Isla

“Tell me everything,” Catriona demanded, closing the library door. Our entire family was at the castle for our post-games traditional dinner happening later this evening, and it was the first time she and I had had a minute alone.

I filled her in on everything, and I mean everything, because I knew she’d keep my secrets and take them to the grave.

“Wait, he glowed? Before or after you touched him?” she asked.

“After.”

“Bloody hell,” she breathed out. “Does that mean the two of you are mates?”

“No!” I frowned. “I don’t know.” I threw my hands in the air. “Shite, Cat, don’t say that. I hadn’t even considered that.”

“Well, you’ll know tomorrow,” she pointed out.

“No, I refuse to believe tomorrow will change anything relating to how I feel about Arric. He’s an arse.”

“Is he an arse because he’s an arse, or because he might be a little freaked out?”

“He’s an arse because he tried to kill my dad! Freaked out or not.”

Catriona crossed her arms and leaned toward me. “You said Uncle Kade said Arric wasn’t entirely in control of his actions, and I’m sure your dad can handle himself.”

“You weren’t there, Cat,” I said. “It was scary.”

“Imagine how spun up you’d be if you just now found out you were Cauld Ane.”

“Are we even sure he is Cauld Ane?” I asked. “I mean what about the tattoos?”

“What else could he be?”

“I told you, Cat. He’s an arse,” I said, my thoughts drifting. “Still...”

“Still, what?”

“I don’t know,” I said dismissively. “It’s nothing.”

“I know you, Isla. Nothing, never means nothing.”

I dropped my head and stared at my shoes. “Okay, there’s something.”

“I knew it. You like him.” Cat crooned.

“I do not. Haven’t you been paying attention?” I protested. “He’s nothing but an inked-up brute.”

“But you felt something between the two of you?”

“It’s hard to explain,” I said. “Even though Arric is this big scary guy, I’m not afraid of him. I can’t explain it, but when he had my dad by the throat, something inside of me knew he would release him if I told him to. The moment I spoke, his eyes locked onto mine and I could feel his emotions.”

“That shouldn’t be too surprising should it? You are an empath, after all.”

“This was different than anything I’ve felt before.”

“Remember, the closer you get to your ár mökunar, the stronger your abilities will become.”

I relaxed. That had to be it. “You’re probably right. That’s probably all it is.”

“Or...you have some kind of pull toward him,” she observed.

I sighed. “If I do, I don’t want it.”

She smiled. “Well, luckily, he’ll be gone soon, and you’ll never see him again, so it’s a moot point.”

“Your undying sense of optimism is why you’re my favorite. Now, how about we get out of this stuffy old room and go for a walk in the garden before dinner? I need to clear my head of all thoughts related to Arric Mann.”

“I have a better idea,” Cat said with a twinkle in her eye. “Let’s sneak into the kitchen and find some of your mum’s American pumpkin pie.”

“How can you eat that?” I judged. “It’s disgusting.”

“No, you just have no taste.”

I chuckled, pulling open the door, craning my neck to scoff at her as I moved forward... slamming into a pillar.

“Jesus.”

“Oh my god,” I breathed out as I faced my nemesis. I noticed one of the tattoos on his neck had glowed for a brief second but was now back to normal. “What are you still doing here?”

“I’m staying here for a few days,” Arric said. “Your uncle insisted.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Why would he do a dumb thing like that?”

“Isla!” Catriona admonished. “Be nice.”

I glared at my cousin who just put a beautiful smile on and turned to the enemy.

“I’m Cat,” she said, holding her hand out to him.

With his eyes on me, he refused to shake her hand. “Arric.”

She dropped her hand and I scoffed. “He won’t touch you, Cat. He’s afraid he’ll light up like a nightlight again.”

“Very funny,” he snapped, low and angry.

“Enjoy your visit,” I said, linking my arm with Cat’s. “We’re heading out to the garden.”

“We are?” she asked.

“Yes. We are,” I stressed.

“Do you live here?” Arric asked me.

“I do not.” I tugged on Cat’s arm, but she didn’t budge. “Cat,” I growled in warning.

“If you’d like someone to show you around, I’d be happy to,” Cat purred. “Name the time and I’ll make it happen.”

“You’re too busy to show him around,” I countered.

“I am?”

“Yes. Remember? You’re treating that rash on your bum.”

Cat let out a snort. “Oh, that cleared up weeks ago. As you well know. But I appreciate you loaning me the last of your ointment. Mine wasn’t nearly as bad as yours.”

I scowled at her. “I am going to—”

“What, dear cousin? You’re going to do what?” She raised an eyebrow.

“It would be rude to say it in front of a stranger.” I glanced back at Arric. “No offense.”

“Some taken,” he retorted.

“Well, if I don’t have time to show you around,” Catriona continued, focusing back on me, “then, Isla, you should give him the royal tour. We like to make people feel welcome here.”

“Some people,” I muttered.

She gave me an evil little smile which I planned to deal with later. Maybe in the form of plastic wrap on her toilet. The highest form of retaliation when we were kids.

I glanced up at Arric, scowled, then tugged on Cat’s arm again. “We should go.”

“You can go,” Cat said. “I’d like to get to know Arric a bit.”

A sudden wave of jealousy swept through me and I frowned. I didn’t want my cousin to ‘get to know’ him. I didn’t want any other woman anywhere near him. I shook my head and took a deep breath, forcing down my irritation.

“Have fun,” I said, and walked away.

“Chicken,” Arric taunted under his breath.

I turned on my heel and glared up at him. “You’re an arse.”

He smirked. “If ‘arse’ is Scottish for ‘ass,’ it’s not the first time I’ve been told that.”

“Oh, I don’t doubt it.” I closed the distance between us and crossed my arms, mimicking his. “Why are you here, Arric? You act like you don’t want to be, so why not just leave?”

“Do you want me to go?” He asked, leaning closer.

“As a matter of fact, yes.”

“You have strong feelings about someone you don’t even know,” he replied.

“I don’t have to know you. I don’t want to know you. Everything around here has been haywire since you showed up, not to mention you almost killed my father.”

“He put his hands on the king,” Arric replied.

“He’s his brother,” I protested.

“This may come as a shock to you, but I have no idea what’s going on around here. Since the moment I arrived at Castle Gunnach I’ve felt like I’ve been renting space inside my body. As if something or someone is guiding my steps. I have no idea why I grabbed your old man, other than I was compelled to protect Kade Gunnach. I also have no idea what I would, or could, have done to him, had you not stepped in.” His eyes met mine for a second and I grimaced.

Was that fear that just flickered across his face?

I felt rather than saw Cat skitter away.

“Why do you think I’m here, Isla? I want to know what the hell is going on. What the hell is happening to me. You were born into all of this. You grew up learning about kings and immortal Vikings. I’ve been thrown into the deep end of a pool that’s on fire,” he rasped, and my heart went out to him, so much so, I couldn’t stop from settling my hand on his arm.

My heart began to race, and I was suddenly in the middle of nowhere, mist surrounding me, watching Arric fight with a man in a heavy cloak.

“Sindri, hver er meiningin með þessu?” Arric demanded.

As the Icelandic words swirled in my mind, they began to translate into English as Arric began to argue with the man, Sindri.

“I’m doing what has to be done, boy,” Sindri said, his palm landing on Arric’s forehead.

“You’ll never get away with this.” I could see Arric struggle to raise his hands, but the old man was too strong for him.

“Don’t fight it.”

“What the fuck are you doin’?” Arric demanded, pulling away from my touch.

I swayed, almost losing my balance, but finding Arric wrapping an arm around me to steady me, then removing his touch just as quickly.

“Who’s Sindri?” I asked.

“No fuckin’ clue,” he growled. “What did you just do to me?”

I scowled up at him. “I was trying to comfort you, but then I think I saw you—”

“This is the kind of shit I’m talking about.”

“I was trying to be nice,” I hissed.

“Yeah, well, every time one of you tries to be nice, I’m sent into some fuckin’ spiral of messed up magical voodoo bullshit.”

I gasped. “There’s no voodoo here, arsehole. Cauld Ane are pathologically honest and feel the need to help those in need...” I jabbed my finger in his sternum, “...even if they don’t deserve it.”

I turned to storm away, but Arric grabbed my arm gently, pulling me into the library and closing the door before pushing me against it and covering my mouth with his. I fisted my hands in his shirt as his hand slid to my neck, tipping my face up higher and pressing his tongue against mine.

I couldn’t breathe. In the very best of ways.

I let out a quiet sigh as he continued to kiss me like I’d never been kissed before, but out of the corner of my eye, I noticed the tattoo on his neck start to glow and I pushed him away.

“What the hell did you do that for?” I snapped.

“What are you talking about?” he breathed out. “You told me to kiss you.”

“I absolutely did not,” I protested. The problem was I had thought it. In fact. All I wanted at that moment was for Arric to take me into his arms and kiss me. I’d thought it but hadn’t said a single word out loud.

“Isla, I have no idea what’s going on here, but I’d swear you asked me to kiss you. So, I did.”

“Look,” I said, trying to regain my composure. Both from the kiss and the shock of once again crossing psychic wires with Arric. “I don’t know who you are or why you’re here but let me make myself perfectly clear once and for all. This week is filled with both especially important and totally stressful events, and the last thing I need is a walking glow stick getting all grabby with me in the castle halls,” I squeaked, and spun on my heel, rushing out of the room as fast as I could.

Arric made no attempt to stop me, so I ran home, like the coward I was, closing myself into my bedroom, hoping no one came looking for me.

My hopes were dashed when a knock at my door brought my brother.

“What do you want, Callum?” I asked.

He took my hand and settled it to his chest and I immediately calmed.

Direct blood relatives had the ability to heal each other, including helping with our emotional well-being, and it came in handy when things were overwhelming. One of us simply had to touch the other and we’d begin to feel instant relief.

“Better?” he asked.

I sighed, nodding, wrapping my arms around him. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to be such a cow.”

“Does this have something to do with the mysterious stranger everyone’s buzzing about?” he asked, giving me a gentle squeeze.

“You mean the day-glow arsehole who thinks he’s god’s gift to women?” I pulled away from him and flopped onto the bench at the end of my bed. He closed my door and sat across from me in the chair by the window. “And what do you mean, ‘everyone’?”

“Cat.”

“Oh, the traitor.” I wrinkled my nose, pulling my knees up and wrapping my arms around them. I settled my chin on one and sighed. “Yes, she’s fallen in love with him.”

“Dad said he has abilities.”

I raised an eyebrow. “He did? What else did he tell you?”

“Only that he had some sort of reaction when you shook his hand or something,” Callum said.

“Or something is right,” I replied.

“Is he Cauld Ane?” he asked.

I shook my head. “I don’t know. He seems like it, but he has tattoos. A lot of them.”

“Lucky,” he said. “I wish I could get one.”

“First of all, even if we were human and you could, Dad would kill you.”

“I’m a grown man, Dad can’t tell me what to do.”

“I don’t care how old you are, Dad would still give you a right hiding. And secondly, you would look silly with a tattoo.”

“How can you say that? I’d look like a total bad ass. Like Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, or the lead singer from Roses for Anna, or Popeye the Sailor Man.”

“Popeye was a bad ass?” I burst out laughing.

“The ultimate,” Callum said. “He was strong. He’d smack the shite out of Bluto whenever he’d make a move on his girl, and he was a vegetarian way before it was cool.”

“He was a smoker,” I argued. “That’s a big turn off.”

“He smoked a pipe,” he countered. “The coolest of all the ways to fill your lungs with a toxic cloud of death.”

“Okay. You’ve convinced me,” I said, nearly out of breath from laughing. My brother had always been the best at cheering me up and distracting me from my problems, but I knew Arric was a problem that wasn’t likely going away easily.

I filled my brother in on everything that happened with Arric during that day, right up to the point when Catriona had left us alone.

“There’s more, Cal,” I said, my eyes going to the floor.

“What?”

“I kissed him. Or he kissed me. I’m not sure, but we kissed.”

“What the hell? You just said he tried to strangle Dad.”

“I know, and I think he’s a great big jerk wad, but...”

“But, what?”

“I also can’t stop thinking about him,” I admitted.

“Is he going to be at dinner?”

“Oh, my God. I don’t know.” I gasped. “I hadn’t even thought of that. If so, I’m not going. You know what? I’m not going either way. Just in case.”

“You have to go,” Callum said. “It’s not only the traditional post-games dinner, but also the largest gathering of Cauld Ane together in one place for almost one-hundred years.”

“Exactly,” I exclaimed. “Cauld Ane and family, and Arric Mann is neither of those things, so why would our uncle invite him to the dinner?”

“You don’t know that he has for certain.”

“Arric said he was Uncle Kade’s invited guest. You know as well as I do, that means the royal treatment.”

My brother nodded. “So, what’s your move?”

“My move is not to move at all. I’m going to stay right here, binge watch Top Gear, and make myself beans on toast for dinner.”

“Isla—”

“What, Cal? I’m being stalked by a serial-kisser and my wing-woman has betrayed me. I’m not going anywhere.”

“Or you could get dressed while I wait here, and I’ll escort you to dinner as your wing-woman...uh, wing-man. I’ll make sure this Arric guy doesn’t get near you.”

My heart swelled and I found myself unable to resist Callum’s display of brotherly love. “Really?”

“Aye.”

I hugged him. “You are the best big brother in the world.”

“Oh, I know.”

I smiled up at him. “I won’t be long.”

Callum left me to change, then drove me to the castle.