Never Kiss an Exile: Exile Love Biker MC Series Book 1

by Kara Summers

  "Might as well," Eva shrugged. She turned toward the large doors and pushed them open.

  Eva was relieved that her nostrils weren't assailed by the sickly smell of incense. Rather, it was a typical great hall, with long tables placed along edges for when the household took their meals. However, the shutters were closed against the noonday sun and the only light came from a large fireplace and a few candles placed about the room.

  "Close the door lass," Lady Drummond said in a gentle voice from across the room. She was seated in a large chair situated near the fire. She had been so quiet when Eva first entered the room, that she hadn't even noticed the small woman at first.

  Eva moved toward Lady Drummond, waiting for her to start explaining why she was here and why she kept sending her druid henchmen after her.

  "Will ye take a seat," Lady Drummond nodded in the direction of a chair perfectly situated across from her.

  Eva was a bit hesitant of becoming too comfortable, but neither did she want to aggravate Bhradain's mother. Eva took a cautious seat.

  The whole time Lady Drummond kept her gaze trained on Eva, as if examining her every move. It made Eva a bit self-conscious, but she refused to let discomfort play out on her face and inadvertently give Lady Drummond that kind of power. Although Lady Drummond hadn't personally threatened Eva, Eva wasn't sure that she could trust her.

  "Why did you bring me here?" Eva asked one of the hundred questions swirling in her brain.

  Lady Drummond laughed softly. Her voice sounded like a hauntingly sad ballad, as if she was struggling to hold back intense grief.

  The thought made the hairs on the back of Eva’s neck stand on end.

  "Is Bhradain ok?" Eva blurted out.

  Lady Drummond didn't speak at first, but rather she studied Eva warily. "Bhradain is nae fine," she said softly. "Today is the day of his birth," she added cryptically.

  Eva looked confused. "What do you mean?" She looked wildly around the room. "Where is he?" she asked before turning her attention back to the elderly woman.

  "I dinna ken," the woman tossed her hands up in the air. "I believe ye would ken the answer to that," she said pointedly.

  “Well I don’t ken where he is!” Eva nearly shouted. “If you were so concerned about his whereabouts, why did you all send him away?” she asked in frustration.

  "You cannae begin to ken the pain sending him away caused me," she wailed. She stood to face Eva, her eyes blazing with a mixture of fury and sadness. "I am the reason why he is controlled by the beast within, I brought the curse upon him, and now I must watch as it robs him a future," she bellowed. Her voice continued to rise, as her tone grew more urgent. "I went to a witch all those years ago with a sick babe," she lamented, "and in order to save him, I agreed to the curse," she wailed sorrowfully. "And now, I have lost him to the beast within." The woman collapsed in a pile back in her chair, sobbing uncontrollably.

  Eva was too shocked to move. All along, it had been his mother who had cursed him in an attempt to save his life. The burden that threatened to destroy him was the reason why he was even alive today. Eva suddenly saw the situation with new eyes, and her heart went out to Lady Drummond.

  Eva crouched down before her. She brought her hand up to stroke the mother’s hair as she tried to comfort and sooth the distressed woman. "It was not your fault, he is here today because of you," she added.

  "Nae, he is dead today because of me," Lady Drummond sputtered in between sobs.

  Eva froze. No, she thought. She had just seen Bhradain last night. "What are you saying?" she asked shakily.

  Lady Drummond took a moment to compose herself long enough to form a coherent sentence through her tears. "The curse needed to be lifted before his thirtieth day of birth. Today is that day," the woman said bluntly, her eyes conveying their tragic meaning.

  "NO!" Eva cried. She backed away from the weeping woman. Her eyes began to sting with their own tears, but she refused to allow them to fall. If I mourn him, it means it is true.

  Lady Drummond nodded shakily. "My druids had summoned you, a witch, to break the spell, but it was too late."

  "But how?" Eva felt like she was going to be sick. The whole world around her was spinning and she could barely hear anything that Lady Drummond was saying.

  "Only a witch could have broken the spell," repeated Lady Drummond sorrowfully.

  Eva strained to hear, but Lady Drummond sounded like she was far away. Eva's vision blurred, and she no longer could see anything clearly. "But I'm not a witch," Eva cried out. Her eyes were burning now with hot tears; she no longer cared about holding them back. "I'm not a witch," she repeated in a quieter voice.

  The world around Eva faded away, Lady Drummond disappeared and the great hall melted into darkness.

  Eva felt incredibly alone as everything went dark around her and the world became silent. "I'm not a witch," she repeated.

  Eva shut her eyes tightly, trying to banish the pain from her heart. When she finally did open them, she was surprised by what she saw.

  She was back in her room. The door was propped ajar, her hand still gripping the handle. Grief overwhelmed her and she sunk to her knees, defeated.

  Eva shook her head. "I failed you Bhradain," she said, "and I'm so sorry."

  Chapter: XVI

  In the few weeks following Eva's return, she tried her best to conceal her grief. The last think she needed was her aunt and uncle becoming concerned over her sudden change — especially since they had no idea what Eva had gone through. While time had barely passed for them, Eva had met and lost her soul mate.

  At first she felt like a zombie, just barely living. She didn't want to return to his world, didn't want to think about him, and didn’t want to acknowledge that she was the reason why he was gone.

  Two weeks had passed before Eva finally allowed her mind to start to process all that had happened. And when she did so, something stood out to her.

  Lady Drummond had said he was gone, but that didn't necessarily mean that he was dead. Bhradain's curse was to turn into a mindless beast, but that didn't mean he wasn't buried within the creature. He was still Bhradain, just in a different form. Perhaps, Eva thought with a sudden rush of energy, there is still a chance.

  Eva began to spend all of her free time at the local library, reading as much material as she could gather on curses and witches. Slowly, Eva began to piece together the information she had gleaned from Bhradain's world, while taking in whatever knowledge she could find on the subject in her own.

  Lady Drummond had insisted that Eva was a witch, and that was why she was able to cross into a different reality to respond to the druid summons. Eva began to do some digging into her family history and discovered that several relatives had been referred to as witches. Before her journey, Eva would have chalked up those claims as unfounded gossip. But Eva had learned that reality was not always as it seemed, and sometimes the rational answer, wasn't the right one. She took the information she gleaned on the subject and tucked it away for further consideration.

  But while Eva had learned a few things about her family history, she did not find anything that might be useful for saving Bhradain.

  As time went on, Eva slowly began to accept the harsh truth, that nothing would be able to bring Bhradain back to her.

  But Eva's attendance at the library had offered another type of solace. The head librarian had taken notice of her frequent visits, and she had offered Eva a job assisting patrons with their research. Eva had been overjoyed by the offer, as the type of work was exactly the pace and environment she craved.

  But there was another reason why Eva had accepted the only job offer she had had in the past few months. One bittersweet morning, Eva discovered that she was pregnant with Bhradain's child. While the thought of raising his child without him grieved her, she was still thankful to carry a part of him with her.

  Eva knew that she could no longer rely on her aunt and uncle's generosity. Although she knew that they wouldn't cons
ider her a burden, Eva still felt that it wouldn't be right of her to continue to rely upon them once the child was born. She had a good job that she enjoyed; it was time that she moved out on her own.

  "Are you sure you want to do this?" her Uncle Mark asked as he aided Eva in the move to her own apartment.

  "This is something I need to do, for myself," she said. She didn't add and the baby, as she had yet to tell any of her friends and family. Eva figured she had good few more weeks that she would be able to keep her baby bump hidden.

  "You are welcome to come visit anytime," Aunt Marie offered, as she placed a box of kitchen stuff on the dining room table. "Do you want us to stay and help unpack?"

  "No, no," Eva waved them off. "You both have done enough and I am forever grateful," she smiled. "But I am exhausted and would like to rest," she explained.

  Her aunt and uncle nodded their understanding.

  "I'll go take these empty boxes to the car," Uncle Mark said as he left the small apartment.

  Eva's aunt lingered a moment, "But honey, remember," Aunt Marie added, "if you need anything don't hesitate to ask."

  "I won't," Eva smiled.

  "Come here," Marie held her arms and enveloped Eva in a tight hug. As Marie walked away, she suddenly stopped just short of the door. She turned back around and sent Eva a fierce look. "And Eva, just remember, we are always here for you," she paused for the briefest moment, as if debating her next words, "and the baby." And with those final words, she left Eva alone in her new place.

  Eva was determined to face her current world and all the challenges ahead of her with courage. She knew that it wouldn't be easy, but the fear of the challenge no longer intimidated her. Old Eva would have never been strong enough to be where she was right now. And although she sorely missed Bhradain, their short journey had tested Eva's strengths and taught her to put trust in her own abilities.

  Chapter: XVII

  Eva had been at work when the contractions had started. She had been helping one of the librarians archive some old newspapers from the 1920's when all of a sudden she felt a gush of water pool at her feet.

  "Sweetie," the elderly librarian looked at the floor and then back at Eva, "I think your water just broke.

  "No, really?" Eva asked sarcastically as a contraction rippled through her and caused her to double over in pain. "Call an ambulance," she said through panted breaths.

  "Tsk tsk," the woman teased as she made her way toward the office in search of a phone. As she walked, she started absently telling Eva about the birth of her fifth child, and how he had come so quickly that she ended up giving birth to him in a restaurant. "I gave birth during the second and third course, cleaned him up, and then returned to the table to finish by dessert," she said as she started to dial the emergency line.

  "I'm sure you did," Eva said through gritted teeth. She wasn't in the mood to argue with old Mrs. Matthews about the factuality of her story, as she had a well-known tendency to exaggerate.

  "Annddd," Mrs. Matthews continued, "only after I finished by dessert did I go to the hospital."

  "Great story Mrs. Matthews, but is the ambulance on its way?" Eva asked desperately. Her contractions had subsided for the moment, but she knew that at any second they would return.

  "I'm on the phone with them right now sweetie," she called to Eva from across the room.

  At this rate, Eva feared she would never make it. Come on Eva, you are stronger than this, she encouraged herself. She gritted her teeth and set her jaw with determination. She was going to be just fine.

  ****

  Eva looked down at the sleeping babe in her arms, her and Bhradain's little baby boy. He had a full head of thick black hair and intense brown eyes, just like his father.

  "Drummond," she echoed softly, "I'll name you Drummond, after your father." She pressed a soft kiss on the baby's forehead and gently began to rock him while she hummed a lullaby.

  Eva stopped humming the moment she sensed another presence in the room — a presence that caused her body to respond in an instinctual way. She didn't need to look up to know who was standing in the doorway.

  "Bhradain," she gasped as she brought her eyes up to meet his with fierce intensity.

  Heavy emotions played out on Bhradain's face as he looked down upon the image of Eva holding the babe.

  "He's ours," she said softly.

  "I ken," his voice wavered on the last word.

  Eva smiled at the sound of Bhradain's heavy brogue. She had missed it greatly. "How did you, I mean, where did you?" she had so many questions, but she was too overwhelmed by the surprise to think clearly.

  Bhradain walked slowly toward Eva and baby Drummond, his eyes glistening with the hint of tears. "I cannae believe he is ours," he said gruffly.

  Eva nodded. Her own eyes stung with tears of joy, her mind still taking its time to fully process that Bhradain had returned to her.

  Bhradain leaned closer and brushed his thumb gently against baby Drummond's cheek. "He is beautiful," Bhradain breathed. He turned his gaze back on Eva. "And so are ye," he smiled as he spoke.

  "Would you like to hold him?" Eva asked Bhradain. He looked surprised, but eager.

  "Aye lass, I would," he said softly. He carefully lifted the sleeping baby out of Eva's arms and brought him close to his chest, cradling him gently.

  Eva enjoyed the site of her intense highlander gently rocking their sleeping babe. Her heart ached with the joy of seeing him, while her mind continued to try and wrap itself around the concept that he was indeed here.

  "I thought you were gone," Eva said. She wasn't sure how Bhradain had returned to her, and she wanted to know what had happened to him these past few months.

  Bhradain looked up from where he had been gazing at their sleeping infant; his eyes locked with hers. "The curse is broken Eva," he said with pure happiness. "Ye broke the curse."

  Eva felt even more bewildered. "But your mother said that it was too late," she added.

  "Nae," Bhradain said. "Ye remember the night when little Drummond was conceived," he shot Eva a heated look. "Ye said ye were willing to pay the price to help me break the curse," he continued. "It could only be broken if a witch gave birth to my child."

  Eva's eyes widened. "Because we got pregnant before your birthday, the curse was broken?" She tried to clarify. "But where were you these past few months?" she drilled.

  Bhradain laughed. "Aye, the curse was broken in part that night, but it was not complete until little Drummond was born," he explained. "Until then, I could nae change into my human form."

  "But how did you get here?" Eva asked. Her mind kept racing with questions.

  "Yer druid friends were able to send me," he added.

  Eva balked. "But they tried to kill me! Why would they help us now?"

  Bhradain looked a bit sheepish. "We misjudged them,” he said. It appears that they had only good intentions all along,” he said.

  Eva threw her hands up in the air in exasperation, "Well I've officially seen it all," she exclaimed. When she looked back up at Bhradain, she couldn't help but giggle. "I can't believe you are back," she sighed. "Are you here for good?" she asked nervously. She suddenly was filled with the fear that he might leave her.

  "I will stay as long as ye want me here," he said gently. "Although with ye being a witch, it seems that ye would have the ability to return us if we ever wanted to make a visit to the old country," he teased.

  Eva laughed. "Well I've been researching that, and I'm not anywhere close to understanding what it means to be a witch." She had seen a few articles on the matter, but nothing concrete that would help her understand why she was able to return herself to her own world after being summoned to another. "But I'm sure I'll learn," she said with determination.

  Epilogue

  "Now Bhradain, my aunt and uncle are fiercely protective of me, so don't take it personally if they ask you a lot of questions," Eva explained. They stood on the front porch of Maria and Mark’s home, with baby
Drummond in the stroller.

  "Am I nae fiercely protective of ye too?" Bhradain asked.

  Eva chuckled. "I should hope so," she teased.

  Just then the door swung open and six-year-old Jamie greeted the young family.

  "Hello Jamie, can we come in?" she asked the young boy.

  Jamie took one look at Eva, another look at the stroller, and an even longer look at Bhradain before he spoke. "On one condition," he stated.

  "And what may that be?" asked Bhradain as he knelt down to Jamie's eye level. "Not too high a price I hope," he chuckled and shot Eva a wry look over his shoulder.

  "Nope," Jamie said excitedly. "My only condition is that you agree to play a game of Manhunt after dinner," he stated firmly.

  Uh oh, Eva thought. The last few times she played that game with Jamie, she had been sent back to a whole different world. "Jamie perhaps —" she stopped herself. She took a loving look at Bhradain and baby Drummond; if she had to go back now, she wouldn't change a thing.

  "Yes?" Jamie asked expectantly.

  "I'm in," Eva beamed.

  The End

  Return to the TOC for Bonus Content

  Mystique

  (Fantasy Romance)

  Chapter One

  Marie Stevens was a good woman in a bad situation. That had always seemed to be her story. She’d grown up in a small Southern town, and so she had a certain charm about her. Men fell for her left and right but she’d always been the type of girl who believed in “the one”.

  She lived on a small farm with her parents in the mountains of Tennessee. The farm was never meant to be a source of income but she’d loved taking care of the animals. Marie had a special place in her heart for animals. She almost liked them better than she liked people.

  Marie had always been a quiet, studious girl who was dedicated to her schooling. She wanted to leave the small town and become a veterinarian. She’d always dreamed of spending her life helping animals.

  Her dreams were big and she knew that she could achieve them if she put her mind to it. She could move mountains if she believed she could. People told her that she was meant for greatness and she believed them.