Midnight's Master

by Donna Grant

  But for the first time in her life, Gwynn wasn’t afraid. Not while she was in Logan’s arms.

  He bent her back over his arm and kissed down her neck. Somehow he had unzipped her jacket and shoved it open. She gasped in pleasure when his hand cupped her breast beneath her sweater.

  Need grew until she felt the moisture between her legs. She couldn’t get close enough to Logan, couldn’t feel enough of him.

  And then his thumb grazed her nipple.

  Gwynn cried out from the sheer pleasure of it. Logan’s mouth claimed hers for another kiss. This one more demanding, more urgent. And hungry.

  He ravaged her mouth while his fingers continued to tease her nipple until it was hard and aching. Her breasts swelled, eager for more of his touch.

  It was the sound of a boat motoring overhead that caused Logan to break the kiss and lift his head to look above them.

  He lowered his gaze to her, then slowly righted her.

  “I guess we can’t stay down here forever,” Gwynn said.

  His jaw clenched as he shrugged. “We could always try.”

  The bad thing was, Gwynn very much wanted to.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  It wasn’t that Logan was afraid of the automobiles. It was just that he preferred to travel as he usually did. He did have to admit, however, that the car traveled faster than he could.

  He glanced over at Gwynn as she drove with her hands gripping the steering wheel so tight her knuckles were white.

  They had made it back to Mallaig and purchased the things she’d need when the snow had begun. At first, it was light flakes that danced in the air endlessly.

  Then, the rain had begun.

  Gwynn had packed all her belongings in the rather small rolling bag.

  “We don’t know when we’ll return, and I don’t like being without my stuff,” she’d argued.

  Logan knew it didn’t matter. They could always return to the hotel after they were through searching for the book.

  Because he knew they would be back.

  Gwynn had even taken his few meager belongings, including his tattered kilt, shirt, and boots. They, along with her bag, were packed in the incredibly small car.

  With the snow falling even harder, Gwynn had slowed the car until Logan knew he could get out and walk faster. But Gwynn had told him she’d never driven in the snow, and since he didn’t know how to drive, that left only her.

  “We can pull over and wait out the storm,” he offered.

  Gwynn shook her head of inky black hair. “I’d rather keep going. I’m afraid if I wait, the roads will only get worse.”

  “If that’s what you want.”

  “I want to be sitting in front of a warm fire, not driving north where the storm seems to be even worse. But the lady at the hotel said it shouldn’t take long to reach Ullapool.”

  Logan drummed his fingers on his leg. “What is the man’s name again?”

  “Declan Wallace. Why?”

  “I’m no’ sure. It’s almost as if I should know something about the name, but I doona.”

  “Maybe you knew a Wallace from your time.” She glanced at him, a grin on her face.

  Her nose was red, and she hadn’t removed her coat. But she was smiling. After all she’d been through, it was enough to make Logan want to reach over and take her hand.

  It wasn’t something he did with women. Oh, he liked women well enough. Too much, some would say. He charmed them, and he wooed them. But not once had he ever wanted to offer comfort as he did with Gwynn.

  “What is it?” Gwynn asked.

  Logan shrugged. “I’m still becoming accustomed to riding in this vehicle.”

  “I can imagine it’s quite a change. Do you miss your time?”

  “Oh, aye,” he admitted. “It was much quieter and there were no’ nearly as many people. Everything seems so rushed in your time.”

  “It’s your time as well now,” Gwynn reminded him. “But you’re right. It is rushed. Everyone is always hurrying here and hurrying there. No one has any patience anymore. There’s this thing called road rage. In the US, in some cities the traffic is so horrendous people sit in it for hours. It makes people mad.”

  “Road rage?”

  She nodded. “People have killed others for driving too slow or refusing to let them in a lane, or any number of other offenses. It’s just … sad.”

  “I think you would have liked my time.” Logan could imagine Gwynn standing in the bailey of MacLeod Castle with the other women.

  “I don’t know about that. I’m kinda partial to the toilets and showers.”

  Logan threw back his head and laughed. “Oh, aye, lass. I’ve found I’ve grown fond of them as well.”

  The talk had eased Gwynn’s nerves, allowing her to drive with more confidence. Just as Logan had intended.

  “Can you tell me what it’s like being a Warrior?” she asked.

  Logan inhaled a deep breath and slowly released it. “I had only been a Warrior for a century when we found the MacLeods. I was the youngest of the Warriors, but the one thing we all have in common is a past we’d just as soon forget.”

  “The MacLeods, it was the slaughter of their clan, yes?”

  “Aye,” Logan nodded. “Fallon, Lucan, and Quinn had lived in the ruin of the castle for three hundred years. They made everyone believe the castle was haunted. It would still be like that if Lucan hadn’t saved Cara.”

  Gwynn grinned and briefly turned her head to him. “What happened?”

  “Cara’s parents had been killed when she was just a child. It was wyrran who had killed them, but she didn’t know it. She got away and was taken in by the nuns in the village next to MacLeod Castle. One day, she slipped on the edge of the cliffs. Lucan had been watching her, and he got to her in time to save her.

  “The rule of the brothers is that no one was allowed in the castle but them. Quinn, had a problem controlling his rage, and Fallon drowned himself in wine so he wouldn’t have to listen to his god.”

  “Wow,” Gwynn said softly. “I take it they allowed Cara to stay.”

  Logan told Gwynn the story of how Cara came to realize she was a Druid and how Deirdre had attacked the castle to try and take her.

  “By that time Lucan and Cara had fallen in love. Fallon, being the leader that he was born to be, had stopped drinking. He helped to slow the Warrior from taking Cara, which gave Lucan and the rest of us time to get there and save her.”

  “So Cara was the first Druid at the castle?”

  “She was. It was the MacLeods’ idea to open the castle to all Druids as a sanctuary. Any Warrior wishing to fight Deirdre was also welcome.”

  “How many Warriors are at the castle?”

  Logan rested his head against the seat. “The MacLeods, of course. Galen was the next to arrive. Then me, Hayden, and Ramsey. Oh, and then Larena.”

  “A woman?”

  “And Fallon’s wife. She’s the only female Warrior we know of.”

  “How neat!”

  Logan smiled at the way Gwynn’s violet eyes had lit up at the mention of Larena.

  “Who else?” Gwynn asked.

  “Camdyn, Arran, Broc, and the twins, Ian and Duncan.”

  Gwynn’s smile disappeared. “Except Duncan is gone.”

  “That he is.”

  “So that makes twelve Warriors.”

  He nodded. “We think Ian was pulled to this time because of his link with Duncan. Deirdre had just killed Duncan when she disappeared. That’s when me, Ramsey, Camdyn, and Arran decided to come to this time in search of Ian.”

  “Why is it so important to find him?”

  Logan scrubbed a hand down his face. “Because of his god. The rage will be overwhelming. He’s always shared his god with his twin.”

  “And with Duncan gone, Ian has the full strength of his god.”

  “Precisely. Ian is strong, and any other time I wouldna doubt his ability to control his god. But he’s grieving. There was a verra strong bond
between Ian and Duncan. He will need us to help him.”

  “What happens if Deirdre finds him?”

  It was what they all feared. “Then Ian might never gain control of his god. He would be Deirdre’s to rule.”

  “I see.” Gwynn flattened her lips. “Then we will find Ian once we find my father.”

  Logan looked at her, amazed once more at her resiliency.

  “Do you want to know of the Druids?”

  “I do. You told me a little.”

  “Cara was still learning her magic, but I’m sure by now she’s a verra powerful Druid.”

  The car swerved, and Gwynn gently turned the wheel in the opposite direction until the car straightened. “Icy patch on the road,” she explained. “I can’t wait to meet Cara.”

  “She’ll welcome you, as will all the Druids. Sonya was the next to arrive. She came because the trees told her she was needed at the castle. She’s the one who began Cara’s training.”

  “Can Sonya only talk to the trees?”

  “Nay. She can heal. Marcail was saved by Quinn from Deirdre. Marcail comes from a verra formidable line of Druids. The spell to bind our gods was buried deep in her mind by her grandmother. Deirdre’s attempt to kill Marcail erased the spell, however.”

  “That sucks,” Gwynn said. “I’m really beginning to hate this Deirdre chick.”

  Logan chuckled. “We all do.”

  “But Marcail is safe at the castle?”

  “Aye. And carrying Quinn’s child.”

  Gwynn’s eyes were huge as she jerked her head to look at him. “You can father children?”

  “Apparently. None of us knew for sure, nor had we tried. It was a surprise to Marcail and Quinn as well. The other women take some kind of concoction that prevents pregnancy.”

  “Interesting. It never occurred to me that a Warrior could have children.”

  “Marcail also has the ability to take away another’s pain.”

  “That’s what her magic does?”

  “Aye.”

  “What happens?”

  “She becomes violently ill.”

  Gwynn’s lip curled in distaste. “I’m glad that isn’t what I can do. Who else is there?”

  “Isla. She was held as Deirdre’s prisoner for centuries. Deirdre was able to control Isla’s mind and make her do things.”

  “I take it those things were bad.”

  “Extremely,” Logan said. “Isla was a mie, but Deirdre forced her to become drough. Because Isla didna become drough willingly, the evil never took her. She’s the only one who has the ability to control black magic without it consuming her.”

  “Making her one powerful Druid.”

  “Aye. She shields the castle and village. If people get too near, they will feel the need to leave immediately. For others who do venture close, they willna see anything other than the countryside.”

  “Now that’s cool,” Gwynn said.

  Logan followed the wipers on the window as they futilely tried to remove the rapidly falling snow. The storm he had predicted would keep most indoors. It was also a hazard to be in, which was proven to Logan when the car had skidded on the ice.

  They would be driving over mountains, and though he wanted to find the book, he didn’t think putting Gwynn’s life in danger was worth it.

  “Maybe we should find another hotel,” he said. “The roads are going to be difficult the farther into the Highlands we go.”

  Gwynn bit her lip, her fingers once more gripping the wheel. “We’ll go as far as we can. Tell me more of the Druids.”

  “With Isla safely away from Deirdre and protected by Hayden, she told us of the artifacts Deirdre was trying to find. The first was at Loch Awe. Imagine Galen’s and my surprise when the artifact turned out to be a Druid. Reaghan’s clan of Druids is where Laria, Deirdre’s twin, had gone to when Deirdre gained too much power.”

  “Holy smoke,” Gwynn murmured. “Each time you tell me of a Druid, the story is more complex than the last.”

  He shrugged. “I suppose. A spell was cast on Laria to make her sleep until she could be awakened to kill Deirdre.”

  “Why not kill Deirdre then?”

  “Few realized how dangerous Deirdre really was. Laria, however, knew. Reaghan’s father then helped cast a spell on Reaghan that made her immortal. With a price. Every ten years Reaghan would lose her memories and begin her life again. Each time a decade passed, it was like a wall went up in Reaghan’s mind.”

  “Hiding the location of Laria.”

  Logan blinked and gazed at Gwynn. “How did you know?”

  She shrugged. “Makes sense to me.”

  “That’s exactly what happened. But Galen and Reaghan fell in love on their way to the castle. Deirdre attacked the castle again in an effort to steal Reaghan. She was struck with a spear and died, but it was her dying that broke the spell. She was able to remember everything then.”

  “A one up on Deirdre,” Gwynn said with a whoop. “Good for y’all.”

  “Y’all?” Logan repeated the strange word.

  “I’m from Texas, Logan. We have our own language,” she said with a grin.

  Logan scratched his jaw and chuckled.

  “Then Sonya and Broc found the amulet, yes?”

  “Aye. We need all the artifacts to be able to make it to Laria and awaken her.”

  Gwynn tucked her hair behind her ear and glanced at him. “Are Broc and Sonya together?”

  “They are. Why?”

  “It seems that every Druid is matched to a Warrior.”

  Logan’s heart missed a beat. “It appears so.”

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Gwynn was thankful for Logan’s conversation. She was more nervous about driving on the slick roads than she wanted to admit. But she knew how important it was to seek out Declan Wallace.

  Not just for her father, but for the artifact Logan needed.

  Yet, as she glanced over and saw him studying the road, she knew he wasn’t thinking of the weather. He was thinking about the Druids finding love with the Warriors at MacLeod Castle.

  For a moment, Gwynn allowed herself to think about being Logan’s. There was no doubt she was attracted to him. Strongly attracted, but he was immortal.

  And she was tired of being left behind.

  She steeled her heart and her body against Logan. There would be no happy ending for them because she wouldn’t allow it. For her own sanity, she had to stay strong in this.

  “Just twenty more miles to Ullapool,” Logan said.

  The time had flown by as they had talked. Hearing about the Druids and Warriors had made Gwynn realize the war Logan and the others were fighting was one that could change the world as she knew it.

  If Deirdre was able to prevent Logan and the others from awakening Laria, she could gain the power she sought. Everything would become hers. Every person would be hers to command.

  And there would be no one to stop her.

  Gwynn followed the road signs to Ullapool, and then through the city to the outskirts. The car was quiet as she and Logan were lost in their own thoughts.

  She couldn’t help but think that the time Logan was spending helping her find her father was time wasted in not finding the artifact. Or Ian.

  Yet, like Logan, she had a suspicion her father and the artifact were somehow connected.

  They just had to figure out how. Maybe then they’d find her father. Then he could fill them in on all he knew.

  “There,” Logan said and pointed to the left.

  Gwynn saw the ten-foot-tall hedges that blocked the gated entry from the road. She slowed the car, careful not to brake too quickly on the icy roads, and turned into the drive.

  Gwynn stopped next to the speaker box sticking out of the ground and rolled down her window. Snow poured into the car as she punched the button and rubbed her hands together.

  “Aye?” the disembodied male voice said through the speaker.

  “We’ve come to see Mr. Wallace if he’s availabl
e,” Gwynn said, her voice raised so the man could hear her.

  “You’re American.” He said it with such distaste that Gwynn rolled her eyes.

  “Yes, I am. We’re hoping Mr. Wallace can help me locate my father, Professor Gary Austin.”

  Silence greeted her announcement.

  Gwynn sat back and looked at Logan. She shrugged, thinking they had made the trip for nothing when there was a click and the huge black gates began to open.

  She hastily rolled up her window and drove through the gates. For just a heartbeat she thought about turning around. There was something … off … about the mansion.

  It was huge, rising four stories. She counted ten chimneys. The mansion stretched far on each side, and she could only imagine how deep the house was. The grounds were perfectly landscaped, even with the snow. The gravel drive had tracks from previous vehicles, and she glimpsed a Jaguar parked near the front door. The house, with its white paint and gray stone accents, drew her gaze again and again.

  “Wallace is certainly wealthy,” Logan said as he turned his head to peer out the window. “I’ve never seen anything like this.”

  “This is impressive, but there are others like this all over the world. You should go to London and see the palace.”

  “I’d rather no’,” Logan said.

  Gwynn chuckled and stopped the car. She put it in park and turned off the ignition, but she didn’t open the door.

  “What is it?” Logan asked.

  She swallowed and looked at the mansion. “What if he doesn’t know anything about my father?”

  “Then we keep looking.”

  “Where? How?”

  Logan’s hand covered hers, warm, reassuring. A sizzle of awareness, of his masculine appeal surged through her.

  A small frown passed over his face so quickly she thought she might have imagined it.

  “We’ll find him,” Logan said. “Just as I’ll find Ian.”

  “We’ll find Ian,” she corrected him. “You helped me. I will help you.”

  The wicked gleam in Logan’s eyes that sent Gwynn’s heart fluttering in her chest told her he was pleased with her words.

  “We need to be careful in there,” Logan warned, his face set in hard lines. “We know nothing about Declan Wallace other than he loaned the book to your father. And this place is…”