Chapter 23
“Elodie. Elodie, my bonnie lass, open your eyes.”
She wanted to do just as her mother asked, but Elodie couldn’t.
“Everything is going to be fine, darling girl. I promise.”
Elodie tried not to cry, but the tears kept leaking from her closed eyes. Her mother gently wiped them away.
“I love you,” her mother whispered.
The voice reverberated in Elodie’s mind as her eyes snapped open.
She clung to her mother’s words. There had been nothing to see in the dream.
Still, she couldn’t dispel the feeling that whatever she had dreamed about was sifting through her fingers like grains of sand.
The harder she tried to hold onto them, the faster they flowed.
The others had been nightmares, and while she couldn’t remember what she’d felt in this dream, she did recall the comfort of her mother.
For the first time in a long while, Elodie wished to speak to her mum. Emily MacLean had always known when her children needed her. The past really was all around if Elodie were hearing her mother’s voice in her dreams. At least it wasn’t a nightmare. Elodie didn’t think she could handle that.
She blinked as her eyes burned with unshed tears.
How she wished she could walk into her mother’s arms. Her mum had made sure each of her children was equipped to fight their own battles, but she had always been there to comfort or congratulate.
Elodie hadn’t realized how much she had missed that until now.
What kind of person was she to have forgotten that? Just because her mother had killed her father. That wasn’t fair. Neither was refusing to see or speak to her mum in fifteen years.
Warm lips pressed behind her ear. She startled, having forgotten that Scott was lying curled behind her. His arms tightened around her.
“Your breathing changed. What’s wrong?” he asked in a sleepy voice.
Elodie stared at the dancing flames. “Another dream.”
“Do you want to talk about it?”
Could he be any sexier? She was pretty sure he couldn’t. Elodie turned in his arms to face him. She was able to see a glimpse of sunlight through the split in the curtains. “I heard my mum.”
“So, no’ a nightmare?” he asked as he settled onto his back. He held her with one arm and curled the other behind his head. “That’s good, aye?”
She had to smile. “Yes.”
“And you remembered something about the dream?”
“Only her voice. I can’t recall what she said, though.”
“Hmm.” Scott closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “When was the last time you spoke with her?”
“The day my father was killed.”
His head rolled toward her as his eyes opened. “That’s a long time.”
“It is.”
“You said he was abusive to her.”
Elodie nodded and rose on an elbow to look into his face.
There was a lengthy pause before he asked, “Why have you no’ talked to her?”
“She killed my father.”
“I realize they are your parents, but surely some considerations must be taken because of the abuse.”
Elodie glanced at his bare chest and let her fingers slide into the dark, curly hair there. “She didn’t have to kill him.”
“I’m no’ defending your mum, but your da didna have to hit her either.”
“I’m not making excuses for what he did.”
Scott quirked a brow but didn’t say more.
Was she making excuses for her father? Or did she blame her mum for not being stronger? For not trying to get away, file for divorce, do something—anything—but kill him?
Elodie shook her head and looked away. “I didn’t want to wake up and talk about this.”
“You need to talk about it, though. That much is obvious.”
“Is it?” She ducked her head. Nothing was apparent to her. Then again, she was rather messed up in the head.
Scott rubbed his hand up her back, drawing her closer as he did. “Doona be too hard on yourself. What happened to you and your family is ghastly. Everyone deals with things differently.”
Her gaze returned to meet Scott’s. She searched his deep blue eyes that reminded her of the ocean—fathomless and intense.
It would be easy to lose herself in his gaze, to let the attraction between them devour her.
How could she not when she could feel once more?
But maybe it was because of that that she needed to find her footing first.
“Elodie,” he whispered and brought his other hand to her as he lifted his head.
Her eyes slid shut, and her lips parted, waiting to feel his. Just as their mouths met, the shrill ring of a mobile broke the silence.
“Bloody hell,” he murmured and pressed his forehead against hers.
She laughed and looked over to see his pants moving with the vibration of his mobile. “It’s you.”
Scott sat and groped for the sweats he had put on the previous night. He dug his phone out of the pocket. His lips twisted. “Filip,” he told her before answering it. “Hey.”
Elodie could hear Filip’s voice but not his words.
She didn’t want Scott to think that she was eavesdropping, so she dressed as he explained what had happened with the mist. Elodie walked to the kitchen and heated some water.
She got out tea as well as some coffee for Scott.
When she turned around, she heard him ending the call as he walked naked into the kitchen.
She couldn’t help but eye him appreciatively.
He was trim and toned. His chest tapered to narrow hips, and he had a washboard stomach with that cut of muscle right above his hip bones that always drove her wild.
Her gaze lowered to his cock that was thickening before her eyes.
Her mouth went dry at the thought of what had brought her such pleasure the night before.
Long legs corded with muscle and a light dusting of hair.
Scott’s moan was half growl. Her gaze jerked to his face. The desire she saw there mirrored hers. She swallowed, unsuccessfully trying to coat her mouth and throat.
“Filip’s on his way,” Scott said, his voice heavy with desire.
Elodie tried to calculate how much time they had before Filip arrived. She glanced at the table and then the floor in an attempt to decide which would be more comfortable.
“Fuck that,” Scott said as he stalked to her.
He jerked her against him, their lips meeting in a wild rush of need. He shoved her pants down—it took both of them to get one of her legs free. He lifted her and pressed her against a wall with his hard body. Then he was inside her.
Elodie clung to him as her eyes closed in ecstasy.
Her fingers sank into the cool strands of his dark brown hair while his lips kissed down her throat.
His hips began rocking. She locked her ankles behind him, letting her head fall back against the wall as he burrowed deep, touching her right where she wanted. Just how she needed it.
She wasn’t surprised when she felt the orgasm building—she was powerless to stop it.
Elodie cried out as she came, her body pulsing with such pleasure that she forgot everything except the man inside her.
He climaxed right after her. The feel of his seed filling her body was a reminder that they hadn’t used protection either time.
She would have to talk to him about that, but not now, not after something so beautiful, so… extraordinary.
Elodie held him as his body jerked one final time. Then he sighed and buried his face in the crook of her neck. They stayed like that for several moments, still pressed against the wall. Finally, Scott lifted his head.
“Damn, woman,” he said with a sexy grin.
She caressed his face, her heart happy and full. “Indeed.”
A frown replaced his smile. “I wish we had more time.”
“We will later.”
He pulled out of her and gently lowered her to the floor. At the sight of his cock, he looked at her.
“I know,” Elodie said. “We haven’t been very responsible. I may not have any magic, but I know a spell I can teach you.”
Scott’s brow quirked. “For?”
“Think of it like a morning-after pill.” There was no emotion on his face, but the fact that he didn’t so much as blink concerned her. “If you’d rather me ask—”
“I’ve no problem. I just didna realize there was such a thing. I suppose I should’ve,” he added with a shrug.
She put her hand on his arm and smiled. “It’s something Mum taught Edie and me early. She wanted to make sure we had a choice, even if a guy didn’t give us one.”
“That’s good.”
“It’s a quick and easy spell.”
Scott nodded woodenly. “I’m ready.”
The sound of a car door shutting reached them. Elodie cursed. She glanced at the water pot. She hadn’t even heard it ding, but then she had been otherwise occupied. “I’m going to take a quick shower. Help yourself. We’ll do the spell later.”
She didn’t wait for Scott to answer as she hurried to the bathroom and turned on the shower. Elodie pinned up her hair and washed her body. Just as she’d promised, she was in and out quickly. She tied the belt of her robe in place and brushed her teeth before going to dress in her room.
By the time she returned to the kitchen, she had just finished plaiting her hair. Scott had put on some clothes. He stood against the counter with a mug in his hand. Filip was seated at the table, an open bakery box before him.
“Morning,” she greeted them.
Filip smiled at her and motioned to the box. “I bought us a treat.”
She peeked inside and saw the pastries. Elodie eagerly snatched a croissant and bit into the buttery texture. Her gaze briefly met Scott’s, and an awkward silence fell over them. Elodie tried to find something to say, but she couldn’t think of anything. Finally, she gave up and made her tea.
“I need a shower.” Scott set his mug next to the sink and walked out.
Elodie turned to find Filip watching her. “I guess Scott filled you in on the mist.”
“Aye.” Filip’s lips pressed into a thin line. “This isna something you should keep to yourself. You need to tell Rhona, as well as your sister.”
“Edie doesn’t need to know.”
“Then tell Rhona at the verra least.”
Elodie knew he was right, but she also knew that the more she spoke to Rhona, the quicker the Druid leader would discover that Elodie had lost her magic. For some reason, the thought of the Druids kicking her out made her stomach churn.
Filip continued, unaware of her thoughts. “I’m glad one of us will be staying with you at all times.”
Elodie set aside the half-eaten croissant, no longer hungry. She dusted her hands. “Now that I think on it, I don’t like it. It only means that one or both of you could be harmed.”
“We’re no’ going to let anything happen to you.”
There was something about the way Filip had said that.
Almost as if it were a vow. But why? They hadn’t spoken in years, and even back then, she hadn’t cared about anyone but herself.
Why was Filip so interested in her safety?
Then she recalled Kevin’s murder. Of course. He didn’t want anyone else to die.
“Thank you,” Elodie said with a smile.
Filip pushed to his feet. “There’s something else.”
“What?” The instant she asked, Elodie knew she didn’t want to know the answer.
“There’s been another Druid murder.”