Logan (8 page)

Everything in her world ground to a halt. Ice-cold fear surged. Drawing in a deep breath, she controlled it, schooled her features before she turned around to face him. She didn’t take a step back, but it was a close call.
 

“What?”
 

“Oh, I thought you knew who I was.”
 

She would not be swayed by his charm, or the fact that he was so bloody pretty. “No you didn’t. You introduced yourself.”
 

“No, I meant before I talked to you. I thought maybe you would know who I was, considering the situation.”
 

She nodded and turned, stepping up to the counter. She paid for the little snow globe and walked out of the store, ignoring the heat that was now racing over her flesh. He was the enemy and Anice had learned a long time ago to stay away from that particular group of men. It was a hard lesson to learn, but one that she would never forget.
 

As she hurried down the street, she silently berated herself. A
McWalton
. She had gotten weak in the knees with lust for her Clan’s enemy.
 

“Anice,” he yelled out, just before she turned the corner. Dammit. What did she ever do to deserve this? Nothing. She had always been a good girl. Considering God had stuck her with an annoying brother and equally annoying cousins, she had always thought she would get some good karma in return. Apparently not.
 

With a sigh, she turned and faced him. Bloody hell, he was gorgeous. Most of the last few lairds from that particular family had been kind of lazy and fat. This man…she bit back a sigh. He would tempt even a saintly woman to sin…and she definitely wasn’t a woman anyone would refer to in that manner.
 

“I didn’t give you the right to call me by my Christian name.”
 

He stopped in front of her, his smile dimming just a bit. He nodded in acknowledgement.  “My apologies. Ms. Lennon, I just wanted to introduce myself.”
 

“Well, you have. Now, go away.”
 

Instead of being offended like most of his predecessors, he chuckled. “You have a reputation for being a spitfire.”
 

“What do you mean by that?”
 

He studied her for a moment or two. “In business. I’ve heard a lot of people say you are definitely someone to keep an eye on.”
 

She said nothing to that.
 

“Do you think I could buy you a drink?”
 

“You could, but I’m not in the mood to deal with a McWalton at the moment.”
 

And saying nothing, she turned and walked away. She wasn’t running, but it was a close call. It was something she learned long ago. Never turn your back on a McWalton unless you are ready to run.
 

*  *  *  *
 

Gavin watched as Anice disappeared around the corner and sighed. He had wanted to approach her, but he hadn’t expected that jolt. It had left him a bit overwhelmed, and that was the only reason she got out of the shop before he could stop her.
 

Even now, he felt slightly off centered. The woman was gorgeous. He knew she was, he’d seen pictures of her, but seeing her in person had his head spinning.
Bloody hell,
he hadn’t had a reaction like this for a long time. After being in the cool air for just a few seconds, her skin had grown rosy, and she looked almost…well sweet.
 

His car pulled up to the curb, and a window slid down.
 

“Are you going to need the car, sir?” Bradford said.
 

Gavin shook his head. “No. I’ll walk for a bit.”
 

He started down the street and welcomed the cold. His body was humming. Actually humming. The frigid air would do him good.
 

The rays of the midafternoon sun filled the office Phoebe shared with Callum. It kept the room somewhat cozy even though it was chilly out. She glanced at Callum’s empty chair and smiled. Who would have thought that a science geek like her would capture such an amazing man? He was irritating and broody, but he was hers.
 

 Contentment filled her, as she settled in her chair and started to work on the diary. Today she was enjoying a little alone time. The family she had gained when she married Callum was wonderful, but they could be a little overwhelming at times. For a girl who grew up in libraries and study halls, she needed some peace every now and then.
 

She was starting to gain some of her energy back, now that she was no longer vomiting all over the place. Still, she found it hard to go all day without at least taking a break. Right now, she felt well enough to keep going.
 

She turned the page and started working on the next few lines. It wasn’t particularly hard to do, which was odd. The witches who had written the book were a sadistic bunch of bitches, in her opinion. Most of the quatrains, lines, and passages took her forever to get through.
 

  As Phoebe read over the passage she had just translated, something cold danced over her nerve endings. She blinked, but it still read the same.
 

 “That can’t be right,” she murmured. Fear was already settling in her heart.
 

She translated it twice more and found that it didn’t change one bit.
 

Once the quest is started
 

There is no turning back
 

While the lives of the five will always be safe
 

Failure’s penance is the lives of the ones they hold dear.
 

“Phoebe, are you all right?” Anice asked.
 

She looked up from her desk in surprise. She had been so focused on translating that she hadn’t realized Anice had come into the office.
 

“Y-yes. I just need to step away from the desk.”
 

She shut the diary and her book where she worked on the translations. She didn’t need Anice to see what she had just worked out. Phoebe knew without a doubt, Anice would tell Callum. Phoebe needed a way to break the news to her husband. Oh, and to Angus. This was not going to be easy.
 

She rose but wobbled when the room started to spin.
 

“Oy,” Anice said, as she grabbed Phoebe. “Come on over to the sofa here and lay down.”
 

“I’m not an invalid.”
 

“No, but you are pregnant and you need rest.”
 

Anice helped her sit down, then made her lay all the way down. Anice sat on the trunk in front of the sofa. Her brows drew down as her frown turned darker.
 

“You cannot get sick. None of us will be able to handle it. And, I don’t want to deal with Callum if you have complications.”
 

If she only knew, Anice would go mental. Bloody hell, she was ready to go a little crazy at the moment. What the hell was she going to tell the Clan? They would all freak out a little, and for Angus and Callum…it would be worse. Maggie wasn’t pregnant yet, but both she and Angus had not been shy about their desire for more children.
 

“What?” Anice asked.
 

Phoebe looked at Anice, who was frowning at her.
 

“What, what?” she asked.
 

“There was a look on your face. Something that looked bad.”
 

Phoebe shook her head, doing her best to look dismissive. “You’re imagining things.”
 

Anice crossed her arms beneath her breasts and gave her a hard stare. Damn Scot. Phoebe was always surrounded by the whole bloody lot of them, and they all had an opinion. On top of that, they rarely kept those opinions to themselves.
 

“No, you definitely had a look.”
 

She had to think fast. Anice wasn’t stupid and probably the sharpest one of the bunch. It wasn’t going to be easy to fool the youngest McLennan.
 

Phoebe sent an apology to the heavens as she lied. She set her hand on her abdomen and did her best to look sincere.
 

 “Well, if you must know, I’m worried about the pregnancy. About the baby and what a world will be like for the child of an immortal. But I can’t actually ask my doctor about that.”
 

Anice sighed and nodded. Her frown dissolved. “I can understand that. I was worried you’d read something in the diary that made you worry.”
 

Ashamed she had to lie, Phoebe shook her head. She hated that, hated lying. From the moment she had realized what the Clan actually was, Callum and she had a strict rule of no lies. Now she was going to have to fib at least for a little while.
 

“So, what did you come to see me about?”
 

Anice shook her head. “No. You need to rest. It was trivial.”
 

“No. It will help take my mind off feeling dizzy and nauseous.”
 

“Are you sure?”
 

Phoebe nodded.
 

“I ran into the new laird today.”
 

There was something in Anice’s voice that alerted Phoebe that this wasn’t just a normal meeting.
 

“Gavin McWalton?”
 

Anice nodded and rose to walk around the room. It was an odd thing for her to do, so Phoebe waited.
 

“Yes. It was like he was stalking me.”
 

Alarm spread through her. The McWaltons were not to be trusted. The newest laird seem to be somewhat normal and didn’t seem all that interested in the curse. That didn’t mean anything though. Phoebe’s past experience with the last laird had almost gotten her killed.  
 

“We need to tell Callum,” she said.
 

“No.”
 

Phoebe blinked at the ferocity in Anice’s voice. “What?”
 

Anice sighed. “I don’t want to bother Callum. He has a lot on his mind, and I might have been imagining it.”
 

There was something in her tone, something that told her Anice was trying to hide something.
 

“Did something happen?”
 

Anice flushed and looked away, but not before Phoebe recognized the guilt in Anice’s eyes.
 

She took Anice’s hand and stopped her from walking around. With a tug, she got her to sit down again. “What?”
 

The youngest cousin sighed. “He was quite attractive.”
 

“I’ve seen the pictures. He’s considered a catch, even though his family is in dire straits financially. All the gossip rags like to write about him.”
 

“Really? I hadn’t noticed.”
 

“You don’t read them. And if you tell your cousin I do, I will be very mean to you.”
 

Anice smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. Phoebe squeezed her hand. “Tell me.”
 

“Before I knew who he was…well, I was attracted to him.”
 

Some of her alarm faded. Guilt. That she could deal with. “Is that it?”
 

“You donna understand.”
 

“Explain it to me.”
 

She shook her head. “I cannot. Not just yet. The family, they haven’t been kind to us.”
 

There was more to it than that, but Phoebe knew that pushing any of the cousins would result in an impasse. It was always best to let them come to her. And she knew that the McWaltons had been particularly bad to the entire family. This was something that was personal
 

“All right. But don’t feel guilty. I’ve seen the pictures. He’s what Meg would call a hottie.”
 

Anice smiled.
 

“Is that a fact?” Callum said from the doorway. “And just who is this hottie?”
 

Phoebe chuckled. “None of your business.”
 

“If you won’t tell me that, will you tell me why you are laying about?”
 

Callum asked the question in a very deceptively calm voice. Since she’d announced her pregnancy, he had been anything but calm. It was
 

“I was just a little dizzy.”
 

Concern stamped his features, as he walked toward her. Anice rose to give him a place to sit down. He took Phoebe’s hand, as his gaze roved over her as if assuring himself she was all right.
 

“I think we should call Dr. Whitaker.”
 

Of course he did. He thought she should call her obstetrician when she had the hiccups. “No.”
 

His expression grew darker. “You’re sick. We need to call.”
 

Lord, this was going the wrong way and fast. “We do not. It is perfectly normal to feel like this. If I were in pain, I would go, but I am not.”
 

He continued to frown, but apparently had decided to give up the fight for once. “Anice, could you get her some tea and crackers?”
 

Anice looked relieved to head out of the room. “Be right back.”
 

Once they were alone Callum said, “What was that about?”
 

“I will not be spilling secrets.”
 

He grunted. “Women always stick together.”
 

“Anice needs a confidant. She hasn’t had one before.”
 

Callum looked offended. “She had us.”
 

Phoebe rolled her eyes. “I cannot imagine just how smashing that must have been for a teenage girl.”
 

Callum made a face. “It was actually horrible for us. Can you imagine those teenage hormones, all that crying? It was a disaster.”
 

She bit her bottom lip, trying not to laugh. Thinking of the three older male cousins and her brother dealing with teen angst was kind of funny.