"How are you, lass?" Duncan asked me. He was currently occupying the seat where Riley occupied a few minutes ago.
The woman was in the kitchen feeding the kids. My new friend left me and faced the kids rather than joining me. Well, I cannot blame her. She was new to town. And speaking to the laird was not at the top of her list.
She did send over a plate full of mini cream puffs. If she was trying to fatten me up, she was succeeding. I made a mental note to at least exercise for the next few days and to avoid visiting her shop.
"After the bomb that you dropped? No," I replied. Yeah, I sound sour but could people blame me?
"Julie, lass," Duncan began.
"It's fine, Duncan, I am okay. I understand." Who was I kidding? Myself apparently. Showing my bad side was something I was not proud of, yet this man was in front of me. His eyes were so focused on me that I had to look away from him. Because if I don't, I would be pulled into his gaze, and I wouldn't be able to think straight.
"I am a paranormal romance writer. You, being a god, made me think that all the things that I have been writing about might actually be true," I glanced at him. The grin that was on his face told me I was on the right track.
"Really? All of them are…" I let my words fade as realization dawned on me.
He was nodding, which only meant one thing. All of them, all of the creatures I have read and made a romance story of, were real.
"Each pantheon of every fraction and region has a task to look over the creatures you have been writing about. As King, it is my duty to look over my subjects," Duncan explained.
"Modern technology is both a blessing and a curse for gods like us." The irony could clearly be heard in his voice. "The sudden boom of that sensitive machinery made it impossible for us to travel undetected. Most of the oldest and most stubborn Immortals refuse to bend or obey the rules each pantheon has placed."
Duncan shook his head and it was clear that he was not happy with the turn of events. Being exposed to the world to see was not something that people want. Looks like gods do too.
"All gods came from different nations, right? So it means a different outlook, different religion, and different culture. All of you are bound to fight at some point. How?" I asked.
As an author of paranormal romance, the level of research I do for my books takes months to accomplish. Ideas would sprout, but the actual writing takes place when the sprout had become a tree and was blooming. It was my editor who noticed my pattern.
["The only way for you to write well, Julie, is for your imagination to bloom. The words I read now, are nothing compared to when you are on the roll. Everything blend so well that you cannot distinguish reality and fantasy."]
I could still remember what he said that day. He flew from America to Scotland just to have me under the wing of the publishing house he was in.
I looked at Duncan who was silently contemplating how to answer my question. He was the King of Tuatha Dé Danann. There were things a human should not know. I winced. I must have asked the wrong question.
"Our treaty is complicated. We are not allowed to meddle in other pantheon affairs unless it is direly needed. Like what happened to South Korea," He sounded so tired.
"You were in Korea because?"
"Because some younglings thought that they could break rules and get away from it." The air inside the room began to drop. Whatever caused Duncan to fly to Korea must be something that really ticked him off.
I sigh. Making him angry in a public place is not a good idea. I could see that people are already feeling the sudden drop in temperature.
"Come on, Duncan. I need to walk all the calories I just ate. You might as well join me," I told him.
Gads, I could see the glint of happiness in his eyes. It was like he was going on a date with the words I just told him. He picked up the plate of mini cream puff and proceeded to walk to the kitchen at the back like he owns the damned place.
I shook my head and went outside. The kids were eating, and knowing them, they adjusted their needs to me. Each time I see them smile and have fun, ease the pain that I might have done something irreversible when I hauled our small family here.
The door of the bakery opened and Duncan walked out of the store with a bag of more than just the cream puff we carried in the kitchen. "What happened to my cream puff?" I asked as he held out the take-out bag.
"They are still there. Riley told me to take the other cake home. So that is what I would be doing." Duncan reached for my free hand and entwined our fingers as we walked the not-so-busy streets of Strathpeffer.
I knew people were looking at us. Their Laird was walking, hand in hand, with a woman. Something that I would bet they have never seen. How do I know? The look on their faces said it all. There was a mixture of happiness, curiosity, and skepticism.
"We are drawing attention," I told him.
He grinned down at me, threw his arm over my shoulder, and pulled me close. He kissed my forehead and replied, "I don't really care, lass. I have you beside me, that is all I care about."
I could feel my face heat up, and my inside melt. Duncan was as smooth as butter. His words were like a good dose of vitamin C. I feel like I am basking under the sun but without much sunburn.
However, when I looked into his eyes, I knew that this was not the kind of burn that would be good for me. Once I accepted his claims, Hell would break loose, and what I am afraid of was not for me.
But my children.
"How is the new book coming along?"
I was taken aback by his question. I ha d to stop walking to fully absorb what he wanted to know.
"How..."
He looked back at me and smiled, "I have been reading your books since you began your debut, lass." His grin was back in place. Gads, I wanted to wipe that smile from his face at the same time, I wanted to kiss him senseless. "They are...interesting."
Of course, they were for him. All the books I have written were about Celtic gods. They, so it should be interesting. "I am looking forward to reading more about my people." He then resumed walking.
I stood there, mouth agape. The audacity of this man is beyond me. A part of me wanted to hit him at the back of his head, but I knew a part of me wanted something more. In the end, I just closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Duncan was determined to have me, and I am still unsure why.
Duncan stopped in the middle of the road and looked back at me. He was a bit far from me, yet I could feel his eyes were on me. Gauging me, trying to understand what was inside my mind.
"I can't read you."
Angus's words suddenly pop into my mind. Somehow, I knew that gods could read the minds of humans. I have read that much information to come to that conclusion. Knowing that they were true gave me shivers.
Was that the reason they could never be detected? They were able to read what was inside a person's mind, making each move smooth and not complicated.
These gods and goddesses have been alive as long as the world was created. I guess it was the only way for them to survive.
Duncan smiled that mega-watt smile that made me wet and gooey inside. Why was this man so charming? Like I want to be mad at him but I cannot. He then held out his hand for me.
I looked at it. Myriad thoughts were swirling inside me. Trepidation, weariness, doubts, and a whole dose of fear, yet despite all those negative thoughts, I reached out and held on to his hand.
The moment our hands were entwined, I was enveloped in a peacefulness that I never expected. All the things that were in my head vanished, and were replaced with a calmness that was rare for me to have.
"How?" I whispered.
"I am guessing that Angus had told you that he cannot read your mind. He is not the only one. Jane had tried the very second you met," Duncan kissed my knuckles before he tugged me close to his side. "She was happy. Ever since we have mingled with humans, we could always read their minds. Yet here you are," he said with a smile.
"A wretch in a perfectly good device?" I had to ask.
"No, you were a breath of sunshine for us," he answered.
"Immortals can be around you without shielding their mental defenses. And from the years you have worked at The Belle, the whole place was a paradise for gods." Duncan casually said.
I felt my knees buckle and I would have fallen if Duncan did not catch me.
Gods. I have been housing gods ever since I came to Scotland. Beings that I have been writing about. Beings that were considered fiction. It was scary and Jane never told me.
Not once.
"Jane gave clear instructions. NO ONE is to talk to you. Inside The Belle, they are clients. People who came to rest and have a good time. Even the humans that you employ their minds could not be read inside the grounds. But once out of The Belle, the Natural shield simply vanished." Duncan carried me bridal style and he started walking off-road.
"Put me down, Duncan," I asked him. The man simply dropped a kiss on my forehead and continued walking. Defeated, I wrapped my arms around his neck, leaned my head on his shoulder, and just enjoyed being carried.
After all, this time I was conscious, not like the first time.
There was a hint of coldness in the air, knowing that the Highlands was a bit more wild than the other places in Scotland, I mentally made a list of things to prepare for the guests that were to stay on The Belle for the next few months.
"Do I need to stock some thicker blankets? Most of my guests are immortal. So, meaning everyone's body temperature should be able to adjust to the harsh Highlands weather right?" I asked Duncan.
"Lass, you still have human guests. Just treat them like normal humans," Duncan replied. "They are there because you gave them the peace of mind they long to have. Yes, we can shield our minds from constantly hearing your thoughts. Eventually though, like any other being, it drains us."
I was so engrossed in my thoughts and his voice that I didn't bother to look around me.
The place where he took me was breathtaking.
A castle could be seen not far, and when I looked at the ground, there was even a worn-out path that leads to it. We stopped at a lone picnic table near a loch. I have no idea the name of this loch, but it had an ominous look about it.
He placed me on the bench before he deposited the bag of goodies that Riley gave us. How he managed to carry both of us I will not be asking. Duncan sat beside me before taking all the food out of the bag.
There were two thermal mugs and some paper plates with a knife and some spoons and forks. I looked at him. An eyebrow raised and asked, "Are we having a picnic?"
"No, lass, we are having a date," Duncan replied.
"Say what?" I asked.
"A date," replied Duncan.
"When did I agree to have a date with you?"
"Who said that I asked?" he questioned back.
"So this is a form of kidnapping…"
"Would you like me to take you to the laird's house to file a complaint?"
"Would the laird even listen to my words? After all, he was the one who bought me her."
Duncan laughed. A full belly laugh that made my insides turn into goo. His laugh was sexy as hell. And from the way he let it out, I would bet that he doesn't laugh much.
"Ah, Julie, lass," he said. Duncan drew me into his arms and kissed my forehead. I felt him sigh and after a few seconds, he whispered, "Thank you."
"For what?"
"For making me feel alive again. And it seems like, whenever I am around you, the voices around me stop."
"You mean the thoughts that you can hear?"
I only got a nod from him.
It was my turn to sigh as the reality of what had been happening to me for the past several years sunk in.
First, Jane was an immortal person who had been alive for as long as the earth has.
Second, The Belle was actually a place where immortals young and old go to relax and have fun.
Third, I was a person who had a null effect on all immortals' ability in reading minds. Making The Belle a perfect place for immortals to relax and just be alone.
Fourth, Jane must have known something. And it made her do all the kinda things for me.
Fifth, Duncan had known about me far longer than I have known about him.
And that should irk me, right?
Why don't I feel irked then? Why do I feel o belong to this man, being? Why do I feel like he was? the only person I can lean on that would never break? Why does it feel right to be in his company?
He must have seen or felt something was off about me. He picked my hand and laced our fingers together. All my negative thoughts died instantly. I was suddenly covered in the peacefulness that was so rare for me.
And that scares me.
Because for the longest time, I felt protected.
And I know, that being vulnerable was something I didn't want to be.
Not again.
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