10. Chapter 10
10
T he rest of the flight to Scotland was uneventful. Kade seemed to bury his head in his work, and Kelly lay in the back of the plane with Clyde, watching re-runs of Friends .
When the plane taxied to the hangar after landing, a black SUV just like the one they’d had in Dallas was parked and waiting for them. Asmund and Fabian transferred everything to the car while Kade walked Kelly over to it.
Scotland was freezing compared to Dallas, and she was shivering before they even made it the short distance to the car.
Kade placed his jacket over her shoulders. “Just take it, please. Taking a man’s jacket doesn’y make ye weak.”
That made her smile a little. Maybe he was starting to understand her.
After he helped her into the car, Kade went around to the other side instead of sitting in the front seat. Kelly looked over at him in surprise. “Doesn’t Fabian have to sit back here with me?”
“Nae, he can sit in the front. As long as he is in the same car, yer safe.”
She pulled his jacket more tightly around her, still shivering even in the heated car. “It’s fucking cold here.”
“Aye, quite the power of observation ye have there.”
Glaring at him, she tried to hide her smile. “Smart-ass.”
His sideways grin made an appearance, and he shrugged at her.
Kelly would never admit it to even her closest girlfriend—not that she had one—but Kade was starting to grow on her just a little bit. He didn’t seem to know how to act around her, but when he relaxed, he was kind and funny. He matched her strength and tenacity with his own, which made things difficult, but she much preferred a strong man to one who was weak and followed the orders of others. Kade seemed to set his own path and only cared slightly about what others thought.
Before her mind started to wander from his personality to his looks, Kelly tried to redirect her mind. “So, how long have you had Clyde?”
“He’ll be five this month.”
As if on cue, there was a meow from the back of the car, and they both laughed.
“He has to be the strangest, coolest cat I’ve ever met. Not that I’ve met a lot of cats.”
“Aye, he’s something else. He keeps me company without offering too much of an opinion. I dinnae like having people around while I work, but I’ve grown to enjoy his company.”
“What made you get him?”
“Mah mum got him for me. Said I needed something to keep me grounded.”
“She sounds like a smart woman.” Kelly smiled, thinking wistfully about a mother who actually cared about her child.
“She’s very smart. Ye’ll like her.”
“What?” Kelly almost choked. “I’m meeting your mother? When?”
“Aye, today if she’s home. She lives here with me in Edinburgh,” Kade’s replied casually. He obviously didn’t understand the significance of meeting a man’s mother.
“Oh, okay,” was all she could say. The thought of meeting a vampire’s mom was up there on the list of weirdest and most intimidating things she’d done. Kade’s mother had to be old, and she would probably loathe Kelly. Moms never liked her anyway, not even her own. She was too independent and stubborn for their liking.
The front doors of the car opened, letting a blast of cold air in. Fabian and Asmund got in, closing the doors quickly behind them. Asmund didn’t ask for a destination this time, clearly more comfortable here than in Dallas. He eased the car out of the airport and pulled onto the road without a word.
Fabian turned back to her, handing her a dark-blue booklet with “Passport” on the front in gold lettering. She took it without a word and opened it. Her picture, the same one that was on her driver’s license, was on the page, along with all her information. She turned the page to see a stamp on the next page that read Edinburgh . She wanted to ask why they didn’t have to go through customs, but decided against it, knowing she would get a vague answer in return.
Kelly turned to look out the window and watched as they drove. They passed through parts of town, then what seemed like farmland, then past more buildings and houses. It was such a change from Dallas, where there wasn’t an open plot of land anywhere. Here, there was room to connect with the earth without a slab of concrete in the way. She loved it already.
It couldn’t have been more than fifteen minutes before the car slowed and pulled up to a large gatehouse. Asmund rolled down the window and nodded at a guard, and Kade did the same. The gate in front of them began to retreat, and Asmund drove them through as soon as the coast was clear.
As the SUV made its way down the road, it began to rain steadily. A narrow road with trees on one side and an open field on the other as they drove. Kelly shifted her focus from the side windows to the front and saw a magnificent castle up ahead complete with towers and two solid stories of stone.
They pulled into a large courtyard with a circular drive and a large fountain in the middle.
“Holy shit,” Kelly said before she could stop herself. “You live in a castle? A real castle?”
“Aye, this is my home, Castle Laoch.”
“It’s beautiful,” she managed in awe.
“Thank ye.”
Asmund parked the car near the front entrance of the huge medieval castle. Kelly gawked as much as she could from the back seat, leaning forward between the front seats to see out the windshield. The men opened their doors to get out, and Kelly quickly opened hers, too, excited to see the castle.
Kade was immediately at her side, helping her out with a gentle hand. She really didn’t know how he moved so quickly.
“Kade, it’s…” She planned to tell him how spectacular it was, but something cut her off.
A whoosh came from above, and Kelly looked up to see a black blur dropping straight down from the sky, landing with a splash directly in front of the castle’s entrance. A man crouched on one knee, hand braced on the ground. His eyes went straight to Kelly’s, letting her know she was the reason he was there. He slowly stood, and just as he reached his full height, a blast of power surged through the air, hitting Kelly’s chest hard enough to knock the breath from her lungs.
A second wave of power passed through the air, almost knocking Kelly to the ground. She recognized it as Kade’s.
Kade moved with inhuman speed, standing in front of the man with fists clenched at his sides and shoulders squared, challenging him.
Just as quickly as Kade moved, Fabian was in front of her with swords drawn, ready to fight.
Kade spoke through gritted teeth. “Eric, I dinnae remember inviting ye to my home.”
The man’s answering smile was sinister. “Come now, Kade. That’s no way to greet an old friend. I do recall an invitation for cocktails that I never followed through on, and it really is such a lovely night, so I thought I’d stop by.” He spread his hands as if he were on stage announcing his presence.
“If ye have a message, deliver it now and leave. Yer invitation is revoked.”
Kelly thought for a moment that Eric would be whisked away like a vampire in the movies who was just told that he wasn’t welcome, but that didn’t happen. Eric just stood there, still looking straight at her.
“Who’s the lovely lady over there? Your company for the evening?” As if the stare wasn’t enough, he winked at her.
“Fuck you,” she spat at him. Of their own accord, her fingers started to tingle and spark. She balled her hands into fists, not knowing what else to do, but that just made her palms burn. Fabian lightly shook his head in front of her, telling her to stop, but she couldn’t.
Eric laughed. “Oh, she’s feisty, you’ll have fun with that one.”
“Leave. Now ,” Kade warned.
Eric didn’t move. He just stood and stared at Kade, daring him to make the first move. His green eyes showed amusement in the game he played. “Really, I think I’ll stay. I’d love to join you two. Or three, is it three? I didn’t know you had a thing for orgies, Kade, that’s new. Three of us and one of her may be a bit much, though, don’t you think? Mortal women are weak, after all.”
Kade’s fist moved so quickly that Kelly couldn’t even see it. She just heard the crack and saw Eric stumble back.
Eric recovered, fangs now visible and eyes black as night. “There it is, the good old MacCabe family temper.”
Fabian spoke, “Eric, by law you must leave. You are trespassing.”
“Sure, sure, don’t fret, dear fae. I just wanted to give Kelly there my best. She has a long journey ahead, with many unknowns. She needs all the support she can get.”
“Who sent ye?” Kade asked.
Eric kept up with the theatrics, pointing at himself and then Kade. “That’s for me to know and you to find out when it’s too late.” He laughed at his own joke. “I suppose I will go. You all bore me.”
Eric crouched and launched into the air, soaring up through the clouds and out of sight.
Kade looked back at Kelly, fangs extended. His eyes faded slowly from black to gray as he held her gaze. Raindrops matted his hair and ran down his face, but he didn’t seem to care. The look on his face was purely primal, somewhere between protective and possessive; it held her in place, freezing her in the moment.
Fabian turned to her, sheathing his swords and ruining that moment. “Inside. Now.”
Kade ascended the stairs to the castle and held the door open for her. Fabian followed close behind, checking the surroundings like he always did.
“Are ye all right?” Kade asked as the door closed behind them. Concern was plain on his face.
Kelly completely ignored his question. “Vampires can fly? Like really fly? Why didn’t you tell me?”
Kade ran his hand through his hair, seeming annoyed. “Aye, some of us can fly. I guess that means yer fine.”
“Some guy stopped by to sling his dick around. So what?”
“Ye have so much to learn about our world.” Kade’s annoyance was clearly growing.
“He broke a couple of laws in order to threaten you. That is no small thing,” Fabian explained. “Someone knows of you and knows that Kade is helping you. They know enough about Kade to guess that he would bring you here after their attempt to grab you at the gym failed. Someone on the Council is coming for you.”
“Oh” was all she managed.
Kade pulled his phone from his pocket and dialed someone. “Asta, please arrange for someone to place wards on the castle as soon as possible. Find the best, I dinnae care what it costs.” He paused while the other person spoke. “Aye, thank ye.”
“We’ll eat, then I’ll show ye around.” Kade started to walk down the hall.
“Um, Kade,” she called after him. “I’m soaked and freezing, Can I change and brush my hair out before we eat?”
He turned back to her. “Aye, of course. I’ll show ye to yer room.”
Clearly having lost any gentlemanly inclination for the evening, Kade turned again and walked away, expecting her to follow him. She sighed and hurried to catch up. This man was going to drive her insane with his mixed moods and messages.
They walked for what seemed like a mile, turning down this hallway and that. The walls were solid stone and so was the ceiling, arching high above them.
“How old is this place?” she asked, thinking out loud.
Kade answered without turning back, “It was built in the early 1400s.”
Stopping in front of a solid wood door, he opened it with a creak. “Here ye are. There should be some things for ye to wear. I’ll wait out here for ye so I can lead ye to the dining room.”
Kelly walked into the room, and Kade closed the door behind her. The room was straight out of a fairy tale and bigger than her last apartment. A large four-poster bed backed up to the wall opposite the door; the posts and headboard were at least eight feet high. There was a bench at the foot of the bed and two chairs facing a large window to the right. An armoire was against the wall opposite the bed with a vanity next to it. All the furniture was made of the darkest wood she’d ever seen, and it was carved with beautifully intricate designs.
On either side of the bed was an archway. She chose the one on the right and walked into the biggest bathroom she’d ever seen. It was simple yet beautiful, with stone walls and gray marble floors. The space was long and narrow with a single window at the end above a large circular tub that was sunken into the floor. A sink and vanity were against the back wall, extravagantly crafted with the same wood and marble that adorned the rest of the space.
Kelly resisted the urge to lie down on the bed and bask in the aura of the room. Instead, she grabbed the set of sweats that were laid out on the bench and changed into them. Unsure where to put her wet clothes, she laid them over the edge of the tub. A hairbrush was sitting on the vanity, and she quickly brushed out her hair, then put it back into a bun so it wouldn’t soak the back of the sweatshirt.
She opened the door to find Kade waiting patiently against the wall. He gave her his crooked smile, seeming pleased to see her. “Better?” he asked.
“Yes, thank you.” She held out his jacket, and he took it from her.
“Dinner then?”
“Yes, please. I’m starving. What are we having?”
Kade began to head back the way they’d come, and she fell into step beside him. “I’ll be having my usual. I’m not sure what they cooked up for ye. We have a great chef, though, so I’m sure ye’ll like it.”
“Oh, right. I forgot you don’t eat.”
“Well, I do, sort of.”
The dining hall was close to the front of the castle where they’d come in. A horseshoe-shaped table took up most of the room with seats for at least eighteen.
Kade led her to the back of the table and pulled out one of the chairs in the center, gesturing for her to sit.
She did, looking around the room. It was exactly like movies depicted large dining halls, except smaller. There wasn’t room for more than a few people to dance in the middle; the setting was more intimate.
Rags to riches, baby. Her inner voice was back. Look at you, sitting at a royal dining table in a medieval castle— cue the dramatic pause— in sweats.
They’re comfy , she thought to herself, and no one seems to mind.
Except no one was there. Until Fabian walked in. He had changed but still wore his typical slacks and button-up shirt, this time in a dark purple instead of blue. His swords weren’t with him, which was a first; instead, he carried a single katana at his hip.
He smiled at her as he took the seat to her right. “You look much more comfortable.”
“I am, thanks. What’s with the single katana? I don’t think I’ve seen you without two.”
“A warlock came by to place wards on the castle grounds, and there is a very small chance someone will break them. I still need to be ready in case something happens, though.”
“Do you ever wear something casual?” she couldn’t resist asking him.
“Not unless I am training or in private quarters. You must understand, being here is my job right now. Your life is in my hands.”
“A bit dramatic, Fabian.”
“Says you, Warrior.”
“There you go again.” She shook her head at him, trying not to smile.
Heels clicked from a distance, moving closer quickly. A blond woman walked by the dining hall, clearly deep in thought, and almost disappeared until Kade called her.
“Asta, my dear, please join us.”
The clicks stopped just as she went out of sight, and she poked her head back into view. “Sir?”
“I did say please. Dinnae make me beg.”
“Oh, um, I have a few more things to do before the end of the day,” she said, smiling at Kade, looking at him with hunger, like any sane woman would.
Kelly couldn’t blame the girl, but that look instilled a pang of jealousy in her gut that wouldn’t go away.
“You and I both know you can take the time to eat. Come, meet Kelly, and sit with us.”
Asta hesitated, then shrugged and gave in. She walked up to Kelly and held out her hand. “Hi there, I’m Asta, you must be Kelly?”
Kelly took her cold hand and shook it, noticing she shook hands like a real person, not some helpless girl. It was refreshing. “Yes, nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you too, I’m Asta, Kade’s assistant.” Asta chose a seat at the side table to Kelly’s left.
Kade took his seat between them, and a waiter suddenly appeared with two plates, placing them in front of her and Fabian. Another entered, bringing large glasses to Kade and Asta.
Kelly stared down at her plate, wondering if she’d be able to eat even half of what was on it. She was sure there was enough food for three people, with prime rib, potatoes, green beans, and rolls. Her mouth was watering just looking at it, and it smelled amazing.
Then she made the mistake of looking at Kade, who held a ridiculously large wineglass in his hand.
“Is that…?” She couldn’t finish the sentence.
“Aye, ye’ll have to get used to it, lass.”
“Right.” She quickly looked away and tried to focus on her food. Normally, the perfectly cooked prime rib would have been gone in seconds, but she’d been well fed lately thanks to Kade, and the thought of him drinking blood was, well, gross.
Kelly tried to calm her stomach and will herself to take a bite of the glorious meal in front of her. Then it occurred to her that no one else was eating. Or drinking. She looked up to see them all staring at her.
“Ladies first,” Fabian said, an amused smile on his face.
She gave him a look that said payback would be a bitch and forced herself to take a bite. The meat was the best she’d ever had. “Wow, this is amazing.”
Kade smiled, seemingly pleased with her satisfaction.
Everyone else at the table began to eat and drink, taking the spotlight from her.
“So, Kelly, where in the US are you from? I was born and raised in Colorado,” Asta said.
“I’m from Dallas. What brought you all the way to Scotland?” It seemed strange that Kade would choose a girl from Colorado for his assistant.
“Oh, it’s a long story,” Asta said. “I’ll tell you one night over a glass of wine.”
Kelly wasn’t usually one for the typical girl’s night, but she didn’t want to be rude. “Sounds great.”
The rest of dinner went by without much meaningful conversation. There was small chitchat and banter, but that was all. Once she got over the fact that Kade and Asta were drinking blood out of wineglasses, Kelly ate more than she’d originally thought she would.
When everyone was finished, Kade walked Kelly back to her room.
He leaned against the doorframe after she entered the room. “Try to get some rest. I ken the time is off, but ye need what ye can get. The potential mentors will be here tomorrow, and Fabian will start working with ye on self-defense.”
“I’m sure I’ll be able to sleep, thanks.”
“Fabian is across the hall, and my room is around the corner. If ye need us, yell. We’ll hear ye.”
“Okay.” She wasn’t really sure what else to say.
Kade seemed at a loss too, his eyes gazing into hers. When he finally spoke, he seemed uncomfortable. “Thank ye for coming. I’ll keep ye safe, I promise.”
“Sure.” She managed a slight smile, trying not to be entranced by him. His gray eyes contrasted so perfectly with his red hair and beard, adding to his nearly perfect looks.
The muscles in his chiseled jaw clenched, betraying his perfectly stoic posture. The tension between them had her hair standing on end.
Just as she started to step closer to him, Kade spoke. “Right then, sleep well. Please dinnae hesitate to ask or yell if ye need anything.”
Her hopes deflated, Kelly wished him goodnight and shut the door as he walked away.
Kelly walked to the bed and dove onto it, burying her head in a pillow. What the fuck was she getting herself into? As if everything else wasn’t enough, now she was drooling over a damn vampire. Fuck drooling… she was falling for him.