Belinda had never before set foot inside her father’s Scottish retreat and now she was about to knock on the door of the inner sanctum. The doors to his study were closed. Her stomach churned with nerves. Her earlier bravado over the inevitable confrontation had somehow slid away from her. Clenching her fists, she finally knocked on the heavy oak door.
“I am in no mood, Belinda,” The earl bellowed from within.
The familiar rage she associated with her father immediately replaced any fear or worry. Turning the handle, she shoved the large doors open. “Nor am I, Father.”
“How dare you enter when you were not invited? Has all of your training failed you? Have you no sense of right and wrong?”
The room was not overly large, but filled to the ceiling with books, most of which had worn bindings and uneven pages. Many of them were so old she saw no titles on their frayed backs. Her father’s study carried the musty odor of the very old books. A thick wool rug in dark blue covered the stone floor. The only furniture was a small desk and two chairs. Weapons of every kind hung from the walls between the towering shelves. Swords, knives, guns and even a mace decorated the room. The man himself stood behind the desk with his hands flat against the top, and he narrowed his eyes in her direction.
“I have replaced such silly social customs with new training as you are well aware, Father. I will not be left standing in the passage because you are too much of a coward to confront me.”
“Coward!” His bellow shook the books on the shelves and he slammed his palms down on the desk.
She stormed over to the desk and placed her own hands on its surface. Her father towered over her, but she didn’t care. “You have avoided me for three years. You sent Brice to train me rather than have me come here and invade your little fiefdom. Were you afraid that my presence would undermine your authority?”
“My reasons for having you trained in London are none of your business, neither as a daughter or a soldier in this war, Belinda. You are out of order.”
He was right of course. She took a step back and sat in the chair facing him. “My apologies, Father. I am being rude and that is not my intention. I just want some answers and I believe that you owe them to me.” Belinda’s heart was pounding against her breasts. If he denied her now, she would lose this battle.
The redness in the earl’s face paled, and he sat too. He ran his fingers through his thinning hair. “What do you want to know, Belinda?”
She released the breath she’d been holding. “Why have you hidden in Scotland?”
His bluster returned. “I am not hiding. Dammit…” He closed his eyes momentarily. When he opened them, he reasoned. “I have been in this fight for a very long time and had hoped to protect you and your mother from the demons by staying away.”
“But when I was kidnapped and it was obvious that your plan was no longer going to keep us safe, why did you not alter your tactics?”
Her father smiled. “I sent Brice to you when you decided to become a hunter because you and I have a difficult time getting along, Belinda. I will cite the last few minutes as proof of that. I did not come home because your mother still required protection. Somehow, the demons know about you but they have not attacked her. You should not have brought her here.”
“I find your logic faulty, Father. If you had been honest with your wife and daughter over the last three years, we might have stayed away. As it is, you left me little choice. I had to come and I could not very well leave mother all alone in London.” She kept her voice very even but anger simmered just under the surface.
He laughed at that. “Perhaps. We will have to keep our own views on the matter. I would like to discuss something else, Belinda.”
“What is that?”
“Tullering was in here earlier asking to marry you immediately.”
Her heart pounded for an entirely new reason. “I have agreed to marry, Gabriel.”
“Yes, so he said.”
Her instincts told her that he was playing at something. “I have been betrothed to the Earl of Tullering since we were children, Father. Why are you being elusive?”
He stared her down in a way that as a child she used to fear. Now she merely waited for him to speak. “Tullering is a fine man. My concerns are with the desire to marry so quickly.”
“We have waited long enough,” she said.
He frowned. “Are you with child?”
“Of course not!”
Her father narrowed his eyes. “Do not play with me, Belinda. I know you have ruined yourself with him.”
She leaped from the chair. It was all she could do not to pull her blade from beneath her skirts. “Have you been spying on me, Father?”
He stood as well and his face reddened again. “You are my daughter.” His voice echoes around the room.
“And that is your answer for inexcusable behavior.”
“My behavior. You give yourself away as if you were a common whore and then have the nerve to speak of my behavior.”
Her hand slid into the false pocket in her dress and gripped the blade. She tore it through the opening and jumped up on the desk before pressing the sharp edge to her father’s throat.
The earl countered, but not in time and Belinda easily kicked his dirk from his hand. It thudded on the carpet. She would have sworn she saw a glint of pride in his eye before his rage returned.
Belinda spoke through clenched teeth. “I will marry Gabriel and the state of my virginity will never again be a matter for discussion. Is that clear father?”
“I certainly hope I’m not interrupting anything important.”
The voice came from a man standing in the open doorway. Belinda didn’t move.
Her father spoke with calm, cordiality, as if he did not have a sword to his throat. “Not at all, Cullum. My daughter and I were just discussing her wedding plans. Belinda, may I introduce you to Drake Cullum, the leader of the Company.”
She pulled her blade away from the tender skin at her father’s throat and jumped to the soft carpet as quietly as a cat.
“Drake Cullum, Lady Belinda Clayton, my daughter.”
Drake Cullum was tall and broad, but it was not his physique that impressed Belinda. His eyes held something dangerous, something that commanded attentions and did not brook disagreement. It was little wonder that this man controlled the demon hunters. He impressed her as the kind of man who could run the world if he chose to do so.
He spoke in a low, deliberate cadence that demanded attention. “Ah yes, I had heard that the prodigal daughter was coming to Scotland. I expect it was inevitable, David. You really must start to think of her as a soldier and not a little girl.”
He approached smoothly and extended his hand.
Belinda took it, and he bowed over her fingers. “A pleasure to meet you, Lady Belinda.”
“Mr. Cullum.” She gave a small curtsy just as she might if she were meeting a gentleman at a ball.
“Were you planning to kill your father?”
The corners of her mouth turned up. Even her father smiled “It had occurred to me, sir, but no. I was only trying to make a point.”
“And did you?”
Her father’s eyebrows rose.
“I believe so,” she said.
“Good, then we can talk business.”
The earl laughed. “I did not think you’d come all the way from Edinburgh on a social call, Cullum. There is only business with you.”
The earl came out from around his desk and shook the hand of the head of the demon hunters. He then opened that same hand and indicated that Cullum should take the seat behind the desk.
Belinda had to keep from gaping openmouthed. Her father never gave way to anyone, yet he obviously held Drake Cullum in such high regard that he offered him the more powerful position in the room. She would file that information away for analysis at a later time.
Drake sat down.
“Should I leave you two to your business?” she asked.
“Not at all.” Drake cut off her father who she was certain was about to say, yes. “This meeting involves you as well.”
Gabriel strode into the study through the open door. He shut it behind him. “Then it involves me as well, Mr. Cullum.”
Drake’s eyes darkened. “I see.”
Gabriel turned and walked closer. The two men stared at each other for a long moment. Neither one spoke, but they communicated in some primal way. The room brimmed with tension.
Her father cleared his throat. “Um, may I introduce The Earl of Tullering, my future son-in-law? Tullering, Mr. Drake Cullum.”
Neither one acknowledged the introduction. The dark stares continued for an uncomfortable moment.
Drake finally looked away. “Welcome to the Company, my lord.”
Gabriel nodded.
Drake did not get out of his chair, but the choppy tempo and crisp tone of his voice warned them all that he was at the end of his limit of indulgence. “I am only going to tell you this once and you should listen too, David. The Company does not care that Belinda is a woman. She is a soldier in this war and her treatment shall be equal to her skills. Neither one of you will gainsay my orders based on her sex or relationship with you.”
Her father actually took a step back. A drop of sweat trickled down his temple and a creased formed between his browns.
Gabriel straightened his spine and narrowed his eyes. “You misunderstand my demands, sir. I have no doubt as to my fiancée’s abilities. She is the finest warrior I have ever seen in battle. She is also my life, and I will not have you dictate her fate without being included.”
Belinda’s face warmed. She had no idea why she was blushing, but the way Gabriel spoke about her filled her with pride and love had her cheeks aflame.
Gabriel crossed his arms over his chest.
Cullum kept his gaze locked on the young earl’s. He took his time before commenting and tension sparked between the two men. Finally, Drake took a deep breath and leaned back in the chair. “I did not realize the extent of your attachment. Many marriages among the people of your station are those of convenience. I can see that is not the case here. I will endeavor to keep the two of you together, my lord. I can see your point. I would not wish for either of you to become distracted by the unknown fate of the other. It can be uncomfortable to have a loved one on an alternate assignment. The result has not been good in the past.”
Drake Cullum’s eyes dimmed with sorrow, but it was gone an instant later and she questioned whether or not she had seen it at all.
Belinda had been silent long enough. “What is it you want me to do?”
“Yes, back to the business that brought me all the way to the north country.” Drake leaned his elbows on the desk.
Belinda tucked her sword away, hiding it beneath her skirts. Her father sat down. Gabriel moved to lean against the wall of books to the right.
“I understand you were almost captured again the other night.” It was a statement rather than a question.
“I was attacked. I do not believe I could have been taken.”
“Why was I not informed?” Her father’s voice rose for the first time since Drake had entered the study and he pounded his fist on the desk.
Could it be that he was concerned for her safety? After all, he was her father, even if he treated her miserably.
Cullum shrugged. “It was a small incident and Lady Belinda is likely correct. She could not be taken by two demons. She is far too skilled for that. Next time they will be better organized. I’m sure of it.”
Gabriel remained leaning against the books. He gave no outward appearance of distress, but his eyes shone with danger. “You seem fairly certain that the demons will make another attempt to capture Belinda.”
Cullum nodded. “They are trying to draw us out from the highlands. They also believe that as a woman of noble birth she has greater value than the poor women they sacrifice regularly.”
She remembered the sensation of drowning as if it had happened yesterday. It took a great deal of energy to suppress that residual fear. “What is it you want me to do?”
“I want you to allow yourself to be captured.”
The room went deadly.
“Absolutely not,” her father said.
“Are you mad?” Gabriel shouted.
It was rather nice to have both the men in her life show concern. Her heart expanded in her chest. “What is the goal of this surrender?”
“Bella, you cannot be seriously considering this.”
She kept her attention on Cullum.
Drake said, “We have only ten days before the new moon. We have to find the location of the main cell before then or literally all hell will break loose. If you can get inside, we might have a chance.”
“And if they just slice her throat and have done with her,” Gabriel said.
Her father’s skin paled considerably. He leaned forward and put his head in his hands.
Belinda’s heart clenched at the sight of his distress. She stepped forward and placed her hand on his shoulder. He reached up and took her hand in his and squeezed. It was the first time she could remember receiving any affection from the surly earl.
“I do not believe they will do that. As I said, they need her for their ritual, which is to take place at the new moon. The goal is to find the central cell and then get her out. Since you have been so insistent tonight, you can either be captured with her or follow with Miss Dellacourt and Reece. They have already been sent their orders.”
Gabriel looked at the dark carpet and then up at her. He pulled his lips back in a straight line and his brow creased. He nodded.
Belinda kept her eyes fixed on Gabriel’s before turning to Cullum. “We will do it.”
“But,” Gabriel added. “We will be married here first.”
The earl sat up. “You will create a scandal in London.”
“I do not give a damn about being shunned from a few balls. Bella and I can deal with the whispers. I’m an earl and she will be a countess. People will move on to some other bit of gossip soon enough.” His voice hummed with danger, but when he looked at her, his eyes softened.
She nodded and excitement thrummed through her body. After spending so much time determined not to marry, it surprised her. Becoming Gabriel’s wife sent a thrill through her and even her fingers tingled.
“We do not have much time,” Cullum warned.
Her father said, “The wedding can be arranged in the chapel here tomorrow.”
Belinda leaned over and kissed her father’s cheek.
The earl blushed.
“Gabriel and I will leave for London the following day. Father, I think it would be best if mother stayed here with you. Her safety is compromised in London if I am not to be home for a few days.”
“Agreed.” The earl rose from his chair.
Drake Cullum got up and surveyed the room. His eyes held with each of them in turn.
Belinda was again struck by the savagery behind his stare, and how he restrained it just below the surface.
“I return to Edinburgh tonight. We will monitor your progress. Good luck.” He shook Belinda’s hand as well as both men’s.
She liked the feeling of equality it gave her to firmly grip hands with a man. Strange, women did not have a similar tradition. There was an intimacy that came with looking a person in the eye and gripping their hand. Of course, not in the same way she was intimate with Gabriel, but binding nonetheless.
As she made her way out of her father’s study.
She enjoyed many liberties as a hunter that she had been denied for the first seventeen years of her life. Other than her father, no one in the Company treated her as if she might swoon at any moment. The only time she’d ever passed out was when she was whacked on the head in a battle. That night Reece had pulled her out of harm’s way.
Her father had agreed to her wedding. Yet he had instigated a fight with her. Had he manipulated her into losing her temper? Had he done it to see who would win in a fight? Why hadn’t he just asked for a sparring session? She would have agreed and been much less irritated with him. She was beginning to think that irascibility was a way of life for the man. Perhaps he’d been manipulating people in this way for so long he’d forgotten how to be direct.
Gabriel followed her up the steps and down the long hallway to their rooms. She was not at all surprised when he did not stop at her doorway, but continued until they were alone and the door closed.
“Were you listening to the entire conversation with my father?”
Gabriel smiled. “Of course.”
“Thank you for not letting him know.” She collapsed into a chair near the fire, kicked off the impractical slippers she’d worn to dinner, and tucked her feet up in a very unladylike position.
“You had it well in hand. Why do you think the two of you are so volatile together?”
She sighed. “Too much alike, I expect.”
Gabriel brought the other chair near, so that he was close enough to pull her feet out and rest them on his lap. His fingers immediately massaged and caressed, soothing and relaxing her. “I do not see the meanness in you that your father often displays.”
“Thank you.” Her father could be terrible and cruel. Then she thought about how distressed he had looked at the idea of her imminent capture by demons.
“May I change the subject?” Gabriel continued to rub all the tension out of her feet.
She closed her eyes and let her head fall back against the soft cushion. “Yes, please.”
“I’m very pleased with the idea that we will be married tomorrow.”
The way he said it made her think that perhaps his thoughts didn’t quite match his words. She lifted her head, opened her eyes and pulled her feet out of his hands. “What is it, Gabriel? I thought this was what you wanted.”
He dropped to his knees in front of her. Pressing forward until she was forced to spread her legs, and he pressed himself between them. “Have I bullied you into a marriage you do not want?”
She laughed more enthusiastically than she intended. “Of course you have.”
“I’m serious, Bella.”
“I’m sorry.” She slid her hands up his arms where they rested on her thighs. His position caused her skirts to lift halfway up her calves. The weapons she had strapped to her legs pressed against his muscular form. “I’m happy, Gabriel. Do you think I would threaten my father if I did not want this marriage?”
He leaned forward and snuggled against her stomach. She ran her fingers through his hair pulling it from its neat queue.
“I think putting that blade to your father’s throat was the single most satisfying moment of your life.”
She tried to suppress her smile, but his words made her want to laugh with joy. It was wonderful to have bested her father. Of course, she would never have harmed him, but she liked that the earl knew that she could have killed him. In that, she had accomplished her goal.
“Not the most satisfying.” Her voice lilted with flirtation.
Tipping his head back, he grinned up at her. “Then you will show up at the chapel tomorrow? You will not leave me standing at the alter waiting for you?”
“Gabriel, I love you. I still believe you would be better off with a more conventional bride, but I have failed to convince you of that.”
“I could never be happy with anyone but you, Bella. You are my heart. Our children with fill the house and one can only imagine the hellions we shall produce.”
At the mention of children her heart tripped. She hadn’t thought about it. Of course he expected children. As an earl, it was his duty to produce an heir. As the countess, the responsibility would transfer to her as well. “I should tell you something. I should have mentioned it before, but I supposed I never really thought you would marry me once you found out what I am.”
He sat back on his heels but kept his hands on her knees. “What is it?”
Immediately she missed the feel of his body pressed between her legs. He was warm and her match in every way. He might walk away in a few minutes and never be intimate with her again. This may be the last time Gabriel ever touched her. The warmth of his hands passed through her skirts. Her body responded to him. “It is a difficult thing to discuss.”
“You can tell me anything, Bella.”
Her mind reeled, searching for the words. She couldn’t think with his hands on her. As gently as possible she pushed him back and stood up. She crossed the room to put some distance between them. “I have not had a monthly cycle in a long time.”
His clothing rustled as he crossed to her. He gripped her shoulders and he spun her around. “You are with child?”
His eyes were wide and bright with excitement. “Gabriel, if that were the case, I would not have said yes to Cullum earlier. I would not risk our child.”
His eyes narrowed and he looked away from her face. Dropping his hold on her, he looked her in the eyes again. “I do not understand.”
She took a deep breath. Such things were not spoken of in polite company. She had never discussed the matter with anyone other than Lillian. “I stopped having my cycle over two years ago. The thinner I became and the more muscle I built, the less frequently the cycle would come. Then they stopped all together. I do not believe I can conceive a baby at this time.”
She expected him to yell or leave the room or do something. He just waited for her to say more.
“It is not a permanent condition. At least, I do not think it is.”
Gabriel touched her cheek with the back of his knuckles. “How do you know?”
Was it sorrow she detected in his voice?
“I must ask that you never repeat what I am going to tell you.”
His lips turned up in a small smile. “Of course.”
“I spoke to Lillian about it. She told me that she took some time away and traveled for a while. When she put on a bit of weight, her cycles returned. I assume it would be the same for me.”
“I see.”
“If you want to go back to London now, I will explain to my father that we have decided to call off the wedding. You need not face him.” She turned away, walked to the window and stared out into darkness.
He would leave her now, and she would have exactly what she said she wanted. Yet the idea of Gabriel no longer loving her, created a knot in her chest. How would she live without the knowledge that he was out in the world still loving her? She’d had that her entire life. It was comforting. It was part of who she was.
The room was silent for so long she thought he had slipped out without a word.
Then his voice vibrated through her. “Bella.”
She faced him.
“Do you believe, after all we have been through, I would not wish to make you my wife over such a thing?”
She shrugged and the sting of unshed tears pressed at the backs of her eyes. “You are an earl. You need an heir.”
“Come here.”
She obeyed. It might have been the first time she had ever done so.
He wrapped her in a bear hug as soon as she was within reach. “If you cannot have children then we shall find some that need a good home, and my cousin Rafe shall make a fine earl.”
“Why would you do that? How can you risk your legacy?” Her heart pounded.
His kiss was slow and deliberate. He claimed her bottom lip and caressed it with both of his. He threaded his fingers through her hair, tumbling it to her back in a rain of pins that littered the floor. “I love you, Bella. You do not seem to understand that fact. I shall spend my lifetime endeavoring to make you see that no one else will replace you in my heart or in my bed.”
“Gabriel.” His name floated out on a breath.
He kissed her deeply, his tongue devouring hers.
Her body drummed with need and she gripped his shoulders unyielding to his hard, muscular chest.
His shaft pressed between them and a soft moan escaped her.
Breathless, he broke the kiss and took a step away.
She was about to protest, but he put his hand up.
“It is the eve of our wedding. We have thus far been rather unconventional in our courting. Perhaps it would be best if I returned to my own rooms, and we continued this tomorrow, after vows have been spoken.”
“Are you joking?” She was breathless with need.
He laughed heading toward the door. “I wish that I were.”
Belinda sighed and watched him go. “I will see you in the chapel, Gabriel.”
He turned back toward her. “I had better see you, Bella. I will be very disappointed if you leave me waiting.”
“I will be there,” she promised.
“If you are not, I will hunt you to the end of the earth. I will find you wherever you go, my love.” His voice was intense and the promise hung in the air.
Belinda found the intensity of his conviction erotic in the extreme. “It shall not be necessary, Gabriel.”