The man from the coffee shop.
The very same man she’d dreamed of.
She yelped.
He glanced at Maria, his green gaze then moving to her. Nothing short of relief washed over him. Maggie hadn’t realized how alert he’d looked at the door. His jaw set as he glanced at Maria. “Kitty, kitty, can I come in?”
“Of course her mate would be a total dick,” answered Maria. “Who smells like a dog.”
Laughter erupted from behind Kennard and Maggie stood, still cold, mug of tea in hand and blanket around her shoulders. What was going on? Why was he at her house? Better yet, how did he know where she lived?
“Kennard, can you get her so we can go?” asked a man Maggie couldn’t see.
Ohmygods, his name really is Kennard.
“W-what…?”
Maria stepped aside and Kennard moved with a speed humans didn’t normally have. He was before Maggie in the blink of an eye, grabbing the tea from her hands and thrusting it away from them, in Maria’s direction. Her friend called Kennard a few choice words in Spanish before taking the mug and stepping back.
Kennard grabbed Maggie and dragged her against his warm, powerful frame. She yelped again. He lifted her off her feet, bringing her to eye level. “Yer nae harmed?”
Maggie was too cold, too tired and too lost in everything that was happening to follow what he was asking, his brogue even thicker than it had been in the shop and in her dream.
He repeated the question and she stared at him, wide-eyed, shivering, overwhelmed.
Maria sighed. “She’s not hurt. Scared, confused and worried about you, but other than that, she’s fine.”
With the slowest of movements, Maggie turned her head and glanced at her friend, hoping it would all become clear then. Kennard continued to hold her off the ground with ease. Maria offered a warm smile. “Girl, I told you he only had eyes for you.”
“Why is he here? How is he here?” she asked, before realizing she could just ask him, so she did. “Well, why are you here?”
He blinked in surprise at her. “Lass, you were there with Athol and me. You saw as I did that he wants you for somethin’ and he’s powerful enough to rip you to him there in that realm. He’s also strong enough to kill me from there.”
Maggie’s cold hand went instantly to Kennard’s side. The one he’d been stabbed in while she was dreaming. Her eyes moistened and she lost control of her emotions. The next thing she knew, Kennard held her tight to him, his arms wrapped around her protectively, her feet dangling off the floor as he rocked her back and forth in his arms as if she were a child.
He pressed his lips to her temple. “Yer like ice, lass.”
“He stabbed you,” she managed. “It was real?”
“Aye.”
“How are you not dead?”
Kennard kissed her temple once more and she realized he too was shaking, though he was kicking off a tremendous amount of heat. “Because you saved me.”
Another thought hit her. If the dream with Kennard had been real, that meant so was Athol and so were all the dreams he’d tormented her in—trying to get her to come with him. Though she wasn’t sure to where.
“Oh gods, he’s real? I thought vampires and moon-crazed shifters were as bad as it got.”
Kennard set her on her feet and then held her at arm’s length. His expression hardened. “You’ve come up against blood drinkers and shifters under the pull of the moon?”
She wasn’t sure he wanted the truth, so she pressed a fake smile to her face. “Nope.”
One of the twin towers who had arrived with him laughed and then tried to cover it with a cough. His matching counterpart elbowed him.
“Shut it, Liam,” said the man.
The one who had laughed did so again. “What? I like her. Can we keep her?”
“No,” said Maggie as Kennard followed with a “yes.” She gulped. “Maria, a little help here.”
Maria sighed. “No can do, hon. My aunt says this was predestined.”
“What was?” demanded Maggie.
Maria pointed from Maggie to Kennard and back again. “The two of you. Though, I’d have hooked you up with someone less alpha. Alphas are always douchebags.”
“Hey, we are nae,” said Liam before touching his chin and shrugging. “Never mind, we are.”
Cillian tipped his head and for a moment the twins had identical expressions upon their faces. “Aye, we are.”
Kennard began looking her over and then made a disapproving sound, much like one of Maggie’s foster mothers had made when Maggie had thought it would be fun to finger paint a wall. “Lass, yer nae taking good care of yerself. Yer too thin. And you’re frozen through and through. It’s nearly a hundred out and yer in here, shakin’ like a leaf on a cold autumn day.”
Maria brought Maggie her mug of tea. “I agree. She is too thin. It’s because she works so hard. She forgets to eat all day. Too busy waiting on everyone else. And she’s cold because she won’t dare spend any of her savings to get her water tank fixed. I offered to buy her a new one but she won’t let me. And she won’t take me up on my offer for her to move into my apartment with me.”
Maggie gasped. “I’m not imposing.”
“You’re my best friend. That is hardly imposing.”
Kennard looked her over slowly. “’Tis settled then. You will live with me.”
“I don’t even know you,” she blurted.
He narrowed his gaze. “You held my dick in yer hand, lass. You know me.”
The twins snorted.
Maria gasped. “Maggie? Seriously? You left that part of the dream out.”
“Aye, I imagine she did. Did she mention how she begged me to take her? And how I was goin’ to do just that before Athol interrupted us?”
How dare he tell everyone the intimate details they’d shared. Her temper flared and she did the only thing she could think to do, she stuck her tongue out at him. It wasn’t her finest moment, nor was it her most mature, but it felt warranted. The room fell silent before Liam pointed at her.
“I really like her.”
Maria even managed a smile that didn’t look forced. “I should get out of here and give the two of you space.”
Earlier, at the shop, Maria had seemed dead set against Kennard being near her, and now she wanted to give them space. Something was going on and it was big. Big enough that Maria was willing to go back on her first instincts, something she wasn’t prone to do. Changing Maria’s mind was often as hard as changing the flow of a river—it just didn’t happen.
Cillian lifted a hand, halting Maria. “As much as we want to give them space as well, we’ve a pressin’ matter at hand. Kennard filled us in on what he overheard at the coffee shop. You both know of demons?”
What he’d overheard? Maggie was all ears as Kennard blushed as though he wasn’t thrilled he’d been outed.
Liam huffed. “Oh, we’ve nae got all night. Lasses, Athol is verra real and if he’s managed enough power to draw Maggie to the plane he resides on now and to nearly kill Kennard, he’s got enough power to cross back over—to this plane. To this realm. That would be verra bad. We need to know what he wants with you, Maggie.”
Unsure herself, she didn’t know how to answer the question. All she knew was she’d been dreaming of him since she could remember and the dreams were becoming more and more terrifying for her. She’d always thought he was made up—her mind’s way of working out her inner demons. Hearing he was real scared her and she didn’t scare easily anymore.
Deflated by the night’s revelations, she eased back from Kennard, still shivering and shook her head. “I don’t know.”
Maria went to the refrigerator and returned with three beers, handing one to each of the men. Kennard set his aside, his green gaze still firmly planted upon Maggie. Liam and Cillian opened theirs as Maria retrieved Kennard’s and opened it for herself.
She took a long swig, impressing the twins. “Maggie has had the nightmares since
before I met her—so a long-ass time. But they’re getting worse. This last one, tonight, she smelled of dark magik, and for a second I thought it was coming from her until I realized it was wrapped around her. It got past Maggie’s natural safeguards as easy as if it was her own power. It wasn’t. Hers has a certain scent that I’m familiar with.”
Maggie and Maria never talked openly with anyone outside of Maria’s family about what they could do. It was strange to do so now. She found herself at a loss for words. She looked at the crappy, old shag carpet as she waited for their response to the news she had magik.
Kennard touched her chin, forcing her gaze upwards until their eyes met. He winked and the next she knew tiny fireflies were all around her, dancing in the air, just out of reach. He winked again and they vanished.
“Show off,” muttered Liam from his position near the entrance. He finished off his beer and handed the empty to Maria. “Woman, see to that.”
Maria made a move to go at him and Cillian caught her gently around the waist, taking the empty bottle from her, effectively disarming her. “Come now, I want to kill him hourly too, lass.”
Maria shook her head and patted Cillian’s arm for release. “I’m so sorry you’re obviously related to him.”
“So is Kennard, when he claims us,” added Cillian with a smile that Maggie could see would work to worm his way into a lot of women’s beds.
The more she looked at the men, the more she began to realize they were all worthy of being romance book heroes, and they were all crammed into her tiny living room. The notion caused a giggle to break free from her before full-on laughter struck. A mix of fatigue from lack of quality sleep, working too hard, hunting too many bad things, all came to a head, leaving her laughing at near hysterical level.
Kennard’s brows met.
Maria put the empty beer bottle in the recycle bin in the kitchen and grinned. “This is how Maggie copes. When she gets overwhelmed and tired, she laughs. A lot. Also, she laughs at funerals. Once you’re aware of it you think twice about taking her to any.” She looked to Maggie. “You all right?”
Maggie waved her hand in a dismissive manner and hiccupped. “He kissed me today.”
Maria nodded. “I know. I saw the whole thing.”
“He just waltzed into my shop, laid one on me and then showed up in my dream.” Maggie laughed harder even though none of it was funny. It was how she dealt with stress.
Inappropriate laughter.
“And then he took on the snake-demon like he was nothing to be scared of.” She reached out, her hand connecting with Kennard’s. “As he already mentioned, I held his dick. Then he almost died. Right in front of me.”
Maria stayed where she was and motioned for Liam and Cillian to do the same. Kennard moved closer to Maggie.
Squeezing his hand, Maggie laughed more. “And then he shows up at my house, informing me I’m going to live with him. I don’t even know him.”
“Lass, yer his chosen,” said Cillian softly. “The other half of his immortal soul.”
Maggie hiccupped again and then stopped laughing abruptly. “Seriously, this is one giant joke, isn’t it?”
Kennard seemed at a loss for what to say.
Maria sighed. “Honey, I have no idea why you have always seen yourself as less. As unattractive when you are anything but. You are beautiful on the inside and out, Maggie. You stay in a town that for so many years did nothing but call you Mad Maggie, even when I wanted to force you to run away with me. But no, you laid down roots, opened a business here, and if that wasn’t enough, you go out with me and try to fight the good fight—you try to keep this town from falling into the hands of evil. You’re worthy of love, hon. You’re worthy of a hot guy. I don’t know that this one is worthy of you though. That remains to be seen.”
Cillian moved away from his spot near the wall. “Yer stunnin’, Maggie’.”
Kennard growled and Cillian put his hands in the air.
“Well, she is.”
“Aye,” said Liam. “I’d do her in a heartbeat. If I dinnae think you’d kill me for it that is, cousin.”
Kennard growled again and this time the sound was a familiar one. She’d heard it before when she and Maria had hunted shifters that were controlled by the moon. She gasped. “Ohmygods, you’re hot, a great kisser, have a killer accent, possess the gift of magik and you can shift shapes? Tell me you’re hung. Wait, I know the answer to that.”
The last bit had just popped out without thought.
Everyone stared at her before Maria laughed, loud and long.
Kennard’s gaze whipped to her and gone was the green in his eyes, replaced by yellow. His cousins made a move to come for him but Maggie thrust herself at him, her palms going to his chest. The minute she made full contact with him he seemed to calm.
He sniffed her hair and then moved his head down, bending, sniffing her neck next. The men swooped in and pulled Kennard back from her. They tugged at him and Maria opened the front door as the twins yanked Kennard through it.
Maria closed the door behind them and then smiled at Maggie. “They’ll be just a minute.”
“What just happened?” Maggie asked.
Maria sighed. “He was preparing to claim you. The boys stopped him so he wouldn’t do it in front of everyone. They’re taking him out for air.”
Maggie soaked it all in. “So they just took my chosen one or whatever you call it out for a walk?”
“Yeah, next time they should take a leash,” added Maria with a wicked grin. “Gah, I hope they don’t poop in your yard. Dogs are disgusting.”
Maggie’s laughter returned, although this time it was warranted.
Chapter 8
“Whoa, do nae attack us,” said Cillian, his hands up and his body bent slightly, making his height lower than Kennard.
It took Kennard a bit to come out of his wolf-haze, but when he did, he took a long, deep breath of the hot summer night’s air. “What happened?”
Liam was leaning against the old trailer, picking at something under his fingernail. “You were about to claim yer mate right there in her livin’ room. We thought it best we not let you do it while you were on the verge of shifting. We got you out of there just before you actually started to change. We can take you back in to hump her leg and let her scratch yer belly if you’d prefer.”
“That is sure to help his volatile mood,” said Cillian, lowering his hands slowly.
Kennard took in what Liam said. Had he really allowed the wolf that much freedom near Maggie? The expression on his cousins’ faces said he had. He scratched at the back of his neck and began pacing around the front yard. When he reached the small one lane road that they’d rode up on, he kicked a pebble, sending it flying in the other direction.
When they’d decided to stop in Sandsville, he’d assumed it had been random, but he knew now it wasn’t. He’d been mystically drawn there, to her. To Maggie. She needed him and he her.
But losing control and shifting to wolf to lay his claim was not what he wanted to do. Yes, he wanted to know she was his, but he wanted it on his terms. Not his wolf’s. The wolf was primal and didn’t much care for human customs. It had less patience than Liam, and that was saying something since Liam had the patience of a two-year-old on most days.
“The runes should have kept my wolf at bay,” he said, his hand going to the symbol that was temporarily marked upon his flesh. It would fade within a few days, once the magik he’d borrowed from the darkness, from sources he knew better than to tamper with, began to lessen, but while it was there, he shouldn’t have been able to go as far over the edge as he had.
Cillian gave him a knowing look.
“Dark magik dinnae stop yer mate when she saved you from Athol,” said Liam with a large shrug, still picking at his nails. Kennard knew it was because the topic of mates had always been a touchy one for his cousin. While Liam almost always wore an air of macho dickness around him like a suit of protective armor, he, like most of the me
n in the O’Caha clan, wanted to one day find happiness. “Why should it stop her callin’ to yer wolf?”
“I hate it when he makes guid points,” snapped Kennard.
Cillian laughed. “You and me both.”
He thought about the foreign power that had surrounded Maggie. It had not felt like Athol’s, but it had felt dark. Deep down, worry seeped in—he didn’t want to believe what he was starting to suspect. No. He had to be wrong. His sweet, redheaded shop owner who wouldn’t accept charity and who had saved his life could not be of the dark mages.
That just couldn’t be.
He was tired, his wolf was caged and unhappy, and much had gone on in a short period of time. Once he was able to sit back and see the bigger picture, he’d have a clearer head and outlook. He wouldn’t let doubt creep in.
At least he hoped he wouldn’t.
Kennard took a moment to really look at where Maggie lived. The trailer was old and he wondered if a strong wind would take it down. Hell, mayhap even a light one. And when he’d found her tonight she’d been frozen through and through even though the air outside was oppressive. What had she told him?
“Her water tank is broken,” he said as if his cousins cared. The modern conveniences he enjoyed so much didn’t seem to apply here at Maggie’s home.
Cillian glanced around. “Kennard, it does nae look as if much works here.”
“No,” said Liam softly, his normally joking tone gone. “And did you notice, she’s no vehicle. The car in the drive there belongs to the friend. It is coated in her scent. And I do nae see or smell any others, aside from our bikes.”
Kennard had noticed. Tracking her down had been easier than he would have liked. When he’d gone to the downtown area, near the bars and where her shop was located, he asked a man who was sitting outside on the shop’s patio furniture—well after it had closed. The same man who had seemed immune to the compulsion spell his cousins had cast on the patrons the day prior. The man had glared at Kennard but he’d handed over Maggie’s address without any qualms. That was not safe. And Kennard couldn’t stop thinking that the man had seemed to be on the verge of a menacing grin after he’d divulged Maggie’s address—as if Kennard had just played the hand he’d been dealt.
A Druid of Her Own: An Immortal Highlander (Druid Series Book 4) Page 7
