Aeromancist (SECOND EDITION): Art of Air (7 Forbidden Arts Book 3) Read online

  Tilting his hips, he reciprocated by giving her the everything he demanded. “Say you’re mine.”

  “I’m yours.”

  He pulled almost all the way out, and pushed back slowly. “Who do you belong to, Katherine?”

  “To you.”

  Finally, he started moving, giving her the pace she needed. “Come for me.”

  He grew even thicker inside her. Gripping her hip in one hand, he slipped the other down the front of her body and between her legs to roll her clit between his fingers. He drew her back against him as he pivoted his hips one last time before stilling. Her orgasm ripped through her as he came with a groan. He fell over her, catching his weight on his hands on the back of the sofa.

  “Are you reminded?” he asked in a low voice, planting a kiss on the shell of her ear.

  “Thoroughly.” She blew out a contented sigh. “However, I may need constant reminding.”

  “I’ll happily oblige.” He brushed her hair over her shoulder. “I will not let Richardson get away with what he did to you, Katherine.”

  She turned her face sideways to look at him. “Are you going to hurt him?”

  He cupped a breast and squeezed gently. “Yes.”

  “Please, don’t.”

  He stilled. “Do you care if he gets hurt?”

  “No, but he’s FBI. I don’t want you in trouble.”

  He straightened and pulled out of her, making her regret the loss of their physical contact.

  Turning her in his arms, he kissed the top of her head. “I can never deny you. You know that.”

  Brioche with chocolate chips.

  Kat woke up ravenous. She sat up in bed.

  Lann opened his eyes, immediately awake and alert. “What’s wrong?”

  “I’m dying for brioche.”

  A smile tugged at his lips. The muscles of his hard abdomen rippled as he reached for his glasses on the nightstand.

  “It’s not a craving,” she said as his silly smile grew and he puffed out his chest.

  “Absolutely not.” He laid his palm over her bump. “Your body’s changing.” He kissed her nose and her lips, and moved down to plant soft kisses on her nipples and belly button. “You’re a miracle, Katherine.” Regretfully, he added, “We have to get ready. Eve will be waiting.”

  She groaned. “I’m starving. I can’t lose three vials of blood without eating, and the gallon of sugar water Eve forces down my throat makes me want to vomit.”

  He threw the covers open. “She needs to monitor your sugar levels. I’ll make you breakfast after.”

  She pouted. “Tea?”

  He got up, flashing her with his morning wood. “Brioche.”

  Her gaze slipped to his erection.

  He groaned. “As much as I’d love to, we’re already late. The way I know Eve, she’ll soon barge in here.”

  She chewed her lip, considering arm-wrestling him into agreement, but he was right. Duty first. “Brioche with chocolate chips?”

  “Anything you want.”

  “Fine.” She sighed. “But no tea.”

  He grinned. “No tea. I promise. Orange juice.”

  She got out of bed and walked past him to the bathroom, swaying her hips. She grinned when he uttered a curse behind her, but her grin was quickly wiped away when he grabbed her around the waist and spun her around.

  “You’re a tease, woman, and I’m going to show you what I do with teasers.”

  Chapter 13

  They arrived twenty minutes late at the room Eve used as a consultation room and a lab, and the doctor was irritated.

  “You’re late,” she said, showing them in.

  Lann lifted a brow. “Someone had a bad night.”

  Eve propped her hands on her hips. “The timing is important. The tests have to be done at exactly the same time every day or it’s pointless. And yes, I didn’t sleep much.”

  Lann laid his hand on her arm. “Sorry. I know you’re working hard.”

  She bit her lip. “It’s nothing. I’m just suffering from cabin fever.”

  Kat regarded the dark rings under Eve’s eyes. “Why don’t you take a bit of time off and get out of here?”

  “Do you think I can afford a second off?” Eve asked in a harsh tone.

  Lann stepped in front of Kat. “Eve, Katherine’s right. You’re working too hard.”

  “Let’s just get this over and done with,” she said.

  Lann didn’t budge. “No.”

  “Excuse me?” Eve asked, her voice tinged with disbelief.

  “You’re not touching Katherine in the state you’re in. You’re angry and tired.”

  Her eyes grew large. “Are you saying I’ll hurt her?”

  “I’m saying you might, unintentionally, be too rough with a needle today.”

  Eve wiped her hands over her face. “All right. I’m sorry. It’s just…” She looked away.

  Kat stepped around Lann. “Eve, it’s okay. You’re doing your best.”

  Eve sighed. “My best isn’t fast enough.”

  “Did Joss tell you about Richardson?” Lann asked.

  “Yes,” Eve snapped, “and you’re grasping at straws.”

  Lann narrowed his eyes. “How can you be so sure? What if the person who got Katherine and I together knows something that could help? If that person knew I’d be fertile with her, isn’t there a chance that he may also have other knowledge?”

  “I can’t rely on if, Lann,” Eve said. “Besides, shouldn’t you be tracking that person right now?”

  Lann’s eyes turned a pale shade of gold. “Katherine is my first priority. The rest of the team is tracking Richardson as we speak.” He took Kat’s hand. “Get a grip, Eve. Your attitude isn’t helping. My advice to you is to get out of the castle today. Get some air. We’ll start tests again tomorrow.”

  Without waiting for Eve’s reply, he led Kat from the room.

  “Lann, I think Eve—”

  “She was out of line.” He kissed her nose. “I’m going to the village to get brioche. Will you be all right until I get back?”

  She rolled her eyes. “I’m not a baby.”

  “I know that.” He studied her. “While you’re waiting, put the time to good use. When I come back, I want to know when we’re getting married.”

  He left her standing in the corridor, stunned. She watched his retreating form. They were really doing this. They were really going to tie the knot.

  She went to the kitchen and found Maya, Joss, and Clelia having breakfast. She greeted everyone, sat down by the table, and patted Tripod, who’d hopped to her chair.

  “Anything new?” she asked.

  “No,” Clelia replied, “but we’re working on finding out who the sponsor of your scholarship is.”

  “I can speak to Charles, my mentor,” Kat offered.

  “No,” Joss said. “The university wouldn’t have disclosed the sponsor to him. That information is confidential. Protocol. I don’t want anyone suspecting that we know. It’s easier to catch them unaware. We don’t want to give them any reason to hide.”

  “I’m reading some of the old scripts,” Kat said. “Eve gave me a list of what she thinks may help.”

  “No one has studied them for years.” Clelia cupped her mug. “It’s possible there may be something in the books we’ve overlooked.”

  “Or not,” Maya said. “I say we go in, kick down Richardson’s door, and torture him.” She grinned. “I saw his pic last night. I wouldn’t mind taking care of his interrogation.”

  Clelia snorted. “Your hands-on strategy is not what’s needed right now.”

  “Well, while you muffins sit here and waste time, I’m going to see what else I can dig up on agent Richardson.” Maya got to her feet. “Later kids.” She left with swaying hips.

  “Lann said he was going to the village for brioche,” Clelia said. “So, the cravings are kicking in, huh? Lann’s chest was puffed out like a peacock.”

  Kat laughed. “I don’t know why Lann i
s so proud of my cravings.”

  “I think he’s just happy you’re finally eating more than soup.”

  Joss cleared his throat and got up. “I’ll be working in the study. Got a TC with Cain at nine.” He kissed Clelia and left the two women to talk.

  “Does he seem better about accepting the baby?” Clelia asked.

  “I think so.” Kat studied her hands. “Yesterday he actually sounded proud when he mentioned our baby. For the first time, he called him his son.”

  “That’s good. I knew he’d come around.” Clelia smiled. “I hope you won’t be too tired today.”

  “I’m feeling less tired,” Kat said. “Why?”

  “Iza is coming in later with samples for the baby room. Have you thought about a name yet?”

  “No. I guess I first have to think about a wedding.”

  “Really?” Clelia squealed. “You set a date. Why didn’t you say so?”

  “We haven’t agreed on anything yet. We just want to do something quiet for the two of us.”

  Clelia’s smile turned mysterious.

  “What?” Kat asked.

  “That’s what Joss and I did. He brought me here, and he had the chapel all set up. It was just the two of us, plus the priest of course.”

  “That sounds beautiful.”

  “I didn’t think so at the time, but it was very special.”

  Kat didn’t want to pry by asking what Clelia meant. “My parents are upset, but it’ll be easier like this. I don’t want to bring them here or go somewhere it isn’t safe.”

  “Your parents love you. They’ll respect your wishes. Right now, you’re only allowed to worry about yourself and the baby.” Clelia got up. “I’m going to feed the animals and walk the dogs, and then I’ll be working with Joss and Maya. Iza should arrive around eleven. I’ll call you when she gets here.”

  “Thank you, Clelia.”

  “Don’t mention it.”

  Lann appeared in the door, carrying two large paper bags.

  “What’s all that?” Clelia asked.

  He emptied the bags, turning out ten different brands of brioche on the table. “I didn’t know which one you’d like.”

  Getting up, Kat went on tiptoe and kissed him.

  Iza arrived with rolls of fabric, wallpaper cutouts, and color charts. Kat liked her no-nonsense attitude and that she immediately grasped what Kat wanted. This was important to her. It was more than a room. Preparing a place for her baby’s arrival was all she had to offer her child. She wouldn’t kiss cuts and bruises better, wouldn’t get to tuck him in, or see his life and dreams take shape. She needed this, and she appreciated Clelia’s instinctive understanding that allowed her this luxury.

  Iza, Clelia, and Kat visited the baby room to look at furniture designs. Kat pointed out a whitewashed crib and commode with a change table. “I love this, but I’d like to run it by Lann too.”

  “Of course,” Iza said. “You can keep the brochures.” She unrolled a jungle theme mural design. “What do you think of this?”

  “What the hell is the meaning of this?” an angry voice said behind them.

  The three women turned from the table where the brochures and samples were spread out. Lann stood in the center of the room, watching them with a thunderous expression.

  “It’s a room for our baby,” Kat said.

  “I’ve gathered, but what’s the meaning of it?”

  Kat frowned. She took a deep breath. “Clelia, Iza, do you mind if Lann and I have a word in private?”

  If Iza had any judgment about Lann’s comment, she was polite enough not to show it.

  On the way out, Clelia laid her hand on Lann’s arm. “She needs this.” She shot Kat a worried look.

  Kat smiled at her to put her at ease. Lann wasn’t angry about the room. He was upset about what it implied. Kat understood that, but he had to stop fighting the inevitable.

  She approached him slowly when Iza and Clelia had left. “This is the room where you’ll take care of our baby,” she said softly, “until you decide where to go. You may need some help after the birth, and Clelia was kind enough to offer.”

  He clenched his jaw, regarding her with haunted eyes.

  “You can stay here for as long as you need,” Kat said.

  “Stop it.”

  “Why are you angry about the room?” she asked, keeping her voice gentle.

  “I’m angry because it hurts you,” he said through clenched teeth. “I’m angry that you’re doing this to yourself. Isn’t living with the knowledge a big enough rock around your neck? Do you seriously need a room to remind you as well? Do you enjoy torturing yourself? Just…” He lifted his hands, and then dropped them by his sides again. “Just stop. Please.”

  She stood quietly until he’d unleashed his anger. “I can’t stop it. It’s going to happen, and I need you to accept it.”

  Emotions flickered through his eyes as he wrestled with his control. The ever-changing air turned as thick as a diamond dust cloud. At long last he gave a ragged breath and dragged her into his arms.

  She took his face between her hands. “I know this is hard, but I’m here for you. I love you, and I love this baby. I can’t help it. Forgive me for running from the clinic that day, for doing this to you. One day, I hope you’ll understand.”

  He hugged her tighter. “Is that what you think? That I blame you? I only blame myself. I promise you, I’ll take care of our child if it’s the last thing I do.”

  She sagged against his chest. She’d needed to hear those words so badly. “Will you love him?”

  He kissed her. “I already do. I always will.”

  Smiling through her tears, she said, “I think we should name him. I don’t want to refer to him as Baby any longer.”

  “Thomas,” he said without hesitation.

  “Thomas?”

  “Like the saint.”

  She wrapped her arms around his waist. “I like it.” She laughed, looking down at her belly. “I think he does too. He’s just moved.”

  His eyes widened. “He did? Did he kick?” He cupped her stomach.

  “It’s too early to feel kicks. It was more like the flutter of butterfly wings.” He stared at her for such a long time that she said, “What?”

  “You’re just so goddamn beautiful.”

  Pulling her close again, he kissed her as if she was a flower with petals that were easy to bruise.

  After a scrumptious dinner prepared by Iza and Clelia to celebrate Kat and Lann’s engagement, the inhabitants of the Josselin Castle sat around the fireplace in the dining hall. Kat’s appetite had returned with a vengeance. It was too soon by normal standards, but Eve said it was because the baby she carried was developing faster than ungifted babies.

  Wind swept drizzle against the panes. Kat moved closer to Lann on the sofa. Putting his arm around her, he stroked her hair. Joss leaned against the mantelpiece, swirling the Calvados in his glass, and Clelia sat on the rug by his feet, staring at the flames. Maya appeared bored, and Eve jumpy.

  Joss waited politely until Eve had finished her espresso and bid them goodnight before he said, “What did you find out Maya?”

  “I spoke to Charles.”

  Kat sucked in a breath.

  “Don’t worry,” Maya said. “I told him I was a reporter covering a story about the cancellation of bursaries due to the financial recession.”

  “And?” Lann said.

  “He doesn’t know shit. The bursary that the university granted to Kat is a new one. He was informed via email that the chairperson of the trust hand-selected a student, and that Kat was chosen for her grades, but also for the theme of her thesis.”

  “Which could be true,” Kat said. Lann’s private library happened to be one of a handful in the world with the books she needed to conduct her research.

  “Too much of a coincidence.” Joss turned his attention back to Maya. “Did you trace the electronic correspondence?”

  Maya rolled her eyes. “Of course
. No luck there. Whoever’s managing that fund is good at wiping out his cyber trail.”

  “So you didn’t get to the source?” Clelia asked, sounding disappointed.

  “Not even close.”

  “What about Richardson?” Lann asked.

  “It’s the same story,” Joss replied. “Another dead-end street.”

  “How do we move forward?” Clelia asked.

  Joss locked eyes with Lann. “The safest way or the fastest?”

  Lann clenched his jaw. “I don’t like it.”

  Kat looked between Lann and Joss. “What are you two talking about?”

  “Joss wants you to contact Richardson,” Maya said.

  “So?” Kat lifted a brow. “I thought we already agreed upon that.”

  Lann gave Joss a hard look. “Joss isn’t talking about a telephone call.” He got to his feet. “No. She’s not going to meet him.”

  “It’ll be easier to tap into his comms if we draw him out to France,” Joss said. “I want him on my territory.”

  Lann balled his fists. “Not on your life.”

  “What will you need me to do?” Kat asked.

  “I won’t allow it, Katherine. I won’t risk you. Don’t even think it.”

  “You’d have to ask to see him in person,” Joss said. “Ask him to come to France to meet you. Make him believe you’ll cooperate. It’ll give us a quick and easy opportunity to get into his hotel room and tap his computer.”

  “Then what?” Kat asked.

  “Then we hope to find out where he gets his intel from. If not…” Joss’s voice trailed off.

  “If not,” Maya said, “we’re fucked.”

  Lann’s nostrils flared. “I won’t let her near him.”

  “Now isn’t the time to let your jealousy get the better of you,” Maya said.

  The expression on Lann’s face promised nothing good.

  Kat said quickly, “I’ll do it.”

  “Her life’s not in danger with Richardson,” Joss said. “He’ll offer her protection in exchange for information.”

  “He’s right,” Clelia said. “You know we’d never risk her safety, Lann, but if we can find out who tipped Richardson off, we have a better chance at helping Kat.”