Visions of Triumph

by Anne, Meg

  “I figured that stupid Seer was going to try and go after him.” He shrugged. “It’s a shame to lose such a delicious toy, but I think we’ll find a way to have fun without her. I’m nothing if not creative.”

  “You son of a bitch!” Lizzie screamed, launching herself at the robed figure.

  James stopped her with a strong arm around her belly.

  “That’s not a very nice thing to say to your Pop now, is it, Lizzie-bear?”

  Tears burned in her eyes at the old nickname. “Don’t you dare call me that,” she shouted. “You lost that right, you murdering bastard!”

  “Ah, so you do have some spine after all! I was worried you’d inherited your Nan’s weakness.”

  “You have no right,” she growled, balling her fists as angry tears streamed down her face.

  With the flick of his wrist, the Druid sent James flying across the room. James slammed into the living room wall before crumpling to the ground, unmoving.

  “James!” Lizzie screamed.

  “Oops, I guess that was a bit harder than I’d meant.” The Druid shrugged. “One down, one to go.” He moved toward her, and Lizzie shut her eyes, turning her face away.

  “No! Please don’t,” she begged.

  “Your pleas are worthless, Granddaughter.” His hand closed around her throat, turning her head so she was forced to look at him. The heat of his breath washed over her face as he whispered, “Open your eyes.”

  The words made her shudder, but Lizzie did as she was told. Smiling, the Druid squeezed harder. She coughed, the additional pressure causing stars to explode in her eyes. She clawed at his hands, attempting to pry them from her neck, but nothing happened.

  Bright green light filled the room, further blinding her. The Druid was ripped away from her, and Lizzie fell to the ground, gasping for breath.

  “Lizzie! Are you okay?” Skye slid to her knees in front of her.

  Lizzie stared up at her, dumbfounded. “Skye? Did-did I die, too?”

  Skye gave her a small smile and shook her head. “No, sweetie.”

  “Then how?”

  Glancing over her shoulder, Skye said, “Explanations are going to have to wait.”

  Following her gaze, Lizzie gave a dazed nod, staggering to her feet. I’m seeing things. My brain was without oxygen for so long it caused permanent brain damage and now I see dead people.

  Stunned, Lizzie clutched Skye’s arm, allowing herself to be pulled back into the center of the living room. Blinking, and pinching herself for good measure, Lizzie stared at her brother, who stood beside an older woman.

  When the figures didn’t budge, Lizzie sobbed, “N-nan?”

  The woman turned around, and a radiant smile bloomed across her face. “Lizzie-bear, I can’t tell ye how happy I am to see ya…all grown up.”

  Interrupting the tearful reunion, Lucas snarled, “Get up, you son of a bitch.”

  Realizing they weren’t in the clear yet, Lizzie watched as the Druid pushed himself into a sitting position, his unblinking gaze never leaving her Nan.

  “How are you here, Maggie?” the Druid demanded.

  Scowling with disdain, she snapped, “Wouldn’t ye love to know?”

  “Don’t you fucking look at her, asshole. I told you to get the fuck up!” Lucas shouted. A bolt of light shot from his hand, and the Druid flew up the wall, slamming into the ceiling. Plaster rained down on top of him as he hit the ground again.

  Lucas hadn’t so much as uttered an activation word to cast the spell. Lizzie swallowed. What the hell had happened to him while he was gone?

  The Druid cast one last wide-eyed look at Maggie, then vanished.

  “Fuck!” Lucas shouted, still primed for a fight.

  Danger gone, Lizzie could care less that the Druid got away. All that mattered was that her big brother was here, and he was alive.

  “Lucas!” Lizzie screamed, all but tackling him in her haste to reach him.

  Eyes softening as he looked at her, Lucas wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tight. “I missed you, Lizzie.”

  Sniffling, she murmured, “I missed you, too, dumbass.” Wiping her tears on the back of her hand, she pulled away and smacked him on the arm. “I told you your plan wouldn’t work!”

  “We’re all here, aren’t we?”

  Eyes scanning the room, Lizzie nodded her agreement.

  James groaned, and her eyes widened.

  Moving away from her brother, Lizzie knelt beside her boyfriend, who was just sitting up, dazed. He bled from a small cut just above his eyebrow, but for the most part, he looked okay. “Are you alright?”

  “What the hell did I miss?” he asked.

  A teary laugh bubbled up, and Lizzie threw her arms around him. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”

  “You and me both,” he muttered, returning her embrace. Pulling back slightly, he took in the others standing nearby, watching them with amused smiles. “How hard did I hit my head?”

  Brows furrowing with concern, Lizzie brushed her fingers along his scalp. “It doesn’t look too bad.”

  “Then why can I see ghosts?” he asked.

  Understanding dawned, and Lizzie threw back her head and laughed. “Those aren’t ghosts, baby.”

  “Sorry, Matthews, you can’t get rid of me that easily.”

  A grin stretched across James’ face as Lizzie helped him stand.

  “Fuckin’ eh, man. I can’t tell you how good it is to see you.” James pulled Lucas into a one-armed hug, thumping him on the back a few times. “And you,” he said, rounding on Skye, “don’t you ever pull some shit like that again. You damn near gave me a heart attack.”

  Without waiting for a reply, he pulled her into his arms and hugged her. Lizzie thought she heard Skye mumble something, but it was impossible to know for sure. Pulling away from her, James glanced around the room. “So, who wants to fill me in?”

  Smiling, heart full to bursting with joy that so many cherished faces—some she never thought she’d see again—were once again all in one room, Lizzie said, “I’ll grab the scotch.”

  Chapter 26

  Lucas

  “So, you just gave up a piece of your power?” Lizzie asked, her screech hitting a decibel only dogs should be able to hear.

  Lucas winced and pointedly rubbed a finger in his ear. Lizzie just crossed her arms, waiting for his explanation.

  “What else was I supposed to do, Lizzie? Hang out in the Wasteland until it claimed me, too?”

  Frowning, Lizzie looked away. “No, I guess not. It’s just, how are we supposed to beat the Druid now? Doesn’t he technically overpower you?”

  That really was the elephant in the room. What had seemed an obvious decision at the time, could very well turn around and bite him in the ass. Druids shared the same pool of power, so if Lucas gave up some of his portion, did that effect both of them, or just him? Based on the fear of his predecessors to make the offering to the Wasteland, he was pretty certain it was the latter.

  He rubbed his neck, grateful he’d taken the time to heal his broken hand when they’d returned. “I don’t feel any different.” Although, that wasn’t entirely true. His power was no longer an angry buzz beneath his skin, more like a pleasant hum. He could feel the weight of the others’ stares as they watched him.

  “And you cast that spell without a rune or anything,” Lizzie murmured.

  “What spell?” Lucas frowned.

  “When you threw him into the ceiling?” Lizzie cocked an eyebrow as she motioned toward the plaster scattered all over the floor.

  “I did?” Lucas asked, startled.

  Lizzie’s emphatic nod did little to reassure him. He would have sworn he’d shouted the word of power before slamming the Druid into the ceiling, but everything happened so fast, it was hard to recall each individual detail. He sincerely hoped his grasp on reality wasn’t permanently altered by his trip to the Wasteland.

  “Ye carry a vast amount of power, Lucas. What ye lost is but a drop in the buck
et,” his Nan said from her seat beside him.

  Lizzie’s eyes shone with uncontainable joy as she once again stared at their grandmother. She’d rarely glanced away from the silver-streaked blonde woman since they settled in to chat, apart from the times she was grilling him.

  “Something I don’t quite understand is why he sent you there in the first place,” Matthews said. “Why not just kill you? He needed you dead in order for his plan to work, didn’t he?”

  “Apparently, he wanted to put me on ice,” Lucas answered. He’d pieced that much together after the interaction in the warehouse. “Get everything else ready before taking me out.”

  “Seems like a lot of trouble to go through,” Mathews said.

  “Tis probable Lucas was becoming a bit of a thorn in his side,” Nan said, turning her attention to Lucas, “and he’d hoped the Wasteland would drain ye enough that ye would be an easier target.”

  “That would explain why he was willing to tell us how to get Lucas out,” Lizzie murmured thoughtfully. “He was already planning on doing it himself.”

  “Makes sense,” Skye responded.

  “How do you know so much about Druids, Nan?” Lizzie asked, no small amount of hero-worship coloring her voice.

  Her husky laugh filled the room. “Well, it’s hard not to the way yer Pop carried on about it in the beginning. He was always so proud of his heritage. It wasn’t until Lucas came along that he really started to change. It must have been the first time he really felt the drain on his power.”

  Lizzie’s face lost some of its glow as she glanced at her brother. “But why? If he was so proud of it, wouldn’t he want to share it with someone?”

  Their Nan shook her head, a sad smile on her face. “A normal man, maybe, but not Oliver. Realizing that more Druids in the family meant less power for him was something he did not handle well. He was a man possessed. The only thing that mattered in the end was his power.”

  “I wouldn’t say the only thing,” Skye piped up, walking back into the room with a fresh cup of steaming coffee.

  Lucas chuckled as she poured a liberal amount of scotch into the cup. She winked at him before taking a sip and letting out an appreciative sigh.

  “How do you figure?” Matthews asked, his hand running up and down Lizzie’s arm.

  “Well, I can’t be the only one who saw how the Druid was staring at her,” Skye answered, gesturing to Maggie.

  Matthews nodded thoughtfully. “Yeah, but don’t you just think that was the shock of seeing his wife alive again?”

  “Maybe,” Skye murmured. “But it felt like more than that to me. I mean…why else run off? The dude totally lost his mojo. He had the upper hand until we arrived, but once he saw Maggie, it was game over. He didn’t even try to fight back.”

  “So, what, Nan’s his kryptonite?” Lizzie asked with a laugh.

  Skye shrugged. “All I’m saying is she makes him vulnerable. He’s not immune to her like he is everything else.”

  Lucas looked over at his Nan, wondering what she thought about Skye’s theory. “Nan?”

  “Hmm?” she asked, blinking as he broke through her reverie.

  “What do you think?”

  She shrugged. “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen yer Pop. Longer still since he was anything close to the man I fell in love with. I find it hard to believe that the sight of me would have any impact now.”

  “Well, if nothing else, you certainly caught him off guard,” Matthews said.

  Nan nodded. “True enough, but I wouldnae plan on it happening again.”

  The room fell silent except for the crackling of the fireplace.

  “What are we going to do now?” Lizzie asked, looking around at the others.

  As the one with the power, it was up to Lucas to offer the solution. “We hunt the bastard down.”

  “So soon? Are you ready to face him?” Skye asked, concern turning her eyes a deep bronze.

  “We have to strike while we still have the advantage. For the first time ever, we have him on the run. We’re not going to be in this position for long. We need to get to him before he has time to plan something.”

  “I agree. If he’s running scared, it’s the perfect time. Do you know where to find him?” Matthews asked.

  “I found him once, I can do it again.”

  “I might be able to help with that,” his Nan offered, her blue eyes twinkling at the idea of revenge. “I remember a few of his favorite hiding spots.”

  Lucas grinned at her. Who knew his grandmother would return from the dead and become their secret weapon? His hand snaked out and grasped hers, giving it a tight squeeze.

  She returned it with one of her own, before pushing to her feet. “Ye’ll have to excuse me. A few decades coated in sand has made taking a shower my first priority, and I think we could all do with a bit of a rest before rushing back out into danger.”

  The need to finish this once and for all pushed at him, but Lucas heard the wisdom in her words. There was no telling how things would play out, and if delaying the inevitable gave him one more night to hold Skye in his arms, he would hold onto that with every fiber of his being.

  “Sounds good, Nan. We should probably include Giles in our planning anyway.”

  Her smile froze at the mention of the old Scot’s name. There was history there, a complicated one from the looks of it. Recovering, she gave a nod, stopping on her way out of the room to press a kiss to Lizzie’s head.

  “Sleep well, children.”

  Lucas hadn’t been a child for over twenty years, but he wasn’t about to correct her. The fact that his Nan was here at all was a miracle. She could call him whatever she damn well pleased. The misty-eyed expression on Lizzie’s face told him she felt the same.

  “I still can’t believe it,” she whispered.

  “I know.”

  “I hardly dared to believe you’d make it back, but to have all three of you…” Lizzie shook her head, her emotion making it hard for her to speak.

  Lucas’ eyes lifted to Skye. He knew exactly what she meant.

  “C’mon, Lizzie. Let’s head to bed and let these two have some time alone,” Matthews murmured.

  Lucas could have kissed his partner. Now that they were safe, and had a pocket of time to themselves, the only thing Lucas wanted to do was bury himself inside Skye.

  “But they just got back.” Lizzie pouted. “What if we go to sleep and they aren’t here when we wake up?”

  “We will be,” Lucas assured her. “I promise, Lizzie.”

  She still looked uncertain, but didn’t resist when Matthews took her by the hand and led her from the room.

  “We’ll see you guys in the morning,” his partner called.

  Lucas nodded, hoping his appreciation for his friend’s interference was communicated through the gesture.

  “And then there were two,” he said with a smile.

  Skye grinned at him over the top of her coffee mug. “You heard your Nan, it’s bedtime, Detective.”

  “Oh, I’m all about taking you to bed, Giovanni, but I have no intention of sleeping.”

  Her cheeks flushed a rosy pink. “Is that so?”

  Standing, Lucas didn’t break eye contact as he closed the distance between them. “You really going to fight me on this?”

  “Nope,” she whispered, looking up at him from beneath her lashes.

  Tipping her chin up, he brushed his lips against hers in the barest hint of a kiss. Pulling back, he murmured, “Good.”

  A hint of white caught his eye, and Lucas shifted his gaze from Skye’s parted lips to the bandage that peeked out from behind her braid. Her flush went from pink to crimson as she rushed to pull her hair back over the scrap of gauze.

  He noted the change in her body, which was now curling in on itself defensively. Hmm. Perhaps tonight would be about healing, rather than seduction.

  “Lucas,” she protested as he grabbed the end of her braid and began to unravel it. Once loose, he brushed t
he silky strands of her hair back and over her shoulder, revealing the white square in its entirety.

  Her breath hitched as he ran a finger along the edge of it, prying it loose as gently as possible.

  “Did I hurt you?” he asked, going still as his eyes roamed over her face.

  She jerked her head to the left but wouldn’t meet his gaze.

  “Skye?”

  “I don’t like thinking about it,” she whispered. “At least when the bandage is covered by my hair, I can pretend that it never happened.”

  “What if you didn’t need a bandage at all?”

  That got her attention. Her eyes went to his, searching his face for the meaning of his words. “How?”

  “Kicking ass and bleeding all over the place isn’t the only thing I can do, ya know.”

  Her lips quirked up in the ghost of a smile.

  Brushing his thumb along the line of her jaw, he added, “I was able to heal myself; it stands to reason I should be able to do the same for you.”

  “Do you really think you can do that?”

  He shrugged. “Won’t know until we try. But Skye?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Even if I can’t, a few scars will never change how I feel about you, or what I see when I look at you.”

  “A few scars?” she scoffed. “Lucas, the asshole cut off my ear and fucking branded me with his evil runes.”

  Lucas pushed the hot rush of anger back down, burying it deep. There’d be time to call on it later, a time to repay each wound in kind, but there was no place for anger here. Only love.

  “You’re still the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen,” he declared, never once looking away from her.

  Skye shook her head, a rush of emotions playing in her eyes. Looking conflicted, she asked, “How can you say that? You haven’t even seen the worst of it.”

  “Then show me.”

  She glanced around the living room. “Here?”

  “We’re alone.”

  “Yeah, for now maybe…”

  “Skye.”

  She looked up at him, her brows low over worried eyes.

  “There’s nothing you can show me that’s going to change a damn thing between us.”