Bound by Tears (Cauld Ane Book 6)

by Tracey Jane Jackson

  Kaspar laughed. “Our home.”

  “What’s so funny over there?” Megan asked.

  Megan, Sophia, and Ari were with them this time around. Gunnar chose to stay in Edinburgh with Kenna for a time.

  “Jesska hates our home,” Kaspar said.

  She punched his arm. “I do not! Don’t listen to him, Megan.”

  “Just wait, sister,” Ari said. “You will be awed.”

  “See?” Kaspar said, and smiled.

  “For the record,” she said, squeezing his bicep, “I never said anything about hating anything.”

  Kaspar grinned as he kissed her. “I’m just busting your pork, baby.”

  Jesska laughed. “Chops, honey. You’re busting my chops.”

  “Yðar hátign, vinsamlegast undurbúðu þig fyrir lendingu,” the captain said over the loudspeaker. (Your Majesty, please prepare for landing.)

  Kaspar reached over to make sure Jesska was buckled and then kissed her before the plane landed smoothly and taxied to the tiny gate at the airstrip. Jesska’s heart raced in excitement as they departed the plane and climbed into two awaiting SUVs. She and Kaspar in one; Ari, Megan, and Sophia in the other.

  “Aren’t they coming with us?” she asked.

  “Yes, baby,” Kaspar assured her. “They will be staying with us for a little while. Don’t worry.”

  Jesska smiled and relaxed. The tiny fishing town really wasn’t much to speak of, but she kept an open mind as the car pulled up to what looked like one-hundred-foot, solid-wood gates in the middle of a giant rock wall. The doors slowly slid open, and Jesska squeezed Kaspar’s arm.

  “I feel like I’m heading into Jurassic Park right now.” She raised an eyebrow. “Please tell me you don’t live on an island surrounded by dinosaurs. Those velociraptors were mean little suckers.”

  Kaspar laughed. “I don’t know what Jurassic Park is or how it pertains, but we don’t have any dinosaurs anywhere near our home.”

  Jesska’s mouth dropped open. “You haven’t seen Jurassic Park?”

  “No. I don’t know what it is.”

  She cocked her head. “It’s a movie.”

  “Ah. I don’t really watch movies. I suppose I enjoy the ones I see, but I haven’t really considered it a priority.”

  “Not a priority?” She shook her head and tsked. “What about Star Wars or Terminator? E.T.? Ghost? Saving Private Ryan? Work with me here.”

  “I have seen Star Wars and Terminator, but the others I’m unfamiliar with.”

  “Oh, my word, baby, you and I are going to have to have the movie marathon to end all movie marathons.”

  He leaned over and kissed her cheek. “As long as said marathon happens while we’re naked, I’m in.”

  “Well, duh,” she retorted, and Kaspar laughed.

  The car moved again, sliding through the gates and onto a paved road between sheer rock walls. The road was just wide enough for two cars to pass one another, but had no room for a shoulder. They arrived at another pair of gates, matching the first, and they opened to allow entry.

  “No dinosaurs, right?” she joked.

  Kaspar chuckled. “No dinosaurs.”

  The car traveled up, up, up, and the rock wall on her right slowly disappeared, and Jesska could see the water. A two-foot barrier kept the car from traveling over the edge of the cliff, while on the left, more rock wall was visible as they wound their way to what she was sure was a completely different hemisphere.

  She shivered and scooted closer to Kaspar.

  “You okay?” he asked.

  She giggled. “Yes…my feet just feel nervous.”

  He chuckled and wrapped an arm around her waist, kissing her temple.

  The car paused as a giant metal bridge lowered in front of them, and then they were moving again. She glanced behind her to see the bridge rise once the car with the rest of her family inside cleared it. Jesska faced forward again and her jaw dropped open at the magnificence of what she was seeing. A giant stone house appeared before her as though it had been built into the cliff. Four white-washed pillars sat proudly in front, obscuring a porch that ran the entire length of the house.

  “Kaspar, it’s gorgeous.”

  He beamed. “I’m glad you think so, elskan. I want you to be very happy here.”

  She stroked his cheek. “If you’re here, I’ll be happy.”

  Servants filed out of the house and stood side by side in front of the pillars.

  “They are standing in order of rank,” Kaspar explained, and smiled. “It will more than likely be overwhelming to figure out who everyone is at first, but they will help you.”

  Jesska nodded. “Is it okay to ask questions?”

  “Of course.” He raised an eyebrow. “Why would you think otherwise?”

  She shrugged. “Too much Downton Abbey, I guess. They don’t converse with their staff.”

  Kaspar chuckled. “You feel free to converse with anyone you wish.”

  “Thank you, my liege.”

  Austri pulled the car to a stop and then he and Jóvin jumped out of the front and opened the back doors for them. Jesska smiled as she slid from the car and waited for Kaspar to catch up to her. She gripped his hand and he lifted her fingers to his lips.

  The line of staff members bowed or curtsied toward their king, and Kaspar greeted each of them by name. He settled his hand on Jesska’s back and guided her toward each person.

  A tall, thick-middled man with a receding gray hairline smiled kindly at Jesska as Kaspar guided her forward. “This is Eberg, sweetheart.”

  The man bowed, and Kaspar introduced her to the housekeeper, Elna. After that, Jesska couldn’t keep all the names straight, but figured she’d learn them all eventually.

  Ari introduced his family to a few of the servants he remembered and then the group moved into the large foyer of the mansion. The stone from the porch carried into the foyer, however it was intermixed with river rock. Staircases up each side of the wall met in the middle and created a landing overlooking the open space. To the left were tall double doors, and a matching pair to the right. She could see a music room behind the doors on the right—at least she assumed it was, as there was a grand piano inside. The room on the left had a few antique-looking sofas and chairs that she could see from her vantage point. She couldn’t wait to explore the house.

  Do you play?

  I do. He smiled down at her. However, Ari is far better than I am.

  Will he play for us later?

  Kaspar wrapped an arm around her waist. I’m sure he will if you desire it.

  “Please put my brother and his family in the West rooms,” he said to Elna.

  She curtsied and nodded, and Jesska watched as four housemaids scurried up the stairs.

  Kaspar faced his brother. “We’ll join you for dinner. Please make yourselves at home.”

  Shouldn’t we spend time with them?

  Kaspar gave her a gentle squeeze. I have other plans, presently.

  Jesska grinned up at him before hugging her sister and her niece and following Kaspar up the east staircase and to the opposite side of the house from the rest of her family.

  Kaspar showed her a few key rooms as they made their way to their suite of rooms. Jesska shook her head. “Babe, how big is this house?”

  “Thirty-five thousand square feet, give or take.”

  “I’m going to need a map.”

  He pointed to antique knobs strategically placed along hallways and in rooms. “If you get turned around, press these, and someone will assist you.”

  “I’m sure that’ll look really great. Your new wife calling for help because she’s lost.”

  He stopped walking and cupped her cheeks. “They are here to help, elskan. You don’t have to feel weird about asking.”

  “Are you sure?”

  Kaspar grinned and kissed her nose. “I’m sure, baby. Not that it matters, but they will love you.”

  “Why doesn’t it matter?”

  “Becaus
e you are their queen. I don’t care if they like you, love you, are indifferent to you, but they will serve you and do it with a smile on their faces, or they will answer to me.”

  Jesska shivered. “Okay, baby, no need to go all alpha on me. I doubt there will be any issues.”

  He smiled and kissed her quickly. “Now, back to business. We have some christening to do.”

  She giggled and followed him through a set double doors—mahogany if she had to guess—and into a large sitting room with a flat-screen television above an ornate fireplace. Two overstuffed chairs and ottomans flanked a large window that looked out to manicured gardens, and she could see in the distance water of some kind. A sofa faced the television and fireplace, while a love seat sat against the wall, with a coffee table in front of it. The room was bigger than her living room at home, but just as cozy.

  Through another set of mahogany doors was their bedroom. Possibly bigger than her entire duplex, it held a king-sized bed with a padded ice-blue, satin headboard that sat proudly between two windows. The down comforter, white and crisp against the blue, the sheets the same ice-blue as the headboard, and more pillows than she had on her own bed at home. “Kaz, this is amazing.”

  “You like it?”

  She glanced up at him. “I love it.” He relaxed, and she realized she hadn’t noticed he’d been tense. “Were you worried?”

  He smiled. “Not worried, per se. Just wondering if we were going to have to change everything again.”

  “You did this for me?”

  “Of course, baby. I took photos of your home and sent them to Camilla, and she made a few suggestions.”

  Jesska slid her arms around his waist. “You must give that woman a hefty raise.”

  He chuckled. “If you love it, then I will.”

  “I love it.”

  Kaspar lifted her to his height and she wrapped her legs around him, kissing him as he carried her to the bed. He unbuttoned her blouse and spread it in order to kiss her belly, but before things could get interesting, her phone pealed in the silence. She slid it from the back pocket of her jeans.

  “Hold that thought. It’s my brother,” she said, and answered. “Hi, Cam.”

  “Are you sitting down?” he asked.

  She smiled. “In a manner of speaking.”

  “Jason’s back in prison.”

  Jesska sat up, inadvertently shoving Kaspar off of her. “What?”

  “Despite his lawyer’s efforts, he refused to retract his confession. He admitted to everything, even that he’d planned the murder.”

  “What?” she snapped.

  “He’d planned to kill Brady, but he’d had something else in mind. The stabbing part wasn’t premeditated, but the murder was.”

  Jesska’s eyes filled with tears as she slid off the bed. “What was the plan?”

  “No.”

  “Cameron, what was the plan?”

  “Put Kaspar on the phone.”

  “No! Damn it, Cameron, I swear to all that is holy, you better start talking, or I’m going to murder you in the face.”

  Before she could react, Kaspar pulled her phone from her hand and put it to his ear. “Cameron?”

  Jesska slid to the floor, swallowing the bile that threatened to spill.

  “You should have called me directly,” Kaspar said into the phone.

  Jesska tried to listen to Kaspar’s thoughts, but either she was too upset and distracted to concentrate, or he was a master at blocking her.

  “I understand,” Kaspar continued. “No. Okay, thanks, that’s some good news, I suppose. Yes. We’ll talk later. ’Bye.” Kaspar sat beside Jesska and pulled her onto his lap. “It’s okay, elskan.”

  She buried her face in his neck and let a new wave of sadness wash over her. “I had no idea Jason hated Brady that much.”

  Kaspar slipped his hands into her hair and kissed her forehead.

  “What was the plan?” she whispered.

  “I think we should wait to discuss this.”

  “What was the plan, Kaz?”

  He didn’t say anything for several minutes. Just held her as he stroked her back.

  “Tell me,” she pressed.

  “He had purchased a stun gun to incapacitate him, and had his father’s rifle stowed in the trunk of his car. He’d planned to take him out to somewhere in a gorge—”

  “The Gorge. It’s beautiful, and somewhat remote.”

  Kaspar nodded. “That was the plan.”

  Jesska started to shake, but Kaspar pulled her closer and her shaking subsided. She tried to push away, but he just held her tighter. “We’re going to stay right here, baby, until you’re less shell-shocked.”

  “I’m okay.”

  He lifted her chin and frowned. “No, you’re being brave. There’s a difference.”

  She slid her arms around his waist and squeezed. “I can’t get close enough.”

  “I know, baby.”

  “I need to be closer.”

  “I’ve got you, elskan,” he pressed.

  “You’re not understanding,” she said, and slid her hands under his shirt. “Make love to me. I need to be closer.”

  He stood with her in his arms and settled her back on the bed. “Are you sure?”

  “Just shut up already and distract me,” she demanded.

  He obliged.

  * * *

  Jesska’s body went rigid. She couldn’t move, couldn’t even blink. Kaz?

  He didn’t answer. She tried not to panic, but she felt like her body was in cement. She was paralyzed. Kaz?

  And then yelling distracted her, particularly because it was a voice she recognized.

  “What the hell are you doing, man?” Brady demanded.

  “What do you mean?” Jason asked.

  “You said you needed me to help you move the pool table to the basement. Why are we in the garage, and why do you have your dad’s gun?”

  “You were supposed to make this easy for me,” Jason ground out.

  “What was I supposed to make easy?” Brady asked.

  Jason lifted the gun, but before he pulled the trigger, his face morphed into the face of a demon, and he laughed like the devil himself.

  Then the deafening sound of a shot—

  Jesska woke with a blood-curdling scream. One that even frightened herself. She kicked at her covers and tried to scramble off the bed. Kaspar was faster. He grabbed her around the waist and pulled her to him. “Shh, elskan, I’ve got you. It was a bad dream.”

  It took her a minute to realize where she was and then she turned and wrapped her arms around him, burying her face into his chest. “I was frozen, Kaspar. Couldn’t move. Couldn’t blink, and then Jason shot Brady. That’s what the dream was about.”

  He stroked her hair. “I know, baby. It’s over. He’s never getting out. He can’t hurt you anymore. And he can’t hurt Brady.”

  “But if this is this empathy thing you told me I have, why would I be paralyzed?”

  “I don’t know, baby. But I’m here. No one can harm you.”

  She let Kaspar take the pain away and hold her until she could no longer keep her eyes open. Before she fully succumbed to sleep, though, she kissed his chin and whispered, “I love you.”

  “I love you too, baby.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  JESSKA AWOKE TO an empty bed and sat up, her heart racing.

  I’m downstairs, baby.

  Why?

  Because I have work to do.

  Why didn’t you wake me?

  Because you needed to sleep.

  “Next time, don’t be so sweet,” she said aloud.

  He chuckled. Take your time, baby. I’ll have someone bring you breakfast.

  Where do you normally eat breakfast?

  Typically in my office, unless I have guests. Ari and I ate together in the library this morning. Megan and Sophia were still sleeping.

  Jesska climbed out of bed. Maybe I should eat with them.

  Have you checke
d the time?

  She grabbed her phone. Two p.m. Babe, seriously, why didn’t you wake me?

  Because you needed to sleep. Your body’s getting used to the time difference.

  Jesska smiled. I’ll shower and then I’ll find my sister.

  What are you in the mood for?

  She made her way into the bathroom. Bacon, eggs, hash browns, orange juice, waffles, and coffee.

  It will be there when you get out of the shower.

  I was kidding. She turned on the shower. I can wait to eat.

  It will be there when you’re done, baby. I have a conference call, gotta go.

  Okay.

  I love you.

  Love you too. She undressed and slid into the shower, lingering because the cool water was far too delicious to interrupt.

  She wrapped a towel around her head and then her body, applied lotion to her face and made her way back into the bedroom, letting out a surprised squeak to find a young woman standing by the bed. She was tall and thin, with dark-blonde hair pulled back into a tight bun at the nape of her neck, her dark blue uniform and crisp white apron something truly out of Downton Abbey, in Jesska’s opinion.

  “Your Majesty, I apologize,” the woman said with a curtsy. “I didn’t mean to startle you. I brought your meal.”

  Jesska saw that the table by the window had been moved from between the chairs, covered with a tablecloth, and was laden with covered plates.

  “Wow, that’s a lot of food.”

  “Yes, Your Majesty.”

  “What’s your name?” Jesska asked.

  “Gíta, your majesty.”

  Jesska smiled. “What a beautiful name.”

  “Thank you, Your Majesty.”

  “Would you feel comfortable calling me Jesska?”

  Gíta met her eyes and shook her head.

  Jesska sighed. “I didn’t think so.”

  “I apologize.” Gíta’s face dropped, and Jesska internally berated herself.

  “No. I’m sorry, Gíta,” she rushed to say. “Ah, you feel free to call me whatever you feel comfortable with. It’s just going to take me a little getting used to.”

  “Yes, Your Majesty.”

  “Okay, I’m just going to get dressed. I’m sure you have things you need to do, right?”