“I’m okay,” Kaspar rasped. He reached for Jesska’s hand, pulling it from his chest and kissing her palm. “I’m fine, baby.”
Sophia sat back and Kaspar rose to his feet, Ari standing with him, his hand on his shoulder. “You look better.”
“I’m fine,” Kaspar assured him, and then turned to Sophia and pulled her against him, kissing her crown. “Thank you, sweetheart.”
She wrapped her arms around his waist. “You’re welcome.”
Kaspar cupped her cheeks. “Are you weak?”
Sophia shook her head. “No, I’m fine.”
He smiled, stroking her face. “You rest, elskan. Sit down.”
Sophia rolled her eyes. “I’m totally fine.”
“No arguments,” Megan demanded, reaching for her daughter. “Upstairs.”
“Mom.”
“Now, young lady.”
“Go, engill,” Ari said. “I’ll be up in a bit.”
“You.” Megan jabbed a finger toward him. “I will deal with later.”
Ari grinned. “I look forward to it.”
With one last scowl, Megan ushered Sophia from the library. Camilla appeared to be coming out of her paralyzed state, but Austri and Jóvin were quick to cover her with a blanket of some form. Jesska noticed the men had gloves on and were careful not to touch the fabric with any other part of their bodies.
“The blanket is covered in Red Fang,” Kaspar explained. “It will keep her still, but won’t take her ability to speak away.”
Jesska nodded with a yawn.
“Why don’t you rest, baby,” Kaspar said. “Ari and I need to deal with this for now, but you’re still working out the antidote, which will make you sleepy for a time.”
“What about you?”
“I’m fine, sweetheart.”
“I don’t want to be alone,” she whispered. “What if there are others?”
“There aren’t,” Jóvin said immediately. “I have been watching her, m’lady. She thought I was her ally, but as you can see, I wasn’t. Austri and I have eliminated the threat.”
Kaspar nodded. “Jóvin will walk you to our room. Lock the door, sweetheart, and I’ll be there soon.”
She forced back tears. “Are you sure?”
He smiled, leaning down to kiss her gently. “I’m sure.”
“Can I please stay?”
“I’d feel more comfortable if you rested.”
“M’lady, I will take you to your rooms and stay close,” Jóvin said. “You’ll be safe.”
“What about Kaspar?”
“I have his back, m’lady,” Austri answered.
She stared up at Kaspar. “Are you sure?”
He smiled. “Baby, I’m sure.”
Kaspar kissed her again, and Jesska reluctantly followed Jóvin from the library and up the stairs. She made it to the halfway point and had to stop. “My legs feel like jelly.”
“That’s the antidote,” Jóvin said. “You’ll feel fine in a few hours.”
She slid to her bottom, keeping hold of the handrail. “I just need a minute.”
Jóvin hunkered down beside her. “Will you allow me to help?”
“How?”
“I will act as a crutch.”
Jesska bit her lip. “Okay. Yes. Thank you.”
He wrapped an arm around her waist, guiding her arm around his neck. “Ready?”
Jesska nodded and forced herself to her feet. In the end, Jóvin had to carry her to her suite, setting her on the sofa in the sitting room. Kaspar had given strict instructions that their bedroom was off-limits to anyone but them. Apparently, that meant his security as well.
Jesska couldn’t keep her eyes open.
“Rest, m’lady. I’ll stay here with you.”
She nodded and curled into the sofa.
STRONG ARMS PULLED Jesska close as she was lifted and her cheek was kissed. “It’s me, baby,” Kaspar whispered.
Jesska sighed, forcing her eyes open and smiling. “I was a little concerned that Jóvin might have decided to take a few liberties.”
“If he had, he’d be dead.”
“I was joking.”
Kaspar closed his eyes for a second after he set her on their mattress.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“Why am I not convinced?”
Kaspar pulled his shirt over his head and walked into the bathroom. “Everything is dealt with, sweetheart.”
She slid from the bed and headed to the bathroom. “What does that mean?”
“Come take a shower with me and then we’ll talk in bed.”
“Or we could talk in the tub,” she suggested.
Kaspar gave her a tired smile. “Even better.”
Jesska plugged the bath and started the water before staring at her mate. “You look exhausted.”
He sighed. “I am.”
“Because of the Red Fang?”
“All of it.” He dragged his hands through his hair. “It’s just been a skít day.”
“Kaz.” She slid her hands up his chest and looped them behind his neck. “Are. You. Okay?”
He smiled again. “I’m fine now, baby. All is done.”
She rubbed her forehead.
“What?” Kaspar asked.
“I think I need to tell you something.”
“What?” he pressed, his tone one of suspicion.
“It’s your birthday in a week.”
“I’m aware.”
She sighed. “I kind of planned a party.”
He raised an eyebrow. “You did?”
She nodded. “We have thirty people descending on our home in two days. Gunnar helped me organize it.”
Kaspar laughed. “Are you serious?”
“Yes. I’m sorry, babe. I’ll call everyone and cancel. It’s just not a good time.”
He shook his head. “No. I’ll be fine. I just need a little time to process everything. It won’t take long.”
“Good. You can start your processing by telling me about everything that happened, and then we can christen the tub.”
Kaspar chuckled. “I don’t know if I have the energy to talk and christen, honestly.”
Jesska gasped. “Don’t tell me my virile, albeit, very old man, is fading on me.”
“I just need to get my second wind.”
She grinned. “I can help with that.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yep. Consider me the wind beneath your wings.”
Kaspar laughed. “If I were a bird, I would be grateful.”
Jesska giggled. “It’s an old song. Bette Midler did a cover. How and why I know that, I haven’t got a clue.”
“Your mind is like a steel trap, elskan. You never cease to amaze me.” Kaspar removed the rest of his clothes and stepped into the bath, holding his hand out to her.
Jesska undressed and climbed in with him, settling herself between his legs, her back to his chest. “So, what happened?”
“Camilla was loyal to Alice, and Camilla was the one who found someone to hide the girls when they were taken.”
Jesska stretched her neck to look at him. “But no one seemed to know where they were.”
Kaspar nodded. “That’s because the woman who warned me was the one who stopped Sophia being taken, and apparently, there was another nurse before her who had stepped in on behalf of Pepper. After that, the information gets fuzzy, because the original nurse is dead. But it would seem she was able to use her gift of manipulation to get Pepper out of Iceland at about the time Charlotte was born. She brought them to the States, and Pepper was given to a childless couple, while Charlotte was given to the Whitmores, who’d lost their child at birth.”
Jesska whistled. “The logistics of all of that.”
“I know. And it all started because two people were at war with one another. All those lives destroyed and interrupted for revenge.”
“Total War of the Roses kind of thing.”
“Yes.”
> “What will happen with Camilla?”
“She will be exiled somewhere she can’t hurt anyone ever again. Along with anyone else attached to her and this scheme. Erik is being dealt with on Kade’s end, and I have a sneaky suspicion he’ll be sent to wherever Alice is.”
Jesska giggled. “Poetic justice, considering they were each just as bad as the other. Cheating to get back at someone for cheating is stupid.”
“Yes.” He sighed. “I will have to find a new assistant, which will take some time.”
“What about Camilla’s assistant?”
He shook his head. “She knew what Camilla was doing and didn’t say a word.”
“See? Bitches be loco,” Jesska said.
Kaspar grimaced. “Perhaps I should hire a man next.”
Jesska smiled. “I could do it.”
“I’m sorry?”
“I’ve been an administrative assistant for several types of executives for a while now.” She looked up at him. “And who better than someone you know will always be loyal? ‘Hire for attitude, train for skill’ is my motto.”
“You would want to do that? Work for me? It’s a demanding job, and not without stress.”
She shrugged. “Why not? You can help me figure things out, and I can yell at you if you’re mean.”
He chuckled. “I’ll think about it.”
“You’ll think about it?” Jesska turned to face him. “What’s there to think about?”
“Well, for one, my new assistant is going to need a certain skill set that I’ve never taken advantage of before.”
“Oh, really? And what would that entail?”
He followed a drop of water with his finger as it trailed between her breasts. “She may be required to partake in meetings while in the nude.”
“Why, sir, that is sexual harassment,” she said in a deep, southern voice.
“If you’re lucky,” he retorted, shifting her so she straddled him.
“I will need to discuss your conduct with human resources.”
He kissed her neck, running his hands down her back. “I am human resources.”
She licked her lips and hummed in bliss. “I take it you’ve gotten your second wind.”
“And third,” he said. “Spread, baby.”
She shifted, spreading her legs as far as she could and Kaspar slid his hand between her legs, cupping her mound and pressing his palm against her clit before slipping two fingers inside of her.
“Grip the sides, Jess. Don’t let go.”
“Code for I’m not allowed to touch you.”
“Smart girl.” He leaned forward and sucked a nipple into his mouth, biting down gently, and Jesska leaned into his touch.
She lost his fingers so he could guide his cock inside of her, then he thumbed her clit again as she rocked against him. “I can’t...”
“I know, baby,” Kaspar said with a chuckle, shifting her off of him and standing. “I thought there’d be more room.”
He stepped out of the tub, then lifted her out, carrying her to the bed, despite the fact they were soaking wet.
“You don’t want to grab a couple of towels?” she asked as he dropped her onto the mattress.
“No, I like you wet.”
She flopped onto her back and reached a foot out toward his chest. “Take me, sire.”
He grabbed her ankle and tugged her to the edge of the mattress. “I plan to, wench, but you need to tell me how hard you want it.”
She bit her lip and giggled. “So, so hard, baby.”
He grinned, lifting her hips slightly and slamming into her. He anchored her legs to his chest, which meant she couldn’t move her lower body, and try as she might, he wouldn’t release her.
“Kaz,” she growled.
“What do you want, Jesska?”
“I want on my knees.”
He smacked her bottom. “On your knees then.”
She scrambled to assume the position, rewarded with him slamming into her from behind, hard, just the way she liked it. Kaspar buried himself inside of her, sliding his hand to her clit and pressing against her mound and she exploded. Kaspar wasn’t far behind and they collapsed onto the wet sheets as Jesska suddenly had a giggling fit.
“You found that funny?”
“Ohmigod, baby, we just had our first sex failure.”
“How do you figure?” he asked. “I felt you come...or was that not what I thought it was.”
Jesska shifted so she could face him. “Lying in a water bed notwithstanding, I think we need to discuss a bigger tub.”
Kaspar smiled. “I will make that happen.”
He kissed her again and they forced themselves out of bed to strip the sheets.
Half an hour later, Jesska curled herself closer to Kaspar as he slept beside her, his even breathing finally indicating he was relaxed. She couldn’t believe how quickly her life had gone from sadness to joy. The man who’d changed everything for her was more than she could have ever asked for or imagined.
She smiled, kissing his chest and wrapping an arm around his waist. Before she succumbed to sleep, she sent up a quick prayer of thanks for the man who’d helped her live again.
Copyright © 2017 by Piper Davenport
All rights reserved.
Published in the United States
Thane Allen is the biggest movie star on the planet. He has money, status, and the ability to make people do what he tells them to with just a word. But he's without his mate and is losing hope that he will ever find her.
Sydney Warren has lost both her parents and makes a daring choice to move to London to live with her cousin. A chance encounter puts her in the path of what she considers nothing more than a fantasy, until that fantasy pursues her.
Will Thane be able to convince her he's genuine?
When a threat no one saw coming threatens Sydney's life, will Thane be able to save her?
SYDNEY WARREN HEARD the doorbell, turned off the stove, and made a dash for the front door. Her mother taught art classes at Ohlone Community two days a week and wasn’t typically this late. Sydney was supposed to join her today, but had been down for the count with a nasty migraine, so her mom insisted she stay home and rest. Any progress with the migraine had been lost in the last couple of hours when her mom hadn’t answered the dozen or so texts and voicemails Sydney had left.
Sydney pulled open the door, hoping that her mother’s explanation would be a lost phone and keys, but what she found were two police officers standing on her porch, looking grim.
“Sydney Warren?” the older gentleman asked.
Sydney forced back tears as she nodded.
“I’m Officer Hill,” he said, nodding to his female counterpart, “and this is Officer Montclair. I’m sorry, ma’am, but your mother has been in a car accident.”
“Where is she?” she asked, feeling a modicum of relief. If it was an accident, she could deal with that. “I’ll come right now.”
“She’s at the hospital.”
“What do you mean at the hospital?” she challenged. “Why didn’t they call me? Why did they send cops?”
“May we come in?” Officer Montclair asked.
Sydney hesitated for a second before stepping back and letting the officers inside.
“Let’s find somewhere for you to sit down.”
She lifted a shaky hand to her mouth. “I need to sit down?”
Officer Montclair nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Um, okay,” she rasped, and headed into the front room, sitting in her mother’s favorite chair. “How badly is she hurt?”
“I’m sorry, ma’am, but your mother’s injuries were too extensive, and she didn’t make it.”
“What? I don’t understand.” Sydney swallowed. “I thought you said she was at the hospital.”
“She is. I’m sorry; we can’t give any more information.” Office Montclair gave her a gentle smile. “The doctor will speak with you when you get there.”
Sydney nodded woode
nly, her mind numbing as shock set in. “I’ll get my keys.”
“Do you have anyone who can drive you?”
She shook her head.
“We’ll take you, ma’am.”
“How will I get back?”
“One of us will be happy to bring you back.”
She swallowed hard. “I...I need to get my purse.”
The officer nodded and Sydney walked in a haze to the kitchen, grabbing her purse and keys before sliding on her shoes and heading back to the front door. She followed the cops to their car. She could have been walking through water to an octopus chariot, as surreal as the situation felt.
Sydney was grateful the officers didn’t speak to her on the ride to the hospital. By the time they arrived, she had half-convinced herself that they’d made a huge mistake and she’d prove it to herself, and them, before telling her mom all about her eventful day.
She checked her phone (again) and there was still no return call from her mom. She still hoped she’d walk into the room and find someone else there.
One of the officers opened her door and she slid out, following him inside.
They led her down a hallway teaming with medical staff and into a room that was eerily quiet. A doctor met her right inside the door. He cleared his throat, but Sydney caught sight of the figure in the bed and rushed past him before he could speak.
“Mama,” she whispered, her heart rate spiking. Her mother lay bloodied and bruised, a tube in her mouth, her chest rising and falling as a hissing sound echoed in the stark room. Sydney glanced over her shoulder. “She’s breathing.”
The doctor sighed. “We’re keeping her heart beating because your mother is an organ donor, but there is no brain activity. I’m sorry.”
Sydney stroked her mother’s cheek as a tower of hopes crafted by denial began to crumble. “What happened?”
“Head-on collision,” one of the police officers answered.
Outside of the trauma to her body, she looked so peaceful. How could she be gone? Sydney’s world shattered silently as she sat beside her mother’s body, watching her chest rise and fall as the machines kept her “alive.”
“Are you her only relative?” the doctor asked. “Is there anyone else? Your father perhaps?”
Bound by Tears (Cauld Ane Series, #6) Page 26
