All of his daughters were.
Just like that, I felt the sting of pain and abandonment all over again. Sensations that all four of us had experienced in our youth.Sensations I'd refused to feel again, so I had kept my father at arm's length after that. Now, here that pain was again, only this time because of Broderick, and somehow, it felt even worse. More cutting in a way that made it difficult to keep putting one foot in front of the other as the door loomed closer.
Even so, I wasn’t a coward and had no place to go but forward, so I followed Chara into the small dining chamber and faced what lay ahead with the same courage I had every other impactful moment in my life. Rather than sitting at the rectangular trestle table laden with wooden platters of scrumptious-smelling food, four men stood chatting in front of a sizeable fireplace with yet more dragons carved into it.
I might be brave, but I swallowed hard as we approached, and they turned our way. Though tall for a woman, they towered over me, all four broad-shouldered and well-muscled, their strong builds hardly hidden beneath their léines, or tunics, and plaids.
Even though Chara introduced me to everyone, including her husband, Marek, with his silvery hair, scarred temple, and aged good looks, before moving on to Lucas, with his blonde bearded handsomeness, and Kenneth, with his dark hair and equally good looks, my gaze was glued to the fourth man’s eyes.
To a deep sea green with swirls of sage that locked with mine.
Although I knew he spoke to me, I didn’t hear his deep, rich voice with its burr as if he were speaking aloud, but within parts of me I didn’t know existed, reverberating so intensely it seemed to heighten my awareness. Wrap around me. Pull me close. Sexually awaken me. Although his lips moved, I couldn’t hear past the way he made me feel as I finally saw him for the first time in his entirety.
As I saw just how painfully handsome my Scot of Yesteryear was.
With hair midnight black like mine, the five o’clock shadow on his strong jaw accentuated his chiseled, masculine features, making it impossible to look elsewhere. Unbelievably enough, he was a fraction taller and broader than the others, and it suited him. Suited the power I felt radiating from him, making it clear why he was in charge.
His inner dragon was powerful and would have it no other way.
Then, I sensed so much more. His inner compassion. A sense of humility that made his people love him. A man capable of great love…that hadfeltgreat love. Could it have been for me? Did he somehowknow of me as I’d known of him? Despite what Chara said, was I wrong for thinking he didn’t want me here?
As it turned out, I got my answer moments later.
CHAPTER FOUR
–Broderick–
“YOU SHOULD NOT be here, Aspen,” I forced past my lips after introductions were made, despite my inner beast being keenly aware of her.Tooaware of her, given I had seen Storm less than a day ago. Granted, she was in love with someone else and had completed what wolf shifters called their Fated Mate Cycle, bonding her to her mate forever, but still.
It was too soon to be drawn to another woman.
“Bloody hell, son,” my father muttered, apologizing to the raven-haired beauty who looked all the more stunning in my era’s clothing. In my clan’s colors, no less. While my mother could have put Aspen back into her own clothes, and our clan would have accepted her just fine, being familiar with time travelers, she opted to dress her in something she knew would appeal to me even more.
“You shouldn't be here without proper protection,” I clarified, despite being tempted to leave it at “you should not be here,Aspen,” because I wasn’t ready for her, nor what already simmered between us.
Not at all.
Not after years of hoping Storm and I might end up together.
I could not be blamed either. Not after the heartache I recently suffered, whether Storm knew it or not. I might not know Aspen well, but I knew she deserved better than someone who would not open his heart again anytime soon.
“Yet you never really opened your heart to Storm, did you?”my mother asked telepathically, keeping our conversation private.“You never told her how you felt any more than she told you.”
“Because she never felt the same,”I replied.“Not truly. Not beyond friendship, and now I know why.”
“Aye,”she replied.“She had a fated mate out there, which means she was not yours.”
I was about to reply, but we were drawn back into conversation as everyone sat down to eat. It didn’t go over my head that even though I sat at the head of the table, Aspen had been seated beside me where my father usually sat. Instead, he now sat across from me with my mother by his side. Kenneth was to Aspen’s left, and Lucas was across from them, and neither one was trying very hard to keep their eyes off her.
“We will see to your protection as long as you're here, Aspen,” I said dutifully.
“Thank you, Broderick, I appreciate that,” Aspen replied, clearing her throat after the impact of our initial meeting because I knew it affected her just as much as it had me. When her eyes locked on mine, I realized she remembered opening them in Kenneth’s arms days before. If possible, being in each other’s presence this time felt even more intense. Impactful in a way I couldn’t explain.
Everything had stilled inside me when she'd first entered the room, bringing my senses alive in a whole new way. Despite Mother making introductions, everything had gone silent in my mind as my dragon took notice of Aspen. Felt her out in a fashion it never had before, making my human half so acutely aware of her that I could hardly think, let alone focus on my mother's words. From the catch of Aspen's breath to the flutter of her heart, I had felt intensely part of another before the sensation lifted.
Undoubtedly fueled by my inner beast, it made me proceed with caution and push back against whatever my dragon was up to because its interest in her was unmistakable.
To that end, I remained detached and cordial after she thanked me for our protection. Mayhap a wee bit too detached, but it felt like the best course of action given my feelings for another woman.
