“There’s nothing you can do for her,” he said quietly.
Scotty stared at the burning vehicle. The front was completely engulfed in flames that were slowly moving their way backward, eating up the interior of the van. There was no way Odilia could still be alive.
Swallowing, he turned back to Beth to look her over. From what he could see she had multiple bruises, gashes, and a couple of broken bones. But they would heal quickly enough. She was alive, and that was what mattered.
“I will drive,” Mortimer offered.
Nodding, Scotty climbed into the back of the van and lifted Beth into his lap to cradle her on the ride back.
Mortimer closed the doors.
Nineteen
Beth turned onto her side with a little sigh, and then opened her eyes sleepily, only to scowl when she found herself staring at a pale yellow wall.
“Not again,” she muttered. “I think I hate this room.”
“Well, ye ha’e spent a powerful amount o’ time in it, and no’ at all fer the reason it was intended.”
Rolling quickly onto her back, Beth swung her head around and stared at Scotty, her eyes quickly narrowing. “You.”
His brow furrowed with concern. “Did I do something wrong, me love?”
“You slept with Odilia!” Beth accused. “Why the devil would you do that?”
Scotty lowered his head on a sigh, and muttered, “I thought she was me life mate at the time.”
“I know that,” she snapped. “And I even understand that first time. But once you’d actually bedded her, surely you sensed it wasn’t quite right? She described it as gentle, caring and sweet, for God’s sake,” Beth said with disgust. “That is not life mate sex, Scotty.”
“Nay, it’s not,” he agreed with a crooked smile, and then pointed out, “But I had nothing to compare it to at the time.”
“Well, did you faint?” she asked, already knowing the answer. “That might have been a good tip-off.”
Scotty grimaced. “I have heard o’ cases where life mates do no’ faint at first. No’ until they learn to trust each other and are ready to let go emotionally.”
When Beth merely glared at him, he said, “Truly, lass, I felt something was missing, but thought mayhap she just did no’ trust me enough yet or something. It was no’ until I experienced shared dreams with ye on me trip to Spain that I knew the mistake I’d made. When that dream sex was so hot and passionate and a million times better than real sex with Odilia, I knew I’d made an error.”
“Uh-huh,” Beth said grimly. “And apparently it completely slipped your notice that she was crazy as a loon?”
“Aye, it did,” Scotty said seriously.
“You couldn’t read her, Scotty,” she pointed out quietly.
“I know, but I didn’t try to read her again after that first night until I returned from me trip to Spain having realized she was no’ me life mate. And I was able to read her then.”
“Really?” Beth asked with surprise.
Scotty nodded. “She must have read me the minute I entered and realized what was coming. If she was mad even then, she must have fed me her thoughts rather than me reading them. Whatever the case, when I could read her then, I decided my inability to read her before must have been because she was temporarily scattered by what she’d seen in the house we rescued ye from. I thought mayhap it had reminded her o’ the horrors o’ her childhood and she was in shock that night, or some such thing.”
“Temporary insanity?” she suggested.
“Aye,” he agreed. “And she seemed to accept it easily enough when I told her that I’d made a mistake and we were no’ life mates, so . . .” He shrugged helplessly.
“Oh.” Beth let her breath out on a small sigh, her irritation going with it. After a moment, she said, “So, the last thing I remember, I was on the floor in one of the kennels, and then Odilia shot me with her damned dart gun . . . again,” she added dryly. Raising her eyebrows, she asked, “What happened after that?”
Scotty quickly and solemnly told her what she’d missed, and they both fell silent for a moment. Then Beth said simply, “I’m sorry about Odilia, Scotty.”
He shook his head. “I think mayhap she was too traumatized by what happened to her and her family when she was so young. I fear I made a lot o’ mistakes when it comes to you and Odilia. First I thought her my life mate when it was you, and then I thought you needed the mind wipe when ye did no’, and now I think mayhap she is the one I should ha’e insisted on having a mind wipe. Mayhap had I done so, she could have found some happiness in this life.”
“She found some happiness,” Beth assured him solemnly. “That period when you thought her your life mate, she was happy. It wouldn’t have lasted even if you hadn’t sorted it out, but she was happy for a time.”
Scotty looked down, and she wasn’t sure if telling him that was good or just made him feel worse, but then he sighed and straightened to say, “We still have to finish our earlier conversation.”
Beth stilled, recalling the conversation in question. When Donny had interrupted them earlier, Scotty had just vowed to spend his life making up for hurting her if she’d give him the chance and agree to be his life mate.
“But first,” Scotty added before she could speak, “do ye need anything? More blood, mayhap? Or are ye hungry?”
Beth was going to lie and say no so that they could finish that conversation, but her stomach spoke up for her with a loud growl.
Chuckling softly, Scotty stood at once. “I’ll go down and fetch ye something to eat.”
Beth hesitated, but when he started toward the door, she quickly said, “I’ll go with you.”
Scotty swung back with surprise. “There’s no need, lass. I’m happy to fetch something fer ye.”
“Thank you, but I’d be happy to get out of this room. I’m thoroughly sick of it,” she admitted, tossing her bedding aside. She then paused as she saw that she was wearing an overlarge T-shirt rather than the hated hospital gown. Beth peered at it blankly, not recognizing the top.
“Rachel put ye in a hospital gown, but I brought one o’ me T-shirts in and had her change ye into it. I ken ye do no’ like the hospital gowns, and while I ken ye prefer sleeping in the nude, I did no’ want ye to think I was takin’ liberties,” Scotty explained as he moved back and offered her his hand to help her up from the bed.
Beth peered from the T-shirt to his hand, taking in his thoughtfulness with both actions. She then shifted her gaze to his face, stared at him solemnly for a minute and simply said, “Yes.”
Scotty stilled, and for a moment she felt sure she’d have to explain what she was saying yes to, but then he asked hopefully, “Yes, ye will be me life mate?”
Biting her lip, Beth nodded.
“Thank God,” he breathed and bent to scoop her out of the bed. Crushing her to his chest, he said, “Thank ye, Beth. I promise ye’ll never regret it. I ken I’ve been an ass, but I’ll spend the rest o’ our lives making it up to ye.”