King's Highlander

by Jessi Gage

  Now that was interesting. She was careful not to reveal that she’d noticed his feelings as he went on.

  “The boy sympathized with her plight and made no secret of his disgust with Magnus—a king like the one who abused her. He offered her a way out. A way back to her home, but to get it, she had to tolerate the presence of wolfkind man.”

  “The prisoner,” she said, remembering the meeting in Magnus’s solar. “And the way out must have been Hyrk’s relic.”

  “Very good, love. Seona and the prisoner found common ground. They both coveted freedom. Together, they raided the temple and took the gemstone.”

  Her molars ground against each other with her anger. Her temple had been desecrated by a pair of thieves consumed with self-interest. “I can guess what happened the moment they got ahold of it.”

  Duff’s eyes darkened. “Hyrk entered the prisoner. Seona remembers it happening. They had been on horseback, racing away from Chroina. One moment, the prisoner had been holding her to him as they rode, making promises of how he would protect her and serve her in her realm. The next moment, he drew the horse to a stop at the edge of a canyon and yanked her off. He treated her roughly, and his voice had changed. His eyes glowed red.”

  “She must have been terrified,” Danu said. Her anger gave way to sympathy. The human had been searching for freedom, but what she found instead was the imprisonment that Danu deserved.

  “Soon after, Magnus appeared,” Duff said. “He and Hyrk argued. Hyrk said he wanted to make Magnus suffer. Then he threw Seona from the cliff.” His gaze went distant. “Grabbing his gemstone and trying to use it is the last thing she remembers.”

  Danu blinked. “Really? She tried to use it as she fell? That was cunning of her.”

  “She’s a cunning woman. It didn’t work, though.”

  “She ended up in an immortal’s dungeon instead of in her realm. What a shock that must have been.”

  “It was a shock, all right,” Duff said. “For all three of us.”

  “Indeed.” Now Danu knew the events leading up to the fall. But she still didn’t understand whose power had made them trade places and healed her after the fall. Not Duff’s. He had been talking with her in Hyrk’s dungeon at the time. Not hers. She’d had no magic to use while imprisoned. Not Hyrk’s. He would never have worked magic to help her in any way, and according to Seona’s memory, he’d wanted her to die so Magnus would suffer.

  “How in all the realms did this happen?” She stood and began pacing. The flowers made a soft cushion beneath her sandaled feet. “Seona’s wish was to return to her realm. Why did the magic involve me?”

  Duff shrugged, as if the origin of the magic was of no concern. “I have learned that magic is not predictable. I think—I think it is sentient. It has motives that we can only guess at.”

  “That’s ridiculous.” She stopped her pacing and frowned at her friend, who remained seated amidst the flowers as if he hadn’t a care in the world. “Magic originates from immortals with sentience. It does not act on its own.”

  “If you say so. Either way, it doesn’t change the circumstances. Magic has occurred. Now it is our move.”

  She frowned. “You make it sound like a game. Is that all my fate is to you? Is that all Seona’s fate is to you?”

  Duff shot to his feet. “Of course not. Just because I choose not to obsess about magical origins doesn’t mean I don’t care what becomes of her. Or you.”

  She hadn’t missed how he put Seona first. Despite their disagreement, it warmed her heart to see her friend riled up over a woman.

  “You care for her.”

  Duff’s head jerked. Surprised eyes met hers. “You guessed?”

  She huffed a petite laugh. “It was not that difficult.”

  “You care for Magnus,” he said with a tug to her hair.

  “Ouch! Stop that. Are we children now? Teasing each other about romantic fancies?”

  His laughter was a delight. The joyous sound sent visible ripples through the flowers.

  She couldn’t help joining him. But her mirth only lasted a moment. “What are we to do, Duff? Seona has been caught up in a battle of immortals. After all her suffering, she should not have to face imprisonment. We must find a way to trade places again.”

  Duff blinked at her as if she’d lost her mind. “Trade places? You would put yourself back in Hyrk’s clutches to free a mortal? A human?”

  She stiffened. “Of course I would. She may not be wolfkind, but I refuse to let Hyrk punish her in my stead. He has no right to her.”

  “He has no right to you!” Duff’s vehemence flattened stems in every direction.

  When the echo stopped and the flowers recovered, she said, “You are wrong. I was foolish enough to bargain with him. I played his game, and he won. My imprisonment is my own fault. The sorry state of my realm is my own fault.” She stared at her feet and noticed a bud striving to bloom. Its petals were just beginning to separate. Inside the tight furl, stamens peeked out like butterflies trying to push free from cocoons.

  “Oh, boo-hoo,” Duff said. He pretended to knuckle tears from his eyes. “Poor Danu, she made a mistake and now she deserves to suffer for all eternity.” He threw his hands in the air and paced on long, graceful legs. “Her entire creation deserves to die because a bad demigod tricked her. Is that the legacy you want to leave your people? That their mistakes are unforgivable? That they should bear their suffering with dignity instead of fighting to fix what needs fixing?” Under his feet, flowers crumpled, but only momentarily before springing upright again.

  So shocked was she at his anger it took her a moment to untangle all he’d said. When she did, rage pushed her to stand toe to toe with him. “How dare you mock me?”

  “I’ll mock you all I want when you’re being ridiculous.”

  Nearby flowers cinched up their petals, as if to protect themselves from the shouting. Danu was not accustomed to the lesser stature of her new body. Duff towered over her where once, they had been of similar height. The difference fueled her ire even more.

  “Ridiculous?” she hurled at him “I’m being honest! It should be me in Hyrk’s blasted cell. Not her.”

  “And I suppose it should be Seona by the side of your King Magnus.”

  No! “Yes.” Only her heart didn’t believe that. Not for one second.

  Duff’s satisfied smirk made her ball her fists.

  “I’ve admitted I feel for Seona,” he said. “It is time you admit you feel for your king.”

  Damn him. Her shoulders rounded, and her fists loosened. “So what if I do. Maybe you’re right. Maybe I don’t deserve Hyrk’s prison. But Seona deserves it much less. I must take her place. I must.”

  “People only say things twice when they are trying to convince themselves.” His tone gentled. “Neither of you deserves what Hyrk has wrought.”

  “But one of us must suffer it.” It had to be her. She must return to her true form. Even if it meant leaving Magnus.

  A fierce ache stabbed through her center at the thought.

  She didn’t want to leave her mortal realm so soon. She’d only just arrived. There was still so much she wanted to experience. She wanted more time to enjoy the children. She wanted to attend balls and celebrations. She wanted to peruse the library Magnus kept at Glendall. Most of all, her body burned for more of Magnus’s embrace. More of his kisses. More of him.

  But this could not be. It was not meant to be.

  Sadness overwhelmed her. She buried her face in her hands. Tears fell between her fingers.

  Strong arms circled her. “Let it out, love. Let it all out. Losing your deity cannot be easy. But since when do you bend to a fate another has chosen for you?” He held her away by her shoulders and sought out her gaze. “Cry your tears, then stand and fight like the warrior wolfwomen of old. The ones who defended their young and guarded their borders. The ones we used to cheer on in battle.” He stroked her back, and she leaned into his soothing.

  A hicc
up escaped her. “But I have no power to lend anymore.”

  “So what? Hyrk is not much better off. He lost his most powerful followers. As far as I know, he lost his relic to the canyon.” He bent to pluck a blooming lilac. “What I am certain of is that a simple trading of places is not the solution we must seek. Do you agree?”

  She met his gaze. Heavens, he was a beautiful man, all perfect angles and irresistible charm. Seona was a lucky woman to be the focus of that charm. Or she would be if they could find a way to free her. “Yes.” She nodded, resolute. “I want freedom. For her and for me.”

  Duff poked the stem into her hair, adorning her with the fragrant bloom. “Happy endings all around. I quite like those.”

  “All right. How shall we accomplish this?”

  “We defeat Hyrk.”

  “Easier said than done. He’s immortal.” And she was not. Not any longer.

  “Allow me to count the ways a demigod can be defeated.” He held up a perfectly manicured finger. “Lose all his followers.” Another finger rose to meet the first. “Have his relic destroyed.” A third finger. But Duff paused. “Hmm. All right. There are only two ways. But that’s better than none.”

  Danu smiled. “That’s better than none.”

  * * * *

  “What are ye planning to do, Magnus?” Anya walked at his side, her limp barely noticeable. But she had accepted the support of the arm he offered, so he understood she was disguising her pain.

  He was still learning how to handle the human women. In some ways, they were much more proud than the sybaritic ladies of wolfkind, like when Anya pretended her legs didn’t pain her. In some ways, they were far more humble, like when Anya had given him the Translation Stone so he could communicate with the rescued women. He had hoped to employ every last bit of his learning in wooing Seona, but now he did not even know if the woman asleep in the Orange Blossom chamber was Seona. Or if she was a woman at all.

  Keeping his pace slow, he said, “I will do precisely as Assaph suggested and bring her to the temple.” If Seona was possessed by Hyrk, as he feared, her behavior would change upon entering the temple. She would show signs of discomfort or anger. No amount of acting could disguise the hatred in the heart of Danu’s enemy. He would be compelled to show himself as the wicked demon he was.

  When Hyrk revealed his true nature, Assaph would be ready with a blessed vial of holy oil and a caged rat—a fitting receptacle for Hyrk’s spirit—no, too good of a receptacle. The poor rat didn’t deserve Hyrk, but if Magnus’s suspicion was correct, the small beast’s impending burning could save them all. Magnus would not rest until it was done.

  He only wished he knew what this would mean for Seona. If she were, in fact, possessed by a wicked demigod, what state would she be in upon becoming herself again? Would she shove him away as she had in the past? Try to escape again, racing toward death as an alternative to spending one more minute in his care?

  “I’m coming with you,” Anya said. “You need me,” she added, no doubt anticipating his refusal.

  “What I need is for you to take some rest, Lady Anya. It has been a long day. You have been taxing yourself.” The future of his people rested in her womb. He would have her chained to her bed for the baby’s safety if not for the certainty she would hurt herself trying to escape. Unlike many wolfkind women, Anya was not one to remain abed and expect service.

  Of course, Anya argued. “I willna sit by and watch you do everything yourself when ’tis clear you need more rest than I.”

  Perhaps she was correct, but such was the price of leadership. He had learned to live with his exhaustion. His kingdom could not afford to lose the precious gem Anya carried. He would not be swayed on this. “You will rest,” he said. “If you do not give me your word, I will post guards at your door to ensure you sleep through the night.”

  Her lips flattened. “You need every man you’ve got. You canna spare any for looking after a thorn in yer side.”

  He sighed, weary of arguing with her. “You are not a thorn, Anya. You have been most helpful. You are always most helpful. But you absolutely must help me in this moment by ensuring you and the child you carry rest well. Then wake and eat well. This privilege Danu has blessed you with is not to be taken for granted.” He took both her hands in his. “Even if you don’t agree with me, I ask this of you. Rest. Eat. And rejoin me in the morning. I will tell you all that happens tonight, I swear. Now, do I have your word you will rest?”

  “Curse you,” she muttered. “Fine. Ye have my word. I shall rest.”

  “All night.”

  “Och, for the love of haggis. Aye. I shall rest the whole night.”

  “Thank you, my lady.” He kissed the back of her hand and left her at the doors of Glendall.

  Squaring his shoulders, he marched to his residential wing. He had a date with a demon.

  Chapter 13

  Outside the Orange Blossom chamber, Magnus conferred with the guards watching over Seona. According to them, she had slept soundly and made not a peep the entire time he’d been gone. Relief filled him to know Hyrk had attempted no evil while he’d been with Assaph. Perhaps the entity was resting. Perhaps he was biding his time.

  Soon, his time would be up and his wicked influence would be ended once and for all. Magnus would make sure of it.

  Quietly, he slipped into the chamber and exchanged quiet greetings with the guards inside. On the bed, Seona lay covered in lush fabrics and furs. Creeping closer, he took in the innocent way she slept, cheek pillowed on one hand, her other tucked under a silken pillow. Her hair fanned over the pillow, revealing one rounded ear. Without his telling it to, his hand reached toward her, finger poised to stroke the delicate curve so like a seashell. Horrified at himself, he dropped his hand to his side.

  It was as if he’d forgotten for a moment who and what she was. Still, the sight of her vulnerable in sleep made his breath catch. A deep longing to protect her filled his chest, vital as air.

  But it is not her. These feelings cannot be trusted.

  “Time to wake, Lady Seona,” he said none too gently.

  She stirred. Her eyelids fluttered, and her full lips parted in a yawn. “Hmmmm?” A feline stretch had her gracefully sprawled beneath the blankets. When she blinked open her eyes and smiled up at him, his heart squeezed. Of course, he ignored the sensation. “How long did I sleep?”

  “A few hours.” He strove for a natural tone, not wishing to give away his intentions. “I hope you feel up to a short walk. I have something to show you.”

  Excitement lit her eyes. “Yes!” She pushed herself up, and her creamy breasts plumped beneath her dressing gown. Perhaps this was an attempt by Hyrk to seduce him into letting down his guard. “I would love to walk with you. Will you help me dress?”

  “No.” He cleared his throat. “I’ll send for Daly.” He strode to the door and commanded one of his men to summon Daly and a lad to help Seona dress. When he faced her again, he found her helping herself to a cup of water from the pitcher on the bureau. The dressing gown skimmed over her slender figure, displaying feminine curves that tempted him toward arousal. As she drank, her delicate throat moved with her swallows. He did not let himself become mesmerized or entertain the desire to feather tender kisses over that throat.

  Finished with her water, she placed the cup beside the pitcher and reached for a hairbrush with refined movements. “Did you learn anything about Hyrk while I slept?” she asked, her voice casual.

  For a moment, he imagined her as his queen. This would be her dressing chamber, but the bed would go unused—they would sleep together in his chamber every night. For the rest of their lives. While they readied themselves each morning, she would discuss kingdom matters with him, just as she was doing now.

  When he didn’t respond quickly enough, she added, “You were hoping to learn more about our enemy from Assaph, yes? And your knight—was it Maedoc?—was to determine how the prisoner escaped—Oh!” She froze with the bristles half-way down a
lock of hair. Whirling to face him, she said in a rush, “A boy helped the prisoner. A blond boy.”

  He sucked in a breath, surprised at her seeming certainty a mere breath after inquiring about what he’d learned. Perhaps Hyrk intended to mislead him.

  “Tell me how you know this,” he challenged.

  “Seona remembered—I mean, I remembered.” She averted her gaze and continued brushing her hair. “It was a boy,” she continued smoothly, but he had not missed the slip. “A blond boy who convinced—me—to steal the stone. And I believe he helped the prisoner escape as well.”

  Inadvertently, she had referred to herself as Seona. What more confirmation did he need that she was not a she at all, but the vile Hyrk?

  “You say a blond boy convinced you. Tell me more. Now that you remember.” He doubted the tale was true, considering the source, but he would listen and investigate nonetheless. Perhaps Hyrk’s misinformation would reveal something useful.

  But at that moment, Daly arrived. “You sent for me, Sire?” He wrung his hands. His normally tidy gray hair was disheveled as if he’d been rushing about. Unfortunately, Magnus had no time to inquire after Daly’s state.

  “Fetch a lad to help Seona dress. And bring her a meal, please.” To Seona, he said, “I will investigate what you’ve told me and return shortly. Do not dally. We will leave at once upon my return.”

  Leaving Daly sputtering, he hastened from the chamber and made his way to the dungeon. There were precisely two blond-haired pups in the whole of Chroina: Travis, the youngest of their race, and his elder brother by seven years, Alexander. The presence of either of Diana’s boys in the dungeon would be noticed. A few simple questions would clear up the matter, and he knew just where to begin.

  One of his guards pulled open the door to the dungeon and held it while Magnus strode into the central chamber. Four labyrinthine wings branched out from the circular room, and it was here where the prison guards met and kept their records. With Chroina’s population so low, two of the wings were long abandoned, or so Magnus had thought.