Be Still My Vampire Heart(90)

 

"Most likely it was mortals who hung all the silver and placed the cameras. The Malcontents have probably taken control of the nearby village, using the mortals for food and labor."

 

Emma pivoted on the table and examined the sparkling room. "It must have cost a fortune."

 

"'Tis easy to steal when ye can teleport."

 

Emma slanted him a wry look. "And you know this how…?"

 

He grinned. "My sneaking about is legitimate work for my company."

 

"Right." She sat and slid to her feet. "With all your powers, you were never tempted to do anything naughty."

 

His smile faded as his gaze grew more intense. "I have been tempted greatly of late."

 

Her cheeks grew warm. Time to change the subject. "I know a good place for this camera." She sauntered behind the screen and dropped it into the chamber pot.

 

She strolled along the northern wall of their cell, searching for another camera. "How old were you when you were transformed?"

 

"Thirty-three."

 

She grabbed a silver chain and tugged hard. It held firm. "And you said you were married?"

 

"Aye. I tried going home after Roman changed me, but my wife couldna accept me. She was afraid of the creature I had become."

 

Emma glanced at him. "I'm so sorry."

 

"Are you? I believe ye intend to reject me for the same reason."

 

Wincing, she turned back to the wall. Time to change the subject again. She spotted a tiny camera over the door. "Were you able to watch your children and grandchildren grow up?" She dragged a chair over to the door.

 

"I kept an eye on my descendants, trying to protect them, but I could never be there during the day." A pained look haunted his face. "I lost so many at Culloden. And those who survived suffered greatly from the oppression to follow. Many left for America, and I lost track of them."

 

He closed his eyes briefly. "Nay, the truth is I was weary of watching them suffer. I dinna have the heart to keep up with them any longer."

 

"I'm so sorry. At least you still have Robby."

 

"Aye, he'll inherit the company and my castle if I perish."

 

"Nothing's going to happen to you. We're going to be fine." She stepped up on the chair and ripped the camera off the wall. "You're lucky you still have family."

 

"Do ye have no one, Emma?"

 

"A few cousins in Texas, but I hardly know them." She jumped down from the chair and headed toward their primitive bathroom. "My father worked for North Sea Petroleum."

 

She dropped the second camera into the chamber pot. "He was stationed in Houston when he met my mum. My brother and I were born there, so we both had dual citizenship."

 

She gave him a wry look as she came around the screen. "But I bet you already know all about me from checking out my profile at MI6."

 

He smiled. "I like hearing it from you. How long did ye live in Texas?"

 

She scanned the west wall as she talked. "We moved back to England when I was seven. My brother was ten. My dad always liked working abroad, and sometimes he would take Mum with him. My brother and I would stay with Aunt Effie in Scotland."

 

"And yer aunt had psychic powers, too?"

 

"Yes. She was my dad's sister. They both had it. She's the one who taught me how to contact Dad over a long distance." No cameras on the west wall. Emma moved to the north wall. "She died four years ago. She left me her cottage by Linlithgow."

 

"And yer brother?"

 

Emma sighed. "He died in a motorcycle accident when he was sixteen."

 

"And then ye saw the deaths of yer parents in yer mind."

 

She turned to glare at him. "Are you trying to cheer me up?'Cause you're doing a lousy job of it."

 

"I'm sorry. I know what it's like to mourn." He extended a hand to her. "Ye're no longer alone."

 

"You can move?" She walked toward him.

 

"I have feeling back in my arms, but no' my legs." He reached for her hand and tugged.

 

"I have a few things to say."

 

She sat beside him. "Yes?"

 

"See if any of the chains can be torn from the wall. If ye can remove enough of them, I may be able to teleport us out."

 

"Okay." She started to stand, but he tugged her back down.

 

"I canna send psychic messages through the silver, but ye can. Doona do it at night, though, for the Malcontents will hear ye and find a way to stop you. Ye'll need to send yer messages during the day while they sleep."