a robe…do you want me to grab some clothes for you?”

  “If someone could just bring me my bag and my glasses, that would be great. I haven’t unpacked yet.”

  “No problem. I’ll be right back.”

  Payton smiled. “Thanks.”

  Sam left the room, returning quickly with a robe, and then left her again.

  Payton climbed out of the tub.

  “Payton?” Brodie called through the door. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine, Brod. I’ll be out in a second.” Payton glanced in the mirror and grimaced. Turning away, she peeled off her wet underwear, dried herself, and then slipped into the robe.

  “Pay?” Brodie called again.

  “Still upright, Brodie.” She smiled, she couldn’t help it. He worried about her and that made her feel special. She pulled open the door, appreciating the sight of his bare torso, even if it was slightly blurry without her glasses. “I’m okay.”

  His body visibly relaxed. “Your color’s better.”

  “I feel much better.”

  He stroked her cheek, his face still taut with worry. “I can feel your headache.”

  “Yeah, it’s a bad one.”

  “Let me take care of it.” He closed his eyes, wrapping his hands over her scalp. Her headache dissipated immediately and she sighed with relief.

  “Thank you,” she whispered.

  He drew her closer. “Bloody hell, you scared me, love.”

  “I kind of scared myself.” She leaned against his chest, wrapping her arms around his waist.

  “I’m sorry if I barreled over you, earlier,” he said.

  “You were just worried.” She kissed his chin. “I’m so sorry about the Heather thing.”

  “Shhh. We’ll talk more when we’re alone.”

  She nodded and closed her eyes, reveling in the feel of the soft, taut skin of his chest.

  “Do you want me to grab your bag so you can change?” he asked.

  “Sam’s getting it for me.” She squeezed harder. “And I want to stay right here for a while.”

  He chuckled and rubbed her back. “I’m having a difficult time knowing you’re naked under that robe and not being able to do anything about it.”

  “You are?” she asked a little skeptically.

  He leaned back. “You doubt?”

  She felt the heat creep up her neck. “No. I can feel your honesty. I suppose I’m just surprised.”

  “In three hundred twelve hours, it will be your birthday, sweetheart, and I intend to assuage your surprise.”

  She glanced at the clock on the bedside table. “That would require me staying up past nine o’clock…in just under two weeks,” she joked.

  He chuckled. “You won’t mind. I promise.”

  She couldn’t stop a nervous giggle. Her mother would have had a coronary if she had any idea the thoughts going through Payton’s head right now.

  A knock at the door forced the couple apart and Sam entered at Brodie’s bidding.

  “Here’s your shirt, Brodie,” Sam said as she lifted the luggage onto the bed. “Payton, I also brought you a bag to put your dirty laundry in.” She held out her hand. “And here are your glasses.”

  Payton smiled and slipped her spectacles on. “Thanks, Sam.”

  Sam left the couple and Payton glanced up at Brodie. “I should really get dressed.”

  “Do you feel well enough for me to leave you?”

  “I feel perfectly fine.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes, love,” she insisted.

  He frowned. “I’ll be right outside.”

  “I figured you would be.” Payton grinned. “I’ll yell if I need you.”

  Brodie left the room and Payton unzipped her bag and dressed in matching underwear, yoga pants, and T-shirt before gathering her discarded clothing and pulling open the bedroom door. Brodie pushed away from the wall and reached for her suitcase. “I’ll take that.”

  She handed him the bag and led him back into the living room. Her brother was pacing the floor, but rushed to her as soon as he saw her. “How do you feel?”

  “Much better,” Payton said.

  He checked her eyes again and then grasped her wrist for her pulse. Payton sighed, but didn’t protest. It wouldn’t have made a difference. “I’m okay, Angus,” she insisted.

  “Hmm.” Angus narrowed his eyes. “You seem back to normal.”

  “Normal’s relative.” Payton smiled. “Truly, I’m fine.”

  “I think I found something,” Fiona said from her place on the floor.

  Brodie held his hand out to Payton and she stepped away from her brother and let Brodie tug her down next to him on the sofa.

  “The book says that as you grow closer to mating, particularly if you have found your mate, your visions will begin to intensify. What did you see?”

  Payton glanced at Brodie and then back at Fiona. “I can’t really say, Fi.”

  Fiona nodded. “Well, the images you saw probably didn’t give you the full story. So, you may see a vision, but there’s more to it that you can’t see, and that shows up in how you feel, your body taking on what your mind can’t see. The book gives an example of a woman getting a vision of her grandmother in grave danger and then her body breaking out in blisters. Come to find out that her grandmother had survived a fire as a child. Even though no one knew about the fire, the woman felt the effects of the heat her grandmother had endured.”

  “So my body cooled because someone might have been frozen?” Payton asked.

  “I think so.”

  “What about emotion? Would it explain irrational feeling?”

  Fiona shrugged. “I don’t know, but apparently, all will be revealed when you’re bound. The passing out just means you gave up trying to block what you see. You were open and felt safe.”

  Brodie lifted Payton’s hand to his lips. “See? I’m not so bad.”

  Payton rolled her eyes. “Jury’s still out on that one.”

  “Either that, or whoever you were remembering passed out,” Fiona continued. “I’m sorry, Payton. There’s so much to read, and I haven’t caught up yet.”

  “It’s fine, Fiona,” Payton insisted. “I think I can speak for everyone when I say how grateful we are that you’re doing all this research.”

  “Aye,” Brodie added. “Alice kept so much from us, and fed us inaccurate information most of the time, so it helps that you’re working it out for us.”

  “Thanks,” Fiona said, and went back to the book. “It looks like once you’re bound, your visions will be accurate and far more intense.”

  “Great,” Payton droned and then frowned at Brodie. “I hope that doesn’t mean I’ll be assaulted with them on our mating night.”

  The ladies let out a collective groan.

  “That would be horrible,” Sam said.

  “Definitely,” Fiona agreed.

/>   Payton bit back a yawn.

  “Oh, and your visions will make you much more tired,” Fiona said.

  “No, really?” Payton retorted, and then smiled.

  “I think you should rest.” Brodie stood and pulled Payton off the couch. “Let’s get back to the flat.”

  “We’ll be here if you need us,” Kade said. “Any time.”

  “As will we,” Angus added. “We’re staying here tonight.”

  “Angus, you don’t need to do that,” Payton said.

  Her brother frowned. “I feel I do.”

  “We’ll let you know if we need you,” Brodie said and laid his hand on Payton’s lower back.

  “He doesn’t need—”

  “Your brother’s worried about you, love,” Brodie said, cutting off her argument. “It doesn’t matter what you say, he’s here for the night.”

  Payton sighed. “Fine.”

  * * *

  Brodie took Payton to the flat and set her suitcase back in the bedroom. She grabbed a clip and twisted the damp ends of her hair, securing them to the back of her head.

  “Do you want to sleep now?” he asked.

  She shook her head. “I should probably try, but I don’t think I’d get any rest. I’m too keyed up.”

  Brodie smiled and wrapped his arms around her waist. “How about dinner and a movie?”

  “Sounds great. Shall I cook?”

  “Sure. Or we could order takeaways and have them delivered.”

  “Yeah, because that went so well earlier.” She smiled. “Let’s see what you have left in the fridge. I’m sure I can come up with something much better than anything we could order in, especially considering I made the grocery list for the shop to deliver.”

  “Ahh. So, that’s why there were so many microwavable options.”

  Payton giggled. “I know my man.”

  “Yes you do.” Brodie grinned. “I’ll open the wine and we can talk while we eat.”

  “Perfect.” Payton led him to the kitchen.

  She decided to pull together a quick Alfredo pasta while Brodie opened the wine and set the table. Payton’s face started to ache from smiling, their simple domestic act filling her heart with unspeakable joy. Every time Brodie would pass by her, he’d touch her gently. A hand on her back, a kiss on her cheek, or a gentle pat on her bottom. When it was time to drain the pasta, he took it from the stove and they worked in tandem to dish up their dinner.