Chapter 25
“How do you know it’s mine?” She had been with him and the hybrid within hours of each other.
“I haven’t had sex with anyone but you in… forever.”
“But I thought...” Tavis’s heartbeat pounded in his ears. “You mean it’s mine? For certain, it’s mine?”
She nodded, and a tear rolled down her cheek.
“I’m going to be a father?” He couldn’t breathe. He looked at Anna’s stomach, flat and lean. His bairn was in there. His throat tightened, and his eyes began to sting.
“I need to go.” He climbed on the horse and rode hard for the woods. When he reached the thick trees, he stopped and dismounted. He walked to a large oak tree out of Anna’s sight and sat down. He put his head in his hands and cried. For his family, for the son he’d never known, and for the child he would know. For finding Faelan again. And Anna. He felt a prickle across his shoulders. Someone was watching him. He jumped up, thinking Anna had followed him, and then swiped a thumb over his eyes so she didn’t see his tears. But she didn’t appear.
“Who’s there?”
No one answered, but a bush moved in the woods. Frowning, he started toward it when Faelan called him.
“Tavis. What are you doing here?”
“Just thinking.”
Faelan frowned. “Anna said you came this way. She had the same troubled look you’re wearing.”
“The bairn’s mine.”
“How can she be certain?”
“She was never with the hybrid. I don’t know what to do.”
A smile broke across Faelan’s face, and it reminded Tavis of when they were lads. “We’re going to be fathers. Both of us.” He grabbed Tavis in a hug, and Tavis wondered what having one child over a century younger than his sibling would do to the family tree.
When they got back to the house, everyone was searching for Matilda. “She wanted me to give her a cooking lesson, of all things,” Coira said. “But she didn’t show up.”
“She probably forgot,” Shay said. “She gets distracted easily.”
“Distracted?” Nina said. “She’s insane. Ask Jamie about Matilda and the Secret Service.”
Cody walked into the room and sighed. “What’s she done now?”
“We can’t find her,” Nina said.
“She was inside the secret passage in my room earlier,” Tavis said. “She was looking for the cat. She was worried about him.”
“I’m afraid something is wrong,” Coira said. “The cat is here. She always has that cat with her. I didn’t pay it any mind, but she’s been asking a lot of questions about the time vault.”
Bree frowned. “She asked me too. She wanted to know what it was like inside. If I felt anything. And she was asking Tavis about it. You don’t think…”
Shay closed her eyes. “Oh God.” They hurried outside and saw Nina’s car was missing.
“She shouldn’t be driving,” Nina said.
“Matilda shouldn’t be doing a lot of things she does,” Cody said. “Her recklessness is going to get us all killed.”
“Calm down.” Shay patted his arm. “I’m sure she’s just being typical Matilda and wanted a picture of the time vault.”
Several of them went to Bree and Faelan’s house to check, and sure enough, Nina’s car was there.
“I’m going to put that woman in a home,” Nina said.
“You’re a saint to put up with her,” Cody said.
Nina rolled her eyes. “If she doesn’t settle down, I’ll be meeting Saint Peter ahead of schedule.”
“While I’m here, I’ll return the time vault,” Tavis said.
“Make sure she’s not in it first,” Shay said.
“Or make sure that she is,” Cody said.
Shay smacked his arm. “Cody.”
“This brings back memories,” Tavis said as they entered the dark cellar. This time, they had battery-powered torches, which were a damned sight better than lanterns.
“Tavis, you’re a brave man,” Shay said, looking around the cellar.
“Heavens, yes,” Nina agreed. “I can’t imagine coming down here and climbing into that thing knowing you were going to sleep for so long.”
“He is brave.” Faelan thumped him on the back. “He’s been watching out for me for as long as I can remember.”
“Someone had to,” Tavis said. “It’s there.” He pointed his light at the time vault.
“Look at that.” Shay moved closer and touched the wood. “It’s beautiful. And to think they’re intended to hold something so ugly. If the demons I’ve seen are any indication, you and Faelan are the best-looking things to come out of one of these.”
“It’s closed,” Cody said, examining the lid.
“That was a thump,” Faelan said. “Quick, open it.”
The vault wasn’t locked, so the lid could be lifted, but it was heavy. Faelan and Tavis opened it, and Matilda popped up like a jack-in-the-box. “Oh my God,” she gasped. Her hair was wild, eyes round, and she was panting.
“What the hell are you doing?” Cody yelled.
“Calm down, Cody,” Shay said. “Matilda, what the hell are you doing? You could have suffocated in there.”
The men helped her out. She clutched at Faelan and Tavis for support.
Cody was furious. “Dammit, Matilda.”
“I wanted to see what it was like to lie inside one. Research for my book. I didn’t mean for the lid to close. I had a block of wood to stop it, but it fell. It was so dark. But I felt everything. I remember every terrifying moment.” She patted her face. “Do I look any younger?”
Nina stomped her foot. “You don’t look any younger, Matilda. You look like something the cat spit up.”
“The cat. He’s probably worried about me,” Matilda said.
“He probably knocked the block of wood out from under the lid,” Cody muttered.
Nina looked exasperated. “Matilda, you have to stop exploring like this. You’re driving us all crazy.”
“I am?”
“Why do you think Jamie’s avoiding the castle?”
“He’s busy,” Matilda said. “I think he still has a few loose ends to tie up from our little adventure. Her name is Sam.”
“He’s staying clear of you,” Nina said.
“What did she do to Jamie?” Tavis asked.
“For one thing, she drugged him and carted him off in a wheelbarrow.” Cody grinned. “That was kind of funny. Then he was helping Sam with a demon who was trying to assassinate the President. Matilda and the cat got loose in the White House. Jamie’s not speaking to Matilda at the moment.”
“It was just a little adventure,” Matilda said. “The cat saved the President’s life. And those Secret Service agents could take some lessons from you warriors.”
“If you don’t stop these little adventures, I’ll summon a time vault myself and lock you in it,” Cody said.
Matilda turned a scornful eye on Cody. “Cody MacBain, I’m practically your aunt. Show some respect.”
Barmy woman. No wonder the cat was avoiding her.
* * *
While Anna was nappingin her room, avoiding everyone, her memories of being locked up with the hybrid returned. They came slowly at first, then everything came back in a rush. She shot up in bed, heart thudding. “Oh my God.” Stunned, she lay back on the pillows, trying to decide what to do. What could she do? She’d made a vow.
Her room was starting to feel as confined as the dungeon. She went downstairs, following the sound of voices coming from the kitchen. She hesitated, trying to decide whether or not to go in.
“I wish I’d been there,” Brodie said.
“It wasn’t funny, but if you’d seen her pop out of there,” Shay said. “She looked just like a jack-in-the-box with her red hair and all that makeup. I thought Cody would choke her.”
“Where is she now?” Bree asked.
“Sleeping,” Shay said. “She still thinks the time vault did something to her.”
“I hope it took some of the sass out of her,” Bree said.
“Not too much,” Brodie said. “She’s growing on me.”
Anna took a deep breath and stepped into the room.
“Anna.” Guilt was written all over Bree’s face.
Brodie was closer to the door. He walked over and patted Anna awkwardly on the arm. “How are you feeling?”
“Fine.”
He looked at her stomach again. “Can we talk about the baby now?”
“Brodie.” Bree frowned at him.
“If she’s pregnant, she’s pregnant. We’re all thinking about it. It’s the elephant in the room.”
“Don’t you have someplace to be?” Bree asked.
Brodie shook his head. “No.”
“Then find someplace,” Shay said. “We need to have a little girl talk.”
“That rules you out,” Bree said. “Too many muscles.”
“That’s discrimination. You know I love babies.” He frowned and patted Anna’s arm again, then walked to the door. Anna wished she could go with him. She had a good idea what the girl talk would be about. She’d been avoiding Bree and Shay since Bree’s shocking revelation for just that reason. They would want to help. The men were easier, for the most part. They just looked awkward and scurried away. Except for nosy Brodie.
“And don’t listen,” Bree called as he left. “I know you’ve been avoiding me, Anna, and I don’t blame you. But we have to talk about it.”
“I’ve been avoiding everyone,” Anna said. “Not just you. I needed time to think.”
“I’m so sorry for blurting it out like that,” Bree said. “I don’t know what I was thinking. I wasn’t thinking.”
“It’s okay. Well, telling me in private would have been better, but you didn’t mean any harm.” She frowned. “But are you sure? It’s just been a few days.”
“As sure as I can be. That’s how I knew I was pregnant.”
Anna let out a heavy sigh.
“Do you want to talk about it?” Shay asked.
“No. Yes. I don’t know what to think, much less what to say. I don’t want a baby.”
“What about...” Bree glanced at Shay. “The father?”
“I think Tavis is as shocked as I am,” Anna said.
Bree’s face lit. “It’s Tavis’s?”
“I figured everyone knew,” Anna said.
“Anyone can see how things are between you, but Tavis told Faelan what happened in the dungeon with the other prisoner. How do you know who’s the father?”
“They took me to him, but he didn’t do anything.” Anna kept her face blank. She’d promised not to reveal the hybrid’s secret. She didn’t go back on her promises.
“Then why did they take you to him?” Bree asked. “I thought it was a breeding program.”
“I guess he didn’t feel like playing stud.” Anna felt her face warm from the lie.
“I don’t mean to pry,” Shay said, “but what exactly happened with Tavis? I don’t mean... that, but the other stuff.”
Anna hadn’t talked to anyone about it. She saw the sympathy on their faces, and something inside her crumbled. Her eyes misted, and she started doing the whole girly thing that she hated. She spilled it all, everything except about the hybrid.
“Tavis didn’t have a choice—we didn’t have a choice,” Anna said. “The guard would have done it if Tavis hadn’t agreed. And then he would have killed me and Tavis.”
“Tavis saved you,” Shay said.
“I’m surprised he could even perform,” Bree said.
“He was, too,” Anna said. “That’s what bothers him.”
“I can see why it would,” Shay said.
“He couldn’t help it,” Anna said. “He’d been locked in that time vault and hadn’t had sex in a long time.”
Bree and Shay shared a smile.
“What?” Anna asked.
“You’re defending him,” Bree said.
“I’m not. It’s just the truth.”
“How do you feel about him?” Shay asked.
“I don’t know what I feel. We were close in the dungeon. We thought we would die. He was so hurt. If you could have seen what they did to him...”
“Do you love him?” Shay asked.
“How could I love him?”
“He’s gorgeous. You connected in the dungeon. That kind of intense atmosphere can tell you more about a person in two days than you could learn about them in six months.”
“I don’t want to marry and have a family.”
“You don’t have to marry him,” Bree said. “Though it’s best for the child if the mother and father are together.”
“Tavis and I haven’t even had a chance to talk about it. He’s upset. He saw me riding bareback and thought I was trying to lose the baby.”
“Were you?” Shay asked.
“No.” Anna’s hands clenched. What if she had been subconsciously? “I thought I saw someone in the woods, and I was in a hurry to check it out.”
“He understands you weren’t trying to hurt the baby?” Shay asked.
“Yes, but he found out it’s his baby. He thought I’d also been with the hybrid and didn’t know who the father was. He was stunned and rode off. I haven’t seen him since.”
“You need to talk to him,” Bree said. “I know all this is hard, given the trouble you’ve had with men.”
“Which apparently Ronan told everyone about.”
“He was just concerned,” Shay said.
“Speaking of Ronan, is there anything you want to tell us?” Bree asked.
“No,” Anna said.
Bree sighed. “That’s the same thing Ronan said. I’m curious about this hybrid. What was he like?”
Anna looked down at her hands and kept her voice steady. Bree had uncanny abilities, and Anna didn’t want her picking up on something she had sworn not to tell. “It was dark. I couldn’t see him well. But he was strong.”
“A vampire?” Shay asked. “Or part vampire?”
“I’m not sure.” That much was true. She knew part of what he was, but not all.
“Why would he help you escape if he’s part vampire?” Bree asked.
“If he was a prisoner,” Shay said, “then he wasn’t there by choice, no matter what he was. You’re lucky he was there.”
“We were.” But he wasn’t. “Can we forget about my unpleasant past and uncertain future and talk about this wedding?”
* * *
Tavis knockedon Anna’s door until she opened it. She wore a frown and some kind of little garment that exposed her long, smooth legs. He remembered how smooth they had felt against his own legs. “What are you wearing?”
She tugged at the garment. “Sleeping shorts.”
“I like them. Can I come in?”
“Why?”
“We need to talk. That’s my bairn you’re carrying. I have a right to know what your plans are.”
Anna opened the door. “Come in.” She glanced at the bed. “Have a seat.”
He started to sit on the settee, but they might need something with a little more breathing room. They were like fire and dry kindling together, but right now they needed to settle things, not kiss. Maybe afterward, if things went well. He sat on the chair, and they stared at each other. “What are we going to do?”
“I need some space, so I’m going to leave for a while.”
“No.”
“Did you just tell me no?”
Tavis cleared his throat. “I did. That’s my bairn.”
“It’s in my uterus. If it’s really there.”
“You think it might not be? Someone told me Bree’s never wrong about these things.”
“There’s always a first time. But it’s my body.”
“And my bairn. It’s mine as much as it’s yours. I’m sorry for the circumstances, but I won’t lose another child. I’ve already lost one.”
Anna’s eyes were wide, her lips parted. “I understand how you feel, but I have to get away so I can think.”
“You’re not going.”
“Tavis, you can’t control me.”
“No, but I... bloody hell, you’re carrying my bairn, and I love you—”
“What?”
“I love you.” What the hell was he doing? He jumped up and rubbed his sweaty palms on his jeans. He was sick of jeans. He wanted to wear a damned kilt. “I need some space myself.” He hurried to the door and walked out. His forehead was sweating, and his battle marks were burning. In love. He couldn’t be in love.
He went to his room, stripped off his clothes, and headed for the shower. He passed the mirror and caught sight of his naked body. His battle marks had changed.