They'd decided to take the conversation downstairs to the living room, and while they waited for Fiona to return from gathering supplies for a cut on Brady's foot, Kaida sat sideways on the couch, nestled between his thighs. He hadn't let go of her for more than three seconds since she'd woken up, and she had to admit she was grateful. Terror still had its claws in deep, and being held at least gave her a semblance of safety. Her back to his front, she burrowed into his warmth while the strong arms banding her torso clenched.Something epic had gone down while she'd been asleep. And not just her dream. The Meath brothers no longer appeared put-out to be around her sisters. The tension in their frames seemed more out of concern and shock than fear or abhorrence. A switch had been flipped or a lock released because she got the impression they'd finally accepted the truth. Or their part in destiny.From a chair, Ceara followed Tristan with her gaze over the rim of a teacup as he rose
"Venatores," Ceara whispered, clearly shaken. "Latin for hunters. Our family grimoire makes mention of them, but they've always left the Galloways alone. Mara doesn't know much about them, either. Just stories passed down and rumors."Tristan straightened. "I need a cell phone or laptop. We left the house in a rush and I don't have mine with me. Can I use one of yours?""Sure, if you promise not to call Tokyo." Fiona rose and left the room, returning moments later and passing Tristan her cell.His thumbs flew over the keypad. Rising, he walked over to Kaida and showed her the screen. "Is this the guy you saw tonight?"A handsome gentleman with light brown hair interspersed with gray stared back at her. Fan lines spread from the corners of his green eyes and unsmiling mouth while deep grooves marred his forehead. "No, the man I encountered was ten or fifteen years older. In his sixties, perhaps. He was heavier and his hair was white. It fell to his shoulders."Brady and Tristan exc
Brady leaned against the wall in the upstairs hallway outside Kaida's bedroom and waited for her to finish up in the bathroom. His brothers had gone home to try and sleep off what remained of the night, but he couldn't make himself leave her. The moment he'd tried, an all-consuming panic took hold and, sensing it, Ceara had invited him to stay.For as long as he could remember, he'd cared about Kaida. Whether a figment contrived in dreams or a fantasy born from loneliness, it didn't matter. She was a part of him. But meeting her in person had turned that tether of connection into an unyielding knot. One he both hoped and feared would never unravel.So, learning what he had tonight gave terror a new name. To think, their dreams together had been the highlight of his existence and, all this time, she could've been hurt. Could've died visiting him in that projection state. Throw in the fact his twisted family had started an organization to murder those like her, and his sanity was this
A nod, and she moved across the moonlit room to slip under the covers.He followed, setting his glasses on the nightstand. Lying on his side facing her, he took in her pretty features. The sweep of her pale lashes. Her high cheekbones. The delicate curve of her eyebrows. Those full lips. It was but a dream within a dream to actually have her in front of him. To be in the same bed, breathing in her rosemary scent and having her gentle exhalations fanning his jaw."Surreal, isn't it?" She smiled as if reading his mind. "Being here together.""Yes, not that I'm complaining." His gaze lowered to her throat, to the black and blue marks forming. Bruises she might not have if she hadn't blocked him from getting to her. Irritation pounded his temples at the helpless sensation she'd thrust at him. "What you did in the hotel room? Don't ever do that again. Promise me. I couldn't get to you because of the water you erected. I was out of my damn mind.""I'm sorry. I didn't even realize I was
Kaida shivered in the chilly early morning air and glanced around the meadow speckled with sunlight. Dew clung to buttercups and violets. Fog gravitated toward the edges of the cliffs and a brisk breeze blew in off the Atlantic. The scent of damp soil mingled with saltwater as she took a deep breath."I look frumpy." Fiona set her hands on her hips. "If training requires me to wear this getup, then I'm out."Sighing, Kaida eyed the outfit in question. Both her and her sisters were in yoga pants and a sweatshirt. The guys wore loose sweats and tees. She wasn't a gym-junkie, but it seemed like appropriate gear to her. They were bound to get sweaty and needed to be able to move freely.Then again, aside from her first day on the island, she had yet to see Fiona in anything other than a come-hither dress and heels.Ceara patted Fiona's back, placating. "We'll buy something more suited to you first thing on Monday. Feel better?""Not really. I'm embarrassed to be in the same zip code a
"No." She brushed the hair from her face and eased out of Brady's hold to sit beside him. "I couldn't see his face, but it wasn't him. This guy wasn't as husky or solid. His frame was slimmer. Except..." She was unsure how to explain it to them and have it make sense. "He gave off the same vibe, though. Vengeance. Purpose.""Her premonitions are rooted in the present." Fiona rose to her feet and sighed. "Which means this person is on the island right this second." She looked at Kaida. "Did you get the impression he was after us?""Not necessarily. He's definitely dangerous and I sensed he was arriving for a reason, but it didn't seem specific to us or anything."Ceara's gaze drifted as if she were thinking. "We can assume if you got a vision of him it has to pertain to us in some way. How is the question. You projected into that hotel room and got the premonition just now for a reason. Yet if it's not the same man, I'm not connecting the dots.""Is he a hunter?" Brady's mossy eyes
"All I'm saying is, you're acting out of character in regards to her." Riley stepped over a log on their trek through the dark forest on the way to the clearing. "What happened to my bookworm brother who calculates every angle before making a decision?"Brady sighed and glanced several yards ahead at the women, but they didn't seem aware of the quiet conversation between him and his brothers. "I'm right here. The same guy.""You look like Brady, walk like Brady, sound like Brady, but you don't behave like him. Has she cast a spell on you? Because the brother I know would never tear through the woods in the middle of the night based off a bad dream. Or nearly break in a door to get to a woman. Or crash into a house on a rampage to rescue said woman. Or roar like a lunatic and beat at a wall until his knuckles bled" "Fine. I get it." He ran his fingers through his hair, frustrated to no end. "Turned out, I was right, though. She was in danger.""True, but that's not my point. I'm no
Hard to say when it had actually happened. Perhaps as a boy when she'd first come to him in dreams, surrounded by buttercups and under the sun's golden rays. Maybe it was the second he'd spotted the real her from his office window, standing on the sidewalk while leveling his foundation. Or it could've been the moment he'd kissed her in the lighthouse, knotting years of memories and opening his eyes he hadn't realized were closed.Regardless of when, the truth smacked him upside the head now. He'd been on the brink before with other women, had waded in that particular pool a time or two, yet hadn't fully engaged his heart. But he'd been fooling himself. All along, and without even realizing it, he'd been waiting for her.For Kaida. A restless soul just searching for a place to belong. Intelligent, adaptable, determined, and intuitive Kaida Galloway.Unimaginable heat filled him, shoving drafts out of the corners and cold from the cracks. Throat tight and pulse tripping, he succumbed.