“That was the scariest thing I’ve ever seen,” she admitted.
Him, too, and that was saying a lot.
“I have you. It’s okay.”
Molly came over and laid on top of her, trying to keep her warm.
Slowly, she calmed.
“I heard it,” he said. “After you reopened your mind, I heard everything that was said to you.”
She knew she was likely in danger, but she didn’t take it seriously.
Now…
She had no choice.
Brianna was hunted.
Laird lifted her chin, and her lower lip was quivering. He wanted to do whatever he could to keep her safe.
“Brianna, a grá, I won’t let anything hurt you,” he vowed. “I promise.”
She clung to him. “I’m a big coward,” she whispered.
He held her as if she was precious porcelain. She was shaking so hard, he knew he needed to get her into dry clothes.
“Honey, it’s going to be okay,” he vowed.
She held onto him.
“How do you know?” she whispered.
“Because I’ll die to protect you, Brianna. I already love you,” he said, taking a chance. By some miracle, she’d let him back into her life.
Brianna stared at him.
“Laird.”
“You don’t have to say it back, and I understand if you don’t feel the same. I needed you to know. I was trying to tell you at dinner.”
She touched his cheek. “I already knew. And saying it isn’t the problem,” she admitted.
He stared into her eyes. “Then what is?”
“When I die, it will break you.”
What the hell was he supposed to say to that?
Chapter Fourteen
H e was going to revisit that conversation as soon as he got her warm, dry, and safe. Laird had every intention of telling Brianna that there was no way in hell he was going to let her die. It simply wasn’t happening.
“I put some dry clothes on my bed,” he offered, making her a cup of tea in his kitchen. “I’m sure they’ll be too big, but your dress needs to dry out,” he yelled.
“I’ll be okay,” she stated, as she got dressed in his loft bedroom.
She could stare down at him from the loft above his living room. He had his back to her, and he was shirtless as he padded around his kitchen barefoot. After he’d given her something warm, he’d changed himself.
Now he was trying to take care of her.
It made her smile.
Now that the fear was abating, she knew that she needed to calm down. She’d rushed out in the rain, afraid, and nearly got them both drowned in a monsoon.
“How do you like your tea, a grá?” he asked.
She liked when he called her his love. That warmed her more than any tea ever would.
“Plain,” she offered.
“I called Nate. He’s on his way,” he said, as he heard her coming down the ladder from his loft. When he turned, he stopped dead in his tracks.
She was wearing his t-shirt, and all he could focus on were her long pale legs.
Jaysus.
He was a saint.
“Here you go,” he said, bringing her the tea. “I’m going to get you my robe.”
“I’m not cold.”
“That’s not why I’m covering you up, Brianna, my sweet. I’m covering you up because I don’t want other men ogling my flower.”
His voice went thick with the Irish accent.
She looked surprised.
“Forgive me, but I refuse not to be honest with you. I don’t live my life any other way.”
She took the tea and placed it on the table. “Then I want to be honest with you.”
He kept his distance.
Laird was a hot mess to begin with since the date. He’d believed he’d lost all chances with her. Then he heard her screaming for him in his mind.
It terrified him.
Then when he declared his love, she didn’t say it back, but stated she felt it.
That wasn’t enough for him.
“Okay, a grá, say what’s on your mind.”
She moved toward him. “Thank you. I’m sorry I raced out of the pub.”
“She upset you, didn’t she?”
She nodded.
“I’m sorry,” he offered, touching her cheek. “I shouldn’t have taken you there.”
“It made me realize that you’re going to get tired of me at some point, and she was right.”
He lifted a brow. “Will I, now?”
“I’m a boring old teacher, and she was right. She could kick my ass. I don’t fight. I can’t even eat meat without feeling guilty as hell. I’m a chicken, and at some point, you’ll get tired of it. Everyone always does, and then if you cheat on me, I’ll die inside.”
He had news for her. He’d never cheat.
That wasn’t his style, and he knew a good thing when he saw it, and she was it.
He took her hand and led her back to the couch. Placing the tea back in her hands, he sat beside her. “Tell me why you think you’re a chicken.”
“I always run.”
“Tell me more, Miss Clucky.”
She laughed.
There was the smile he loved.
“When I was in the States, I was teaching there. I was dating this guy, and he was okay or semi-nice.”
“Semi-nice? I don’t like him already. I hope this story has a car chase, some guns, or me getting the girl in it.”
She sipped her tea and tried not to freak out.
Why did this man want her?
“He was okay, but I didn’t feel anything for him. I need that romance, that adventure. I think it’s because I love books so much. It muddled my senses.”
He touched her cheek. “I disagree, but continue on about this man who was okay.”
It was hard to look at him. Those blue eyes framed out by that dark hair. He looked…mysterious.
That had always called to her on some level.
“My parents expected me to marry him. They wanted me to settle down, have the two point five kids, and be a wife.”
“And you are against marriage?” he asked, his stomach knotting.
“No! I was just against marrying him. There was no spark. When we had sex…”
He held up his hand. “Is my eye twitching?” he asked. “I may be having a stroke, a grá.”
It made her laugh. “I needed that.”
“Continue,” he said.
“He pressured me. I didn’t want to get married. So, when he asked, I said no.”
“And?”
“My parents began planning a wedding.”
Now he got it.
“I’ve always been a disappointment. My parents, they mean well, but they don’t like to let me get hurt. If I do anything they don’t like, I’ll be hurt. If I have some sordid affair with a sexy man, I’ll get hurt.”
He grinned. “Is this where I come in? Am I that sordid gentleman?” he teased. “I just like to know all the players in this game.”
She got chills when he looked at her. Brianna couldn’t say he was because her brain was going fuzzy looking at him.
He kissed her on the tip of her freckled nose.
“Go on.”
“The point is, I ran. I told him I’d see him for a date on Sunday, and I left the country. I had wanted to travel and teach around the world, but they told me it was silly.”
“I think it’s wise.”
That made her stop. “Are you mocking me?”
He shook his head. “I’m envious. I wish I could do my job anywhere I fancied. I simply can’t. I would trade you in a second to have that freedom. When I left Dublin, it was so hard. Here, you crossed the pond. You’re very brave, Brianna.”
That helped her relax.
“So I came here.”
“And?”
“They are NOT happy. In fact, once they find me, there will be a lecture, misery, and people being yelled at.”
/>
She pointed at herself.
“How old are you, A grá?” he asked.
“Twenty-nine.”
“Don’t you think you should be able to do what pleases you?” he asked. “Don’t you think you should be entitled to be happy? If you were not happy with, what was his name?”
“Richard.”
He kept calm—somehow. “If you were not happy with Dick, shouldn’t you be allowed to make your own choice?”
“I can’t make a choice.”
He didn’t understand.
“Why?”
“Because I knew, too, Laird. When you raced around that corner, chasing after Molly, I knew. You were the one. I fell in love.”
He stared at her.
Well, there it was.
They’d both admitted it, and now came the fall out.
“So, what do we do about it?” he asked, pretty sure if he blinked, she’d disappear.
“We have a mess.”
“I don’t think we do, but I’m not going to treat you like a child and tell you what to feel. You’re going to have to make that choice, A grá, or I’m just like Dick and your parents. I have to let you drive this relationship.”
She knew what she wanted.
Him.
Putting her tea down, she straddled his lap.
“Brianna,” he whispered, as her hands moved across his chest.
“I know what I want, Laird. I know who I want. If you need me to drive the relationship, I’ll do it, but when I get scared, I need you to tell me it’s going to be okay. I need your strength.”
“A grá, it’s yours.”
Her mouth sought his, and when they connected, life blossomed between them. There was that explosion of heat, need, and love.
His hands slid up her thighs, reveling in the pale, smooth skin. It was Heaven.
Her mouth destroyed his.
It tore his control to pieces to the point he would let her do anything she wanted to him.
He was lost to her, and here was the proof.
“You’re my other half,” she said, slowly releasing his mouth. “Fate knew it. That’s why we have this shared gift. I don’t want to run, Laird.”
He stared into her eyes. They were the same aqua he had always been drawn to his whole life. It had been as if his heart knew, and he was seeing his other half.
Now he knew why.
All these years, the move to Adare—had been about him trying to find his soulmate.
His heart knew.
“Don’t run. Stay. Let me protect you.”
“Jenny said she’ll kick my ass and beat me up in front of everyone,” she said. “I’m not tough. I’m smart. I don’t want to be hurt.”
He got that.
“No one will touch you. You’re mine, Brianna. Let’s take this adventure together. It’s crazy we’ve only known each other two days, but let’s just say fuck it. Let’s see what happens and stop worrying about a timeline. Why can’t we just be us? You’re the romantic adventurer, and I’m the besotted man who will follow you into Hell and back for his Irish beauty.”
“Oh, Laird.”
It was true.
“When you told me you were going to chase this killer and help Oracle, what did I do?”
“You followed me.”
“I’m going to chase the woman I know is supposed to be mine. What are you going to do, Brianna?”
“I’m going to choose you.”
He smiled.
Then she realized something.
“I don’t curse.”
He laughed. She told him the oddest things, being completely honest.
“Does it offend you, lass, or do you just not curse?” he asked.
“I just never wanted to.”
“You make me want to curse a lot.”
She found that amusing.
When Molly began barking, she climbed off his lap. “Oracle is here.”
He could feel her.
“I’ll get you that robe.”
She didn’t argue when he insisted. Instead she followed him into the bathroom and put it on as he went to check on their company.
Laird headed out to the door and let Avalon and Nate into his home.
“I’m sorry about calling you so late,” he stated.
“It’s okay. We had some issues at the house,” Nate offered. “We weren’t asleep anyway. Oracle was on the prowl. She works best at night, coincidentally, that’s when the crazies tend to strike.”
“What happened?” Laird asked.
“It’s haunted and some perverted ghost is trying to kill us,” Avalon said, sounding a little bit too happy about it.
“Um…”
What did Laird say to that?
“We’ll explain later. We need to know what Brianna saw. Avalon needs to tap into her.”
He was confused.
“She couldn’t do that from there?” he asked. “She talked to both of us for weeks from further away.”
Yes, she did.
“We’re afraid any of my gifts might stir up the dead again, so it was easier to come here.”
Yes, yes, they were.
They didn’t want to risk that she was the catalyst.
Brianna entered the room, and she was tying the sash of his robe.
“I’m so glad to see you,” she gushed.
Avalon made her way to her, by way of her aura. “You’re scared shitless. I only heard some of it.”
“It was bad.”
“Both of you sit on the couch—side by side.” They did what she asked. “I’m going to tap into your minds.”
“Okay,” they said, doing what she asked.
Avalon sat on the coffee table and touched each one of their legs.
She whipped through their minds, hunting down the killer. It didn’t take long before she found him.
“It’s a male.”
Well, that helped them out.
“He’s familiar with town.”
Nate continued making notes.
“He’s killed again. You were right. There will be another body in the morning. I guess Connor isn’t a murderer. I still hope he’ll rot in jail for attacking Bishop,” Avalon stated.
“What’s the victim’s name?” he asked his wife. “What do you see, Avi?”
She saw a lot.
Blood everywhere.
Avalon studied what she saw. She could hear the killer talking, and it was clearer through the static when she was touching them.
She didn’t have a direct link, but Brianna did.
“He’s followed you. He’s fascinated with you, but he doesn’t know why. I wish I could connect with him on a deeper level, so I could distract him.”
Nate knew why.
The poor girl was marked.
At Avalon’s words, Brianna began getting panicked.
Laird brought her knuckles to his lips to reassure her. In her mind, he whispered one thing.
‘Don’t run!’
‘I don’t want to die!’ she replied.
‘I won’t let you die!’
Avalon heard it all. She checked the threads of fate, and Brianna was going to be a victim. She could see her in the puddle of blood.
They could see it too.
A tear slipped down Brianna’s cheek.
She didn’t have much time.
“He’ll take another victim, and soon,” Avalon said. “You’re safe here for now, but tonight, I would really like for you both to come to Lucian’s home. If we’re all under one roof, I can help you a lot more than if you’re here.”
“Uh, you have ghosts,” Laird offered. “I believe you called them perverted too.”
Nate laughed. It wasn’t funny, but it was. They were all on edge.
“I can protect her here,” Laird offered.
Avalon disagreed. “If you stay here, she’s dead tonight.”
Well, Oracle wasn’t mincing words.
She gave them the choice.
“Ghosts aren’t so ba
d,” Laird offered. “I can deal with that.”
Avalon could see the way fate was playing out. “I need you both there. She’s the catalyst for something. You have to put your faith in me. I won’t stop until I can save her, but I need you to believe in my abilities.”
Nate touched his wife’s back. “She’ll do everything she said and more. We will protect you, Brianna.”
“Can you really alter fate? Is that even possible?” she asked in curiosity.
“Yes, I’ve done it before. It takes a delicate hand. I’ll be tied up doing that, but the rest of the team will watch over you. You aren’t alone.”
She was so scared.
“I can do it,” Avalon promised.
Even as she said the words, she knew it was hard to do. Then again, Avalon knew what would make it happen. She’d become very good at her job.
But…
Brianna needed to know the truth.
“Your parents have found you, Brianna. They will be here shortly. You don’t have much time. They are bringing him with them. They’re coming for you. If you go back with them, you’ll live. If you stay here, I can’t promise you will.”
Tears filled her eyes.
That choice…
It sucked.
“Go home,” Laird said. “I’d rather know you’re out there and alive, then risk you dying,” he said. “I’ll find you again one day. I promise. When this is done, I’ll come for you.”
She held his hand.
He’d told her he’d protect her.
He told her not to run.
Brianna trusted him. They shared a gift, and if she left, he’d struggle to do what needed to be done. The man with the matching aqua eyes and beautiful soul needed her.
She would fight.
“I’ll stay.”
His heart ached.
Avalon touched his forehead. She gave him the pictures she saw in hers. “You need to keep your promise.”
He watched as they flew by.
In them, Laird saw her parents, and the man who wanted her as his own.
It was good to know the enemy.
It had only been two days, but he was feeling territorial about Brianna. Already, his heart and soul knew the truth.
She was meant to be his.
“She’s safe with me. We’ll be at the house tomorrow. Can I have Brianna come earlier? Molly will keep her safe.”
Oracle Haunting (The Phoenix Files Book 4) Page 26
