Bound by Fire Page 20

  “Manstu eftir heitunum okkar?” (Do you remember the vows?)

  She bit her lip, tears pricking her eyes. “Nei.”

  “Gerir þú þér grein fyrir því að þú ert að tala íslensku núna?” (Do you realize you’re speaking Icelandic now?)

  “Er ég að því? En ég tala ekki íslensku.” (I am? But I don’t speak Icelandic.)

  “Gefðu mér eina mínútu.” (Give me a minute.) Connall climbed from the bed and grabbed his phone.

  * * *

  Connall scrolled down to Kade’s number and pressed the call button. His brother answered after one ring. “Hi, Con.”

  “Something’s wrong.”

  “What’s going on?” Kade asked.

  “Pepper doesn’t remember anything, including how to speak English.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Connall glanced at Pepper, who was staring at him in confusion. “She doesn’t remember anything about being bound, and now she only seems to understand Icelandic.”

  “Um hvað ertu að tala?” (What are you talking about?)

  “Ég er að spyrja Kade hvort hann geti hjálpað.” (I am asking Kade if he can help.)

  “We’re here, Connall,” Kade said. “Sam didn’t want to leave, so we slept in the south guest suite. Angus and Fiona arrived around midnight. I’ll tell her to bring the book up, yes?”

  Pepper pointed to the bathroom. “Ég ætla að fara í sturtu.” (I’m going to shower.)

  “Bíddu. Leyfðu mér að hjálpa þér.” (Wait. Let me help you.) She nodded and Connall focused back on his conversation with Kade. “Pepper vill fara í sturtu og klæða sig, við hittumst svo niðri í aðalstofunni.” (Pepper wants to take a shower and get dressed, then we'll see you in the great room.)

  Pepper was quite weak, so Connall helped her from the bed and into the shower. Despite his worry for her, he couldn’t block out the sexiness of his naked mate. He just wished he could enjoy their shower in a different way. He sat her on the shower bench and stripped down, stepping inside with her.

  Their conversation was quite surreal, considering it was all in Icelandic. He felt like he had to switch on a different part of his brain to communicate with her. He rarely spoke in his native tongue anymore, as they’d lived in Scotland for so long. Outside of council meetings, it was rarely used.

  Once she was dry and dressed, Pepper sat on the vanity stool, wearing a black pair of yoga pants and a soft blue shirt, smoothing lotion onto her face while Connall pulled on jeans and a T-shirt.

  Pepper’s quiet gasp echoed in the room.

  “What’s wrong?” Connall asked in Icelandic.

  “My hair! It’s dark…and almost red,” Pepper said as she studied her image in the mirror.

  Connall nodded. “I noticed that.”

  “But I’m not a brunette.” Tears slid down her face. “Will I change back to normal?”

  Connall knelt in front of her and took her hands, gently kissing her knuckles. “I don’t know if you’ll go back to blonde, sweetheart, but it doesn’t matter. You’re the most beautiful woman in the world. I quite like the dark…your eyes are even brighter now.”

  She bit her lip.

  “We’re going to figure this out, sweetheart.”

  She stared at him. “What if nothing changes? What if I never remember?”

  “You will.”

  “What if I don’t?”

  “Then we’ll do the ceremony again,” he said, and rose to his feet. “We’ll create a new memory.”

  “I do feel different,” she said.

  “Physically?” he asked as he secured his watch to his wrist.

  “Yes, but…” She shook her head. “I know you…my soul…it knows you. I understand what you mean by us not breaking up.”

  He sighed in relief and knelt in front of her again. “Oh, sweetheart, that’s all I care about. You recognize me as your mate, the rest will work itself out.”

  “But I want to remember everything, Con. I want to remember the words and our first time making love.” She cupped his face. “I want to remember what I felt when you bound me.”

  He grinned. “Ahh, so you’re also turning into a romantic, I see.”

  “Don’t get too excited, buddy,” she retorted as she braided her hair.

  “Come on. Everyone’s waiting downstairs. Fiona has been researching like crazy. There might be something in the book about why your memory has been affected.”

  “What book?”

  “Our family ancestral book. Generations have written down information about our clan over the years.”

  Pepper secured her braid with a band, pulling it forward and letting it fall over her shoulder, and then stood slowly, gripping Connall’s arm for stability. He shifted so he could wrap his arm around her waist and anchor her to his side.

  “Why am I so weak?” she asked in frustration. “I felt so good earlier and now I’m exhausted.”

  “Your body’s been through a huge change, love. It’ll take a little time to come right.”

  He helped her down the stairs and into the great room. Kade, Sam, Angus, and Fiona were pouring over the book and discussing potential answers, all in English. Pepper stalled and glanced up at Connall, fear and confusion written in her features.

  “Íslenska allir.” Connall demanded everyone speak Icelandic and then led Pepper to one of the chairs. “Vilt þú að ég sitji hjá þér?” (Do you want me to sit with you?)

  She nodded.

  He sat in the chair and pulled her down onto his lap. She shifted so her bottom was more on the cushion, but she kept her legs over him.

  “You look amazing,” Sam said, and kissed Pepper’s cheek. Pepper frowned in confusion and Sam shook her head. “Sorry. Þú lítur ótrúlega vel út.”

  “En hárið á mér er svo dökkt.” (But my hair is so dark.)

  “Yes, which isn’t fair,” Sam continued in Icelandic. “Even though we look more like real sisters now, how is it you’re far more beautiful as a brunette than I ever was as a blonde?”

  “You’re a crazy liar,” Pepper said. “But I love you for it.”

  Connall was very surprised by how fluent Pepper was. Sam was still having difficulty with the accent, although she understood everything perfectly.

  “So what did you find out?” Connall asked in Icelandic.

  “We found out Pepper is one of a kind,” Fiona said with a grin.

  “I already knew that,” Connall said, and squeezed Pepper’s knee.

  Pepper smiled. “What do you mean, Fi?”

  “First of all, your memory will come back. Well, it should, anyway. According to the book, as soon as your body is completely healed, you’ll remember everything.”

  Pepper sagged against Connall. “Are you sure?”

  Fiona pointed to the book. “That’s what it says.”

  “How long will it take?” Pepper asked.

  “I was fine in a couple of days,” Sam said.

  “Okay.” Pepper took Connall’s hand and he gave hers a gentle squeeze. “So how am I one of a kind?”

  “You’re a firestarter,” Fiona said.

  Connall gasped. “What? Are you sure?”

  “Oh no.” Pepper panicked. “What does that mean?”

  “It’s a good thing, sweetheart,” Connall rushed to assure her. “It’s just very, very rare.”

  “It simply means you can start a fire with your mind,” Fiona explained, and handed the book to Pepper. “The biggest clue is the fact your hair has changed color. There are references to hair changes in the passages, but the darkening is an indication of your fire ability. Another clue is that you have no memory of the conversion and bonding. Only firestarters experience this.”

  Pepper laid the book on her lap and read, glancing up at Connall. “So does that mean you’ll be able to do it too?”

  Connall shook his head. “No. It’s not a gift passed on from one mate to another. This one is all yours; however, one of our children may inherit the ability
.”

  “You’re the first in almost a thousand years,” Kade said.

  “Seriously?” she asked.

  “It’s why you were able to block Connall,” Sam explained. “You had the ability to shut him out, because your gift trumps his empathetic gift.”

  Pepper sighed. “I’m sorry, baby.”

  “I know.” He kissed her temple.

  Kade sent Connall a look of concern.

  Connall held his hand up. “I know, Kade. We won’t tell anyone.”

  “Why not?” Pepper asked.

  Connall cocked his head. “If it got out that you had the ability to kill a person with a simple thought, it’s possible someone may want to exploit that.”

  “I can do it with a thought? How?” Pepper read a little more. “What if I start a fire accidentally?”

  “We’ll work on it,” Connall promised.

  Pepper nodded, stifling a yawn.

  “If there’s nothing else that’s pressing, I’m taking Pepper back to bed,” he said, and handed the book to Fiona. “Do you mind if we keep the book for a few days?”

  “Not at all,” she said.

  “Thanks.” Connall smiled. “How about we do dinner here tomorrow evening after the parson recognizes the union?

  “Works for us,” Kade said. “We’re not going back to the city until Sunday.”

  Angus nodded and Fiona smiled. “It works for us as well.”

  “You and Angus are welcome to stay here, Fi,” Connall said.

  She shook her head. “Thanks, but I think we’ll head back to the castle.”

  “Sounds good.” Connall stood and lifted Pepper off the chair. He turned to Angus and said in English, “Thanks for being here Angus.”

  Angus grinned. “I should really take language lessons.”

  “Might be a good idea.” Connall chuckled. “Við munum sjá ykkur öll á morgun.” (We’ll see you tomorrow.)

  He carried Pepper from the room and headed toward the stairs.

  “Angus sagði nánast ekkert á meðan þau voru hér. Er í lagi með hann?” she asked. (Angus said virtually nothing while they were here. Is he okay?)

  “Já. Hann talar ekki íslensku.” (Yeah. He doesn’t speak Icelandic.)

  She frowned. “En ég hélt að við gætum talað sama tungumál þegar við værum bundin.” (But I thought we can talk the same language when we are bound.)

  He shook his head. “Kona getur talað tungumál manns síns en það virkar ekki á hinn veginn. Svo er Angus skoskur en ekki íslenskur.” (The female is able to speak the language of the male, but not the other way around. And Angus is Scottish, not Icelandic.)

  “Það virðist mjög óréttlátt.” (It seems very unfair.)

  “Kannski bókin geti varpað einhverju ljósi.” (Maybe the book can shed some light.)

  She nodded as she yawned and laid her head on his shoulder.

  “Farðu að sofa Dairy Queen.” (Go to sleep Dairy Queen.)

  “Ég held að mér lítist betur á Lady Loin Nautasteik.” (I think I like Lady Loin of Beef better.)

  He chuckled and kissed her temple. She was asleep before he walked into the bedroom, so he settled her in bed and climbed in beside her. He ran his hands through her hair, marveling at the softness of it, but also wondering if it would return to normal.

  His last coherent thought before succumbing to his exhaustion was how appropriate it was that his feisty mate was a firestarter.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  PEPPER CAME AWAKE and grinned, even though Connall wasn’t in bed with her. Her body felt amazing—better than it ever had. She sighed as she stretched. Where are you, baby?

  “Here,” Connall said as he came out of the bathroom.

  He wore a pair of long shorts and nothing else. He was gorgeous. Her heart beat faster. She smiled and sat up. “Hi.”

  “Hi.” He sat on the edge of the bed and smiled. “You’re speaking English again, it seems.”

  “I am,” she said, and pulled her braid forward. “Thank God my hair’s back to normal. I don’t know that I could stand being a brunette.”

  “Why not?”

  “I’m far too much of a character to be anything but blonde.”

  Connall grinned. “Who told you that?”

  “It was something my grandma used to say.” Pepper smiled. “She also used to say that my personality was my best feature and God gave me a halo of blonde to protect my smarts.”

  “She sounds pretty smart herself.”

  “She was. She died when I was sixteen, but that always stuck with me. She was one of my favorite people. She never had a bad word to say about anyone. Loved people to the nth degree…something I’m not that good at.”

  Connall laughed. “Oh, I don’t know about that. I just think you don’t tolerate ‘stupid’.”

  “I like that. Makes me sound a lot nicer.” Pepper sat up and ran her hands down his chest. “Guess what?”

  “What?”

  “I remember everything.”

  “Everything?”

  “Absolutely everything.” She wrinkled her nose.

  “Why don’t you look happy?”

  She shrugged. “Probably because I’m annoyed.”

  “Annoyed? Why?”

  “Because neither of us is naked.”

  He chuckled. “Good thing that’s something within our control.”

  “That is true.”

  “In all seriousness, though, how do you feel?”

  “Like a frustrated hussy,” she said.

  “Well, then, let’s rectify that immediately.”

  “Are we alone?”

  He lifted the shirt over her head. “Absolutely.”

  * * *

  Connall made love to her and Pepper was grateful the house was empty. She had discovered she was vocal both publically and privately. She rolled away from him and giggled.

  “My lovemaking makes you laugh?” he asked in mock exasperation.

  She shook her head, still laughing. “The fact I’m so loud does.”

  “Seriously?” He rolled onto his side and rested his head in his palm. “You’re surprised you’re loud?”

  Pepper rolled her eyes. “Oh, you’re a laugh-riot, buddy.”

  He grinned and pulled her close, leaning down to kiss her. “I love that I hear your joy. Means I’m doing all the right things.”

  “Oh, you definitely are. No doubt about that.” He leaned down to kiss her again, but she laid her fingers over his lips. “Let’s hold that thought. I’m hungry and I’m guessing you are too, so I’m going to go and make us something to eat.”

  He disengaged from her hand, leaning down to kiss her anyway. Pepper slipped her fingers into his hair but the sound of her stomach rumbling effectively killed the mood.

  Connall groaned. “You should eat.”

  Pepper chuckled. “Ya think?”

  She climbed from the bed and pulled on sweats and a T-shirt. Scooping her hair into a ponytail, she secured it with a scrunchy and turned to find Connall grinning at her from the bed.

  “Are you coming?” she asked.

  “Hmmm.”

  “Hmmm, what?”

  “I like my T-shirt on you. I’d like it better off of you…or wet…or wet and then off you.”

  Pepper glanced down at the white shirt and smiled. “You like it because it’s tight. Noted. Now, I’m hungry. Come on.”

  He laughed and climbed from the bed, pulling shorts and a shirt on as he made his way to her. As they headed through their sitting room, his phone pealed from the bedroom. “Sorry, love. Forgot my phone.” He headed back to the room.

  It’s Kade, sweetheart. Won’t be a minute.

  Pepper headed for the stairs. I’ll meet you in the kitchen.

  Okay, he said.

  She headed down the back stairs, turning right at the bottom, but quickly realized she’d made a wrong turn and doubled back. She ended up somewhere she hadn’t been yet. Five minutes of turning in circles had her about ready to s
cream.

  Pepper? You’re not in the kitchen.

  “No sh—” she mumbled out loud.

  Pepper, he admonished, but she could hear the laugh in his voice. Where are you?

  I’m lost, damn it. I have no idea where I am. She fisted her hands at her sides. This house is too big.

  What do you see?

  Walls.

  Is there a door you can perhaps open, love?

  There must be at least twelve, smarty pants. She pushed open the door closest to her and found herself in a small bathroom. A bathroom with blue flower tiles on the wall. The toilet has the high tank with a long pulley thingy.

  Okay, stay put. I’ll come get you.

  Pepper sat on the toilet lid and dropped her head into her hands. She tried to control her panic in an effort not to curl up in a ball in the corner. How could she possibly live in a house she couldn’t navigate?

  “Oh,” a quiet but startled voice said from the doorway.

  Pepper shot to her feet. Remembering her state of undress, she covered her chest and studied the petite brunette, not much older than she was. She was dressed in a gray maid’s uniform and carrying a stack of fluffy white towels, which she set on the counter.

  “I’m sorry, m’lady. I thought…well, I’m sorry.” The girl curtsied and turned to leave.

  “Elsie,” Connall said as he stepped into the bathroom, carrying a plate. “You can finish this in a bit, lass.”

  “Aye sir.” Elsie curtsied again and then scurried out of the room.

  Pepper scowled. “Who was that?”

  “Elsie. She’s one of the housemaids.”

  “One of the housemaids?” she squeaked. “You said we were alone.”

  “We are.”

  “By definition, Con, the fact there’s another human being in the house, means we are not.”

  “Right. Well, we are now.” He laid his hands on her arms and smiled. “I brought you a bagel and there’s fresh coffee in the kitchen.”

  “Made by the other people who aren’t here, right?” Pepper frowned. “I thought I was making you breakfast.”

  “Now you don’t have to.”

  She took the bagel from the plate and bit into it, her hunger rising to an uncomfortable level. Connall took her hand and started toward the door.

  She pulled him back. “Con?”