Bound by Dreams (Cauld Ane Series)

by Tracey Jane Jackson

  “Shut up.”

  “My mom had an affair. It’s why they split up.”

  “Wow, Chuck. That’s…” Grace returned the birth certificate. “I don’t know what to say.”

  Charlotte cocked her head.

  “What?” Grace asked.

  “You really didn’t know, did you?”

  “Are you high?” Grace shoved her. “Do you really think I’d keep that from you if I knew?”

  “I did for about a minute,” Charlotte admitted. “Your parents knew.”

  “That doesn’t surprise me. Our parents are best friends.”

  Charlotte dragged her hands down her face.

  “You know, when all of this mess is over, lady, you and I are going to have a conversation about how you tend to assume that I would purposely do things to hurt you.” Grace frowned. “It’s kind of starting to piss me off.”

  “I’m sorry, Gary.”

  Grace reached over and took her hand. “We’ll figure this out, buddy. You know we will.”

  “Do I? Because right now, all I’m getting are lies, so I don’t feel as though I can pick out what’s true and what’s fiction based upon the word of just one person…even if it’s you.”

  Don’t alienate your best friend, sweetheart.

  You’re on the top of my shit list right now, baby, so I suggest you keep your advice to yourself.

  “You don’t scare me, you know,” Grace said. “You can growl all you like.”

  Charlotte bit back frustrated tears. “I’m sorry.”

  “Nothing to be sorry for. I get it.”

  “Thank you.”

  “What about your other pocket?” Grace pressed.

  “Oh, right,” Charlotte said, and pulled out the ring, slipping it onto her finger.

  Grace studied the diamond. “Oh, honey, it’s gorgeous.”

  “I know,” she agreed. “He has impeccable taste.”

  Grace smiled. “Yes, he most definitely does.”

  Charlotte narrowed her eyes. “How did you know about the stuff in my pockets?” she whispered. “Is that your ah…‘gift’?”

  Grace nodded. “I have physical empathy. I’m drawn to places and things, and my emotions connect to them. It’s really weird.”

  “Is it like a bad feeling?”

  Grace shook her head. “Not always. Actually, I haven’t quite figured out when it’s good and when it’s bad. Max says the more it happens, the easier it’ll be to decipher. But for now, it’s just an emotional charge.”

  “Is that why you’re here?”

  “Yes. I was drawn to my bracelet.” Grace smiled and held her arm up, the bracelet loose on her wrist. “Still am.”

  Charlotte raised her arm, the identical bracelet gracing her wrist. “What a coincidence.”

  Grace closed her eyes briefly and opened them with a grimace.

  “What?” Charlotte demanded. “Is Max telling you something?”

  “He can’t find Niall. He can feel him, but doesn’t know where he is.”

  “Damn it!” Charlotte snapped, and tried to focus in on him. Where are you?

  Close.

  “What does that mean?” Charlotte pressed, out loud.

  “What does what mean?” Grace asked.

  “Sorry, not you.” Charlotte bit her lip. Niall, Max is trying to find you. Where are you?

  Port of Portland, T-6.

  “Niall says he’s at the Port of Portland, T-6 terminal,” Charlotte said.

  Grace relayed the information to Max, and their driver entered the coordinates into the GPS for the port. Charlotte grew anxious as the car entered the freeway.

  “Niall’s gone silent,” Charlotte grumbled.

  Grace sighed and squeezed Charlotte’s hand. “So has Max.”

  Charlotte picked at an invisible piece of stitching on her jeans as the driver maneuvered the car to their destination. They arrived to about a dozen government official vehicles, some black SUV’s and other police cruisers, and three ambulances, all with lights flashing. Large shipping containers were stacked off to the left, with one sitting alone in the middle of the shipping yard. Despite the crowd of people milling around, Charlotte didn’t see anyone she recognized, which only made her panic worsen.

  “Ladies, stay in the car,” the driver instructed, and climbed from the car.

  Charlotte unbuckled her seatbelt and reached for the door handle.

  Grace pulled her back. “Don’t, Chuck. Let them do their job.”

  “She’s my sister.”

  Grace grabbed her arm. “I know, but if Max and Niall are distracted because they’re worried about us, it’ll make things a lot worse.”

  Charlotte huffed, crossing her arms and sinking back into the seat. “This is lame.”

  “I agree,” Grace said, and released her seatbelt. “Max isn’t answering me anymore, so they must be in the middle of something.”

  Charlotte felt sudden pain and opened the car door.

  “Charlie, wait!” Grace demanded.

  “Something’s wrong with Niall. I can’t feel him anymore.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I felt pain. Really bad pain and now I can’t feel him. I can’t feel his mind.” Charlotte jumped from the car and took off running, unprepared to be physically lifted from her feet before she could breach the perimeter the police had cordoned off. “Let me go!”

  “Nei,” the deep voice said.

  Charlotte turned to see who was holding her and gasped. “You! Who are you? Let me go!”

  “Það er hættulegt.” (It’s dangerous.)

  “So? You can’t tell me what to do!”

  “Hætta að berjast, litla. Ég mun sleppa þér þegar það er óhætt.” (Stop fighting, little one. I will let you go when it’s safe.)

  “Wait, how do I understand you?” She continued to struggle, but the man held her tighter.

  “Við erum tengd.” (We are connected.)

  “Connected, how?” She glanced around. “Why is no one listening to me?”

  “I have told them not to,” he said in clipped English.

  Charlotte saw Max and Bruce rushing toward a large metal container, a tall man behind them. Max ripped the door from the container and Niall stumbled out of it. He did not look well.

  “Niall!” Charlotte screamed, and ran to his side. She barely registered the sudden release from the hulk who had been holding her. Niall fell to the ground and she knelt beside him. His face and arms were blistered and red and his body was starting to swell. “What did you do?”

  “Vandi,” he rasped.

  “She’s here?” she asked. “Inside?”

  He nodded, swallowing heavily.

  “Water!” she bellowed. “Someone, please get him some water.”

  No one was listening. Chaos ensued as agents rushed past them toward the shipping container.

  “I have suggested the EMS and law enforcement ignore my brother,” Max explained.

  “Why? He needs help!” she screamed.

  “Their help will only raise questions,” Max said. “We are the only ones who can do anything for him now.”

  “Can you get him water? He needs water.”

  “Water won’t help, Charlotte,” Max said, as he leaned over his brother.

  “What do you mean? Why?” She ripped Niall’s shirt from him. He was blowing up like a balloon and the blistering was getting worse.

  “The shipping container was obviously far above our temperature threshold, so water won’t help him. We don’t know how long he was trapped inside.” Max scurried to the opposite side of Niall and took Charlotte’s hand. “I’m going to have to try and heal him.”

  Charlotte licked her lips. “Will it work?”

  “I bloody well hope so,” he grumbled. “I’m going to try.”

  Grace appeared out of nowhere and knelt beside her.

  Charlotte nodded. “Okay, what can I do to help?”

  “He’s in a lot of pain, but you’re going to hav
e to try to ignore it.”

  “I can feel it,” Charlotte said as she stared down at Niall.

  “Charlotte.” Max touched her arm gently. “He’s going to fight you because the welts are probably all over his body now, but you need to hold on to him, okay?”

  She bit her lip. “Where should I touch him?”

  “Anywhere you can.”

  Charlotte nodded again, leaning down close to Niall’s face. “I’m so sorry, baby. Max says this is going to hurt, but we’re going to try and make you better. I love you.” She grabbed his arms, pinning them to his sides, and held tight, despite Niall’s attempt to pull away.

  “Help me, Charlotte. Close your eyes and envision the pain and welts disappearing,” Max said, holding Niall’s legs. “We’re going to see if you can help even though you’re not bound.”

  “Ah…um…,” Charlotte stuttered.

  “Pray, Charlie,” Grace clarified.

  Charlotte closed her eyes and concentrated on praying the best prayer she’d ever prayed. She put her old Assemblies of God habits into practice, hoping that if she used the right number of “Fathers” and “Lords” it would work better.

  Niall started to cough and Charlotte took a minute to assess his condition. The swelling was much better, as were the welts. Charlotte’s chest felt like an elephant was sitting on it, and she realized she could feel Niall’s difficulty in breathing.

  “He can’t breathe,” she said.

  “Lay your hands on his chest,” Max said. “And breathe for him.”

  “What?” she asked, laying her hands over his heart.

  “Take deep breaths, Charlotte. Concentrate and get him to breathe with you.” Max shifted so he could cradle his brother’s head. “We need to roll him on his side, but don’t break contact.”

  Niall groaned as they moved him, his body shaking from the pain. Grace knelt at Niall’s back and gently touched her knees to him in order to keep him on his side. Charlotte tried to focus on Niall, but panic was her ever-present irritant.

  She bit back tears as she continued to force herself to breathe. Then, as a new onset of panic hit, it was gone. Peace covered her, and she was sure Niall was doing something to assist. She took comfort in his ability to calm her even in the horrific pain he was in, and focused back on the task at hand.

  “I’m okay,” he rasped, grabbing for her hands on his chest. “I’m okay, baby.”

  Charlotte sobbed as he rolled onto his back and pulled her on top of him. He held her tight and rubbed her back. “I’m okay, sweetheart. Where’s Vandi?”

  She buried her face in his neck, still crying uncontrollably. Niall sat up, keeping her close and sliding her hair away from her face. “Hey,” he said. “I’m okay.”

  Max handed Charlotte a handkerchief and she nodded her thanks, wiping her face and taking several deep breaths. Gunfire had Niall forcing Charlotte back to the ground and covering her with his body. Max did the same with Grace. Charlotte buried her face in Niall’s shoulder, her heart racing, but knowing Niall would protect her.

  “Stay down,” Niall snapped, and was up and running before Charlotte could respond.

  Max followed.

  Grace slid closer to Charlotte and linked arms with her. Even though they were relatively sheltered behind a large shipping crate, Charlotte felt exposed. “Let’s move out of sight.”

  “I think we should stay here,” Grace argued.

  “We’re out in the open here, Grace. We have to get out of the way. Come on!” she snapped. “I don’t want to get shot, do you?”

  “No, but we should stay here.”

  “No. I’m not giving them an open target.” Charlotte rose to her knees and heard Grace scream before she felt pain in her shoulder. It was so severe, it knocked her to the ground, which caused her to smack her head. Strong arms lifted her from the ground and she blacked out just as Grace let out another scream.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  NIALL HEARD GRACE scream and he let out a litany of curse words when he couldn’t see Charlotte where he’d left her. She wasn’t answering him either, which caused a level of pain and panic he hadn’t felt since his sister’s death.

  “Go,” Max ordered. “Dalton and Bruce have got the men. I’ll help with the girls.”

  Niall ran to where he’d left the ladies and found a man cradling a bloody Charlotte against his chest. He was tall and looked somewhat familiar. Niall couldn’t be sure, since a beanie covered his hair and he was fully clothed, but he looked like the warrior in Charlotte’s dream.

  “Who the hell are you?” Niall rushed toward him. “Get your damn hands off her!”

  The man’s eyes flashed red as he glared at Niall. “Ég lækna hana. Þú munt bíða þangað til ég er búin.” (I’m healing her. You’ll wait until I’m done.)

  Picking up only one or two words the man said, Niall found himself rooted to the ground. He tried to move, but couldn’t.

  “Vaknaðu, litla. Ég hef þig.” (Wake up, little one. I've got you.)

  Charlotte. Baby, wake up. I don’t know who this man is, but he has powers stronger than mine. I need to know you’re okay.

  She didn’t respond.

  Charlotte!

  “I’m okay,” she mumbled, then opened her eyes and shoved at the man’s chest. “Hey! Let me down!”

  The man studied her for a few seconds and then gently lowered her to the ground and released Niall from his hold. Niall rushed to Charlotte, yanking her coat from her wounded arm and finding nothing there except leftover blood.

  “I’m okay, Nye,” she insisted, and glanced around. The man who’d healed her was gone.

  “Was he the man in your dream?” Niall asked.

  She gasped. “You noticed that too?”

  “Aye. Is he who you’ve been seeing in person?”

  “I’m not sure. Yes, I think so.” She gripped his arm. “When he spoke, I understood everything he said.”

  “You did?”

  “Yes, and he understood me when I responded in English.” Charlotte frowned. “Do you know what he was speaking? Was it Icelandic?”

  “Aye, ’twas.” Niall scowled. “Damn it!”

  “If he was the man from my dream, Niall, what is he doing here?”

  “I don’t know.” He kissed her forehead. “But we’ll get to the bottom of, love. How are you feeling?”

  “Honestly? Worried sick and mad as hell.” She stepped back, putting distance between them.

  “Better, then,” he said, and narrowed his eyes.

  “You could have died!” She jabbed a finger into his chest. “If you ever do anything like that to me again, I will kill you.”

  “You should have stayed where I put you,” he countered. “You were shot, Charlotte.”

  “And I healed!” She jabbed him again. “And you lied to me!”

  “You asked me to filter what I told you,” he said evenly, as he grasped her hand and kissed her palm. “I never lied to you, Charlotte.”

  “Stop being rational,” she snapped, and tried to pull away. “And stop making me feel better. I’m mad.”

  “As am I, baby,” he countered, and wrapped his arms around her, dragging her hands behind her. “But right now, I want to hold you so I know you’re really okay. We can fight later.”

  She relaxed against him, settling her cheek against his hard chest. “I hate you so much right now.”

  He nodded. “I know, baby.”

  He held her for a few precious moments before she saw a familiar face walking toward her.

  “Tarah,” Charlotte said, pulling away from Niall. “Hey! What are you doing here?”

  “Niall called me,” Tarah said.

  Charlotte glanced up at him and raised an eyebrow. “You did?”

  He nodded.

  Tarah handed him a shirt. “I thought you might need this.”

  “Perfect timing, thank you.” Niall pulled the shirt over his head.

  “You’re welcome,” Tarah said. “I brought a cou
ple of my teams to help with clothing, food, and a few other supplies. We’re going to get these girls to the hospital and then we’ll go about reuniting them with their families.”

  “I appreciate that,” Niall said. “Be sure to send me any medical or travel costs associated with this.”

  “That’s very generous. I will certainly do so.”

  “Thanks, Tarah,” Charlotte said.

  Tarah hugged her. “No problem. I’ll see you in a bit, okay? Let me know if you need anything.”

  “I will,” Charlotte promised. “Thanks.”

  Niall took Charlotte’s hand as Tarah went to join her coworkers.

  “I don’t get what’s happening,” Charlotte said with a sigh.

  “I’m a bit confused as well, lass.”

  Niall turned to see girls being led towards three waiting ambulances. The girls were battered and bruised, shivering with either shock or cold. EMS rushed to them with blankets; some of the girls appeared relieved, others petrified by the strangers.

  “Where’s Vandi?” Charlotte ground out, pulling away from Niall.

  “Give the crew a minute,” Niall said. “There are a lot of girls.”

  Niall searched until he spotted Vandi, toward the middle of the group, walking with her eyes on the ground. Her hair was falling out of a loose braid, hanging in disheveled, ratty wisps around her face. She wore sweats and a T-shirt, now ripped in a few places.

  “There she is,” Niall said, pointing.

  * * *

  Charlotte’s heart skipped a beat when Vandi looked at her. She was close enough to see that physically, her sister looked fine, but her eyes told a different story. Vandi stood in the line, looking lost and confused. The girl behind Vandi bumped into her and she started moving again.

  “Vandi!” Charlotte screamed. She ran toward the group, but a cop blocked her from her sister.

  “Sorry, ma’am, but we need to take the girls to the hospital. Families can meet up with them there.”

  “But… ” Charlotte turned toward Niall. “She needs me.”

  A tall man with dark hair stepped from the group of girls. “It’s okay, Officer. They’re with my team.”

  The officer nodded and walked away.

  “Thank you, Dalton,” Niall said.

  “Vandi!” Charlotte ran after her sister. She caught up to her and tugged her from the group, pulling her into a hug. Vandi stiffened in her arms. Charlotte released her and held her at arm’s length to study her. Vandi’s face was dirty and her hair was matted, but her distant, wounded eyes held secrets about the real damage. “Where do you hurt? Is anything broken?”