An Original Sin (23 page)

“I don’t understand.”

“Loyalty to clan is everything. ’Tis yer family, and ye’re expected to give yer life for it if need be.”

“So?”

She looked at him from puzzled eyes, and he clenched his hands into fists as his frustration mounted. How could he make someone who’d never known family loyalty understand the scope of his betrayal? “I betrayed my clan when I helped Ian MacDonald escape into the hills during the massacre. Hugh said afterward that I wasna a brother to him, nor would I ever be again.”

Her eyes were deep pools of sympathy as she reached out to touch his face. Damn it, he didn’t want her pity. Roughly he pushed her hand away. “I gave aid to my clan’s sworn enemy, and nothing can change that—not time, not regret.”

“You showed mercy. There’s nothing wrong—”

He was breathing as though he’d run a race. “I must return so I can make peace with Hugh before…He is all I have.”

“You have me.” She looked as though she couldn’t believe what she’d said.

Her words hung between them. He watched her swallow and followed the smooth line of her neck down to the
soft swell of her breast. His groin tightened, and he knew he could easily spend his emotion on her body. But he couldn’t do that to her, to himself. She must remain separate from his memories of Scotland. He didn’t know why that was important, but it was. Besides, he doubted she’d been offering her body.

“Thank ye, lass.” He forced a smile, and she relaxed. “I dinna feel like sleeping. Would ye like to go somewhere wi’ me?”

“Now?” She glanced at the clock.

“It isna so late.” He slid from the bed, then playfully pulled the covers from her. “Come wi’ me.”

She smiled up at him. “Sure. Why not?”

She glanced up at the Cajun Café sign with its erratic pattern of burned-out bulbs, then down at the people crowding into the small building, and felt the first twinge of unease. “I don’t know about this, Leith. These people look kind of…”

He held the door open for her. “They wouldna fit in wi’ people like Michael and Stephanie. Is that what ye mean?”

She gulped as the largest human she’d ever seen stalked over to Leith. He reminded her of a Quintian mountain-gross, an angry mountain-gross, an ugly, angry mountain-gross.

“You and me, we still got somethin’ to settle, man.” He spit on the floor. “But I’ll decide the time and place. Just so you know it’s comin’.” He grinned at Leith.

Fortune couldn’t stop herself. “Aggressive feelings are bad for your cardiovascular system. I’d sign up for sensitivity training, if I were you. And you really need to do something about your oral hygiene. Bad teeth can affect your whole—”

The human mountain-gross shifted his attention to her and spit on the floor again to punctuate the transition. “This your old lady?”

“Old lady!” She should thank her lucky stars that cosmic forces hadn’t just picked a name out of a hat for their chosen male. She could picture a world populated by…Of course, it would never happen, because no woman would mate with…
Wrong.
She knew some women who would mate with a Nodern fizzle-gopper if one would stand still long enough. “
Old
is an insensitive term.
Mature
is the accepted description, and I won’t be mature for another hundred years.”

The human mountain-gross returned his attention to Leith. “I feel sorry for you, man.” He walked away.

Now why would he feel sorry for Leith? “Who was that person, and why did he sound so negative?”

She could see a smile tugging at Leith’s lips, and for a moment she lost her train of thought in the contemplation of those lips, how they’d felt pressed against hers.

“His name is Bones, and he’s the one I fought wi’ on the night ye came to me at the lake.”

“Oh.” Then what were they doing here? She tried to push back her panic. “Let’s get out of here before—”

“Lass, lass.” His voice soothed as he smoothed his fingers over her clenched jaw. “Ye canna run from some things. Ye must stand and fight or feel less than a man.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of, getting back less than a man once that mountain-gross is finished with you.” She hated the pleading sound of her voice.

His chuckle made light of her fear. “Ye dinna have much faith in me, lass, if ye think yon warrior can best me. What is a mountain-gross?”

“Never mind.” He was hardheaded, obstinate, and she wanted to keep him safe so badly it hurt. So much for her staying emotionally uninvolved in this little cosmic quest.

“Yo! Over here.” The sound of Blade’s voice lowered her anxiety level somewhat. Gratefully, she followed Leith.

“Have a seat, little lady.” Blade grinned up at her.

She frowned. If Blade’s lopsided grin was any indication, he’d sipped a bit too much happy juice. They drank alcohol at home, but only in moderation. Everything at home was in moderation.
Moderately happy, moderately satisfied.

Not like here, where everything had been breathtaking highs and lows. A kaleidoscope of brilliant colors as opposed to faded sepia shades. She knew which made her feel more alive.

Fortune cast a sideways glance at Leith, who’d seated himself next to her and was ordering something from a gum-chewing woman. He’d add brilliant color to her world, with its many shades of pale, but would he fade in the process? His babies would revitalize humanity, but would he survive to see it?

She stared for a long time at the large glass of amber liquid the woman put in front of her. One sniff assured her of its alcohol content. The glass was too large for her. She didn’t have much tolerance for alcohol. In her other life, she would have demanded a smaller glass.
Moderation.

But she wasn’t in her other life. If she wanted to drink this whole glass, she could do it. Picking up the glass, she savored her sudden heady feeling of freedom. She took a greedy gulp of the liquid and sighed her satisfaction.

A short while later, she stared at the empty glass and tried not to giggle. She didn’t know why she wanted to giggle, but who cared? She grinned at Blade. The grin felt sort of crooked, but she couldn’t be bothered straightening it. “You know, the men here give me some great ideas for
my
men.”

“Your men?” Lily leaned closer.

She almost grunted as Leith elbowed her sharply.
Throwing him a resentful glance, she transferred her attention back to Lily and Blade. “I make men, but they’re all pretty tame compared to the men here.”

“You make
men
?” Both Lily and Blade watched her with rapt attention.

Leith wore a pained expression. What was his problem?

“Yep.” She took a careful sip of the full glass of…beer the woman had plunked in front of her. “Perfect men. OK, I do make them with really big—Oomph!” She turned and glared at Leith. “How about keeping your elbow to yourself, mister.”

Taking another gulp, she focused on Blade and Lily. Focusing was becoming a little hard. “Where was I?”

“The men with the really big oomphs,” Lily offered.

“Oh, yeah. Other than that, my men are perfect.” She frowned as she tried to prod her lethargic thought processes. “They’re sorta boring, though.” She brightened. “Except for Humongous Hoss. He doesn’t say anything, but I guess when you have a two-foot penis you don’t have to worry about small talk. I mean, you have your own built-in conversation piece.” She leaned toward Lily. “Some women will buy anything. I made him as a joke, and would you believe, he’s my biggest seller.”

“Bloody hell!” Leith propped his elbows on the table and covered his eyes with one hand.

Fortune blinked. What was he muttering about? “I’ll never understand. I mean, there’s just so much you can use. But I guess some women have to have the biggest everything.”

She sighed. “Anyway, the rest of my models are pretty ordinary. They always say the right things, do the right things. That can get kinda old after a while. Not much imagination in bed—” The rest of her comment was cut off when a large hand was placed over her mouth.

“Dinna listen to her. She’s had a wee too much to drink.”

Fortune pulled his hand from her mouth. What was he talking about? She felt great. She leaned away from him, and the world tilted. Leith pulled her to an upright position again.

Lily wore a puzzled expression. “Where’re you from, honey?”

Suddenly Fortune felt maudlin. Tears sprang to her eyes and slid down her cheeks. “Far, far away. I don’t know if I can ever go home. Home is perfect. No one gets mad, no one fights, everyone follows the rules—”

Blade’s snort interrupted her litany of praise. “Doesn’t sound like much fun to me.”

Fun
? She blinked at him. Come to think of it, she didn’t remember much fun in her life. Not like…She slid her gaze to Leith, then quickly away.

Her tears dried as fast as they’d started, and she smiled shakily. “Hey, if I can’t go home then I don’t have to worry about Leith being a slave—” Leith’s hand was back. Glancing sideways, she noticed that all four of his eyes looked desperate.

“ ’Tis time we went home, Fortune.” He removed his hand and started to push back his chair.

“But we just got here. Why do—”

“Sit down, Leith.” Blade’s order cut her off in mid-whine.

Suprisingly, Leith complied.

“OK, let’s level with each other. There’s something strange goin’ on. Where are you guys really from? And don’t give me that Tibet garbage.”

Fortune felt too woozy to answer. Leith looked grim. Why did everyone look so serious?

Finally Leith relaxed, as though he’d made a decision. “I’m from Scotland. The Highlands. I canna return there, and I canna tell ye why.” He paused and waited.

Blade nodded. “Go on.”

“We dinna have…identification. Can ye help us?”

Lily’s laugh was shaky. “Who’d you murder?”

“We did nothing wrong, ye ken.”

Fortune found that the room stopped whirling when she focused on one object, so she concentrated on Leith’s hand. Maybe she could figure out why he had the arm of his chair in a white-knuckled grip when she’d never felt so relaxed in her life.

Blade stared across the table at Leith. “Running?”

Leith nodded.

Fortune frowned. She guessed they were sort of running—from the past, the future. It was a shame they couldn’t run away from their memories. There was something profound in that thought, if she could hold it long enough. She blinked.
Nope, gone.

Maybe she should tell Blade about herself. “I’m from—”

No hand this time. Leith leaned over and kissed her. For a moment his body shielded her from Blade’s view. “God’s teeth, woman, hold yer tongue.”

Deepening the kiss, she decided that would be hard. She’d never realized how essential the tongue was to a great kiss.

Leith broke the kiss with a groan. Fortune sat back, puzzled. Why had he stopped a perfectly good kiss?

He turned back to Blade. “Fortune is in this wi’ me.”

Blade and Lily exchanged glances; then Blade grinned. “OK, big guy, we’ll see what we can do. You’ve been straight with us. Driving a taxi I meet lots of people. Learn to judge character pretty good. I’ve liked you and the little lady since the first time I saw you.”

Leith nodded, and Fortune decided that since there was a break in the conversation, she’d try to tell Blade and Lily about herself again. “I’m—”

“Fortune’s a sculptor. ’Tis amazing what she can make.”

Damned right.
Fortune scowled. She’d never realized Leith had this annoying habit of interrupting people.

Lily turned an interested gaze on her. “That right? Hey, Caryn does a little of that. Why don’t I see if I can get some stuff for you?”

The euphoria from her drink was wearing off, and Fortune didn’t feel too well, but she could think more clearly. “I don’t have enough money to pay—”

Lily waved a dismissive hand at her. “Don’t sweat it. Just do me a sculpture of handsome here”—she nodded at a grinning Blade—“and that’ll be payment enough.”

“OK.” Fortune
really
didn’t feel well. She turned to Leith, but she didn’t need to say anything.

“ ’Tis time ye went home, Fortune.”

She could only nod.

“We’re heading out of here, too. We’ll drop you at your place.” Blade and Lily stood.

Fortune remembered Leith leading her to the taxi and helping her into the backseat. She remembered curling into a ball of misery with Leith’s arms wrapped around her. She remembered him helping her into the house and into the bathroom, where she humiliated herself. That was all she remembered, but she decided it was quite enough for one night.

It was impossible to feel this bad and still be alive.

Fortune rolled over and moaned into her pillow. What had she done last night? What had she said? She remembered just enough to know she couldn’t face Leith.

She sat up and looked at the time. They’d be late for work. She clasped both sides of her head with her hands, as though by doing so she might keep it from flying off.

“Ye look a wee bit pale, lass.”

Turning her head carefully, she stared at Leith. How
could he look so alive when she was at death’s door? He’d drunk the same thing as she. Primitive stomachs must be lined with steel.

Then she saw what he held in his hand, and whatever blood still remained in her face dribbled down to her toes.

“I cooked ye breakfast.”

His crooked smile of hopeful pride was endearing, but she couldn’t, she just couldn’t. “It looks…delicious, but I don’t think I can put anything into my stomach right now.”

He sat down on the bed beside her and placed the tray on the bedside table. “Ye’ll feel much better if ye eat something. Trust me, lass. I know how ye feel.” He reached out and gently pushed a strand of hair away from her face.

Something fluttered in her stomach, and it had nothing to do with her unwise drinking. Suddenly shy, she turned her face away. “I…I must look terrible.”

“Aye, I did ask the powers to send me a shriveled crone so I wouldna be tempted, but I thought they’d forgotten.”

She turned back to glare at him, and met the sparkle of humor in his gaze.

“I’m certain they’ve forgotten, because ye’re still here.” He fluffed her pillow up behind her, and she relaxed against it.