Highland Vampire (11 page)

"Where is who?" asked Bridget.

Despite the look of sweet confusion and innocence upon Bridget's face, Efrica knew her sister was fully aware of
who
. Efrica suspected Barbara had written a letter. There was also the chance that David had written to his mother. She doubted Jankyn had said anything.

"Jankyn," she snapped.

"I hope ye didnae travel here alone, lass," said Cathal.

"Nay. I left the men who brought me here in the village," she replied. "Jankyn has gone to ground, hasnae he."

"He must have angered ye more than usual for ye to chase him all the way here," said Bridget.

"Sister, I truly hate to deprive ye of your sport, but I have had one wretched week of dealing with idiots at court. That was followed by a wretched week of rain, washed-out roads, broken wheels, limping horses, and men muttering about wee lasses who dinnae have the sense God gave a flea. Since I didnae start that journey in the most cheerful of moods, I am now teetering on the edge of a glorious tantrum."

"Ah, thank ye for the warning."

"My pleasure. Jankyn?"

"In the caves. He has been hiding in his room, buried in work, since he returned."

"Weel, he is about to discover that ye can run from a determined Callan lass, but ye cannae hide."

She ignored Cathal's hearty laughter and headed out to corner Jankyn in his lair. Fury carried her down into the depths of Cambrun. She faltered only briefly when she stepped into the large cavern that served as the great hall of the Purebloods, drawing every eye her way. The eldest of them, a handsome white-haired woman named Agnes, grinned and pointed to a thick iron-studded door set in the wall near the far end of the cavern.

When Efirica reached the door, she lifted her hand to knock, then changed her mind. She would not give Jankyn the chance to turn her away or lock her out. Efrica pushed aside the traitorous, weakening thought that he had left her because he did not want her, did not care for her at all, and that he was in there with another woman. As she reached for the door latch, she heard several encouraging whispers coming from the shadows behind her. They gave her the strength to open the door, step into the room, and slam the door shut behind her. The way Jankyn jumped in surprise, nearly tumbling from his perch upon the back of a stone bench, gave her a brief moment of satisfaction.

Jankyn stared at Efrica and felt his pulse leap with delight, even as shock had him gaping at her. He had not expected her to follow him, if only because of her pride. The fact that she had pleased him beyond words, until he all too clearly recalled his reasons for leaving her. Those remained unchanged. Even the truth he had uncovered about his heritage did not really change much.

"So, this is where ye came to cower and hide," she said as she walked closer to face him.

"Cower? I am nay cowering!" He scowled when she rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. "Ye heard the whispers, lass, the talk of the devil, sorcery, and demons. That brings the sort of danger that can reach out to all who stand too close to me. Aye, and sharpens the eyes of all who look at my companions. Ye cannae risk that."

"Words spit out by a jealous whore and two penniless swine who think rape is a sort of wooing."

"Nay matter who says the words, they stir fear and superstition. When such feelings are stirred up, wisdom doesnae often rear its head until they are sweeping up the ashes from the foot of your stake."

A chilling image, but not one that needed to become fact, she told herself firmly. "Ye didnae e'en try to fight the lies."

"How? By standing beneath the noonday sun?"

She ignored that. "First, one starts with the ones who dinnae like the people doing the whispering. Few of the women at court have any fondness for Lady Eleanor. Lachlan and Thomas have few friends as weel. Then, of course, one reminds certain women of just how alive and warm ye are." She was pleased by the look of horrified embarrassment that crossed his beautiful face. "The fact that said demon's son was often seen strolling about in the full light of day with his adoring betrothed, his verra red hair clear to see, was also helpful. And, of course, the crowd which saw Lachlan laid out flat by a wee lass was easily convinced that he and Thomas were naught but spineless weaklings who undoubtedly tried to hide their cowardice and ignominious defeat at your hands behind lies."

"Ye laid Lachlan out flat?"

She nodded. "His sneer annoyed me."

Jankyn stared at her in amazement. Slowly, he climbed down from his perch and walked toward her, stopping about a foot away. Any closer and he knew he would reach for her. There did not seem to be a part of him that did not ache to feel her in his arms again. That would, however, put an end to what he suspected would be an intriguing and revealing conversation.

"So, ye came here to tell me I dinnae need fear returning to court?" he asked.

"Mayhap," she replied. "Although why anyone would wish to return to that wretched place, I dinnae ken."

"Efrica, why have ye come?"

"Why did ye leave?"

"To protect you."

"Oh, aye? What if I tell ye I had the passing thought that ye nay only fled the whispers, ye fled from
me
, from
us
, and what was happening between us?"

"There may be some truth in that." He stepped close enough to reach out and briefly place a finger against her lips when she started to speak, silencing her. "I am wrong for ye, love." He waved a hand to draw her gaze to the dark, windowless cave they stood in. "This is where I live. E'en when I go aboveground, 'tis only to places as dark as these. Ye are a creature of the light, the sun. I can ne'er join ye there."

"That is sad, but it doesnae mean I cannae walk about in the sun whene'er the mood strikes me."

An all-too-familiar glint entered his eyes, and as he stepped forward, she stepped back. Despite how badly she ached to be held in his arms again, she felt talking was more important now. It did appear that what David, her cousin, and her own instincts had told her was true, that Jankyn loved her, but she needed to hear the words. She also felt it was important that Jankyn hear and believe that all of her earlier doubts and fears were gone.

"I am a great many years older than ye," he said, almost smiling when, each time he stepped forward, she stepped back, for she was backing up toward his bed.

"True, and I
do
worry o'er how ye will feel if ye wake up one morn and see that I have aged and ye havenae."

"It willnae matter."

No words of love and no sweet flatteries, yet she believed him. "Weel, we Callans tend to be long-lived, for Outsiders."

"Good, for the day your life ends, so will mine in all the ways that matter."

Efrica felt the edge of something hit the back of her legs, but was so stunned by his words, she did not even attempt to stop herself from falling. Relieved to find a soft bed beneath her to break her fall, she propped herself up on her forearms, only to find Jankyn leaning over her, one hand on the bed on either side of her hips. She felt the heat only he could stir within her begin to flow through her veins and rushed into speech.

"And, I
do
want bairns, but if God decides we will have none, I can accept that. I have nieces and nephews to love and help care for." They were words he needed to hear, and she was determined to lay that ghost to rest before she told him the truth.

"Are ye asking me to marry ye, love?" He held her gaze with his. "Are ye truly ready to be my mate?"

"Aye, Jankyn. I love ye. I love ye more than the sun, more than anything," she replied softly.

A soft gasp of surprise escaped her as he pulled her up into his arms and kissed her as if he was starved for the taste of her. Soon she was working as feverishly to rid him of his clothes as he was to rid her of hers. He settled her on the bed with a tenderness that only enflamed her more, and she purred with welcome and pleasure when he entered her embrace. The feel of his flesh against hers, the warmth of his lips upon her skin, and the touch of his hands soon had her trembling with need. He kept her balanced on the precipice of delight until she was nearly begging him for relief. Then, suddenly, he was there, deep inside her. Efrica felt herself shatter. As she began the tumble into the sweet abyss of desire, she felt a sharp pain on her neck, and then her release intensified tenfold.

"Efrica," Jankyn whispered when he finally regained the strength to speak. He kissed the tip of her nose and grinned over how dazed she looked. "Efrica, my heart, my mate." He kissed the hollow at the base of her throat.

"Am I your heart?" she asked, shaking free of her sated lethargy just enough to wrap her arms around him.

Jankyn smiled at her and brushed his lips over hers. "Aye, ye are. Did ye doubt it, lass?"

"A wee bit," she murmured. "Ye left me."

"Aye, to keep ye safe, to let ye find a mon who could walk in the sun with ye and fill your home with bairns. I left heart and soul behind in your wee hands, love, but I thought it was for the best."

"Weel, ye were wrong."

Before he could respond, there was a pounding on his door, and Cathal's voice cut through the thick wood. "I have the priest here. I am nay sure if our Father James will be performing a wedding or muttering last rites o'er Jankyn, but ye have five minutes ere I come in to see for myself which will be required."

Efrica echoed Jankyn's curse as they scrambled out of the bed and hurried to get dressed. Even if they stepped out of the chamber fully dressed, Efrica was certain everyone would easily guess what she and Jankyn had just been doing. Five minutes was not enough time to hide kiss-swollen lips, tidy her badly tousled hair, or find something to hide the telltale mark upon her neck.

When Jankyn opened the door, took her by the hand, and stepped out into the cavern, Efrica felt a blush heat her cheeks. Cathal, Bridget, Father James, and every Pureblood in the place stared at her and Jankyn, then stared at her neck. There was a brief moment of utter silence, then cheers and congratulations. Efrica was still reeling in surprise when Agnes and Bridget dragged her off to Agnes's chambers to try to make her look less debauched and more like a bride.

It was not until she was being escorted back to Jankyn, her hair brushed and decorated with ribbons, that Efrica realized she had been given no warnings, no words of advice, and asked no questions. "Are ye nay going to say anything, Bridget?" she asked her sister.

"Nay, ye have made your decision verra clear." She met Efrica's frown with a little smile. "The mark, Efrica. I ken, mayhap better than any other, that ye would ne'er have allowed him to mark ye as his mate unless ye were fully committed—heart, soul, and mind. Aye, and Jankyn would ne'er have marked ye his mate unless he felt the same."

Agnes patted her arm. "I ken 'tis difficult for ye who arenae born MacNachtons to understand, but when Jankyn took from ye e'en as he gave to ye, the bond was made and it cannae be broken."

Efrica blushed, realizing that everyone knew exactly
when
she had been given her mark. Then Jankyn was at her side, taking her hand in his and tugging her before the priest. He looked so proud, so pleased, she lost the last of her embarrassment Smiling at him as she knelt by his side, she repeated her vows in a clear, steady voice. As Jankyn spoke his vows, she knew he meant each and every word.

The soft light from many candles gave Jankyn's skin an intriguing glow, Efrica decided as she ran her fingers up and down his strong arm. The celebration of their marriage had been all any bride could hope for, and Efrica felt truly welcomed into the clan. There was little of the anger and resentment that Bridget's marriage to Cathal had caused. She suspected each child born to the clan had thrown a little more water on the lingering fires of rebellion within the clan.

Jankyn moved to lie beside her, propping himself up on one elbow. "What are ye thinking of, love?"

"That the Purebloods are finally seeing that your laird is right, that the MacNachtons cannae remain alone, a breed apart, and survive."

Idly caressing her stomach, Jankyn nodded then sighed. "Love, I dinnae say this to give ye hope as it might prove a false one, but I am nay as pure of blood as I thought. There is more Outsider blood in me than the wee drop or two I thought I had. In the days when the Nightriders rode, spreading fear and death, some of my direct ancestors also spread their seed. The bairns born of those unions were usually cast out to die, considered demons and the devil's evil spawn, but my kinsmen saved a few. The ones saved were my ancestors. They married Purebloods, of course, so I cannae say how much Outsider blood I have, but 'tis more than I was led to believe. It doesnae, however, mean that I can give ye a bairn. I—" He frowned beneath the silencing finger she placed against his lips.

"It was obviously enough."

Jankyn inhaled so swiftly, he coughed. "What do ye mean?"

"I mean that I already carry your child." She grinned at his look of shock.

"But ye spoke earlier as if ye still feared there would be no bairns."

"I spoke thus because I needed ye to ken that it didnae matter to me, needed ye to believe it. This may be the only bairn we e'er have, and I needed ye to understand that it
truly
doesnae matter."

He held his hand flat against her stomach and whispered, "Are ye certain?"

"That, my bonnie husband, is one thing a Callan always kens for certain." She felt tears sting her eyes when he tenderly kissed her stomach. "Ye are pleased?"

"Och, daft lass. I was pleased beyond words that ye came after me, that ye wished to be my true mate. This? This is a miracle, a gift from God that leaves me truly humble." He pulled her into his arms and kissed her. "I love ye, my wee cat. I dinnae deserve such happiness, but I will accept and hold fast to it. I will spend my life making sure ye ne'er regret becoming my wife, my mate."

"Just love me, Jankyn. 'Tis all I need. Weel, that and, mayhap, ye making me purr now and then."

Jankyn laughed. "How about now?"