Page 48 of The Finest Scottish Fate

Grinding back against him, she hugged his arms tighter around her. “Faster and harder, if you please.”

He righted her to her hands and knees in front of him and rocked into her with savage abandon.

She met him thrust for thrust, swaying back against him, taking as fiercely as he gave. Knotting the bedclothes in her fists, she bucked and arched, then threw back her head and stayed, shuddering and clenching around him.

Even though he fought for self-control, he couldn’t withstand this power she held over him. A grumbling roar escaped him as he hammered harder, then exploded, spilling himself inside her once again. With a hand splayed on the small of her back, he locked his legs to keep from collapsing on top of her. “Lore A’mighty, woman. Ye’ve drained me of my strength.”

“Likewise,” she said with a purring giggle. “Roll to the left. I haven’t got the energy to stay like this either.”

He did, and they returned to their curled position of earlier, fitting together like a pair of spoons. His heart swelled with such an utter sense of completeness that an overwhelming depth of joy claimed him.

With a deep, hitching yawn, Evie hugged his arms tighter around her. “When we’re like this, I feel safe,” she said with a quietness that gave him pause. “I feel like I didn’t mess up.”

“Mess up?”

“Make the wrong choice about giving up my century for yours.”

His heart grew heavy. “But when we are not like this, ye regret being here. With me.”

“I don’t regret you,” she hurried to say, hugging him tighter still. “I regret what it might cost because of all the dangers.”

“Every time has dangers, lass. If ye live in constant fear, ye dinna live at all.” He gently turned her to face him. “I beg ye, dinna live in regret. We belong this way, m’love. Together forever. Till the end of this life and beyond.”

She stared into his eyes for a long while. Silent. Unblinking. Then she tenderly touched his cheek. “I need you to understand that it’s going to take me some time to adjust and come to terms with…everything. Imagine if our situations were reversed, and you were the one dropped into an entirely different world.”

“Are ye telling me our bond was not worth the cost?” He nearly choked on the words, but he had to ask, had to know the answer.

A heavy sigh escaped her. “I’m telling you I need time to get used to everything here. That’s all. None of my second thoughts has anything to do with you. I promise.” She patted his chest, then turned back onto her side and curled up, snuggling back against him. “Go to sleep. I’m sure we’ll have to get up before too long. Your people will need to see you about whatever decisions a Scottish earl makes.” She sighed again. “I just hope Morganna makes it back before too long. I’m not sure I can get dressed by myself and do it correctly. I may need your help with all those laces I can’t reach.”

“Mrs. Farris can assign ye a lady’s maid to see to yer personal needs. ’Tis only right that ye have one. After all, ye are a countess and the wife of the future chief.”

When she didn’t comment, he grew concerned. “Evie?”

“I want Morganna.” Then she huffed. “I know I sound like a spoiled brat, but I already know her. She’s my friend.”

“She canna stay here with ye forever, lass. Ye know that, aye? She is one of the Fae and brought ye here for reasons only known to herself. Did ye not mention some sort of curse? Once that curse is lifted, she’ll return to her kind and forget all about ye.” He trailed his fingers through her hair, gently combing it back from her face until she swatted his hand away.

“Stop and just go to sleep. Please?”

How had they gone from contentment to contempt in the blink of an eye? He refrained from further conversation, granting her the peace she’d requested. But he would not sleep. Not now. He and Evie might be bound, and their souls melded, but their union was far from strong, and a weak union was just as bad as no union at all.

*

“Ye said we must protect them.” Morganna shook off the rain like a wet dog, showering Callum and several others enjoying the warm coziness of the pub.

“Lower yer voice. Mortals abound here this evening.” He cast a pointed glance at the far corner beside the hearth. Several tourists, fated mate possibilities, had arrived today. Petra and Jarrah were currently scrying their souls to see if any were promising enough to pursue.

He scooted his seat closer, then leaned forward and propped his arms on the table. “And I said,” he informed her in a hushed tone, “that we needed to warn the fated mates so they could remain vigilant and protect their bonds. A new bond can be a fragile thing, as ye well know, since we recently lost several.”

She gave him a look he knew all too well.

A groan escaped him. “Dinna tell me ye’ve become attached to this one too? Ye know how unwise that is.” With Morganna and himself unable to have children of their own, not only because of fertility challenges among the Fae but also in part due to the curse, his beloved mate had started becoming far too fond of the mortals they matched, often adopting them as her own. He covered her hand with his and gently squeezed it. “’Twill only cause ye pain, my own. Ye know that.”

“I promised to help her acclimate, and I’ll not be breaking my word.” She yanked her hand away, crossed her arms, and threw herself back in the chair, pouting like a spoilt bairn. “But I need help to protect her. The Fae are already closing in. The ring I gave her changed this verra day.”

He eyed the lit scoreboard above the mirror behind the bar. Customers thought it was there to keep track of dart championships, pub games, or drinking contests, but its true purpose was tallying fated mate matches. Earlier in the month, the numbers had dropped by three, but today, they had increased by one. A sure sign that Morganna’s charge had stayed true to her choice and consummated her union with the Earl of Blackmorrow. He nodded at it. “Their souls are melded. Ye warned Evie, aye? And the MacMuirrow?”

“Warning does little good when they dinna ken what they’re possibly facing.” She glared at him, then held up a hand and started counting off on her fingers. “Give me Farbis, Jadrack, and Jarrah.” She grew thoughtful, then gave a curt nod. “And Mercury.”