Bound by Dreams (Cauld Ane Series)

by Tracey Jane Jackson

  “Okay,” Charlotte said. “Are you his daughter, Pepper?”

  “I am.” Pepper took a deep breath. “So are you.”

  Charlotte frowned. “I don’t understand. We don’t know that yet.” Charlotte felt Niall slip his arm away from her waist, and she stared at him over her shoulder. “What did you do?”

  “I provided them with your DNA.”

  Charlotte stood with a scowl. “How could you do that without asking me first?”

  “I figured you’d want answers.”

  “There’s more, Charlotte,” Pepper said, interrupting their argument.

  “Like?”

  Pepper glanced at Connall and then back to Charlotte. “We are full sisters. We aren’t half-sisters.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “You and I have the same father and mother.”

  “How is that even possible?”

  “I don’t know,” Pepper said. “But I left a message for my mom to get some answers.”

  Charlotte rose to her feet. “Excuse me.” She rushed out of the room and out the front door, and ran. To nowhere in particular. She just ran.

  * * *

  Niall jumped from the sofa and followed Charlotte. He caught up with her just as she reached the large willow tree near the entrance to the private gardens. She paced in front of the tree, back and forth, back and forth, tears streaming down her face.

  “We will sort this out, baby. There’s nothing we can’t face together.”

  “Don’t!” she snapped. “I don’t want platitudes and promises, Niall. None of this makes any sense, and I’m mad. I’m so mad, I want to hit something.” He stepped closer to her, but she held out her hand to stay him. “No. Not right now. My mother thinks I’m hers. She has spent the last twenty years believing I’m hers, and has been agonizing how it could be possible that I’m not my dad’s. My dad thinks she cheated on him! She has spent most of my life living with a man who believed her to be an adulterer. And when he couldn’t take it anymore, he left her.” She dragged her hands down her face. “I even believed she’d cheated, but she didn’t. She was telling the truth. I don’t know how, or who tricked her, but she was shafted. I don’t know what or who did this to her, but I called her a liar, Niall, and she didn’t deserve it.” Charlotte dropped to her knees. “I hated her. And she loved me even though I wasn’t hers. Who does that?”

  Niall knelt beside her and pulled her into his arms. “Baby, it’s okay. We will ring yer mum and explain as soon as we know what’s going on. She will forgive you.”

  “I won’t deserve it.”

  “You will.”

  Charlotte punched his chest. “I can’t believe all this shit will get dumped on her after everything she’s just gone through with Vandi. She will break.”

  “She might surprise you, sweetheart.”

  She gripped his shoulders. “Her baby died, Niall. Someone replaced the real Charlotte with me. She’s going to have to mourn for a baby she never knew.”

  “I know, love. There’s nothing that I can say to make it better.”

  “What if our baby dies?”

  He wiped the tears from her cheeks. “When we have bairns, love, they will be perfect.”

  She squeezed her eyes shut and covered her stomach with her hands. “No, Nye. What if this baby dies?”

  “What?” he asked.

  “I’m pregnant,” she said, and opened her eyes.

  “How do you know?”

  “I have been dreaming about her for three days. I wasn’t sure, because we’ve been together for less than a week, but last night, I saw her.” She smiled through her tears. “I think I got pregnant right after my conversion.”

  He laid his hand over hers. “Sweetheart,” he whispered.

  “I can’t lose her, Nye. I will shatter.”

  “You won’t.” Niall cupped her cheeks. “Listen to me. We will sort this out. We can call your mum now if you like, or we can wait until we have more information. But none of this falls on you, got it?” He kissed her. “We’re going to have a baby.”

  She nodded, dropping her forehead to his. “We’re going to have a baby.”

  He laughed. “God, I love you.”

  “I love you too.”

  “Come on, let’s head back.”

  She shook her head and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Can we just stay here for a minute?”

  He slipped his fingers into her hair. “We can stay here as long as you like.”

  Niall sat on the ground with Charlotte in his lap for almost an hour before she decided she was ready to face the masses. They walked back to the Gunnachs’ home, hand-in-hand without speaking.

  Arriving at the house, they noticed a few extra cars had arrived. Niall kissed her quickly before stepping back for her to precede him inside. They made their way into the great room, where Grace jumped up and pulled Charlotte into a sisterly hug. “Are you okay? I was worried about you.”

  “I’m good, Gracie. I just needed a few minutes.”

  Niall wrapped his arm around Charlotte and went about introducing her to the rest of the group. “Sweetheart, this is Kade and Samantha.”

  Samantha had long dark hair that she’d swept up into a ponytail, and light hazel eyes. She had a hand resting over her slightly expanding belly, and her smile was infectious. Kade was tall like Niall, with blondish hair, longer than the norm, and his persona took up the room.

  Am I supposed to curtsy?

  No, baby, just be yourself.

  Samantha pulled her in for a hug. “It’s so nice to meet you.”

  Sam’s a hugger.

  Charlotte smiled. Thanks for the warning.

  Kade shook her hand and stepped back for Brodie to do the same. Niall raised an eyebrow towards Payton. His best friend stood behind Brodie, her head bowed and her feet shifting where she stood.

  “Payton?” Niall urged. “Are you all right, lass?”

  “Hmm?” She raised her head and extended her hand. “Oh, yes. I am. Sorry. It’s lovely to meet you, Charlotte.”

  Charlotte took Payton’s hand and she let out a quiet gasp, glancing at Niall before dropping Charlotte’s hand and stepping back. Payton laid her hand over her belly and let Brodie guide her to one of the overstuffed chairs.

  Well, Payton now knows you’re pregnant, love.

  How?

  Her gift is psychometry. She knew it the moment she touched you.

  Will she say anything?

  Niall squeezed her hand. Not for all the tea in China.

  “Ari’s going to be here in about twenty minutes,” Kade said, interrupting their conversation. “Shall we discuss a game plan?”

  Niall pulled Charlotte down beside him, linking his fingers with hers. “Can we even begin to speculate a game plan if we don’t know what he wants?”

  “You have a point,” Kade said.

  “Whatever it is, it’s not good,” Connall said.

  “Babe, you don’t know that,” Pepper grumbled. “Stop being such a worry wart.”

  Connall frowned. “He said he wanted you to help him find someone. Who is this someone? Bloody hell, Pepper, I don’t like any of this.”

  “I know you don’t,” she said.

  “Did you talk to your mom?” Samantha asked.

  “Oh, yeah. I did.” Pepper shook her head. “I asked a million questions, but for the purposes of this conversation, Mom said I was adopted soon after I was born. My parents had to sign a confidentiality notice that no one, including me, would ever be told where I’d come from.”

  “Did people ask?” Charlotte asked.

  “Mom says no. Mostly because they hadn’t been in California long before they got me, so they didn’t really know many people. And then after my dad died, she moved back to Savannah, so no one really thought to ask where I came from. What about you Charlotte? Have you had a chance to talk to your mom?”

  She shook her head, blinking back tears.

  “I’m sorry,” Pepper said. “I d
idn’t mean to bring up a bad subject.”

  “No, it’s okay.” Charlotte took a deep breath. “My mom said that I was stillborn and she had to be sedated, but when she woke up, my father was holding me. They both believed the medical staff had managed to bring me back to life. But it would appear that their baby really did die, and someone gave them me instead.”

  “Wow,” Pepper said. “That must have been tough to find out.”

  “She doesn’t know,” Charlotte admitted. “I haven’t talked to her yet today. I wanted to get more information.”

  “That makes total sense,” Pepper agreed.

  “Were you mad at your mom?” Charlotte asked, and then seemed to think better of it. “Sorry. Don’t answer that. It’s none of my business.”

  Niall stroked her back, hoping to bolster her confidence.

  Pepper smiled gently, reaching out to squeeze her hand. “I wasn’t mad at her about this. I have been mad at her for a long time about other things, but a lot of pieces fell into place once she explained what happened.”

  “This explains why you were upset yesterday,” Niall said to Charlotte. “And why I knew it wasn’t Max. When Pepper was frightened, you picked up on it.”

  Charlotte gasped. “I hadn’t thought about that.”

  “What happened?” Pepper asked.

  “I can’t really explain it. I felt fright. Niall knew it wasn’t his brother, although he picked up on it through me as well. It must have been when Ari scared you.”

  Pepper nodded. “Well, this is going to take some getting used to.”

  “Mr. Baldursson,” Dick announced, and stepped back for Ari to walk in.

  * * *

  Everyone stood, and Charlotte bit her lip. Ari Baldursson was formidable in his dark gray trousers and crisp white button-up that was open at the throat. He’d pulled his long blond hair back and secured it at his neck, which drew focus to the planes of his face. There could be no doubt that both she and Pepper were his daughters. The resemblance was uncanny.

  Ari bowed before Kade and his brothers before focusing on Charlotte and Pepper and smiling. “Thank you both for agreeing to meet with me.” He handed Kade, Connall, and Niall each a bottle of wine. “From my vineyard. A gift.”

  “Þakka þér,” Kade said, and set his bottle on the coffee table. Connall and Niall did the same.

  Pepper grasped Charlotte’s hand, and she felt her fear slip away at the sisterly act. Connall stood just slightly in front of Pepper, in an obvious effort to put distance between her and Ari. Charlotte noticed Niall had done the same and rolled her eyes, tugging his shirt to pull him back.

  “Shall we have a seat?” Kade suggested.

  Pepper and Charlotte sat together on the longest part of the sectional, Connall and Niall on either side of them, while Kade pulled a couple of chairs forward, facing them for Ari and himself to sit on. Brodie, Payton, and Samantha sat in various chairs positioned around the room, and Max and Grace sat as close to Niall and Charlotte as they could.

  “I think you should explain what you want from your daughters,” Kade began, “and then we will discuss other things more privately.”

  Ari smiled, although his mirth didn’t reach his eyes as he turned from Kade and faced his daughters. “I have been looking for you both since you were taken from me.”

  “Someone took us?” Charlotte asked.

  “Já, elskan. Pepper was only eleven months old when you were born, Charlotte, and you were both taken from your mama while she recovered. Now, your mama’s missing, as is your other sister.”

  “We have another sister?” Charlotte asked.

  “Já. She is a teenager now, but she has missed…ah, no…been missed?”

  “Been missing,” Charlotte corrected.

  “She has been missing for sixteen years, as has your mama.”

  Charlotte frowned. “Is my mother your mate?”

  “Nei. She’s human.”

  Connall frowned. “So were Pepper and Charlotte before they were bound.”

  Ari turned his head slowly toward Connall. “Nei. They were only half human. They were also half Kalt Einn. The superior half.”

  “What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Connall challenged.

  Ari shook his head. “Ég er ekki hér til að berjast.” (I’m not here to fight.)

  “If you don’t want to fight,” Niall said, “perhaps you should approach this with some humility.”

  “Perhaps you’re right,” Ari said.

  “What’s our sister’s name?” Charlotte asked.

  “Ása Arisdóttir is what we called her, but it’s possible her name was changed, because I have not been able to find her using that name.”

  “And what do you want with her?” Connall challenged.

  “I just want my daughters back,” Ari said. “I have looked for both of you for a long time. After you were taken, I made sure Megan was safe so this never happened again.”

  “Megan,” Charlotte whispered. “That’s our mother’s name?”

  He nodded. “She is American.”

  “Wait,” Pepper said. “I don’t understand. You had three children with a human woman, but you didn’t bind her?”

  “She’s not my mate.”

  “Then why did you have three children with her?” Pepper asked in exasperation. “And what do you mean you made sure she’s safe? I don’t feel like I’m getting the whole story here.”

  “The particulars of that are private. Between her and me.”

  “Were you married?” Charlotte asked.

  “Not in the traditional sense.” He shrugged. “I wanted her. I still want her.”

  Pepper stood. “So, you’re essentially saying that you’re a pig.”

  “Sit down,” he warned. “You will not speak to your papa like that.”

  Connall rose to his feet. “And you will not speak to my mate like that.”

  Charlotte frowned. “I find it strange that you would say you wanted her, but didn’t marry her. Did you love her?”

  “I took care of her. She was content.”

  “Was she?” Charlotte knew he wasn’t giving the whole story. She didn’t know how she knew, but she did. “Are you sure she wasn’t your mate?”

  “I’m certain.” Ari sat back with a smirk. “We don’t mate with humans, Charlotte.”

  Charlotte shuddered, her creep meter on high. She leaned into Niall’s hand resting on her back. “Maybe she doesn’t want to be found? Maybe you broke her heart and she felt she needed to cut ties. Maybe she’s better off wherever she is.”

  “You don’t want to know your real mama?” Ari taunted. “You surprise me.”

  “I know my real mom. She might not be perfect, but she did the best she could, and that’s enough for me.”

  We can look for Megan and your sister, baby.

  I know we can. But he doesn’t need to know that. Something’s not right, Nye. He’s not telling us the truth.

  Ari cocked his head. “Þú ert að gera mistök, barn.” (You’re making a mistake, child.)

  “The only mistake I made was giving you my time,” Charlotte snapped, and rose to her feet. “I’d like to leave.”

  Pepper grasped her hand. “How about he leaves and you stay and have dinner?”

  Ari raised his hands in surrender and stood. “I will go, but this is not over.”

  “Well, you need to make it over,” Kade said. “If they are uninterested in assisting you, then you will not be able to force them to. They have the protection of the crown.”

  “Your protection means nothing,” Ari sneered.

  “Feel free to test that theory. I’ll walk you out.” Kade forcibly escorted the man out. Charlotte flopped back on the sofa and dropped her face into her hands.

  Niall sat beside her and stroked her back. “Are you all right, lass?”

  She nodded. “What a creep.”

  “Totally,” Pepper said, and sat down again. “We have to find our mother and sister, but I don’t wan
t Ari to know anything about it.”

  “What if he follows us?” Charlotte countered. “He doesn’t seem like an idiot. I have a feeling he’ll be anticipating this move.”

  “I don’t understand,” Grace said. “He seemed like he was just a man looking for the woman he loves and his child. Wouldn’t anyone react the way he did? I don’t get the creep vibe.”

  “It was there,” Charlotte said. “I can’t explain how I know…”

  “I bet it’s the familial thing,” Pepper said.

  “You’re probably right.” Connall sat in the chair that Ari had vacated. “How about you let us deal with him and we enjoy dinner? I do love Icelandic wine.”

  Pepper let out a sigh of irritation.

  “Baby,” Connall pressed. “Nothing can be done right now.”

  “But you’re going to go behind our backs and do something stupid and heroic and we’ll be left completely out of the loop,” Pepper deduced.

  “We can talk about that later.” He took her hands and pulled her from the sofa. “Let’s eat.” He grabbed the wine as he led everyone out of the room and into the dining room.

  Charlotte hung back, taking Niall’s hand when he went to follow.

  “You okay?” he asked.

  “What are you guys planning?”

  He sighed. “Nothing yet, love.”

  “But you’re going to do something, right?”

  He ran his hands down her arms. “Nothing has even been discussed.”

  She frowned. “You’re deflecting.”

  Niall stared at her for several seconds. “How about I let you know what we come up with when we do? No sense in borrowing trouble, eh?”

  Charlotte slid her arms around his waist and laid her cheek on his chest. His heartbeat calmed her and she closed her eyes, relishing the feel of his body.

  “Hey,” he said, and stroked her back. “What’s going on in that head of yours?”

  She shrugged. “I have to tell my parents everything, and I don’t really know how to approach it. They’re going to have questions I can’t answer.”

  “Aye, they probably will.”

  Charlotte stared up at him. “What am I going to say?”

  He smiled and gave her a gentle squeeze. “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it, eh? I’m starving, and you must be too. You have to take care of yourself and the baby.”