Bound by Song (Cauld Ane Series)

by Tracey Jane Jackson

  Charlotte gasped. “Oh! I didn’t even think about that.” She burst into tears. “I’m so sorry, Grace. That was really selfish of me. I was just so hurt about not being there, I didn’t stop to think about anyone else.”

  Grace pulled her friend into a hug. “I’m sorry, buddy, I didn’t mean to make you cry. I’m just as bummed as you are about everything. If I could drug you and put you on the plane myself, I would.”

  “It’s not just because I’m afraid to fly.”

  “I know. But you could skip the audition, you know.”

  Charlotte frowned. “Way to turn it around on me, Gary.”

  Grace grimaced. “Sorry. I don’t mean to make you feel guilty.”

  “I guess we’re both in the category of bi-atch today.”

  Grace chuckled. “Yes. I suppose we are.”

  “I really am sorry, Grace.”

  “Me too.” She smiled. “Max suggested we have you on Skipper during the ceremony, so you won’t miss a thing.”

  “Ooh, that’s smart.” Charlotte’s head bobbed as she nodded. “Yes, please.”

  “That’s what I said!”

  Charlotte giggled. “Of course you did.”

  “Come and have some coffee,” Grace said, and stood.

  Charlotte followed.

  Is the coast clear?

  Yes, baby. You may return.

  Max returned to the room and he and Charlotte were able to have more than a two-word conversation before it was time to head to the airport. Teary-eyed, Grace hugged her best friend and followed her family to the awaiting cars.

  * * *

  Two days later, Grace stepped out of the bathroom wearing a black camisole and lacy boy shorts. Kade had offered the apartment across the hall from them in order for Samantha to be close during Grace’s conversion. Pepper and Connall had traveled from Inverness to be close as well, in an effort to provide moral support if needed. Grace was quite humbled by their generosity, but also not quite certain what to expect.

  She and Max had been married in a tiny little chapel in Edinburgh just a few hours earlier. Due to a technical glitch, Charlotte was unable to attend via Skipper. The entire site was down, but Grace made sure the ceremony was recorded and sent to Charlotte before editing. Grace’s family was being entertained quite enthusiastically by Niall and Oliver, which gave Grace and Max two blissful days alone before Maggie’s trial started.

  Max grinned as he let out a low whistle.

  “Is this okay?” she asked. “I feel like I should have bought something sexier.”

  Max shook his head and grinned. “You are stunning. My imagination didn’t give you justice.”

  “Mmm, same.” She ran her finger over his smooth, chiseled chest. He wore black pajama bottoms that sat low on his hips, and she licked her lips as she swept her gaze over his body.

  He smiled. “Trust me?”

  “With all my heart.”

  “You’re going to repeat after me.”

  “Okay,” she whispered.

  Max kissed her quickly. “Ég gef þér allt sem ég er, allt sem ég vil vera og allt sem ég get verið.”

  She nodded. “Um, okay.”

  “Let’s try it. Ready?”

  “Yes.”

  “Ég gef þér allt ég, allt sem ég vil vera og allt sem ég er að verða,” he whispered.

  “Ég gef þér allt sem ég er, allt sem ég vil vera og allt sem ég get verið,” Grace said, with surprising ease. As she finished the last word, she felt unsteady on her feet and her vision blurred. She gripped Max’s shoulders. “I feel light-headed.”

  “I know, baby. It’s all part of the process,” he said, wrapping his arms tighter around her waist.

  “What does it mean?”

  “I give you everything I am, all I want to be, and all I can be. I’m yours forever. Our bond will never be broken. My love is absolute,” he said.

  “Wow, beautiful.”

  He nodded. “As are you.” He smiled down at her. “Ready?”

  She nodded.

  “I’ve got you.” He kissed her nose. “Okay, repeat after me. Ég er þinn að eilífu. Eining okkar mun aldrei bresta.”

  “Ég er þín að eilífu Eining okkar mun aldrei bresta,” Grace whispered. “The room’s spinning, Max.”

  “Just a bit longer.” He stroked her cheek. “Ást mín er alger.”

  “Ást mín er alger.” She gripped his waist. “Please tell me we’re almost done.”

  He nodded. “We have to say it together, but we can lie down for that.”

  “Okay.”

  Max helped her to the bed, stretching out beside her. He kissed her gently again and then nodded. “Together,” he instructed.

  “Always,” she said.

  “Ég gef þér allt sem ég er, allt sem ég vil vera og allt sem ég get verið.” Grace picked out the words from his mind, which helped her when she wasn’t sure. “Ég er þinn að eilífu. Eining okkar mun aldrei bresta. Ást mín er alger.”

  As they said the last word, Max kissed her as he removed her camisole. “You are perfect.”

  He made love to her with a gentleness Grace could never have imagined. She also didn’t expect the experience to be so incredible.

  “You didn’t?” Max asked as he pulled her onto his chest and kissed her.

  “No.” She giggled. “My mom sat me down and reminded me that the first time probably wouldn’t be very good—”

  “Reminded you?”

  “Yeah, we had ‘the talk’ when I was about nine.” She kissed his chest. “And so last night, she went over the bullet points again.”

  “Good mum.”

  Grace smiled. “Yes…a little nosier than I like, but overall, a really good mom.”

  “So, you’re pleased with me then?”

  Grace laughed. “Unbelievably so. All your practice paid off.”

  Max groaned. “Baby, don’t remind me.”

  “Too soon?” She licked her lips and smiled. “Sorry.”

  “You’re sorry?”

  “So very, very sorry.”

  He chuckled and pushed her onto her back. “Prove it.”

  Grace giggled as she craned her neck to give him better access and sighed as he ran his tongue across her pulse. She wasn’t prepared, however, for the pain that slammed into her stomach, and her forehead collided with his as she doubled over with a scream.

  “Shite,” he snapped, and scrambled from the bed.

  * * *

  “Baby, I’m getting Sam.” Max pulled on pants and a shirt and texted Samantha.

  Grace groaned as she pulled her knees up to her chest, squeezing her eyes shut.

  Within minutes, a knock came at the door and he opened it to let Samantha in. “It’s started?”

  “Aye,” he said.

  “Quicker than with me or Pepper.”

  He nodded, his heart racing.

  “It’s okay, Max. I promise. She’ll be fine.” Samantha squeezed his arm. “Now, lie down beside her and keep contact. You can ease some of her pain.”

  Max nodded and climbed onto the bed beside Grace, not entirely sure where to touch her. So far, other than one scream, she hadn’t made a sound, but her skin was red and she took quick, shallow breaths.

  “Baby, I’m going to put my hand on your hip.”

  Grace squeezed her eyes shut again and Max laid a shaky hand on her hip. She jerked away with a whimper, but he held firm.

  “Good, that’s good,” Samantha said. “Her pulse is slowing.”

  Max scooted closer to Grace, her back to his chest, and kissed her shoulder. “I’m here, baby. Just breathe.”

  “Grace, I’m going to take your temperature,” Sam said, and slipped a medical thermometer under her tongue. “Max, you should really take your shirt off. Skin to skin is best.”

  Max whispered to her in Gaelic in an effort to calm her as he broke contact and pulled off his shirt. He was grateful Sam had paper-like thermometers…God forbid, Grace were to bite through one
with mercury in the tip. He resumed his position, keeping Grace close.

  Samantha took the reading and nodded. “Okay, she’s at about one hundred six. It’s time for the ice sheets. I’ll get Pepper, okay?”

  Max nodded and Sam left them alone.

  “Baby, this isn’t going to last long. I promise.”

  “Sing,” she rasped.

  “Really?”

  Yes, Max, please.

  Max quietly sang the song he’d been working on for her, and he smiled when she sighed and her body finally relaxed.

  I love you.

  “I love you more, sweetheart.”

  She let out a quiet snort. Um, I highly doubt that.

  The moment of levity didn’t last long. Her body contracted again and she cried out in pain. Max kissed her shoulder and tried to use his healing gift. Unfortunately, Samantha had informed him that he wouldn’t be able to take the pain fully away during Grace’s conversion. Her body had to go through the worst of it without his assistance; however, Max was determined to try.

  She relaxed in tiny increments, but Max didn’t let up until her panting turned into steady breathing. “Good girl,” he whispered.

  Patronizing as ever, she accused.

  He linked his fingers with hers. “Aye, love, I suppose I am.”

  Forgiven.

  He chuckled. “Thank you.”

  “We have the sheets,” Samantha said.

  Max hadn’t heard anyone enter the room.

  “You should carry her to the chair,” Pepper suggested. “As long as you keep contact, Grace will feel better.”

  Max kept his hand on Grace’s hip as he sat up and then lifted her into his arms. Her cry broke his heart, but he knew he had to get her into the coolness of the sheets or she would be more miserable than she already was.

  He sat in one of the chairs by the window and kissed Grace’s forehead as she stiffened in his arms. He hadn’t noticed she’d bit through her lip and the blood now ran down her chin. He kissed her gently, healing the wound, and then prayed silently, relaxing when Grace sighed.

  Are you praying?

  Aye, love. I have found myself doing that more and more of late.

  I’m glad.

  I’m not doing it because of you.

  She smiled up at him. That makes me gladder.

  Max wasn’t able to respond, as her body stiffened again. “Sick,” she rasped.

  Samantha moved with lightning speed, placing a bowl under Grace’s chin just in time. “If you move her onto the floor, I think it helps to be on all fours during this part,” Samantha suggested.

  Max nodded and waited until Grace had calmed. Keeping the bed sheet wrapped around her for modesty, he lowered her to the ground.

  You can go, Max.

  I’m not going anywhere.

  Baby, this is gross. You really don’t need to see this.

  “No.”

  “What’s wrong?” Sam asked.

  “Sorry,” Max replied. “Grace is trying to get me to leave.”

  “I get it,” Pepper said. “This part’s the worst.”

  Grace groaned and pulled the bowl closer. Max stayed connected, his hand on her back, praying for the pain to be over soon.

  Sam knelt beside Grace. “Sorry, Grace, I have to look in the bowl.”

  Grace grimaced as she rolled to her side.

  Sam smiled gently. “No blood yet. Sorry, Grace, this is going to go on for a little while longer.”

  Please don’t see this, baby.

  Max stroked her back. I’m not going anywhere, love.

  Twenty minutes later, Grace was in the bed of ice and finally drifting off to sleep. Max stretched out beside her in an effort to watch her closely.

  “Max, she did great,” Samantha said. “Amazing, in fact. My conversion and Pepper’s lasted for hours. Grace’s barely lasted one. I’ll be noting that in the record.”

  Max nodded, although he continued to watch Grace. “I hope all your poking and prodding’s worth it.”

  Samantha had taken Grace’s blood before the conversion and would take more when everything was over. Ever the researcher, she was tracking what happened to the body during a Cauld Ane change in an effort to understand it better. She had also discovered that some of the data she’d gathered from herself and Pepper had some overlapping benefits to her new medical trial.

  “It will be, Max. I promise,” Samantha assured him. “For now, she should sleep. You both should.”

  “We’ll clean up here and leave you guys alone,” Pepper said. “Call us if anything changes, okay?”

  “I will,” he said. “Thank you.”

  The ladies left and Max lay his head on the pillow, still facing Grace. She smiled, although, her eyes were still closed. “You’re staring.”

  Max chuckled. “I can’t help it. You’re beautiful.”

  “I’m tired.”

  “Sleep, baby.”

  “I don’t want to miss anything.”

  “Are you in pain?”

  “Nope. I just feel super sleepy. Like I’ve had just enough wine to be entirely relaxed, but not quite enough to be drunk.”

  “Well, that’s very specific.”

  She smiled again. “I’m all about specificity.”

  “Can I hold you?”

  She nodded. “My body feels like rubber, so you’ll have to move me where you want me.”

  Max laughed as he gathered her in his arms. “Oh, baby. A different day and a different situation, I would have been all over that.”

  Grace giggled, her eyes still closed. “Hmm-mm, don’t I know it. Sex kitten blow-up doll.”

  Max gave her a gentle squeeze. “Sleep.”

  She did.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  TWO MORNINGS LATER, Grace woke feeling noticeably different. For the first time in as long as she could remember, she didn’t have a headache, even one she considered “manageable.” She was also naked, a state of dress that was alien to her, especially when sleeping.

  “Good morning,” Max said, and kissed her shoulder.

  “Hi.”

  “How are you feeling?”

  She rolled over to face him. “Better than I ever have…in my life.”

  He grinned. “You’re welcome.”

  Grace giggled. “Yes, thank you, baby.”

  Max grasped her around her waist and pulled her on top of him. “Payback time.”

  “With pleasure.” Grace straddled his hips and leaned down to kiss him, moving her lips across his jaw and down to his throat.

  When Grace fell onto the bed after Max’s very thorough lovemaking, she couldn’t help but laugh. Her life had changed so much in the space of a very short time.

  “Not just yours, love,” Max said, and leaned over her to kiss her.

  “So very true.”

  “We should shower and head next door. Sam wants to talk with us before we head over to the hospital.”

  Grace sat up. “Is she worried?”

  “I don’t think so. If she were, I’d imagine, she would have come by.” Max climbed off the bed and headed to the bathroom.

  Grace heard the water start and then Max leaned into the room. “Are you joining me?”

  “Um, duh.”

  Grace was grateful they didn’t have to rush. By the time they dressed and arrived at Kade and Samantha’s apartment, they still had over an hour before they were due at the hospital.

  Samantha ushered them into the living room where Connall and Pepper were focused on a game of chess.

  “King me,” Pepper said.

  “Baby, this isn’t checkers,” Connall said. “There’s no such thing as ‘kinging.’”

  Pepper wrinkled her nose. “Are you sure?”