Bound by Blood (Cauld Ane Series) Read online

  “Stop it, Kade. I’m still leaving.”

  “No, you’re not. I’m not taking you anywhere until we work this out.”

  She shrugged. “I don’t need you to take me anywhere.”

  “You’re going to walk?”

  “No.”

  He frowned. “What did you do?”

  She shrugged and dropped more clothes into the suitcase.

  “Samantha?” he pressed.

  “Cole’s picking me up in twenty minutes.”

  He dropped her clothes in the open drawer. “Like hell he is.”

  “This is never going to work, Kade. I have accepted that. I think you should too.”

  He grasped her hand and pulled the clothes from her grip. “I’m not bloody well accepting anything that has you leaving. Now, stop this nonsense so we can talk.”

  She shook her head and stared at her feet. “No.”

  He lifted her chin and frowned. “Sweetheart, tell me what’s really going on.”

  “I just think we have everything against us and it’s better to cut it off now. If we keep going, it’ll hurt more.” Kade stared at her and it took her a minute to realize what he was doing. She stepped away from him. “Stop reading my mind.”

  “Our children are going to be fine, Samantha.”

  “Stop it.” Her resolve crumbled and she felt the prick of tears. “Besides, we’re not having children, so it’s a moot point.”

  He held his hand out to her. “Come here.”

  “No.”

  He took a deep breath and closed the distance between them. “When we decide to have children, and we will, they will be perfectly healthy.”

  “But Fiona’s not. She’s dying.”

  He wrapped his arms around her. “She’s not dying, love. She just has to be careful. Much like a diabetic has to take their insulin or someone with a bee allergy has to make sure they carry an EpiPen.”

  She tried to pull away from his touch. “Stop making me feel better.”

  “Call Cole and tell him not to come.”

  “I think it might be too late. He left almost half an hour ago.”

  Kade’s cell phone rang. “Eymundur? Aye. Hmm, should we let him in?”

  “Kade,” Sam droned. “Don’t be difficult.”

  “Yes, lower the gate. Thank you, Eymundur.” He hung up and slipped his phone in his pocket. “Time to meet your other boyfriend.”

  Sam shook her head. “Oh, you’re funny.”

  “You and I have a lot to talk about, eh?”

  She shrugged. “I guess.”

  “No leaving until everything’s resolved, okay? I have a few things planned for us this weekend, and I don’t want my foot-in-mouth disease to ruin anything.”

  She couldn’t help but smile. “How could I refuse?”

  He stroked her cheek and kissed her quickly. “I love you, Samantha, you must know that.”

  She nodded. “I do. You just scare me sometimes.”

  “I’ll try to be less scary. Just don’t run. Please.”

  “I won’t run.” She smiled. “But you have to stop hating us humans.”

  “Och, Samantha, I don’t. I’m sorry. I was angry and lashed out.”

  “Forgiven.”

  He kissed her again, then linked his fingers with hers and led her from the room. They arrived in the main hall, where Cole stood speaking with one of the maids. She was obviously taken with him and Cole seemed to like the attention. Sam felt Kade’s hold tighten, and she glanced up at him with a raised eyebrow.

  You failed to mention his charm.

  She grinned. Did I? How remiss of me.

  Kade released her hand and wrapped an arm firmly around her shoulders.

  Sam raised an eyebrow. You saw him at the park the day I was attacked, don’t you remember?

  Honestly, I was more concerned about you. I didn’t remember him being competition.

  Kade. He’s not. He’s a friend. She pulled away and headed toward Cole. “Hi, Cole.”

  He grinned. “Hey, Sam.”

  The maid glanced at Kade and then lowered her head and scurried out of sight.

  Cole hugged Sam and as soon as she broke the hug, she found herself pulled back against Kade. “It’s good to see you again, Agent Drake,” Kade said.

  A flicker of surprise crossed his face, but he didn’t attempt pretense. “So you know who I am.”

  “We do,” Kade said.

  Cole shifted from one foot to the other and then nodded. “Are you ready to go, Sam?”

  Kade patted Samantha’s hip. “She’s not going anywhere. However, I’d love it if you’d stay so we can chat.”

  Cole frowned. “Sam called me.”

  Sam groaned. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have.”

  He crossed his arms and glanced at Kade and then back at her. “If you don’t feel safe, I’ll take you out of here right now.”

  She realized what Cole must be thinking. Firmly settled against Kade, who looked like a warrior of old, she must appear to be some kind of hostage.

  Kade, seriously? If you keep doing that, he’s going to get the impression you’re holding me against my will.

  Doing what?

  She disengaged herself from Kade and pushed him gently away. “Sorry, Cole. Kade and I had a disagreement, and I kind of made a snap judgment. It was unfair of me to call you, but you really are welcome to stay if you’d like.”

  He stepped closer to her. “Are you sure?”

  She nodded. “Definitely. Whatever you might think about him, Cole, Kade would never hurt me, and I’m not one who’d stick around if he did.”

  “Okay. I can stay for a bit. I have a little time.”

  Sam glanced at Kade. Are you going to be nice?

  Kade rolled his eyes. I’m always nice, love.

  “It’s almost time for lunch, Cole. Join us?” Sam asked.

  He shrugged. “Sure.”

  Kade tapped his ear. “That has to be somewhere else.”

  Sam frowned. “What are you talking about?”

  Cole pulled out a small ear bud and held it in his palm.

  Sam turned to Kade. “How did you know?”

  Kade put his finger to his lips.

  Sam scowled at Cole and stepped back to Kade, a firm indication as to whose side she was on. He wrapped an arm around her waist and waited for Cole to make a decision.

  Cole dropped the ear bud in the vase of flowers on the table.

  “Anything else?” Kade asked.

  “Nope, that was it,” Cole said.

  Two men Sam didn’t recognize appeared out of nowhere and flanked her and Kade. Kade waved them toward Cole. “You won’t mind if we check, will you?”

  Sam waved her hands in the air. “This all too James Bond for me. You two have your pissing contest and I’ll meet you in the sunroom.” She left them and headed toward her new favorite place to be.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  COLE STAYED THROUGH dinner and Sam saw the reluctant mutual respect growing between him and Kade. Cole lowered his guard; so far in fact, that he shared what the FBI was doing looking into the Gunnach affairs. He also told them of his suspicions that there was someone on the inside at Gunnach Pharmaceuticals attempting to sabotage the family business and nam

  e.

  “What exactly are “they” trying to do?” Sam asked.

  “There have been rumblings that some kind of bio-warfare attack is being planned, on home soil—your home, Kade, not ours,” Cole explained. “At first we thought you personally were behind the plans. But then we discovered that, although it appears Gunnach Pharmaceutical is supplying the money and resources for the attack, it is, in fact, Haarde Pharmaceuticals that is backing it. Víkingasveitin has been working with MI-6 and now the CIA to shut it down.”

  “Víkingasveitin?” Sam asked.

  “Iceland’s counter-terrorism unit,” Kade provided.

  “Oh.”

  “Do you have any idea who at Haarde is trying to make us look resp
onsible?” Kade asked Cole.

  Cole shook his head. “Not yet. They’ve covered their tracks well and did a damn good job setting you up. Including the purchase of several black market chemicals that have been made around Edinburgh. It looks as though someone within Gunnach Pharmaceuticals paid for them.”

  “How did you get involved?” Sam asked.

  Cole cocked his head. “You mean the FBI?”

  She nodded.

  “I can’t tell you that.”

  “Why not?”

  “Sam,” Kade admonished gently and reached for her hand.

  She took his hand and tried to stamp down her irritation. “How did you figure out it wasn’t Kade behind all this?”

  “The trail to him was too obvious. I’m always suspicious of things that come easy.”

  “I’d like the suspicion to stay on me at this point,” Kade said.

  Sam’s jaw dropped open. “What? Why?”

  “If we take it off him, the real culprit might get nervous and bolt…or cover up more,” Cole explained. “If we keep it on Kade, the hope is they’ll get sloppy.”

  Sam frowned. “I don’t know how I feel about this.”

  “Sweetheart, someone is threatening to kill people in my name,” Kade said. “We have to make sure the intended targets are safe.”

  “What about your safety? What about Connall and Brodie?”

  Kade squeezed her hand. “It’s fine. Cole and I will work out a strategy with Con and Brodie. Don’t worry.”

  I can’t help it.

  I know, love. But we are not so easy to kill.

  Dinner wrapped up and they ushered Cole to the front door, following him outside. The rain was coming down in sheets, so Sam stayed under the protective covering, her back against Kade’s chest. She hugged Cole and he climbed into his car and pulled away from the house. Sam waved then followed Kade back inside.

  “I have a surprise for you,” Kade said.

  “You do?”

  Taking her hand, he led her down the hall to one of the rooms she’d yet to see.

  “Close your eyes,” he instructed. “Don’t peek. Don’t read my mind either.”

  She gave a mock huff, but did as he asked, gripping his hand as he guided her forward. A quiet click indicated they were through the door and she sighed when she felt his lips on the back of her neck. “Open your eyes.”

  She did and couldn’t stop an appreciative hum. The room had shelves of books covering two of the walls, along with a sofa in front of a large fireplace. A small desk was nestled in the corner and on the opposite side of the room, a bottle of champagne sat chilling in a silver ice bucket next to two ornate flutes. Candles were the only source of light. Sam smiled as she turned to face Kade. “It’s beautiful. What’s the occasion?”

  “That depends on you.”

  “Oh?”

  “I love you,” he said, and then kissed her.

  Sam felt the depth of his emotion and smiled against his lips. “Aw, honey, I love you too.”

  “Good to know.” He dug in his pocket, pulling out a small box, and knelt in front of her. “Samantha Christene Moore, will you do me the honor of being my wife?”

  She gasped as tears filled her eyes. She wasn’t completely certain she wasn’t in a dream. Could she believe that this beautiful man loved her as much as she loved him? Could she trust this was all real?

  “Sam, my leg is cramping, love.”

  “Oh, sorry!” She giggled. “Yes. Yes, I would love to marry you.” He popped the lid on the box and Sam thought she might pass out. Inside was the ring she’d tried on in the store. “Kade! You didn’t! That’s the ring…how did you know?”

  “Why do you think Payton got the day off?” He grinned and rose to his feet. “She was my spy.”

  “Do you really close the lab when there’s a fifth Friday?”

  “No.”

  Sam let out a quiet squeal. “You’re terrible!”

  He slid the ring on her finger with a chuckle. It fit perfectly.

  “It’s stunning,” she said.

  “When your heart was racing in the store, was that when you tried it on?”

  She nodded. “How did you guess?”

  “Because you weren’t afraid. I had a feeling something was up.”

  “How did you keep this from me?” she asked.

  “It hasn’t been easy,” he complained. “Although, today you were distracted enough I could block you out.”

  She stared at the ring, the feeling so much more intense than what she felt in the store. She pressed her palm against her chest.

  “Are you okay?” he asked.

  Sam nodded. “Yes, I just feel…so…I don’t know…everything.”

  “I know.”

  She gave him a challenging smile. “Weren’t you supposed to ask my dad?”

  “I did.”

  “What?” she exclaimed. “When?”

  “Yesterday. While you were napping, I called and spoke with both your parents.” He grinned. “I also called Pepper. She gave me more of a grilling than your parents did.”

  “I’ll bet.” Sam sighed. “You’re full of surprises, honey. I don’t know if I can keep up.”

  “You’re doing just fine.” He kissed her palm. “Are you certain you like the ring?”

  “Yes! I absolutely love it.” She raised an eyebrow. “What would you have done if I didn’t like it?”

  “I’d buy you something else.”

  “You would not.”

  “I would,” he insisted.

  “Well, you’ll have to pry this off my cold, dead body.”

  “Good.” Kade chuckled. “Payton was disappointed you didn’t pick the one she tried on.”

  “Did she tell you how much it cost?”

  “No.” He shrugged. “But it wouldn’t matter. If that was the one you liked, you could have had it.”

  “Kade, it was four hundred thousand pounds.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “Did you like it?”

  “Not really. I didn’t feel anything when I put it on. This one, though…” She ran her hand down his chest, the diamond sparkling in the candlelight. “It makes me feel like you make me feel.”

  “How’s that?”

  She stroked his cheek. “Safe. Home.”

  He kissed her and she slid her arms around his neck and ran her fingers through his hair.

  Ég elska þig. Þakka þér fyrir að samþykkja að vera kona mín.

  “Which means?” Sam said.

  “I love you. Thank you for agreeing to be my wife.” He kissed her nose.

  “Will you please explain to me the rest of the binding process?”

  “Only if you promise not to run.”

  Sam groaned. “Honey, I’m not going anywhere. At this point, even if you said you had to bite my neck, I think I’d stick around.”

  “Oh?”

  She gave him a look of suspicion. “You don’t have to bite my neck, do you?”

  Kade chuckled. “No.”

  “Phew. Good.”

  “I brought several of our family records.” He nodded to the table in the corner.

  Six large tomes were stacked taller than she was, and Sam sighed. “Um. What are the odds of a story instead?”

  “You preferred your lecture classes, didn’t you?”

  “You got me. But I promise, I’ll look those over at some point before I die.” She pulled him to one of the chairs. “Sit.”

  He lowered himself into the chair and Sam settled herself on his lap.

  “Where do you want to start?” he asked.

  “Let’s start with the fact that only men can bind their mate. Why is that? And how will I become immortal?”

  “It has to do with our…uh…Sæði…”

  Sam cocked her head in question.

  Kade smiled. “Semen.”

  Sam blushed beet red, she knew she did, her face was on fire. “Seriously?”

  “We have an additional protein that human men don’t hav
e. I can only assume that that’s how a human woman would be transformed into a Cauld Ane.”

  “But how do you stop the binding if you sleep with a woman who isn’t your mate?”

  “Binding is primarily spiritual rather than physical, so it’s more involved than just the joining of bodies. I don’t know what the ramifications would be if a Cauld Ane slept with a human woman who wasn’t his mate, however. Perhaps Fiona can find something in our archives.”

  Sam let out a quiet gasp. “Fiona! If a human is made immortal, doesn’t that mean her issues will be solved when Angus binds her?”

  Kade smiled. “My beautiful genius. You may be onto something there.”

  “How does the aging thing work? Why don’t you look six-hundred-something years old?”

  “We age normally, or I should say, at the same rate as humans, until mating year. After that, we age at about one year per one hundred human years. It’s not exact, but that’s about the average. Once we are mated, the aging process slows, so it’s more like one year per two hundred human years. If you lose your mate unnaturally, you age faster…much faster.”

  “So that’s why your mother doesn’t look old enough to be your mother.”

  “Aye. But had my father been her true mate, she’d look more like my grandmother. She would have aged faster after he died.”

  Sam cocked her head. “And that didn’t tip you off that your mom and dad weren’t mates?”

  Kade kissed her nose. “Apparently, I’m not as observant as you are, smarty-pants.”

  “Apparently.” She giggled. “Are there more of you?”

  “You mean, outside of Iceland and Scotland?”

  She nodded.

  “We have several clans in Russia and Canada.”

  “What about at home?”

  “We have a few families in the States, but only in Oregon, Washington and Alaska. However, the Eastern states are great vacation places for us during the winter.”

  “Right, Hawaii wouldn’t work, would it?”

  He grinned. “Not so much, no.”

  “Anything else I should know?”

  “The Cauld Ane have a few things they need to avoid.”

  “Like?”

  He gave her a patient smile. “Almonds, particularly anything that contains the concentrated extract—”

  “Oh.” Her eyes filled with tears. “My favorite cookies are my mama’s chocolate almond surprise.”