“How about a bath after I clean you up a bit?”
She nodded.
“I’ll turn the Jacuzzi on.” He picked up the phone by the bed and took it with him, punching in the numbers as he walked. “I’ve found her,” he said, when Ronan answered. “She’s alive.”
The whoop of joy on the other end made Faelan’s ear ring. It was a welcome change from Ronan’s silence. The entire clan was somber, but Ronan’s reaction was puzzling, as if it were his fault. Faelan had been too busy searching for Bree to find out what disturbed his friend. Faelan found washcloths and first aid supplies while he listened to Ronan yell out the news.
“Where was she?” Ronan asked.
“The time vault.”
“Inside? How the…
Faelan wasn’t sure himself. “Call off the search. Let Sean know, so he can get word to the other clans. Everyone should get some rest. I’ll catch up later.” Faelan knew Ronan wanted to ask questions, but they would have to wait. Faelan hung up and turned on the Jacuzzi, adjusting the water. He hurried back to her. “I called to let everyone know you’re safe,” he said, brushing her hair from her face. “They’re all here, Ronan, Declan, Duncan, Niall, all of them. Even Cody refused to leave.”
“My mother?”
“She doesn’t know. We wanted to wait…” He’d planned to wait until he knew for certain.
“Did we lose anyone in the battle?”
“Only Angus.” A fact that was remarkable in itself. Faelan cleaned the edges of the gash, cursing Druan when Bree bit back a cry. He wished he could bring the demon back for five minutes. “I’m sorry it was Jared. I know you cared for him. I should have insisted on meeting him.”
“We were so sure it was Russell. How did you get out of the dungeon? I went back, but you were gone.”
Faelan washed off the worst of the blood. “Conall followed you there. He found me.”
“It must have been him trying to get in the secret passage. Is he upset with me?”
“He’s too busy playing the hero.” Faelan grinned, the first in many days, then grew serious again. “I’d be dead if not for both of you. Druan had been waiting all this time for me.”
“He told me he’d been watching the place, and my family, for generations. He killed my grandmother because she wouldn’t let him dig. And Frederick.”
“He killed my father and Ian as well. And Alana’s first son.”
“Oh, Faelan.”
“They didn’t want to tell me until after Druan was gone, but I found my father’s pocket watch in your bedroom.” Faelan checked to see if the cut needed stitching. Probably not, but it might leave a scar.
“The only pocket watch I have belonged to… McGowan. He was—”
“My father.” Faelan swallowed. “He used the name so he wouldn’t be recognized.”
“That’s why he spent so much time in the graveyard, to be near you. Then it was your brother who found him. Remember, Isabel said he was so sad, and she thought she’d seen him somewhere.”
“It must have been Tavis. He looks like me. And Isabel did see me, a few days before I was suspended. When I met Grog at the tavern, Isabel, Frederick, and another man, probably Samuel, were getting out of their carriage. Isabel dropped her handbag. Which, by the way, was nearly as big as that thing you tote around. I helped her gather her things. She had the journal with her.”
“You met Isabel? Why didn’t you tell me? What was she like? What did she say?”
She would drive him mad with her curiosity, but God, he loved her. “I wasn’t paying much attention. I was too worried about Grog. Your bath is ready.” He carried her to the bathroom and helped her undress, feeling guilty for how her naked form affected him when he should be satisfied she was alive. He eased her into the bubbling water, soaking himself in the process. He took off his wet shirt and sat on the side of the tub, tempted to climb in with her. She didn’t need that now. She needed to heal. He discreetly adjusted his sporran and reached for her hand.
“There are things I need to say.” How did he explain what he felt for her? It was too big for words. More than just wanting to make a home with her, see dark-haired babies at her breast, and grow old with her. His very soul was connected to hers. But what if she didn’t want him? This was a different time. Women wanted more than a father for their children and a home. How would he survive if she turned him down? He took a breath for courage and spoke. “I can’t go back to my own time. I wouldn’t, even if I could. I belong here. With you. I know you’re… independent, and I’ll have to change the way I think about some things, but you’re mine. I mean, I’m yours. We belong together.”
“But what about mates?”
“You are my mate. I knew it the minute I saw you, but I didn’t trust my feelings, since you weren’t from my clan. Or my time.”
“You saw it in my eyes, like Ronan said?”
Faelan frowned. “Why were you talking to Ronan about mates?”
“He and Coira were explaining how it works.”
“I did see it in your eyes, but I thought it was the time vault messing with my senses. Then I got the mark on my neck. A mate mark. It didn’t seem possible.”
“What about the whole related-to-the-clan thing?”
“That’s where it gets interesting. I found Isabel’s journal. I’m sure you’ve read the genealogy chart in the front.
