Fire on the Island (17 page)

Peeling back
the covers for him, she waited while he climbed into the bed. She then changed
into her pajama pants and t-shirt to slide in beside him. Turning on her side,
she watched him intently. "Jeremiah."

He gave her no
response at first, so she repeated herself, and he finally turned his head to
look at her. She thought he looked sick, and she was seriously beginning to
worry. "Tell me what you need."

"Warm.
I—I've just gotta get warm." The slurring was worse now. Isla sat up and
quickly shed her clothing. Scooting closer to him under the covers, she wrapped
her whole body around him, rubbing his arms with her hands, his legs with her
legs.

After what
seemed like hours, but was probably only minutes, the shuddering slowly began
to ease, and his breathing slowed. As he slept, she kept herself wrapped around
him, afraid of letting him get cold again. She studied his profile in the dark
for long moments, felt his chest rising and falling steadily under her hand. He
looked younger under the veil of sleep, worry lines eased and thick, dark
lashes dusted over chiseled cheekbones. He had become so dear to her so
quickly, she didn't want to let go for fear that he would slip away from her.
Once she was satisfied that he had slipped into a deep, healing sleep, she
closed her eyes and allowed herself to drift.

Jeremiah awoke
with Isla still twined around him, naked and warm. Taking a moment to bask in
the blissful warmth that he thought would never again permeate the bone-deep
chill, he buried his face in her hair and breathed deeply.

When she
burrowed closer in response, he raised his face to take her mouth in a slow,
leisurely kiss. She sighed into his mouth when he pulled her leg higher to hook
over his hipbone and slipped into her where they lay.

Unlike the
white-hot flash of passion that they had experienced before, this was a slow burn
smoldering between them, but no less potent. It was a slow dance of lazy
strokes and easy kisses set to a symphony of skin sliding against
sweat-dampened skin.

When she began
to clutch at his lower back and graze his shoulder with her teeth, he knew she
was close, and that caused his own release to build at a fever pitch. Just as
he felt her body bow, taut muscles shuddering, his climax gripped him as he
matched her thrust for thrust.

He kissed her
deep, enjoying her unique flavor. "Mornin'," he said with a smile.

Her brow
furrowed, and that full lower lip stuck out just a bit in a sort of pout,
making him want to nip at it. So he did, enjoying the little whimper that she
tried to hold in. Placing a hand on his chest, she angled her upper body back
so that she could look in his eyes.

"You
really scared me."

A line of worry
formed between her brows, and he reached up to smooth his fingers over it.
"I know, I'm sorry. Scared myself a little there, actually."

"Why didn't
you tell anyone how bad off you were?"

"I didn't
really know right away. I was all caught up in helping get Rory to the
hospital, and worryin' about you—you looked so pale and tired after—well, you
know. It didn't hit me that I might be in trouble until the ride back over
here. At that point, there was really nothing left to do but ride it out."

She seemed to
mull that over for a moment, and then launched herself at him, embracing him
with a surprising strength. "God, don't scare me like that again,"
she whispered. "Don't know what I would do if anything happened to
you."

While it wasn't
exactly a declaration of undying love, her words sent his spirit soaring. He
returned her hug and kissed her hair. "I'll try to oblige."

Disentangling
herself from him, she rose and walked to the bureau to gather her clothes for
the day. When she was heading out the door toward the bathroom, Jeremiah's
voice stopped her.

"Where're
you going?" he asked, stretching like a cat and tucking his arms behind
his head.

Chuckling, she
tossed a pair of his pants at him, which happened to hit him in the face.
"I'm going to brush my teeth and get dressed. Some of us have to work,
Doctor
Rousseau."

Giving her an
exaggerated eye roll, he dragged himself out of bed and dressed. When they met
again in the kitchen, he captured her mouth in a tender kiss that caused her
toes to curl in her sneakers.

"Got a
tour today or are you riding the pine?"

"I have a
kayak tour this morning, then I'm off for the afternoon. Amy's on desk duty,
Brynna's got the afternoon tours so she can break in our new guide, Braeden,
and Cal's off today."

Jeremiah pulled
a chair out from the kitchen table and gestured for her to sit down. Taking his
own seat across from her, he fixed her with a serious gaze. "Good. That's
good. There's something I've been wanting to run by you, but...well, we've been
busy."

"Okay,"
she said, eyeing him a bit warily.

"I think
we should tell Callum what's going on. Jack too, I guess, since Cal will
probably tell him anyway."

She narrowed
her eyes at him. "Jeremiah, they're my best friends. I can't afford having
them thinking I've gone 'round the bend."

"Darlin',
those boys love you. Even if they did think you were crazy, they'd love you
anyway," he said, giving her his signature crooked grin. "Besides, I
think they'll surprise you. I'm sure they can tell something strange is going
on."

Isla chewed on
her fingernail absently as she thought it over. Reluctantly, she heaved a sigh
and nodded. "Alright, we can fill them in. I just hope we won't regret
it."

"I don't
think we will. We need all the backup we can get. You get to work, I'll call
Cal and set it up."

Gathering up
her things, Isla pressed a chaste kiss on his lips and turned to leave. Snaking
out a hand, he grabbed her wrist to spin her around. He closed his mouth over
hers in a hot branding of lips on lips and slid his tongue inside, caressing
her velvety softness.

Sighing, she
slipped her hands under the hem of his shirt and raked her nails up his back,
giving him chills. He pulled his mouth from hers with one last nip at her lower
lip. "Have a nice day."

Chapter
Fifteen

As Isla headed
off to work, Jeremiah put in a call first to the Expeditions office.

"Expeditions,
this is Amy," came the bright reply.

"Mornin' Amy,
this is Jeremiah Rousseau."

"Hey,
Jeremiah! I heard there was trouble yesterday. How's our girl?"

"Still
truckin', as usual. She's on her way in right now. Said she had a kayak tour
this morning?"

"Uh huh.
She's taking a family of five around the fisheries in Lamlash Bay, out by the
Holy Isle. Why?"

"Got room
for one more?"

"Sure!
Can't get enough, huh?"

"Something
like that," Jeremiah agreed. Of course he wanted to see Isla, but he also
worried about her. Who knew when and where Alastore would strike again.

"Alright,
I got you booked. Better get a move on, van leaves in an hour. Oh, and no
discounts for sleeping with the guide."

"Oh, come
on, Amy!" he said, laughing.

"Just
sayin'. See you soon."

"Bye,
Amy." Shaking his head, he ended the call and opened the keypad to dial
Callum. It was time to fill the boys in on everything that had happened.

Callum's loud
voice boomed over the end of the line. "Oi, mate! What's shakin'?"

"Hey, Cal.
Got a couple of questions for you."

"Sure
thing, Doc. Shoot."

Barely suppressing
the eye roll at the
doc
moniker, Jere chuckled. "First, I need to
keep my hands busy at home so I don't bury myself in my work and make my editor
have a conniption."

He continued
when Cal grunted out a laugh. "You mind if I do a little work on the
porch? I found a couple of loose boards, so I thought I could fix them, maybe
refinish and paint it. What do you say?"

"Sure
thing, brother. I'd be stupid to pass up some free home improvement."

"Great!
The other reason I was calling was to see if you and Jack wanted to get
together with me and Isla tonight. We have some things we'd like to run by
you."

"Must be a
mind reader, my friend. We were actually going to invite you two to dinner
tonight. Our place at six. How's that sound?"

"Perfect. Thanks,
Cal. We'll see you tonight."

Isla was in the
equipment room pulling out wetsuits and life preservers for her kayak tour when
Amy came in, smiling like the Cheshire Cat.

"Added one
to your tour," she said, clearly trying to act innocent.

Not taking the
bait, Isla continued checking over the equipment. "That's good. We're
heading into the slow season so we can use the business."

Pouting, Amy
studied her fingernails for a moment then turned around and flounced out of the
room. Isla rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to preparing for the
tour. Whatever hot guy Amy booked on the tour or juicy tidbit of gossip she
had, Isla wasn't interested. She was too busy worrying about the upcoming
powwow with the boys.

Jeremiah had
texted to tell her that Callum had invited them to dinner. No turning back now,
she thought, stomach turning a little somersault.

Hearing the
bells on the front door jangle, she rose from the cedar bench in the equipment
room and walked out into the lobby to greet their guests. Amy was checking in
the Roarke family, a middle-aged couple from Wisconsin and their three boys,
when the door opened again.

Squinting her
eyes, Isla watched as a large form filled the doorway, backlit by the early
morning sun. Tall, she noted passively, head barely clearing the top of the
door frame. Massive shoulders nearly filled the width of the door. This must be
Amy's “plus one,” she thought.

The man stepped
into the lobby, out of the glare of the sun, and her breath caught when she
glimpsed the mop of shaggy brown hair and devilish grin. Jeremiah. When he
winked at her, she returned his smile despite herself.

Amy bit back a
smile as she made her way over to Isla to introduce their patrons.
"Cheryl, Tom, this is Isla. She'll be your guide today."

Isla shook
hands first with an average-looking man with an amiable smile, and then with
his plump, pretty wife. "Good to meet you. I'm glad you could join us,
looks like we're going to have perfect weather."

"Oh, yes,
it's lovely," Cheryl said, then gestured toward the three clean-cut boys
behind her. "These are our boys, Isaac, Jacob, and Caleb."

Flashing each
boy a smile, Isla shook hands with them as well. "Is this your first time
kayaking?" she asked. Isaac, the oldest at fourteen, looked at her shyly.
"Yes, ma'am."

"None of
that," she said, dimple flashing. "You can call me Isla."

Isaac cut his
eyes over to his mother, who nodded discreetly. "Thanks, Isla."

"Guys,
this is Jeremiah. He's a friend of mine and he'll be joining us."

After they all
got acquainted, Amy led them into the equipment room to gear up, leaving Isla
briefly alone with Jeremiah. Without a word he pulled her into a tight hug and
smiled down on her. "Missed you."

"You saw
me less than an hour ago," she teased, laughing.

"What can
I say? I got it bad." The sudden heat in his gaze gave her goosebumps as
she raised her face for his kiss.

When they
finally drew apart, she narrowed her eyes suspiciously at him. "Are you
here because you want to see me, because you are dying to kayak, or because you
want to keep an eye on me?"

"Can't it
be all three?" he asked.

"I guess
so. You'll have to keep up with me."

"Duly
noted," he said, looking decidedly unworried.

"Come on,
let's get you suited up."

Taking his
hand, she pulled him into the equipment room where Amy was fitting everyone
with life preservers. The Roarkes were all grinning like kids and checking each
other out in their wet suits.

Amy tossed
Jeremiah a suit and jerked a thumb at the door behind her. "Changing
room's back there. Hurry up!"

When everyone
had suits, windbreakers, life jackets, and appropriately sized paddles, Isla
headed for the door. "Follow me outside and we'll pick out your boats. You
can choose a single or a double."

They made their
way to the boat rack where multi-colored kayaks were carefully stacked one on
top of the other. Cheryl and Tom chose a double boat, while the rest of them
picked out singles. Isla, together with Jeremiah, Tom, and Amy, loaded the
boats onto a trailer that was hitched to the company van.

With everyone
piled in, Isla maneuvered the van on the short trip to the small, sandy beach
at Lamlash Bay. Once the boats were unloaded onto the beach, she gave a quick
overview on steering and paddling and assisted the Roarkes with casting off.

Wading into the
water, Jeremiah climbed into his own kayak and paddled in a slow circle while
Isla launched hers. He had kayaked a few times, and while he was by no means an
expert, he could hold his own.

They circled
the shallows of the bay while the family got the hang of paddling. Finally,
when Isla felt that they were comfortable enough, they forged on, following the
curve of the coast.

Relaxing,
Jeremiah took in the scenery. Two thirds of the bay was cradled by Arran's
coast, while the passageway out to open water was interrupted by the looming
bulk of the Holy Isle, a small mountain island that housed a monastery and a
colony of monks.

Off in the
distance, he could see large circular structures made of pipe and netting,
which Isla had told him were the fisheries—breeding areas for farmed salmon. He
breathed deep of the salt sea air and paddled on, enjoying watching Isla
helping the kids to straighten out their boats.

Eventually,
they were all skimming the water at a fast clip, heading toward the southern
tip of the Holy Isle. He had skirted the group and was paddling side by side
with Isla. He smiled when he heard the boys giggling behind him.

Turning his
face to Isla, he saw the pure joy written across hers. When the small group
neared the fisheries, the salmon started breaching in earnest. Hundreds of the
fish flopped into the air and landed with great splashes, causing the Roarke
boys to hoot with laughter. That explains the nets, Jeremiah thought.

They remained
there for a while, paddling back and forth between the three structures,
watching the antics of the fish and taking pictures. After a half hour, Isla
motioned for the group to follow her again, and they rounded the fisheries to
head back toward the beach from the other end of the bay.

Jeremiah and
Isaac started an impromptu race, taking deep strokes into the cold water to
push themselves onward, their boats skimming over the water. Afterwards, they
floated, bobbing with the subtle current generated by the gently blowing
breeze, and waited for the others to catch up.

Because he was
ahead of her, Jeremiah saw it first. Flames sparked on the surface of the water
some twenty feet from where his boat drifted and traveled in an arching line
like a lit fuse.

"What in
the hell?" he mumbled, looking helplessly over his shoulder as Isla and
the others approached.

"Hmm?"
Isaac asked, looking over at him with a lazy smile. Confused, Jere glanced back
at Isla and she gave an almost imperceptible shake of her head. Jeremiah
examined the faces of the other kayakers as they laughed and joked with one
another. They didn't see it, he thought as the wall of fire rolled into a wide
circle around the six boats.

The sound was
deafening, the ring of fire creating a leaping, roaring cauldron around them.
Jeremiah reached out with his paddle so that Isla could grasp it and pull
herself closer. They floated there in the water, boats bumping against one
another, and watched in horror as the flames closed in.

The Roarkes had
lashed their boats together with some bungee cords Isla had brought and were
busying themselves with snacks from their drybags. They were seemingly
oblivious to the ominous circle of roaring fire. "It's not real,"
Isla whispered, but her death grip on Jeremiah's hand belied her confidence.

Breathing hard,
Jeremiah nodded. "Just a trick."

"Oh God,
what if he possesses one of them out here? It could get us all killed."
Her breath hitched in a silent sob.

Jeremiah
squeezed her hand tightly. "You saved Rory, you can save them too."

He watched as
Isla stared hard at the wall of fire around them, and she seemed to reach deep
inside herself to hidden reserves of energy. Marduk had taught her to visualize
energy as solid objects so, best he could figure, she would imagine a wall
between them and the unholy fire, and use her own energy to create it.

A hissing sound
filled the air, and a slender form slipped through the crackling fire to hover
before them, feet never quite touching the water. Alastore, or his projection
of himself, was dressed all in black so that his pale white skin seemed to glow
in contrast.

Hard,
translucent eyes glared out at them, with their shadows jumping and swirling
from a handsome but sharp face, black hair swept back away from a high forehead
marked with a glyph of an eye. As they watched him warily, thin lips peeled
back to form a ghastly smile, revealing razor sharp teeth.

As Jeremiah
looked on in horror, he was instantly transported to that Halloween night
twenty years ago when he faced a very similar creature. He had begun to
remember it in more detail since visiting Mhairi, but seeing Alastore brought
it all back in vivid detail.

Jeremiah wasn't
a witch, but even he could feel Alastore's power, his hatred, straining against
the barrier Isla had formed between him and his ring of fire and their small
group of kayakers.

When he spoke,
they could hear his human voice, but also the demon inside him. "You will
never defeat me."

Just as quickly
as they had come, the fire—and Alastore—were gone. Isla pinched the bridge of
her nose as if she had a headache. They were both shaking and panting from fear
and shock, but the Roarkes were blessedly unaware.

"Alright
guys, let's pack it in," she said, pointing her boat toward the shore and
beginning to paddle briskly. The other kayakers fell in behind her, talking
back and forth to each other over the sound of the surf hitting the hulls of
their boats.

After they
pulled their boats ashore and stowed them in the boat rack at the beach, ready
for the next tour, they all piled into the van for the ride back.

~~~

When Isla
arrived at Callum and Jack's cottage, she was tired and more than a little
irritated. The house was a charming brick two story, with a patio off the
back—half of which was walled in with floor-to-ceiling windows.

Hearing
laughter and music drifting through the air from the backyard, she decided to
forgo the knocking and meet them out back. As she rounded the back of the
house, the scene she encountered was enough to melt away the worst part of her
sour mood.