Finding the Magic (20 page)

It was hard to believe that only one night had passed, it felt like days. Jayne took a deep breath of the crisp air, shivering slightly. She was surprised again when, instead of having to walk miles to wherever they had hidden their cars, Jonathon made a beeline for a shiny silver SUV parked next to the building. It must have shown on her face because he grinned at her and explained. “
Ri
brought the car in once we had done all the hard work, she doesn’t like to get her hands dirty.”

Beside her, Cameron snorted and Jon shrugged. “All right, so
we
don’t like her getting her hands dirty.” He scowled. “She doesn’t always listen though. Chris managed to persuade her we might need the car to get you guys out.” He opened the passenger and the rear doors for them, after a moment’s debate, she climbed into the backseat. Cameron leapt in beside her, making the vehicle bounce with his weight. He settled on the seat, laying his head in her lap. As the vehicle moved away, she watched the building until it disappeared behind the hill. She couldn’t help but feel it had all been for nothing, Nick was still missing and the professor was gone. Her heart broke for Cameron and Jack but maybe they would find something, some clue that would tell them where to look. Jayne laid her head back, closed her eyes and wondered what would happen next.

Chapter Fifteen

Mary was waiting for them when they got back to the house, standing on the front step. Murray House was a beautiful and imposing sight as it loomed protectively behind the housekeeper. As they made their way up the driveway, Jayne was struck by the comforting sense that she was home. She thought of her little apartment standing empty back in
MacKenzie
Bay and realized that she hadn’t missed it in the slightest. How her life had changed in the space of a few days…it was amazing.

Cameron still lay on the seat beside her though he had raised his head from her lap to look out the window. Chris had called his brother’s cell phone to let them know they had found very little at the lab. The guard had only confirmed that the professor had been experimenting on
shapeshifters
but he knew little about what he was doing. Just as the lab worker had said, their employer hadn’t shared what he intended to do with the information.

The professor had left nothing to chance, all the records had been cleared out and all of his prisoners were gone. He had even wiped the hard drives of all the computers, though
Rianne
still held out hope that they would still be able to retrieve some information from them. They knew Nick had been at the compound, the professor himself had told Cameron that, but, so far, they hadn’t found anything to tell them where he had gone from there. The guard knew nothing about him, only that he had possibly been part of the professor’s special project. A subject that only a very few people had access to. The news had caused an almost frightening rage from Cam and Jonathon but after venting their frustration with some very inventive mental curses, they had both lapsed into silence.

The car drew to a smooth halt and she jumped out, waiting for Cam to follow her before shutting the door. He bounded lightly up the steps and butted his head against Mary. Allowing the housekeeper to crouch and hug him before disappearing through the door. Jayne scowled at his swift departure and ignored Jonathon’s sympathetic look. She greeted the other woman, thanking her for sending the cavalry.

Mary pulled her into an affectionate embrace. “I’m just glad you two are all right, it took ten years off my life when I came home and found that note. Besides, Christopher tells me you two had almost rescued yourselves.”

“It’s true.” Jonathon grinned. “They were almost to the front door when we found them.”

“Well, almost isn’t definitely and I was
really
glad to see you guys. They showed up in the nick of time.” She glanced into the house and turned back to Mary and Jonathon. “Will you excuse me? There’s something I need to take care of.”

Mary smiled. “Go. But be gentle with him, love, the things that hurt us when we’re children often take the longest to heal.”

She found him in his enormous en-suite bathroom. He had clearly just finished his transformation and was lying curled up on the cold, tiled floor. His broad back was slicked with sweat and shudders racked his body. Jayne grabbed a bath towel and draped it over him, running soothing hands over his shoulders and back. A brief survey told her bruises from his beating were gone, and the wound at his shoulder faded to pink. “Oh, Cam,” she whispered.

“L-Leave me alone, Jayne! Ah d-
dinnae
want you to s-see me like
th
-this.” His teeth were chattering. Ignoring his protests, she stood and turned on the shower before kneeling and cupping his beard-
stubbled
jaw in her hands. “I love you, Cameron Murray, you have nothing you need to hide from me.” He opened his mouth to answer and she pressed a finger to his lips. “No, don’t say anything now. I didn’t tell you to force you into some kind of response. I just…wanted you to know.”

His lips firmed and he scowled and, for a moment, she thought he was going to argue anyway but he only closed his eyes and nodded his agreement. As the hot water filled the room with steam, she stripped off her clothes and urged him to his feet. He leaned on her heavily, hunched over like an old man.

“Come on now, let’s get you in the shower.”

“
Ah’ll
be fine in a few minutes.”

She nudged him under the spray. “
Humor
me, Cam.”

When the warm water hit his body, he groaned. Jayne wrapped her arms around him, his head on her shoulder and leaned back against the tiles. When the shudders had become the occasional tremor, she picked up the soap and began to wash him. Her hands glided over his shoulders and back and down to his buttocks. Lingering over the dimple she had admired before. He lifted his head to kiss her, his tongue sliding past her lips to duel with hers. He cupped her breasts, brushing her thumbs over the sensitive nipples. Separating their bodies enough for her to work the lather around to his chest and over his taut abdomen and down to his groin.

His cock grew in her hand, drawing a moan from him. His hands slid down her body and she lifted her eyes to his and shook her head. “Don’t. Just let me do this, let me take care of you. Please?” She wanted this to be about him, about showing him how much she loved him. Tension left his muscles and his powerful body relaxed. Jayne felt him surrender himself to her and that was a very powerful thing. Cam brought his hands to her waist and leaned his forehead against hers. “Ah don’t deserve you, Jayne.”

She smiled. “Maybe not. But
I
deserve you.”

She cupped his testicles in one slippery hand, he gasped and spread his legs a little and she rolled them, squeezing gently. With her other hand, she stroked his shaft from root to tip with a light pressure, repeating the action until he was making helpless little sounds of pleasure. She felt his grip tighten on her and knew he was close. His breath puffed against her lips, his hips jerking in time with her hand. He came in a rush with a harsh, guttural groan. Jayne felt his knees buckle for an instant before he caught himself and pulled her into his embrace.

Their bodies slithered against each other as the soap from Cam’s body spread to her own. He gathered up the bar of soap and cleansed her shoulders and buttocks, caressing her breasts and finally cupping her mound. He played with her clit and slid his fingers between her labia, teasing her until she was begging him to take her. Ignoring her plea, he pulled her under the shower spray and rinsed them both off. He switched off the water and they stepped out of the stall, drying each other with soft warm towels. When they were dry, he took her hand and led her into the bedroom.

Cameron pulled her onto the bed beside him, covering her body with his own. His head still reeled with the knowledge that Jayne loved him. Something that less than a week ago would have terrified him, now filled him with absolute happiness. He nuzzled her neck and nipped at her shoulder and she shivered and urged him onto his back so that she could sit astride him. He reached for the bedside table and the condoms she had left there yesterday. Her hair spilled around her shoulders and her green eyes shone with emotions that stole his breath. She took the silver packet from him and opened it, rolling the thin latex sheath over his erect shaft. Her body was wet and ready for him as she guided him inside, drawing gasps of pleasure from them both.

He reached for her hands and held tight as she rode him, her eyes closed in a delicious self-absorption as she concentrated on pleasuring herself. She rose up on her knees, the tight clasp of her body milking the length of his cock, and then lowered back down. Slowly, so slowly that he had to grit his teeth and force himself not to lift his hips and thrust back inside her. Again she repeated the motion, Cam groaned and his body shook. When she rotated her hips, his control snapped and he pulled her against him, rolling them so that she lay beneath him again. He nipped her earlobe and thrust against her until his cock was as far inside her as possible. “Enough.”

Jayne cried out and gave a breathless laugh that told him she had known exactly what she was doing and he silenced her with a kiss. She pulled back, meeting his eyes and whispered, “I love you, Cam.”

As before, in the bathroom, he felt the truth of her feelings. Words pressed at his throat, aching to be released but she kissed him again and they flew out of his head and there was only her. All at once, the urgency was gone, her legs hooked over his and they began to rock together. The room filled with the sounds of their lovemaking, the need for conversation gone as each lost themselves in the pleasure of the other. Climax spilled through him, out of him, and Jayne followed, her body clenching tightly around his.

Cameron rolled to his side, holding his mate in his arms and knew he never wanted to let her go again. Since his parent’s death, he had done everything in his power to avoid the
Ceangal
, believing it would only bring pain. Now he knew that it would have been far more painful to have never met his
fìor
cèile
. He pressed a gentle kiss to her shoulder. There was really only one thing left to do.

“Stay here, I’ll be right back.”

Jayne’s brow furrowed in confusion but she was silent as she watched Cam make a brief stop in the bathroom before pulling on his robe and leaving the room. She sat up against the fat pillows on the bed, pulled the sheet up under her arms and waited as patiently as she was able. When he returned a few moments later, his face was pensive and hope and anxiety warred in his eyes. He carried a narrow, tarnished silver box in his hand. It was just a bit longer than a paperback book and was covered with intricate engraving. Cam sat on the edge of the bed in front of her and sat the box between them. She recognized the engraving on the lid as the same mermaid design from the stained glass windows over the stairs. He ran one long finger over the box and met her questioning gaze.

“I never thought this box would see the light of day, that I’d ever use it.” His mouth quirked in a small, self-mocking smile and Jayne felt the first stirring of nerves. “I believed I would never give in, that I was strong enough to resist an animalistic urge to mate. And perhaps that might have been true had it only been a
Ceangal
. But I
didnae
believe such a thing as a ‘proven bond’ existed.” His smile widened and Jayne found herself smiling back as he continued.

“Then, in the middle of the night, Jack Douglass arrived with Megan and I was forced to at least admit the
possibility
of a
Dearbh
Ceangal
. But that didn’t fit in with my beliefs, so I shut myself away and told myself it
didnae
make any difference.” He pushed his hand through his tousled hair and swept her with his golden eyes. “Even at the wedding, when I saw the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. Whose thoughts I could hear and whose heart I could feel. Even when my skin, my whole body was alive with the magic of her presence, my head
couldnae
accept that she was my
fìor
cèile
.” He skimmed his fingers down her cheek, Jayne’s heart pounded in her chest and she caught his hand in hers. “But my heart did. I love you, Jayne. I think I loved you from the moment I saw you standing in that garden in the moonlight. There’s no one else I could imagine spending the rest of my life with.”

Tears stung her eyes and she blinked them away and threw her arms around his neck. “I love you, too.” He squeezed her tightly, hands stroking her naked back, she felt his big body trembling as he set her away from him.

“Will you join with me, Jayne? Will you complete the
Dearbh
Ceangal
and let me be yours forever?”

“Yes.” She said it without hesitation but nerves still fluttered in her stomach and shook her body. Life as she knew it was about to take a fantastic turn and she didn’t know whether to be scared or excited by that. Then she saw the joy on Cam’s face and pushed her fears aside.

He reached for the silver box and opened the lid. Inside, nestled in red velvet was a
Sgian
Dubhs
. The knife was clearly very old with its carved horn handle and faded leather sheath. It had no ornamentation other than a blood-red stone held to the top of the hilt with silver. Cameron lifted it from its box and removed it from the sheath, light glinting from the polished blade.