by Donna Grant
“You did good,” Marcail said.
Britt licked her lips while Marcail rubbed a hand up and down her back. “We shall see.”
“You’ve done what no one else could,” Cara said. “Not even with magic.”
Lucan gave her a wide smile. “Exactly. We’ll stay near in case Fallon or Larena needs you. Until then, Aiden, take your woman somewhere she can rest.”
Britt wanted to protest being treated like an object, but she knew Lucan didn’t mean anything Neanderthal about it. It was just a Highlander’s way, a way she’d come to like quite a lot.
Aiden didn’t give her time to say anything as he steered her down a flight a stairs to their room. He sat her on the bed and removed her shoes and socks. Then he gave her a slight push to her shoulders to lay her back on the bed and covered her with a blanket.
Britt’s eyes slid closed on their own. She briefly heard Aiden say something about food, but before she could respond, sleep claimed her.
* * *
Larena knew how much Fallon was counting on Britt’s antidote to make things better, but she feared the drough blood had done too much damage and she would never be the same person she’d been.
She didn’t have the heart to tell him that however. She also didn’t press him about Malcolm. It all became clear how much Malcolm had suffered—how he was suffering still.
There was an emptiness inside her she imagined was the same for her cousin. The difference between her and Malcolm was the way her goddess was trying to take control.
“Stop thinking about it,” Fallon said.
She snuggled against him. He always had an uncanny way of knowing exactly what she was thinking. “You know you’re the only reason I’ve not given in to Lelomai. If you hadn’t been with me, I would’ve granted her control long ago.”
“Had you no’ been with me, you wouldna be in this predicament.”
Larena lifted her head to look at her husband. “Don’t you dare do that. This isn’t your fault, Fallon MacLeod. What happened to me could’ve happened to any of us. I’m lucky enough to have you by my side to help in all of it.”
“It’s a fact I doona like feeling so damned helpless. I can only sit and watch you bear something I can no’ even begin to imagine.”
A teasing comment sprang to mind. As Larena opened her mouth to say it, she stopped, surprise making her body jerk.
“What is it?” Fallon asked, concern filling his green eyes.
For several seconds she could only stare at her husband, the words locked in her throat. Finally she ran her fingers through his dark hair and said, “It’s working.”
She laughed as she cried. Fallon smiled, his own eyes filling with tears as he kissed her. Larena parted her lips and welcomed his kisses. The voice of her goddess lessened, and it no longer felt as if she was being crushed by the weight of the world.
It was Fallon who pulled back, his breathing ragged and his eyes dilated. “Has the antidote worked completely?”
“I feel as if I’ve just come into the rays of the sun after a lengthy illness. As Britt said, I may need more than one dose.”
“But it’s working.”
Larena nodded, then laughed when Fallon leaped from the bed and threw open their door.
“It’s working!” he shouted from their doorway.
Cara and Marcail rushed past Fallon who tried to keep them out, but Lucan and Quinn diverted his attention. The Druids climbed on the bed, both women talking at once. Larena looked to Fallon to find him staring at her while listening to his brothers.
They shared a secret smile.
Larena, having stayed in the chamber for too long, rose from the bed and walked through the door onto the balcony. She looked over her shoulder at Fallon and held out her hand.
He didn’t say a word to his brothers as he strode to her. Together, hand in hand, they leapt from their balcony onto the cliffs below.
“Well,” Lucan said as he looked at the now empty balcony. “I’d say they want some time alone.”
“I think they have a great idea,” Quinn said as he took Marcail’s hand and pulled her out of the room.
Cara laughed and rose from the bed to walk to her husband. “You’re not going to take my hand?”
“I rather thought you might want to take the lead this time,” he said with a teasing light in his green eyes.
“Oh. I like that. Tara gave me a pair of fuzzy handcuffs. I think we should try those tonight.”
Lucan groaned as desire shot through him. “Lead the way, wife. I’m all yours.”
CHAPTER
TWENTY-THREE
Malcolm watched from behind the rose bushes at the back of the house. He spotted the man and woman through the window. The woman was rushing through the lower floor calling out names as she did. There was an answering shout from the second floor, and then a teenage girl with short, spiky red hair came bounding down the stairs with a bag over her shoulder.
When the man came outside, Malcolm’s attention was diverted to him as he opened the back of the SUV and began stuffing luggage in.
“We’re going to be late!” he shouted.
The woman called out names again as she grabbed her purse and ran through the kitchen door outside. Malcolm watched two younger boys with identical ginger hair and freckles pushing each other as each tried to reach the bottom first.
“Hurry, you two!” the mother shouted.
The boys tossed their bags at the father and fought to get in the SUV first. The man slammed the back hatch closed before he closed the house door.
“We’re never going to make the flight,” he mumbled as he walked past Malcolm to get in the SUV. “Twenty-five hours on a plane. To see my in-laws. In Australia. Bloody hell.”
He didn’t try to hide his groan from his wife as he got in the vehicle and drove away.
Malcolm watched their fading taillights. When he was sure they wouldn’t return, he came out from behind the roses and ran back to the Druid.
He found her just as he’d left her, though she now had both hands flat against the stones. Her eyes were closed and her head turned so that one ear was close to the megalith.
“What are they saying?”
She jumped, her eyes flying open. “I thought you left.”
“Nay.”
“Where did you go?”
“To find a place for you to get out of the weather.”
She glanced at the sky. “They’re only clouds. We have them all the time. Besides, the storm is past.”
“There’s another coming. I can smell it in the air.”
She rolled her eyes in response.
“You doona believe me.” He shouldn’t have been surprised by the revelation, but he was. And hurt as well. He hadn’t lied to her once.
The Druid faced him, her gaze narrowed. “It’s pitch black out here. How can you see me?”
“I’m a Warrior.”
Evie bit back a sigh. Malcolm could be so frustrating at times. She wished she could see his face, but all she could make out was his silhouette somewhat. “That doesn’t explain everything.”
“The god inside me … enhances my senses.”
“All of them?”
“All of them.”
She took that in. “Just how well can you see in the dark?”
“As well as in the light.”
Evie let out a low whistle. “Impressive. So now that you have an unfair advantage and can see me, why are you still here?”
There was a long pause as if he were debating what to say. Finally, he said, “I felt the terror in your magic. I returned to Cairn Toul to find you gone.”
“I see.” Evie wanted to sit. Her legs hurt, but it didn’t come close to the pain in her feet. She’d thought the boots would be decent to walk in. And maybe for a day meandering around a city they would, but certainly not hiking all over Scotland.
“We’ll talk about this later. You’re about to collapse.”
“I’m not,” she said defen
sively, even though he was right.
A shot of something electric and needful raced through her when his hand wrapped around her wrist. His touch was firm without hurting. By the way he tugged her to follow him, she knew there would be no getting away.
Not that she wanted to get away. Malcolm was with her once more. The strength he carried and displayed was within reach, and she wanted to lay her head upon those wide shoulders of his and let her burdens fall away.
His warm hand didn’t just give her a measure of calm, it reminded her of how skillful those hands had been on her body, how easily he had brought her to orgasm.
Evie winced when she stumbled over an indentation in the earth. She righted herself only to feel Malcolm’s hard body against hers as he lifted her in his arms.
She could feel his eyes on her, and she wished she could see him. Was there any emotion on his face or in his azure eyes now? Was that lock of blond hair in his eyes once more? How she wished she could see him and get the answers to her questions.
“I can walk,” she said around the need being so close to him caused.
He made a sound at the back of his throat that she wasn’t sure meant that he agreed or not. Evie decided it was easier not to talk.
His warmth soaked through her jacket and sweater into her aching muscles. As she relaxed in his strong arms, she recalled why she was out in the middle of nowhere. It was thoughts of Brian that made the backs of her eyes prick with tears again.
“I’m going to need a car,” she said.
“It’d be better than you walking Scotland. I’ll find one.”
She frowned. “You don’t want to know why?”
Evie felt him shrug when he lifted his shoulders. “My concern is for your safety.”
Evie looked back in the direction of the stones. She wanted to see them. They were calling to her. Not just the stones—but their magic. The answer to keeping the necklace and having Brian returned was in the center of those stones if she dared to take the answer.
If she did, she would be the only one to pay the price for her stupidity. If she didn’t, Brian could be hurt, or worse, thousands of innocents. Neither of which she could live with.
She didn’t want to give up her soul, but it seemed only fair that she be the one to pay the price for her screw up.
“Take me back to the stone circle.”
“No’ now. You need to rest. Whatever you want with it can wait.”
“Actually, it can’t.”
Malcolm stopped walking. She could feel his gaze on her. Evie could well imagine his blue eyes intent and fierce as they stared at her. She had seen desire in them once.
In that instant she decided Malcolm couldn’t know of her plans to become drough. He hated them, and he would try and stop her.
“Explain,” he demanded.
Evie blew out a breath. “Someone has kidnapped my brother.”
“And you think the answer to your problem is in the circle?”
“Yes.”
“This is what sent you racing from Cairn Toul?”
She nodded and fiddled with her purse strap. “It is.”
“You doona want my help?”
Evie squeezed her eyes shut. The hurt she heard in his voice was nearly her undoing. “I didn’t say that.”
There was no response as he began walking again. Evie opened her eyes when a light appeared from over the top of the rise. A few steps later and she spotted the house. It was a decent sized house made of brown stone and brick. The back of the house had a large sunroom that overlooked the stones.
“Whose house is this?” she asked when he set her down by the back door, light flooding them from the lamp above.
“They’ve gone on an extended trip. You’ll be safe here tonight.”
“And where will you be?”
She wished she could have hidden the desperation in her voice, but she was barely hanging on to her sanity. Malcolm’s strength gave her strength whether he knew it or not.
He asked how he could help, and he’d been doing it without even knowing.
Evie looked up into Malcolm’s face to find him watching her. His eyes were in shadows, and his face once more unreadable. His hands, however, were still touching her. Warmth spread through her, settling low in her belly as desire flared and spread.
“I shouldna have left you,” he said slowly. “You’d be better with someone else watching over you.”
“You’re here now. Don’t leave. Please.” She wouldn’t make it if she had to do it alone.
His hands fell away from her. “I willna.”
He turned away to open the door. Evie stepped inside to find a homey kitchen that reminded her of her grandmother’s. There was an old iron stove and a beautiful tea set visible in a glass cabinet.
Rows of plates sat in their places in a rack next to the sink while pots hung on hooks near the stove. On the far side of the kitchen was a fireplace and next to it a round table and five chairs.
Evie sank onto a chair and pulled off her boots. She rose and started for the stove to make some tea when she spotted Malcolm rummaging in the fridge.
By the time she had the kettle on, Malcolm had set out a tray of cold chicken, several blocks of cheese, and a loaf of bread. He cut up the chicken and cheese as she found two cups and poured them tea.
They ate in silence, their fingers touching occasionally. Each time a little shock went through her, making her want to touch him more. Malcolm made sure her plate was never empty. Evie was caught off guard by his chivalry. She tried to catch his gaze to thank him, but he refused to look at her.
He offered her the last piece of chicken, which she declined. “I’m stuffed.”
Evie reached for the now empty plate only to have Malcolm’s large hand graze hers again. She shivered at the way her blood heated and her heart pounded whenever they touched.
She must be the only one who felt it though, because he rose and began cleaning the kitchen without so much as a look in her direction. Evie stood and wandered the house looking at pictures of the family while trying to tamp down the desire.
It seemed odd to be in someone’s house, but she was out of the chilly weather. She glanced out the window to see rain running down the glass.
So Malcolm had been right. There was another storm. Evie was glad not to be in it, but the longer she held off gaining black magic, the longer Brian was in danger.
She pulled out her phone from her pocket and checked the texts. The kidnappers still hadn’t told her when they were supposed to meet. She started to demand her brother back right then, but she paused, her fingers over the keys.
If she went for Brian now, then she’d lose the necklace, and most likely Brian. The odds of getting her brother back were slim. She understood that, which was why she had to have more magic. The kidnappers would never see what she had in store for them.
She watched the video of Brian again, afraid of texting the kidnappers and them harming her brother. Her throat tightened when she saw the frightened look in Brian’s eyes. He was trying to tell her something, but the brief view she had of his face wasn’t enough to give her anything.
Her phone vibrated in her hand, making her jump. Evie looked down to find a text from the kidnappers demanding to meet at Urquhart Castle the next day at noon.
She had only a little while until she’d get Brian back. Only a short time to gain a tremendous amount of magic and learn how to use it.
Evie looked out the window again. The rain was coming down hard. It wasn’t the weather that kept her inside, but Malcolm. She didn’t want him to see what she was going to do. J had said the stone circle was a private place for Druids only.
But it was more than that. There was a chance Malcolm would kill her. His hatred of droughs ran that deep.
She would wait until Malcolm was asleep, and then she would sneak out and do the ceremony. With her decision made, Evie continued her exploration of the house.
The house had three bedrooms and two baths. Evi
e couldn’t resist the master bathroom when she walked in and saw the large shower. She stripped and turned on the water.
Just before she stepped in, she looked at the door wondering what Malcolm was doing and if he would stay as he’d promised.
She thought of her brother and the people who had dared to kidnap him. Evie sent up a prayer that Brian was being treated fairly, and that somehow both of them would come out of everything alive.
Evie removed her necklace and held the pendant in front of her. The knotwork etched into the silver cross was breathtaking, harking back to a different time. She vividly remembered tracing the knotwork while her grandmother had worn the necklace.
It had been given to her for safekeeping because she was a Druid. And because of her stupidity and foolishness, Brian was in danger and the necklace was being sought.
“I’m so sorry, Grandmum. I made you a promise to keep the pendant safe, and I’ve not done that. I’ve really made a muck of things.”
But she was going to straighten it out.
If she did lose the pendant, she’d get it back. No matter how long it took or what she had to do, she would wear it once more.
The sound of Malcolm’s boot heels sounded on the wood floor as he walked the living room. An image of him in Warrior form flashed in her mind.
He was starkly beautiful, dangerously wild. Completely menacing.
And wonderfully, utterly male.
He stood solemnly against the world, boldly daring it to take him on, for anyone courageous enough to try. He defied the magical world he was part of and shunned the mortal one.
He was alone, a solitary Highlander who was as fierce and tempestuous as the land he belonged to. Fate dealt him cruel blow after blow, and still he remained standing, valiant and bold.
She closed her eyes as she stepped beneath the water. If only Malcolm was with her, if only he would give in to the need she saw glimpses of every now and then.
If only he wanted her as much as she wanted him.
CHAPTER
TWENTY-FOUR
