Bound by Tears (Cauld Ane Book 6) Read online

  “Why?” Megan asked.

  “Because your accident wasn’t an accident,” Kaspar said.

  “What?” Megan and Jesska said in stereo.

  Ari wrapped his hand around the back of Megan’s neck and squeezed. “We’ll sort this out, sweetheart.”

  She smacked his arm away. “Don’t you ‘sweetheart’ me. If you have put our daughter in danger, I’m going to castrate you.”

  “You’re still mad, I see,” Jesska observed.

  Ari frowned. “What do you know?”

  Kaspar shook his head. “Not much. Moore seems to think we’re going to stay here while he figures it out. Austri is getting the car.”

  Jesska frowned, prompting Kaspar to pull her into the privacy of her bedroom, closing the door behind him. “Say what you need to say.”

  “It’s dangerous.” She settled her hands on her hips. “You need to let Dalton do his job.”

  “Jesska, I’m going to say this one time and then the conversation is done. My brothers and I are going to figure out who is threatening our family. I don’t give a damn about what the lawman says, you are not his to worry about. You are mine. Megan and Sophia are Ari’s. It’s family business, period.”

  “I’m no one’s but my own, Kaz.”

  He cupped her cheek. “You are mine, make no mistake about it. When one of my own is threatened, I deal with it.”

  “You’re so freakin’ bossy.”

  “Baby, what do you need me to say? I’ll say it and then I have to go.” He glanced at his phone and then answered it before she could respond to his question. “Austri.”

  “Mr. Shane is here.”

  “Does he have Ása?”

  “Já.”

  “Send them up to Jesska’s room, please.” He hung up and found Jesska tapping her foot. “What?”

  “Her name’s Sophia.”

  “It’s not actually.”

  “Whatever.” Jesska yanked open her door and stormed back into the living room.

  Kaspar followed just as Austri arrived with Cameron and Ása…and as Megan collapsed on the floor, groaning in pain.

  “Mom!” Ása squeaked, kneeling beside her. “Someone call an ambulance.”

  Ari joined his daughter on the floor and laid a hand on Megan’s forehead. “Your medicine can’t help right now, daughter.

  “Ert þú bundinn henni?” Kaspar bellowed. (You bound her?)

  “What does ‘bound’ mean?” Ása asked.

  “I’ll explain later,” Jesska said.

  “Það hjálpar ekki,” (It couldn’t be helped) Ari responded as he lifted Megan in his arms. She whimpered in pain, as he carried her to Jesska’s bedroom, Ása worried and following behind.

  “Yes, it could have been helped Ari, you selfish—” Kaspar snapped.

  “I don’t have time for you, brother,” Ari said, and closed his family into the room.

  “What happened?” Jesska asked, her hand going to her throat.

  Her talisman was gone, and she realized it all too quickly as Kaspar scowled and pulled her hand down. “Don’t,” he said.

  She fisted her hands at her side. “Then tell me what’s happening.”

  “I don’t have time to explain, elskan.” He pulled out his phone and stepped into the hallway.

  “What do you want now?” Kade answered, sounding irritated.

  “What happens to a human woman when she is bound to a Kalt Einn?”

  “Her body goes through a conversion and it’s extremely painful.”

  “Skít,” Kaspar hissed. “This is what I was afraid of.”

  “Who has been bound?”

  “Ari bound Megan.”

  A shuffling sound and quiet arguing interrupted the conversation briefly.

  “Hello? This is Samantha, I’m Kade’s mate.”

  “I know who you are,” Kaspar said. “Thank you for helping with my brother.”

  “You’re welcome,” she said, and he could sense her kindness. Perhaps it was the deep southern American accent, or the fact that she sounded like she was smiling. “If you have any questions during the conversion, would you or Ari please call me? I’d be happy to help.”

  “And how does Kade feel about that?”

  “I plead the fifth.” She chuckled. “I’m going to text you my phone number. Please call me. I can help walk you through it.”

  “I appreciate that,” Kaspar said. “I should go now.”

  “Do you need to speak with Kade again?”

  “Absolutely not.”

  She giggled. “Chicken.”

  Kaspar couldn’t help a smile. “Thank you, Samantha. Truly.”

  “It’s my pleasure. We’ll talk soon.”

  He hung up and headed back into the suite. Stepping into the bedroom, he filled Ari in on what Samantha had said, gave him her phone number, and then focused back on Jesska.

  “How did you know he bound her?” Jesska asked.

  “When mates are bound we know. It’s a vibration of sorts, I supposed.”

  “Oh.”

  “I have to go, elskan.”

  He could see she was trying not to cry. “Go, then,” she ground out.

  Kaspar kissed her quickly and then followed Gunnar out the door. Austri had the car waiting for them, and they managed to pick up Cameron’s trail in relatively quick fashion. If Dalton Moore wasn’t going to tell Kaspar where to go, he figured Cameron would be heading to the same place.

  * * *

  Jesska pushed open her bedroom door to find Megan writhing in pain on her bed. Sophia was inconsolable at the state of her mother, and Ari was carefully removing Megan’s clothes, in an obvious attempt to make her more comfortable.

  He glanced up at Jesska. “We’ll need cold towels, and ice, if you have it.”

  Jesska nodded. “Soph, you want to help me?”

  “Um…”

  “Sophia, come on, honey, let’s go get some stuff for your mom.”

  Ari stroked Sophia’s face. “Farðu og hjálpaðu frænku þinni, litla. Mamma þín þarf að kæla sig niður.” (Go help your aunt, little one. Your mama needs to be cooled down.)

  Sophia nodded and followed Jesska into the bathroom.

  “You get some towels wet, okay?” Jesska said. “I’ll go get ice.”

  “Is my mom going to die?”

  “No, baby. She’s going to be fine. I promise.”

  Sophia went about her duties, and Jesska stepped outside to find Jóvin hovering. “M’lady? You’re to stay inside.”

  “I need ice, Jóvin.”

  “I’ll get it for you, m’lady.”

  She shoved the bucket at him. “Fine. Hurry,” she snapped, and stepped back inside, heading to her bedroom. Megan was naked from the waist up, as was Ari. He had his arms wrapped around her from behind, and she appeared to be calmer, although her skin was a blotchy red. Jesska gasped, making her way to the bed and covering them both with a sheet for privacy. “Do you really want Sophia to see this? It will scar her for life.”

  “I have to stay connected to her,” Ari explained. “It helps with the conversion.”

  “What’s conversion?”

  “When a human is bound to a Kalt Einn, her body will change to be like ours.”

  “Pardon?”

  “I’m sorry, sister, I don’t have time to explain everything to you right now,” Ari said. “Perhaps it would be better if you didn’t watch.”

  “Are you saying I will go through this if Kaspar binds me?” Jesska asked, horrified.

  “Já.”

  “Is she dying?” Sophia’s small voice sounded from the threshold of the bathroom.

  “No, baby,” Ari answered, and waved his hand. “Come and lay the towel over your mama. Touch her as well. You can help.”

  Sophia rushed to do as he said and then she settled her hand on her mother’s head. Megan sighed and shifted, turning towards Sophia. “That feels good, honey.”

  Jesska felt like she was intruding on a family moment, so she we
nt back into the living room just as Jóvin arrived with the ice. He had three buckets full—where he got the other containers she wasn’t sure, but she was glad for the help. “Thanks, Jóvin.”

  “M’lady,” he said, and then left her again.

  “Jess?” Sophia called from the bedroom. “Do you have the ice?”

  “Yeah, honey. Right here.”

  Jesska didn’t have time to obsess about what her body would go through when Kaspar bound her, because she was too focused on making sure Megan was as comfortable as possible. Once Megan was calm and sleeping, Ari pulled his shirt back on and left the suite. Sophia curled up next to her mother on Jesska’s bed, and Jesska closed the door for privacy, fell onto her sofa, and curled up in a ball, bursting into quiet tears as the realization of what she would be subjected to sunk in. Megan’s body had been wracked with pain and her skin had changed from milky white to a dark red in front of Jesska’s eyes for several minutes before returning to normal. Jesska knew Megan was fighting the urge to scream for her and Sophia’s sakes, but she couldn’t hold back the occasional whimper which seemed to frighten Sophia. In the end, Ari had forced them out for a time before letting them back in when Megan was calmer.

  Jesska didn’t give herself much time to freak out, sitting up and wiping away her tears. She needed to do something, and she knew exactly what. She grabbed her cell phone, made a quick call, and then took her purse and keys and left the room.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  JÓVIN STOOD IN the hallway and pushed away from the wall when Jesska walked out of her room. “M’lady.”

  “Jóvin,” she said, and headed to the elevator.

  “You can’t leave, m’lady.”

  “I have something important to do,” she said as she waited for the elevator.

  “It doesn’t matter. You are to stay here.”

  The elevator dinged and the door opened. She moved to step inside, but Jóvin grabbed her arm. “I can’t let you leave.”

  She frowned. “Are you supposed to touch me?”

  He released her immediately. She knew it was a low blow, but she was sick of being a prisoner, even if it was for her own good.

  Jóvin swore and pushed his way inside. “I will take you where you need to go.”

  “I have my car.”

  “Jesska, I cannot let you leave here.”

  “You called me Jesska.”

  “I did, m’lady.”

  She grinned as the elevator doors closed. “I like that better than m’lady.”

  Jóvin chuckled. “I know, m’lady.”

  Without further discussion, he guided Jesska to one of the cars in the garage and then drove her to Brady’s parents’ home. While Jóvin awaited her in the car, she walked up to the house and rang the doorbell, smiling nervously when Brady’s mother answered the door.

  “Hi, sweetie,” she said, and hugged Jesska. “Are you okay? You sounded upset on the phone.”

  “I have to tell you and Brian something and I felt I should tell you face to face.”

  “Come into the kitchen.”

  Brady’s father stood from his place at the kitchen peninsula and hugged Jesska. “How are you, honey?”

  She bit her lip. “I’ve met someone.”

  “I’m sorry?” he said.

  “I…I’ve met someone. Someone really special, and I think it might be serious.”

  Brian looked at his wife and then back at Jesska before letting out a holler. “It’s about damn time.”

  “What?” she squeaked.

  “Oh, honey, you’ve been so sad for far too long,” Leslie said. “Brady wouldn’t have wanted this for you. He would want you to be happy. And we do too.”

  Jesska let out a sigh of relief. “I thought you’d be mad or hurt.”

  “No way,” Brian assured her. “This is a good thing, honey. You have our full blessing.”

  “Really?”

  “Absolutely,” he said. “And we’d love to meet him when you feel it’s right.”

  “I’d really like that,” she said.

  “Can I get you something to drink?” Leslie asked.

  “Actually, I should go. Kaspar’s driver’s waiting for me outside.”

  “Fancy,” she said. “He must have money.”

  Jesska giggled. “Little bit, yes. But more than that, with the Jason thing in limbo, he’s a little protective.”

  “I’m glad,” Brian said.

  “Thank you both. For being so kind to me. And patient. Especially that.”

  “We love you, Jess,” Leslie said. “Always.”

  Jesska’s heart floated as they walked her to the door. She hugged them and then stepped outside…to find a seething Kaspar stalking toward her.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked.

  He glanced at Brady’s parents and then back at her. “Jóvin informed me you’d left the safety of the hotel,” he said, carefully. A little too carefully.

  “Yes. I needed to do something.” She turned to the Kings. “Um, Brian and Leslie King, this is Kaspar Baldursson.”

  Kaspar shook their hands in greeting, his smile tight, his body locked. “It’s lovely to meet you.”

  “You too, son,” Brian said.

  Jesska smiled at Brady’s parents. “We should probably head back. Thanks for everything.”

  She hugged them once more and then Kaspar’s hand was on the small of her back and guiding her to Austri’s car. It appeared that Jóvin was gone, and she hoped he wasn’t in trouble for doing her bidding.

  Jesska slid inside and secured her seatbelt while Kaspar climbed in beside her. He pulled the door closed and raised the privacy glass. “If you ever do anything like that again, Jesska, I will take you over my knee.”

  She narrowed her eyes. “Excuse me?”

  “We are in the middle of sorting out who’s behind the attack on your sister and niece, and you leave the safety of the hotel?” he snapped. “I will have Jóvin’s head for this.”

  “Um, no, you won’t.” She scowled. “For the record, Jóvin tried to stop me, but, a pretty glaring fact you seem to want to dismiss, is that I’m a grown-ass woman and I can make my own damn choices and go wherever the hell I want to because I’m an adult. Jóvin drove me here, which apparently was the wrong thing for him to do, because you’re obviously pissed at him, so next time I’ll just drive myself.”

  “There won’t be a next time.”

  “Screw you, Kaspar. I’m not your prisoner!”

  He dragged his hands down his face and took several audible breaths. “You could have been hurt.”

  “Bullshit,” she snapped. “Jóvin had me fully safe and protected. For the love of God, Kaspar, you have to trust your security detail to take care of me. It’s what you pay them for, after all.”

  Austri pulled the car into the underground parking lot, and Jesska grimaced when she saw Jóvin waiting by the elevator bank.

  Kaspar pushed open the door and stepped out, extending his hand to her. She ignored it and climbed from the car.

  “I have to return to what I was doing,” he said. “Go with Jóvin, and I’ll see you as soon as I can.”

  “Oh, now Jóvin’s on the approved list of jailors?”

  “Jesska,” he ground out. “Do as I say. We’ll discuss this later.”

  “Fine.”

  He slid his hand behind her neck and gave her a gentle squeeze. “I love you, elskan.”

  “Good for you.” She tried to pull away but he held firm.

  “We’ll talk later. I will come to your room.”

  “Don’t bother,” she whispered, dropping her chin. “I’d rather just go to bed.”

  He tipped her chin up. “We’ll talk later.”

  She shrugged.

  Kaspar smiled and stroked her cheek before kissing her gently. And then he was gone.

  Jesska faced Jóvin and frowned. “I’m sorry if I got you in trouble.”

  “You didn’t, m’lady.”

  “Thank you for drivi
ng me.”

  He held the elevator door for her. “’Twas my pleasure, m’lady.”

  “No more Jesska, huh?”

  “No, m’lady.”

  They rode to the top floor without speaking. Jóvin let her into her room and she pushed open her bedroom door to see Megan and Sophia asleep, Megan’s body molded around her daughter’s.

  Jesska closed the door and flopped onto the sofa. She was so angry, she wasn’t sure how well she’d sleep, so she thought she’d use her time plotting revenge. Once again, laxative brownies popped into her head as a good option for Kaspar. Her last coherent image was of her placing a large chocolate treat in front of him as she rubbed her hands together in devilish glee.

  * * *

  Jesska awoke as strong arms wrapped around her and lifted her. She forced her eyes open to find Kaspar carrying her out of her suite and next door to his.

  “What are you doing here?” she demanded, sleepily.

  “Taking you to bed.”

  She pushed at his shoulders. “I’m not speaking to you.”

  “You can give me the silent treatment somewhere I can hold you.”

  She heard the exhaustion in his voice. “Are you okay?” she whispered.

  “Yes, baby. Go back to sleep.”

  “Did you find the bad guy?”

  “Go back to sleep.” Kaspar laid her on his bed and kissed her forehead.

  “Um…” She pushed his face away. “Hell, no.”

  “Jess.”

  “No,” she snapped, and sat up. “Where have you been? What’s going on?” The light from the bathroom illuminated him and she let out a horrified squeak. “Why are you bleeding?” She scrambled off the bed and lifted his shirt. “What happened?”

  “It’s not my blood, baby.”

  “Don’t you dare ‘baby’ me right now, Kaspar. Tell me where you’re hurt.”

  He stilled her hands. “Jesska. It’s not my blood.”

  It took a minute for her to register his words, and then she grasped him around his waist and held him as hard as she could.

  “Jess.”

  “Shut up right now, Kaz. I need to hold you for a minute before I let loose my rage.”

  He stroked her hair and she could feel his body shaking, which she tried to ignore, because as much as it pissed her off that he was laughing at her right now, it felt better to have him in her arms and to know he was okay.