Before I could say anything further, his mouth slammed down on mine, and he wrapped his arms tight around my waist, lifting me off my feet as I looped my arms around his neck.
Fragments of visions slammed into his mind. I didn’t know if they were memories, dreams, or nightmares, but they were intensely detailed, and frightening.
Rivers and rivers of blood in front of him, the smell of death surrounding him, and his heartbreak as he fought against people he thought he could trust.
I could feel heat pouring from his skin as his heart raced in fear.
I broke the kiss but dropped my forehead to his, keeping my arms around his neck. I could see his tattoos glowing under his crisp, white shirt. “It’s okay, Arric. You’re safe.”
“What the fuck is this?” he asked, setting me back on my feet, but keeping our physical connection.
“I don’t know,” I admitted, stroking his cheek. “But I promise we will find out.”
His tattoos lost their glow, and I slid my hands down his chest, stepping away slightly.
He gently grabbed my arm and pulled me back. “Don’t go.” He linked his fingers with mine again. “It’s the only time I feel like I’m on solid ground.”
“Look,” I said, squeezing his chin. “You need to be nicer to me.”
“What?” he said in shock. “I’m nice.”
“You’re an obstinate arse.”
“I’m that, too,” he admitted, squeezing my hand. “And I wish I could promise I’ll never do it again, but I can’t.”
“I get that this is all confusing, but will you at least acknowledge I have your back? You must know that. We might not be bound, but you can feel it, right?”
“Yeah, baby, I can.” He dropped his forehead to mine. “But that, in and of itself, is freaky as fuck.”
I smiled. “I know.”
“I can feel in my bones that I can trust you with my heart, but then my head tells me it’s all a lie.” He kissed me gently. “But I’ll do my best to trust that you won’t lie to me.”
“You need to hear me when I say this.” I cupped his face. “I literally can’t lie to you. Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t. My soul won’t allow it.”
“But you can still lie, right?”
“Yes, but not to you.”
He narrowed his eyes. “What if it’s in my best interest for you to lie to me?”
I raised an eyebrow. “Like, does this kilt make my butt look big kind of question?”
“No, like if my life depended on it?”
“I have no idea,” I said. “But I don’t think so.”
He narrowed my eyes. “Does this kilt make my butt look big?”
I couldn’t stop a laugh. “No. You look perfect.”
Arric chuckled. “Thank you.”
“Ready to go back in?”
He pulled me closer. “One more minute.”
“Okay.” I smiled and he leaned down to kiss me.
“There you are,” Catriona breathed out, pushing open one of the French doors, and interrupting our sweet moment. “The natives are getting restless.”
I nodded. “Right. We’re coming.”
I held my hand out to Arric and he took it, then we followed Catriona back inside.
Arric
THE DAY AFTER Isla’s party, she and I had been outside enjoying lunch on the great lawn with a few of her family members when the sky opened up and rained so hard, we had to run for cover. We ended up under a stone archway that really didn’t give us a whole lot of cover, but it gave me a good excuse to wrap my arms around Isla and hold her close.
You’re lovely and warm.
I grinned. Hence the reason I’m holding you close. It’s all about you, baby.
I like this side of you. She squeezed me tighter and I stroked her hair as we stood in our tiny little world for a few precious moments.
After ten minutes, the decision was made to head back to the house rather than wait out the rain. I followed the group back to the castle and walked into the great hall to find Gunnach and his wife, Samantha, laughing at something… or, rather, someone… in front of them.
A tall, well-dressed man with salt and pepper hair, deep blue eyes and a look of authority about him smiled at Kade in a way that looked like he was humoring the man. He looked to be in his sixties, but I sensed he was much, much older.
Andi gasped, then said excitedly, “Haddi!” before rushing to the man laughing with the Gunnachs.
Haddi pulled her in for a chaste hug and then Dalton shook his hand.
“What are you doing in Scotland?” Andi, asked.
“I was told the Cauld Ane needed me, so I am here.”
“How could I not have sensed your arrival?” Andi, asked.
“I summoned the rain to cloak my movements. I thought it best to travel in secret,” Haddi replied. “Until I’ve had the chance to learn a bit more about our new guest.”
I crossed my arms and watched, my stomach roiling with trepidation. God, I needed to get a handle on this dungeons and dragons world I’d stumbled into. I wanted to escape back to Alaska and hide from all this bullshit, but the magnetic pull I felt to this place and these people was simply too strong. As was my need to protect Isla. My whole being was gearing up for something bad to happen and I felt ill with foreboding.
A gentle hand on my arm eased my fear and I glanced down at Isla who had her eyes closed as she touched me.
I’d given Isla every reason to hate my guts and yet she was always by my side at the times when I felt the most overwhelmed. I, on the other hand, thought Isla was amazing and yet continued to fuck up with her. Over and over.
I had a long history of being an asshole. Women typically came to me, and if I wanted to have a little fun, we’d have a little fun, but with Isla, a war raged inside my head. A battle between my desire to keep her at arm’s length and my heart’s need to cherish her forever. I didn’t do relationships. I didn’t have the time or the desire to be that vulnerable.
Isla was becoming the exception. I hated that I hurt her on any level and that both shocked and scared me. My heart and soul burned for her, yet I knew if I opened myself up to her, I’d be inviting even more emotional chaos into my life.
Haddi approached me and I watched him warily. “Arric Mann.”
I lifted my chin but said nothing.
“I’ve heard so much about you. It is a privilege to make your acquaintance.”
“Likewise,” I said, before adding, “I’d shake your hand, but touching me these days is a little dangerous.”
“I understand. Now, you have questions,” he said with a hint of mischievousness in his expression. “Let us find out if I can find you some answers.”
“Sounds good to me,” I said.
“We can talk in the library,” Kade offered.
“Perhaps the fire pit would be better,” Haddi replied. “And I think it would be wise to include Andi in our meeting.”
Kade nodded.
“I’ll have Winston start a fire,” Samantha said.
“No need,” Haddi said. “I’ll take care of that.”
“Okay. Then how about y’all join us back at the house for refreshments when you’re finished.”
“Sounds great, love,” Kade said.
“We’ll help,” Isla’s mother said to Samantha, pulling Isla to her side.
“Isla stays with me,” I growled, and she glared up at me. I softened my tone and met her eyes. “Please.”
Isla’s father moved to stand in front of me, so I was forced to look away from Isla and at him. “You’re treading on thin ice,” he warned.
I narrowed my eyes but again said nothing.
Isla pulled me away from her father and stalked toward the open doorway, so I followed.
“Listen to me carefully,” she scolded. “I decide when and where I come and go, so cool it with ordering me or my family around. Got it?”
All I wanted at that moment was to take Isla far away from her family and this p
lace. To be someplace where only the two of us existed. To feel the kind of peace I felt when she touched me.
“I’m sorry,” I said, cupping her cheek. “I don’t know what’s going on with me. I’m so keyed up I could tear a tree out of the ground by its roots and the only time I feel relief is when your hands are on me. Why is that?”
“It’s because I’m your mate. I am the only one who can calm you. Well, until we have children.” I sighed. “Small mercies that you just want to tear a tree out of the ground. It’s an improvement from the first time we touched,” she said, her eyes softening. “You’re not the only one hoping for some answers tonight too, ya know?”
I nodded.
“And I’m not the only one here trying to help you.” She motioned to the others in the room. “So, you need to stop being an asshat.”
I dragged my hand down my face. “I am really sorry about your father, and about everything else.”
“You need to tell him that,” Isla said.
“I know. I will,” I said. “I promise.”
“I hold people to their words,” she warned, but all I could think about was holding her.
“This has been a lot to take in. I’m a simple guy who, until very recently, was living a simple life.”
“It’s not all your fault, Arric,” she said. “I can’t imagine the shock this has all been to you, but you can’t take your frustration out on my family and expect me to be okay with it.”
“Okay, but what about them?” I challenged. “Alasdair, Dalton, your old man. Every time I turn around, one of them is in my face about something and most of the time I have no idea why. And now this Hadji guy is here, and just like everyone else, he says he has answers, but I feel like I’m about to fail a test I didn’t know I was supposed to study for.”
The sound of Isla’s laugh bridged the distance between us.
“His name is Haddi,” she corrected with a smile.
“Haddi. Right. See, one more thing for me to fuck up.”
“You’re going to be okay. Just try to relax and open yourself up to whatever Haddi has to say. He’s extremely old and incredibly wise.”
“And Kade trusts him?” I asked.
“Of course, he does. Haddi is an oracle. Why do you ask?”
“I dunno. Back in the library, I sensed some tension between the two of them,” I said.
“Well, Kade’s father did assassinate the council of oracles, as well as attempt to kill him, and his mother basically held him in slavery.”
“Family drama is timeless isn’t it?” I joked.
“You have no idea.”
“I really will apologize to your father tonight,” I said, softly.
Isla smiled. “Thank you.”
Isla’s smiles felt like forgiveness. Not just for my bad behavior, but for all the evils of the world.
“And I’ll try my best not to have to apologize again to you.”
This time, Isla managed to hide her smile, but her cheeks betrayed her by turning bright pink.
“Shall we head out?” Gunnach suggested, waving his hand toward the exit.
“Will you walk with me?” I asked.
“Since you asked so nicely, yes,” she replied.
We made our way in silence. Both the cold night air and Isla’s presence soothing my burning skin and slowing my racing mind.
Arric
THE FIRE PIT was at the bottom of a stone-lined earth pit, surrounded with marble benches that looked as old as the castle itself. It was large enough to accommodate a sizable fire and I worried about the heat from the flames. More specifically, I was worried about how the heat would affect Isla. I wasn’t accustomed to worrying about others and wasn’t the biggest fan of what it was doing to my guts.
“Aren’t those benches a little close to the fire?” I whispered to Isla as we made our way to the others.
“Worried about the flames, young Arric?” Haddi asked. “Fear not.”
“You have good hearing,” I called back. My voice echoing through the small amphitheater.
“It’s nothing compared to my sight,” he replied with a smile.
“It’s this place,” Isla said softly, motioning to our surroundings. “The fire pit is a natural echo chamber. Centuries ago, when it was built, the designer placed each of these stones in precisely the right spot in order to achieve the best acoustics possible.”
“Why build a place like this?”
“Because I didn’t want secrets between those who sat here,” Kade replied, reminding me of his true age. “This is a sacred place, where the truth is revealed to all.”
“I have nothing to hide,” I said.
“Are you certain?” Haddi asked.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“There is much hidden about you, young Arric. Even from my sight.” Haddi said, sounding irritated. “I also worry that you are not yet ready for the answers you seek.”
“Listen,” I growled. “You’d better not be jerking me around—”
Isla reached over and grabbed my hand, startling me.
“You’re glowing,” she whispered in explanation to her touch, and I noticed my tattoos fade as I calmed.
“Once the flames of knowledge are lit, we must act quickly,” Haddi continued. “You must trust me and do exactly as I say. Do you understand?”
I nodded but had no idea what the hell he was talking about.
“The ashes will reveal the truth you seek, but I must warn you, Arric. The truth is often hard to hear and even more difficult to accept.”
“I’m good to go,” I replied.
“Shall we begin?” Kade said, motioning for us to take our seats.
“Before I light the fire, I must first apologize,” Haddi said.
“For what?” I asked.
“I am the reason that you are here in Scotland,” he replied.
“Oh, yeah?” I asked. “Were you in charge of putting up the posters for the Gunnach games in all the gyms?”
Kade Gunnach laughed, drawing a stern look from Haddi.
“No,” he continued. “But I did summon you. The way you arrived wasn’t up to me or you, for that matter.”
“I came to Scotland to blow off some steam and throwing logs around seemed like a good way to do it,” I argued. “I came here because I wanted to.”
“You came because the ashes told me to summon the remaining oracles, which I did. Fate guided you here.”
I scowled but said nothing. I was sick of feeling out of control but, in truth, I had only the vaguest ideas of why I’d come to Scotland. Why I’d gone through the hassle of scoring a fake passport, or any of the bullshit I had to go through to get here. I told everyone, including myself, that I’d come here for the games, but the more I said it, the more I felt like I was reading from a script. In fact, the longer I’d been at Castle Gunnach, the more my past life felt more like just that. A past life.
“The king has explained to you that the Cauld Ane are centuries old, já?” Haddi asked and I nodded. “May I ask how old you are, Arric?” he continued.
I scratched the back of my neck before replying, “Almost twenty-five.”
“You don’t sound entirely sure,” Haddi said with his ever-present smirk on display.
“My mom and I moved around a lot, and I don’t have a copy of my birth certificate.” I turned to Kade. “That’s why I had to use a fake ID and passport to work on the cargo plane. I remember one time my mom telling me my birthday was March twelfth, but that’s it.”
“Didn’t you celebrate it every year?” Isla asked in a heartbroken tone.
“Not exactly,” I replied. This was no time to get into the topics of my fucked-up childhood, or my even more fucked-up mother for that matter. She’d been out of the picture for most of my life and I was fine with that.
“In truth, I sense you’re much older than twenty-four years old,” Haddi said.
“How the hell would you know? You don’t even know me,” I said.
“Does that mean he’s not an oracle?” Andi asked.
“As I said, there is a mystery as to the nature of Arric Mann.”
“Look, buddy. You said you had answers so you’d better start making some sense—”
I stopped myself as my tattoos once again began to burn.
Isla’s eyes locked onto mine. I could sense that she was still afraid of me, but I was also aware her eyes were constantly on me. Clocking every move I made.
“Your markings. May I see them?” Haddi asked.
“You want to see my tattoos?” I asked, suddenly feeling more vulnerable than I would have expected of myself. In the gym I’d walk around shirtless all the time, but somehow being in front of Isla and the others made me feel different.
“Arric, in a few moments the ashes will reveal much more to me than your flesh.”
I nodded and peeled my shirt off.
Haddi’s eye widened. “When did you get these tattoos?”
I opened my mouth to reply but the answer simply wasn’t there. I paused for a moment. Racking my brain for a single detail surrounding receiving any of these tattoos.
“Wait a minute,” I said. “This is fucking crazy. Why can’t I remember when and where I got these?”
“I believe the truth of your identity is hidden even to you,” Haddi replied.
I scowled. “What are you talking about? I know exactly who I am.”
“And what of your family?”
I shook my head. “None.”
“Everyone comes from somewhere, Arric,” Haddi said. “Who are your father and mother?”
“I never knew my father, and my mother was a junkie who died when I was young. I’ve been on my own for a while.”
“What was your mother’s name?”
Once again, the moment I searched for a specific detail from my past it would vanish into the ether.
“I know who I am,” I said, but I wasn’t sure who I was trying to convince. Him, or myself.
“Are you sure of that?” Haddi asked.
“Goddammit!” I growled. “My name is Arric Mann. I’m twenty-four years old, I’m a welder, and I live in Port Thunder Alaska.”
Bound by Fate (Cauld Ane Series Book 10) Page 9
