Embrace the Highland Warrior (19 page)

“If I had any doubts that you’re my mate, not that I did, that just removed them.” He pulled out and rolled over, taking her with him. “Are you all right?”

“I guess so.” She’d never experienced anything like it, not even in her dreams, but already, doubts started creeping in. Renee, lying injured somewhere, maybe dead. The past. The mark. Cody getting distracted and dying. He’d never be able to focus on the battle now. “I should shower.”

He released her slowly. “I’d offer to help, but there’s barely enough room in there for a child.”

A
child.
Shay’s throat closed and her ears started to ring.
Blood. Stark walls. Nurses yelling.
She jumped up, scooped her clothes off the floor, and hurried to the bathroom without looking back. She locked the door, reached behind the shower curtain and turned on the water so he wouldn’t hear. Her mouth opened but nothing came out, just gulps of air, then a keening sound. Her arms cradled her stomach and she rocked back and forth as tears streamed down her face.
The casket was so small she could have carried it in her arms. She stood at the edge of the hole, her heart numb, until a sharp edge of pain tore through. She dropped to the ground and sobbed, digging her fingers in the fresh dirt.
Holding her hands across her stomach, she rocked back and forth as tears streamed down her face.

There was a tap on the door. “Shay?”

She froze. Had he heard her crying? She remembered that he could hear things most men couldn’t.

“Shay. Open the door.”

“In a minute.”

“Open the door, or I’m coming in.”

A fresh bout of tears rolled down her cheeks. She hadn’t had an episode like this in years, but when they hit, it was always unexpected, triggered by something simple, a tricycle on a sidewalk, a boy laughing and running with his dog.

She scrubbed at her face, and the door flew open. Cody stood, naked, his eyes worried, angry, afraid. “Care to explain what that was about?”

Shay grabbed a towel and held it against her stomach, covering herself. “I’m sorry. I just…”

“What? You just regretted it? You realized it was me in your bed and not Jamie?”

Shay gaped at him. “What does Jamie have to do with this?”

Cody reached over and shut off the shower. “Well, someone got between us in there. You almost married the guy. If it wasn’t him, who was it?”

“It had nothing to do with Jamie.”

His gaze was hard. “I don’t believe you.”

Her frustration, hurt, and anger spewed out like a volcano. “It wasn’t Jamie. It was the baby,” she yelled.

He looked like she’d slapped him. “Baby?” His gaze dropped to her stomach. He sat on the edge of the bathtub. “You’re pregnant?”

What had she done? God, what had she done?

He rubbed his hands through his hair, shook his head, and she waited for the questions. They weren’t what she expected.

“It doesn’t matter, Shay. Even if it’s Jamie’s, it’s still part of you.” He held his hand over his heart, his beautiful, strong fingers trembling only slightly. “I love you. I can love it too.”

Shay stared at Cody, her eyes filling with tears again. “I’m not pregnant, but I was, nine years ago.”

Chapter 11

“Nine…” Cody’s expression went through several levels of shock. “A baby,” he whispered. “We made a baby? You and me?”

“Yes.”

Raw emotion swept over his face. “But where is it?”

“Something went wrong. It was born too early.”

“Why didn’t you tell—
that’s
what was in the letters?”

“I didn’t mention the baby, I just said I needed you to come.”

“And you thought I didn’t care?” His voice strangled with hurt. “I would have done anything for you.”

“I’m sorry. I should have known, but after everything that happened, after I wouldn’t talk to you, I figured you were mad at me, or that you’d just moved on. I should have kept calling.”

“A baby? We made a baby.” Cody rubbed his hands over his face, his eyes lost.

Shay could still see the stark walls of the emergency room and the blood running down her legs, pooling on the white floor, so much blood for something so tiny and frail. The nurses rushing her to the delivery room as her uterus contracted, expelling the life it held before it could take its first breath. “I was five months pregnant. Five months and twenty-two days. No one knew, not even Renee, until I went to the hospital.” Shay’s voice dropped to a whisper and then cracked. “It was a boy. He’s buried in Lake Placid, in a small graveyard close to where I lived. That’s where I was the day you came to the apartment. I was burying him. Renee was sick and couldn’t come.” Shay had named him Alexander. She would tell Cody that later.

“You buried him alone? Oh God, Shay.” He dropped to his knees in front of her and pulled her close, his head pressed to her hair. A tear fell on her forehead and rolled down her cheek. They sat in the bathroom, her on the toilet, him kneeling before her, not speaking, just touching, grieving for a life they created and lost. She had carried her secret for so long it stripped her bare to finally share her grief, to acknowledge her son, Cody’s son, after having to hide him from everyone. Hiding his existence had been almost as hard as carrying him inside her, feeling the little kicks and hiccups, and then having to bury him in the cold ground.

After the tears, she and Cody stood under the shower, holding each other as the water washed away the worst of their grief. As Cody wrapped her in a towel and dried her hair, they exchanged soft touches born of solace, not lust.

“Did you see that?” Shay asked as they stepped out of the bathroom.

“See what?” Cody asked.

“Something moved past the window.”

Cody tensed, listening. “There’s someone on the porch,” he whispered. He quietly pulled on his jeans, grabbed the gun and his dagger. He handed her the gun. “Take this. Lock the door after I leave, and hide under the bed.”

“Hide?”

“If anyone comes in, shoot for the heart.” He held the dagger and pushed a button. There was a click as the blade extended into a sword.

Her pulse pounded. “Let me come with you,” she said, quickly dressing.

“No. It’s too dangerous.”

“What if someone’s out there, and this is exactly what he wants, for you to leave me alone?” She knew Cody was a skilled killer. At one time, that would have made her shiver. Now she found it comforting. She watched him struggle with his thoughts. “Please.” She’d rather face a dragon with Cody at her side than wait alone for shadows to attack.

He sniffed the air. “No.” His voice sounded like steel. “Don’t leave this cabin. No matter what.” Cody walked to the door, came back, cupped her head, and kissed her. “Don’t leave,” he said again, and then he was gone. She locked the door behind him and watched from the window as he melted into the night. Where did he go? Her eyes scanned the dark, trying to make out his form. At first she thought the shadows were clouds drifting over the moon, then she saw the shape of them, like men, but they didn’t move like men. They glided. They were following Cody.

***

Cody gripped his sword and stepped lightly on the forest floor, ears tuned for any sound that didn’t belong. He sniffed, eyes searching the shadows. Something was there; he could feel it. A soft laugh whispered through the trees. He whirled. A man materialized a few yards away, watching him with red eyes. He smiled, and sharp teeth flashed in the dark. Fangs. A vampire! What was it doing here? Before Cody could lift his sword, the man rushed at him like a streak, moving so fast Cody couldn’t track it.

He learned in the battle at Druan’s castle that the only sure way to kill a vampire was beheading or a direct stab through the heart. Talismans didn’t work on them. He swung his sword as the thing zoomed past, but he missed. Whirling, it came back. Just as it slammed Cody to the ground, it went solid again, with fangs an inch long. He rolled to his feet, grabbed his fallen sword, and braced for the next attack. This time when it struck, he was ready. As he fell, he thrust his sword upward, into its heart. The creature turned to dust in mid-air, particles settling all around him.

Hisses filled the air as more creatures emerged from the trees. They stood out of sword’s reach, their fangs bared. Cody searched out where each one stood, identifying the leader, who stood a little apart from the others, his stance cockier, more sure. When the next one attacked, Cody jumped aside and drove his sword into the leader’s heart. The others hissed and looked at each other. They hadn’t expected him to take the offensive when he was so outnumbered, but he was used to fighting against the odds.

They came at him like bullets, nothing but a blur, until they slowed. He swung left and drove his sword into what he hoped was the thing’s heart, and dust rained down, covering his sword. Two of them hit him at once, flinging him in the air like a rag doll. His bones felt like they shattered, but he clung to his sword. They came at him again, and he rolled painfully to his feet, his blade catching another one in the neck. The swing wasn’t strong enough. The vampire screeched and kept going. If he could just see the bloody things. Cody ducked as another one attacked and then swung harder, finishing off the one he missed. He was tiring, but he had to kill them all before they discovered Shay.

Two were left, but they kept attacking so close together that he couldn’t strike them both. He waited for the first to attack. Using the side of a tree to spring clear, he flipped through the air, leveling his blade at what he thought was its neck. It disappeared, leaving only one.

“Come on, you bastard.”

The vampire stood fifty feet away in human form. He turned his head, looking at the path leading to the cabin, and Cody followed his gaze. Shay stood there, her face pale, eyes wide with shock.

“We’ve found you at last,” the vampire said.

Cody’s blood felt like shards of ice.

“We?” Shay asked, her voice strong. “You’re the only one left.”

The vampire grinned. “Too bad I can’t have a taste of you. The feisty ones are always better. I’ll have to settle for him.” Its fangs lengthened. “No one cares about him.”

Shay’s face darkened; her back straightened; her shoulders squared. “I care about him.”

The vampire turned and streaked toward Cody. Shay ran after the vampire, moving just as fast. She tackled it, and they both rolled into the trees, a mix of swirling colors. Cody stood rooted in place, his mouth hanging open. What the hell?

The vampire looked as stunned as Cody. It attacked again, catching Cody off guard, slamming his head against a tree. As he struggled to remain conscious, he registered several things at once. The vampire, who had retreated, now rushing at him again, and Shay, farther away, scooping up a stick and running after the vampire. No, what she did was faster than running. She streaked after the vampire, driving the stick into the blurred shadow. It turned solid, its fangs elongated, red eyes wide with shock. The vampire disintegrated, but Shay kept coming, moving too fast to stop. She hit the ground and rolled. Her stick drove deep into the earth, vibrating, inches from Cody’s face, then everything went black.

***

“Cody! Wake up!” Shay shook his shoulder. Oh my God. Vampires! Nobody said anything about vampires! What about the demons? “Cody, you have to wake up!” Was he dead?

She heard a twig snap behind her. Her blood froze. She turned. “You.” She was so shocked she didn’t start fighting until the handkerchief covered her mouth and nose. By then, it was too late.

***

Have
his
eyes
always
been
this
sexy, Shay wondered as his head lowered. His body, warm and hard, with all those muscles pressed against her definitely wasn’t the one she remembered skinny-dipping with. Something was different about him inside, not just the body. An edge. His lips touched hers, hesitantly, as if he weren’t sure what he would find. A small sound of surprise, and pleasure, escaped. He tasted good. He lifted his mouth just a fraction. She expected him to apologize, move away, laugh to ease the awkwardness—something. Instead, he kissed her again, this time opening his mouth, letting his tongue tease her lips. She had imagined this in her dreams, but in her dreams, it hadn’t felt this good.

Cody
shifted, settling one thigh between hers. He stroked her hair and face, whispering her name as they kissed. He smelled good, like mountains. His lips grew bolder, his tongue slipping curiously into her mouth until she was on fire. The rational side of her brain told her to run, but her hands gripped his T-shirt and moved underneath to feel the bare skin of his back, beginning to dampen with sweat.

Breathing
hard, the two started shedding clothes. He stared as her body was exposed, and she got her first good look at his tattoos. He pushed his jeans and underwear down, and she forgot everything else.

Shay
gasped
as
he
nudged
her
legs
apart
and
lowered
his
body
to
hers. His eyes, clouded with passion, locked on hers as he joined their bodies together. Shay felt a sharp pain and bit her lip to keep from crying out. Cody went still for a moment and murmured, “I’m sorry.” The need to move was stronger than the sting. She pushed toward him, and he pushed back, pressing deeper. He stopped again, resting his forehead on hers. She wrapped her ankles around his legs and her arms around his waist to hold him tighter, and he groaned. It was the most beautiful thing she ever experienced, in spite of the discomfort. The confusion of the past year vanished. Joined with Cody, she felt complete.

He
kissed
her
again, and Shay clung to him, her nails biting into his damp skin. Pressure started building inside her, gathering, searching for a way out. She felt like she was flying, her body tingling, and then she fell. She grabbed the feeling, holding tight as she plummeted. Cody tensed. The sensations washing over her in waves didn’t drown out the soft “I love you” that brushed her ear as Cody’s body pulsed inside hers.

“Shay? Where are you? I found the cat.”

Nina!

Shay
couldn’t breathe.

Cody
raised
his
head
and
looked
at
her
in
stunned
silence, his body still throbbing inside hers. The passion that had clouded his eyes only moments before was replaced with confusion. “What have I done?” he whispered.

Shay
opened
her
mouth
but
couldn’t speak.

He
pulled
out
and
sat
back
on
his
heels, staring down at his body. “Condom… I didn’t think about a condom,” he said, his voice barely a whisper. He scrambled to his feet, pulling up his underwear and jeans, not bothering to zip them, while Shay reached for her panties.